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
A13823	The revvard of religion Deliuered in sundrie lectures vpon the booke of Ruth, wherein the godly may see their daily and outwarde tryals, with the presence of God to assist them, and his mercies to recompence them: verie profitable for this present time of dearth, wherein manye are most pittifully tormented with want; and also worthie to bee considered in this golden age of the preaching of the word, when some vomit vp the loathsomnes therof, and others fall away to damnable securitie.	Topsell, Edward, 1572-1625?	1596 (1596)	STC 24127; ESTC S105980	250,925	363

scripture and seeing we haue brought these strangers to their Inne ●t Moab let vs heare their intertainment those things that happened vnto them after they came thither for the parts wee haue in the beginning set downe which I trust you remember and therefore we will to the words And they continued there This is as much to say as they found entertainment answerable to their expectation they had liberty of residence granted and obtained a place for their dwelling in safety Where wee first note the gentlenes or humanity of these heathen Moabits who had learned by nature this pointe of curtesie which is friendlye to succour poore harbourlesse straungers and no doubte but hee that watcheth the descending of sparrowes on the ground directed this iourney to Moab for the accomplishing of his owne counsell and prepared the heartes of these people with fauour to relieue them For as before he guided the iourney of Abrahams seruant to the citie of Machor where Rebecca was framed hir answere according to his praier euē so he cōducted these to Moab where Ruth was and tempered the hearts of the wicked to giue these pilgrims a dwelling place among them By the which we are taught what friendship or loue we owe to strangers which are come among vs yea though we know not the purpose of their harts yet we must doo good vnto them for the proportiō of their bodies that is because they are men This is not a law written only in the booke of God but imprinted in the verie nature of euery one Wee see these Moabits do it by nature yet they had no religion in them we know how the king of Fgipt gaue commandement for Abraham that none should hurt him or any of his possessions Read but the Acts of the Apostles you shal see how barbarous nations receiued the church with curtesy and some vppon their reporte beleeued the doctrine of Christ What shall we then say to this beastlike behauiour of many among vs who will hardly permit poore Christian straungers to harbour among vs if it were not for that they are men the children of Adam like our selues yet because they call vppon the name of Christ being of the household of sayth let vs doe good vnto them But some will say what shall wee doe vnto them if they will not ioyne with vs in our religion I answere none must bee of Abrahams familye but those which wil be circumcised that is none must dwell with thee but such as wil be of thy profession Yet thou maiest for humanity or curtesy receiue a Turke or a pagan a Iew or an infidell papist or heretike to talke or table for a night or a small time so thou kepe they selfe from his pollutions So did Iacob feast his idolotrous father in law and kinsmen when they pursued him to the mount of Gilead with purpose to hurt him and our sauiour Christ biddeth vs to feede our enimies and to giue them drinke if they thirste So did Elischah to the host of Sirians who being sent to take him yet when he had taken them and lead them to the city he suffered the king to do them no hurt but refreshed them with meat and drinke and sent them away in safety For our outward curteous receuing of infidels is like coales of fire to draw them in loue with our inward religion we know how the Lord commaunded the Iewes to be good vnto strangers because they were strangers in Egipt We know how the Lord commendeth the stranger Samaritan beyond the priest and the leuite beccause he succoured the poore wounded Iewe which had fallen among theeues And truely wee our selues may bee strangers in other Countreies therefore let vs doe good vnto them now that we may receiue the like of them againe for this is the law and the prophets Then Elimelech when they had escaped one daunger they fell into another sorrow when by the mercifull kindnes of the Lord they were ioyntly come togither into Moab and there quietlye seated scaped the arrowes of famine by the hand of God the father of the family the nerest and derest vnto them dieth in plenty Where we note the verie lot of all the godly namely that the end of one sorrow is the beginning of another like the drops of raine distilling from the top of a house when one is gone another followeth like a ship vppon the sea being on the top of one waue presently is cast downe to the foote of another like the seede which being spread by the sower is hanted by the foules beeing greene and past their reache is endaungered by forste and snow being passed the winter ●s hurt by beasts in sommer being rype is cut with the sickle threshed with flaile purged in the floore ground in the mill baked in the ouen chewed in the teeth and consumed in the stomacke This made Dauid say Great are the troubles of the righteous but the Lord deliuereth out of all But be not discomforted oh my brethren for thorough many afflictions must we enter into the kingdome of heauen and by affliction we are made like to the sonne of God But to the matter We see here their sweet fellowship is preuented by death which in deed is the end of al worldly friendship This is a good lesson for all worldlings to remember how the Lord disappointeth all their purposes and ouerthroweth their counsells more vainer then vanity The merchant hauing obtained his banke promiseth rest and security to himselfe the husbandman hauing gathered his fruits neuer doubteth but hee shall spend them prouideth for more the Gentleman comming to his landes thinketh his reuenewes and pleasant life will indure alway like the apostles when Christ was transfigured in the mount presently they would builde tabernacles of residence but as the cloude came betwixt them and heauen and bereaued them of their purpose euen so sodainly will death come and depriue you of your profits call the marchant from his banke the husbandman from his farme the Gentleman from his lands the noble man from his honour the prince from his kingdome the Lady from her pleasures as this Elimelech was sodainly from wife and children Secondly by these words we note the goodnes of God toward both the dead man and also wife and children for no doubte but they all desired to bee seiled in some place or other and here the Lord suffereth the husband with wife and family to bee quietly feared before their separation He might haue called him away in his iourney as he was comming then oh how would it haue grieued hoth him and them him to leaue a poore comfortles widdow and children behind without dwelling or maintenance for home again they could not returne by reason of the famine and to goe forth on the iourney without a guide was like as if a ship were set on the sea without a mariner Therefore in suffering them all to

vs from heresie but also a salue or remedie if wee haue been poysoned by falshoode The sting of the Scorpion is cured by applying the Achates stone the grasse Alimos preserueth the famished person from death The Baare hauing eaten Mandragora saueth his life by the little Emmet and the poyson of the Chamelaeon is expelled by a Baye leafe euen so the word of God cureth the heresies of Poperie which are compared to the stinging of the Scorpions in the Scriptures it is the fruite of the tree of life and whosoeuer eateth and disgesteth in shall neuer die it is a preseruatiue against all poyson and the leaues thereof shall cure the nations By this alone the Lord hath wrought the calling of his children the confusion of his enemies the comfort of his Saintes and the replenishing of his kingdome All the Kings of the earth haue beene in armes against it yet the ministers thereof who neuer bore armes against them by their onely preaching haue wonne a glorious fielde All Egypt coulde not resist Moses and Aaron because they came on the Lordes message no more shall all the world ouercome the preachers of peace so long as they faithfully performe their heauenly Ambassage Wordes haue wrought more then weapons the spirite hath pearced more then the Speare the wals of Paper and the ordinaunce of Fathers haue battered downe the stately kingdome of the whoore of Babilon learning hath done better seruice then Launces Gownes haue conquered moe then Gunnes Bookes haue done more good then Bullets and the prayers of the faithfull haue preuailed more then the Pikes of horsemen the stone which the builders refused is become the head of the corner this is the Lordes doing it is maruailous in our eyes the bloude of the dead Martyrs hath giuē greater wounds in this quarrell then the swords of the liuing souldiours But thus I haue too long troubled your Hon. with that which you knewe before and haue presumed on your fauour for the acceptation of these my slender labours vpon one parte of Scripture the booke of Ruth which as the holy Ghost hath vouchsafed to call by the name of a woman to the praise of the whole sexe and euerlasting commendation of her Religion so am I emboldned to Dedicate it to so Honourable a Lady as your selfe whome I know to be a Ruth by Religion though a Noble woman by birth For many witnesses can testifie this also if I should be silent and the ordinarie exercises at Seuenoke will sound your name because your presence and diligence at them hath stirred vp manye meaner persons comforted some godly people thereabout and much euery way countenanced and encouraged the preachers of the same There are many causes which might compell me though vnwilling to commit my labours to the Presse yet willingly to present them to the world vnder the name of your Honour For I am assured of the acceptation of any small thing that shall bee offered in the name of Religion much more of this which comprehendeth the recompence and rewarde of our profession Your Honour knoweth that better is it to see the smoke of ones owne Countrie then the fire of another so I trust my slender studies which are but as smoke being compared with the burning coales of others knowledge such as dayly you heare shall be the better accepted because there I had my being where your Honour hath your dwelling Also I am hereunto moued that I might haue any occasion to testifie my bounden dutie which I owe vnto that Noble and worthie Gentleman Sir Henrie Leonard your Sonne of whome I haue receiued especiall encouragementes in the course of my studies and to whom I must remaine a debtour to the ende of my dayes being no wayes able to recompence his wonted kindnesse but onely by this daylye to praye for the life and prosperitie that hee may be as the heyre of your Honour so an ornament of the Noble house of the Dacres And the God of all peace blesse your owne person with such blessings as you daylye desire that you may still liue to the comfort of the godlye in this present life to the enlarging of your owne Honour to the reioysing of your whole family and to the endlesse saluation of your owne soule with Iesus Christ the Sauiour of all them which haue vnfainedly embraced true religion London this first of October 1596. Your Honours to command in the Lord. Edward Topsell To all them that haue vnfainedly embraced true Religion DEarely beloued in Christe when I consider that comfortable Oracle of the Apostle when he saith that godlinesse hath the promises of this life and of the life to come it commeth into my mind that religion is none of the meanest professions that is laboured for in the worlde for the greatest rewardes are promised to the chiefest exploytes and the worthiest enterprises are Crowned with glorious benefits Ioseph for his wisedome was made the gouernour of Egypt Othniel for his seruice receiued Aisah the daughter of Caleb for his wife Iiphtah for his victorie was made iudge of Israel and Dauid for his Musicke was made one of the Courtiers of Saul In so much as it seemeth an ordinarie practise that euerie knowledge is rewarded with some curtesie whereby wee are certified that it is no maruaile to heare hope for so excellent blessings as are promised to the Religious For they are the house of the Lorde and as hee dwelleth with all maiestie in heauen so he raigneth with all Authoritie in the righteous they are a chosen generation borne of God a Royall and holy priesthood a holy nation a peculiar people the free men of Christ the inheritours of the earth the iudges of the worlde the coheires of Christes kingdome and the Cittizens of heauen If wee looke for their Nobilitie they are the Sonnes of God if for their instruction they are taught of God if for their tuition the heauenly Angels are their seruants if for their degrees they are kings and priestes for the eternal God if for their calling they are Saintes if for their life it is heauenly if for their wealth it is the whole worlde and finally their death is the birth day of all felicitie For this cause Dauid desired rather to bee a doore-keeper in the house of God then a dweller in the stately tents of the wicked as if the meanest condition among the professors of Religion were more excellent then the chiefest estates among the worldlings their Crosses excell the others Crownes their barrenesse the others fruitfulnesse their humilitie the others honour their ignorance the others knowledge their simplicitie the others wisedome their weakenesse the others strength and a little thing that the righteous hath is better then the great possessions of the vngodly When there is famine they are satisfied when ther is warre they are deliuered when there is plague they are without daunger if fire fall from heauen it shall not burne them if the waters arise aboue

whom came this godly and wealthy Boaz. In this then we see true the saying of the Apostle that godlinesse hath the promises of this life and of the life to come for in hir selfe she was blessed with an honourable marriage in her posterity with a godly and a wealthy son This my beloued is a notable encouragement to religion for Christ sayth that whosoeuer shal for him forsake father or mother wife or children shall receiue many times so much in this world but eternall saluation in the life to come This answereth and stoppeth the mouthes of the enemyes which call the professors bankeruptes impouerished decayd persons yea as base as beggers in this world which by their religion vndoe themselues and their posterity But on the contrary we affirme that religion bringeth no discommodity euen in worldly things the reason is because it teacheth vs to vse our riches aright If a man had mountaines of money knew not how to employ it what profit could he receiue therby euen so surely without Christ and his Gospell I meane the true knowledge thereof there is no lawful vse of these worldly benefits and except euery one learne to apply them by the word of God hee possesseth his wealth as a thiefe doth the purse of a true man in the presence of God is no better then a violent robber which takeeth away the mony from the lawfull possessors which haue proued and learned the way to vse it and as they haue it without his knowledge euen so they shall vse it without his blessing Therfore be not discouraged my dere brethren come forward in religion it is the deuil that telleth you you must make bread of stones that is you must relye vppon the world and follow the custome thereof there is greater plenty and ●store in the garners of God his word then in all the cornefields of the world He which could feede fiue thousand people with fiue barly loaues and two fishes hath hee not inough for the maintenance of thy family He which fed the host of Israel almost fourty yeares with angells foode are not the heauens his for euermore when almost all the world was in a famine did hee not prouide for his seruant Eliah first commaunding the rauens to bring him bread and meate morning and euening to the brooke Cherith and that being dried vp sustained him with a widdow and her son by a handful of meal a litle oile for a long season Did not our gracious father multiplie the oile of a poore prophets widow into many vessels which before coulde not fill one And what shall I saie more I haue neuer seene the righteous forsaken or their children left destitute And Ruth After the holy Ghost had set downe the description of Boaz as the necessarie occasion to vnderstand that which followeth in the next place he expresseth this of Ruth Wherein he sheweth vs the carefulnesse of Ruth for her mother and her selfe being in a strange place would not in hunger harbor at home but rather aduenture her perill in an honest labour by going abroad to gleane in the fieldes therefore to her mother shee commeth and asketh leaue which beeing granted forth she goeth the prouidence of the Lorde directing her iourney she commeth to the haruest field of Boaz her kinsman Where first of all wee gather what manner of lyfe they lead after they came to Bethlehem namely a very poore base and despised estate not halfe so good to see to as that which they lead and liued among the Moabites insomuch as one may nowe saie vnto mee you tolde vs euen now the golden rewards and precious commoditie of true religion which it bringeth to all them that faithfully receiue it but you see these two godly women as armed examples against your selfe they liued wealthily in Moab but poorely in Iudah with the wicked they found gentle liberalitie but with the godly they indure wofull pouertie What colde intertainment doo they finde at Bethlehem euen in the Church of God for whose sake one forsooke her countrie the other her wealth and both of them their welfare so that the profession of religion looseth our friends denieth our countrie disquieteth our peace ingendereth our trouble consumeth our wealth and deca●eth our substance Is this the profit of your profession which promiseth mountaines of securitie and paieth multitude of miseries How shall we bee incouraged to religion when at the first entrie we shall paie so great an in-come and depart from a fine worth all our substance To this I answere that if the beginning bee not so ioyful as you or they wished yet the end answered their expectation I grant you shall first find a little want but in the end you shall possesse a great gaine A man that hath a thousand pounds layde beside him layeth it out vpon a bargaine whereof hee shall receiue no profite in many yeeres but the date expired and the daie of receit come hee receiueth his owne and many thousand pounds for his gaine you will graunt at the first hee emptieth his coffers and bags and leaueth him selfe bare and mony lesse yet you would account him a foole if he would not vpon sure bands of so great aduantage aduenture his owne and giue forth his monie Euen so it is in religion it is a pearle for which we must sel both liuing landes and yet it is worth both and many thousand times more if thou feele not the profit at the first tarry a while thou hast the promise band of the Lorde of hoasts hee is able and willing to performe and paie at the time appointed and if thou canst abide a little want of earthly commodities shortly thou shalt see them rolling vpon thee in excellent aboundance and exceeding quantityes And this teacheth vs with what mind we must embrace religion not for any present commoditye or temporall gaine but with deniall of our liues and riches that they may serue vs as ordinarye expenses in our iourney to euerlasting saluation the kingdome of heauen For they are much deceiued that receiue the truth to increase their wealth making Christianity a gainefull trade for although it hath the promises yet it hath not alway the possession of things in this life but as the right heires are many times put beside their inheritances which are possessed by vnlawfull owners so the godly are the right heires of the whole world although the wicked haue driuen them out of possession for the which the Apostle sayd that godlynesse hath the promises of this life and also of the life to come Againe those promises that the meeke shall possesse the earth and their seede shall inherite the land and especially that the verie same which are the elected heyres of grace are also the appointed inherytours of this worlde But this my beloued must establishe our mindes that as the seed which is cast into the ground seemeth for a long season to be lost

woman are bounde to see their childrens first instruction that is if it bee possible to haue them in their keeping at their first entraunce into knowledge and when they are first of all capable of any goodnesse So wee reade Isaacke remayned with his father Abraham in the time of infancy when God commaunded Ismaell to bee cast out so Iacob kept little Beniamin with him neyther would he depart from him vnto any til Simeon was bound in Egipt so we read of the king Ioash whom his aunt Iehoshebah hid from y e rage of Athaliah who was brought vp in the house of her husbande Iehoiadah where hee was most worthely instructed in the feare of the Lorde so wee reade our sauiour Christ kept till he was twelue yeares olde with his mother and supposed father and after he had beene at Ierusalem hee was obedient to them till the yeare of his preaching which was when hee came to the age of thirtie yeares Therefore the conclusion af all this is that neyther the nursing nor instruction of our children must be deferred to other at the least so as wee seeme not but to bee many wayes as carefull for them as if they were in our presence to be euermore mindfull for the wealth of their bodyes and health of their soules Fourthly and lastly by these wordes wee may gather how great and excellent is this worke the bringing vp of children for which the Lorde hath expressed in his worde that it is required that many shoulde bee applyed for in this place we see Naomi and Ruth bestow their labours for the education of this new borne babe and we haue heard that Rebecca had a nurse that came with her from her fathers house to the lande where Abraham dwelt which signifieth vnto vs that neyther their infancy can bee vnfedde nor their youth vnruled for this is not so base a worke as many thinke it that one is enough if not too much to take the care of their children for wee knowe they are easily drawne to many inconueniences neyther can the parentes bee present to foresee all but if any bee helpers in this buisines their care is much eased the children lesse endangered theyr welfare better prouided and the parentes dutie better discharged Euery flocke hath a keeper beside the owner euery garden hath a dresser beside the mayster and if it be possible let euery childe haue an ouerseer beside the parentes for alas the silly infante is soone cast into the fire falleth into the water ouerturned with the wind and euery beast is ready to work his destruction all which may bee wisely preuented though not with the presence yet with the counsel and care of the parents by prouiding such carefull persons to be their guides as may also defend them when they are absent And the women her neighbours In this verse is the seconde parte which concerneth the naming of the child where the holy Ghost doeth declare vnto vs the persons that named the childe to be the women of Bethlehem the neyghbours of Naomi which no doubt was then giuen to the childe at the eyght day which was the circumcision according as wee see in the history of Iohn Baptist after the law of the Lorde calling him by the name of Obed which signifieth seruing or a seruant shewing howe hee should serue for the comfort of Naomi Boaz and his mother By this wee first of all note and obserue that it is the duty of the faithfull to be helpers one to another in the seruice of God and admonition of their dutyes for here the childe being circumcised was accompanyed with many godly women whose deuise they vsed and followed in the naming of the childe Indeed we may often read that the parents gaue names to their children sometimes the fathers sometime the mothers sometimes the Lorde himselfe as in many persons wee may perceyue but wee neuer reade that the people were so kinde to helpe in this matter and to further the duty of any godly minded onely this place excepted so that these women are a most godly example for all the faithfull to beholde how they must further and helpe one another in the cause of religion For the naming of children in olde time was very excellent when they were carefull by their earthly and outwarde tytles to admonish them of their inwarde and heauenly duties And that which these did in this one must wee doe also in all other duties to draw more and more to the loue of religion as wee reade the Apostles did one another when they came to the first knowledge of the Messiah for as a little leuen seasoneth a whole lumpe euen so a fewe godly personnes may drawe a great many to religion Therefore this one dutie of all other belongeth to the flocke of Christ that they helpe one another in the workes of Christianity When the ruler of the Temple his daughter was sicke for the little childe hee went to our sauiour by which meanes he recouered her life this was the duetie of a godly father when the sicke man of the palsie coulde not come to Christ foure of his neighbours brought him to his presence and the Lord forgaue him this was charity and the duety of neighbours When Dorcas was deade the women sent for Peter who being come she was restored to life And thus parents must helpe forwarde their children neighbours their fellowes and euery man one another if they want knowledge let vs teach them knowledge out of the pure worde of God if they cannot pray let vs pray with them and for them to the almighty God if they trauayle to heare the word let vs trauaile with them to encourage their carefulnes But of this matter wee haue often spoken Now let vs giue prayse to God The end of the sixteenth Lecture The seuenteenth Lecture Chap. 4. ver 18.19.20.21 22 18 These are the generations of Pharez Pharez begat Chetzron 19 Chetzron begate Ram Ram begate Hamminnadab 20 Hamminadab begate Naschon Naschon begate Salmā 21 Salman begate Bohaz Bohaz begate Hobed 22 Hobed begate Ishai Ishai begate Dauid NOwe by the mercifull kindnes of the Lorde we are come to the last part of this history the conclusion of this Chapter where the holy Ghost describeth vnto vs the kindred of Boaz euen all the generations frō Pharez to king Dauid shewing vnto vs the increase of these Iewes from their dwelling in the land of Canaan before they went into Egipt vntill the time that Dauid was annointed and appointed king in Israell we may for the easier handling of these wordes deuide them into these two partes The first is those persons that were the progenitours auncestors or fathers of Bohaz in the ver 18. 19 20. which are set downe to be Pharez the first Chetzron the second Ram y e third Hamminadab the fourth Naschon the fift and Salman the sixte who was the immediate and naturall father of Bohaz The second parte is the progeny