Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	new_a	old_a	testament_n	3,965	5	8.0680	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30326	The case of compulsion in matters of religion stated by G.B. ; addressed to the serious consideration of the members of the Church of England, in this present juncture.	Burnet, Gilbert, 1643-1715.	1688 (1688)	Wing B5765; ESTC R32597	10,812	18

The Case of Compulsion In Matters of RELIGION STATED By G. B. Addressed to the Serious Consideration of the Members OF THE Church of England in this present Juncture Licensed August 21. 1688. LONDON Printed by T. S. in the Year 1688. The Case of Compulsion in matters of Religion stated ALL Persecution rises out of an impatience of Spirit which makes a man less able to bear Contradiction there is a Tyranny in most mens nature which makes them desire to subdue all others by the strength of their understandings and such men have an implacable hatred to all that do not render themselves to their Reasons and think that they are affronted when other men refuse to submit to them so that he who would strike at Persecution in its root must begin here and endeavour to soften men especially toward those who differ from them in matters of Religion This imperious temper when it works upon Subjects of Religion finds somewhat to raise its spleen that was of it self impetuous enough before and that which is called Fury and Rage when it is imployed in other Disputes comes to be called Zeal when it is turned toward the Theories that relate to another world But when we consider what a sublime thing Divine Truth is and what a poor low thing the mind of man is we shall see cause to blunt alittle the edge of our Spirits if they are too sharp in such matters Man is much governed by Fancy and Fancy follows the Texture of the Animal Spirits which renders many more capable of apprehending Objects that are some way proportioned to them and more disposed to follow them So that Temper prepares men for some Opinions and prepossesses them against others With the greater part of mankind Education is so powerful that they are scarce ever able to overcome it and if Education and Temper have hit together it will require a very extraordinary elevation to rescue a man from that force Men likewise receive with their impressions of Religion such a respect for them as makes them look on every thought that calls them in question as criminal and when Persons are bred up to disquiet themselves with scruples if they have so much as made a doubt of their Religion it is not hard to see them adhere so firmly to the Principles of their Education which stick so fast to the worst sort of men that even Atheists themselves after all the pains they take to get rid of them cannot shake them off so entirely but that they will be apt to return oft upon them Men that think much and that reason well that are freed from the byass that Interest Honour Kindred and Custom do give them and that have leisure to examine matters carefully may indeed get above all these Yet there are so few that can do this and there are yet so much fewer that will do it that it is rather a wonder to see so many change their Persuasions than to see so few do it And indeed it is so sublime a Theory to think on God and his Attributes and Works or to think of another state and of the way that leads to it that till God furnishes out a new Mission of Apostles with a Measure of those Extraordinary Gifts which he poured out on the Great Pentecost it is not easie to imagine how the Conversion of Heathen Nations should be made for though the Idolatry of some of these is extreme gross yet their Priests have such symbolical significations for all these Rites that they do much diminish the horror which is raised by the first sight of them in the minds of strangers And since the chief grounds upon which we prove the Christian Religion are taken from the Prophecies of the Old Testament and their Accomplishmene in the New from the evidence that was given concerning the Miracles the Death and the Resurrection of Christ which we confirm from the collateral Proofs of the state of that time of the Writings of the Enemies of this Religion and of that succession of Authors that in all Ages which have past since have mentioned those matters and cited the Books which we hold Divine All this is so evident to those who can make the enquiry that it is strange to find how any one can withstand it but to Barbarians who know nothing of it and who have no way of informing themselves concerning it all this can signify nothing so that in order to the convincing of their understandings for I do not treat of Gods secret Methods in touching their Consciences I do not see how we should expect that they should yield easily unless there were a new Power of working Miracles conferred on those who labour in this work But to return from this digression a man is scarce the Master of his own thoughts Habit Constitution and other things do so concur that he cannot open his eyes to new Objects nor see them in a new Light other than that in which he has been accustomed to view them and a Man can no more change his notions of things because a set of new Opinions would accommodate him better than he can change the relish that his senses his ear or his taste have in their Objects A Man may prevaricate but still he thinks as he thinks and cannot think otherwise because he would have himself do so But if a Man is not the Master of his own mind much less is any other Man the Master of it No man has that superiority over any other mans Reason as to expect that it should always accommodate it self to his and the severest exercise of Tyranny must still leave the thoughts at liberty the forcing of a man to say or do otherwise than he thinks by threatnings the execution of which is above his force to endure is only the delivering over such a Person to the rack of his own Conscience here and to all those miseries hereafter which must be the portion of Hypocrites and of Dissemblers with God or Man. Nor is there such infallible distinction in one mans nature from another that the one is more likely to be in the right than another since therefore among all those that differ some must be in the wrong those that have the power in their hands may possibly be of the wrong side and in that case all their severity is turned against the Truth and those who believe it And since God makes the Sun to shine and the Rain to fall on the just as well as on the unjust Gideons reasoning may be applied to this matter If Baal is as God let him plead for himself And the force of Gamaliels Argument that If it is of men it will come to nought and if it is of God we must not fight against him As it silenced an Assembly of very fierce Persecutors so it is full as strong now as it was then For Reason is Eternal and changeth not It seems also plain that those Actions which