Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n
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A49121
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King David's danger and deliverance, or, The conspiracy of Absolon and Achitophel defeated in a sermon preached in the Cathedral Church of Exon, on the ninth of September, 1683, being the day of thanksgiving appointed for the discovery of the late fanatical plot / by Thomas Long ...
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Long, Thomas, 1621-1707.
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1683
(1683)
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Wing L2972; ESTC R19771
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31,461
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48
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from such sins than a bigotted Separatist One tells the People that they are the Original of Civil Authority and if Magistrates act not by the Laws quas vulgus eligerit they forfeit their Authority Others That it is lawful for them to enter into Leagues and Covenants for defence of themselves and their Religion without and against the Magistrates command That it is not against Scripture or the practice of Primitive Christians violently to resist the Higher Powers when they persecute them for Religion or when the Prince commands against the Laws of the Country That Success justifieth a Cause and to pursue it is to comply with the Will of God and the Conduct of Providence That King Charles the First was lawfully put to death and his Murtherers were the blessed Instruments of Gods Glory in their Generation That he first made War on the Parliament and therefore might not onely be resisted but ceased to be a King and many that died in the War against him are glorious Saints in Heaven That the Presbyterian Government is that Scepter of Christ to which all the Kings of the Earth must bow or he will break them in pieces like a Potters Vessel That the Removal of our Ceremonies was sufficient to countervail for all the Bloud and Treasure spent and spilt in the late Wars In an Epist to the Lord Hallifax Tune inter se concordant quam in perniciem justi conspirant non quia se invicem amant sed quia cum qui amandus erat simul oderant They are told that all the true Protestants are united Presbyterian Independent and Anabaptist sound Protestants all Materials for a new Establishment are prepared there wants onely the perfecting skill of some Master-builder such as his Lordship was and then hands to work That the Wheel was turning and that part which was under would shortly be uppermost And out comes the Celeusma a barbarous Outcry not unknown to Marriners by their Ho-up calling all Hands or One and all to hoist up the Sails for a new Commonwealth Under such Doctrines as these the Presses have sweat the Church hath groaned the Peoples Souls led Captive in Chains of Darkness and under these this Horrid Conspiracy hath been hatched The Devil himself when he appeared in the Mantle of Samuel never did nor could teach Saul more pernicious Doctrines than these Yet these are the Religious Godly Soul-saving Teachers of the Time though by their Fruits we may know them and as well expect Grapes from Thorns and Figs from Thistles as any good Effects from such ill Causes Ferguson Casteers and Lob three Conventicle-Preachers are discovered to have been in the Plot. Philostratus in the life of Apollonius contends that the murder of Domitian was more owing to the Doctrine of Apollonius than to the hands of Stephanus and Parthenius who slew him And as the death of Charles the First was imputable to such Preachers so might the death of Charles the Second had not our gracious God prevented it by the death of these Conspirators to which their false Prophets have betrayed them If you look for a Character of their Godliness you have it in a Character in Text-hand Without natural affection truce-breakers false accusers incontinent fierce despisers of those that are good traytors heady high-minded lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof 2 Tim. 3.3 4. But the Objection says that some of the Conspirators were of the Communion of the Church of England Answ This is as great a truth as that Fiction of Mr. Baxter that the first War was begun by Episcopal men such as sided with Archbishop Laud when it is well known that that learned Loyal Prelate was one of the first that was struck at and in him the whole Church of England Root and Branch And this is the first time since the Reformation that any of the Church of England were accused of Rebellion against their Princes There may be a Judas or two that have partaken of that Tessera of our Communion the body and bloud of Christ but I think that having first resolved to betray their Master the Devil entred into their hearts and filled them with all iniquity and at last brought them to destruction The Church of England was that thorny Hedge of which Mr. Baxter says he made it the most serious action of his life to pull it down and he would still endeavour it though by going on both sides the hedge i. e. I suppose complying with all Parties and though he were well scratched for his pains And he hath been as big as his word not onely endeavouring it himself but encouraging all his Disciples by his Moral Prognostications of which see The second part of the History of Separation where the Piety of such men is made transparent Saepe deprehensi obstinate agunt And now as from the Principles of Popery I do believe that there was is and will be a Popish Plot against the Established Government and Religion so from the like Principles of Dissenters and their correspondent practices I do verily believe that there hath been is and will be several Attempts for the Confusion both of Church and State as now established Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth may Israel now say yet have they not prevailed against me Psal 129.1 If it had not been the Lord who was on our side when men rose up against us they had swallowed us up quick when their wrath was kindled against us But blessed be God who hath not given us up as a prey unto their teeth the snare is broken and we are escaped Our help is in the Name of the Lord Psal 124.1 All men shall see it and fear and declare the work of the Lord saying This hath God done and shall wisely consider of his doing Having seen David's danger in the first part of the Parallel we now proceed to consider his Deliverance in the next part As God is the Saviour of all men but especially of them that believe so among Believers in a most peculiar manner he hath in all ages of the World shewed forth his power and Mercy in the miraculous and gracious Deliverances of his Church and protection of Righteous and Religious States professing his holy and eternal truth This David often experimented God sometime preventing him with his Blessing and when he foresaw to what distress his Enemies had reduced him he heard the cry even before he called The very misery of Gods People often moves him to pity At other times God delivered him from the violent man and covered his head in the day of battle and gave victory to his King over all his Enemies so that when they dealt most proudly God was above them and brought them down When their Plots were laid so secret that they boasted none should see it God tells them all men shall see it while they encouraged one
one Party still supplanting another Armies kept up by the several Factions and the poor Labourers must have fed those Vulturs with their own Vitals they must have partaken of their Sins too as well as of their Oppressions they must have been taught to blaspheme God as well as the King there would have been no Neuters but all Actives or Passives to mock God with Thanksgiving for their own Misery fast for Strife and Debate to violate their Oaths and Vows or to yield themselves a Sacrifice to the Rage of their Enemies Now when this abominable Desolation is prevented and God hath preserved Order Peace and Truth Justice and Righteousness so that every man may sit under his own vine and eat the Fruits of that and of Gods Vine also which he hath planted in the midst of us he must be an incarnate Devil that shall repine at such Blessings and pine away in his Iniquities As for us let our hearts be filled with Joy and our mouths with Praise Let the king rejoyce in God his Saviour and all that swear by him all the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that have kept their Allegiance put their trust in God for the mouth of them that speak lies and swallow Perjuries shall be stopped Psal 63.11 And indeed God hath done that for us which all the Wisdom and Learning the Laws and Penalties of the Nation could not do In vain have we endeavoured to confute their Fanatick Opinions and Doctrines which in vain have been confuted an hundred times This one act of God that hath pluckt off the hood from these Hypocrites and discovered their inward parts to be very wickedness and shewn us what they are by their fruits is an argument beyond any demonstration of Euclid to satisfie the world that under the Sheeps clothing they were as so many Wolves ravening for the innocent bloud both of Sheep and Shepherds but Pan curat oves oviumque Magistros God hath pluckt us out of their teeth And now there wants but one Parallel more to compleat our deliverance and perpetuate our happiness and that is wisely to consider with David quod retribuam Domino what returns we ought to make to God for all the benefits that he hath done unto us Good Mephiboseth was ready to part with all when the King was returned to his house in peace We cannot now sacrifice to our own nets to our own strength or wisdom or merit O let us not do it to our own Lusts to Intemperance and Excess to carnal Secrity and Impenitence nor to Malice and Revenge against any thing but those sins which war against God and our own souls and had brought us so nigh to a sudden death and to everlasting destruction but let us wisely consider the opportunities of knowing and doing in this our day of mercy the things that belong to our peace For God hath as many miraculous ways and methods to destroy us as he hath hitherto manifested to preserve us Especially let us guard our selves against those sins which had a more direct tendency to this accursed design the sins of Ambition and Discontent of murmuring and repining against and speaking evil of our Rulers of having itching ears after new Doctrines and seducing Spirits though they appear as Angels of light The two hundred men that went to Hebron with Absolon went in the simplicity of their hearts they were told onely of Sacrificing and Feasting of performing religious Vows and Covenants and serving God in a better and freer manner than they could do at Hierusalem and there indeed they might find all the elders of Israel consulting with Absolon and Achitophel Ch. 17.4 and voting for them and hear Achitophel pray Extempore as readily as any Modern Enthusiast for the Rabbins report of him that he had a new Prayer for every day in the year and there they were rapt with admiration at the Declamations of Absolon whereby he harangu'd the people spreading before them the miscarriages in his Fathers Government and promising them a redress of all their Grievances and restoring them to their ancient Priviledges of the people of God there they had Priests also who being accustomed to the shedding of bloud taught them that they might slay such as had their faces set towards Hierusalem with the same zeal and opinion of doing God service as they could kill an Ox for Sacrifice And though the Israelites were by nature cruel enough yet the Doctrine of these men like those of the Pharisees made them threefold more the children of wrath malice and cruelty than they were An ill Religion it is certainly that transforms Men into Beasts and a Flock of Lambs into a Den of Lyons but this some such Doctrines as I have mentioned can do Take heed therefore of leaving the established Worship at Hierusalem for the Conventicles at Hebron you know how great a matter a little fire kindleth when it is blown up from beneath When the People had been a little while at Hebron they could not return but having gone so far must go a little farther and proclaim Absolon reigneth in Hebron and then they must follow him from the Conventicles to the Camp and ingage in a Battel against David to their ruine and destruction Let us learn to be wise and sober from the effects of their folly and madness Let us study to be quiet and to do our own business not medling with things that are above us But as Soloman adviseth My son fear thou God and the King and meddle not with them that are given to change for their calamity shall rise suddenly and who knoweth the ruine of them both Prov. 24.21 FINIS