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	government_n	worship_n	3,428	5	7.3798	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A33963	The happiness of brethrens dwelling together in unity discoursed upon Psalm 133, vers. 1, on occasion of the late thanksgiving, Feb. 14, 1688/9 / by John Collinges.	Collinges, John, 1623-1690.	1689 (1689)	Wing C5318; ESTC R26035	25,331	41

more Laws were made occasion'd by the Treasons of the Romish Party still such Words and Phrases were got in as made them at least in the Judgment of some Judges applicable to Protestants At last it came to it that they were executed with much more severity against Protestants than against Papists This also was charged upon the Influence of a Popish Party had upon our Court and Councels Well God hath by a stupendious Providence delivered us from any such Influence so that I say here is a larger Door for this Unity offered than ever we or our Fathers saw and this is a great Blessing worthy to be accepted with all thankfulness if this dwelling together in Vnity be so great an Happiness as I have shewed you it is Vse 2. What therefore remains but that I should persuade all you that hear me this day to dispose your selves to so great a piece of Happiness In order to this I shall offer you 3 or 4 Arguments and then conclude with a few words of advice counsel 1. I beseech you to reflect upon the Opportunities we have already lost There are two more eminent within the Memory of many that hear me That in the year 1660. when all the Nation was united in their Supreme Governour restored in a most stupendious manner One would have thought that the Experience of 20 years Calamities much occasioned from our Religious Divisions might then have prompted all to utmost endeavours to Unite all Protestants but instead of it we made so ill an use of that Opportunity that our Divisions were vastly increased by it 'T is too sad a Story to be too particular in A second was Ten years since upon the Discovery of the Pupish Plot we heard then that all Protestants were equally called Hereticks That our Bishopricks Deanries were disposed of to Men of the Romish persuasion Was it not then time to unite all Protestants we lost that opportunity likewise and after that the Designs were more and the Zeal hotter than ever to root out all Protestants who could not unite in the establish'd Forms of Worship and Discipline The loss of both these Opportunities hath also been charged upon the potent Influence Men of the Romish Religion had upon our Court and Councels and 't is certain their Influence was great how far they used it to this end I cannot tell For my own part I had given over England for lost at least the Vniting of Protestants for lost I despaired of seeing any thing would save those whom so miraculous a Re●auration and a Deliverance from so pernicious and general a Plot would not save God hath out-done my hopes and expectation and given us a third Opportunity If we lose this too The Interpretation be to them that hate us and to the Enemies of our God and Nation 2. Secondly Let me desire you to reflect upon the sad Consequents of the loss of those two first mentioned opportunities A first and second War with our Brethren of Holland next us the only Bulwark of our Religion such a Plague as we nor our Fathers ever knew The burning of the City of London and many other Towns and Cities The ruining of many thousands for Nonconformity What were the Consequents of our letting slip the second opportunity the cruel and harbarous usages of those that dared to tell our King and his Parliament that there were those had conspired their ruin the death of divers worthy Persons the Finings and Imprisonments of others the Subverting the Governments of Corporations the Interpreting Laws to a sense never before heard of on purpose to ruin a great Party of Protestants c. If we should lose a third opportunity we may easily Prophesie the Consequents are like to be much more fatal 3. Thirdly Let the Vnion of your Enemies move you The Papists are hardly United so much in any one thing as their good will and zeal to destroy us whom they call Hereticks and indeed we worship the God of our Fathers after the way they call Heresie Shall not we Unite to preserve our selves 4. Lastly Let me tell you this will be a real Thanksgiving other praising God is but in word and in Tongue only but loving one another is the command of our Lord productive of a great deal of good and glory to God and impeditive of a World of sin You will all grant me this but you will say How may this thing be or what may we do in order to the arriving at such an happiness In the general As there is nothing but our receding from the divine Rule which hath caused our Divisions so there is nothing but a return to that Rule which will ever bring us to an Union Our Divisions have been partly in matters of Religion and Conscience towards God partly in our Civil and Political Conversation towards men and the former have not a little inflamed and advantaged the latter I will therefore most in large with reference to the former and shew you how the Deviation from the divine Rule hath been the cause of those Discords I will instance in five or six particulars 1. The first shall be Superiors making those things necessary by their Commands which they themselves own to be in their own Nature indifferent and this in matters of Worship and Religion That in case the Superior judgeth a thing necessary he ought to command it those that are under his Jurisdiction is on all hands granted What he apprehends by God commanded to be done or for born in matters of his Worship he must command or forbid for he is Gods Vicegerent and ought to enforce his Laws tho' the Subject hath other apprehensions of it and tho' it may be the Superior be mistaken in his Notion for he must Act according to the dictates of his own Conscience and in this case the Inferior who judgeth otherwise hath nothing to do but patiently to suffer In Civil things tho' the thing be in it self indifferent yet the Magistrate may command it because he judgeth it necessary or expedient for his Civil Government And he is Judge of such necessity or expedience not the Inferior but it is otherwise in matters of Religion there is no Judge Superior to a Mans Conscience but God alone God in his word hath not left sufficient particular directions for the upholding and well beings of States and Kingdoms but he hath left us only general Rules for Justice and Equity and made the Magistrate judge of things necessary or not necessary expedient or inexpedient as to that and clothed him with a Power to make and execute Laws in order to that end In Matters of Religion and Worship God hath left sufficient Rules in his Worship for the Preservation and Government of his Church and for all Christians to pay homage to him which he will accept performed according to them nor is there any thing further necessary but the common Circumstances of all Humane Actions to be applied to