N00027:238
The heart of N-England rent at the blasphemies of the present generation. Or a…
The heart of N-England rent at the blasphemies of the present generation. Or a brief tractate concerning the doctrine of the Quakers, demonstrating the destructive nature thereof, to religion, the churches, and the state, with consideration of the remedy against it. Occasional satisfaction to objections, and confirmation of the contrary trueth. / By John Norton, teacher of the Church of Christ at Boston. Who was appointed thereunto by the order of the General Court. ; [Four lines from Revelation]
printed by Samuel Green, 1659
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
When there was no Christian Magistrate, God watched over the cause of Religion in an extraordinary manner. The continuance of the gift of miracle, together with the then recent & fresh memory thereof, conducing nor a little for that end. But extraordinary gifts ceasing, and the Christian Magistrate succeeding, God now expects the Civil power, in an ordinary way of Providence to be subservient thereunto. God can bring up his sons & daughters without making any use of Civil power: but it hath pleased him to appoint Kings to be nursing Fathers, and Queens to be nursing Mothers unto them. They are but ill nurses, who seeing the danger of those ⟨p. 56⟩committed to their trust, so much as in them lieth, save not their nurse-lings from the poison of the destroyer. A late & memorable testimony of Gods owning & blessing Civil Authority in the defence of Religion, who so con••slteth History, shall find in the many flourishing Cities, and Churches, with other places of name, in upper Germany, Helvetia, lower Germany, and else where: Saved from the pestilence of the Heretical and blasphemous sectaries of the last Century, then destroying at noon-day: with, and not without the interposal of Civil-Authority, and that not once, nor twice, but frequently by the very sentence of Banishment.
When there was no Christian Magistrate, God watched over the cause of Religion in an extraordinary man̄er. The continuance of the gift of miracle, together with the then recent & fresh memory therof, conducing nor a little for that end. But extraordinarie gifts ceasing, and the Christian Magistrate succeeding, God now expects the Civil power, in an ordinary way of Providence to be subservient therunto. God can bring up his sons & daughters without making any use of Civil power: but it hath pleased him to appoint Kings to be nursing Fathers, and Queens to be nursing Mothers unto them. They are but ill nurses, who seing the danger of those ⟨p. 56⟩committed to their trust, so much as in them lyeth, save not their nurse-lings from the poyson of the destroyer. A late & memorable testimony of Gods owning & blessing Civil Authority in the defence of Religion, who so con••slteth History, shall find in the many flourishing Citties, and Churches, with other places of name, in upper Germany, Helveta, lower Germany, and else where: Saved from the pestilence of the Heretical and blasphemous sectaryes of the last Centurie, then destroying at noone-day: with, and not without the interposal of Civil-Authority, and that not once, nor twice, but frequently by the very sentence of Banishment.