Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	civil_a	magistrate_n	matter_n	3,433	5	6.0251	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

those Religious Acts neither is there any thing so indifferent but may by some Circumstances become unlawful either to greater numbers or to particular persons in regard of their different apprehensions of it The Superiour is as much obliged by the Law of charity as the Inferiour and cannot set a step in that way wherein he cannot walk charitably Besides Christians observation that there is no president either in the Old Testament or New of Superiours either in Church or State taking away that liberty of people which God had left them in matters relating to their homage to God is no small Topick to persuade them that as the Superiour hath no right to do it so if they should submit to it they should too easily part with that Liberty which God hath left them and with which Christ hath made them free This makes this thing necessary to a Churches unity peace and the not leaving things of this nature in that state wherein it hath seemed good to the wisdom of God to leave them in this seems a deviation from the Divine Rule Because it is a deviation from the practice of all the good Kings of Gods ancient people and the practice of Paul and the Apostles who instead of determining the liberty God gave the Jews for a time as to the practice or not practice of the ceremonial usages strongly asserted it and reflected upon those converted Jews that condemned some of their brethren or the Christians of the Gentiles for their using such a liberty This very thing hath been a bone of contention amongst us for more than an hundred years nor do I see any way to our unity but our return to the Divine Rule in this thing Superiours have a full work and more than we could ever see universally well done to inforce the commands of God upon people that will not take upon them those easy yokes and need not incumber themselves or their Subjects consciences where it hath pleased the all-wise God to leave them at liberty A man may keep a day holy to the Lord and give God thanks another may not keep it to the Lord and yet give God thanks The Apostle determines so when God hath left men two ways by either of which they may equally honour God why should men leave them but one Just Liberty and Vnity are inseparable things as well in matters of Religion as in civil matters Oh! that this thing so much concerning our peace might not upon this opportunity be hid from our Eyes 2. A Second thing whereby we have fomented divisions by a deviation from the Divine Rule is by judging and censuring anothers Servants Who art thou saith the Apostle Rom. 14. 4. that judgest another mans Servant Rom. 14. 4. To his own Master he standeth or falleth In civil and secular things men may be the Servants of men but in matters of Conscience men are only the Servants of God the fear of God must not be learned by the mere precepts of men what a common thing hath it been with us to judge and censure our brethren in these cases as Schismaticks ungovernable rebellious c Those that use these methods have not known the way of peace And till we return to the Apostles rule Rom. 14. 13. Let us not therefore judge one Rom. 14. 13. another any more but judge this rather that no man put a stumbling Block or an occasion to fall in his Brothers way I can look for no Vnity When we can leave judging and censuring reviling and speaking evil of our Brethren of the same Religion and Nation as going in the broad way to Hell because they go in a narrower way toward Heaven than we judge necessary or because they just tread not in the prints of our Feet observing still their faces Sion ward we may hope for something of Vnity But while such uncharitable thoughts and speeches continue amongst us as if we had a monopoly of the Holy Spirit of God I cannot but expect they should naturally produce all kind of uncharitable actions Oh! that we could remember what the Apostle hath taught us Jam 4. Jam. 4. 12. 12. that in matters of Conscience There is but one Law-giver who is able to save and to destroy and who art thou that judgest another If we would but see it we have most of us something of the worst of Popery within us viz. arrogating to our selves an infallibility with this difference to our disadvantage The Papists claim it only for the Pope We would every one have it for our selves or at least for all Superiours for if thou beest not infallible how comest thou to judge thy Brother who hath as much right to judge thee as thou hast to judge and censure him The Judgment of Prophaneness Debauchery Blasphemy Idolatry and Heresy too in matters necessary to be believed in order to Salvation is easie but the Judgment of Schism Hypocrisie overmuch preciseness is not so easie The guilt of those things depends much upon the Complexion of the particular Conscience and should be left unto him who searcheth the Heart and tryeth the Reins of Men. 3. A third thing whereby we have fomented Divisions by a Deviation from the Divine Rule Is a not walking together in things wherein we are agreed because of some things in which we are not agreed That we may walk together in nothing because we are not agreed in all things is one of the wildest and most dividing Notions a Christian can entertain directly contrary to the Apostolical Rule Phil. 3. 16. Nevertheless whereto we Phil. 3. 16. have already attained let us walk by the same Rule let us mind the same thing He walks with his Brother far enough who walks with him as far as the shooes of the Gospel will carry him and he is very uncharitable who because his Brother is willing to walk this one Mile with him will force him to walk two I mean as far as every 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ordinance of Man would carry him 4. A fourth thing is an over-eagerness to propagate our own particular Opinions There are very few Christians but have their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their particular Opinions and Judgments in some things not necessary to be believed or done in order to Salvation but every Christian is not bound to propagate such Notions especially if the Unity and Peace of a Church will be broken and endanger'd by it This is plainly the Apostles Rule Host thou Rom. 14. 22. Faith that is hast thou a Persuasion of the truth of a Notion wherein the generality of the Church wherewith thou walkest differeth from thee Have it to thy self before God Keep thy particular Notion to thy self and live up to it in the presence of God but do not for it disturb the Peace and Unity of others Every Proposition of Truth is not of that moment as to ballance the breach of a Churches Peace and Unity It is a strange