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
A85986	The libertine school'd, or A vindication of the magistrates power in religious matters. In ansvver to some fallacious quæries scattered about the city of Limrick, by a nameless author, about the 15th of December, 1656. And for detection of those mysterious designs so vigorously fomented, if not begun among us, by romish engineers, and Jesuitick emissaries, under notionall disguises ... (politicæ uti & ecclesiasticæ. axiom. Arabic.) Published, by Claudus Gilbert, B.D. and minister of the Gospel at Limrick in Ireland.	Gilbert, Claudius, d. 1696?	1657 (1657)	Wing G702; Thomason E923_4; ESTC R202210	61,982	75

froward people Your Honours charge here looks too much like them The wisdom and zeal He received from God are stored up in Christ for all Your supplies That Christ who was all to Him and to them is ready to give all to You and to us His Substitutes You are who is our Sovereign that His work in Your hands may be prosperous is our ardent prayer The Magistrates Right is the scope of these Papers duly therefore presented to You to do their homage They speak Your Honour and Your Happiness in Your honouring and serving the Lord His Jewels on earth he trusts with You that his Worship and friends may be Your Jewels The Lord is with You whilst You be with Him if any forsake Him such will He forsake The glorious characters of His presence with You to this very day may much revive Your hearts and strengthen Your hands He hath been with You as the Lord of Hoasts He will be Yours still as the God of Peace That You may do much expect much from Him so shall Your Returns answer Your Receipts Those unclean spirits that are now raging shall soon be cast out by the Prince of Peace He doth overturn and shake all Nations that Christ the desire of the Nations may come That King of Nations shall regain his right which as King of Saints he will still improve Your Honours daily work is multiplicious and momentous still Aarons and Hurs hands must be subservient to uphold your own It 's our delight to serve You cordially that You may serve Christ most effectually I dare not presume any longer on You than to signifie my zealous ambition to be and appear in the work of Christ Your Lordships humbly devoted Servant Claudius Gilbert From my Study in Limrick Decem. 22. 1656. THE PREFACE Christian Reader THe Civil power of the Magistrate in matters of Religion is a weighty Point much controverted in these daies as it hath formerly been upon severall accounts The Champions of Truth have been put upon it in all ages to vindicate this part of Christs interest against the renewed assaults of numerous adversaries The sophisticall mistakes of its oppugners hath drawn them and their followers into dangerous absurdities and contradictions therein Very few of them if any have laboured to state the question aright that they might debate it methodically Many outcries we indeed meet with against compulsion of conscience but very little of sober discourse about the Magistrates Civil power in Religious matters where it crosses the pretence of conscience That no violent force should or can be put upon mens consciences being granted to them most of their Arguments fight with their own shadows Some would seem to oppose all kinde of Magistraticall power in any part of the first Table pleading for a licentious liberty of all sorts therein Others admit of limitations and severall distinctions therein and yet the strength of their reasons complies with the former when duly weighod Many worthy Pens have taken very commendable pains in stating and vindicating of that legall Right which the Lords Magistraticall substitute is entrusted with as Custos vindex utriusque Tabulae Specially Mr Thomas Cobbet in 1653. N. England hath found abundant cause to praise the Lord for the due exercise and vindication of that Power the neglect and opposition whereof was like to have proved their overthrow in Civils and Ecclesiasticals The same spirit of Error hath struggled there so hard for Libertinism hath gotten too much strength and favour in these Nations The like design hath been therefore vigorously drawn on to take off the Magistrate from that part of his work which is the most noble and most needfull in such a season Various interests have joined forces herein yea divers good men have been ensnured into it at unawares There is a fallacious plausibility in many things said therein which takes easily with the weak and credulous Christian as in all other doctrines of Error Some would promote it that they may promote and shelter at pleasure their Levelling Ranting and Quaking principles Others favour it for fear of being restrained in some things which the Magistrate cannot but see just cause to take cognizance of for regulation What rank our Querist is to be numbred in we cannot certainly say his Paper not being subscribed by any though his drift may be easily guessed at It grieves our hearts most to see any of Christs professed friends taking part in such a quarrell with the common enemy of his Word and Ordinances The sad consequent of sinfull separations from the Reformed Protestant Churches appears much in this as in other things When the unity of the Spirit that should keep the bond of peace in the unity of Christian Faith and Baptism within Gods house comes into disregard it cannot but prove fatally ominous to the ushering in of those many evils which have still been concomitants thereof The Primitive times afford us many wofull instances of it and Germany with other parts hath verified it by sad experience ever since the great Reformation begun Schismaticall rendings of the Church of Christ were very seldom free from hereticall Apostasi●s Had we no Record Divine or Humane Ancient or Modern to testifie this truth the posture of persons and things among us would demonstrate it too abundantly Yet would not we be mistaken in shewing the bitter fruits of sinfull separations as if we disowned all separations There is a good separation from evil required of God as there is an evil separation from good forbidden by him A separation from the man of sinne and from the sinne of man is a Christians duty Revel. 18. 4. 2 Cor. 6. 18 19. Isa 52. 11. Jer. 51. 6. But separation from the Church and good Ordinances of God is an unchristian sinne Christ owned the Jewish Church in its publique Ministry and worship though distempered with many corruptions in every part thereof whilst they retained the fundamentals of Religion he still entertained communion with them As long as that first administration of the Lords gracious Covenant lasted both he and his Apostles maintained correspondency with that visible Church of his whilst they did most keenly rebuke the members thereof for their severall enormities yea and after their setting up of that Evangelicall worship which as the second administration of the Lords gracious Covenant was to make an end of the Ceremonials and continue to the worlds end Heb. 9. 10 11 12. Heb. 12. 26 27. Matth. 28. 21. Matth. 26. 1 Cor. 11. 26. yet were they so shie of rending the Garment of Christs body his Church that they did for a long time bear with the Jewish outrages labouring by all means to keep fair with them and broke not off as long as they could hold with them in the great foundation of Religion The like course was taken by God and his servants towards Israel and Judah before their

by neglect of his own duty Salomon is charged for going after Ashtaroth because he gave his wives leave to do it and joined therein afterwards himself The Toleration of the High-places though they were for worship to God only 2 Chron. 33. 17. yet it was the sin of those Princes that suffered it a long time being contrary to Gods Law Deut. 12. 11 12 13. God charges it even on godly eminent Reformers as Asa Jehoshaphat c. till Josias Gamaliels counsel pleaded by some will prove a poor shelter of fig-leaves to cover such a sinfull nakedness of permitting known evil with such a neutrall spirit What wickedness might not be pleaded for by the same reason A Christian indeed should be meek and patient 1 Cor. 13. in a good way but not to the neglect of his duty against evil which was Eli's great sin who therein honoured his sons more than God 1 Sam. 2. 29. it cost him them and all Israel dear for a warning to us all Eccl 8. 11. Sinfull Tolleration brings wofull augmentation of evil still We must do to others it 's true as we would be done to so that Gods will and mans duty be not neglected The Law indeed is not to the righteous or against the righteous as righteous but it 's laid against all unrighteousness whether reigning or remaining in any Paul himself was not without the Law but under the Law to Christ 1 Cor. 9. 21. Jam. 2. 8. We should have a tender care of tender consciences but a most tender care of Gods pleasure and honour the sole rule and source of mans duty and good Vnfaithfull tenderness is cruell pity both to the patient and others The Magistrate is Lord of the externall man for good though not of any mans faith mans soul being above his reach whereof faith is a speciall act He infringes no Christian liberty when he checks sinfull Libertinism miscalled liberty prosecution of evil is no persecution of good If Papists and others take occasion to abuse any from hence so do they abuse and pervert Scripture and all good things We must not think to do Jews or others good by doing or tollerating evil Gods cause needs not be beholding to the devils help nor will it be furthered thereby White witches are alwaies most mischievous in the conclusion The Magistrates authoritative owning of the truth is not like to hinder the progress thereof he may possibly mistake and therefore needs all meet help being accountable to God for the matter and manner of his work What other Objections are moved against this Truth may be more fully answered in the following Resolves Decemb. 22. 1656. C. G. THE Libertine School'd OR A VINDICATION OF THE Magistrates Power in matters of RELIGION IN Answer to the Fallacious Queries of a Nameless Author lately spread about the City of Limrick For Detection of those Mysterious Designs so vigorously fomented if not begun among us by Romish Engineers and Jesuitick Emissaries under Notionall Disguises Thus begins our Querist Qu. 1. WHether it be not better for us that a Patent were granted to Monopolize all the Corn and Cloth and to have it measured out unto us at their price and pleasure which yet were as intollerable as for some men to appoint and measure out unto us what and how much we shall believe and practise in matters of Religion Ans. 1. The whole may be granted without danger as it 's expressed 2. If we may guess that their meaning by their scope is to shew by this comparison the unreasonableness of the Magistrates inforcing in Religious matters then we answer by shewing the fallacy of the comparison in setting forth the true parallel The Lord is the absolute Sovereign of all things Civil and Sacred man is not so in neither yet is the Magistrate the Lords servant to enforce by Civil power the disposall of things in both as God hath appointed in his Word For things Civil it 's easily granted for Sacred matters besides many other signall instances given in both Testaments by way of precept and promise prefiguration and president see Deut. 13. 5. Deut. 17. 2 3 4 5 6. Ezra 6. 11. 12. Ezra 7. 6 11 25 26 27. compare those verses together proving the Kings grant to be an answer to Ezra's request for constituting Magistrates with coercive power in Religious things in Gods Name Rom. 13. 1 2 3 4 5. Zech. 13. 3 4 5 6. a Prophesie of Gospel times 1 Tim. 2. 1 2. Isa. 49 23. applicable especially to later daies Qu. 2. Whether there be not the same reason that they should be appointed by us what they shall believe and practise in Religion as for them to do so to us seeing we can give as good ground for what we believe and practise as they can do for what they would have if not better Ans. It 's not reasonable that either they or we should appoint to each other what is to be believed or practised in Religion but it 's most reasonable that Christs Law given to us both should be inforced by the Magistrate the Civil substitute of Christ The former proofs do fully clear this and many other such places as also 2 Chron. 15. 12 13. 2 Chron. 19. 2 3 4 c. 2 Chron. 34. 4 5. Neh. 13. 19 21 22 c. We might easily bring in many instances for each command of the first Table how the godly Magistrates acted for God according to his command were it necessary Qu. 3. Whether they that would force other mens consciences be willing to have their own forced Ans. No man may or can force another mans conscience but the Magistrate is bound by his Office as the Lords Deputy to oblige and force the externall man to the observance of Gods will manifested in his written word though he be unwilling and pretend conscience Besides the former proofs clearing this see 1 King 18. 40 41 c. though Baals Priests pleaded conscience for Idolatry yet were they put to death by Elijahs command which execution was attended with speciall blessings Joh. 16. 2. They that plead conscience for putting Christians to death it excuses not but they should suffer for it according to that indispensable Law Genes 9. 6. Asa 2 Chron. 14. 4. commanded all to seek the Lord and to do the Law Nehemiah contended with the Nobles and threatned strangers about their abuses in Tithes and the Sabbath Neh. 13. 11 17 19 21. Qu. 4. Whether Christ hath said he will have an unwilling people compelled to serve him Ans. Though he hath not said those very words yet hath he said in effect so much in those many Scriptures that testifie the Magistrates duty to that end either by precept commanding it or by presidents commended for it or rewarded in it or by the contrary forbidden reproved threatned and punished for neglect contempt or abuse of that duty The Scriptures forementioned do fully prove this as also very many more were it needfull to

sense is the harmonious agreement of things attending their orderly composure and motion Peace with God by Christ conjugally embraced produces peace of conscience in man and civil peace among men Our civil peace must still then have reflexion upon our Civil Law and that upon the Divine Law Whilst the Law is thus kept peace is not hurt so the Querist is answered But would not he insinuate that the Quakers and corrupters of our Religion break not the Law and therefore not the Peace Ingenuity it self can make no other construction of his dubious Query compared with his title and scope If so then we Answer 2. Our Lawyers can more exactly acquaint him with the many branches of our Common and Statute Laws which are continually broken by this lawless brood They that make so light of the Divine Law indited by the Spirit of God penned by the Prophets and Apostles of Christ and given to man for his eternal good in conforming him through grace to the Lords Image whose extract and representation it is are not like to be very carefull of mens Law in any sense The beams of that good just and holy Law which do shine through the several parts of our English Laws carry too much light for such birds of darkness who can like and will own none but their light within The light above and about them is so offensive to them and so little valued of them that the brightest beams of Scripture light finde no credit nor favour with them if not suted to their phantasticall light Their own light is their Law as it 's their God their Christ their perfection their righteousness their All All the Laws of God and men must be reduced to that standard They judge themselves still observers of the Law in the most egregious breaches thereof for indeed what Law can they break whose will is their only Law Sometimes they pretend that Will in them not to be their own but Gods Will But that easily appears to be but a cunning shift to father their will on God as they do their light and all As then their Law is in their breast though they be daily convinced by every one that speaks with them who hath not lost his reason and Religion at once and particularly by Authority of their foul transgressions yet are they still faultless They witness perfection You do but mistake them They cannot sin They cannot break the Law All Authority is tyrannical that humours them not The best Ministers are fools and knaves to them None knows and keeps the Laws but themselves and followers Dare you then after this charge or punish these men for breach of any Law No by no means They are but misunderstood Their railing and cursing their slandring and wandering their idleness and irreverence their disobedience and seducing their errors and blasphemies against God and Christ against the Divine Trinity and holy Spirit against the Scriptures and Ordinances of the Gospel their contempt and scorn of all goodness and good men not dancing after their pipe These are no breaches of Law but degrees and signes of their perfection Their pride and passion their malice and hatred their choler and rage their Atheism and ignorance their deceits and charms are but conformities to the light within Yea their Pharisaicall abstinence and fastings their formalities and ostentations their disorderly speeches and carriage their opposing of Orders from God and his servants their self-conceitedness and self-confidence must not be thought breaches of Law but fulfillings thereof In a word if you think they can break the peace by breaking the Law you are much mistaken for they are a Law to themselves and the utmost mischief they can do to us all that comply not with them is but the fulfilling of that Law Qu. 5. Whether corporall punishment either by imprisonment or otherwise for errours is not a means sometimes to destroy mens bodies and possibly prove a prevention of their conversion seeing some are not called till the eleventh hour and if they be cut off the seventh hour for their errours how shall they come in Matth. 20. 6. Ans. Errour is a crooked deviation of a mans judgement from the Truth of God That Truth is considerable either in the Divine Being or in the Emanation thereof Truth in Gods Essence is Essentially and Personally considered Essential Truth is God himself in the eternal Unity of his Divine Excellency Truth Personally expressed sets forth each of the three Divine Persons subsisting in the Divine Essence distinguished by their personal properties the Father is Truth Begetting the Sonne is Truth Begotten the Spirit is Truth Proceeding from the Father and from the Son Truth in the Emanation of the Divine Being or the Truth of God is the conformity of Gods expression to himself which is considered Intentionally Verbally and Actually in his Thoughts Words and Works I. The Truth of his Thoughts is called his Purpose and Decree pleasure and good will to signifie his eternal Councel fore-ordaining all future things This is an absolute entire perfect and unchangeable Act of the Divine Will about the good and evil of future Beings as of themselves especially about rational creatures men and Angels This Divine Truth or Act as it respects evil is called Permission and Regulation as it respects good it 's called fore-ordination As it respects the objects of Divine Benevolence it 's called Election and Predestination Election chusing them in Christ to glory Predestination fore-appointing them to conformity and Adoption by Christ Election called also his fore-knowledge which in the Hebrew imports affect and effect regarding chiefly the End and Predestination the Means to that End That eternal purpose as it regards the objects of Gods disowning is called Reprobation and Predamnation Reprobation being properly an Act of Sovereignty we cannot speak of God but after the manner of men with distinctions and denominations extrinsecal though he be one pure Act all the change being in the creature is also called Preterition non-Election and non-Predestination properly regarding their State and End absolutely Predamnation being an intended Act of Justice properly considers the Means with tendency to that End viewing such under the consideration of future sinners The like denominations may be given to Divine Purpose about Angels consideratis considerandis Thus of Intentional Truth II. The Verbal Truth of God is called his Word which is the declaration of his Mind and Will revealed to man concerning himself and all his creatures This he did manifest to Adam in his Creation writing it upon his soul in the characters of his own Image in perfect knowledge righteousness and holiness and by positive significations of his pleasure After his fall and successively to others this Truth of God about the salvation of his Elect in and by Christ alone with all things else needfull to be known he did variously reveal unto men