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
A78612	A pretended voice from heaven, proved to bee the voice of man, and not of God. Or, An answer to a treatise, called A voice from heaven, written by Mr. Gualter Postlethwait, an unordained preacher, taking upon him to exercise the pastoral charge, in a congregation at Lewis in Sussex. Wherein, his weakness, in undertaking to prove all protestant churches to bee antichristian, and to bee separated from, as no true churches of Christ, is discovered; and the sinfulness of such a separation evinced. Together with, a brief answer inserted, to the arguments for popular ordination, brought by the answerers of Jus Divinum Ministerii Evangelici, in their book called The preacher sent. By Ezekiel Charke, M.A. and rector of Waldron in Sussex. Imprimatur, Edmond Calamy.	Charke, Ezekiel.	1658 (1658)	Wing C2069; Thomason E959_5; ESTC R207673	108,343	141

Subjects must be guided And therefore your flourishing insinuations of the contrary are very uncharitable and vain Wee wish that those golden verses Deut. 17.18 19 20. were written in the hearts and transcribed in the lives of all Christian Princes Wee acknowledge that Magistrates have no power to create new Laws for the Government of the Church contrary to the Divine pattern laid down in the Word But have not Magistrates power to make Penal Laws to inforce obedience to the Law of God in matters of Ecclesiastical concernment Your book doth in effect deny them all power For the Magistrates Power in matters of Religion Consider 1. The light of Nature pleads for it It hath taught Heathen Princes to interpose their Power in matters of Religion and their people to acknowledge it Scripture examples clearly evince this which God seals with his approbation Ezra 7. 25 26 27. Dan. 3.29 Jonah 3.6 c. And Heathens generally have looked upon the blessing of God upon States and people as a consequent of their care and zeal for Religion 2 The Magistrates and Kings of Israel had and exercised power in matters of Religion Moses and Joshuah had so Exod. 32.27 28. Josh 5.2 c. Josh 24.14 to 29. So it was with the Judges 1 Sam. 7.3 4. And the Kings succeeded the Judges herein as that which God called them to Psa 78.70 71 72. Pascant reges principes suos subditor primum coelesti doctrina hoc est curent recte doceri ecclesiam prohibeant idololattiam superstitiosos cultus extirpent errores in ecclesia compescant blasphemos conferant opes ad conservationem ministerii studiorum necessariorum Deinde current etiam corpora subditorum Moller in locum He took him from the sheepfold to feed Jacob his people and Israel his inheritance Not only to protect them in their Civil immunities and priviledges But to feed or see them fed with heavenly Doctrine pure Ordinances and Worship to countenance true Religion and extirpate Idolatry This is the principal part of a Kings Office in reference to Gods inheritance So did David So did all other good Kings and Rulers feed Israel 2 Chro. 14.17 29 30 31. Chapters and Nehem. 13. And Gods frequent complaints against the Kings of Israel for not so doing are pregnant proofs of their power in matters of Religion 3 Under the Gospel the Christian Magistrate as such hath answerably power in matters of Religion For 1. All those Texts wherein this power of the Magistrate under the Law is made out whether by way of Precept approved example or blame for not exercising it shew the duty and Power of Magistrates under the Gospel Since we no where find the charge that God then laid upon those repealed or taken off in relation to these 2. The Commission of the Christian Magistrate as such is not onely as authentique but every whit as large as that of the Jewish Magistrate Rom. 13.1 2 3 4. 1 Tim. 2.1 2. Titus 3.1 1 Pet. 2.13 14. Here Magistrates are said to be sent and ordained of God Mali nomen comprehendit etiam omne quod circa sacra committi● tu● 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bonum qualecunque Grot. de imper Sum potest The end for and work about which they are sent and ordained is to punish evil and encourage good works The comprehensivenesse of those expressions shews plainly that the Magistrates power refers even to Religious concernments Wee must not distinguish where the Law doth not If therefore to blaspheme the name of God break the Sabbath c. bee evil works they fall under the Sword of the Civill Magistrate no lesse than Murder or Adultery and so the Magistrate is custos utriusque Tabulae the keeper of both the Tables of the Law Therefore wee are commanded to obey them as Ministers of God for good resisting their lawful commands is called a resisting of God and wee must pray for them that under them as Rulers wee may live in all Piety towards God as well as in all Righteousnesse towards men 3 The same reasons from the object which required the interposition of the Magistrates power in matters of Religion under the Law are of as much force under the Gospel Mens spirits are as licentious and prone to seduce people now as then The name of God is as much blasphemed by damnable heretical Doctrines Men are as apt to bee seduced by the subtle craftiness of those that lye in waite to deceive All m●ans without the Magistrates sword are as ineffectuall Will such as decry all Churches deny Christ's Deity and the Scriptures to be our Rule care for a bare Church-censure 4 The judgement of the Ancients Si omnis vestra Quis vos excipit ab Universitate Bern. ad Archiep that lived near the time of Christ and of the reformed Churches in these last ages is fully for it The Fathers generally assert it Chrysostome infers from Rom. 13.1 That even Apostles Evangelists and Prophets were bound to bee subject to the Magistrate Constantine was termed the Maintainer of Faith and Religion Kings saith Austin Serve God as they are men one way as Kings another As men they serve God by a faithful obedience to his Laws But as Kings they serve God by commanding things just Aug. ad Bonif. and prohibiting the unlawful restraining them with convenient rigour making and putting Laws in execution for beating down sin and promoting Gods glory Thus Hezekiah thus Josiah served God and thus Kings become nursing fathers and Queens Nursing Mothers to the Church as it was promised Isa 49.23 60.16 The Confessions of the Reformed Churches are exceeding full and unanimous in this point See Corpus Conf. And most of the Brethren of the Congregational way have seemed to bee suffragators to them herein Plat-form of Church government ch 17. Those of New-England are very expresse for it And our five Apologists for that way courted once the Magistrate to beleeve that their opinion allowed him more power in matters of Religion than the judgement of others To the Magistrates power say they wee give as much and as wee think more than the principle Apologetical Narratio● p. 19. 〈◊〉 the Presbyterial Government will suffer them to yeild which how it may be I understand not unlesse in a sense in the which I would not understand it by giving it more than the principles of their own government will suffer them to yeild So that the Churches in all ages are agreeed that the Magistrate hath power in matters of Religion Neque enim aliud aut belli laboribus aut pacis consilits ordinamus nisi ut verum Dei cultum Orbis nostri plebs devota custodiat Theod. Honor ad Marcel Caesarei est muneris ut non solum pacifie sed pie etiam subditi vivant Theod. ad Cyril against which stand onely a small company of dissenters muchly led by Anabaptistical unscriptural principles And accordingly the first

Christian Princes and their Successors since have with the approbation of godly Bishops and Pastors owned and exercised it But you proceed confidently Therefore my beloved brethren accept no Law-giver but Jesus Christ neither in Church nor Common-wealth that will in due time save us from Devillish Government in the Church and from all worldly government in Common-weals when the stone cut out of the Mountain shall smite on the toes of the Image Then no more place shall bee found for them no not for the goodliest government that ever was invented by the wit of man If Christian Magistrates should cause you to suffer for these lines would you not suffer as an Evil-doer Doth not the Apostle Jude 8. call those filthy dreamers that despise dominion and speak evil of dignities You proclaim to the world in Print that for the present de jure they have no power neither in things of Religion nor yet of Civil concernment and call off men from yeilding that obedience to them which the Laws of God and man require You say expresly that de facto they shall have no power in matters of Religion or Civil concernment in the most glorious times of the Church And this is the doctrine which by you and men of your opinion is still buzzed into the ears of the people dangerous to Rulers and contrary to the Word of God and to the blessed example of the Apostles of Christ They in the most glorious time of the Church that hath yet been never exhorted men to cast off and cast down Magistrates though they were then Heathen but to the contrary to pray for and submit to them And yet the Apostles understood I am sure the Monarchy of the Lord Christ farre better than you That Magistrates have power in matters of Religion hath been proved before That they s●●ll have and exercise this power in the latter and most glorious daies of the Church may be easily made evident from Scripture Isaiah 60. Speaks of a glorious time to the Church in the daies yet to come for it speaks of the conversion of the Jews and the flourishing Church-state ensuing thereon But the promise there concerning Magistrates then is not that they shall bee removed but reformed and established verse 17. and made instrumental for the edification of the Church verse 10 16. as Isa 49 22 23. and this all along that glorious time of the Church verse 11. Rev. 21. Is generally understood to speak of the future glorious times of the Church but not a word there of the ending of earthly governments But on the contrary verse 24 25 26. it is said The Kings of the earth do bring and shall bring their glory and honour into the new Jerusalem and for this end the gates thereof shall not bee shut Zech. 13. Speaks of the latter State of the Church and verse 3. declares that Heretical seducing Teachers shall then undergo capital punishment Transfigent id est supplicio afficiendum tradent judicibus Pisc His Father and Mother shall thrust hm thorough Which Expositors and Mr. Burroughs with them understand of their convening them out of zeal for Gods glory before the Christian Magistrate and so causing them to bee put to death From these and many the like places it is evident that all along the most glorious times of the Church there shall bee Magistrates exercising their power and authority for the Churches good in matters both of Civil and Religious concernment What Government it is which you call Devilish Government in the Church you do not here expresly tell us But your book gives the Reader abundant cause to conclude that you mean all Government in the Church but that of your way And if so do you know what manner of spirit you were of when you wrote this passage Dare you pronounce all Government in the Church besides the Congregational to bee for the substance of it Devilish and so all those that exercise it to bee the Servants of the Devil therein What could the Antichrist of Rome have said more against Protestant Churches I shall say no more to you at this time but the Lord rebuke thee And shall now address my self to examine whether your Treatise doth prove the Protestant Churches and their Government to bee Antichristian and Devilish for that 's the sad task it undertakes SECT II. Of Mr. P's Text Rev. 18.4 And the interpretation thereof and inferences from it particularly of the coming out of Babylon and an Antichristian Church-State YOur explication of the Text and it s context had need to have been more clearly and firmly laid to have borne up such doctrines as you build upon it But you are mainly for the particular conclusion P. 5. Wee must depart from the fellowship of Antichristian Churches that is with you Protestant Churches or else wee remaine in Babylon still I shall a little reflect upon your text and it s context and shew that this conclusion of yours in the sense mentioned can of right claime no acquaintance with their import In this Revelations 18. Babylons ruine is set forth 1 By the instrumental causes of it the Word of Gods mouth denounceing it and drawing off her associates from her verse 1 2 3 4. 2 By the procuring cause of it her foule Idolatries and seduceings verse 3. 5. 3 By the consequents of it the sorrowing and wailing of her followers and lovers and the great joy of the Church and people of God verse 9 to 21. I shall particularly consider the four first verses Verse 1. I saw another Angel come down from Heaven c. Pareus understands it in a literal sense Brightman of some cheif Executioner of Gods wrath as Commander General of Gods armies against Babylon But in regard by Angels in this book are often meant the Ministers of the Gospel whose tongues and pens God imploies to discover Antichrists impostures as Interpreters agree those places mean Rev. 14.6 7 8 9 15 17 18. This Angel may also bee understood to signifie them since he brings for substance no other message than the former onely his discovery is more clear being neerer Antichrists ruine and therefore whereas the Angel Rev. 14.6 is said to flie in the midst of the Heavens this Angel is said to come down from Heaven and to cry with a strong voice and the earth to bee enlightened with his glory By this Angel I understand the company of Gods Ministers of the reformed Churches that have been and shall bee raised out of the bowels of the territories of Antichrist who by their preaching and writing enlighten the earth that is the common sort of Christians who were before the footstool of Antichrist and basis of his Hierarchy For though this was in a great measure done at the pouring out of the first viall upon the Throne of the Beast when the Waldenses Albigenses Hussites c. began every where to renounce the authority of the beast calling Rome ecclesiastical the Apocalyptical Babylon