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

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65490	Englands face in Israels glasse, or, The sinnes, mercies, judgements of both nations delivered in eight sermons upon Psalme 106, 19, 20 &c. : also, Gospel-sacrifice, in two sermons on Hebr. 13 / by Thomas Westfield.	Westfield, Thomas, 1573-1644.; T. S.	1646 (1646)	Wing W1416; ESTC R24612	107,991	268

Lactantius but there is no Religion where there is a worshipping of Images It is a most indigne thing saith Tertullian that the Image of a dead man should be worshipped by man that is the Image of the living God We make no figure or representation of the Saints saith Anthelopius Bishop of Hiponium Wee have no need of them saith Ambrose God will not be worshipped by a stone We worship no Image saith Austine but that Image that is the same that God himselfe is hee meanes Christ the substantiall Image of the Father I could goe on but this is enough Come then to Councels The Councell of Illeberos in Spaine for at that time by the negligence of the Bishops Images were crept into the Church then that Councell decreed there should be no pictures in the Church The Constantinople Councell condemned all Images in the Church of God and so did the Councell at Frankfort under Charles the Great For the Tradition of the Church For three hundred yeares after Christ it is confessed by some of our Adversaries themselves that there were no Images in the Churches of God Three hundred yeares after that six hundred yeares after Christ then began Images in the Churches then the people began to yield some worship to them Gregorie the Great Bishop of Rome condemned the worshipping of them Hee allowed them and hee did ill to allow them to be in the Church to be provocations to Idolatry yet hee condemned the worshipping of them Thus it continued six hundred yeares after Christ Between six and eight hundred yeares there came a marvelous stirre in the Church of God between the Easterne and the Westerne Churches about the worshipping of Images The Bishops of the West under Rome were all for Images The good Emperour of the East was against it a bloudy war there was about it and thus it continued for above an hundred yeares Then Minera the Empresse in the minority of her Sonne a cruell Idolatrous woman and marke when you will Idolatry is cruell shee caused the second Nycene Councell to be called and there was first decreed the worshipping of Images in the Church of God in the yeare of our Lord 788. Till then Images were never appointed publikely to be worshipped in the Church yea after that time the worshipping of Images got not a peaceable quiet profession in the Church of God Charles the Great Emperour in the West mightily opposed it hee called his Bishops together at Franckford they mightily opposed the worshipping of Images Yea I pray marke that duty that concernes us in our Kingdome Charles the Great hee sent that Act of that second idolatrous Nycene Councell to our Bishops in England to know how they liked it They said Alas for woe we finde in those Acts many things against Christian Religion especially this that the worshipping of Images is decreed which the Church of God curseth Marke our Bishops Fore-fathers in England about eight hundred yeares since held that a doctrine which the Church of God curseth yea and that against all the Tables of Gods Law against the preaching of the Prophets against the institution of the Apostles against the custome of the old Church against the practice of the primitive Church against the cleare testimonies of the Fathers against the determination of Councels against a continued Tradition for almost eight hundred yeares together The beauty of the Church as one complaines in defiance of God and Man is now polluted with the very filth of Paganisme and Christian Churches are pestred as much as ever the heathen Temples were with Idols I come now to the proof of that that is the fourth point viz. That The worshipping of Images as it is taught and practised in the Church of Rome is plaine Paganisme and Idolatry The Paganish and Popish Idolatry is all one I say the worshipping of Images as it is taught and practised in the Church of Rome is plaine heathenish Idolatry How is it taught and how is it practised For the doctrine of their Church it is hard for a man to set it downe The determination of the Councell of Trent about it is a very nose of wax you may turne it any way They tell us of our divisions among our selves It is a wonder to see how they interferre and strike one on another in the point of worshipping of Images It is hard to say what they teach But I will tell you thus much Isolius the Jesuite saith This is the constant opinion of the Divines of our Church that Images are to be worshipped with the same worship that is due to him whose Image it is This was the doctrine of Thomas of Aquine whom they make a Saint This was the doctrine of all his followers This was the doctrine of Nauclantus a Bishop in Italy upon Romanes 1. Wee doe not saith hee worship before an Image as some men are wont casually to speake but we worship the Image it selfe and that with the same worship that is due to him whose Image it is Peter Precavaria a great professour of Divinity in Spaine saith This doctrine is the onely true and pious doctrine agreeable to the decrees of the Christian faith Hee alledgeth nineteene of the speciall School-men that all were of this opinion besides himself We take this then to be the doctrine of the Church of Rome that Images are to be worshipped with the same worship that is due to him whose Image it is They that have travelled into foreigne parts have found that the practise of that Church is as bad as these Theorems Confessed by some of the modest sort of them that their people were growne to a kinde of piety that did not differ much from impiety You will say it if you consider First the Image it selfe Then the worship that is given to that Image And then the rites and ceremonies in the performance of that worship Consider first the Images themselves What difference can you finde in the Images between the Popish Images and the Images of the Gentiles Look to the matter of them they are the very same The matter of the Gentiles Images was silver and gold and brasse and wood and stone this is the matter of Popish Images Look to the outward forme of their Images they are the very same The Gentiles Images were the work of mens hands they had eyes and could not see they had eares and could not heare they had mouths and could not speake they had hands and could not work they had feet and could not walk Popish Images they see no more they heare no more they speake no more they doe no more they walke no further then the heathens Images Thus much for the Image it selfe Then come secondly to the acts of devotion performed to these Images The Gentiles were wont to bow to them so doe the Papists The Gentiles were wont to pray to them so doe the Papists The Gentiles were wont to render thanks to them so doe the Papists The

with which I will conclude this point The first is this it is that of Saint John 1 John Chap. ult Ver. ult Babes saith the Apostle keep your selves from Idols Marke hee saith not your selves from Idolatry but from Idols not ab officio as Tertullian speakes but ab effigie not from the service of Idols but from Idols from such Images as may be abused to Idolatry God in the old Law forbad his people to desire the gold of an Image they may not desire so much as the gold of an Image For it will be as a snare to thee saith God Deut. 7.25 David hee met with the Philistines Images it is likely they were of gold or silver or the like and what doth hee with them He burnes them every one 2 Sam. 5.20 The brazen serpent though it were set up at the first as you heard by Gods owne command though there were miracles wrought by the sight of it though it were kept seven hundred yeares as an excellent monument of Gods mercy though it were a type and figure of Christ Even as the brazen serpent was lifted up in the wildernesse so shall the Sonne of man be lifted up yet good Hezekiah when hee saw incense burned to it would not forbid the burning of incense but he takes the serpent and breakes it and stamps it in pieces and calls it Nehushtan it was a piece of brasse and no more What did Moses in this history when he saw the calf Though it were made of gold and there might have been some use of gold among the poore people it might have done good to a number of them yet hee would not keepe the gold hee burnes it in the fire hee stampes it to powder hee beates it as small as dust Deuter. 9. ver 21. And hee is not yet revenged enough of this Image hee casts the dust into the brooke that ranne out of Horeb and made the people drinke of that water hee would not have the lest memoriall of this Image left Let mee tell you but one history more out of the Church history Epiphanius that good Bishop hee came to a Church and found a vaile in the Church wherein there was an Image of Christ or of some Saint For quoth hee I remember not whose it was but I tooke it and tore it and wrote to John Bishop of Jerusalem under whose charge that Church was that hee should not suffer such vailes in the Church against Christian Religion These are good patternes for Magistrates in Church or Common-wealth but these are no presidents for private men in publike places out of a pretence of zeale in a tumultuous manner to enterprise any such publike Reformation Men may doe as Jacob at home every man reforme his owne houshold burie his owne Images at home but private men must learne that golden rule of Saint Austine To correct what they can within the compasse of their owne calling and what they cannot to mourne for to mourne and to cry to God that hee would please to send his Son to take whatsoever offends out of his Kingdome This is the first caveat Take heed of Images To take heed of sinne is to Take heed of the occasions of sinne My second caveat is take heed of familiar conversation with these Image-worshippers All society with them is not unlawfull there may be a lawfull society even with Idolaters quoad publicam conversationem in regard of a publike conversation but take heed of societie with them in regard of inward acquaintance with them it is dangerous Let a good man be joyned with an evill man you seldome see the evill bettered by the good but the good is easily corrupted and spoyled by the evill A whole lump of dough will not sweeten a little leaven but a little leaven will sowre a whole lump of dough If any man that is called a brother be an Idolater saith Paul with such a man eate not 1 Cor. 5.11 The Pharasees in old time were so carefull of their carriage among the Gentiles and Samaritanes that they would not so much as eate of a Samaritanes bread nor drinke of a Samaritanes cup nor warme themselves at a Samaritanes fire they would not weare a Samaritanes garment nor reade a Samaritanes booke It is said of John the Evangelist that hee refused to wash himselfe in that bath wherein Cerinthus the heretike had washed Polycarpus could not be gotten to salute Marcion the heretike Eusebius Versalensis would not receive meat in prison from the hands of the Arrians You know what Saint John saith Whosoever saith God speed to them is partaker with them in their sin 2 John 10. It is a childish thing I shall tell you of but you may perceive by that how children were trained up in the detestation of heresie Theodoret tells of it At Samosatum the children playing with a ball refused to play with it after the ball by chance had touched Lucius the hereticall Bishop or the asse that hee rode on they cast the ball into the fire and would play no more with it Wee have a story of Thosmos that being about to be throwne when hee was dead into the grave of an hereticall Bishop a voice was heard in the grave Touch mee not heretike I avouch not this for truth but I told you what the Apostle saith If any man be called a brother and be an Idolater with such an one eate not Surely brethren wee are growne a little too familiar with them wee are too bold a little with these Image-mongers wee match with them wee consult with them wee conferre with them wee converse with them nay peradventure wee finde such delight in their company as that wee cannot be merry except they be in our company we cannot eate our meat except they carve it wee cannot sleepe except they rocke the cradle no wonder brethren if wee be drawne away But let me give you a third caveat Take heed of beholding Idoll-service out of the curiosity of the eye Many men will goe to masse or Idoll-service they say they meane not to adore they will not worship they go but to see and may they not go see it I tell you that sight is very dangerous that curiositie of the eye is a branch of the concupiscence of the eye which if it be not mortified may be the occasion of many sinnes Idolatry is called in Scripture by the name of whoredome Lust gets into the heart by the eye It is a hard matter for the body to be kept cleane if the eye be full of adultery Job made a covenant with his eyes to abridge them of liberty in matters of indifferency Let mee tell you a story that Saint Austine hath in the sixth booke of his Confessions c. 8. He tells us of Allipius his deare friend who went to Rome to study the Law At Rome there were usually those gladiatory sports bloudy sword-killing sports they killed men in sport Hee could not be perswaded by his companions to see

will thy glory be eclipsed Then fourthly hee puts him in mind of their progenitors Abraham Isaac and Jacob Lord these be the children of those Fathers Didst thou love the tree and wilt thou cast away the fruit Didst thou love the Fathers and wilt thou cast away the children Then another is from the promise of God confirmed with oathes thou swarest to them that thou wouldest give them the Land shall not thy promise hold Not thy promise confirmed with oathes Here is his pleading for the people as before you heard how hee pleaded Gods cause with the sword yea how earnestly hee pleaded Gods cause in that very day that hee brake the Calfe Yet notwithstanding all this the good man feared though God might repent of the evill yet it may be he will not be thorowly reconciled to the people there will not be a thorow reconciliation therefore he goes to God againe Lord quoth hee If thou wilt pardon this people It was a vehement pathos If thou wilt pardon it hee saith no more but if thou wilt not put mee out of the booke of life So desirous was hee of Gods glory together with the salvation of the people that hee was carelesse of the salvation of his own soule Lord either forgive them or blot me out of the book of life Here is a vehement prayer and with this he slacks the wrath of God quencheth it It was slacked with the bloud that he cast on it it was quenched with the teares Wee reade of many more in Scripture that stood in the breach Samuel God is wont by Jeremy to joyne him and Moses together If Moses and Samuel stood before mee Then Ezekiel stood in the breach another time Josiah another time And not to heape other examples God complaines Ezek. 13.5 that the Prophets would not stand in the breach the false Prophets But there is an excellent place worth your observation in Ezek. 22. ver 30. God had spoken of the sins of the people thorow that Chapter and shewed how those sins had made way for Divine justice to breake in among them Then in verse 30. marke what hee saith I sought for a man among them that would make up the hedge and stand in the gap before mee for the land that it should not be destroyed I found none see I sought for a man When our sinnes have opened such a gap whereby divine justice may come in to the destruction of a whole land then God looks for a man he looks about to see if he can find a man that will come and stand in the gap to keep him that he might not destroy them Brethren hee that doth not see what a wide gap what a wide breach the manifold sins of this land have made whereby divine justice may breake in and hath begun to breake in already hee that sees not this gap this breach sees nothing I pray you brethren doe but remembet Did not God a few yeares agoe make us turne our backes twice or thrice upon our enemies Did hee not make us a very derision and scorne to them that are round about us Doth not God come in now among us as the Prophet Habakuk shewes his manner of coming when hee comes to judgement to wit with the pestilence before him and burning coales going forth at his feet Hab. 3. verse 5. Doe you not see beloved brethren what a number of new upstart heresies there be in the world It bodes no good surely new heresies broached every day and old heresies renewed Doe you not see what miserable rents and schismes there be in the Church while some hold of Paul some of Apollo some of Cephas some of all of them and some of none of them Doe you not see the aspect one upon another is like the aspect of malignant planets Is not Christ divided Then doe you not see what jealousies and discontents there are in the secular state Brethren surely God is looking for a man to come to the breach Help men fathers and brethren come to this breach help Magistrates it is not enough for you to looke upon our miseries though with teares in your eyes unlesse your hands be put to the redresse of it Are there no houses of correction for these vagrant persons that live under no Magistracy under no Ministry Have you no carts for bauds No whips for harlots No pecuniarie mulcts for others No punishments for transgressors It is for us too that are Ministers to runne to this breach If ever wee did preach with power and evidence and demonstration not of nature or art but of grace and of the spirit it is time for us now to preach and to preach againe in season and out of season O that wee could be Boanerges sons of thunder and crie downe those sins that crie for vengeance And hearken Masters Fathers and Governours of families run to the breach In cleansing of the City if every man sweep before his own door the streets will be kept cleane Why doe you suffer revelling and swearing and quarrelling and drinking in your families Your houses should be Churches for God Where be your old exercises of Religion in your housholds Where be your prayers and your reading of Scriptures and your singing of Psalmes Where is your catechising I say no more but high and low rich and poore let us all run to the breach by earnest intercession to God privatly by continuall teares of repentance I conclude now as I did the last day Who knowes yet whether the Lord will have mercy on us and turne from his fierce wrath that wee perish not FINIS PSAL. 106.24,25 c. Yea they despised the pleasant land they beleeved not his Word But murmured in their tents and hearkned not unto the voice of the LORD c. WE have two things in the Text The sinnes of the people And their punishment The sins of the people are set down in the two former verses And the punishment in the two later Their sinnes are foure The first is their unthankfulnesse in despising the pleasant land They despised the pleasant land The second is their infidelity that was the cause of that same unthankfull despising of the land They did not beleeve his Word The third sin was their accustomed sin of murmuring They murmured in their tents The fourth sin was their rebellion and disobedience They hearkned not to the voice of the Lord. They despised the pleasant land they beleeved not his Word they murmured in their tents they hearkned not to the voice of the Lord. You see their sinne see their punishment The Lord threatens that hee will punish them for this you heard before my Text The Lord said hee would destroy them Now hee sweares it Hee lift up his hand against them The lifting up of the hand was a ceremony among them used in swearing and God is said to doe it to lift up his hand when hee sweares He swore against them now And what did hee sweare

to death ye shall surely bring innocent bloud upon your selves and upon this City and upon the inhabitants thereof For of a trueth the Lord hath sent me unto you to speake all these words in your eares Jer. 26.14,15 So our Saint Paul oftentimes vindicates his credit and standeth upon his sincerity in preaching the Gospel Wee are not quoth he as many men are which corrupt the Word of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seeking to vent their adulterate deceitfull wares or as Vintners doe mix their wines But as of sincerity as of God in the sigh● 〈◊〉 God speak wee in Christ 2 Cor. 2.17 And so in another place of this Epistle Not walking in craftinesse nor handling the Word of God deceitfully but by manifestation of the truth commending our selves to every mans conscience in the sight of God 2 Cor. 4.2 And this is it which every faithfull Minister of Jesus Christ should especially stand upon For cursed is he that doth the work of the Lord deceitfully Jerem. 48.10 that his words be the words of truth and sobernesse Let the world judge as it will of the manner of our preaching sometimes they say we are too hot sometimes too cold sometimes too learned for them sometimes too unlearned sometimes too high sometimes too plaine sometimes too sharp sometimes too pleasing Let the world say what it will if wee speak the trueth in Christ our consciences bearing us witnesse in the holy Ghost the Guide of our consciences that wee lye not keeping back nothing that is profitable to the people but declaring unto them the whole Counsell of God wee may then finde joy and comfort to our soules when all the comforts shall faile us that the world can yeeld us And thus have I shewed you what a Minister of Jesus Christ may passe thorow I shall now come to the second point and shew you that it is the lot of many a deare servant of God to passe thorow them all 2. Point ANd where should I rather begin to give an Instance then in our Crucified Lord one day honoured when he rode into Jerusalem bough's and garments spread in the way with a joyfull shout of Hosanna Blessed is hee that cometh in the Name of the Lord Hosanna in the highest and the fifth day after most shamefully dishonoured with a continuing cry of Crucifie him Crucifie him In which kind of death there may be doubted as I said before whether there were more paine or shame but paine enough to satisfie for our pleasure and shame enough to satisfie for our pride There 's for honour and dishonour Now for his good report and evill report Let me tell you how sometimes hee was reported to be a Prophet a great Prophet a Teacher come from God that hee was true and taught the way of God in truth and cared for no man and regarded not the person of men and lastly that hee did all things * Mark 7. ver 37. well At other times you shall finde him reported to be a Blasphemer an Enemy to Cesar a Seducer of the people a Gluttonous person and a Wine-bibber a Friend of Publicans and sinners a Samaritane and One that had a divell and One that wrought by Beelzebub the Prince of divells It were a wonder if they should not call him a Deceiver too Yes they did so For whilst they murmured against him some saying He was a good man others said Nay but hee deceiveth the people Joh. 7. ver 12. And the chiefe Priests and Pharisees in plaine words to Pilate call him a Deceiver 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat. 27.63 Wee remember this Deceiver said and yet though he was held as a Deceiver hee shewed himselfe true in that for praedixit revixit hee fore-said it and did it in his due time Let mee give you another instance in our St. Paul You have heard how at Malta hee was honoured with much honour and laden with necessaries You shall reade at Philippi Acts 16.23 how much hee was dishonoured and laden with many stripes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the place before now here 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But you will say these were at two severall places Look Act. 14. and you shall finde him honoured at Lystra more then was fit for a man to be honoured Hee and Barnabas had much adoe to keepe the people from sacrificing to him as to a god presently after it is generally beleeved the same day they stoned him with stones even to death as they supposed for they supposed him to be dead and dragged him like a dead dog out of the gates of the City Oh the inconstancy of humane favour I cannot but think how the Athenians in Plutarch used Demetrius Phalereus they set up two hundred statues to his honour and took them every one downe againe while Demetrius was yet living to his dishonour and that before either * Cum nullam earum aut aerugo attigerat aut pulvis sordidaverat Plut. Apophth rust had spoiled them or dust had soiled them But what doe I alledge out of these Histories Examples of the vulgars inconstancy dishonouring where they have honoured one day and honouring where they have dishonoured another Nothing formerly hath been more honourable at home or admirable abroad then the English Clergy nothing grown now more despicable * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysost in 2 Tim. c. 1. hom 2. S. Chrysostome complained of the like in his time that all things were turned upside-down and brought to confusion that the Church Governours were not honoured no reverence no feare yeelded to them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But good God how much worth how much learning zeal pietie religion in some Governours of the Church have wee seen shamefully trampled on under the dirty feet of some Sectaries in their scurrilous libels and pamphlets I know none I speake it in the presence of God that have done better services to the Reformed Churches against Popery by their Writings and Preachings then some Reverend Fathers in our Church have done * I meane beside those Martyr-Bishops Cranmer Ridley c. in Q. Maries daies such Bishops as have bin in the Church of England Ireland since the beginning of Queen Elizabeths Raign as namely Archbish Parker to whose care wee are beholding for most of our ancient Histories Bishop Bale Ossoriensis Episcopus for his many Volumes Bishop Jewell for his Workes Archb. Saundys for his Sermons B. Bilson for his Book intituled The Difference between Christian Subjection and Unchristian Rebellion c. B. Andr. for his Polem B. Buckridge for his Book De potestate Papae in rebus Temporalibus c. B. Abbot of Sarisbury for his Book in Defence of Master Perkins B. Babington for his Workes Bishop Lake for his learned Sermons Bishop Davenant for his Praelectiones de duobus in Theologia controversis Capitibus c. and other Tracts Bishop White for his Book against Fisher Bishop Carleton for his Book against