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
A17304	Israels fast. Or, a meditation vpon the seuenth chapter of Ioshuah a faire precedent for these times. By H.B. rector of S. Mathews Fryday-Street.	Burton, Henry, 1578-1648.	1628 (1628)	STC 4147; ESTC S106964	36,749	58

necessity should inforce either honest men to purchase the Church with mony or to permit theeues robbers to possesse all entering into the sheepfold another way This you aymed at And why did it not succeed well It was among other things thought of What if it had bin not only thought of but concluded enacted not among but before all other things Dimidium facti qui benè coepit habet A thing well begun is halfe done The heathen began alwayes their great reformations enterprizes with GOD they were first for Religion then for the Republicke Omnia post Religionem ponenda semper nostra Civitas duxit saith one of Heathen Rome Our City euer iudged all things to bee ranked after Religion A Iove principium Musae sang the Poet. And Dii caeptis aspirate meis c. should not Israel much more Did the Shunamite loose any thing by seruing the Prophet first of her handful of meale and poore remnant of oyle in her ●ruse notwithstanding her present extremity Yea hath it not beene the ancient customes of Parliaments in England euer to begin not onely to treate but to conclude of and settle the state of Religion before matters of the Republicke came to be handled If wee revolue the Annales of those ancient times of Egyptian darknes ignorance in cōparison of the present resplendent light of Israel we shal find therein such noble steps of piety towards God in this kinde as may make our Israel to blush if it doe not kindle an emulous zeale of imitation in a parallel at the least Let me for the purpose heere insert the words of that precious Bishop Iewell Neither is it saith hee so strange a matter to see Ecclesiasticall matters debated in Parliament Reade the Lawes of King Inas King Alfred King Edward King Athelstane King Edmund King Edgar King Canute and yee shall find that our godly forefathers the Princes Peeres of this Realme neuer vouchsafed to entreate of matters of Peace or warre or otherwise touching the common state before all controversies of Religion and causes Ecclesiasticall had bin concluded King Canute in his Parliament holden at Winchester vpon Christmas day after sundry lawes orders made touching the Faith the keeping of holy-dayes publick prayers learning of the Lords Prayer Receiuing the Communion thrice in the yeare the manner and forme of Baptisme Fasting and other matters of Religion in the end thereof saith thus Iam sequitur Institutio legum saecularium Now followeth an order for Temporall Lawes Thus wee see saith the good Bishop that the godly Catholicke Princes in olde times thought it their duety before all other affaires of the Common-weale first to determine matters of Religion and that euen by the Parliaments of this Realme Such were the auncient Princes and Elders of this Kingdome in times past Their care of Religion in the first place in their Parliaments was the onely way to bring on the better successe for their Civill affaires Wherein also the reverend Prelates furthered all good Acts by their counsel when required although they had not negatiue voyces in Parliament as D Iewell in the foresaid place and also Bishop Bilson in his booke of Christian subjection and Antichristian Rebellion doe plainely show the Parliaments of this Land hauing euer had this power as well in matters of Religion as of ciuill Policy to establish good and wholesome Lawes for both Not that our Parliaments haue power to make new Articles of the Faith to establish what Religion they please but it is in their power yea and their duty too taking the Word of God for their guide and rule to establish the true Religion taught therein and to abolish all false Religions cōtrary thereunto Where then should a Parliament begin but with God but with Religion if euer they looke that GOD should giue a happy successe to their ciuill affaires therein Especially the Parliaments of these our times wherein the cloudes of Pelagian heresie mounting to the toppe of mans aery imagination by casting a false shaddow vpon the pure doctrines of the Church of England deriued vnto vs from the Fountaines of Scripture by the Conduits of the prime Reformers of Religion and continued vnto vs euer since by the vninterrupted pipes of the most learned and illustrious Martyrs Prelates and Doctours of our Church would bring our Meridian light of the Gospell to a twylight by intermingling with it the Egyptian fogs of the Church of Rome So that if our Parliaments would repaire the ruinated Edifice of the Republicke let them begin to make good and strengthen the maine pillars and Foundation whereon it standeth and that is Gods Temple Religion which through vndermining Pioners is shrewdly shaken who goe about to erect the towre of Babel instead thereof In the Name of GOD therefore pardon by boldnesse some must speake out else the stones would cry yet I take not vpon mee to teach the Elders of Israel They can best judge of what I say and the Lord giue them vnderstanding in al things whensoeuer the Elders of Israel shall meet againe in Parliament and I trust God will put it into the heart of our Ioshua in due time to summon a Parliament for the glory of God and the good of Israel I trust to see both Ioshua and the Elders of Israel agree in one in the first place to establish the Religion of Christ so long and happily hitherto avowed and maintained in the Church of England The establishment whereof necessarily dependeth vpon the abolishment of two maine troublers of Israel to wit Antichristian Idolatry and Arminian heresie While these two stand neuer let Israel looke for any good To omit many godly Kings of Israel as Iehosnaphat Ezechiah Iosiah who destroying Idolatry prospered remarkeable is the example of Asa who in rooting out of Idolatry spared not his owne Mother Maachah remouing her from being Queene because shee had made an Idole in a groue and Asa cut downe her Idole and stamped it and burnt it Insomuch as King Asa prospered in warre and his Land had peace to the 35 yeare of his raigne vntill he made a league with the King of Syria not relying on the Lord and being depraued by Hanani the Seer hee put him in prison and oppressed some of the people Againe so long as Arminian bookes are vnpurged and the Trueth vnpriviledged to passe abroad your Parliaments O Israel cannot prosper To the repurgation of these if you adde out of euery Impropriation a sufficient maintenance to the Ministery if you castigate Simony if possible by some wise godly restrictions better executed if with these reformations you conclude your first Session of Parliament without any mixture of your owne ciuill matters all other grievances shall fall mole sua as the wals of Iericho at the voyce of the rammes hornes Our Ioshua shall be honoured with subsidiary streames of loue duty flowing from the hearts of the best subiects in the World out

cleansed from their sinnes by faith and repentance Also in this their sanctification they might be vnderstood to haue commended themselues and the cause to God with prayer that God would finde out for them the Troubler of Israel that he would blesse and direct the lot for that end And here is a good lesson for all Iudges and Iurers and Executioners of Iustice in matters of life and death that they be sanctified first themselues by faith and repentance before they passe their verdict vpon others Otherwise without this sanctification and due preparation for men to rush vpon the censuring and punishing of others sins is the way to bring Gods displeasure vpon themselues Wee haue a famous example heereof in the Israelites themselues when they were to take revenge vpon the Tribe of Beniamin for that foule fact committed by a few sonnes of Belial vpon the Levites wife but much more which aggravated the fact beyond measure for the Beniamites not onely not punishing of it but countenancing and defending it That the rest of the Tribes all combined as one man to punish such an vnheard of impiety and insolency euen in their brethren the Beniamites no doubt was both laudable with men and acceptable with God Insomuch as they consulting with God had his directiō approbation Their consulting with God was good and requisite and the only way to speed well in their enterprize Yet which is to bee well noted they prospered not against Beniamin till they had throughly sanctified themselues For First their consulting with God was not whether they should goe vp against Beniamin or no but hauing resolued on it among themselues they aske of GOD which of the Tribes shall goe vp first Heere was yet no due sanctification of Israel to prepare them to the battaile and so they sped accordingly for the first day the joynt Tribes lost twenty and two thousand chosen men A fearefull discomfiture Well they re-inforce the battaile the second day but withal goe a little more warily to worke then before They weepe before the Lord vntill euen which was a good peece of a publicke Fast. And good reason they had to weepe that had lost so many of the thousands and worthies of Israel But this as yet was but a carnall weeping Yet they aske counsel of the Lord saying Shall I goe vp againe to battaile against the children of Beniamin my Brother And the Lord said Goe vp against him Yet for all this Israel was foyled the second day and lost againe 18 thousand men Why Did not the Lord bid them goe Yes For the Lord would be avenged on the obstinate Beniamites How then came the Tribes to be beaten againe Surely as yet they had not duely sanctified themselues So that though the Lord bade them goe yet because they had not sanctified themselues the Lord as yet makes them no promise of good successe But vpon this second disaster then all the children of Israel and all the people went vp came into the House of God and wept and sate there before the Lord and fasted that day vntill euen and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. This is to the purpose indeed Heere is a second Faste not onely publicke but generall of all the children of Israel and all the people of all ages and sexes and not onely the sword-men and men of warre They come to the House of God they weep they faste till euen yea they offer burnt offerings and peace offerings All which together was a due and orderly sanctification of Israel when to their weeping and fasting they added burnt offerings and peace offerings whereby they made their attonement and peace with God for all their own sins Well hauing thus sanctified themselues what followeth They withall aske counsell of the Lord whether they should goe vp againe against Beniamin or surcease Still it was Israels constant course to aske counsell of the Lord in all their enterprizes to take their God-speed with them And now the Lord not onely bids them goe but giueth them his expresse promise to deliuer Beniamin into their handes which hee did not before It is not enough to aske counsell of God but to obtaine his fauour and promise for good speed in our vndertakings And we are sure of his blessing vpon vs if first our enterprize be just warrantable as this of Israels was and if withall it bee vndertaken with a good conscience seeking therein the glory of God principally hauing first humbled our selues before him consulted the Oracle of his Word offered him burnt offerings and peace offerings by renewing our faith and repentance to bee at peace with God All this done we haue God on our side his blessing and Promise attends our Enterprizes Now Israel being first throughly sanctified goe on and prosper in the execution of Iustice vpon their refractary and too too audaciously insolently impious Brethren as wee see in the rest of the Chapter Would Israel then proceed well and prosper in their execution of Iustice vpon those that trouble Israel Israel must bee sanctified first from her owne sinnes by fasting and prayer by faith and repentance by consulting with GOD by seeking his glory in all Then Israel goe on and prosper the day is thine Otherwise Israel doth but puzzle and perplexe her selfe with sollicitous industrious but vnsuccessefull vndertakings Euen obstinate Beniamin gets the better of his better Brethren seeking his reformation before they were duely sanctified to take a iust revenge Now Israel thou fastest thou prayest thou weepest thou lamentest thy vnhappy successes at home and abroad thou wouldest faine haue cured the maine cause as thou imaginest and haue procured thine owne peace and contentment But thou hast laboured in vaine thy best purposes and intendments for Israels good haue beene frustrate But examine the cause of all this Hast thou beene sufficiently sanctified when thine Elders were assembled Yes you prayed you mourned you desired at least a solemne fast for your good speed But did you therein seeke Gods glory first Yes But did you offer your peace offerings seeking your peace with God in the purgation of your own sinnes euen the sins which not a little trouble Israel What bee those In speciall Sacriledge and Simony the great corrupters of Church and Religion The one hath swept away the maintenance from Ministers the other hath turned Ministers into Marchants and both together cause prophecyings to faile the people to perish and Idolatry to spread it selfe The authors and actors of these are Israels Achans enough to alienate God from his people But you were about good Lawes to cure their maladies so far as the iniquity of the times would suffer by restoring at least some part of the long detained portiō of Tithes Gods own inheritance which might be some cōpetent pittance to maintaine a painefull Minister by restraining if possible the Leprosy of Simony frō tainting the small remnant of the Leviticall body least armed