Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	book_n	divine_a	scripture_n	2,963	5	6.0860	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A60933	The political mischiefs of popery, or, Arguments demonstrating I. that the romish religion ruines all those countries where 'tis establish'd II. that it occasions the loss of above 200 millions of livres ... to France in particular, III. that if popery were abolished in France, that kingdom would become incomparably more rich and populous ..., IV. that it is impossible that France should ever be re-established whilst popery is their national religion / by a person of quality.	Souligné, de.; Ridpath, George, d. 1726.	1698 (1698)	Wing S4719; ESTC R25778	81,776	162

and Religion of Rome and the Happiness and Prosperity of Princes States and People that the said Church and its Religion is false to the highest degree there never having been any Religion in the World so contrary to the good of Mankind It hath no remainders of old Christianity but just so much as is necessary to constitute the Form of Antichristianism by way of Excellence that is to say the most perfect Enmity against Jesus Christ by ascribing to him all sorts of Idolatry and Impiety making him the Author of their Tyranny and Cruelty and feigning an adherence to him like Judas in order to betray him and to dishonour him the more as an Adulterous Woman dishonours her Husband while at the same time they persecute his Followers with the height of Rage and fill the Universe with Blood and Confusion and trample under foot ruin and devour Princes and their Subjects and all in the name of Jesus Christ. The True Religion being come from God who is the Creator and Preserver of Men and Society cannot tend to the Ruin and Destruction of States except we establish with the Manichees two eternal Principles one good and the other evil which is so gross that it deserves no Con●…utation If the Romish Religion be good with all those Mischiefs and Disorders which we have seen it produces naturally and necessarily in all Countries where it obtains God who is all Just all Holy and Holiness it self the Preserver of Nations and Mankind and the Author of the Old and New Testament can neither be Just Holy Good Wise True nor the Author and Preserver of Humane Society and the Old and New Testament cannot have proceeded from any other but the wicked Spirit Absit Blasphemia God must likewise if the Religion of the Church of Rome be True be contrary to the Propagation of Mankind which it appears to be one of the favourite Designs of Providence He must also according to them approve of Deceit and Imposture and Cozenage in the Ministers of his Religion and in his Worship he must likewise love Injustice Impiety Perfidiousness Tyranny Laziness Idleness Cruelty Incontinence Robbery Profanity Perjury Hypocrisy Murder and Calumny which are so essential to the Popish Religion and the Roman Clergy I leave it to Divines to treat of the Idolatry Heresie Superstitions c. of this pretended Church which agree so well and are so very becoming to all the rest which we have seen and which cannot indeed be otherwise and are the natural Effects of the Ambition of those Mischievous Creatures as well as the rest for as Saint Chrysostome says well 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. that Ambition or a desire of Dominion is the Mother of Heresies and therefore St. Paul reckons Heresie amongst the Works of the Flesh. For the Popes not being able to establish their Authority in the World but by introducing those Practices into the Church and the Disorders of which we have spoke before that ruine all the Popish Nations have been oblig'd entirely to corrupt the Morals and Doctrine thereof and to suppress the Light of the Gospel which would have discover'd their Exorbitanci●…s and Iniquity to Mankind and have inclin'd them to oppose their Ambition For this reason they favoured all manner of Ignorance and Vice that they might the better extinguish amongst Men all Fear and Knowledge of God and all Generosity And seeing Men could not live without Religion good or bad they afterwards hurry'd them head-long into all sorts of Idolatry and Impiety If they had not intirely corrupted and falsified the Christian Religion and People had known the Doctrine of the Old and New Testament they would never have submitted to Practices and Customs so contrary to the Publick Good Princes and their Ministers would never have suffered a Religion to be Established among them which is so much contrary to their Rights Arts Husbandry Manufacture Commerce Propagation good Morals and the ●…ublick Peace of Nations Let us but read and consider the Old an●… New Testament or only the Ten Commandments of Gods Law we shall find nothing commanded therein but what is Excellent and Worthy of God and wonderfully suited not only to the Temporal good and advantage of every Man in particular but also to that of People and Countries and the whole World in general So that if the great Wits of this Age who pretend to be Men of Parts though they be indeed meer Fools would consider this sedately they would be obliged to own whether they would or not by comparing this with the Conduct of all the Politicians in the World and their Pretended Skill in the Government of their People that there are no o●…her Rules of True Policy for regulating of Morals and making every particular Man as profitable as can be to Society but those that the Law of God and the Gospel furnish us with and that every thing which does not agree with that and is not conformable thereunto is nothing else but Errour and Destruction I don't mean only the Political Laws of Moses as they are call'd to distinguish them from the Moral Law under which the Commonwealth of Israel became so flourishing and was Peopled in such a manner as seems Incredible to those that read their History but I mean also and chiefly the Moral Law which certainly contributed still more than the Political Laws of that People tho' but very ill observed to make them so rich and powerful I joyn also thereunto at present the Gospel which not only regulates our Actions but also our Thoughts and Words and hath giv'n us a Model of Incomparable Charity and furnish'd us with new and powerful Motives to this Vertue by revealing to us clearly the saving Grace of God that we may live all in general Princes and People and every one in particular Soberly Justly and Religiously which comprehends all our Duty to God our Neighbours and our selves wherein if we did acquit our selves Men would not only be happy in the Life to come but also in this and Nations would become incomparably more powerful populous and rich than they are For Godliness hath the promises of this Life and that which is to come Which of it self might be enough to convince our Deists many of whom value themselves highly on the account of their sense and ability and think they are able to Govern Kingdoms of the Divine Authority of the Holy Scriptures if there were no other proofs of it In that Divine Book alone are the true Rules of Policy to be found All the World agrees in this without thinking on it when they say that Honesty is the best Policy that is to say to observe the Law of God and cause it to be observ'd by others which is no less essentially Necessary for the good of the State than for Salvation But ●…he Church of Rome hath confounded all those Notions as I have already said and having govern'd the World for a long time hath introduced a