Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	age_n	doctrine_n	scripture_n	2,947	5	5.3842	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A66598	Conscience satisfied in a cordial and loyal submitting to the present government of William and Mary in three discourses justifying the Williamites against the Jacobites : the first being animadversions on a book intitutled The doctrine of non-resistance, or, Passive obedience no way concerned in the controversies now depending between the Williamites and the Jacobites, the second on I Sam. 23.30 ... the third on Dan. 5.20 ... / by Tim. Wilson, rector of Kingsnoth in Kent.	Wilson, Timothy, 1642-1705.	1690 (1690)	Wing W2949; ESTC R38313	57,754	74

have proved in a Sermon on 1 Sam. 23.12 Secondly That this Doctrine of Defensive Arms in some case was never censured by the Church of England till Innovation began to creep into the Church and Arbitrary Power into the State The Church of England hath always been so wise and moderate as to allow difference of Judgment in these Speculative Matters No man can Preach Obedience to Governours who are God's Ministers God's Vicegerents and called Gods too Zealously But to say that if we are never so innocent nor never so much oppressed we may not defend our selves is worse than to make us Gally-slaves and Asses of Burden Thirdly I never read any Church in the Christian World which did not justifie defensive Arms in some case and tho' I never read that any man called Passive Obedience an Antichristian Doctrine yet I say it is an Unnatural Doctrine I have read that the every renowned Luther the Author of the Reformation and the first Defender of the Protestant Cause against the Tyranny and Innovation of the Papists was called Tuba Rebellionis the Trumpeter of Rebellion And I remember not long since that divers Popish Officers in the Army Drank such a kind of Health is this Confusion to the Cornet and his Trampeters But God hath abated their Pride asswaged their Malice and confounded their Devices And He who was the first Confessor as I may say of our Church I mean the Right Reverend Father in God the Lord Bishop of London by his Constancy in the true Religion now shines like a Star of the first Magnitude in the Firmament of our Church We know that Elijah was called the Troubler of Israel St. Paul was called a mover of Sedition And the best men and most zealous for God's Truth in their several Ages have been revi'ed by Insolent Imperious and Devilish Spirits But what hath the Righteous done We have helped to save the Nation We have been Instruments under God to set a Protestant King and Queen over us who are so humble in their Greatness that they are greater in Goodness than in Place to whom we are obliged not only in Duty but in Gratitude for accepting the Rule over us For His Sacred Majesty hath the trouble but we have nothing but ease and quiet we sit under our own Vines that is enjoy all that is ours with great Security We have a Nursing Father and a Nursing Mother to our Church Is there or can there be a Murmurer in our Israel O foolish People and unwise O miserable Mortals that are never contented What can we wish what can God do more for us Those Protestants that are not pleased with the Government must go to Heaven for they will never be pleased on Earth if they are not now But after this rapture let us return to our Honest Gentleman He says P. 35. The Doctrine of Non-resistance hath been often proved the genuine Doctrine of the best Ages of the Church and that so fully and clearly that they who would not yield to the force of the Proof have not been able to deny the truth of it but have been forced to Pretend it was only Temporary and doth not oblige all Ages which is hardly sence Answ If any of our side say that it was only Temporary let them justifie it I cannot undertake their defence but I could never meet with any of those that say so I confess I have read this Objection before now And some Popish Author saith that it was Occasional which in this case is equivalent to Temporary but I believe what the Scripture saith in this case obligeth all Ages But then I deny That the Doctrine of Non-resistance hath been often proved the Genuine Doctrine of the best Ages of the Church This Gentleman knows That the Old Testament was given by Inspiration of God as well as the New And he knows I suppose that the Jews were under the same Covenant for Substance that we Christians are tho' not under the same Administration thereof They says Nazianzen were Christians in Work or Deed tho' not in Name Now we know that the Primitive Church of Christ was under Heathen Emperours and that the Civil State was never Christian But the Precepts Rules and Examples of Governours in Samuel Kings and Chronicles are Patterns for us in like case And here we say David's Example is plain and undeniable And this Gent. produces no Scripture but Romans the 13th which I have already considered and if occasion be offered have much more to say Object The Church is now in other Circumstances than she was then which is not true neither Answ I am sure it is true of the Church of England We do not li●●encer Heathen Emperours neither are there any Laws against us but all are for us Our Religion is Established and is part of our Property as it were which no man can invade as I have said before and need not repeat It is confess'd that Christians under the Turk must submit to Death or Fly because the Laws of the Country are against them and Christ came not to alter Political Government But what is this to us where Governours and Governed are all Christians and make one Political as well as Ecclesiastical Body And what David did being causelesly and illegally wronged by Saul we may do in like case He hath some more Rhetorications and Amplifications but there is nothing new and all is already answered only I must take notice of one thing that he saith P. last It is certain the greatest part of the Nation did not Resist but refused to Assist This Notion he hugs dearly but I think I have shewed the weakness of it in all that justifie Passive Obedience As for others I blame them not There are degrees of Knowledge and degrees of Virtue and degrees of Zeal Some have Heroick Zeal which is not indispensably required of all And God knows what Circumstances many were in who wished well to the Cause And no Divine thinks that the Protestants in the West of Ireland are at this day bound to Publish their Thoughts with the hazard of their Lives But be it ●s it will I dare Poll with this Gentleman I am sure about us there were five to one to speak within compass Nay scarce a man that was not Zealous for the Prince of Orange but was branded and perhaps misrepresented But I confess Number great or small makes not a Cause Good or Evil yet in our Case it shews that most of the Lay-Members of the Church of England did not believe the Doctrine of Passive Obedience and Non-resistance But God forbid that I should justifie some of the things that were done in the Heat of the late Revolution as this Gent. speaks P. 36. Some were guilty of Irregularities which according to the strict Rules of the Gospel cannot be justified And O that God would give all that were Active in this Cause his Grace that they may be true Christians as well as