Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	king_n	law_n	liberty_n	6,707	5	6.5575	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A66942	The dissenting casuist, or, The second part of a dialogue between prejudice, a dissenting country gentleman, and reason, a student in the university being I. a clear justification of the execution of the laws against dissenters, II. a comparison of the arguments on both sides concerning monarchy in general, III. concerning an elective kingdom, or whether a lawful successor or true heir upon any misdemeanours may be excluded.	Wood, Thomas, 1661-1722.	1682 (1682)	Wing W3409; ESTC R21026	23,696	40

and not at all necessary to Salvation Prejud 'T is Popish to say Humane Laws bind the Conscience as much as Divine Reas The Papists teach this Doctrien not onely in respect of the Obedience but of the things commanded which we do onely in respect of the Obedience I would desire again that our Dissenters would consider whether the pretence of a purer Religion or the loss of Christian Liberty or Conscience will excuse them Corah's Rebellion was upon these pretences and though he Numb 6. was not actually in Arms but did onely associate against and separate from the Government yet God punished him with a most severe death Again our Ceremonies and Methods were agreed upon Sir William Smiths Speech De. 5. 1981 by a Parliament had the consent of both King and People Which when I have seriously thought on raised my admiration how any man can think himself hardly dealt with when he is required to comply to that to which he had before consented or that he should think it reasonable that separate Assemblies or publick Conventicles should be permitted in opposition to the establish'd Government I cannot understand it otherwise but that these persons who frequent Conventicles and give themselves up to be rul'd and directed by their Teachers allow these Teachers both Infallibility and Supremacy and not onely so but also a Legislative Power to make what Orders they think fit which is indeed to lose your Christian Liberty and to make a Prince and a Pope in every Congregation Besides these publick Conventicles proclaim our Divisions to the world discover our weaknesses and must needs cause a potent neighbouring Prince to cast his Eye upon us who will not want the suggestions of Ambition and Interest to try his Fortune and if he should who can withstand him we being thus divided Methinks the ill consequences which may be foreseen to arise from such plain demonstrations of a divided Nation should prevail upon the most tender Conscience not to be guilty of any thing that brings such certain ruine to his King Country and Protestant Religion especially having Liberty according to Law to exercise his Religion in his own way in his own house with his own family and an addition under Five more which indeed is too great a kindness and more than they will ever deserve If a Kingdom can be safe when it has persons in it that Sir William Smiths Speech Apr. 24. 1682. confederate for the mutual assistance of each other upon all occasions when they will spare no pains or cost for the advancement of each others Interest when they scarce trade with any other but themselves and have no manner of commerce with any of the Church Party or any Loyal man If to set up a Commonwealth in a Kingdom is safe I desire they may enjoy themselves without any further molestation but if not if on these accounts we are in very dangerous conditions we must apply our selves to the Remedies to the due and strict Execution of the Laws to prevent it You see I don't insist upon old stories of 41 because some of you have been so good or so cunning as to disown them whatsoever I have mentioned is almost at this very day to be seen This is the time for Union now or never that great Mountain as you are pleas'd to term it and that pretended hinderance viz. the Obligation to renounce See the Act of Vniformity the Solemn League and Covenant has its end for it was to cease March 28. 1682. as you may see in the Act of Vniformity If I be not deceived Mr. Baxter promised us when that time came to throw off his Nonconformity and convince the world that he was naturally meek and peaceable and that it was not Obstinacy or a blind Prejudice that made him separate from us all this while I wish he would be as good as his word and bring his Party with him that Strife and Janglings Seditions and Rebellions might die amongst us that that Vnity might be preserv'd which God looks upon to be his greatest Attribute that Men might not be forced to confess themselves Christans that those ungrateful and hard Laws might be wholly thrown by which I am sure the Apostles themselves if they were alive and in our Circumstances would make use of Prejud You are extreamly out of the way they are the only Christians in the Nation Popery had long ago come in upon us had not their Pious Godly Zeal oppos'd it though you maliciously aver that it will never prevail unless it take Presbytery in it's hand unless a Conventicle covers it but all this while you have spent your Forces against seditious Meetings against the Persons that separate from the Church and yet you have as real Enemies that lye unseen in your own Bosoms As you told me heretofore that there were Popish Tories and Protestant Tories so I find there are Conventicle Whiggs and Church Whiggs these latter though conforming to the Ceremonies of the Church and swallowing down every thing that is given to them being as averse to the Government as the former Wherefore since the bare Execution of the Laws against Conventicles does in no wise reach them or will stop their Mouths since you pretend to be so good and skillful in Expedients and Remedies I desire to be satisfied what your Art and Policy would be pleas'd to prescribe in this Case Reas Truly these are dangerous Enemies and make us think them to be so and be the more concerned because they are of our own Houshold I am amaz'd at a profess'd Knave an impudent bare-fac'd Hypocrite nay one that tells us himself though he embraces with one hand he will stab with the other It would be look'd upon as Injustice and Arbitrary Government if such a Law was enacted Now as was heretofore in Rome hindering private Cabals restraining all Tavern-Politicians Sueton. but they must thank themselves if we fly to the utmost extremity of Justice rather than suffer our selves to be basely undone But since we cannot force them to a compliance since they are so maliciously wise and understand themselves so far as to sin within an hairs breadth of the Law and come within an inch of Treason let us try if Arguments will signifie any thing with these white and black Traytors these giddy Republicans if spreading their Errours before their Eyes will make them see their no-Interest and Folly We know that besides their little Cavils and Pecks at See the 1st part of this Dialogue the Ceremonies and Constitutions of the Church which we have in our former Discourse vindicated that their two grand Topicks are whether a Free State as they call it or a Commonwealth is not more convenient and more to be desir'd than Monarchy And secondly Whether a Popish Successor or a Successor that does not please the humour of the People for certain Misdemeanours cannot be Excluded or which is almost the same whether England is

heretofore * Justin Idem fuit Rex Sacerdos and that many like Aaron have almost went hand in hand with the Moses or supreme Magistrate I would not have you think by any means that I am willing they should be encourag'd to Luxury or an ignoble Ease or be pamper'd in any Vice for I suppose all this while if they should not have the discretion to manage themselves according to the strict Rules of Morality and Christianity that there is a King and a Power above 'em that will see they shall be otherwise disposed of If men were truly judicious and would respect them merely for their Function there would be no need of these external Daubings to set them off none of these gildings on our Altars Prejud Methinks they should be contented with the Spec. Crap p. 6. Tithes of Vnity Love and Charity Reas Yes if men would give it them I am sure they would then rejoyce as much in Self-denial and Want although I suppose a Self-denial in their Affluence too and think themselves as great as they possibly could in all their Glories I am sure you will not think I can have any other design than to speak my Judgment and Opinion I am asham'd to see a reverend grey-headed man profound in Learning exact in Morality and purest Piety after many years toil and labour become onely a Chaplain to a toyish Lord and then to be thrust up in a Garret set at the lower end of the Table rise at second course and be thought onely fit company for the Steward and Butler I confess it might be more pardonable thus to use a young raw slovenly Fellow who has crept into the Clergy unawares whose mean Education and Dulness may somewhat deserve this yet methinks they should not choose a person whose Office is so sacred for Formality sake or that they may have occasion sometime or other to deride him The Superciliousness of these Patrons make the Clergy so much despis'd and the name of Parson to become so scandalous They do it that they may be more securely debauch'd and exalt themselves thus that it may be thought impudence in the Fellow that says Grace to advise or recall them Their wiser Ancestors did think it Preferment and Honour to enter into that Sacred Office whereas these being foolishly ashamed of it make us guilty of Jeroboams sin and for the 1 Kings 13. 33. most part force us to take in the meanest of the People If you would throughly weigh these things you would be far from having them stript of what they have or that they should follow the pretended self-denyal of the Saints but that rather they should be higher advanced and honoured Prejud This Courtier-like way of yours in standing upon these Punctilio's Honour this impatiency of Affronts shews that your Minds are tied to your carnal Hearts that Honour and Preferment is your onely aim The meekness of our Brethren their Philosophical neglect of the World will teach and instruct you otherwise They think themselves as Servants to all and know that by being the least they do become the greatest that if they themselves do not provide Scrip and Shooes it will be provided for them Reas Apology for Ninconformist Ministry I understand you cannot or will not see so far as other men Mr. Baxter very proudly tells you he refused a Bishoprick and confesseth he hath so good natur'd and so kind a Flock already under him who allowed him a very competent and large Maintainance They are for pulling down Bishopricks and for dividing Inheritances that all of them who are now excluded as Rebels and Traytors may then come in for a share Their sin of separating from us as I shall prove to you anon is wilful and devillish Ibid. and if so according to their own Confession common Drunkards Swearers Fornicators are rather to be tolerated in a Commonwealth Do you think that these have the spirit of meekness in them or the least spark of true Piety who flie in the faces of the Kings Officers when they come to disturb their seditious and disloyal Meetings contend with them as if 't was their Inheritance openly defie Heaven and the Ordinance of an Onipotent God Not but that an Ass resisteth his Master as much by standing still or running back as if he had kick'd at him If their Conscience tells them they must needs preach and by no means hide their Talent if dispensing the Word is their onely aim let them go and plant the Gospel amongst the Indians where perhaps there will be no Authority to resist no commission of such deadly sins But they object and say they do not understand their Language and if they should try at it they could arrive but half Ibid. way speak it imperfectly and very disorderly which would be apt to procure derision and disesteem What do these deep sanctified holy men start at such trivial things who profess themselves ready every minute to undergo Imprisonment and Death for the Name of the Lord Jesus Away 't is such nonsense and ill arguing that a Boy may discover it I believe we must think of a Pensylvania for them too and ship them off by the next fair Wind. I am as much against Persecution as any man there is no one pitieth the poor Protestants in France more than I do but I am far from calling the execution of the Laws against our Dissenters Persecution yea it is a thing necessary and commendable without which true Piety can never flourish nor Church and State ever be at quiet Those in France were called by their King the meek the willing the best Subjects in the world as if he was sorry his Religion forced him to such hard usage whereas of our false Protestants it has been long ago declared that they are a perverse generation and that for Subjects 't is impossible to have worse Believe it Sir 't is true as a Good Divine has said before Dr. Sprat Serm. Apr. 20 82. me There is scarce any one that adheres to this Party but either he or some of his near Relations have been already forgiven they carry about with them the black guilt not onely of Rebellion but of an ungrateful Rebellion after Pardon received A sin which the Devil himself is not capable of committing Prejud Sir I will not believe one word what you say but pray did not Peter and Paul preach the Gospel though Baxt. Apol. they were forbidden by the Jews that were in Authority I tell you if their Conscience assures them that they are in the right and that they must preach the Gospel the Authority of Kings and Emperours to the contrary signifieth nothing We must obey God rather than Man Reas We must obey God in a good cause rather than Man in a bad one but if we can obey God and Man too and do not we are in a very desperate condition But S. Peter and Paul knew and