Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	law_n	liberty_n	parliament_n	4,902	5	6.1958	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A28514	An alarme beat vp in Sion, to vvar against Babylon, or, The svmme of a sermon upon Revelation 18 and the 6 preached at Knowle, before the Honourable the Committee of the county of Kent, on the 13 of Iune, anno 1664, and by the said Honourable Committee required to be published / by Joseph Boden ...	Boden, Joseph, b. 1605 or 6.	1644 (1644)	Wing B3390; ESTC R15357	27,628	40

therefore they cannot they will not lift up thier hands and draw their swords to evenge Sion upon Babylon their onely trouble in these times is that trading is obstructed and that their incomes are so few and disproportionable to their imbounded greedings and gripings after perishing substances here it sticks they cannot act for heaven because their minds are onely set upon things earthly and below An obstinate shutting of mens eyes against the plaine and cleare discoveries of the truth most men speake themselves wilfully obstinate and that they will not heare with both eares they cannot be perswaded to reade on both sides God hath in justice blinded their eyes that they should beleeve alye because they receive neither the knowledge nor love of the truth many have onely looked upon Declarations and Protestations from Oxford though possibly penned with the cheating spirit of some dissembling Priest or Prelate with a purpose onely to deceive some poore and unstable souls that by giving them faire words as the proverbe hath it they may make fooles faine untill they have drawn them into some bloody acts of desperate mischiefe and villany but as for those Remonstrances and Declaration of Parliament holding forth the right of things to the view of heaven and earth these men have lived in an other world they have never heard of them but the truth is though they have heard of them yet they would not read them and so by obstinacie and stiffenesse have preoccupated thier own enlightning and conversion yea their hearts tell them they have been afraid of conviction and coming over to the truth and if this be not a tricke of Popery and the grand policie of the panders for the Babylonish strumpet to keepe men doting upon her painted deformities while they can keepe them hoodwineked from beholding true and reall beauties let the world judge Oh how are we here also striking in with Rome Romanisme who would be thought the onely Protestants of the world No marvell if he will not act for the truth that is resolved and hath determined with himselfe not to know it Personall guilt that lies upon the soule unexpiated When sinne rests upon the heart unpardoned oh how it makes the knees to smite the joynts to tremble and the hands to be feeble in such service as this of rewarding Babylon as she hath rewardedus Oh saith one I would goe forth in these warres and fight too but sinne within fights against me Oh if I should be killed in the battell I should everlastingly perish I have my wherecome drunkennesse Sabbath breaking blasphemies scoffings at the power of godlinesse and a numberlesse number of other transgressions upon my conscience they are unpardoned I have not got them washed away in the blood of Christ and if I should goe forth and be slaine all these would follow me to hell and therefore I conclude it is best to stay at home and make up the measure of my sinnes in this wickednesse also that I dare not act in Gods cause because I am wicked I deny not but some yea too many sinners are too desperate and doe least feare hell though they have most cause to dread it yet this also I am confident of that guilt and the terrour that attends it is a great obstacle in the way of many for how shall be dare to fight for God who considers that there is no reason that God should right with him and for him but against him if souldiers were lesse guiltie our warres would be more successefull it is not how many men but how many good men we send forth to the warre that we 〈◊〉 say of our warriours as David of Ahimaaz he is a good man and cometh with good 2 Sam. 18. 27. guilty men will never be godly souldiers but such as these godly ones we looke for and require in this warfare against Babylon He will fight best against Baal abroad who hath overcome Belial at home subdue thy lust and thy enemies cannot be unsbdued Deut. 28. 7. The Lord shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thoe to be smitten before thy face They shall come out against thee one way and flee before thee seven wayes A pretence of the cause of the King when the truth is men are false hearted to the cause of God And here I shall make bold since I am fallen upon this rocke not in any way of disloyaltie but if it be possible for satisfaction of those who want or will not use more learned helps to deale with oru staggerers and stumblers in way of querie and that which I shall now propose to them you may call it if you please the Malignants Catechisme First therefore I demand and require them upon their consciences as they will answer before God and his elect Angels to give in replies according to the truth of the light that is in them Is not our King or at least wise should he not be sworn and bound to governe according to the Law of the Land Did not all good people generally before the sitting of this Parliament groane and grieve for want of that Government Wherein hath the Parliament denied the King the benefit of any old established Law In making or proposing new Lawes wherein have they gone contrary to the Kings will but according to the Vote of both Houses for his and the Kingdoms good both spirituall and corporall It is reasonable in our State that the will of the King should be preferred before the Vote of the Kingdome In all overtures hath not the Parliament faithfully counselled and humbly petitioned Have not Parliament and people most grievously groaned under breach of p 〈…〉 edges and promises during this Session of Parliament It is not reason that all other Counsels should cease and give place to the Votes Results and Bils of Parliament Were ever publike offenders against the State so protected by force from the justice of a Parliament Might not the Parliament if they should deal as treacherously with us as many have dealt with them undoe us and all ours for after times both in point of Religion and Libertie in Vote and by one Law even in a moment without either the care cost or feare that they are daily put unto What good thing can the faithfull members of Parliament expect to themselves and their posteritie if the Parliament were dissolved or destroyed since to the sinne and shame of the English Nation they have beene deserted and abused during their Session Is it possible they should have any plot or designe but for the maintenance of true Religion and Libertie Is it utterly impossible that our King should be one of those tenne of whom we read Revel. 17. 13. that have one mind and shall give their power and strength unto the beast Have we not seene the same designe driven forwards under diversitie of Agents and meanes Was not the

Testament for proofe in this case and that concerns not our times and the state of the Church under the Gospel But first I am glad that it is acknowledged for a piece of Scripture and then I am sure that Whatsoever was written aforetime was written for our learning And It hath no more nor lesse in it concerning the severe and strict punishing of seducers of old then my Text hath against them now in the Gospel times Heretiques now are of as dangerous consequence as heretofore As an husband now will not endure the corruption of his wife by an adulterer any more then a Iew under the Law so will not the Lord suffer the wrong of alienating the heart of his Evangelicall Spouse any more then of his Legall one if I may so speake The carriage of all Heretiques and Idolaters in all Ages in their prevailings hath beene too cruell to the Church and the Church on the contrary hath beene too favourable and mercifull unto them as experience teacheth both to our sorrow and sufferings Lenitie and mercy moves not they are not one jot the better but much more hardened in their sinne and mischiefe by all the lenitic and favour shewed them they will still labour to seduce and subdue the Church and people of God Let us hence learne and labour to subdue them By sparing these men are most cruell to themselves for he who can now pitie the bodies of Babylonians will one day find if they prevaile that they will neither pitie bodies estates or soules so farre as lieth in their power to corrupt or spoyle If we like Ahab spare Benhadad under notions of brotherhood the reward shall be that our lives shall goe for those we spare and their charge in the day of advantage shall be like the Assyrian Kings Fight neither with small nor great but with the King of Israel With none but the godly partie that now scruples and boggles at the destroying of those that cannot shall not avoid determined indignation And as for posteritie they may have cause to sit downe and curse the day when we neglected the opportunitie put into our hands of breaking the Babylonian yoake totally and universally from off our necks that so it may never be put upon theirs either in poperie or slaverie which in all probabilitie must needs be entailed by us to after Ages if now in this nicke of time we sit still and doe nothing or not to purpose if we looke upon and dash not in pieces the bones of Babylons brats thus boldly and bloudily contrary to law and reason risen up amongst us and against us and Gods true Religion professed by us Brethren it is a shame to finne against opportunities God hath now put into our hands a possibilitie of ruining and casting off more Babylonians in way of warre within the compasse of a day then our forefathers have had abilitie to subdue in this Age of reformation But must we put men to death for their religion onely because they are Papists The objection in these times is most frivolous For thou art not hereby put upon killing them for what they professe but for what they practise not for their opinions but for their persecutions not for what they thinke but for that they act for so saith the Text reward her as she hath rewarded you and truly my sentence is that God armes them with courage strength and weapons against his people because heretofore and now also they have and doe find too much favour at our hands For if we will not doe Gods will upon his enemies he can give them strength and heart to execute his will upon us and ours for this our present enmitie For we are no other then Gods enemies whiles by a base neutralitie and parcimonie we declare our selves Malignants friends Hence we may learne how little good to expect from treaties of peace accommodations and overtures for pacification with the enemies of our Church and State the Babylonish brood that now is gone forth in battell against the godly party throughout these Kingdomes Surely nothing that is worth calling good nothing that we can rightly name a child of desires and delight I speake not this to be wise above measure or to preoccupate the results of their counsels who sit at the Sterne and know best which way to steare the Ship yet if I were in another Auditory as one that I hope hath obtained mercy to be faithfull I should in this case be very large onely for the present I give these reasons why the people of God must looke for no good this way This is quite crosse to Gods command concerning Babylon I need not be large in that a second time it was the first proofe of my Doctrine It is crosse to Gods maine end and aime concerning Babylon in these commotions and gatherings together against the Church if Scripture may enlighten this their gathering together against the Church is that they may full for her sake Isa. 54. 15. Behold they shall surely gather together but not by me Whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake Certainely God hath not suffered them thus to combine into a beesome to sweepe and purge the Church that afterwards they may make conditions of peace and sit downe safely to enjoy the good of that land they have thus barbarously robd and spoiled It is crosse to their deserts they have merited a Cup of bloud and why should they not have their due in point of justice they must have their earned wages the workman is worthy of his hire and why should they not have bloud to drinke for they are worthy Revel. 16. 6. they have not merited peace to themselves that have broken out in a time of peace into warre against the Lord and his Christs Pacifications are crosse to our duties for I pray God it be not the sinne and punishment of the reformed and reforming Churches that we thrust down Antichrist and Antichristians so slowly doth it not argue our want of faith in God that we set up carnall reason as an onely engine to undermine and overtop the tottering Babel of Antichristianitie and is it not just with God to befoole us in this worke and lay obstruction upon obstruction in our way because we will not take them at their own word and weapons and cudgell them into a peace It is no small discourtesie to after ages to neglect the occasion presently given and to leave them to lugge it out with Antichrist who otherwise were not we in fault might freely and comfortably follow the Lambe whither soever he calles and goes Make peace with them now and they will soone make warre with us and ours when time and advantages serve their turnes It is true that there is no peace with as well as to the wicked For so faith the Prophet Psal. 120. 7. I am for peace but when I speake they are for warre Their Treaties are not for