Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A50917
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Of true religion, hæresie, schism, toleration, and what best means may be us'd against the growth of popery the author J.M.
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Milton, John, 1608-1674.
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1673
(1673)
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Wing M2135; ESTC R8629
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8,610
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18
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OF True Religion HAERESIE SCHISM TOLERATION And what best means may be us'd against the growth of POPERY The Author J. M. LONDON Printed in the Year 1673. OF True RELIGION HAERESIE SCHISM and TOLERATION IT is unknown to no man who knows ought of concernment among us that the increase of Popery is at this day no small trouble and offence to greatest part of the Nation and the rejoycing of all good men that it is so the more their rejoycing that God hath giv'n a heart to the people to remember still their great and happy deliverance from Popish Thraldom and to esteem so highly the precious benefit of his Gospel so freely and so peacealy injoy'd among them Since therefore some have already in Publick with many considerable Arguments exhorted the people to beware the growth of this Romish Weed I thought it no less then a common duty to lend my hand how unable soever to so good a Purpose I will not now enter into the Labyrinth of Councels and Fathers an intangl'd wood which the Papist loves to fight in not with hope of Victory but to obscure the shame of an open overthrow which yet in that kind of Combate many heretofore and one of late hath eminently giv'n them And such manner of dispute with them to Learned Men is useful and very commendable But I shall insist now on what is plainer to Common apprehension and what I have to say without longer introduction True Religion is the true Worship and Service of God learnt and believed from the Word of God only No Man or Angel can know how God would be worshipt and serv'd unless God reveal it He hath Reveal'd and taught it us in the holy Scriptures by inspir'd Ministers and in the Gospel by his own Son and his Apostles with strictest command to reject all other traditions or additions whatsoever According to that of St. Paul Though wee or an Angel from Heaven preach any other Gospel unto you than that which wee have preacht unto you let him be Anathema or accurst And Deut. 4. 2. Ye shall not add to the word which I command you neither shall you diminish ought from it Rev. 22. 18 19. If any man shall add c. If any man shall take away from the Words c. With good and Religious Reason therefore all Protestant Churches with one consent and particularly the Church of England in Her thirty nine Articles Artic. 6th 19th 20th 21st and elsewhere maintain these two points as the main Principles of true Religion that the Rule of true Religion is the Word of God only and that their Faith ought not to be an implicit faith that is to believe though as the Church believes against or without express authority of Scripture And if all Protestants as universally as they hold these two Principles so attentively and Religiously would observe them they would avoid and cut off many Debates and Contentions Schisms and Persecutions which too oft have been among them and more firmly unite against the common adversary For hence it directly follows that no true Protestant can persecute or not tolerate his fellow Protestant though dissenting from him in som opinions but he must flatly deny and Renounce these two his own main Principles whereon true Religion is founded while he compels his Brother from that which he believes as the manifest word of God to an implicit faith which he himself condemns to the endangering of his Brothers soul whether by rash belief or outward Conformity for whatsoever is not of Faith is Sin I will now as briefly show what is false Religion or Heresie which will be done as easily for of contraries the definitions must needs be contrary Heresie therefore is a Religion taken up and believ'd from the traditions of men and additions to the word of God Whence also it follows clearly that of all known Sects or pretended Religions at this day in Christendom Popery is the only or the greatest Heresie and he who is so forward to brand all others for Hereticks the obstinate Papist the only Heretick Hence one of their own famous Writers found just cause to stile the Romish Church Mother of Error School of Heresie And whereas the Papist boasts himself to be a Roman Catholick it is a meer contradiction one of the Popes Bulls as if he should say universal particular a Catholic Schismatic For Catholic in Greek signifies universal and the Christian Church was so call'd as consisting of all Nations to whom the Gospel was to be preach't in contradistinction to the Jewish Church which consisted for the most part of Jews only Sects may be a in true Church as well as in a false when men follow the Doctrin too much for the Teachers sake whom they think almost infallible and this becomes through Infirmity implicit Faith and the name Sectary pertains to such a Disciple Schism is a rent or division in the Church when it comes to the separating of Congregations and may also happen to a true Church as well as toa false yet in the true needs not tend to the breaking of Communion if they can agree in the right administration of that wherein they Communicate keeping their other Opinions to themselves not being destuctive to Faith The Pharisees and Saduces were two Sects yet both met together in their common worship of God at Jerusalem But here the Papist will angrily demand what Are Lutherans Calvinists Anabaptists Socinians Arminians no Hereticks I answer all these may have some errors but are no Hereticks Heresie is in the Will and choice profestly against Scripture error is against the Will in misunderstanding the Scripture after all sincere endeavours to understand it rightly Hence it was said well by one of the Ancients Err I may but a Heretick I will not be It is a humane frailty to err and no man is infallible here on earth But so long as all these profess to set the Word of God only before them as the Rule of faith and obedience and use all diligence and sincerity of heart by reading by learning by study by prayer for Illumination of the holy Spirit to understand the Rule and obey it they have done what man can do God will assuredly pardon them as he did the friends of Job good and pious men though much mistaken as there it appears in some Points of Doctrin But some will say with Christians it is otherwise whom God hath promis'd by his Spirit to teach all things True all things absolutely necessary to salvation But the hottest disputes among Protestants calmly and charitably enquir'd into will be found less then such The Lutheran holds Consubstantiation an error indeed but not mortal The Calvinist is taxt with Predestination and to make God the Author of sin not with any dishonourable thought of God but it may be overzealously asserting his absolute power not without plea of Scripture The Anabaptist is accus'd of Denying Infants their right to Baptism again they say they