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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	christian_a	good_a	great_a	1,012	4	2.0712	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A34668	A censure of that reverend and learned man of God, Mr. John Cotton, lately of New-England, upon the way of Mr. Henden of Bennenden in Kent, expressed in some animadversions of his upon a letter of Mr. Henden's sometimes sent to Mr. Elmeston (2) a brief and solid exercitation concerning the coercive power of the magistrate in matters of religion, by a reverend and learned minister, Mr. Geo[r]ge Petter ... (3) Mr. Henden's animadversions on Mr. Elmestons's epistle revised and chastized.	Elmeston, John.; Cotton, John, 1584-1652. Censure ... upon the way of Mr. Henden.; Petter, George. Brief and solid exercitation concerning the coercive power of the magistrate in matters of religion.	1656 (1656)	Wing C6415; ESTC R20949	43,719	60

of Religion though we have and might have more liberty than heretofore under the Prelates and were to be thankfull to God and Man for our liberty to serve God in his own way Yet no good Christian but must needs take it to heart to the great abatement of his comfort to see as much liberty granted to Errour Heresie Idolatry c. as to Christ's owne saving Truth and that such abominations to Christs open dishonour and the damnation of soules should have free course and passage I know not well what you mean by a Worldly power whose Prop our Church should need The civill power of the Magistrate especially in a Christian is unfitly so nick-named For it is an Ordinance of God and no● meerely of the World and ought to be imployed for God It may degenerate into a meere worldly power in the hands of pagan and prophane persons when it is exercised onely about worldly matters with a neglect of Religion yea perhaps against Christ and true Religion But if by it you mean the civill Power I doubt not but that our Church as a true Church of Christ can stand without that prop. But this withall I give you to know that even Christs true Church and Religion though it can stand without such worldly support doth yet the more flourish spread and lift up its head● when the civill Magistrate doth undertake the protection and doth countenance it not onely against Persecution but also against contrary Schisms Heresi●s and Idolatry It was some benefit which the Lord did mean the Church should enjoy by the civill Power when he did promise that Kings should be nursing Fathers and Queen●nursing Mothers thereunto Where let it be noted that the promise is made unto the Church and not to all wayes in Religion though Hereticall and Idolatrous as if they should have equell protection and countenance from Kings Queenes and supreme Magistrates with the Church And what benefit the Church hath by the protection and support of the Magistrate as our England may sufficiently witnesse where Religion did more flourish in the free and open worship of God and the number of professions of Religion under the reigne of Edward the sixt blessed Queen Elizabeth c. the one whereof was even in his younger dayes a nursing Father the other all her dayes a nursing Mother to the Church then in the dayes of Queen Mary a cruell S●e p●dame and persecutor thereof So if we take a survey of States abroad certainly we shall perceive that the Church and Religion doth prosper better in Geneva and its territory and among the Helevetian Protestants where one way of true Religion is mainteined than in Polonia such States wherein this mingle-mangle is tolerated Next you would have me remember that the Primitive was built not by Power but by the Spirit That by the Spirit Christ went forth conquering That the Stone dashing all opposers was cut out of the mountaine without hands That Gods people are a willing people and never act nobly but out of a principle of love All this I doe desi●e to remember But what is all this to prove an Universall toleration of all wayes and consciences in Religion which was the thing I insisted on as the main root of much mischief amongst us What cannot the Church be built nor Christ conquer by the Spirit nor Daniels Stone be cut out of the Mountaine without hands nor Gods people be a willing people nor act out of love unlesse such an universall toleration be allowed and it be left as free for men to be Atheists Mahumetans Arrians Pap●sts Hereticks and Sectaries of any kinde as well as to be true sound and orthodox Christians This is a mystery you had need to open to us how such a toleration doth conduce any whit to make the Gospel the more powerfull in converting or Gods people the more free and willing in believing and pro●essing But it seemes you muster up these forces against all coercive power of the Magistrate in matters of Religion But first There was no need to fall upon this controve●sie if your intent were onely to plead for some due liberty for tender consciences that dissent in lesser matters and that in a modest meek and peaceable way which I did not gainsay who onely bent my speech against this miscreant and universall toleration 2. If you intend to argue against all such coercive power here is committed by you ignorated Elenchi you argue not against the question as it ought to be stated which perhaps you conceale that your arguing may be the more plausible among your D●sciples and other simple and well-meaning Readers but such as doe not well understand the state of this controversie For you know which you should have let your Reader know which one thing understood would have cut the sinews of most of your Reasons hudled together about this in your Preface that we do not say that the M●gistrate hath power to comp●ll any man to believe the Gospell or to comp●ll such as are strangers from the Faith to take up the profession of it But we affirm 1. That the Magistrate may and ought to prohibite his Subjects now in the dayes of the Gospel the open exercise of Impious and Idolatrous worship the open profession of ungodly Errors and Heresies yes also of rash and uncharitable rent● from the true Church in his Dominion and the open neglect and prophaning of the Lords day 2. It is in his power and it becometh him to command them yea even such as be strangers from the Faith to attend that worship of God which is naturally morall as to hear the Word read and preached that they may be convinced of their false Religion instructed in the true Faith and converted to it by the Lords blessing coming in upon their hearing and others outwardly professing the Faith might be confirmed in it and converted in the Inner man to a reall and powerfull profession of it and also to joyn in prayer and praising God It doth not impeach this assertion that David did not cause the Edomites Moabites and other Idolatrou● Nations conquered by him to renounce their Idolatrous Worship but did suffer them in it nor did send any to teach them God● Law or constraine them to attend it The Lord in those dayes had confined his worship and covenant of Salvation onely to the people of the Jewes and would not have it made common generally to other Nations except to some few Proselytes that came in but had shut them out from this Covenant wherefore David was not obliged to any such c●re of them nor had any warrant to send any to teach them Gods Lawes and Wayes but now under the Gospel there it no such r●●●raint but as God would have all men to repent and his Grace is free for all Nations So supreme Magistrates had they any Heathen under their power they were so as above to exercise their power to put

A CENSURE OF That Reverend and Learned man of God Mr. JOHN COTTON Lately of New-England upon the way of Mr. Henden of Bennenden in Kent expressed in some Animadversions of his upon a Letter of Mr. Henden's sometimes sent to Mr. Elmeston 2. A brief and solid Exercitation concerning the Coercive power of the Magistrate in matters of Religion by a reverend and learned Minister Mr. Geoge Petter lately of Bread in SUSSEX 3. Mr. Henden's Animadversions on Mr. Elmestons's Epistle Revised and Chastized LONDON Printed by J. G. for JOHN STAFFORD at the signe of the George neer Fleet Bridge 1656. Mr. Hendons ANIMADVERSIONS On Mr. Elmestons EPISTLE Revised and Chastised I Will say little to your Preface but leave it to the discreet judicious and godly Reader to examine and censure as he findes cause Onely I desir● that the Reader may know that it is but your vain Surmise that my other Answer to your Letter as you intimate in the beginning of your Preface and hint elsewhere in your Book was the joynt-labour of sund●y Neighbor-Ministers concurring with me Touching which I can truly say that not any of them no not the neer●st to me knew much of it I am sure saw not a line of it untill I had sent a Copy of it to your selfe So farre were they from contributing their Midwifry to the Birth of it There was but unum ad unum according to the * Proverb But this is the over-weening confidence that you have of your selfe that l●k●Miles gloriosus the braggadosia Souldier in Plautus you think me too weak a man to grapple with you and indeed I boast not of my abilities What I am I am by the grace of God alone whom also I thank for that small mite of Learning humane or divine that I have But as St. Augustine saith so say I Ego parvas vires habeo sed Dei verbum magnas habet I have but small strength but the Word of God and the Truth have great power And as the learned Doctor Reynolds Bonam causam vel infans sustineat mala vix Cicero patronus sufficiat A very Babe may uphold a good cause but Cicero himselfe is fearce a sufficient Patron for a bad It savours of the like arrogant spirit that you would have my Answer to you come forth in the name and with the united forces of all our Ministers What is this but some spice of Goliah's termagant spirit who did defie the whole Host of Israel and more than an Herculean courage of whom the Proverb is Nè Hercules quidem contra duos Hercules himselfe would not take on him to deal● with two Methinks I heare from you the brags of that flattering Parasit● to his Braggadosi● Master that he Hostium legiones difflavit spiritu quasi ventus folia that he had blown away legions of enemies with a blast as the wind doth leaves It may be for all this your boasting you may have your hands full of one ere we have done as the Braggadosia Dares in the Poet had of aged Eutellus who upon encounter with that aged Worthy notwithstanding his insolent boast and challenge was faine to yeild him up the Bucklers upon Aeneas timely advice who saw it like else to go ill with him saying Nonne alias vires conversaque numina sentis Cede Deo Do'st thou not feale a strength above thine own And God against thee Vnto God sit down But leaving further to meddle with your Preface I passe to your Animadversions where you tell me that my Epistle comes galloping in c. Whereto I say That I was never noted among my neigbours for a Galloper but one that usually rode a sober pace The more unlikely is it that I should turne Galloper in my age or that my Epistle should come galloping in and that upon a wooden Horse who could not sure be very free of motion but as he was drawne by others strength But howsoever thus you j●●re at this not wooden story as you scoff but a pleasant Poeticall fiction yet the application of it to your opinion and practise about an Universall toleration in Religion doth so fully meet with you therein that it makes you kick and lash like a Jade nettled in the breech It is a vile and lewd perverting of my words meaning to say as you doe that liberty granted to tender consciences in Religion is by me compared to this Trojan Horse For I speak plainly of an Universall toleration of all wayes and consciences in Religion and that not as established and owned by the State as some did calumniate me For I knew and know that there was an Act made against Ranterisme that they had declared themselves against Arrians in condemning Mr. Fry his book and against Socinians in ordering the Cracovian Catechisme to be burnt for which their zeal for Christ and his Truth I blesse the Lord and wish that from all Gods people they may have their deserved honour but I mentioned it onely as a thing pleaded for taken up by the head-strong practise of too many which is sadly evident to the World And is there no difference between such a vast toleration and a just liberty granted unto tender consciences If men will be blasphemou●Mahumetans execrable Arrians and Socinians idolatrous Papists grosse Arminians wretched Soule-Mortalists fantastick Seekers c. Are these to be tolerated as men of tender consciences in Religion Such onely have been counted men of tender consciences in Religion whose mistakes have been in matters indifferent or at least in points not fundamentall of an inferiour allay carrying themselves in an humble and peaceable way and not strugling to make parties and rents in the Church with whom much patience is to had and to whom due liberty is to be granted But surely such as erre in matters fundamentall or next to the foundation and pertinaciously persist therein after due paines taken with them to informe them in the truth and convince them of their errour yea and also openly professe and spread them abroad to seduce others are far from men of tender consciences unlesse Drunkards Adulterers Railers c. be so also with whom Hereticks are coupled Gal. 5. 20. Tender Consciences and true Grace may meet in one subject and none indeed are truly of tender Conscience but such as are truly Gracious But what spark of saving Grace can be in such whose mindes and consciences are possessed and corrupted with damnable errors and heresies as Peter calls them It is but censorious ignorance which you manifest in taxing me for the use of this Poeticall fiction of the Trojan Horse nor is it utterly unsuitable to the majesty of Divinity though in this my Epistle I treat of no speciall point of Divinity especial●y in controversall writings to make use of Poeticall fictions or Poetry when as the Apostle in his preaching and writing did think the speeches of Heathen Poets suitable enough to his most serious D●vinity as