Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	church_n	doctrine_n	profess_v	3,022	5	8.5212	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A03292	The doctrines triall shewing both the necessity and the way of trying what is taught, in a sermon vpon 1 Thess.5.21. By Sam. Hieron.	Hieron, Samuel, 1576?-1617.	1616 (1616)	STC 13406; ESTC S116279	23,396	110

reuerence that acknowledgement which by vertue of the first Commandement is his peculiar I would faine see how the doctrine of the Church of Rome can bee freed from dispersing those affections and powers of the heart vnto sundry particulars which the Lord requireth to be giuen wholly vnto him Let the matter bee thorowly examined and if the seuerall points of that Religion which wee professe and preach in the Church of England at this day bee not like the lines in a Circumference which al meet in this one Center of Gods glory and of that maine ayme of God in all his proceedings He that reioyceth let him reioyce in the Lord we may freely allowe you to disclaime it Wee will neuer feare to ioyne issue with Papists in this wee will neuer decline nay we will entreat sue for this Triall Now for direction in dependance vpon our ordinarie preaching I commend this especially to the obseruation vse of common men For I now labour not so much to giue precepts for those that be learned and haue helps by Arts and Tongues reading to scan the things which are presented to them but I endeauour to guide those who haue no more for their ayde in this seruice then common education hath afforded them I remember a saying of Pauls Iudge you said he what I say Me thinks I may thence conclude that there is somewhat within the soule conscience of the hearer by which hee must determine touching that which commeth to him whether it bee meet to giue it entertainement yea or no. There is a certaine hid man of the heart which must bee iudge in this case Thou must try that which thou hearest by the work which it hath vpon thy soule There be three speciall things which I may tearme the aime of the whole Scripture That doctrine which tends to the furtherance of all or either of these three a man may safely build vpon it that it is true That which is a let or an impediment to any of these three it must be reiected as vnsound The three things are 1 Humility 2 Comfort 3 Conscience of obedience The whole Scripture driues to these three 1 To abase man in his owne eyes to lay him in the dust 2 To refresh his soule and to bring his bones which haue bin broken to reioyce 3 To frame his heart to a constant desire care of pleasing God These be three things simply necessarie to the composition of a right Christian Hereupon the Scripture is so exact in laying open the corruption of mans naturall estate in setting out the foulnesse and haynousnes of sinne in describing the rigour of Gods iustice in declaring the terror of that which is the best of mans desert Here upon secondly it is that it so gratiously discouereth the mystery of Christ the fulnesse of the grace which is in him the riches of Gods mercy through him euery way answering a mans spiritual necessity Hereupon thirdly it is that it so precisely straightly presseth the duties of holiness giuing no manner of liberty to mans owne naturall inclination but binding him to a finishing his saluation with fear trēbling and to a causing his heart to be in the feare of God continually Marke thou this then Exaamine thine owne soule how that which thou hearest helpeth thee onwards in either of these three how it beats down the naturall pride presumption of thy heart striuing to make thee vile in thine owne eyes how it acquaints thee with the Fulness of Christ and directs the for the settling of thine abased trembling soule vpon him how it hedgeth thee in in those excesses thou art inclinable to how it limits and stints thee in the things wherein thou wouldest faine haue liberty how it tieth thee vp and vrgeth thee to a kinde of strict and circumspect walking If thou finde it thus to work embrace it rest vpon it lay it vp hide it in the midst of thy heart it shall be health to thy nauill and marowe to thy bones If thou hearest a doctrine taught which thou findest to extenuate the corruption of mans nature or to darken and obscure that aboundant mercy which is in Christ weakning that assurance which an afflicted soule desireth by him or to hearten the euill inclination of the hart and to giue some liberty to the flesh and to seeme to make some of those courses tolerable which thou as a man art ready to affect beware thereof as of poyson to thy soule It is not that truth which thou must hearken to I haue set you downe a Rule which if you please to obserue and practice you shall finde to be exceeding vsefull That which thou hearest if thou perceiue that it humbleth and checketh thee in thy security comforts thee in thy perplexity curbs thee in in thy desired liberty thou maist be bolde to say It is the Truth of God All the falshood which in these dayes generally we are in danger of faileth in one of these 3 particulars If I shall shew you an experiment of this Rule it wil be the better vnderstood the better credited I pray be pleased to ioyne a little with me in the trying of the doctrine which my selfe haue here taught in my former Sermon vpon the precedent verse and vpon this thus farre I taught in that the necessity of dependance vpon preaching if we would be saued I vrged the seeking to enioy this means especially on the Sabbath day though it were with som charge or hazard I haue perswaded in this diligence to Try the doctrins which are taught care to be furnished with skill to that end Now it may bee all are not in these particulars of the same opinion perhaps you may heare that taught sometime which is somewhat differing as that other meanes may serue without preaching that there needeth not be such labouring and seeking after it now and then may suffice and that it is not for ordinarie persons to seeke to be so skilfull and busie as to fall to the examining of doctrines It may be I say such things as these may bee deliuered plausibly and with some shew of truth To resolue vs therefore herein let vs make vse of our Rule you shall finde that this doctrine which so presseth an attendance vpon preaching makes most for mans humbling most for his comfort most for his restraint 1 Most for his humbling For what can put a man downe more then the binding of him whatsoeuer he be noble wise learned and howsoeuer else outwardly qualified to sit him downe as a disciple in 〈◊〉 ●●●rners forme He shall not think to worke out a path to heauen by his owne industry but he must seeke sauing knowledge at the mouth of another and goe as hee is led by anothers hand This cuts the very heart of mans naturall pride according as indeed it is onely out of the hautinesse of their spirits and their loathness to stoope and the good