Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	wit_n	word_n	work_n	70	3	4.5226	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30390	A modest and free conference betwixt a conformist and a non-conformist about the present distempers of Scotland now in seven dialogues / by a lover of peace.	Burnet, Gilbert, 1643-1715.	1669 (1669)	Wing B5834; ESTC R27816	70,730	152

as the 〈◊〉 incomp●rable King in his divine work call● them But the Ski●● and Suburbs of Religion And as all the thoughts of that divine Book bew●ay an augustnesse which spe●ks the Author a King indeed so his mode●a●ion in these matters looks like the paternal clemency which becomes the Father of a Countrey he then adviseth his Son our Gracious Sovereign thus Beware of exasperating any Factio●s by the crossnesse and asperity of some men● passions humours or private opinions imployed by you grounded only upon the differences in lesse● matters which are but the Ski●s and Suburb● of Religion wherein a charitable connivance● and Christian-●oller●tion often dissipa●● their strength wh●●●ougher opposition fortifies and puts the despised and oppressed party into such combinations as may most enable them to get a full revenge on those they count their persecutors who are commonly assisted by that Vulgar commiseration which attends all that are said to suffer under the notion of Religion And a little after Take heed that outward circumstances and formalities of Religion devour not all or the best incouragements of Learning Industry and Piety Thus that Great and glorious Prince N. By this it seems you are a Latitudinarian and I have heard much ill of these new sort of people C. Truly I own no name but that of Jesus Christ in which I was baptized and these are invidious Arts to coyn names of parties and to affix them on such as disown them I am and desire to be a sincere Christian but of no party nor Sect. But if by latitude you mean charity truly I must tell you I glory in it which is no newer way than the new commandment which our Saviour gave to his Disciples to love one another as he loved them N. I confesse they say you live very good lives but you have dangerous and loose principles C. Are you not strange people who fasten such Characters on men whose conversations you cannot disprove for what can you call an Atheist but a man of dangerous and loose principles these are uncharitable aspersions as if not to be so hidebound and starcht on every trifle as you are were to be loose and dangerous men N. Some say you are strong witted people and so they suspect you of Atheism C. It seems they are weak witted people who talk so since though some foolish pretenders to wit are Atheists yet no sort of men discover their folly as well as wickednesse so much as these do And that cursed Pest is hated by none more than us who perhaps can give better and more convincing accounts of these principles of Religion that there is a God a life to come and that the Scriptures are the word of God than these who so charge us But what unchristian work is it thus to disgrace us N. Many of you are suspect of Socinianism for you all magnifie reason and are often telling how rational a thing Christian Religion is which they also do C. Indeed if to call Religion a rational worship or reasonable service make a Socinian w● are such and so was St. Paul but as for the horrid errours of Socinus his School touching th● Trinity Christs satisfaction Gods prescience ● these we condemn and Anathematize and w● judge it most suitable to reason that in these sublime Mysteries Divine Revelations should b● our rule But notwithstanding of this we wi●● be very loath to deny that Christian Religio● both in its Articles of Belief and Precepts ● Practice is highly congruous to the dictates ● right reason And we judge to propose them s● shall be a convincing way to commend them all clear-witted men And certainly God having created man rational the highest accomplishment of his nature which is Religion must not be contrary but suitable to his supreme faculty N. It seems you are sound here but I fear you Latitudinarians are Papists at least Cassandrians C. You are resolved to charge us with one heinous thing or another and when one fails you you catch hold on another We are far from that height of uncharitablenesse which some of you own of damning all Papists since they hold the foundation Jesus Christ though they build upon it wood hay and stubble neither will we stifly say that all things controverted betwixt the reformed Churches and them are matters of Salvation yet in the greater controversies with them we condemn them such as are the Popes supremacy the Churches infallibility the Corporal presence the worshipping Images Saints Angels Purgatory prayer for the Dead withholding the Chalice worshipping in an unknown tongue these with many moe we disprove and dislike as much and perhaps on clearer grounds than you do Yet we are such lovers of the unity of the Catholick Church that we much honour and esteem all who have studied to bring things to a temper though they have not come up to the desired length N. But how comes it that amongst all the Articles of Popery you never reckon the merits of good works nor Justification by them since these are their chiefest errours C. I have not given a full enumeration of all that is wrong in that Church but for good works though many of them particularly the J●suits have written very harshly in that matters and before the Reformation generally all the Preachers did intollerably extol not so much morally good works as the superstitious and tyrannical injunctions of the Stepdame of Rome yet now it is clear the more sober of them expound Merits in a sense which no Protestant can disown to wit that they are actions so acceptable to God that he who is faithfull in his promises will certainly reward them Though I have no fondnesse on the term Merit which way soever expounded it still sounds somewhat too high for a creature in reference to his Creator much more heartily do I reject the term Condign N. What ●ay you of Justification by faith only sure this is a fundamental matter C. There is nothing in Scripture more clearly set down than the Doctrine of Justification but as it is generally explained there is nothing more nice or subtill Justification and condemnation are two opposite legal terms relating to the Judgment shall be given out at the last day for though we are said to be now justified as the unbelieving are said to be condemned already this is only that we are now in the state of such as shall be solemnly justified or condemned Now at ●he great Day we must give 〈◊〉 ●●ount of our actions and we must be judged accordingly but since all must be condemned if God enter in Judgement with them therefore God gave his Son to the death for us that thereby we might obtain Salvation and all Iudgement is by the ●●ther committed to the Son And Jesus Christ hath proposed ●ife through his death to as many 〈◊〉 receive his Gospel and live according ●o it And as that which gives us ●●title to the ●●vour of God is the blood of

A MODEST AND FREE CONFERENCE BETWIXT A Conformist and a Non-conformist about the present distempers of Scotland The second Edition Now in seven Dialogues By a Lover of Peace Gal. 5.15 But if ye bite and devour one another take heed ye be not consumed one of another Published by Order Printed Anno Dom. 1669. The Stationer to the Reader Reader ALL the account I can give of this Book or the Author is in the following Letter which came to my hands a few dayes after I received these Sheets and is prefixed to them in stead of a Preface For the Stationer THough these Dialogues were brought to you by another hand than my own yet since it is upon my motion that they came to be Published contrary to the Authors design and truly without his order I think my self oblidged to say somewhat of the Author and the book and the rather that the Author not being forward to the publishing of it will say nothing of Preface himself But withall I am resolved you shall be as ignorant of the Writter of this as of the Author of the Book The Author is a person of extraordinary moderation and peaceablness he can allow any difference of opinion but such as is incompatible with the peace and quiet of the Church And though there be some expressions in these Dialogues that would appear tart yet it is meerly occasioned by the zeal he hath against that uncharitable spirit which can allow of nothing that is not exactly of their own way The occasion of writting in this way was that a Book of the same title and nature printed in England came to the Author's hands and he being pleased with that familiar way of Writting thought presently of composing Dialogues suitable to our Differences here as that was to the Differences of that Nation If there be any thing in this coincident with that Book it is in such things as the humours of that unquiet spirit in both Nations are the same And the Author designs not vanity by these few sheets written to my knowledge in as few houres as they could hardly be transcribed But wisheth every one to see the weakness of those grounds upon which such specious structurs are built which when they come to be examined prove but painted sepulchres The great design of the Author in this small Book is to let some well-meaning people who have a love to godlinesse see that Religion is not at all concerned in things wherein they do concern themselves very much and that in contending for the shell we are like to loose the kernell of Religion The language and manner of Writting is accommodated to these meaner capacities who are most apt to be abused by such as care not nay which is very sad but too true wish not Religion nor godliness to prosper in the hands of those who differ from them in opinion about externall things vvhich are not of great moment as may appear from their persvvading poor souls to take for a mark of zeal that which in al christian Nations is lookt on as a very great mark of impiety to wit not going to Church by which people do shew in the most signal manner they can their not owning the worship and adoration of God The Author meaned no prejudice to any person in vvritting of it Nor is it published upon any such design but in hopes that it may inform sincere people And whoever reads it without prejudice will I hope judge so of it Farewel A modest and free Conference betwixt a Conformist and a Non-conformist about the present distempers of Scotland In six Dialogues DIALOGUE I. Con. YOu are welcome from the West How are all things there Non. Never worse The glory is departed from that people and the power of godlinesse is gone there God pity that poor place which was once so Glorious C. I perceive by your manner of speaking that you are much concerned in these matters but I pray you tell me wherein things are turned so much to the worse among you N. Alas are you such a stranger in Israel as not to know these things are not our gracious Ministers taken from us so that the work of God is much born down the brave dayes of Communions Preachings Prayers are away and in stead of the fire was once there there remain but a few sparks in some secret corners for the precious Ordinances are gone C. What you say upon the matter I know well enough but do not apprehend it to be of such importance as you seem to do N. What! do not you think it sad that Christ is not Preached C. God forbid but he be I do not know how it is in your Country but I am sure with us Christ is preached very faithfully but I fear you consider not well what it is to preach Christ do you think to tell us only of his death is to preach him N. No no but oh how doth my heart melt within me when I remember how sweetly I have heard the Ministers there clear up my interest in Christ C. May be it was more sweetly then sincerly for to tell you of an interest in him while you are strangers to his Laws and Gospel is to deceive you since you can have no interest in the blood of Christ till you have his Spirit dwelling in you N. Blessed be God I know no name to be saved by but the Name of Christ And I renounce mine own righteousnesse and accept of his righteousnesse C. It is very true that we are saved by the blood of Christ but it is as true that we must be purified by his Spirit else we are none of his If by renouncing your own righteousnesse you mean what you naturally can perform without grace you are in the right but if you lean so to Christs righteousnesse as to neglect to be righteous your self you with Iudas kiss your Master while you betray him And I fear your Ministers studied more to convince you of the need of Christs righteousnesse then of having any of your own For indeed it is a cheap Religion to lean so intirely to Christ that we do nothing our selves N. We are far from thinking there is no need of good works We only exclude them from Justification which is by Faith only C. Truly your practices tell you think there is as little need of them to Salvation as to Justification remember the Gospel is plain and simple and came not to teach men Sophistry or Logick therefore I shall not contend with you about words or phrases for as I believe that Christ came to lay down his life a ransome for our sins so if you believe that without holinesse we shall never see the face of God we are agreed in this matter But I wish we all studied to live better and then our differences would quickly end N. Yes I hear some of you are still talking of holiness and peace but you forget truth which is so necessary that