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
A79988	The cry of a stone, or, a treatise; shewing what is the right matter, forme, and government of the visible church of Christ. How, and wherein the present Church of England is wanting and defective, both in the body of the land, and in the parochiall branches thereof, with divers reasons and grounds taken from the Scriptures, to perswade all that feare God, rather to suffer any afflictions at the hands of men, than to submit to mans carnall policy and humane devices in the worship of God, or be deprived of the sweet fellowship of the saints in the right order of the Gospel. Together with a just reproofe of the over-strained and excessive separation, contentions and divisions of such as commonly are called Brownists. By Robert Coachman.	Coachman, Robert.	1642 (1642)	Wing C4746; Thomason E137_32; ESTC R208315	72,606	82

of England or for the hinderance of our exceptions against it except you will frame this consequence that because we are in one thing therefore we are in all which is too hard a sentence to stand for a maxime Neither doe we say that the Church of England is no Church or the parish assemblies false Churches nor care for those big and loud censures of Antichristian Babylonish false c. they are but words and termes of provocation which we can well spare and it is enough that we finde it not settled according to the order of the Gospel but by humane authority and compulsion and that it is one with the world and that there is not in it all the meanes to stablish comfort confirme and build up every soule in the wayes of God these and the like are sufficient motives to perswade men that feare God to finde out a better and safer way to walke in and a Church that is more neer the Apostles patterne And as for strangers and Churches in forraign nations as they are not of our language so we cannot know them as our owne for he that knoweth strangers and forraigners as well as his owne neighbours and country-men it is a signe that he is very unsociable or else his eyes are not where they should be The prohibition of the Magistrate though he be a Christian may not hinder our obedience to the Gospel SOme object and that not without colour that since we live under a Christian Magistrate we must be contented and thankfully accept so much liberty in the Gospel as he will allow and that it is a signe of great unthankfulnesse and disloyalty to him to alter or adde in Church matters and publique worship or to doe more or otherwise then he commandeth or alloweth I answer first that when the Magistrates are Christians we are Answer 1 the more to love and respect them for their Christianity but still their Magistracie and civill power is one thing and their Christianity and Religion is another Secondly the same reverence and conscionable obedience were to be given to the civill power as Gods Ordinance though the person which hath this power were a Turke or an Infidell but not the Rom. 13. 1. 2. same love in the fellowship of the Gospel and communion of grace Neither doth the Scripture provide for any other kinde or measure of obedience to Christian Magistrates when any such should arise then for such as were Heathens Fourthly neither can I ever conceive how this should become a reason that we must forbeare these and these practices which God Christian Magistrates commands may not stand against Gods requireth because the Magistrates are Christians and forbid it except it follow also that we must also forbeare it if they were Heathens unlesse a man should hold this position that a man is in more bondage under Christian Governours then under Heathens since the question is not concerning suffering but concerning doing and if any Christian Magistrate shall by any acts or lawes politicall hinder the practice of Gods Lawes as his Christianity cannot excuse him in the Court of heaven for misleading so much lesse can it excuse us when we follow him in evill and whatsoever the power be or the person which hath it if it fight against Gods Injunctions we may answer with them Acts 5. 29. that said God is to be obeyed rather then man and if we should be forbidden to pray or to preach or to love brotherly fellowship c. yet these 1 Pet. 2. 17. Dan. 6. 7. 10. things must still be done in the most ample manner we can Fifthly neither is it any disloyalty to Princes and Governours at all when Gods commands are preferred before theirs especially since we are willing to suffer their corrections and punishments for so doing counting indeed their corrrections but as Flea-bites to his which can cast both body and soule into hell Mat. 10. 28. Sixthly and in the things wherein we must differ we endeavour to carry them peaceably so farre as we can without disturbing disgracing or depraving any offices or orders by him placed not denying but willingly hearing the Word from any conscionable and faithfull Preacher and so farre as we may without sinne to submit to other orders being moderate in our affections peaceable in our practices in the things wherein we differ and if all that serve not we shall thinke it our further glory to suffer and endure any punishment either to bands or death with patience that we may fulfill our Obedience to Magistrates may be in suffering as well as in doing course with joy and not be ashamed of his basenesse who suffered a shamefull death to advance us to a glorious life and we protest in the sight of God that we can make no other answer or excuse from the Magistrates Christianity except wee should flatter him and deceive our selves Moses example in building the Tabernacle was no ordinary rule for after times MOses the Man of God a good Governor did appoint all things for the Tabernacle and publique service of God without consulting SECT 11. either with Priest or people and had the wrath of God Object 4 against any that opposed his courses so now the people and Ministers Exod. 34. 32. Numb 16. 31. cap. 12. 2. must have an eye to the godly Governours to see what they command and see that they practise it without imposing infusing or practising otherwise in any thing then he alloweth I answer first this sheweth what godly Magistrates are to doe Answ 1 in the matters of Gods service namely to observe his will but what the Priests or people might have done if Moses should have beene defective is yet questionable Secondly Moses as he was a Prince so he was a Prophet and the onely Prophet that ever was except Christ and he had his familiar Deut. 34. 10. talke with God for all matters about the Tabernacle and was by him Exod. 33. 11. immediately directed so that for any to go about to direct and order him in those things had been high presumption and undoubted evill But now no Magistrates that I know of are such Prophets or have Moses Magistracie singular any such immediate Revelations but learne of God according to the common order of other men yea and stand in as much need of counsell and advice that I say not more as any other men of any calling whatsoever and therefore till they have Moses learning how shall they use Moses teaching Thirdly neither did the Princes of Israel afterward take upon them this sole direction but were contented to be reproved and counselled by the Prophets Priests both for their failings in their conversation and for their establishing the worship of God as we may see in 1 Chron. 17. 4. 2 Chron. 19. 2. 2 King 11. 17. 2 Chron. 34. 23. 24. David Asa Iehosaphat Ioash Iosiah and the rest yea and all the

THE CRY OF A STONE OR A TREATISE SHEWING VVHAT IS THE RIGHT Matter Forme and Government of the visible CHURCH of CHRIST How and wherein the present Church of England is wanting and defective both in the body of the Land and in the Parochiall branches thereof With divers Reasons and Grounds taken from the Scriptures to perswade all that feare GOD rather to suffer any afflictions at the hands of men than to submit to mans carnall policy and humane devices in the worship of God or be deprived of the sweet fellowship of the Saints in the right order of the Gospel Together with a just reproofe of the over-strained and excessive separation contentions and divisions of such as commonly are called Brownists By Robert Coachman Jer. 15. 19. If thou take the pretious from the vile ●●ou shalt be as my mouth Ezra 4. 3. It is not for you but for us to build an house to the Lord God of Israel Psal 50. 16. 17. What hast thou to doe to take my Covenant in thy mouth seeing tbou hatest nurture LONDON Printed by R. Oulton and G. Dexter and are to be sold at the Stationers 1642. A FORE-SPEECH To the READER IT is neither to get moncy nor credit gentle Reader that I have undertaken this taske and written this Treatise for I am neither in name nor in truth so famous as to gaine either of these by writing but even simple necessitie and the violent conviction of truth and mine owne conscience hath drawne me thereunto and I know that if I have any reward in this world it will be none other then to be reckoned and rewarded amongst thieves and malefactors but let God doe what him pleaseth It grieveth mee much that no man of greater eminence and learning will take in hand this taske that could have done it better and also with much better acceptation then ten thousand such as my selfe is but what shall I say since they all hold their peace let this be accounted as the confused murmure or Cry of a Stone which uttereth a vehement Luke 19. 40 though unknowne language when they that treade upon it with high lookes are both deafe and dumbe Indeed these matters concerning the right gathering constituting and governing the Church are in our dayes matters of great difficulty and deserve the greatest care and paines of the deepest wits and greatest learning that is amongst us though not in it self more difficult then other points but because of the strong opposition of the times which hath long striven to darken the cleare light of the truth in these points and to uphold humane devices and traditions which in stead of truth take up place in our time That as the preaching of the death and resurrection of Christ was to the Gentiles that doted on carnall wisdome foolishnesse so in Cor. 1. 23. our time when more state and glory is used for the gathering and governing of the Church then ever Christ or his Apostles appointed what marvell is it though it seeme a base and foolish thing to speake of gathering the visible Church of Christ by here and there a man out of countries and cities when it is now no great matter to bring a whole Nation consisting of divers millions of men and women to be a visible Church of Christ in one day And indeed if such wonders could be wrought as are pretended our Saviour Christ had a needlesse feare if he should come in our dayes that made question whether hee should find faith on the earth or not For all our Luke 18. 8. Nation is faithfull and we need not cry out with David for help to God because not a godly man is Psal 12. 1 left but may rather stand forth and challenge the powers of hell and say bestirre thee Divell for here is scarce an ungodly man left But if after all these loud boastings it be yet as hard to find faithfulnesse sincerity as ever it was and that our stately Religion be in the most part rather a superstitious custome to breed security then any matter of weight or worth to rejoyce in and that Gods people are still few and scarce one of a hundred if this be true as heaven and earth knowes it to be true then no man should adventure upon the bare applause of the times or common customes of the multitude but should try himselfe by a more better and sounder rule lest he run with the multitude in the broad way that leads to death But whom shall I appeale to for judgement of this booke it is an old maxime and a new Oracle that the judgement of the vulgar is worth nothing so as if it have no approbation of Divines it may be carryed to the furnace And as for the most part of our formall Schollers who have set Divinity in the pillory and wrote over it The Church of England make it their deepest study to set times and truth at unity having by long custome so clipped the holy tongue that they cannot pronounce Shiboleth but setting onely a Judg. 12. 6. face upon Religion have like Water-men gone backeward so fast from it till they come betweene the consumption of grace and the assumption of preferment from such I must appeale as no fit Judges in this controversie expecting rather that they should be tormentors and butchers of all such as call any of their formall courses in question then be patient hearers of any thing that striketh at their outward glory Also for the Reformists though their grounds I use these names only for distinction not affecting it looke the same way that mine doe yet many of them have suffered their eyes so to dazle upon their formall neighbours who with a little yeelding to the times sit warme in their nests and live more like Princes than Apostles that now they begin to call their owne wisdome and soundnesse in question and rather suspect that their owne hearts have deceived them then that the truth hath overswayed them and are mucb more willing to embrace any counsell that may procure them fleshly liberty then lend an eare to ought that shall perswade them to a stricter or better course and therefore I dare not permit them for Judges therein Neither indeed is there any whom these times will acknowledge for a Divine which is not more or lesse tainted with the corruptions of this age but if he be scrupulous and will not swallow up all and hold his tongue at that for whlch his heart smiteth him hee may as well be canonized for a Saint in Rome as registred for a Divine in England but shall passe under the terme of a puney or busie fellow notwithstanding any gifts of learning or other endowments that so the Argument of the Iewes against Christ Iohn 7. 48. may alwayes be in a readinesse to stop the mouthes of the simple And as little hope is there of any equall sentence from any of the strict separation seeing