Selected quad for the lemma: state_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
state_n	good_a	great_a	time_n	3,744	5	3.2616	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A50861	Remarks upon the occasional paper, number VIII in a letter to the author.	Milles, Thomas, 1671-1740.	1697 (1697)	Wing M2068; ESTC R31895	7,801	12

not likely in the present Posture of Affairs to get the Church any more of its Just Rights than 't is already possess'd of and may possibly too much expose particular Persons But if you should be tempted to write upon this Subject and you should venture to endeavour the Confutation of this Learned and Pious Author I shall take the boldness to recommend this Piece of Advice to you That you would treat his Person with all that Respect which is due to his Extraordinary Merits in a word That you would behave your self to him as he behaves himself to all those he happens to differ from with the greatest Deference Candor and Modesty And I am the rather inclined to take the liberty of recommending this to you because by your way of writing you seem I had almost said Pedantically to affect to be thought a Moderate Man Which made me wonder the more that you who had behaved your self with that Caution and Tenderness towards others even where a little more Severity would not have been perhaps much amiss should unluckily fail of it only there where it was most due and best deserv'd Moderation is a Virtue that becomes a Scholar and a Minister better than any but yet if it be misplac'd it loses its Name and Nature and degenerates into a vicious Lukewarmness and Indifferency When the Foundations of all Religion in general and the Sacred Truths of the Christian in particular whether they be such as respect the Faith or Government and Discipline of the Church are not only sapped and undermined but professedly and openly attack'd by Atheists Deists and Latitudinarians all that are in earnest with what they profess ought presently to take the Alarm and with a suitable Concern and a becoming discreet Zeal boldly to defend their Holy Mother the Church from these her false Friends and declar'd Enemies We are commanded to contend earnestly for the Faith and to rebuke some men sharply and though the Truth and Obligation of these Commands is own'd by all in Theory yet I know not how by distinguishing Times Seasons and Circumstances they are so evaded by most that they have almost lost all their Force and Energy in Practice To what a deplorable State this Indifference in Matters of Religion together with a good ample Toleration will bring any Church in some time we may judge from what we see in a neighbour-Neighbour-State where there is as great a variety and medly of Sects Opinions and Religions as there was anciently of Tongues at Babel where all Religions are profess'd and none believ'd where Men alter their Opinions in these Matters as they do the Fashion of their Cloaths according to their own Humour or the Customs of the Country where they are or the Examples of those with whom they converse For so we are told by an Author that has given an account of this Country Sir W. T. of the Netherlands p. 207. That the Appearance of Religion is here like a Piece of Humanity by which every one falls most into the Company or Conversation of those whose Customs and Humours whose Talk and Dispositions he likes best And as in other Places 't is in every Man's choice with whom he will Eat or Lodge with whom go to Market or to Court so it is here with whom he will Pray or go to Church or associate himself in the Service and Worship of God Nor is any more notice taken or consure pass'd of what every one chuses in these Cases than in the other But how much soever such a State and Face of Religion may advance the Trade and Commerce of a Country which I wish some Men don't prefer before all other Considerations yet certainly nothing can be more prejudicial to Mens Eternal Interest which whatever those Men may think are infinitely preferable to the other than this humour of Indifferency and such an unlimited Toleration as is here described For unless all Religions be alike and every one shall be saved by living up to the Precepts of that Sect or Party which he is a Member of which no body that has any Religion will assert it can be no indifferent thing with whom we associate our selves in the Service of God Since among the many Sects and Parties of Religion into which any Nation may be divided it is certain but one of them can be in the true and that by joining with which alone in a visible Communion Men are made capable of being Saved in the Ordinary way even upon performing all the other Conditions of Salvation And if this be true I cannot see but all Civil Magistrates are indispensably obliged to use all fit means that the True Religion may be profess'd by all those that live within their Dominions however inconsistent this may be with Trade or any other Worldly Advantage The Ingenious Author above-mentioned has given us a very good Account how such an unlimited Toleration came to be setled in the Country I am speaking of It was not their being satisfied of the Lawfulness or even Expediency in respect of Religion of such an extravagant Liberty that made them permit a mixtûre of all Religions among them but the force of Commerce and a Trading Conversation This same Trade has a wonderful force and energy We know whom it made Deny or Dissemble their Christianity in the East Indies And I wish with all my heart that Trade and Commissioners for Trade may have no ill influence upon the same Religion here in England And as our Latitudinarians are thus injurious to Religion so are They no less who are for altering our present Ecclesiastical Constitution in order to comprehend a party of Men who have no mind to come within the Pale of the Church because they make their Markets much better by holding their Separate Conventicles These are the Men whose common Theme of Discourse are the Miscarriages of the Two last Reigns whether in Church or State who read and admire the Secret Histories that have come out of late of what no body besides the Authors of them ever heard of Others of them endeavour to shew their Impartiality and Moderation by owning some things that are charged upon the Church and Clergy which are not really true And this is the reason that I have known some Men accuse and condemn themselves recant and give the Lie to their own Sermons wherein they admirably well asserted and maintain'd the Doctrine of Passive Obedience not above its due height though perhaps in contradiction to the Opinions that are current at this time concerning it And I wish this be not the Motive which induced you Sir P. 31. to make that Severe Reflection concerning the Management of Church-Discipline in this Nation For unless you mean some few Miscarriages of Lay-Chancellors I don't think you can give Three Instances of any very great mismanagement of Church Power besides what the unhappy Circumstances of the Church Censures being directed and govern'd by our Civil Laws have necessarily involved those that inflict them in So little reason you had to own any Irregularities and Extravagancies no milder Terms it seems would serve your Turn of those who you are pleas'd to say exercise Church Power without regard to the Design or Rules of Christianity And now Sir I have done with my Remarks upon your Paper which I had not troubled my self to take so much notice of if you had not undeservedly spoken so disrespectfully of the Vindicator of the Deprived Bishops whom all Men highly honour for his great Innocence of Life concern for Religion and his incomparable Learning Your Design in writing in behalf of Church-Discipline which is very much wanted in this Nation and which our Church in her Liturgy wishes might be restored is highly commendable 'T is a Subject that well deserves an able Pen one that is exactly well acquainted with Primitive Antiquity to manage it And though we be not all capable of saying all that might be said upon some particular Subjects yet we ought to endeavour as much as we can to convince Men of those Sacred Truths which by the iniquity of the Times are most discountenanced and run down I am Sir Your c. FINIS