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love_n call_v love_v world_n 3,422 5 4.8684 4 false
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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A54122 A commentary upon the present condition of the kingdom and its melioration Penn, William, 1644-1718. 1677 (1677) Wing P1268; ESTC R32305 33,126 47

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But their wings are cut and their nails pair'd Men do generally do see into the cheat and every day brings fresh discoveries thereof and it were strange that now mens minds are so busily imploy'd in the search of Knowledge and Improvement of Sciense to that degree as to have arrived at such attainments in one Century as we do not find that former ages were at any time Masters of It were strange I say in such increase of knowledge if we should be still blind in matters that concern Religion That we should not apprehend that all that Pomp and stateliness is vanished for the support and mantaining whereof the Clergy were Invested with such great Possessions and ample Priviledges I have two things more especially which with some reason I may impute the occasion of them to the present Church-Government 1. The present Atheism and Debauchery that the Age and Nation labour with which though it may have its rise from some other Cause yet it receives at least strength Confirmation partly from the empty Formality of the Clergy who have apparently no other Designs but their own gains partly from the open contradiction they see between their Life and Manners and the● Doctrine who are all the week after refuting and pulling down that in their Practice which a few empty words of speculation like the Calf that Aaron made to guide the People and to as much purpose set forth on the first day of it They see that whilst these Men Preach against worldliness they themselves are the most desirous greedy and ambitious of all the world can afford Whilst they preach against Drunkenness and Debauchery yet Themselves are never satisfyed with those advantages of Riches enlarged Revenues which serve but to keep these Vices in heart and life They may add with some shew of Reason Perhaps we should not hear one word from them of these things did they not find the Trade gainful and the means to be great in this world was to profess to deny it They will go on sure these Men do but tell us Stories and Fancies and maze in a wilderness of Tattle and empty sounding words For if there were any reality in the thing they propose it would sure have some effect upon themselves to moderate their Projects and Desires Such kind of Conclusions as these they may draw from a Religious-Government stamped for true and Orthodox by Publick Authority Yet thus betraying it self to its own Condemnation As for the Dissenters they will appear to these Men silly deluded Creatures that know nothing The 2. Thing is the various Opinions and Phrensies that have of late infested our Nation may be thought to have their original from hence next to the Craft and Subtilty of our grand Enemy For English men to speak without flattery are generally lovers of Truth and Integrity and somwhat stiff and rigid in those Principles they adhere to especially if they imagine them agreeable to Truth and Honesty When therefore they had embraced the Gospel and the Reformation and conceiving withal it manifested an opposition to the Ecclesiastical Government To keep to the one they grew into dislike of th' other which took deeper root when this Government began Vex and Beat their Fellow-servants and so instead of lessening the difference make the gap wider Now what must ●hey do in this Case the Government had thrown them off and pursued them as Enemies to it They were too rigid to quit those Principles they had taken up with such appearance of Truth And the Government would not yield to such whom they thought must receive and not give Laws according to the pride of Usurpation So that they were forced to wander as Sheep without a Shepherd or rather whose Shepherd was unfaithful Some took one way some another as their Fancy led them to Munster or Geneva or worse till at last all things came into Confusion Thus hath Ecclesiastical Authority given birth to disscentions and Fuel to continual Animosities administred strength and growth to Atheism Irreligion By it Men have been staved off from Unity and peaceable enjoyment of their Lives Thereby they have been plunged in the depth of errour and distraction have been driven to sheath their Swords in the Bowels of their Brethren And that no wickedness might be left un-atchieved the sad effects of all this hath been yet depending upon and a Consequent to the former the spilling the Blood of the Sacred person of their King These evils hang together as a Chain of many Links whose first Link is the denying not hearkning to rejecting and disobeying the word of God and the light of the Gospel Bring in this and the rest follow as part of the Chain But establish the Truth of Christian Religion and you have therewith security and peace and a strong defence against all these Evils Now our Enquiry shall be concerning Religion How it may be settled with Truth as to it self with Comfort to all people and with security to the Nation We shall therefore endeavour to give a brief account of Religion according to the Talent we have received It must be known First then that it is of another Nature than those outward things we converse with That is It is not of the World nor according to the fashion of the World Neither doth it agree or associate with any thing that is external but it is opposite and contrary thereto even to all Forms of Worship of what kind soever All Ceremonies Constitutions of Men be they of what kind they will But much more to the enjoyments of the present Life Riches and Honours and the like To all designs of getting a Name Dominion Power Estates c. This manifestly appears throughout the Scripture especially the New Testament Hence this pure Doctrine is called a New Creation Regeneration New Birth c. To shew that there is somthing old that must be shaken off even the things of this world which this is to succeed For we cannot be said to be born again or Created again unless that first Creation be made null and void and brought to nothing and this substituted in the room thereof A man cannot Re-build his House that has not first pulled down the old one Hence our Lord makes it the first step to come to him to deny our selves and take up our Cross That is to cast away all concern for the things of this Life any desire after them or satisfaction in them and to be esteemed nothing of no account yea Fools and Mad for his sake Hence also we may observe a perfect opposition in Scripture between the Kingdom of Christ and of this World those things are called Spiritual Heavenly not Fading Whereas in Contradiction to them are Put Earthly Carnal Corrupt c. Love not the World nor the Things of the World if any man Love the world the Love of the Father is not in him Saith St. John the Carnal man Savoureth not the things of