Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	kingdom_n	majesty_n	scotland_n	5,404	5	8.6690	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A94352	Demetrius his opposition to reformation. A sermon very necessarie for these times. As it was delivered (this last vvinter) before a great assemblie in the city of London. by John Tillinghast, sometimes rector of Tarring-Nevill, now rector of Streate in the county of Sussex.	Tillinghast, John, 1604-1655.	1642 (1642)	Wing T1169; Thomason E151_26; ESTC R12132	52,893	59

but disswade him as the Fox in the Fable did the other beasts from that bootie which you mean to make your own Now the least suspition of losse either of profit or gain by the work of reformation is ground enough in these men of malice and madnesse against it If the covetous and deceitfull tradesman cannot put off his ill commodities at a deare rate nor the oppressour buy in his neighbours land and houses and so depopulate whole Parishes the Usurer make benefit of his money with the greatest advantage of interest if not more then the Statute allows him but that he must be checked by the preaching of the Gospel Authoritie must curbe him by more stricter prescriptions then ordinarie then hee 'l have none of it but oppose it what possibly he can deal with the messengers of this news as the master and mistresse of the b Act. 16.19 damosel possessed with a spirit of divination did with Paul and Sylas when some hopes of their gains were gone bring them to be scouraged and never left them till they saw them in prison c Vers 20.21 These men say they do exceedingly trouble our Citie and teach customes which are not lawfull for us to receive neither to observe That Lydia was converted and the Apostles lodged in her house troubled them not their preaching to the Assemblies gathered by the water-side and their bringing every day new disciples unto Christ were no motives to incense them comparable to the losse of their private gain Thus was it here at Ephesus when Demetrius perceived the ruine not so much of the goddesse Diana as of his own gain and commoditie in making of silver shrines he sets the whole City in a tumult But what stand we in rehearsall of old examples saith d Gualther in Act. cap 18. Gualther seeing in our dayes covetousnesse doth chiefly hinder and stop the course of the truth The Bishops of Rome blinded with desire of lucre flie all kind of reformation the same saith he bindeth Princes and the Nobilitie unto Antichrist in that they perceive the Popes and Bishops may maintain many of their kinsfolks with Ecclesiasticall goods and livings which otherwise may go for rascals and be fain to labour and toil with their hands The same maketh Merchants Customers Souldiers and all States of men offended with the Gospel because they see if the Gospel be received such trades of waxing rich as many use in these dayes cannot stand It was a sad complaint which the Lord by Jeremie made against the people in those times e Ier. 6.13 from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousnesse and from the Prophet even unto the Priest every one dealeth falsely I would to God the like complaint may not justly be taken up in our times that there were not amongst us f Isa 56.11 greedy dogs which can never have enough g Ier. 5.31 Prophets that prophecie lies and Priests that receive gifts in their hands h Isa 56.11 All looking to their own way every one for his gaine from his quarter Such as Micah speaks of who i Mica 3.11 teach for hire and divine for money while they bite with their teeth and i. while they find the sweetnesse and have to feed upon all is peace they cry peace to the feeders But if a man put not into their mouths i. satisfie not their appetite and desire they prepare war against him as if he were an enemie to God and man Oh what abundance of time-servers be there amongst us which will soothe up greatnesse in errours and labour to maintain the errours of the times against all reformation for their own advantage which are ready to embrace any religion so that by it they may procure their own private gain Oh where is the zeal of the Primitive Christians in the first reformation when for the good of the Church and the maintenance of the Gospel they sold their possessions What is become of the forwardnesse of the blessed Israelites when they offered so m 100. thousand pound sterling of gold and 35. thousand 470 oddepounds of silver besides brasse and other things Willet in Exod cap. 38. quaest 10. plentifully to the Tabernacle that Moses was driven to publish a n Exod. 36.6 restraint o Chap. 35.23 lawne and p Chap. 38.8 looking-glasses then furthered the building the people for that purpose were content to part both with their profits and pleasures it were great pitie that these now should prove impediments to hinder it Yet the truth hereof is so apparant that where men are wholly set upon their own private respects they fear not to oppose either the good of the Church or the commonweal And thus of the first sort 2. The superstitious who are so q Longe diversacarnificina pietas Lactant. opposite to the reformation that look what the one erects the other dejects what the one makes the other marres It s observed by r Weemse treat of foure degenerate sons Sect. 3 some that Religion hath two extreames s 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Atheisme and t 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Superstition between which as Tertullian noteth she suffereth in the middest as Christ betwixt the two theeves onely both prove her mortall enemies the one acknowledging no good to worship any way the other will worship God her own way of these it s an hard matter to say which is the worst and greatest enemy to Religion or Reformation yet the latter hath been so accounted and amongst other causes for these two 1. Because Atheisme leaves a man to sense to Philosophie to naturall piety to Laws to reputation all which are some kind of guides to morall vertue though Religion were not But Superstition dismounts all and prescribes a law to it self a form of worship which if God will not accept he shall have no obedience at all 2. Because Atheisme did never disturbe States but contracted it self with civilitie and subordinate obedience tumult and division for Religion were evils unknown to the heathen because they all served one devill under divers names and forms and for their pettie quarrels amongst their u Mulciber in Troiam pro Troja stabat Apollo puppet-gods these differences were soon taken up at a Tavern and reconciled over a cup of wine But Superstition is alwayes in garboiles it hath no w Superstitione imbutas ani●as nunquam quiet is esse potest Cicero 1. de finibus rest evermore causing uproares bringing government into disorder and endeavouring the confusion of Commonweals For proof hereof we need not go far for instance what hath more undermined these Kingdoms of England Scotland and Ireland then the treacherous plots of superstitious persons what more endangered the ruine of the true reformed Protestant Religion within these his Majesties Dominions established what hath more raised and fomented jealousies betwixt the King and his people what

as to shuffle out ours and to bring all to theirs or at leastwise to set us together by the cares that so they may the better work their advantage Which was the plot of Julian the Apostata as St. u Augu. Epist 166. Augustine reports of him having a desire to set all Christendome in combustion cast a fire-ball of contention amongst them by proclaiming libertie to all heretiques and schismat ques to set abroach their damnable doctrine hoping thereby utterly to extinguish the name of Christians True it is we are too too faultie i● this kind and whether I may say through the subtiltie of our seducing adversaries or through the too much connivencie of those which hitherto have sate in the seats of Justice suffering the wholsome Laws and Statutes ordained for the suppressing of all heresie and superstition to rust as the w Habemus senatus consultū velut gladium in vagina reconditum Cic. orat 1. in Catil Oratour speaketh like swords in the scabards and never draw them forth against the sworn enemies of our Church and State I say whether by means of either of these or as it s most likely by both of them so it is that if you would seek the religion of all Heretiques here you may find them in this Kingdom insomuch that England as sometimes a Member of the House of Commons in a Speech of his hath of late declared is like to turn it self into a great Amsterdam there is amongst us a confusion of religions as there was in Babel of languages Ah and alas that this Land which heretofore hath been a Sanctuarie for true Religion a refuge and shade in the heat of the day for persecuted professors who have been chased like Bees from their own hives should now become a common receptacle for Atheists Anabaptists Adamites Famalists Neuters Hypocrites luke-warme professors and Popish wanderers can he be safe in the tolleration of all these religions will the Lord hold any Prince or State guiltlesse which permit a pollution of his name as the worship of a false god or the false worship of the true God is a pollution of his Name as himself hath y Ezec. 20.39 declared He is a jealous God and will not endure any rivals z Theod. l. 6. ca. 4. Valentinian the Emperour when his Souldiers had chosen him consulted to have joyned another with him No faith he it was in your power to give me the Empire while I had it not but now when I have it it is not in your power to give me a partner God will have the whole and cannot endure that our hearts should be divided between him and another if we do he will cut us off from the land of the living as he threatneth Zeph 1.5 Is not our Religion the foundation that even beareth up the whole frame and fabrick of State and can it be possible for a building to stand upon three or foure foundations Religion it is the soul which animateth the great body of the Common-wealth and will not that body prove a monster that shall be informed with divers souls The Church and common-wealth have but one center every new motion therefore in the one must needs make a commotion in the other for as one a Revel 12.7 heaven held not Michael and the Dragon in peace nor one house the b 1 Sam. 5.2 3. Arke and Dagon nor one c Gen. 25.22 wombe Jacob and Esau nor one d Ioh. 2.16 Temple Prayer and Marchandizing nor one e Numb 5.2 lampe the clean and leprous nor one f Euseb Eccle. li. 2. ca. 22. bath John and Corinthus no more can this Kingdom an hotch-porch of religions when one Congregation shall be Jews another Samaritanes one Papists another Protestants some calling upon God some upon Angels and Saints creeping to Crosses bowing to Images and so burning in emulation for their severall services as fire and water shall sooner agree then these accord in their judgements and affections about a reformation It was therefore good advice and sage counsell which Maecenas gave to Augustus to punish severally all innovations in matter of Religion g Non solum Deorum causased quia nova quedam numina ●●●tales inducentes multos impellunt ad rerum mutationem Non solum Deorum causa c. not onely out of a regard of piety but also for reason of State And h Quod filentium ●ereticis indixerit Niceph l. 12. c. 15. Theodosius is commended for putting all Heretiques to silence Assuredly the body and state is then strongest when the multitude of beleevers like those in the Acts shall be of i Act. 4.32 one heart and of one soul Beware then of sundring and distracting your selves into many religions turn neither to the one hand nor to the other but keep you close to the true Religion I but in these troublesome times you desire to know which is the true I must confesse indeed that we may truly and justly complain with Calvin k Hoc nostrum seculum borrenda quedam sectarum portexta protulit Calvin in 1 Ioh. 4.1 This our age hath brought forth strange monsters of heresies and some none of the worst nor meanest neither out of their just and great hatred to Superstition have overshot themselves and run into extreames Now it is no slight stratagem of Satan as a l Dr. Featly Serm. in 2 Cor. 2.11 learned man yet living hath demonstrated to bring us from one extream to another and so by over reaching against heresie and superstition to wrong the true Religion as St. Augustine in his zeal against the Pelagians who sleightned Baptisme went too far in urging the necessitie thereof pronouncing all children that died unbaptized to be damned and how many are there amongst us saith mine Author who out of hatred of the Antichristian tyrannie condemne all Ecclesiasticall Hierarchy out of detestation of superstitious rites dislike even decent ceremonies in opposition to garish and idolatrous trimming of Temples are brought to disallow all cost in adorning and beautifying Christian Churches This is not the truth In medio consistit veritas errours in doctrine may be in both extreames and truth in the middle As men therefore when they passe over a narrow bridge if they be be not exceeding carefull when the body swayeth or the foot slippeth one way by hastily leaning too far the other they may irrecoverably fall therefore the m Medio tutissinius this middle way is the safest Even so in this case Tertullian to find out the true Religion would have us fix our eyes upon that n Quod Ecclesia ab Apostolis Apostoli à Christe Chrisus à D●o didi●●t Tertul. de praescript ca. 21. 37. which the Church hath received from the Apostles the Apostles from Christ and Christ from God This was that which our Church of England resolved upon in her first reformation in the dayes of Edward the sixth