Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	believe_v	church_n	faith_n	17,021	5	6.3601	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A05345	A full confutation of the covenant lately sworne and subscribed by many in Scotland; delivered in a speech, at the visitation of Downe and Conner, held in Lisnegarvy the 26th. of September, 1638. Published by authority.; Speech, delivered at the visitation of Downe and Conner, held in Lisnegarvy the 26th. of September, 1638	Leslie, Henry, 1580-1661.	1639 (1639)	STC 15497; ESTC S102367	22,621	42

And therefore he erected two golden Calves and said unto the people It is too farre for you to go up to Ierusalem These are the gods that brought you up out of the land of Egypt So those men intending to draw away the Kings Subjects from their Obedience and perceiving that if they should joyne with his Majesties good Subjects in the true and orderly worship of God that their heart would returne againe unto their Lord the King They have devised an Idol of their owne brain like Ioroboams Calves even their Presbyteriall discipline and cry that up as the only true worship of God And yet I hold not them all to be alike guilty but that many of them yea the farre greatest part have not as yet learned the deepnesse of Sathan We may distinguish them into three degrees The first sort are they who have contrived the plot are the ring leaders of the faction the seducers of others and so dogmatizing heretiques For these I can make no excuse but leave them as wilde Asses to be spoken within the moneth of their affliction The second sort and the far greatest number 2. Sam 15.11 are those who have been seduced by them like those Two Hundered who followed Absolon out of Jerusalem knowing nothing of his Treason They have been drawne to dance after their pipe though they understood not the Spring and have been carried head-long with it before they knew well what they did And all under Godly pretences For they were made to beleeve that the very state of Religion Church and Kingdome did depend upon this New Covenant and that all men were bound in conscience to defend the Nationall confession of faith and the Oath sworne by their forefathers Besides it is a plausible matter with the people to heare them depraved that are in authority but especially to understand of any liberty or power which may appertaine unto themselves Furthermore also it is not unknowne to any of Judgement how much the profession of extraordinary zeale and as it were contempt of the world doth worke with the multitude When they see men goe simply in the streets and bow down their heads like a bull-rush though their inward parts burne altogether with deceit wringing their necks awry shaking their heads as though they were in some present griefe lifting up the white of their eyes sometimes at the sight of some vanity as they walke when they heare them give great groanes Cry out against this sinne and that sinne not in them their hearers but in their Superiors and finally make long prayers under colour whereof they devoure not onely the houses of Widdowes but of married folkes too When I say the multitude do heare and see such kind of men They are by and by carried away with a marvellous great conceit and opinion of them and with such shewes have these Pharisaicall teachers drawne the multitude after them who have not their sences exercised to discerne between good and evill but judge onely by the outward appearance If they should judge them by their fruits they should find them to be very farre from the true Religion S. Iames hath given us a most full description of the true religion Iam. 3.17 The wisdome that is from above is first pure then peaceable Gentle and easie to be intreated full of mercy and good fruits without judging and without hypocrisie Whereas Solomon describes wisedome to have built her a house with seven pillars So the Apostle describes this heavenly wisedome which is the true Religion by seaven properties neither of which will agree with their religion It is not Pure For therfore is the true religion called pure because it alloweth of nothing which is not in it selfe just lawfull and honest And hereby Lactantius proveth against the Gentiles the verity of the Christian religion But their Religion alloweth of many things which in themselves are neither Just lawfull nor honest as namely Vsury Sacriledge disobedience to lawfull authority and rebellion against Princes Againe is not peaceable for these men are the incendiaries of Christendome as if they had come to set fire upon the Earth Not gentle For they are more austere in their carriage then ever was Cato Not Easie to bee intreated for they will neither be perswaded by their friends nor commanded by their superiors to doe any thing but what they will squaring themselves by that old rule of the Do●atists Quod volumus sanctum est Not full of mercy and good fruits For they are all for sacrifice nothing for mercy All for the duties of the first Table neglecting the duties of the second Their faith hath drowned their charity For we have knowne them pull downe many Churches and yet build but a few Hospitalls Not without Judging For of all men living they are known to be the most rigid censurers of others And consequently they are not without Hypocrisie For that is the true note of an hypocrite when one as our Saviour saith can spy the mote that is in his brothers eye and not discerne the beame that is in his own And yet with their pretence of piety they have deceived a number of simple people But there is yet a third sort who have subscribed the Covenant against their conscience onely for fear of a Massacre which they had just cause to suspect when a Catalogue was taken up of the names what in every Parish of those who refused to subscribe And now I pray you what is become of their plea of Christian liberty For when we did presse them to conforme themselves unto the Orders of our Church they alleaged that it was contrary to Christian liberty to inforce men to the doing of any thing against their conscience and that a man should be fully resolved in his owne mind of the lawfulnesse of that which hee doth And yet we did urge men onely under payne of suspension and Excommunication and that after much patience and forbearance using withall all fair meanes to perswade them But they compell men to subscribe with them against their Conscience by Pike and Pistoll threatning no lesse unto the refusers then losse of life goods and lands By this ye may judge of the sincerity of their actions and what they would doe in other places if they should once gaine the power into their own hands All this paines have I taken to detect these men and their proceedings to the end that I might draw you off from their faction For who would be in love with that Religion whose bond is Perjury whose badge is Rebellion Therefore come out from amongst them and separate your selves Be not partaker with them in their sins lest you receive also of their plagues Manifest your dislike of them their proceedings by conforming your selves absolutely unto the Orders of this Church in all things and think not to halt any longer between God and Baal Neither be afraid of their power for howsoever they prosper for a time It is but a Summer storme Nubecula est cito pertransibit You may assure your selves that in end they will not prevaile 1 Sam. 2.10 For that God by whom Kings reigne will give strength unto his King and exalt the horme of his anoynted He will scatter the people that delight in Warre even make the hearts of the Canaanites to melt and their joynts to tremble Psal 91.16 But will satisfie the King with long life and shew him his salvation And now I have wearied both you and my self with a long Speech I know there are many here who thinke I have spoke too much But I could not have said lesse and manifest my fidelity to God and the King And if it be true which is grown unto a Proverb that Leves loquuntur curae ingentes stu●ent No man can expect that my Speech should be eloquent For I protest before God that I have spoken out of the grief of my heart and the very anguish of my Soul When I consider the fearfull afterclaps that are likely to ensue It fears me that our sinnes are come unto a full Maturity and that we are ripe for Gods Sickle to reap us I dare not say with St. Paul that I could wish my selfe Anathema or separated from Christ for my Country-men But I can say with a sincere heart that I could be content my life were given in a Sacrifice so that could procure the peace of the Church redeem his Majesties honor which is so deeply wounded and preserve my native Country from destruction And therefore I beseech all you who bear good will unto Sion that you would apply all your indeavours for quenching of this fire especially labouring to reclaim them who are committed to your charge And of some have Compassion Iude vers 22.23 making a difference and others save with fear Pulling them out of the Fire And let all of us be instant with God in Prayer lifting up our hearts and our hands to the heavens and beseeching him who is the Author of peace and lover of Concord that he would be pleased to open the eyes of that people and turne their hearts that they may acknowledge their duty to God and to his Vice-gerent Amen FINIS

who is never worse then his word hath made his promise good for never were there so great Instruments for the propagation of the Gospel the inlargement of Christs kingdom and the procuring of the peace of the Church as Christian Kings have been and amongst them all never any more then our most gracious King that now is and his most renowned Father whom those men did so much oppose and traduce But what do I need to remember matters of old for the Children are worse then the fathers and their present practise now in Scotland doth surpasse all the in quities of their Fathers and will make them to bee forgotten Now Bishops and conformable Ministers whose persons had wont to be esteemed sacred are stoned beaten wounded and drag'd out of their Pulpits a thing which was never used by the Heathens against their Priests of what lewd condition or quality whatsoever And yet those are they who sweare to be good examples to others of all godlynesse sobernesse and of every duty they owe to God and man Now what Godlynesse Sobernesse or righteousnesse hath been in such proceedings the like wherof hath not been heard amongst the heathen Let all the world judge Before they had wont to assault us onely with their tongues which are sharper then arrowes and with their pens which are as light as Geese quils But now they are come as Tettullian sayes A stilo ad machaeram from words to blowes That we may say with Bernard Leones evasimus sed incidimus in Dracones We escapd the mouthes of Lyons but have fallen into a den of Dragons for these sure are Cerastes Fiery flying Dragons But would to God their madnesse had stayed here They have not onely done wrong unto Gods Prophets but also touched his annointed entring into a mutuall league and covenant against him arming his Subjects taking Oathes of them to maintain their cause blocking up his Castles refusing all his Majesties most gracious offers for peace and indeed proclaiming a plain defiance unto him Good God! Can they be Christians that do these things Or have they any warrant for this out of Gods word which commands us to be subject to Superiour powers and that for conscience sake even then when all Kings were enemies unto Christian Religion Or have they any example for those proceedings out of Pious antiquity The Christians in the Primitive Church when they were led as sheep to the slaughter all the day long and suffered the most exquisite torments that could be devised Yet would never take Armes for to resist the Prince but put on this resolution Arma nostra preces Lachrymae Yea when these persecuting Emperors had occasion of warre against the barbarous nations the Christians were the Emperours best and most faithfull Souldiers so terrible unto their enemies that they were called the thundering Legions And S Austin doth highly commend them for their faithfull service unto the heathen Emperours who did most cruelly spill their blood onely for their profession of Christ And let no man say it was for want of power that they did not defend themselves by armes for it is well known that if they had thought it lawfull to resist the Emperour by Armes they were of that number power and resolution that they had been able to have shaken the foundations of the Empire But now it seemes that these men of whom I speak have learned another Divinity and think that they are bound to stand to the defence of their dread Soveraigne the Kings Majesty his person and authority in the defence and preservation of the true religion as they have express●d in their late Printed confession of faith wherunto they have sworn so that they do plainly insinuate that they are no further bound to defend the Kings person and authority then he doth stand in the defence of the true Religion And that onely must be accounted the true Religion which they themselves do best like of If the King will not maintain that then for all this last Oath they are freed from their Alleigance wherein they have more then justified the Iesuites in all their rebellious practises and the Iesuites can well tell how to take advantage thereof for it is not long since a Iesuite wrote a Book in the defence of the Loyalty of their Order alledging that Protestants had allowed the rebellion of Subjects against Princes as much as any of their Order had done and gives instance in Buchanan Knox and Goodman But Andreas Rivetus a Professor of Leiden answering the Iesuite doth professe that all Protestants do condemne that doctrine and ascribes the rashnesse of Buchanan and Knox Praeferbido Scotorum ingenio ad audendum prompto And now it feares me that ere it be long another Iesuite shall publish a Book to prove that the present insurrection in Scotland is a greater rebellion then was the Papists Gun-powder-plot in regard that the Gun-powder-Treason was but the act of a few discontented Gentlemen and the thousand Papist in England not guilty of it but in the present Rebellion of the Puritanes they have ingaged a great part of that Kingdome and many who indeed know not what the matter meanes and so that this may be called the common sinne of that Sect whereas the other cannot be charged upon the Religion of the Papists But you will say it is Religion that moveth them What did ever the true Religion allow of rebellion Tantum Religio potuit suadere malorum I know they pretend the defence of the nationall confession of their Church and the Oath received by their forefathers in the Yeere 1581 by the Kings example and commandement But if it be so I will subscribe their Covenant also which is the greatest curse I can lay upon my mortall enemy Therfore to take away that vaine pretence wherewith they blind you and many other simple people I will here make it evidently appeare First that that negative Confession wherunto they did swear in the yeere 81 is not the nationall Confession of the Church of Scotland and Secondly that the Oath which they have now administred is not the same which the King his Family States and Subjects did sweare at that time But Substantially different from it in many points And first that Negative Confession is not the nationall Confession of the Church of Scotland But the nationall Confession is that which twenty yeeres before being penned by Mr. Knox and his fellow-ministers and contayning the positive grounds of Divinity was approved by the Parliament held in the yeere 1560 and afterwards was ratified by a Parliament in the yeere 1567 and registred in the body of that Act of Parliament and so confirmed by a number of Parliaments since that time The same is likewise received into the body of the Confessions of all the reformed Churches and acknowledged for the Confession of the Church of Scotland But as for that Negative Confession consisting in the abjuring of Popish errors and penned by Mr.