Selected quad for the lemma: order_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
order_n	church_n	primitive_a	time_n	2,288	5	3.9470	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A39241	The doctrine of passive obedience asserted in a sermon preach'd on January 30, 1684 / by James Ellesby ...	Ellesby, James, b. 1644 or 5.	1685 (1685)	Wing E537; ESTC R11960	23,468	38

the Apostle Now the more we resemble our meek and humble Saviour in our Comportment under Sufferings and Injuries the greater assurance we have of being his Disciples indeed this will entitle us to the Adoption of Sons and make us Heirs with him of the promised Reward § Add to the Example of Christ that of his Apostles who were in all respects admirable Followers of the Blessed Jesus instead of revenging their Sufferings or resisting the Powers under which they suffered they on the quite contrary rejoye'd in Affliction and gloried in Tribulation they accounted it an Honour to tread in the steps of their great Master and to be so evil intreated by the World for His sake Now 't is not only the Cause but the Manner of Suffering or our Behaviour under it that makes our Sufferings like those of Christs for let our Sufferings be upon what account they will whether Civil or Religious 't is our Patient and Submissive Demeanour under them that makes them Christian Sufferings and to resemble those of our Blessed Redeemer nay the Manner of Suffering is every whit as much to be regarded as the Occasion for a Man may suffer in a good Cause after a bad manner and thereby lose the Reward of his Sufferings for want of Faith and Patience to support and carry him through Again He that suffers in an ill Cause may become so Sensible of his Fault and Penitent withall as to find Pity from Man and Pardon from God whereas the best Cause can never justify the impatient murmurings and discontent of its froward Martyrs or peevish Confessors § To this purpose let us consider a while the Example of the Primitive Christians how they behav'd themselves under all their Persecutions and we shall find them Followers of the Apostles as they were of Christ and thereby prov'd themselves no less his Scholars and Disciples than they We find them made up of Patience and Submission Meekness and Long-suffering they underwent the greatest Rage sharpest Torments and severest Persecutions that could be yet with an Apostolical temper and Christ-like frame and disposition of Mind amid'st all the Cruelties threatned on the one hand and inflicted on the other we find nothing could provoke them to a Disturbance we read of nothing they did in way of Revenge or Despite to their Governours and notwithstanding the late disingenious Representation of the Christians in Julian's Time yet from the best Account we have given us of that and the Preceding Ages we are assur'd that the Patience of the Christians was equal to the Rage of their Adversaries and their Constancy and Resolution in bearing Injuries was greater than that of their Enemies in the inflicting of them Nay their Sufferings were rather cause of Joy and Triumph than of Quarrel and Revenge Magis damnati quam absoluti gaudemus Tertul. ad Scapul said the most Ancient of all the Latine Fathers We are more chearful at the news of our Condemnation than of our Acquittal or Absolution Now their willingness to suffer and forwardness to submit is an Argument they were much better Christians than the generality of those who think themselves in the uppermost Form in Christ's School and yet have not taken out this Lesson What kind of Weapons those were which the Primitive Christians opposed to all the Abuses and Outrages of their Adversaries is very well known They made use of no Offensive Arms against the very worst of Princes nor any other Defence than that of Prayers and Tears Apologies and Supplications aliter nec debeo nec possum resistere says the Warlike Bishop of Milan According to the Principles of their Religion they could not make any other Defence they were not permitted any other Resistance And therefore one great Topick they insisted on in their Apologies for themselves and their Religion was this That it was the greatest friend to Government in the World it no ways countenanc'd Sedition nor encourag'd to Rebellion but on the contrary kept Subjects within the strictest bounds of Obedience made them Loyal to the Prince and Faithful to the Government and bound it as a Duty upon their Consciences so to be It taught them to respect their Governours as God's Ministers and Vicegerents upon Earth to acknowledge with our Saviour that they receiv'd their Power from above and to behave themselves under it accordingly Furthermore that you may see how shy they were of Resistance and at what a distance they kept from this Sin they were wont to put up Publick Prayers and I dare say they never said them backward in Private for the Life of the Emperour Safety of his Person and Success of his Arms tho in so doing they did but pray for their greatest Enemies Persecutors and Slanderers and a continuance of all those Calamities which they daily suffered and groan'd under Objection This in a great measure Some will acknowledge to be true but not upon the Principles of Conscience and Religion 't is true say they the Primitive Christians did not resist but it was because they durst not Deerant vires saith Bellarmine they wanted Strength and Numbers to oppose and go through with it if they had begun and therefore it was Prudence in them to sit still and be quiet and make the best they could of an ill Bargain as having no hopes to better it by Resistance Answer This Objection or Pretence carries a great deal of Untruth along with it and no less Ill Will and Disaffection toward Governours but in reality is no better than a Jesuitical Fiction made use of by that Order of men who make Lyes their refuge when they find the plain Truth is not for their turn to support their wicked Doctrine of taking up Arms against the Prince at the command of their Church For if any credit may be given to Primitive Antiquity and the General History of those Times the Christians then had both Arms and Armies They wanted not Force to Defend themselves and Oppose their Governours if they had had a mind to it For the chiefest part of the Empire was then turn'd Christian who made up partom poene majorem the greatest Number almost in every Town and City saith Tertullian whose account is very well known and daily cited upon this Occasion Moreover if they had been inclin'd to Resistance or thought it Lawful might not the Desperatoness of their Case have supply'd the defect of their Numbers which sometimes carries men a great way and inspires them with Courage and Resolution beyond that of their Enemies considering withall their Condition could not well be worse than it was had they failed in their Attempt and fallen short of Success for let what would happen they could but Dy and it was more Honourable for Souldiers especially to dye in the Field than at a Stake or Gibbet and more satisfaction to sell their Lives as dear as they could than to have them torn away from them by all imaginable Torture and insulting