Selected quad for the lemma: order_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
order_n	church_n	receive_v	sacrament_n	2,686	5	7.2858	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77148	Good counsell for evil times. Or, A plain sermon preached at Pauls in London, April 16. 1648. / By Edw: Bowles M.A. of Katherin-Hall Cambridge. Printed by the desire and order of the Lord Maior and aldermen of that famous city.	Bowles, Edward, 1613-1662.	1648 (1648)	Wing B3872; Thomason E435_35; ESTC R204201	25,559	35

best of them that we read of Nehemiah himself desires to come off with a pardon Lord remember me for good and spare me according to the multitude of thy mercies Let us deal with our titular gods as our onely true God deals with us who rejects not any good for the evil and infirmities that cleave thereunto but picks out integritie out of the midst of our infirmity and remembers the kindnesse of our youth when we grow worse or at least weaker by age who spares us as a father spares the son that serves him 2. And where this evil speaking is not untrue yet it is very unpolitick if it be fit to use such a word here and unwise there may be ground for evil reports yet there can be no good fruit of them especially as things now stand He is a very great stranger to this Nation and the good of it who knows not how much it is concerned in the power and reputation of Parliaments what an high way were made to our ruine in their dishonour and destruction to make them vile is but to pave a way to our own villanage it were just such a peice of policy as for a company of men who live upon the Sea coast and pull down those banks which are their defence from the waves of the Sea and tumult of the people It beasts were not beasts they would never bark or root up the tree that shelters them let not men be beasts and do so It is the temper of people to love things past to hate things present and earnestly to expect changes accordingly we are very unsatisfied with our present condition But suppose a man stand upon a ragged rock where his feet are pained will he not consider where he is like to light before he leaps down Let us be so wise and know that upon our demolishing this present structure howsoever ruinous enough we can expect little better then what the Lord threatens to a people of whom he declares he would have no pitie Zach. 11. 6. the place may be perused and considered at leisure But oh that while I plead for Magistracie Magistrates would plead for themselves not by words and writings but reall amendments for nothing else will do it and leave off faction partiality private interests and those things that tend to nothing but mischief and miserie that would much better the times 2. New commotions and warres are no way like to better the times this also is evident Psal. 34. he that would live many dayes to see good let him seek peace and insue it if ever it need insuing it is now when it is flying so fast from us We have seen and felt what a big-bellyed evill War is how fruitfull in the twins of sin and misery What through the dissolution of Courts and dissolutenesse of camps it makes iniquitie overflow like a common deluge We see how dearly that little good that is gotten by warre cost us we cannot have Religion settled but there must first be no Religion or twenty religions as they are called We cannot have Law but by breaking Laws nor Liberty but we must first be as it were slaves Who so thinks by new stirres to prevent errors and oppressions exceedingly mistakes for error is kept up by confusion as mud by stirring the water which would settle to the bottom after a little quiet Who gains any thing by war but he that hath nothing to lose Beleeve it before you feel it the little finger of the next war is like to be heavyer then the loins of this though broken Peace Those that now so studiously foment new broils suppose they should prevail yet doubtlesse our fate abides them which is mutuall animosi ies and divisions for if they have not as many ends to bring together as other men I am much mistaken but taking in the certain hazard with the uncertain event the people had better learn to pray without book to be prepared for the Sacrament before they receive it to submit to Church Discipline and Taxes also for a time then further new commotions which will be bitternesse in the end beside the ruggednesse of the way 3. The opening of a back doore for the receiving in again of old Offices Orders and Ceremonies in the Church is not so hopefull a way to better times as many imagine It is indeed a question whether the abolition of them might not have been more graduall that the hearts of people might have been prepared to the Lord but the dispensations of providence and the Authority of Reformers having so ordered things that they are abrogated to resume them stands neither with prudence nor piety as for the matter of piety sure there was little in them neither is there so much in any externall thing as may be supposed before it 's tryed Their nature must be very much abstracted from their practise or they must necessarily go in the number of plants which our heavenly Father never planted Neither in prudence is it hopefull for if not more yet more considerable persons to the true welfare of the Kingdom will be disengaged by the retaining those forms and formalities then by rejecting them and my reason is this Those that assert them do it ordinarily more out of faction then conscience for I perceive many ready to fight for a Common Prayer book who never made any conscience of hearing it but would leave the Priest and Clerk almost desolate and faction or humor though very busie and earnest for a time yet is easilier satisfied then conscience and the fruit of readmitting such things would be in probability this a fire would break out of those brambles to consume the Cedars of Lebanon 4. As not the opening a back doore to old Superstitions so neither the setting wide a paire of broad gates to a new Toleration would contribute hereunto if it should produce some present peace yet that peace would be both miserable and short it would be miserable because of the losse of Truth which is the foundation and beauty of peace in all Christian Kingdomes at the best it would but render our Kingdome as the French speaks of a beautifull harlot a Paradice for the eye but a Purgatory for the soule And were it sweet yet it could be but short for where Religion is so much taken to heart as it is in this Kingdom and not so much swallowed up in worldly interests as in some other it would be very hard to conserve peace in the middst of so many differences I speak not as if there might not or ought not to be a mutuall forbearance among Christians who hold the head and walk as becomes the Gospel and disturb not the publick peace and welfare of the Church seconded with an endeavour of restoring one another to unity in a spirit of meeknesse for that men should in all points agree is rather to be wished then hoped it is reserved for the happinesse of