Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	christian_a	church_n	profess_v	3,448	5	8.0722	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A13014	A forme of wholsome words, or, An introduction to the body of divinity in three sermons on 2 Timothy, I.13 / preached by John Stoughton ...	Stoughton, John, 1593-1639.; Burgess, Anthony, d. 1664.	1640 (1640)	STC 23307.5; STC 23307A_PARTIAL; ESTC S100140	52,852	122

I say I have ever apprehended would be a very good way and of very much use and purpose Now you shall finde that all the doctrines belonging either to speculative Divinity and to searching Divinity in the Schooles or else to practise Divinity I say you shall finde more of them as I conceive in this platform that I shall now suggest than in any that I yet saw to which premising only one thing more I shall come I premise therefore and I hope that no man will expect or thinke that I presume I shall prosecute it but only I desire to discharge my duty according to that measure of strength and life that the Lord shall vouchsafe me which makes me doe that I now intend viz. to give you a briefe delineation of all But I desire you not to expect that this can bee done with any mixture of pleasure or that it will be over easie or over facile to apprehend only I shall now run briefly thorow the whole as if a man should present you with the Scelleton or body of a man without either skin or flesh there is no beauty or pleasantnesse in such a sight yet there are all the substantials whereof the body is made there are the bones that are the very upholders of the fabricke of the body or as it was in the case of Ezekiels vision when he was carried into a field where there was nothing but dry bones there was no beauty in that sight but the beauty was afterward when those bones began to stir and move and came every one to their place and did close up with the flesh and the spirit of life came on them then it was a beautifull sight So now here in the meere naked demonstration of the thing you must not looke neither indeed is it propounded with that apprehension that it should be very delightfull or that there should be any thing in it to move that way but rather meerly for the profit of it because it may be a good guide for the comprehending and going on with through all As if a man be in a journey and hath his compasse with him by which he may know where he is it is but only for profit and therefore I hope men will beare with that dispense with the other viz. pleasantnesse though it seeme but rough to propound meerly naked bones without any beauty or comelinesse Now briefly to present the frame that I am to goe through I told you that long agoe I made the frame and then I intended to make the frame so to order it so as to bring it within the compasse of fifty two heads that is one for every Lords day in the yeare or if a man would make briefer dispatch of it hee might take two or foure heads at a time and so goe through the whole in lesse time I shall propound it the same way There be but two things by which I shall make the division of the modell or frame 1. There is first of all a frontispice or porch and Secondly there is the fabricke it selfe the whole pile and edifice There be foure things which I desire to propound in the very porch and frontispice in the entrance into all the matters of Religion and things to be knowne because they are of generall importance and use as being the very first and most sensible inquiries that will bee made in the entry into this profession The two former of them lay downe to us the marke that we should aime at The two latter the line or rule by which we must levell at that marke 1. The first inquiry will be concerning happinesse which is the very end and scope to which all that we are taught in the matters of Divinity even all the whole scope of Divinity tends that whereas there be severall arts and vocations in the world for the maintenance of this temporall life Divinity is that art which directs us in the way to get and attaine eternall life and to the true happinesse of a man all the lines of Divinity meet in that center and nothing is taught but for that and therefore this will be the first inquiry wherein the true happinesse of a man lyes And to omit the particulars that will be in that the resolution and upshot of that inquiry will come to this which will draw in the second that 2. However mens thoughts wander about their happinesse yet all the world cannot effect it neither the quintessence of any nor the concurrence of all these worldly things can make a man a happy man the only happinesse that is true and reall is only in our conjunction with God which is attainable only by our knowing worshipping and serving of God according to the true religion which is the upshot of this first inquirie and leads to the second generall thing in the porch And that is the true Religion the first inquirie is of the true happinesse the second is of the true religion But now there be many Religions in the world I will briefly name them There is the heathen religion which doth not acknowledge the true God but worship a false god There is the Iewish religion which acknowledgeth the true God and therefore differs from the heathen but doth not acknowledge him in Christ There is the Mahumetane religion which acknowledgeth the true God and acknowledgeth Christ too but doth not acknowledge Christ as the Messias and Saviour but subordinate to their Mahumet and therefore false in that And lastly there is the Christian Religion and so the upshot of all is there is no other religion true but the Christian religion which is professed in the true Church of God 3. And that leads mee to the third thing in the inquiry The first was wherein lyeth true happinesse the next what is the true religion which will lead to this happinesse and because that is said to be in the Church of God therefore the next inquiry will be which is the true Church of God There be many pretenders to the true Church there is a Greeke Church a great and large Church that professeth the doctrine of Christ there is the Romane Church that professeth Christ there be many other by-slips of Christians as Anabaptists Separatists and all kindes of sects and schismes which all professe Christ But it is none of these not the Greeke Church nor the Romane Church nor any other sect but there is a Church of the Protestants consisting of Lutherans and Calvinists and this will bee the upshot of the inquiry that the Church of God which are either Lutherans or Calvinists though different in some opinions yet both of them are within the compasse of that which is to bee acknowledged the true Church of God and the issue of this inquiry will be How wee may understand and come to descerne which is the true Church and the answer is by their adherence to the Scriptures 4. Which is the fourth head

word Prophets he saith Let him that prophesieth prophesie according to the analogy of faith {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} I know there may bee some disputes what may be the true and exact meaning of the analogy of faith For present I take that which is not contemptible nor from a contemptible author viz. Calvins interpretation which is that by faith is meant there the prime and fundamentall axioms of faith the fundamentall truths of Religion and all doctrines that are delivered in the Church must hold analogy hold proportion with those prime and fundamentall truths which are the forme of sound and wholsome words by which al other must be regulated and squared that they may hold analogy and proportion with that And in this same Epistle the next Chap. 2.15 he saith Study to approve thy selfe to God a workman that needeth not to be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth now this seems rather directly to ayme at or at least directly to suppose that there should bee a forme of sound or wholsome words in the delivery of which a man should approve himselfe so as that he needs not to be ashamed and according to the analogy of which he should divide the word of God aright holding proportion with it though I confesse there may be another interpretation though it seeme not so sutable to that place as to be able to speake a word properly to every one as it may concerne him to the weake to strengthen them to the strong to build them up farther and farther to the tempted to arme them so some would have the meaning of it to be but this seemes not to me to be the right for the dividing of the word of truth aright seemes rather to intimate a dispensing of it in such truths and soundnes as may agree with the forme of sound and wholsome words And in the 1 Pet. 3.15 the Apostle there requires not only of Ministers that they should have a forme of sound and wholsome words and that they should be able to deliver themselves in that fashion but hee seemeth to require there so much of people of Christians by that precept that he doth injoyne them there that they might be able or ready to give an account or reason of their hope that is in them that is to be able to apologize for it and to stand up in the defence and maintenance of it Now if a man be not well grounded in a forme of sound and wholsome words if hee understand them not remember them not nor be versed in them he will never bee able to give a reason an account of his faith and hope much lesse will he be able to maintaine and defend it against the hereticall and superstitious cavils and objections that will be raised against it which every Christian is bound in some degree to ayme to get an ability of and indeed it will be the foundation of his stedfast standing for no man can be stedfast in that which he knowes not nor feeles the bottome of Therefore we should bee versed in the grounds of Religion in a forme of sound and wholsome words that containes the principles of faith and that we may be able to know what is our duty And there is something to the same purpose in the Rom. 6.17 Ye have obeyed from the heart the forme of doctrine which was delivered to you But I shall omit that for the present and I shall give the ground of this 2. The ground and reason of it that which makes this appear to be a truth and a considerable truth that we should all labour to get and hold fast a form of sound and wholsome words even the sum of religion is because 1. There is a great necessity of it 1. Not only in regard of the Commission and injunction that lieth upon us the trust that God hath committed to us as I did intimate before we are but depositors and God hath committed this to our care and charge charged us with it and expects our faithfull discharge in it not only because of this I say but 2. In regard of the manifold oppositions and danger of corruptions of divine truths by the subtilty of Sathan and his instruments and their malice If Christians and the Church of God did not throughly acquaint themselves with it and bottome themselves on it they could never be able to justifie the wayes of God and the truth of God nor to vindicat that from the many subtill windings which the Serpent will use to corrupt and pervert the truth I purpose not largely to expatiat but only to give a hint of things and therefore I shall but adde a second 2. It is of great utility as there is a great necessity of it if we would not have the truth overwhelmed nor errors to be spread over and overgrowne in the face of the Church So there is an infinite benefit and advantage and utility that redounds to the Church of God by this course of having both in general in particular by every Christian of a form of sound and wholsome words there is I say an infinite benefit and utility besides the necessity of it that would redound to the Church of God in generall and to every Christian in particular by this Let me name but some few and but name them 1. Those truths the main truths of Religion being preserved pure and sound and uncorrupted will be a great band of Verity Vnity and Vnanimity 1. Of verity it will be a band to hold together all the truths of God if the main ones be kept if the fundamentall principle be purely kept it will be a band to hold and soder together all the other truths and to rectifie them if there should be any swerving And as a great band of verity so it will be a band of unity in the Church of God and unanimity For herein lyeth the unity of the Church of God not that every man agree in every particular opinion concerning every particular thing but if they do agree in the main foundation of Religion in those things which are sufficient to salvation and such are sound and wholsome words such as that all that are to be saved are to be saved by beleeving and practising of them If they be retained though there be other differences yet this will be a band of unity to make them close and soder together 2. But then secondly as this will be a band so it will be a bar too A barre against Heresie and Controversie It would be a bar against heresie This will be as it were a bar of fortification to keep out the entry and incroaching and prevailing of heresie If we stand upon our guard and upon good ground in the maintenance and defence of the maine truths there will be no breach for heresies to enter in then it will much keepe them off But the neglect of our watch