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	prince_n	queen_n	3,203	5	6.8163	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A76988	The arraignment of errour: or, A discourse serving as a curb to restrain the wantonnesse of mens spirits in the entertainment of opinions; and as a compasse, whereby we may sail in the search and finding of truth; distributed into six main questions. Quest. 1. How it may stand with Gods, with Satans, with a mans own ends, that there should be erroneous opinions? Quest. 2. What are the grounds of abounding errours? Quest. 3. Why so many are carried away with errour? Quest. 4. Who those are that are in danger? Quest. 5. What are the examens, or the trials of opinions, and characters of truth? Quest. 6. What waies God hath left in his Word for the suppressing of errour, and reducing of erroneous persons? Under which generall questions, many other necessary and profitable queries are comprized, discussed, and resolved. And in conclusion of all; some motives, and means, conducing to an happy accommodation of our present differences, are subjoyned. / By Samuel Bolton minister of the Word of God at Saviours-Southwark.	Bolton, Samuel, 1606-1654.	1646 (1646)	Wing B3517; Thomason E318_1; ESTC R200547	325,527	388

revealed Indeed Satan hath many other ends as I have shew'd you and besides them divers other might be named Satan is busie when God is sowing wheate to sowe his tares when God is discovering of truth to be communicating of errours he hopes in the heate of the market to vent his own wares he hopes in the throng to put off one with another and that men will not so carefully observe it at least if men be shie to entertaine the one he hopes by this to lessen the authority and to prejudice the entertainment of the other And indeed the multitude of errours abroad they are great disadvantages to the entertainment of the truth they are a great prejudice to the receiving of it Men that heare of false reports abroad though they have not been abused with them will be shie to entertaine truth so men that heare of a multitude of erronious opinions abroad in the world though they have not been seduced or led aside with them yet will be shie and afraid to own the truths which God in that generation doth hold forth to them And by this meanes Satan hath a great advantage he perswades and prevailes with men to adhere to their former principles without any inquiry after more And this is dangerous As it is dangerous to stint and bound our selves in practise thus much we will doe and no more as it is the spirit of many men So it is dangerous to stint and bound our selves in principles or things to be knowne thus much I know and I will search into the revelation of no more 2 Pet. 1.9 1 Pet. 3.18 Heb. 6.1 As we are not perfect in grace and therfore we are to adde to faith virtue to our virtue patience c. to grow in grace to be led forward to perfection and he that sits down with any measure is yet to begin So we are not perfect in knowledge the Apostle tells you we know but in part and therefore we are still to study and search not only after clearer revelation of things known but fuller revelation of Gods mind to us and he that contents himselfe with the measure of revelation he hath is yet to begin in the knowledge of Christ And therefore this is a dangerous errour when Satan shall perswade and prevaile with us to adhere in those things we doe know and sleight any further revelation to be content with those measures of revelations we have and to seeke to know no more of Gods mind and will to us And this is another wile which Satan hath in the multitude of errours that thereby he might prejudice the further search and inquiry into the mind of God disadvantage the entertainment of truth and perswade with us to stick and adhere only in those which are already revealed to us It is good to adhere to those that are revealed but bad to adhere in them and seeke no further revelation because we are not perfect in knowledge therefore must grow As we say of grace so of truth It is good to have a heart stablished in grace but stinted in grace is nought stablishing doth keepe the heart from going backward and that is good but stinting doth keepe a man from going forward and that is nought You are to aspire to grow in knowledge as well as in grace But you will say what needs any more Object our Fathers held out these truths and sought no further and we hope they are saved and so shall we too if we doe but adhere in the truths of our fore-fathers and seeke no further 1. The reasoning is corrupt I say this is corrupt reasoning Answ that our Fathers held out these and these things for truth it is not enough to evidence they are truth that they went in this way is not sufficient to declare it was a good way and a way for us to walk in this is to take up our Religion by tradition not from Scripture the Papists have the same Arguments our Fathers were of this Religion and therefore it is good which you will all say is corrupt reasoning You have a place in Jer. 9.14 they walked after Balaam which their fathers taught them 2. But secondly admit our fathers held forth these things for truths yet they held not forth all truth they knew some but yet they knew not all truths It is said we know but in part And God is therefore said to appoint a Ministery in the Church for the further building us up in knowledge Ephes 4.12 13. for the edifying of the body of Christ till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the sonnes of God to a perfect man 3. Againe though our fathers held out these truths yet we wrong our fathers to say that they sought no further though they knew these and these truths yet they labour'd not only after a clearer revelation of truths known but after further revelation of truths not yet known and discovered to them and this appeares both in their writings and also upon experience every generation growes up in further knowledge of the mysteries of Christ and the Gospel as might be instanced in many points which have been debated between us and Papists and us and Arminians Pelagians all which truths have been the proper revelations to those particular generations And therefore you wrong them to say they knew these and sought no further And the experience of much more revealed in every generation is sufficient confutation of that Did our fathers in King Henry the eights dayes who first rejected the papall tyranny or our fathers in King Edward the sixths dayes who set up that infant reformation that wanting nursing fathers and mothers hath been kept back and held down so long where otherwise it might have come to manhood and perfection the thriving of the child lies much in the goodnesse of the nurse Kings and Queenes are called nursing fathers and nursing mothers to Religion this child this infant Reformation hath not had that nursing whereby it should thrive the breast of nourishment hath been kept from it and drawne out towards children of errour they have thriven the true child hath pin'd away Kings and Queenes are called shadowes as Josiah Lam. 4.20 32. Isa 2. And we speake it with griefe as things have been carried they have indeavoured to make them like trees which the papall faction have clasped about and adhered to as the Ivie to the tree not because they love it but because they have sucked sweet from it but they have been such shades as have hindered the growth of better things But to passe this If you come down to Queene Elizabeths dayes did our fathers in her time know so much had they that full revelation of that which is in our dayes he that reades may easily see And therefore this is a plaine confutation though our fathers did hold out some truths yet they sought after more they did not rest in that they had but

empersecutionem subcamus parati s u●nus om ne●in martyr●um non in ob●e ●uium Atha in epist ad solitar vitā agentes 1. Princip●s de●et ●ogere subditos ad illam religionem quam ipsi in conscrentiis sais ●ud ca●t esse verā●● Subdeti non debent profiter● re●gi●nem à ●rincipe inperatam n●si ipsi simul judi cave●int illam esse sanam ●●tho●oxā Of which more in the next particular This is certain there is no power against God and his truth if therefore the Kings of the earth either out of pride or negligence or ignorance should establish errour in stead of truth we are to say with the Apostles It is better to obey God then you as Athanasius said If the Kings of the earth should command that we should undergo persecution for the profession of the truth we are prepared for marty●dom rather then other obedience Brentius hath two propositions which by many are said to be asystata inconsistent 1. That Princes ought to compell their Subjects to that Religion which they in their consciences doe judge to be true 2. That the people ought not to professe that Religion which is commanded of the Prince unlesse they doe also judge it to be sound and orthodox Indeed these two seem repugnant one to another But certainly he doth not mean by the first proposition that the Prince is to compell his people to the practice of that which he doth simply judge to be truth but what God in his word doth assert for truth if the Prince be in an errour he is not to enforce his erroneous judgement upon his people but to lay down his errour and search out the truth yet this perplexity he stands in if he doe enforce his people to errour he sins directly against the law of God and if he doe not doe it he sins against his conscience because he neglecteth to advance that which his conscience tells him is a truth And upon this ground I conceive he saith that a Prince is bound to enforce his people to that religion which he in his conscience doth thinke to be truth because unlesse another medium which I thinke may be given he sins if he do not do it either against the law of God if he be in the truth or against his conscience though he be deceived 2. The second Proposition is more clear That the people are not bound to professe that Religion which is commanded unlesse they doe also judge it to be according to truth The power of the Magistrate doth not binde to obedience unlesse his commands be consistent with the will of God It his commands be contrary to Gods will Quando re ges pro er●ore contra veritatem constitu●nt ma●as leges probantur benè ●relentes coro●ātur persever●ntes Aug. de correct Don. ● c. 13. Patiendum potius quod Rex minatur quam faciendum quod ab illo jubetur It is better to suffer what he threatens then to doe what he commandeth Hence Augustine hath this passage When Kings doe make laws for errour against the truth beleevers are tried and perseverers are crown'd So much for the first 2. This power is to be dispenced knowingly not only rightly but knowingly We have no Altar to the unknown God blinde worship and ignorant service is a sinfull service though you doe not sin in the matter done you may doe rightly yet you sinne in the manner of doing if you doe not do it knowingly that word that hath put power into the hand of the Magistrate must be his light and guide in the managing of it It is a high abuse of this power to exercise it rashly and inconsiderately with what reason or religion can others be commanded to the obedience of that which we our selves have not the clear and undoubted demonstration is of God If it be required that we are to be fully perswaded in our own minde before we doe much more is it requisite that there should be a full perswasion a clear evidence from the Word before we doe command others to doe lest we be partakers of others sins and in this run the hazard of opposing God Those things which we do not knowingly we can never do surely a man may strike his friend as well as his enemy in the dark and not to do surely here is to do sinfully In matters of fact the Magistrate hath done his duty and is clear in the doing of it though the witnesse prove false Deut. 17 6. At the mouth of two or three witnesses shall he that is worthy of death be put to death And the Magistrates going according to this evidence in matters of fact is clear though the witnesse be false But I cannot thinke it so in matters of faith he is to goe by another rule and by surer demonstrations It is not here what this man saith or that man saith but what God saith He must enquire and know fully before he require any thing of his people It is his duty to study what is Gods will to read Scripture to compare Scripture with Scripture to conferre and labour to be resolved of difficulties he must pray and he had need to assemble godly humble unbyassed uninteressed men to enquire and finde out the minde of God there cannot be too much done before actions of such a high nature are attempted If notwithstanding the best and fullest means upon earth used a Magistrate may be mistaken then how fearfull a thing is it to attempt actions of this nature without any considerations at all Upon what dangerous rocks and precipices do the powers of the earth run themselves under Popery who never enquire into the truth but blindely lend their utmost power to establish and maintain by fire and sword Par in Ro. 13. prop. 3. what ever the Pope commands Indeed they had need to beleeve him to be infallible and that he cannot erre who are to execute his commands because he requires them Those who act such things because any man or men on earth say it had need of such a belief Certainly a Magistrate in the execution of this power had need of better security then either man or men can give him Former times do tell us how miserably the powers of the earth have been abused even when they have been desirous to establish the truth and suppresse errour yet they have been deceived with a shadow of truth and in stead of truth have established errour Fefellerunt A●i●ni● ignorantem regem ac persua serūt ut falsam credendi formulā e●clesijs impo●eret H●lar de Synod advers Ar à. It was so in the dayes of some of the Emperours when Arianisme raigned and many ages have made it good since by wofull experience And therefore certainly there had need to be good security before such a power be exercised It hath been usually said that a Synod is to goe before disquirendo dirigendo docendo in enqu●ring directing teaching and

may meet together and as they agree in their objects so these powers may also agree in their ends Though the preservation of peace and the quiet of the Common-wealth be the end of Magistracy yet I conceive it is not the only not the adequate end externall peace to me seems too narrow for to be the end of Magistracy who is a nursing father to the Church and whose power reacheth as well to the setling and advancing the true worship of God as to the externall peace and safety of his kingdoms and to the helping of men as Christians as well as helping them as men though he doe endeavour to compasse and bring about these ends in a different way to the Church the one by carnal the other by spiritual weapons the one more externally the other more internally and divinely And this I conceive is plain from Rom. 13.4 He is the minister of God to thee for good but if thou do that which is evil he afraid for he beareth not the sword in vain where by good and evil which the Magistrate as a Magistrate doth procure I conceive is not only meant the naturall happinesse and quiet life of civil society but also the good and evil which concerns us as Christians And therefore his end is higher then meer civil peace and tranquillity being he is a Magistrate not only of our good and evil as men but our good and evil as Christians but yet the way he procures this is different from the Church the one as I told you being in a more spiritual and heavenly way the other in a civil and external way And thus much shall serve for the answer to the second opinion and also to the fourth particular branch laid down What the Magistrates power was not Besides these there may be other branches laid down but I shall desire to wave them and shall fall upon the second Question Qu. 2. What the power of the Magistrate is asserted to be as relating to this Question And here I finde three severall opinions two of them are extreams the third is the middle between both and conceived nearest to the truth 1. The first extreme is that of the Papists who say That the Magistrate is by fire and sword to extirpate all errour and heresie that is all religions which doe not agree with Rome See Suarez de triplici virture Tract 1. disput 23. Sect. ● for they call all those Heretikes that are not of the faith of Rome that so having put us into a bears skin they may with some colour woorty us 2. The second extreme is That the Magistrate hath no power to deal with any opinion whatsoever by civil coercive means Others more warily inf●rt If it be not evidently and manifestly destructive and disturbing to the peace of the Common-wealth But the meaning is this that there ought to be a liberty for all opinions and the Magistrate is only to be an indifferent spectatour and not to take care what religion men are on whether Papists Jews Pagans Socinians Macedonians or what ever If they be not inconsistent with the government of the Common-wealth they are to look no farther they are not to matter how or whether they worship God at all or what their opinions and practices are And so in effect the Magistrate must say with Tiberius Tacit in Tiberio Deorum injurius Dijs curae Let the Gods make care for wrongs done against themselves Or with the Emperour Alexander Iuris jurandi contempta religio satis Deum ultorem habet It is sufficient that the breach of an oath hath God to be the avenger with G●llio they must care for none of these things They may revenge injuries done against them but may not meddle with those done against God they may suppresse their enemies but must not meddle with Gods enemies They may punish those who seek to draw away a people from the obedience of the Magistrate but not those who labour to draw away a people from the truth of the Gospel and obedience to God An opinion certainly as wide as the former Without doubt the object of the Magistrates power is not simply a peaceable life and the external peace of humane societies as I shewed before he is a nursing father to the Church he is the minister of God for good and religion is the chief good and therefore the object of his power is not simply external peace but godlinesse and honesty 1 Tim. 2.2 which he may endeavour to advance by his secular power and in civil and politick waies It was the speech of Augustine Will any one that is in his right wits say unto Kings It doth not concern you in your kingdome who wil be religious or who will be sacrilegious Intimating it was a madnesse for any to thinke the King had nothing to doe in matter of religion * Quis mente sobrius dicat regibus non ad vos pertinet quis in regno vestro velit esse rel●giosus vel sacrilegut● Au. de correct donat c. 13. Certainly though it should be granted that the Magistrate were Gods officer not Christs as Mediatour yet it will not weaken this truth which we assert for it cannot be but that God who hath made it his design to preserve and advance the kingdome of Christ should especially aim at it in the constituting and setting up a government in the world Julian saw this well enough and therefore it was the counter design of that Apostate to tolerate and grant liberty to Paga●s and all sorts of heresies that by suffering all these weeds to grow up he might choke up the vitals of Christianity and weaken the kingdom of Christ and overthrow the truth of the Gosp●l which was the object of his envy and malice This was also the practice and sinne of other Emperours Valens the Arian did the like and indeed such a course is the speediest way to destroy all godlinesse to suppresse the truth and to bring in all mischief to Church and State It is the speech of one Liberty for all opinions is the speediest way of embroyling States of ruining Churches of erecting a Pantheon in every City That of omnium Deorum among the Romans of omnium sanctorum among the Papists offends lesse then this of omnium sectarum here in England Sure I am one God one faith one Mediatour was Catholike doctrine in Pauls time every variation from a unity is a step to a nullity if ever England come from one ●eligion to all she will quickly go from all to none Certainly the toleration of all Religions as it is against nature against Scripture against reason so it cannot choose but be destructive to peace and truth But of this more afterwards These are the two extremes which certainly are wide of the truth We come to the third opinion which lies between these two and is conceived to be most agreeable to truth It is this 3. That the Magistrate