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
A59692	Subjection to Christ in all his ordinances and appointments the best means to preserve our liberty : together with a treatise of ineffectual hearing the word ... : with some remarkable passages of His life / by Thomas Shepard ...	Shepard, Thomas, 1605-1649.	1657 (1657)	Wing S3143; ESTC R34250	104,538	128

chief amongst the people was the counsell of God by Iethro and M●ses but when they be Elected now to despise them and hence not to bow the knee or stir the hat and speak rudely before them it 's casting off not only their power in sight of God but the very root of it which is honour And hence in the fifth Commandment all duties to them are comprehended under the word Honour And who sees not but this is a sin which is apt to attend the spirits of men in a place of liberty and in our weak beginnings and day of small things Reports are abroad that no men of worth are respected and hence the Countrey is neglected I cannot say so after many thoughts for I am perswaded no place in Europe more ready to honour men of publick spirits and of eminency in piety and humility without the seeing of which no Countrey more apt to vilisie because grace is the glory in the eye of a Countrey led by Religion But take heed lest such a spirit be all us lest the Lord put out our Lamps and cast our Crown down to the ground 2. When men seek to pluck the sword of revenge for sin hurting the Commonwealth out of their hands without which the greatest power in a Common-wealth is but a pageant and a meer vanity almost a nullity Hence Rom. 13. 4. He is Gods Minister y●s when he gives good counsell and when he is a revenger to execute wrath on him that doth evill So that be the evill what it will be if it hurt the Common-wealth or be against any wholesome Law thereof he is Gods Minister to punish it civilly In the first Reformation of Geneva there were as many heresies and errours almost as truths of God Servetus he denyed the Deity of Christ whereupon the Magistrate put him to death who dyed with extream horror Whereupon heresies being begun to be s●ibb'd aud blasted Bellius writes a Book 1. That men should punish no heresie at all but be mercifull and ●eek as Christ was to the adulterous woman 2. If they did yet that Magistrates they should not punish for errors or heresies 3. If they did yet not with such severity as they begun To all which Beza hath given a most learned and solid answer detesting the hypocrisie of the man and the sad consequences of such opinions if their power should be diminished I conceive 't is casting off Christs power to take away power from Magistrates to punish sins against the first Table of which errors and heresi●s in Religion are part It 's as clear as the Sun that the Kings of Ia●ah that were g●dly did it and were commended for it and 't is as clear they were commended for it not as types of Christ but because they did therein that which was right in Gods eyes and according to the commandment of the Lord Which judiciall commandments concerning the punishing of Sabbath-breakers false Prophets Hereticks c. G●ds fence to preserve morall lawes 〈◊〉 are of morall equity and so to be observed to this day of Christian Magistrates c. To exempt Clergy-men in matters of Religion from the power of the civill sword is that ●●pery by means of which Antichrist hath risen and hath continued in his pomp and power so long together The indulgence of Princes towards the Papal function in matters of Religion hath undone Christendome 'T is true every error is not to be immediately committed but when 't is like a gangrene of a spreading nature then the Magistrate in due time must cut it off speedily Ohject Leave them to the Church Answ. True leave them 1. there But 2. Sometimes the Church will not sometimes they are not of any Church A ●apist an Arminian may come in and leaven and damne many a soul for which they had better never been If it were but one and if he sayes I do it with a meek spirit their trick of late and none must meddle because mercy must be shewen to their wolves A wise shepherd had rather let a hunter come in and kill one of his sheep then let a Wolf or Fox escape Acts 20. 29 and see his people persecuted than their soules worried Heresie and Error hath this property it ever dies by severe opposition and truth ever riseth the more because Christ is against the one Hence it must fall but or the other hence it shall rise by its fall Hence set your selves against this 't is to oppose the power of Christ Jesus And hence in Henry the 8th time the Abbies fell and never could rise to this day but the six Articles against the Saints pursued with blood made them increase the more 3. When men will not submit to the wholesome Laws of Magistra●●s which are either fundamentall and continuing or O●ders that have their date and time of expiring made for common good When men will either have 〈◊〉 laws or as good as none or submit to none but what they please Deut. 17. 12. He that will not hea●ken but do pres●mptuously shall dye He being the Minister of the 〈◊〉 and indeed it is to cast off the Lord. I go not about here to establish a sovereign power in Magistrates when is proper to God to ma●e what lawes they will about civi●l Religious or indifferent things and then people to 〈…〉 for no other ●eason but because of their will● under which notion superstition in Churches hath been ushered and maintained you must 〈…〉 in that case it 's better to s●ffer than to sin and nor to do than do But suppose the lawes just righteous holy and for publick good and that apparently so and not in saying so only Now here to cast off lawes is to cast off Christ. There are two things especially which are the cause and occasion of the breach of all other lawes and the strongest sins and sweetest which men young men especially the hopes of the Common wealth are catcht with Prov. 2. 13 16. 1. Who●edome secret lusts and wa●tonnesse and other strange lusts which I ●●ase a●d dare not name 1 Kings 1● 24. The sin before Shishah came a sin which many times Solomon cannot see thorow his window nor the eye of authority discern but God will judge for it Heb. 13. 5 and if he be ●udge who shall be thy Jailor but Satan and what shall be thy sentence but death and what thy ●naines but a hard heart for the present and horrour afterward A sin which pollutes the very earth the land the very dust of the ground and the cause of all sin almost in a place as drunkennesse idleness corrupt opinions scoffing at the Ministers of God and wayes of God For I seldom knew a persecutor but he was an adulterer though it 's not alwayes true and in the end poverty and ruine And know it though no mans eye has seen thee no power of Magistrate can reach thee this word shall be fire to consume thee unlesse thou repent for thy

give sufficient direction herein For all the authority of the highest power on earth in ●●rri●ing of Laws is in this alone viz. to make prudent ●llection and speciall application of the generall rules recorded in Scripture to such speciall and peculiar circumstances which may promote the publick weal and good of persons places proceedings Prov. 8. 85. By me Princes decree justice Ioshua 1. 7 8. Do what Moses commanded turn not on either hand Object But I cannot see my way from hence alwayes Meditate therefore on it much and then thy way shall prosper c. Many things Ioshua did not particularly set down by Moses but may be collected from it Deut. 1. 17 18 19 20. The king is to have it that he may prolong his dayes in the midst of Israel in his Kingdome What made Rehoboam to turn from these wayes he thought he could not stablish his Kingdome without it that was therefore the ruine of him and his Kingdome 1. This appears because the word is sufficient to direct as hath been shewn and hence all directions and rules are to be taken from hence 2. Because either men have rules to walk by or their own wills and apprehensions are to be rules but not so because mens wills are not only corrupt but it 's a peculiar prerogative to God to be obeyed because of his will The reason or wisdome which makes a rule binds which if it be right is part of the law writ in the heart which is most plainly seen and fully opened in the word whence direction is to to be had 3. Humane lawes or orders thus either set down in the word or deducted from the word and applied by those that be in place in Townes though they do not binde conscience firstly as humane or by human● power i. e. as published and imposed by man 〈…〉 do binde secondarily i. e. by vertue of the Law of God wherein they are contained or from whence they are derived and deducted and according to which 〈…〉 opposed they are like subpoenas in the King● name or writ of arrest which by vertue of higher power challenge obedience And thus to break these is to 〈◊〉 against God and makes the conscience liable to punishment from God And the reason is 1. Because men sin hereby against the Lord and his holy righteous law because Gods law is contained in these and what is deducted from the word is Gods word 1 Sam. 8 7. They have not rejected thee but me 2. Because they sin against the power of the Magistrate hereby and against men in place and so against more means Rom. 13. 2. He that resisteth the power resisteth the Ordinance of God i. e. when they command thee according to God which the Lord takes very ill the meaner the power is as in Towns the more terrible will the Lord be when he comes to visit for it hence they receive to themselves damnation both by God and men 'T is true if they be not thus according to the word but rather against the generall rules of it though men in Towns and places are not to be obeyed yet subjection is their due even then i. e. not to refuse obedience with contempt of their persons places power or scandal to their proceedings or profession of the Gospell Revile not the Lords high Priest speak evill of no man but rather come in private and confer with them and hear what may be said and be willing to give and take reason 4. Humane lawes and orders may be known to be according to the word when they command or forbid such things as really advance or tend to promote the publick good This I adde to answer that great question in many scrupulous minds I cannot see so ignorant when an order is collected from the generall rules of the word n●w this conclusion answers that doubt For look as the main work of men in place is to promote publick good and hence publick spirited men are to be chosen for i● so the principall rule is that which God and his Word gives them to walk by whatever really doth tend to the advancement of that Publish that record that and execute that Rom. 13. 4. He is Gods M●nister to thee for good i. e. for the publick good He is for mens private good but 't is in reference to publick good that as private persons are to attend their work so publick persons publick g●od Hence 1. If a law be made for publick hurt th●t law is not of God 2. Hence if the law be made only for the private good of themselves or any particular person and hurts the publick that 's not according to God Admirable was Ioshuas spirit herein Iosh. 19. 49 50. 3. If laws be only in appearance and pretence for publick good and not really they bind not none must do evill much lesse make a law of it for publick good Nothing more usuall than to make civill lawes and orders crossing Gods law and to pretend publick good which ever prove the publick pests and plagues and cankers of that place as Ieroboams command for Religion Some things are forbidden plainly they make not for publick good but hurt the statues of Omri Other things are indifferent in their nature as swine to go abroad or to be shut up but inconvenient in their use and hurtfull and scandalous and that really to the generall They are not for publick good whatever is pretended Something 's are plainly commanded they are for the publick good circumstantiated some things are indifferent in their nature but convenient and comfortable in their use those are indeed according to God And such things may be discerned they are so obvious and sensible of such necessity and such profit when duly considered by persons not blinded with their private interests 4. Hence things indifferent which may as well be left undone as done and so publick good no way advanced are not of God that any should restrain them For the liberty which Christ hath purchased by his blood and which Gods law gives no law of man can abolish or take away It 's the cry of the claw-backs of Princes that they have power in things indifferent i. e. such things which make as much for publick good not to use as use the truth is he hath least power here because they are idle and Idol-lawes no hurt nor is there good in them And hence some of the most rigid Schoolmen maintain such lawes bind not conscience we are not to seek our private only now all human lawes are helps to seek publick 5. That lawes made for and according to God for publick good if they do not destroy some mens particular only for some time pinch and presse hard upon his particular good or their particular good men are bound in conscience here to submit True 1. If it were possible all lawes for publick good should hurt no particular man and Townsmen if they can should help those that are hurt yet