Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	church_n	discipline_n	government_n	3,314	5	6.9877	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01383	A godlie exhortation, and fruitfull admonition to vertuous parents and modest matrons Describing the holie vse, and blessed institution of that most honorable state of matrimonie, and the encrease of godlie and happy children, in training them vp in godly education, and houshold discipline. R.G.	Greenham, Richard.	1584 (1584)	STC 11503; ESTC S120863	7,764	24

wisdome Zachary and Elizabeth fearing the Lord receiued Iohn the Baptist forerunner of Christ. Looke what sinnes we haue receiued naturallie without GOD his great blessing without praier humbling of our selues we shall conuey them to posteritie and although the lord granteth sometimes ciuill gifts vnto the children of natural and carnal men yet for the most part they receiue their naturall sins But if the children of God by regeneration do sée in themselues and lament their sinnes of generation praying that their naturall corruptions may be preuented in their posterities they shal sée great mercies of god in some measure fréeing their children from the same Nowe when thou shalt sée such sinnes to bée in thy children enter into thy owne heart examine thy selfe whether they are not come from thée consider how iustly the hand of God may be vpon thée and when thou wouldest be angrie against thy child haue an holie anger with thy selfe and vse this and such like meditation with thy owne soule Lord shal I thus punish mine owne sinne and that in my owne childe shall I thus persecute the corruptions of my ancesters nay I sée O Lord proue that thou art displeased with me for the too carnall conception of my childe I lay then in some sinne I asked it not of thée by praier be mercifull vnto me O Lord and in thy good time shewe some pittie vpon my childe Thus thinking thou goest about to correct nature in thy childe which he could not helpe arming thy selfe with praier repenting with Iacob thou shalt be so affected as desirous to draw thy child out of sinne yet with the mildest meanes and least rigor And one thing is most wonderfull that some will teach their children to speake corruptlie and doe wickedly whilst they are yong and yet beat them for it when they are olde againe some will imbolden their litle ones to practise iniquitie towardes others which when by the iust iudgement of God they afterward exercise towardes the parents themselues they are corrected for it And yet deale with these and such like men for the euill education of their children and they will answere doe not wée as much as is of vs required wée sende our children to the Church to be instructed of the pastour and to the schoole to be taught of the maister if they learne it will be the better for them if not they haue the more to answere for what can we do more But remember O man consider O woman whosoeuer thus speaketh for that sinnes sake and the want of praier there may be a plague vpon the pastors paines and a cursse vpon the teachers trauell If parents would haue their children blessed at the Church and at the schoole let thē beware they giue their children no corrupt example at home by anie carelesnesse prophanesse or vngodlines otherwise parents wil do them more harm at home then both pastor and schoolmaister can doo good abroad for the corrupt example of the one fighteth with y e good doctrine of the other which is by so much the more dangerous because that corrupt walking is armed with nature and therefore more forcibly inclineth the affections of children to that side And further experience teacheth vs that children like or mislike more by countenance gesture and behauiour then by anie rule doctrine or precept what soeuer Some there be that will not haue their children taught vntill they be ten or twelue yeares old because as they say at that age they haue but an apish imitation To whom I answere that although they cannot then déepely discerne nor profoundlie conceiue things yet how manie things before these yeares will they both receiue and remember And I demaund if children be apish in imitating that whiles they be yong which they will haue the habit of when they be old may they not much better doe apishlie good whiles they are yong which they may do carefullie when they are olde besides let them goe so vntaught and they will grow so headstrong that they will sooner be broken then bended and sure it is that one stripe or two words will doe more good to a child in time then a hūdred stripes afterward And here let parents be admonished of their vndiscréete correction who doe their children more harme in shewing a merrie countenance after their discipline vsed then they do good by their chastisement of them whiles they do correct them Neither doe I purpose to take away naturall affections anda Christian kind of compassion in all our censures for it is my great complaint of the brutish vnmercifulnesse of manie parents herein but would wish Christians to correct their vndiscréete affections herein by heauenly wisedome Neither am I so Stoicall as to denie a more milde and affable kinde of speach to bée both lawfullie and conuenientlie vsed to children and yet I wish it to be void of all vnséemely lenitie and without all shew of foolish vaine and vnnecessarie behauiour To be briefe howe néedefull houshold gouernement towards our children is it may appeare by the slender thriuing and small profiting either of religion or vertue either in the church or common wealth Speake men of discipline neuer so much complaine they of the want of church gouernement neuer so loude preach they teach they neuer so much abroade vnlesse they will beginne discipline in reforming their houses and giue religion some rowme at home they shall trauaile much and profite little And surely if men be carefull to reforme themselues first and then their families if their charge be greater their circuites and prouinces wherein the Lorde hath placed them it were the best way to moue the Lord to bestow reformation and discipline on his church among vs and of all meanes that nowe may be hoped for this séemeth best for of particuler persons come families of families townes of townes prouinces of prouinces realmes so that conueighing discipline thus from one to another in time and that shortlie it would come into the church well I say let there be neuer so good lawes in cities neuer so pure orders in churches if there be no practise at home if fathers of families vse not doctrine and discipline in their houses ioyne their handes to magistrate and ministers they may indéede but vniustlie as manie haue done complaine that their children are corrupted abroad when they were before and are still corrupted at home Alas if parents to whome the comfort of their children well brought vp is a precious crown wil not informe and reforme their children in the feare of God howe would hope sustaine these men that others will performe this dutie for them to whome this charge doeth farre lesse appertaine Lastlie let parents remember that therefore they haue disordered and disobedient children to themselues because they haue béene disobedient children vnto the Lorde and disordered to their parents when they were young whereof because they haue not repented the Lorde punisheth their sinnes to others with