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
A91721	The Racovian catechisme vvherein you have the substance of the confession of those churches, which in the kingdom of Poland, and great dukedome of Lithuania, and other provinces appertaining to that kingdom, do affirm, that no other save the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, is that one God of Israel, and that the man Jesus of Nazareth, who was born of the Virgin, and no other besides, or before him, is the onely begotten Sonne of God.; Racovian catechism. English. 1652.	Smalcius, Valentin, 1572-1622.; Socinus, Faustus, 1539-1604.	1652 (1652)	Wing R121; Thomason E1320_1; ESTC R200387	94,429	183

THE Racovian Catechisme VVHEREIN You have the substance of the Confession of those Churches which in the Kingdom of Poland and Great Dukedome of Lithuania and other Provinces appertaining to that Kingdom do affirm That no other save the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is that one God of Israel and that the man Jesus of Nazareth who was born of the Virgin and no other besides or before him is the onely begotten Sonne of GOD. Printed at Amsterledam for Brooer Janz 1652. To the Christian READER SEeing it hath pleased Almighty God to bring this good discourse to thy sight We are certain wast thou sensible of thy benefit that might redound to thy soul upon the Imbracing of the Doctrine therein contained thou wouldst not look upon it as men now a dayes look upon most Books with a carelesse unresolved resolution to embrace what shall appear to them to be truth but rather to please their curious fancy then nourish and refresh their souls with good and wholsome Doctrine the effects whereof would bring them to happiness We wilt not here make it our work to plead for the excellency of this Discourse but leave that to the Book it self Only our advice to thee is that seeing the things that are therein asserted are built upon plain texts of Scripture without any consequencies and seeing its tendancy is so much to the propagating of holinesse without which no man shall see God and likewise that it is not the opinion of a particular man onely but of severall Churches of Jesus Christ thou wouldst give the more heed to what thou readest Obtain the honour to be like the Noble Bereans by searching in the Scripture whether the things contained therein be so or not beg of God that he would illuminate thy understanding in seaching after the truth and having sound it sear not to own it God will stand by those that stand for him and if he be on thy side it 's no matter who is against thee continually beg of God more and more to confirm thee in the truth and ingage him to make thee yet more wise by improving the wisdome thou hast already obtained Consider how all along the truth or at least that which was most true hath been cryed out against and persecuted under the notion of Error How was our Lord Jesus Christ himself lookt upon as a blaspheamer Yea and put to death on that accompt neither hath the malice of men rested in crucifying their Lord but hath extended much farther even to the killing his Apostles Prophets and Disciples and all upon the same score of blasphemy and Errour What is it that keeps Mahomets Religion in Turkey alive but that it is death to dispute it And what keeps the Popes interest up in Spain and other Countryes but inquisitians and Tortures which are executed on those who deny his supremacy and argue against his Religion And what is it that will keep England from ever having the knowledge of the truth flourish within its Dominion and Terri●ories but harkening to those that call themselves ministers who rather then they will part with their reputation in the world and their sat benefices will cry down the greatest truths for blasphemies as it is too apparently in these our dayes otherwise how is it that notwithstanding our Lord Jesus Christ saith He that will be my disciple must deny himself and take up his crosse daily c. and through much tribulation we must enter into the kingdom of God they will rather alter their Religion from Episcopacy to Presbytery and to Episcopacy or any other Religion that the state and the generality of men are of again so they may live at ease and have their bodies well pampered then be a disciple of Jesus Christ upon such tearms yea and rather then they will enter into the kingdom of God through tribulation or persecution they will maintain such a Doctrine and stand up for such a Religion the profession whereof shall never expose them to sufferings for it Yea and if they cannot maintain it by Scripture or reason they will as much as in them lies procure the assistance of the civil Magistrate to enforce it upon the people though it be against their consciences Which if we did but well consider is a sufficient argument to evince the falsenesse of their Religion it being so unlike to the Religion of Jesus Christ and his Apostles of whom we never read that they desired the civill Magistrate to protect them or to establish their Religion by force upon the people for that indeed is but as best the way to make men hypocrites in that the most of men will rather imbrace a Religion against their consciences then suffer any thing for religion A. d therefore seeing the state of things lyes as we have before declared how happy will he be whose Religion is built upon the Doctrine of the Apostles and Prophets Jesus Christ being the chief corner stone that hath the greatest reason of its side that possibly can be imagined doubtlesse it will carry him through all difficulties whatsoever That this discourse is so we leave to thy consideration upon thy weighing of what is contained therein withall seriousnesse and that the truth may never after so long waiting and looking for it be shut out from thee nor any of thy country men desire the Lord still to protect our Governours and put it into their hearts to continue that Liberty which of late through the mercy of Almighty God we have enjoyed That they may never harken so to our pretended Ministers as to suppresse the truth under the Notion of error and blasphemy especially since they and we have hitherto pretended to stand up for the truth and for liberty in practising thereof That the blessing of the Lord may continually attend thee in thy progresse upon this account is and shall be the continuall prayers of Thy friends to love and serve thee in the Lord Jesus Christ Of the holy Scriptures QUESTION I Would fain learn of you what the Christian Religion is ANSVVER The Christian Religion is the way of attaining eternall life discovered by God Q. But where is it discovered A. In the holy Scriptures especially that of the new Covenant Q. Is there then any other Holy Scripture besides that of the New Covenant A. Yes Q. What is it A. The Writings of the old Covenant CHAP. I. Touching the certainty of the Holy Scriptures Q. BUt whence appeareth it that the Holy Scriptures both of the Old and New Covenant are certain and not suspected A. Hence in that there is not onely no cause why it should be doubted of them but evident ground as far as the matter will bear why credence should be given to them Q. How will you make it good that there is no cause why it should be doubted of them especially as to the Scripture of the New Covenant A. There are apparently four causes for which the truth of books may be

doubted of none of which hath here any place Q. What are they A. The first is when the Author is altogether unknown the second when the Author is suspected the third when it appeareth from elswhere that the Book is corrupted the fourth when there are sufficient testimonies to impeach the credit of the book Q. Tell me how the first cause hath here no place A. Because from the very beginning of the Christian Religion all Christians though otherwise infinitely differing in opinions amongst themselves did notwithstanding herein unanimously agree that the Authors of the books of the New Covenant were those very men whose names are prefixed to the books so that he who will oppose himself to so unanimous an agreement of so many ages ought to alledge a just and pregnant ground thereof Q. Hath there not been some doubt amongst the Ancients touching some of these Authors A. Yes but inasmuch as they could alledge no just ground of doubting the doubt utterly vanished Q. But how is it that the second cause hath here no place A. An Author is deemed to be of suspected credit if he have not exact cognisance of the thing which he describeth or describeth it otherwise then he knoweth the thing to be or finally if there be some hints therof in the very writing it self but no such thing can be detected in those Authors as you shall in particular understand Q. Why cannot the first be here discovered A. Because no suspition can possibly creep into the mind concerning those Authors as if they had not had exact cognizance of the thing which they described in that some of them were eye and ear-witnesses of the things which they set down and the others were fully and accurately informed by them concerning the same Q. Why cannot the second A. Inasmuch as the Christian Religion doth prohibit lying even in the smallest matter it is clear that those Authors who were not only Christians but also the first Doctors of the Christian Religion could by no means lye especially in a thing of such importance as would draw the whole world into error Q. Why cannot the third A. Because in these books there is no repugnancy no falsity as by an accurate discussion of all the places which seem to make shew of the contrary might easily be made to appear Q. You have shown how two causes of the four have here no place shew also why the third cannot be admitted A. If the third cause had here any place it must be either that those writings have been wholly corrupted or in part They could not be wholly corrupted for then neither would those be the Authors of them whom we a little before proved to have been the Authors But if they were corrupted in part certainly it would either be in those things that are of great moment or in those that are of small moment Not in those things that are of great moment inasmuch as the corrupted part would betray it self by being unsuitable to the uncorrupted ones But if there be any corruption in some things of slight moment that neither is nor ought to be of so great weight as to render the credit of the Books suspected Q. Can you not also prove another way that the writings of the new Covenant have not been corrupted A. Yes for it is altogether incredible that God whose goodnesse and providence are immense hath suffered those writings wherein he hath proposed his Will and the way to eternal life and which through the succession of so many ages have by all the godly been received and approved as such to be any wayes corrupted Q. How will you prove that the fourth cause hath here no place A. You might of your self have observed that already in that there are no fit and sufficient testimonies of credit-worthy men wherewith those writings may be pressed or oppugned Q. Inasmuch as you have taught that there is no cause why it should be doubted concerning the writings of the new Covenant teach likewise why credence should be given to the same A. Although this very thing namely that there is no just cause ●o doubt of them afford a strong argument why credence should be given to them yet will I alledge a most weighty consideration to win your assent Q. What may that consideration be A. Even the truth of the Christian religion which being comprised in those books and no others it is evident that credence must of necessity be given to them Q. But how will you prove to me that the Christian Religion is true A. By the very Author of the Christian Religion who was a divine man and by the very Religion it self which is also divine Q. Whence doth it appear that the Author of the Christian Religion was a man truly divine A. From the truly divine miracles which he wrought As also because having undergone a most bitter death in witnesse of the Religion delivered by him he was by God raised from the dead Q. How know you that he did miracles and that those miracles were divine A. It is evident that he did miracles not only from the testimony of his Disciples but also of his professed enemies such as the Jewes are And that those miracles were divine you will easily acknowledge when I shall have shown that he was raised from the dead by God For since he affirmed that he wrought his miracles by the power of God his Resurrection from the dead putteth the matter out of question and consequently evinceth that his miracles were truly divine Q. Shew therefore that he was raised from the dead by God A. That he was raised from the dead by God is hence apparent first because there were many presently after his death who constantly affirmed that they had seen him raised from the dead and for this very reason because they affirmed him to have been raised from the dead they suffered many calamities and some lost their very lives Again an innumerable multitude of others receiving the same from those that went before did upon the same ground endure very great calamities and most exquisite deaths From whence it followeth necessarily either that Jesus was raised from the dead or that they by constantly affirming a thing which they knew to be false did willingly involve themselves in so many calamities and so bitter deaths The latter could by no means come to passe inasmuch as very common sense doth abundantly refute it And therefore it is apparent that the first is altogether true Q. What other argument hereof have you A. Namely that it is altogether incredible that such a Religion as brings no worldly splendor commodity or pleasure to the Professors thereof but rather robs them of the same casting them into various straits and afflictions should be imbraced by so many Nations had it not beene confirmed by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead Q. You have shown that the Author of the Christian Religion was a divine man I would also