Selected quad for the lemma: life_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
life_n	believe_v	eternal_a	see_v	6,178	5	3.7252	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A60294	Sions groans for her distressed, or Sober endeavours to prevent innocent blood, and to stablish the nation in the best of settlements Grounded upon scripture, reason, and authority. Proving it the undoubted right of Christian liberty under different perswasions, in matters spiritual, to have equal protection as to their civil peace. Unto which is added the testimony of fifteen antients. Humbly offered to the Kings Majesty, Parliament and people, and left unto their serious view. By Tho. Monck, Joseph Wright, Fran. Stanley, &c.; Sions groans for her distressed.	Monck, Thomas. aut; Wright, Joseph, 1623-1703. aut; Stanley, Fr. (Francis), d. 1696. aut; Hanson, Geo. aut; Reynolds, William, 1625-1698. aut; Jeffery, William, 1616-1693. aut	1661 (1661)	Wing S3870; ESTC R220545	19,156	24

also 〈◊〉 conscience sake and if any thing otherwise shall be required we shall be passive and suffer what may be inflicted on us for our consciences for what ever hath been suggested by evil men yet that Magistracy and Government is an Ordinance of God hath been frequently asserted in our discourses and writings and is by us beleeved as fully as the Apostle Paul in the 13 of the Romans hath taught And all that we desire which is dearer to us than our lives is that our spirits and consciences may bee left free to serve the Eternal God which ought to be granted us seeing as the same Apostle saith in these cases We shall every one of us give an account of himself to God But to our Arguments the first of which shall be that which some of us made use of to the Kings Majesty from Maidstone which we have not yet seen weakned Let it therefore be considered if any Magistrate under Heaven in the dayes of the Gospel hath power by outward force to impose any thing in the worship and service of God on the conscience it is given him as he is a Magistrate only or as a Christian so considered but that no such power is given by God to any Magistrate appears 1 Because if Magistrates as such have such an Authority then all Magistrates in all Nations have the same power then if we lived in Turky must we receive the Alchoran and be worshippers of Mahomet if in Spain be Papists in England sometimes Papists as in Henry the eighths ●ayes Protestants in Edward the sixths Papists again in Queen Maries and Protestants again in Queen Elizabeths and so for ever as the Authority changes Religion wee must do the same but God forbid for nothing is more absurd 2 Seeing in the dayes of the Gospel the Lord Jesus is that great Prophet which as Moses said is to be heard in all things and as himself testifieth Hath all power in heaven and earth given unto him Then if Magistrates have power to impose any thing by outward force on the conscience it must be committed unto them from the Lord Jesus and written in the Scriptures of the New Testament or else how doth it appear but the whole stream of the New Testament Scriptures run clear in another channel and there is no colour for any such supposition as farther appears 3 Because the Apostles themselves that gave forth those Commands which are written in Scripture to be obedient to Magistrates refused to be obedient to their Rulers when they were commanded to forbear that which they judged part of the worship of God and said Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God judge yee 4 All the Scriptures of the New Testament that enjoyn obedience unto Magistrates were written when the Romans had the Empire of the world whose Emperours were for the most part if not all heathenish Idolators for the first three hundred years until Constantines time it therefore cannot be supposed that any of those Texts of Scripture that call for obedience to Magistrates intend an obedience in matters of faith for then the Christians that lived under those Emperours must needs have denied Christ and worshipped the Roman gods as some of the Emperours commanded 5 If Magistrates as such have power from God in the dayes of the Gospel to command in spiritual matters and to punish those that obey not then must Christians surely be actually obedient not only for wrath but also for conscience sake because else they should resist the Ordinance of God but if this were true the way to heaven would be so far from being strait and narrow that any might be a Disciple of Christ without taking up the cross and following him yea all sufferings and persecutions should wholly be at an end and they that undergo them should utterly be condemned for it is not to be supposed there could be persecutions if all the commands of the Magistrate in spiritual causes were actually to be obeyed It therefore reasonably follows that no Magistrate as such hath power from God to compel in spiritual causes but on the contrary for Saints to endure persecutions and sufferings rather than actually obey is abundantly by the Lord foretold rewarded and justified as by the Scriptures of the New Testament appears Bu● if it be objected that neither the Magistrate is to command nor the subjects actually to obey any thing but what is according to the minde of God It is answered that all Magistrates suppose what ever they impose to be so but the question is who is to determine for if the Magistrate or any other man or men have power from God to judge and determine what is lawful for men to obey then no room is left for them to dispute the lawfulness of any of his commands it being their duty to obey what ever is commanded and so as it hath been said before the Cross of Christ ceases but if every one shall give account for himself to God then it reasonably follows that every man judge for himself in matters spiritual and therefore for the Magistrate to compel cannot be warrantable by Scripture or Reason Again that the power to judge and determine in spiritual matters is not in a Magistrate as such Gallio the Roman Deputy of Achaia well understood when the Iews made insurrection with one accord against Paul and brought him to the Judgement seat saying This fellow perswadeth men to worship God contrary to the Law which almost ever since hath been the great cry by all sorts of the National Clergy whose turns it hath been to have the Magistrate on their sides against all others that have differed from them but Gallio said If it were a matter of wrong or wicked lewdness O ye Iews reason would that I should bear with you but if it be a question of words and names and of your Law look yee to it for I will be no judge of such matters And he drave them from the Iudgement seat Which worthy example if Magistrates would be perswaded to follow by judging and punishing onely Civil injuries and wrongs and leaving Spiritual differences to bee decided and judged and punished by Jesus Christ according to the Gospel they then would finde themselves and Governments quickly free from many inconveniences that now they are involved in about deciding Religious Controversies with external force and power And now that no Magistrate although a Christian hath power to be a Lord over anothers faith or by outward force to impose any thing in the worship of God is also very clear 1 Because the Lord Jesus himself would never by any outward force compel men to receive him or his Doctrine for when his Disciples supposing they might use violence as under the Law would have commanded fire to come down from heaven as Elias did to consume them that would

Sions Groans for her Distressed OR Sober Endeavours to prevent Innocent Blood and to stablish the Nation in the best of SETTLEMENTS Grounded upon Scripture Reason and Authority Proving it the undoubted right of Christian Liberty under different perswasions in matters Spiritual to have equal Protection as to their Civil Peace Unto which is added the Testimony of fifteen ANTIENTS Humbly offered to the Kings Majesty Parliament and People And left unto their Serious View By Tho. Monck Ioseph Wright Fran. Stanley c. Matth. 7.12 Therefore all things whatsoever you would that men should do to you do you even so to them for this is the Law and the Prophets Mat. 13.28 29 30. The servants said unto him wilt thou then that we go and gather them up but he said nay lest while ye gather up the Tares ye root up also the Wheat with them let both grow together in the field the world until the Harvest which is the end of the world Act. 5.38 And now I say unto you refrain from these men and let them alone for if this Counsel or Work be of man it will come to nought but if it be of God ye cannot overthrow it lest haply ye be found to fight against God London Printed for the Authors and are to bee sold in London and at Westminster 1661. TO THE READER Courteous Reader WIth burthened hearts as once the two Disciples travelling unto Emaus spoke to Christ a supposed stranger so speak we unto thee Art thou a stranger in our Island and hast not known the things that have come to pass in these daies while the father hath been divided against the son and the son against the father three against two and two against three Even a mans foes they of his own houshold so great have been our Divisions like Reuben that no sooner light hath been by Gods grace manifested to the begetting Children of the Free-woman but presently they are persecuted by the Children of the Bond-woman and how unpleasing this is to Iesus Christ and how unlike his golden Rule that saith And all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you do ye even so to them for this is the Law and the Prophets We say how unpleasing this is to him judge upon thy serious perusal of this following Treatise which we commend to thy perusal in thy most retired consideration when thou canst read with thy thoughts least cumbred with other business our design in what we beg may be perused is general good in setting at liberty that which God made free even the Conscience Thou canst not bee ignorant of the great Contriversie that now is on foot as to uniformity in Worship to impose by violence where they cannot perswade under seeming pretence of Scripture warrant and antiquity the contrary to which is asserted in the words of truth and soberness by Scripture reason and practice of the Primitive times And lest violence and oppressing of conscience should run up to that height till it terminate in the blood of some who are dear and their blood precious in the eyes of the God of all the Earth therefore have we committed this unto the view of all men as part of the work of our Generation in singleness of heart and remain lovers and prayers for all men that we might live a peaceable and a quiet life in all godliness and honesty Farewel Tho. Monck Ioseph Wright Geo. Hamon Fran. Stanley Will. Reynolds Will. Ieffery The eight day of the 3 Month 1661. Sions Groans for her Distressed OR Sober Endeavours to prevent Innocent Blood and stablish the Nation in the best of Settlements AS all the holy Scriptures have been written afore-time for our learning and admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come So that particular Book of the Revelation is of such excellent worth That blessed is he that readeth and they that hear the words of this Prophesie and keep those things that are written therein for the time is at hand In which Book in no less than three several Texts it is testified that the Nations of the world and inhabiters of the Earth with their Kings would drink the wine of the fornication of that abominable Harlot that sitteth upon Peoples and Multitudes and Nations and Tongues and by her sorceries deceiveth all Nations until they become drunk and altogether uncapable in that condition to receive the pure waters of life tendred to them in the plain way of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus This with grief of heart we see too visible for the Doctrine and Traditions of Rome who is mystery Babylon and since her Apostacy the Mother of Harlots For the woman which thou sawest is that great City which reigneth over the Kings of the earth have so corrupted the earth and clouded the understandings of the sons of men that the great and most important truths of God cannot bee received or beleeved The reason why the Nations are so generally beguiled in the concernments of their souls is because the greatest part being carnal and unregenerate persons they are naturally inclined to such wayes of worship as are accompanied with external pomp and glory and therefore the Spirit of the Lord testifies that the great Harlot filleth her abominations and filthy fornications in a golden cup like the Physitian that guilds his bitter Pill that his Patient may the better swallow it Thus doth the Romish Church and her followers who to make their carnal Ordinances finde the better reception deliver them to the inhabitants of the earth by such as are honourable amongst men in worldly Sanctuaries most magnificently built and adorned endowed with Lordly Revenues accompanied with Musick and Voyces and Pontificial Vestments yea many Superstitions and Customes meerly earthly and sensual if not worse which we say so pleaseth the earthly and unregenerate man that he is ready to say This is the best Religion which is of most esteem in the Nations and accompanied with all earthly glory and delights altogether forgetting that strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to life and few there be that finde it And that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God And if it had been the minde of the Lord Jesus that the Gospel should have been recommended unto the world and accompanied with these Ceremonies and Formalities that are practised in the worship of the Nations or were used amongst the Iews it is very strange we should not have one word for it in all the Scriptures of the New Testament when Christ was as faithful over his house as Moses was over his and is to be heard in all things as Moses himself commanded and there will be little encouragement to touch with the Gentile Nations in their superstitious Ceremonies when it shall be considered that the Rites and Ceremonies of the Mosaical law being once the appointments of God did far exceed in glory what