Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	apostle_n	church_n	doctrine_n	4,033	5	6.2595	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A08129	Certaine sermons, preached by the reuerend and iudicious diuine master Thomas Nevvhovse late preacher of Gods word in the citie of Norwich. And now set foorth for the vse and benefit of Gods people, by Robert Gallard, Master of Arts and minister in the same citie	Newhouse, Thomas, d. 1611.; Gallard, Robert.	1614 (1614)	STC 18493; ESTC S102789	66,753	182

good will That God that wet the fleece of Ged●●● with his owne dew Iudg. 6.38 powre downe from heauen the dew of his blessing vpon thy reading and replenish thine heart with such a plentifull measure of his grace that liuing here in righteousnes and true holines may hereafter haue thy part in that glorie and happinesse that shall be reuealed at the comming of our Lord Iesus Norwich Nouember 14. 1613. Thine in Christ Iesus Robert Gallard A SERMON WHEREIN IS OPENED THE MANNER OF Gods decree concerning Election and Reprobation 1. THESS 5.9 For God hath not appointed vs vnto wrath but to the obtaining of saluation by the meanes of our Lord Iesus Christ IN the three first verses of this Chapter the Apostle continueth in the argument of the last iudgement which hee had propounded in the latter end of the former wherein he signifieth vnto the Thessalonians that the time of the second comming of Christ should bee sudden and vnknowne vnto all especially vnto the wicked whom it shall ouertake vnawares and vnprouided Which thing he declareth by the example of the theefe who vpon the night when men least thinke of it breaketh vp another mans house and of the woman with childe whose trauell comes vpon her vnexpected In the 4. and 5. verses hee comforteth them against the terror of this sudden comming of the Lord intimating vnto them that there was no cause why they should greatly stand in feare of it considering they were not in darknesse and ignorance but enlightened with the knowledge of the truth and therefore were not the children of the darknesse and of the night but of the light and of the day whereupon in the 6.7 and 8. verses hee disswadeth them from securitie and perswadeth them vnto vigilancie and sobrietie And lest the enemie by his subtiltie should at any time circumuent them hee willeth them alwaies to bee in a readines furnished prepared and apparelled with the spirituall armour of Christian souldiers viz faith loue and hope This exhortation that it might take the better place he enforceth it by a reason taken from the end whereunto the Thessalonians in the decree and counsell of God were appointed to wit eternall happinesse the which is propounded in a discreet axiome on this manner God hath not appointed vs vnto wrath c. The words in themselues containe a description of the decree of Gods election First from the Author that is God Secondly from the obiect that is Paul and the elect Thessalolonians Thirdly from the nature that is an appointment or ordaining of them to the obtaining of saluation Fourthly from the principall meanes of execution that is the mediation of Iesus Christ Lastly it is amplified by the contrarie that is the decree of Reprobation which is also described to be the appointment of some vnto wrath Touching the meaning of the words they are very plaine I shall not neede to spend much time in the vnfolding of them For whereas the Apostle saith that God hath not appointed the meaning is God in his eternall and vnchangeable counsell and decree hath not appointed to manifest and declare his wrath for so by a metonimie of the subiect I take it wee are to expound the words in our iust and deserued condemnation but to make knowne the riches of his mercies in our free and gracious saluation and that by the meanes and for the merit of Iesus Christ This is the simple meaning of the words Only one doubt may be here made how the Apostle came to the knowledge of this decree especially touching the Thessalonians but the answer is readie that hee speaketh of them according to the iudgement of charity and not of certainty the reason hereof is plaine because diuers of the Thessalonians afterward fell wholly away from the faith and religion of Christ they did professe so that in the end they ceased to be a Church Now then that we see in some part the order and meaning of the words let vs in the next place come to the vse of doctrine and edification which they doe naturally affoord The first doctrine is generall out of the whole text to wit that there is a difference and disiunction of men in the decree and counsell of God some 〈◊〉 some reprobate some appointed to saluation some vnto wrath this point is cleere and euident out of this text though there were no other scripture to confirme the same where the Apostle sorts all men into two orders or rankes some whereof are appointed vnto wrath out of which number hee exempts himselfe and the elect Thessalonians and some to the attaining of saluation in which number hee rangeth himselfe with them And lest any man should doubt of the signification of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and of the sense of it in this place let him reade Iohn 15.16 and Acts 13.47 where the same word is vsed in the same signification But for the fuller and more sufficient confirmation of this point compare the 2. Tim. 2.19 with Matth. 7.23 where it is affirmed of some The Lord knowes who are his which is the seale of their Election and of others our Sauiour Christ shall pronounce at the day of iudgement I neuer knew you that is acknowledged you for mine Rom. 9.22 there are vessels of mercie prepared vnto glorie and vessels of wrath fitted to destruction 2. Tim. 2.20 there bee vessels of honour and vessels of dishonour Examples also heereof are propounded in Iacob and Esan Rom. 9.13 Iacob haue I loued that is purposed to loue with an eternall loue but Esau haue I hated that is purposed to hate with an eternall hatred But against this cleere and receiued exposition many exceptions are made First it is alleaged that by Iacob and Esau wee are not to vnderstand their particular persons but their posteritie viz. two natiōs which descended from them of the Israelites and Idumeans for so the diuine oracle answereth Rebecca Genesis 25.33 Two nations are in thy wombe and the elder shall serue the younger which thing was neuer accomplished in the daies of Iacob and Esau but rather of the twaine Iacob was in feare and subiection to Esau then contrariwise But the text will not tolerate this exposition for it is absurd to say that two nations were conceiued at once and did striue together in the wombe of Rebecca vnlesse we consider them as they were comprehended vnder their heads to wit the persons of Iacob and Esau And whereas it is replied that Esau in person was neuer seruant vnto Iacob the answere is easie that Iacobs preeminence and priuiledges were not so much in temporall as in spirituall things and therefore proportionally Esau was debased to the condition of a seruant in respect of his younger brother not so much in his outward estate as in regard of the couenant made with his ancestors from which hee was iustlie for his prophanenes and vnthankfulnes debarred Againe though it were granted that by Iacob and Esau

haue vs to feare the sword of the Magistrate why not his owne considering that the sword of the Magistrate is his owne sword And why doth God threaten so many plagues euen to his children but to this end that they might feare them And if it displease God that we are senselesse and not grieued and moued when hee doth afflict vs Ierem. 5.3 doth it not also displease him that wee doe not feare when he threatneth Yea what father or person in authoritie aboue other is there among men that doth not loue to haue his threats feared of his children and inferiours Fifthly this feare is very many waies profitable and necessarie for first it expelleth the contempt of God and the securitie of the flesh euen in the regenerate and makes them tractable and pliable and prompt to doe the will of God and hence it is that the Lord doth often exercise his children with legall terrors and feares that they might bee the more humbled and so made the more willing to obey An example of this we haue in Paul who by reason of those feares in his first conuersiō wherwith he was strangely smitten and astonied was greatly cast downe and became farre more prompt to obey God And this is confirmed by the contrarie for what is the cause why Atheists Epicures and prophane wretches doe sinne without all shame and regard of common honestie but that they haue cast out of their hearts all feare of God and al consideration of his iudgements that they might more freely without all checke wallow in the mire of their carnall pleasures and bathe and refresh themselues in their vile and beastly sinnes The second effect is an endeucur to please him To this the Lord exhorteth Abraham Genes 17.1 and examples hereof we haue in Enoch Genes 3. and Noah Genes 6. who both of them receiued this testimonie that they walked with God that is as in his presence For when a man considereth that God seeth his heart and knoweth all his thoughts then hee laboureth to auoide dissembling and to be vpright The vse of this serueth to condemne the practise of most men for who almost is perswaded of Gods presence God seeth vs but we doe not espie him who standeth in awe of him but vpon euery occasion yeeldeth vnto sinne who is patient who studieth to please glorifie God howsoeuer many professe the same outwardly Now that we may not deceiue our selues in this matter there be certaine markes whereby this true feare of God may bee discerned which bee these First when a man setteth himselfe in Gods presence wheresoeuer hee become or whatsoeuer hee is about after the example of Danid Psal 16.8 whereof follow many notable effects First if a man bee in companie hee will obserue and vse the opportunities of doing and receiuing good if he speake he will speake wisely and guide his words with discretion or else be silent yea he will obserue the occasions and seasons of speaking and keeping silence and his outward carriage will be graue moderate decent sober not only inoffensiue but profitable to edification If hee be to doe any part of Gods worship either priuate or publike hee will doe it with reuerence with care to glorifie God to profit others and himselfe if he be about any worke of his calling hee wil doe it faithfully sincerely and diligently if about any morall duty of loue vnto men hee will performe it willingly and cheerefully and in an holy manner To make conscience of all sinne Prou. 14.16 and of moral obedience Now to make conscience of sinne is when a man in consideration of Gods presence and commandement abstaineth from sinne euen then when he is strongly tempted thereunto as Ioseph did for otherwise not euery abstaining from sin is by and by a signe of the true feare of God But to this three things be required first a godly iealousie and suspition ouer a mans selfe lest by sinne he should fall from God and good reason because of that domesticall and inbred enemie of deceit which is deepely fixed in euery mans heart by nature Iere. 17.9 Secondly a continuall care and watchfulnes ouer the heart and life and ouer all the members of the bodie and the senses that they be no instruments either to occasion or begin or to execute sinne commended vnto vs Prou. 4.23 Thirdly a 〈…〉 only to foresee the occasions 〈◊〉 and deceits of the spi●●●●all enemie and carefully to preuent them but to furnish a man with spirituall armour out of the word of God against all assayes Againe a man must make conscience not onely of outward publick sinnes whereof the world crieth shame but of secret sins which he might commit without the knowledge of any yea of the inward and secret conceits of the heart as Ioseph who might haue done the euill to which he was sollicited secretly so that no man should haue knowne it but euen then the feare of God withheld him So also Prou. 8.13 Iob 31.23 Againe there is this conscience of morall obedience for these two be alwaies coupled together Eccles 12.13 Pro. 14.2 Psal 112.1 Acts 10.35 To feare at the hearing of Gods iudgements threatned in his word or executed in the world Esay 66.5 Heare the word of God yee that tremble at his word And the Prophet Habakkuk 3.16 said that when he heard Gods threatnings hee feared and his belly trembled and rottennesse entered into his bones and hee was wonderfully dismaied and terrified And to bee silent and wonder at the remembrance of the iudgements of God as did Aaron who held his peace when his two sons were destroyed by fire from the Lord Leu. 10.3 and to be prouoked by them to repentance which is the right vse of al his iudgments they being reall sermons which vse our Sauiour teacheth vs Luk. 13.3 To feare God more then men that is to be more afraid of the displeasure of God then of men and therefore to preferre obediēce vnto his commandements before mans as did the Ebrew Midwiues Exod. 1.17 and the Apostles Acts 5.29 and to dread more the shame which God cā bring vpon vs then the shame of men for the shame of men is but losse of credit and good name whereas the other is euerlasting confusion Let no man therfore be afraid in the cause of God and of religion to vndergoe ignominie for such a one the Lord honoureth Contrariwise if he be ashamed to professe Christ heere then let him know hee is destitute of the feare of God and Christ will bee ashamed of him Humilitie for these two are ioyned together and haue one reward assigned vnto them Prou. 22.4 the reward of humilitie and of the feare of God is riches glory and life Desire of knowledge these two 6. are also combined Esay 11.2 and euen as the naturall child is desirous to know his fathers will that he migh obey it and please him lest happily hee might through ignorāce transgresse euen so the true feare of God