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	know_v	word_n	4,525	5	4.2540	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A34532	An account given of the principles & practices of several nonconformists wherein it appears that their religion is no other than what is profest in the Church of England in vindication of themselves and others of their perswasion, against the misrepresentation made of them, and in hearty desire of unity in the Church, and of peace and concord among all true Protestants, for the strengthening of their common interest, in this time of their common danger / written by Mr. John Corbet ...	Corbet, John, 1620-1680.	1682 (1682)	Wing C6251; ESTC R224970	23,021	37

the judgment of discretion If the Magistrates command be just the Subjects pretending against its lawfulness cannot justifie his disobedience and if the command be sinfull his judging it to be lawfull cannot excuse his doing of it from being sin It is the Subject's duty in these cases first to lay by his error and then to act according to truth and right and for that end to use the best means for his own true information Whereas some teach that when we doubt of the lawfulness of the thing enjoyned and are certain that obedience to authority is a duty we must do the thing VVe conceive that we cannot be certain of our obligation to obey in a case wherein we are not sure of the lawfulness of the thing commanded because we are sure we must not obey the Magistrates command in things unlawfull and our ignorance or error cannot alter our obligation to Gods Law Here is therefore an uncertainty on either side and perhaps the danger may be greater on the side of obeying than refusing For possibly the injunction of a heinous sin may be the matter of the uncertainty and in this streight we apprehend it more unsafe and less excusable to choose the greater before the lesser sin though indeed it be lawfull to choose neither VVe hold not that an indifferent thing becomes unlawfull by being commanded but on the contrary that a thing indifferent before the Magistrate's command doth after the command become a duty it being such as he hath authority to command Indeed we cannot receive the Dictates of some men who have written too daringly about Conscience in reference to Humane Powers VVe boast not of such Principles as make men of ductile Consciences obsequious to all designs and interests but we embrace such as will keep the Church and VVorld in order 14. VVhen the higher powers command what God forbids though we are bound not to perform it yet we must be subject and not resist but patiently submit to suffering The cause of Religion doth not warrant Subjects to take arms against their Lawfull Prince nor may they by armed violence against authority attempt the publique reformation thereof We hold that it is unlawfull by the constitution and laws of this Kingdom for any Subjects to take arms against the King his Office Authority or Person or by force of arms to resist any Magistrate or Officer legally Commissionated or Authorized by him yea Subjects are bound not only not to resist but to assist and defend their Sovereign with their Estates and Lives and the Preachers of the Gospel ought to teach the people obedience and loyalty and to indeavour to root out all Principles of Sedition Rebellion and Disobedience VVe believe that we are under no Bond or Obligation to act any thing contrary to these our avowed Principles And we further make known our detestation of all the indignity and violence offered to the person of our late Sovereign and especially that most horrid execrable fact of taking away his life as also the usurpations and violent change of the Government that did accompany the same against which crimes while they were carryed on the brethren of our perswasion openly protested even to the faces of the actors Touching Government and Obedience we know no controversie between us and the Conforming Clergy that is purely Moral or Theological Indeed there hath been political and law controversies respecting the different constitutions of States and Kingdoms Now some men to serve their own designs have made these to be taken for differences in Religion when as they are agitated among States-men and Lawyers without respect to any difference in Religion and with much variety and uncertainty of opinion And as for us we publiquely profess to ascribe as much to Princes and Sovereign powers as is ascribed to them by the ancient Christian Church in any general Councell or by any Protestant Church in any Synod or publike Confession thereof And in the political Questions about royal prerogatives and the priviledges of Parliaments and the peoples immunities we interpose not at all for they are out of our Sphere but in reference thereunto we acquiesce in the determinations of the laws of this Kingdom 15. VVe doubt not but this free and open dealing will be our defence against those licentious Tongues and Pens that have proclaimed the Religion of the Non-Conformists to be a Foolish Religion when indeed it is no other than the Religion professed by the Church of England and that our Principles of Government have a palpable inconsistence with the wellfare of Governours when we offer an appeal concerning it to the whole Christian Church both of the present and former ages As for our state of Nonconformity it is our grievance and distress and it is not in the power of our own wills to help us VVe affect not singularity disunity or dissent from others and so far as we are constrained to it we take it for our infelicity We grudg not at the liberty of others but are so far glad on the behalf of able and faithfull men as they are in a capacity of more publike service for God and his Church and though we are dissatisfied in the way wherein they have gained it yet we retain Charity and Peace towards them and are willing to concurr with them in the common interest of true Religion 16. They are much mistaken in our case who think it is the mere inexpedience of the things injoyned that we stick at VVe question the truth of some assertions and the lawfullness of some ordinances of worship and fear the dangerous tendency of some forms and rules of Ministration of which and of other matters in difference we are ready to render a particular account when authority shall require it VVe acknowledge that some parts of the matter of our dissent are comparatively small things and in no wise to be valued more than Unity and Peace VVe lay the main stress on the main truths and duties of Christianity and for these lesser things we would bear with others in the belief and practice of them but others will not bear with us in forbearing to own or use them while we think them erroneous and forbidden or at least do rationally doubt of their truth and lawfullness Now this presseth upon us that we may not do lesser evils that greater good may come and therefore we cannot do these comparatively little things For it is not a little thing to sin deliberately in the least matter and the willfull breach of the least of God's Commandments is a contempt of his authority in the whole Law And whereas we are commonly said to strain at Gnats and swallow Camels if we be indeed convicted of such partiality let us bear this brand of Hypocrites In the mean while let our accusers know and dread the guilt of rash judgment Moreover if some of the things themselves be small yet it is not a small thing that is required of us about them

speak so highly of morality and virtue we will not differ with them about the name For morality or immorality taken not vulgarly but theologically is no other than the conformity or inconformity of our minds and actions to God and his Laws And that to preach morality in this sense is to preach Christ we acknowledge as freely as any others But we know the vulgar notion thereof respects the civil righteousness of the natural man and for the sake of common hearers who understand words as they are commonly used among themselves we think it necessary to distinguish between saving grace and moral virtue Furthermore we say not nor are we acquainted with them that do say that the morally righteous man is at a greater distance from grace than the prophane and better be lewd and debauched than to lead an honest and virtuous life We hear no such words out of the mouths of Non-Conformists though some have suggested it against us to make us odious And it seems strange that any should insinuate a charge of Antinomianism against us by making the personated Non-Conformist to call the Doctrine of good works legal preaching when it is so well known that some of ours have done as much as any in confuting the Antinomian dotages We teach none to call themselves Godly meerly because they hear Sermons frequent Lectures and meet together for Prayer and other Religious Exercises yet our aim is that men should make Religion their business and we incourage their diligence in attending on God's Ordinances and redeeming the time and helping each other forward in the way to Heaven 26. Though we are accused to be of that Spirit that saith Stand by thy self come not near to me I am holyer than thou yet we place not Holyness in any peculiar garb of profession or in standing at a greater distance from others than God would have us We receive all men as much as either brotherly kindness or common charity will allow VVe affect no greater singularity than the uncontroverted Non-Conformity to the VVorld makes necessary Differences of perswasion in the matters controverted we make not to be marks of distinction between good and bad men VVe judge not any as ungodly upon the meer account of their Conformity yea we have incomparably more value for a Godly Conformist than for a meerly Opinionative Non-Conformist VVe renounce not Communion in the publique worship of the Parish Churches though for its outward form and order in some respects it be not that which is most desireable by us It is our hearts desire and prayer to God that the VVord Prayer and Sacraments therein dispensed may be blest to the great increase of true Godliness in those that attend thereon Yea we wish so well to the ability and godliness of our opposites in these controversies that it would be our great rejoycing that every Parish Church in England were filled with an able Godly Minister though conformable VVe own the Catholick Communion of Saints and desire a part in the Prayers of all faithfull Christians whether they pray by a set form or without it 27. VVhereas we are charged with immodesty and boldness in our inquiries and conclusions we profess that in the Doctrines of predestination redemption divine Grace free will original sin justification perseverance and assurance of Salvation we differ not from the Established Doctrine of the Church of England and we approve her moderation used in those Articles which we take in the same sense with the English Episcopal Divines in general that lived in Queen Elizabeth's and King James his times And for our parts we judge that the controversies about these points might be lessened and would gladly do our endeavours to the lessening of them 28. Our Doctrine tends to unquietness and confusion no more than the common Doctrine of Protestants and of the Church of England it self for it is the same as we have shewed And we protest against such citations to the contrary as men bring out of writers reputed of our party and renounce whatsoever is written or spoken contradictory to our here avowed Principles And we think it not fair dealing in our adversaries to repeat and aggravate all intemperate passages vented in those times when impetuous actings hurried men into extremities and states-men and sword-men heightened the differences between Divines and especially to do this after our professed moderation hath been acknowledged by our Governours Besides the generality or at least the far greater number of the silenced Ministers now living were not ingaged in the late wars And if these were allowed to preach the Gospel we should be thankfull for the favour though the rest remain excluded 29. We acknowledge the importance of a publique settlement and how necessary it is that both people and teachers be under the regulation and influence of authority And that the willfull and indiscreet might be held in their due limits we would not have things left at random but under stated rules We seek not to be received upon lawless terms but are willing to submit to tryal not only upon accusation of lewd scandall or insufficiency or negligence in our calling but of venting any error contrary to the received Doctrine or of doing any thing contrary to peace and order But it is unreasonable for any to urge this concession for the rigorous imposing of doubtfull and needless things which tend to trouble and not to settle the Church It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to the Apostles and Elders and Brethren assembled at Jerusalem to lay upon the Churches no other burden than things necessary And here we take notice of their impertinency who think it enough to confute all our plea for moderation by publishing quotations out of our writers which were written against an intolerable toleration to wit of heresies blasphemies and open impieties and not the indulgence which we have pleaded for If they can see no medium between tolerating all things and tolerating nothing others can Besides it is an accommodation and union that we have sought by a sufficient comprehensiveness in the publique constitution and then there withall an indulgence towards remaining Dissenters but such as for the subject of it hath nothing that is intolerable We have a true regard to our Brethren that are more streigthened in their judgments than we are and would not have them the worse for our liberty if we could obtain it 30. Though we have not the same latitude of judgment with Conformists in some points yet we have the same Catholick Spirit to promote the common interest of Religion and more especially the Protestant Reformation and to dread the weakening or shattering of it by needless Schisms We mind the way of unity and consistence and retain healing principles we hold it not our duty to publish all truths when the unseasonableness thereof might cause disturbance nor to defend lesser truths with the disadvantage of greater We would not widen breaches nor make other mens opinions