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	doctrine_n	england_n	6,989	5	6.3346	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A00731	A Christians preparation to the worthy receiuing of the blessed sacrament of the Lords Supper	Field, Theophilus, 1574-1636.	1622 (1622)	STC 10860; ESTC S118349	22,963	94

A CHRISTIANS PREPARATION TO THE WORTHY Receiuing of the Blessed Sacrament of the Lords Supper Nunquam satis dicitur quod nunquam satis discitur LONDON Printed by Augustine Mathewes for Tho. Thorp 1622. TO THE RIGHT High and Illustrious Lady the Lady FRAVNCIS Dutchesse of Leonox Countesse of Richmond c. Most excellent Lady THe speciall grace your Grace did mee when not long since you were pleased to Discourse of the Blessed Sacrament hath emboldened mee hauing euer sithence studied how to shew my selfe thankefull to inuite your Ladiship to the reading of this my Discourse A Christians preparation to the worthy Receiuing of the Lords Supper which I most humbly present in hope of good acceptance at least of pardon as comming from Your Graces most deuoted daily Beadsman Theoph. Landauensis To the Reader CHristian Reader when this small Tractate was first written by the Reuerend Authour it was intended onely for the priuate vse of a Noble Friend of his and not for publique Cognizance But the Copie thereof being communicated to certaine High and Honourable Personages They were very earnest with Him to haue it committed to the Presse His Medestie holding it vnworthy any Estimation at all was very loath to venture it to the common Destiny of Bookes Censure Which when I being one whom he vouchsafeth to descend so low as to call Friend did vnderstand I made bold to entreat the perusing of it and afterwards hauing by incessant importunitie expugned His too much bashfulnesse I extorted from him at the last a Permission to publish it For howbeit I knew that diuers Learned and Godly Diuines had written vpon the same Subiect that eating too much Manna hath made the world sicke of a Surfeit yet I was perswaded that some of the Meaner sort of people might reape some ghostly comfort and Instruction by This as well as Others of highest Ranke had done before And further considering with my selfe his Maiesties late gracious wise and godly Directions to the Clergie touching Catechising I thought that this small Treatise agreeing and consenting with those Directions and treating of one Branch of the Catechisme might prooue not altogether vn-vsefull to any Much I will not say in Commendation of it but thus much I may and thou also wilt if neither Ignorance doe blind nor Preiudice hood-winke the eye of thy Iudgement boldly and truly affirme That it sauoreth not either of the Superstition of the One or Bastard and phantasticke Noueltie of the Other Abberration in Religion but speaketh the same Old and Orthodox Doctrin though not in the same Syllables that is comprised in the Articles the Homilies and Catechisme of the Church of England And those are our Rule to direct all our Instructions by in this kinde Thus wishing thee as much ghostly Benefit by it as the Authour did to that Religious and Noble Personage whose Pious desire did first set him on work to Compose it I rest Thine and the Authors Friend in Christ Iesus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not Life to All. For to some it is Death and Destruction For He that eateth and drinketh vnworthily eateth and drinketh ●r 11. 29. his owne damnation 'T is very strange that so Contrary effects as Life and Death should spring out of one and the selfe same Cause Doth a Fountaine send out at Iames 3. 11. one place bitter water and sweet saith St. Iames That may not be granted And yet the same Sacrament of Christ his blessed Body and Blood Mors est malis vita Bonis as Aquinas In Hymno speaketh It is Death to the wicked vnworthy and Life to the godly and worthy Receiuer But Certainely these two Contrary effects doe not Naturally proceed from the Sacrament it selfe but the One viz. Death is caused by It no otherwise then accidentally and improperly For the Sacrament it selfe was ordayned by Christ to be an Instrument of spirituall Life and no cause of Death or Damnation at all But wee haue a common saying in the Schooles That Omnis causa agit secundum dispositionem Subiecti Euery cause doth worke according as the Subiect which it is to worke vpon is fitted and disposed Therefore Experience sheweth that one and the same Heate of the same Sunne doth Harden the Clay and melt or mollifie the Waxe The same meat doth nourish and strengthen an heathfull and sound body which if it be eaten by persons of sicke and corrupted stomachs doth but increase their Disease and degenerate into the malignant humour of the sicknesse it selfe So howsoeuer the Sacrament of the Lords body doth augment grace in the prepared heart of a poenitent Receiuer yet the impenitent and obstinate sinner by partaking of that holy mysterie becomes more sicke in Soule and more crazed in Conscience then before That happeneth to him in Soule which is reported to haue befalne Sabellicus lib. 8. Henry the Emperour in his body Cui in hostiâ consecratâ venenum attulit interitum Who was poysoned by receiuing the consecrated Hoast The Arke of the Couenant receiued into the house of Obed Edom for the space of three moneths brought great benefits and much happinesse with it For the Lord blesse● Obed. Edom and all his household 2 Sam. 6. 10. Yet for all that the Philistims had the same Arke amongst them for a much longer time and they were so far from reaping any benefite or benediction by it that the Lord powred his curses and plagues vpon them for deteining it The reason of which different effects was the Difference and Dissimilitude of the Lodging or Roome into which the Arke was receiued Obed-Edom entertained it with all humble reuerence and pious deuotion of a sanctified heart The Philistims receiued it so indeuoutly and vnreuerently that they forbare not to place it by their Idol Dagon So this 1 Sam. 5. 2. heauenly Sacrament becommeth Death to the bad and Life to the good by reason of the diuers Disposition and different preparation of those persons which are partakers of it Some like Obed-Edom prepare their Soules before hand to receiue it with Faith Penitence Humilitie and Reuerence Others like the Philistims make no such reckoning of it but receiue it hand ouer head into an impenitent an vnsanctified an vnprepared heart an heart wedded to wickednesse and doe place it among their deare and darling sinnes which they doat vpon adore no lesse then if they were their Idols That therefore we may knowe How to receiue this food of our soules in such maner as it may bring Life and Grace and Saluation to vs the Apostle setteth vs downe the way in his first Epistle to the Corinths the 11. Chapter at the 28. verse Let a man therefore examine himselfe c. Which words of the blessed Apostle containe a Double charge First that wee trie before wee eate and secondly that wee eate after triall Before wee doe Communicate the Apostle requires Triall of our selues and then after Triall and Examination hee