Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	ancient_a	church_n	father_n	2,767	4	4.9407	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A32852	Mr. Chillingworth's judgment of the religion of Protestants of Scripture the only rule, of differences among Protestants, of using force in matters of religion &c. : with a preface to the reader giving the reason of publishing these passages.; Religion of Protestants a safe way to salvation. Selections	Chillingworth, William, 1602-1644.	1680 (1680)	Wing C3886; ESTC R29216	10,359	12

worldly terror may prevail so far asto make Men profess a Religion which they believe not such men I mean who know not that there is a Heaven provided for Martyrs and a Hell for those that dissemble such Truths as are necessary to be professed but to force either any man to believe what he believes not or any honest man to dissemble what he does believe if God commands him to profess it or to profess what he does not believe all the powers in the world are too weak with all the powers of Hell to assist them 7. In Civil Matters it is impossible Titius should hold the Land in question and Sempronius too and therefore either the Plaintiff must injure the Defendant by disquieting his Possession or the Defendant wrong the Plaintiff by keeping his Right from him But in Controversies of Religion the case is otherwise I may hold my opinion and do you no wrong and you yours and do me none Nay we may both of us hold our opinion and yet do our selves no harm provided the difference be not touching any thing necessary to Salvation and that we love truth so well as to be diligent to inform our Conscience and constant in following it Concerning Errors Damnable or not Damnable Ch. 3. N. 52. I answer that these Differences between Protestants concerning Errors damnable and not damnable Truths fundamental and not fundamental may be easily reconciled for either the Error they speak of may be purely and simply involuntary or it may be in respect of the cause of it voluntarily If the cause of it be some voluntary and unavoidable fault the error is it self sinful and consequently in its own nature damnable as if by negligence in seeking the Truth by unwillingness to find it by pride by obstinacy by desiring that Religion should be true which suits best with my ends by fear of mens ill opinion or any other worldly fear or any worldly hope I betray my self to any error contrary to any divine revealed Truth that error may be justly styled a Sin and consequently of it self to such an one damnable but if I be guilty of none of these faults but be desirous to know the truth and diligent in seeking it and advise not at all with flesh and blood a-about the choice of my Opinions but only with God and that Reason that he hath given me If I be thus qualifyed and yet through humane infirmity fall into error that error cannot be damnable Again the Party erring may be conceived either to dye with Contrition for all his Sins known and unknown or without it If he dye without it this error in it self is damnable will be likewise so unto him if he dye with Contrition as his error can be no impediment but he may his error though in it self damnable to him according to your Doctrine will not prove so Of using Force in matters of Religion Ch. 5. N. 96. But they endeavoured to force the Society whereof they were parts to be healed and reformed as they were and if it refused they did when they had power drive them away even their Superiors both Spiritual and Temporal as is notorious The proofs hereof are wanting and therefore I might defer my Answer until they were produced yet take this before hand If they did so then herein in my opinion they did amiss for I have learnt from the ancient Fathers of the Church that Nothing is more against Religion than to force Religion and of St. Paul The Weapons of the Christian Warfare are not Carnal And great Reason For humane violence may make men counterfeit but cannot make them believe and is therefore fit for nothing but to breed Form without and Atheism within Besides if this means of bringing men to embrace any Religion were generally used as if it may be justly used in any place by those that have power and think they have truth certainly they cannot with reason deny but that it may be used in every place by those that have power as well as they and think they have truth as well as they what could follow but the maintenance perhaps of Truth but perhaps only of the profession of it in one place and the oppression of it in a hundred what will follow from it but the preservation peradventure of Unity but peradventure only of Uniformity in particular States and Churches but the immortalizing the greater and more lamentable Divisions of Christendom and the World And therefore what can follow from it but perhaps in the judgment of carnal Policy the temporal Benefit and Tranquillity of Temporal States and Kingdoms but the infinite prejudice if not the dissolution of the Kingdom of Christ And therefore it well becomes them who have their Portions in this life who serve no higher State than that of England or Spain or France nor this neither any further than they may serve themselves by it who think of no other happiness but the preservation of their own Fortunes and Tranquillity in this World who think of no other means to preserve States but humane Power and Machiavilian Policy and believe no other Creed but this Regi aut Civitati Imperium habenti nihil unjustum quod utile Such men as these it may become to maintain by worldly power and violence their State Instrument Religion for if all be vain and false as in their judgment it is the present whatsoever is better than any because it is already setled An alteration of it may draw with it change of States and the change of State the subversion of their Fortune but they that are indeed Servants and Lovers of Christ of Truth of the Church and of Mankind ought with all courage to oppose themselves against it as a common enemy of all these They that know there is a King of Kings and Lord of Lords by whose Will and Pleasure Kings and Kingdoms stand and fall they know that to no King or State any thing can be profitable which is unjust and that nothing can be more evidently unjust than to force weak men by the Profession of a Religion which they believe not to lose their own Eternal Happiness out of a vain and needless fear lest they may possibly disturb their temporal quietness there being no danger to any State from any mans Opinion unless it be such an Opinion by which disobedience to Authority or Impiety is taught or Licensed which sort I confess may justly be punished as well as other faults or unless this sanguinary Doctrine be joyned with it That it is lawful for him by humane violence to enforce others to it Chap. 4. N. 16. This presumptuous imposing of the Senses of men upon the words of God the special senses of men upon the general words of God and laying them upon mens Consciences together under the equal penalty of Death and Damnation This vain Conceit that we can speak of the things of God better than the words of God this deifying our own interpretations and Tyrannous enforcing them upon others this restraining of the word of God from that Latitude and Generality and the Understandings of men from that liberty wherein Christ and the Apostles left them this perswasion is no singularity of mine but the Doctrine which I have learned from Divines of great Learning and Judgment Let the Reader be pleased to peruse the seventh Book of Acont de Strat. Satanae and Zanch. his last Oration delivered by him after the composing of the discord between him and Amervachius and he shall confess as much is and hath been the only Fountain of all the Schisms of the Church and that which makes them immortal The common Incendiary of Christendom and that which as I said before tears in pieces not the Coat but the Bowels and Members of Christ Ridente Turca nec dolente Judaeo take away these Walls of Separation and all will quickly be one Take away this Persecuting Burning Cursing Damning of men for not subscribing to the words of men as the words of God require of Christians only to believe Christ and to call no man Master but him only let those leave claiming Infallibility that have no Title to it and let them that in their Words disclaim it disclaim it likewise in their Actions In a word take away Tyranny which is the Devils Instrument to support Errors and Superstitions and Impieties in the several parts of the world which could not otherwise long withstand the power of Truth I say take away Tyranny and restore Christians to their just and full liberty of Captivating their Understanding to Scripture only and as Rivers when they have a free passage run all to the Ocean so it may well be hoped by Gods blessing that universal Liberty thus moderated may quickly reduce Christendom to Truth and Unity These thoughts of Peace I am perswaded may come from the God of Peace and to his Blessing I recommend them FINIS