Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	church_n	faith_n	prove_v	3,810	5	6.3590	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A27231	The principles of the Quakers further shewn to be blasphemous and seditious in a reply to Geo. Whitehead's answer to the Brief discovery, stiled Truth and innocency vindicated / by Edward Beckham ..., Henry Meriton ..., Lancaster Topcliffe ...	Beckham, Edward, 1637 or 8-1714.; Topcliffe, Lancaster, 1646 or 7-1720.; Meriton, Henry, d. 1707.	1700 (1700)	Wing B1653; ESTC R34193	145,045	110

nay when they say 't is Blasphemy to say they are the Word of God and they are no rule at all to us All is for the wonderful deference they have for those ●●●●ed Books For shame ●ir after all the Wounds you have given to the Scriptures to add Mockery and Scorn to Stripes and after you have spit upon them reviled and buffeted them to put the Purple and the Crown upon them as the Jews did upon their Author after such Indignities to cry out O how we love and honour them after the Treason to bestow the Kiss See Will. Penn's Courtship to the Scripture * Re●●inder p. 1●● but especially Sam. Fisher's † Additional Append. p. 21. He calls the Scripture a Nose of Wax and it 's capable of being made no other a Character he took from the mouth of a Jesuit Andradius but Quakers we hope like it never the worse for that We could easily shew you that all the Arguments that Fisher and Pen use to prove the Scriptures are not the rule of Faith are the same the Papists have used this 100 years if they had been 7 years at School at Rome they could not have spoke Italian plainer than they have done A little further Fisher tells us he and the Quakers have put it to the question how it may be known infallibly that the Scripture is all of God and not a cunningly devised Fable He tells us of the uncertainty of Translations the various Lections and the loss of many Portions of them which they needed not have taken such pains about for the Papists have done that before and Penn in the forecited place hath mustered up a great many more such Popi●● Objections against the Scriptures which were cast in our dish by Papists and as often answered before Quakery was born but all that you must understand is said for the great respect they bear to the Scriptures Reader if thou desirest to see more of such respect to the Scriptures see Parnel p. 16. You Teachers are doting upon Scriptures without with your dark Minds with the blind Pharisees seeking for life where it is not to be found P. 18. We can do all things without the Scriptures or any thing without Solomon Eccles coming into a Church at London naked and besmeared with T d carrying his ●ands fu●l of the same Filth compared it to the Bible which the Minister carried in his hand into the Pulpit Fisher in his Velara Revelata p. 845. says Such Men as the Scribes are ever scraping in the Scripture to find God yet never know him nor see his Shape To call our love to the Scriptures a sensele●s Dotage to compare David's Hony and Hony-comb as he calls the Word to a stinking Excrement and our reading the Scriptures to a Brute's scraping or rooting in a Dunghil must needs manifest a mighty respect they have for those Writings By the way does not Fisher deserve to be accounted Angelicus Doctor for talking of the Shape of God how glad would some Papists be if he could shew it them that they might draw his true Picture by it Lorreto Market would go near to be spoiled by it and most of her Votaries would come thronging hither sure to worship an Original But as a further Testimony of their respect for Scripture hear what Smith Morning-Watch p. 22 23. says Reading in the Scripture that there were some that met together exhorted one annother edified and comforted one another they observe and do as near as they can what is the Saints practice and so conceive a Birth in the same Womb and bring it forth in the same strength that others do these are Bastards and not Sons for these adulterous Births have provoked the Lord and g●●●●●ed his Spirit What an hellish Sm●ak is this a Belch sure from the bottomless Pit to say that our meeting together according to Scripture Examples to exhort comfort and edisy one another is no better than going to a Brothel-house for there can be nothing but Bastards got by it and adulterous Births This may pass for another Quaker-Panegy rick upon Scripture Penn calls Searchers of Scripture as Faldo quotes him p. 113. and in his Answer Penn does not deny it Lettermongers We suppose though he differ in expression from his Brother Smith his intention is the same he means Whoremongers or Bastard-getters All these Quotations have we brought to prove Friend Whitehead's Assertion That Quakers have a marveilous Honour for the Scripture though we believe he●ll hardly be so grateful as to give us thanks for our pains In a Testimony from the Brethren in London met 66 together signed Farnsworth Parker Whitehead see Brief Discovery p. 11. l. 5 they say If any difference arise in the Church we declare and testify that the Church with the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ hath power without the assent of those that differ to hear and determine the same and if any of ours will not submit so to be tried nor submit to the Judgment given by the Spirit of truth in the Elders and Members of the same being consistent with the Doctrine of such good antient Friends as have been and are found in the Faith agreeable to the witness of God in his People viz. the Light within then we testify in the name of the Lord that he or she is to be rejected and joined with Heathens and Infidels Mark we pray if he or she kick against their Judgment consistent with the Doctrine of antient Friends and agreeable to the Light within Here is no notice taken of the Scriptures how agreeable or disagreeable soever it be to them And p. 23. l. 26. yet Whitehead hath the face to say this makes nothing against them It seems to be a small fault or none with G. to take away the Commission God hath given to the Scriptures to be Judg of Controversys in matters of Faith The Question G. is not whether the Church hath any Power in matters of Religion which is all thou provest from Mat. 18. 17. and we know none deny it 1. If it be exercised about indifferent matters in Discipline and Worship we allow her not only a Judgment of discretion to discern what 's fit to be imposed but also an authoritative Judgment to oblige her Members to obedience or else she would have less Authority over her Members than every Master hath over the Servants of his Family 2. As for things that are necessary to Salvation we think our selves only obliged to submit our Faith and Practice to the Authority of God in the Holy Scriptures and not to the Authority of any Church pretending to Infallibility meeting together in Treat or in Gracechurch-street So then that which we find fault with you for is a profane neglect of Holy Scriptures in determining matters of Faith or Doctrine that your Church should censure its Members only for this cause that you will not submit to the Authority of the Churches Judgment

and the same end to make Disciples from what he had appointed before to make Disciples by had he intended so he would certainly have given some caution being about to institute a Baptism of another kind lest we should mistake this new and more glorious Baptism of the Spirit to be no more than that other elementary one he had commanded before and they had been used to to that very hour He repeats the Command again because the first Commission would not serve his purpose seeing he was to ampliate and inlarge the Terms having just now laid down his Life for all the Nations of the World he puts a Clause into their Commission now to instruct all Nations in the Rudiments of his new Religion and then baptize them that they may be the more capable of the benefit of his Sufferings 3 ly The next Text proving Water-Baptism to be instituted of Christ is Act. 10. 47. Can any one forbid Water that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Ghost as well as we Here are several Arguments to prove Water-Baptism was an Institution of Christ 1. The Holy Ghost was received before as preparatory to this Baptism so that the Baptism in the Text could not be the Baptism of the Holy Ghost therefore of Water 2. Can any one forbid it If any of these Gentlemen had been present would he not have started up immediately Can any one forbid Good Sir tell us who ever commanded us when or where were we bidden to dabble the Disciples with a little Popi●h Holy-Water you an Apostle of Christ and peremptorily inforce things upon the Disciples that are not now in force as our dear Brother W. Pen hath testified to offer up such a carnal Cainitical Sacrifice to God and tell People 't is an Ordinance of Christ behold we stand up here in the Power and the Spirit of the Lord God to witness against thee And we know not what St. Peter could better have replied to them than St. Paul once said to the Corinthians What I have received of the Lord I have delivered unto you and it being a Command of our Lord and Master you are impudent Servants to forbid it if the practice had been nothing but an exercise of Liberty and pure Condescension as W. Pen P. 127. l. 20. says in his Reply to the Answer to his Key if it had not been settled by Authority 3. St. Peter issues out an Authoritative Command that they should be baptized v. 28. he commanded them to be baptized The imposing such a Command upon the Disciples would have been an usurpation upon their Christian Liberty as the practice of it would have been superstitious enough if he had not had Divine Authority for his Warrant 4. He commands them to be baptized not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as in Matth. 28. 19. and Acts 19. 5. but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is by the Authority of Jesus and the Holy Ghost by varying the Expression here from that in those Texts seems purposely to countenance this Interpretation to command a thing to be done in the Name of a Person was ever thought to be by his Authority 1 Cor. 5. 4 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I have judged in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ when you are gathered together and my Spirit with the Power of our Lord Jesus Christ to deliver c. In the Name and in the Power and Authority are here all one 4 ly Another Text is Acts 22. 16. Ananias said to Paul Arise why tarriest thou and be baptized for c. Anani●s leaves it not here to Paul as a matter of Liberty or Condescension to the Jews here 's a peremptory Command as in the foregoing Citation Arise and be baptized and that quickly too why tarriest thou And this must be Water-Baptism for he must arise and put himself into a posture to go to some place of conveniency as a Brook or River to be baptized in and not tarry in the least he should not need to have got up and travelled in such haste for the Holy Ghost who is not limited to any place or time Again this was a Baptism he had in his own Power as that was in the Power of the Disciples in the former Citation or else they would not have been commanded to have been baptized it had been both a folly and injustice to command them what they had no power to do now the Baptism of the Holy Ghost was not in their Power they could not give themselves that Baptism nor St. Peter nor Ananias neither and if it had been the Baptism of the Holy Ghost that was spoken of in this Text it had been a more proper method for St. Peter Ananias St. Paul and the Disciples to have fallen upon their knees to God and have prayed that he would bestow that heavenly Gift upon them rather than bid them be baptized and take it themselves as Peter and John had done Acts 8. 15 16. they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Ghost 5 ly Another Text is John 3. 3 5. Except a Man be born again of Water and the Holy Ghost c. Whatever be the sense of being born again we are sure that Water is Water and not the same in this place with the Spirit of God if it were so the words would have this ridiculous sense Except a Man be born again of the Spirit and the Spirit further if they were the same thing a Copulative were needless which ever uses to join two different things together and not the same thing to it self and if it be Water-Baptism it must be of Christ besides there would never have been affixt such a Reward to it if it had not been a Duty 2. We have a great many Scripture-Instances for the Practice of Water-Baptism besides those before named sure they will not say but that the Apostles baptized as Christ commanded them in J●h 4. and Ma●ih 28. 1. The first Scripture is 1 Cor. 1. 14. Crispus and Gaiu● were baptized with Water for St. Paul would not have thanked God he baptized so few of them with the Holy Ghost and those many other Corinthians Acts 18. 8. can't be supposed to have been baptized any otherwise than those their Fellow Citizens 2. The second Scripture is Act. 19. 3 5. Unto what were ye baptized He does not ask whether they were baptized with Water he did not doubt of that no● by what but unto what They answer Unto John's Baptism As soon as they were better instructed they were baptized agen into another and better Service into the Name of the Lord Jesus by such Water as they had been baptized with before For he sc●upled not the Water they had been baptized with but only asks into what Discipline or Society John's or Christ's 3. The third Text is Acts 8. 38. the Eunuch was baptized with Water for Philip and the Eunuch went both down into the Water In the same

Divine Prophetical Influx and Inspiration when there 's all the evidence imaginable that the Father of Lyes and not the God of Truth was the Author of these spurious Prophesies that by the false he might derive a suspicion upon the true ones or abuse the Minds of Men with vain Hopes or panick Fears Oh let not any of us who own our Saviour for our Prophet receive the Devil for our Oracle if we be sick or weary of things present shall we resort to the God of Ekron by attending to any Prophecy of his incitation for Quiet and Resolution Can the Devil be thought able to answer any Questions concerning things to come Isai 41. 23. Chap. 44. 7. Or is he willing if able to do it with any fair and single Intentions Have the Beams of the Sun of Righteousness put out all the Fires on his Altars Have the Glory and Power of the Divine Oracles and Miracles spoiled his great Trade of Lying Oracles and Wonders and shall our Credulity and Vanity encourage him to drive this secret and little Trade of Prophesies The particular advice God gavethe People by Jeremiah in a like Case deserves now Jer. 27. 9. to be recommended to them Hearken not to your Prophets nor to your Diviners nor to your Dreamers for they prophesie a Lye unto you And 't is worth our Consideration that those who in these last Ages have pretended to them are Men either extremely Ignorant or very Vicious or strangely Fanciful or Hypocondriacal for Men that are best disposed by their great Wisdom and Holiness as also by the Evenness and Serenity of their Tempers to receive these influences of the Holy Spirit do neither feel nor desire them whilst they consider those vehement Transports Consternations Tremors Enigmatical Visions must create great uneasiness to them which the faculties of those Holy Men who were actuated by the Spirit in order to Prophecy most frequently underwent thereby which makes them value it as a happiness that God hath delivered us to the Conduct of that sure word of Prophecy the Holy Scriptures and the Dictates of clear and renewed Reason But to return to the Quotation out of Burroughs George Whitehead to excuse him tells us p. 29. That what Prophesies are for Christ's Kingdom they must own viz. that he shall rule the Nations and in the midst of his Enemies and that the Kingdoms of this World shall become the Kingdoms of God and his Christ which says he the Holy Scriptures do expresly warrant and testifie But how idle and impertinent is this when he knows none of us Priests or People of the Church of England who do not own the Scripture-Prophesies concerning the Kingdom of Christ or the Government of the Lamb whenas we assert them in a great measure fulfilled already since so many Earthly Kings have willingly submitted to the Spiritual Government of our Lord acknowledging his Scepter above theirs and yielding themselves freely to be his Subjects yea counting it a greater honour to be Membra Ecclesi● Members of his Body than Capita Imperii Emperors of the World but we never read that the Spiritual Kingdom of Christ should be so troublesom to Earthly ones as to extirpate and overturn them or that the Scepter of the Lord Jesus should like Aaron's Rod swallow up the Scepters of all Earthly Princes as Burroughs asserts But now George if thy fright be over let us survey the other part of the Quotation There shall be no King ruling but Jesus nor no Government of Force but the Government of the Lamb nor no Law of effect but the Law of God Canting words that signifie nothing but to inspire People with a disgust of the Government if it does not set up Quakers in Authority over the rest But pray resolve us did not Christ reign whilst Constantine Theodosius Justinian and other Godly Kings and Emperors ruled who were Nursing Fathers to the Church and brought their Glory and Honour into it who sway'd their Scepters in Sub-ordination to their Saviour and exercised their Authority for the promoting his Religion and now could he truly say in opposition to such there should be no King ruling but Jesus nor no Government of Force but the Government c. since all that which was otherwise viz. the Heathen Persecuting Power was by the means of Constantine ground to Powder and why might not Jesus be said to reign when K. Ch. II. came to the Crown who professed his Religion restored his Church to her pristine Glory and own'd himself a Member thereof let George Whitehead tell us in good earnest whether he thinks with his Brother Burroughs that there ought to be no other Government in the World but that of Jesus and we urge it the rather because the Letter our Scripture tells us that Jesus Christ was pleased to own another Government to which he himself paid Tribute and Obedience and disclaim'd all Temporal Authority saying My Kingdom is not of this World and therein taught his Disciples and Followers what to do even to submit to those Rulers in whose Dominions they are born and live and not withdraw their Obedience out of pretence that they are Subjects to him as Burroughs does in the following part of the Quotation As for this People the Quakers they are raised of the Lord and established by him even contrary to all Men and they have given their Power only to God and they cannot give their Power to any Mortal Men to stand or fall by any outward Authority Words not only Seditious but direct Treason against the Government of any Kingdom as if it were in the Power of any Natural-born Subject under the pretence of being a Christian to withdraw his Allegiance from his lawful Prince contrary to the Doctrine both of St. Peter and St. Paul 1 Pet. 2. 13 14 15 16 17. Submit your selves to every Ordinance of Man for the Lord's sake whether to the King or to Governours sent by him for so is the will of God the w●i●h well-doing i. e. with the constant practise of Obedience to them ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men as free but not using the liberty for a cloak of maliciousness as redeemed by Christ but not making that a pretence for disobedience to the Magistrate that because you have given up your Names to Christ you cannot give your Power to any Mortal Man to the service of the King or Government but as the Servants of God Honour all men love the brotherhood fear God honour the King Thus St. Paul exhorts the Roman Christians Let every Soul be subject to the higher powers which Rom. 13. 1. how can they be if they withdraw their Obedience and Assistance when call'd for and say they cannot give their Power to any Mortal Man to stand or fall by any outward Authority when as the same Apostle adds speaking to the Christians Ye must needs be subject not only for wrath for fear of the Magistrate's Power but