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
A77847	The reformation of the church to be endeavoured more then that of the common-vvealth, declared, in a sermon preached before the Right Honourable House of Lords at the publike fast, August 27. 1645. / By Anthony Burges, pastour of Sutton Coldfield, and now preacher at Laurence-Jury, London.	Burgess, Anthony, d. 1664.	1645 (1645)	Wing B5654; Thomason E298_13; ESTC R200236	17,974	31

Where the Churches of God retain the true Doctrine there is not an essentiall alteration nor can Religion properly be said to be changed And thus when calumniatours say that we are setting up a new Religion it 's but a slander for the doctrine that hath heretofore been retained in England I speak not of Papizing and Arminianizing persons is not changed we still retain the Doctrine of the Scriptures of the Trinity of Christ of justifying faith therefore all the alteration is accidentall concerning rituals and discipline which alteration makes to the perfection and well-being of the Doctrine for the Doctrine that is anima and Discipline that is the nerves whereby the body is compact together 4. No Reformers that ever God raised up in the Church would own themselves so far perfect as that there needed no addition we should doe wrong to the blessed Reformers if so be that we should think they themselves thought they had attained to such a Reformation as needed no further a Reformation It 's expressed in the Common-prayer book That till the primitive Discipline may be restored again they ordered for the present thus and thus Nay certainly were the godly Martyrs commanded to come out of their graves and to see what is now doing in England they would exceedingly rejoyce to see the fruit of their prayers 5. It lieth as a dutie upon Churches to improve their talents as well as particular persons If persons are to grow in knowledge and Reformation then why not Churches not as if that Academicall principle of the Socinians were to be received that it is lawfull every moneth to alter our opinions in the Doctrine of Religion that is to bring in Atheisme at last yet notwithstanding there is to be a growth in the clearer knowledge even of essentials as when a childe groweth he doth not get new members or parts only they grow in their kinde It is profectus not alteratio as Lyrinensis called it and as for those things that are not absolutely essentiall we see by experience what need there is that Churches should daily encrease in their knowledge And so much for this Objection The next Objection is of those who say It 's no such dangerous thing to live and die in errours therefore there needeth not so much strictnesse and accuratenesse herein and the handling of this is necessary in these times when it is thought that heresie is but a theologicall fiction and that it is great innocency Now though great care ought to be used for the declining of all tyranny in Discipline against errours and in opinions of lesse concernment a Magistrate is not to make the major proposition a jailor the minor and a prison the conclusion yet that people may be more afraid tremble about errour then they do It is good to confider first a man may pervert Scripture to his own damnation by errour 2 Pet. 3.16 Which the unlearned and unstable wrest to their own damnation So that a man may damn himself by errours as well as by a wicked life Yea Oecumenius makes it as great a sinne to wrest and mangle the Scripture as to take the bodies of the holy Pen-men and to murder them consider that place Prov. 30.6 Adde thou not to his words lest he reprove thee By reproving is meant a reall chastisement and affliction now when thou liest under heavie troubles thou enquirest what sin have I done What iniquity is it that I have committed for which God doth thus heavily afflict me never considering that it may be for a sinfull and carnall opinion If therefore errour may be the poison and damnation of a mans soule it is not to be judged as a thing of pardon rather then of blame as some would have it 2. Heresies and errours come from damnable causes therefore they are not to be sleighted the generall cause of them is made to be the flesh Gal. 5.20 and reckoned in the nature of them with grosse sins murders whoredoms c. and joyned in the damnable effect of them They that do these things shall never inherit the Kingdom of heaven neither is there any necessity of that forced interpretation to take heresies there spoken of for contentions and strifes seeing though the word may denote some wilfull pertinacie yet it frequently signifieth some pertinacy about religious matters by this therefore it appeareth that a man may be carnall by his head-sins as well as by his hand-sinnes then there are more particular causes mentioned by Scripture of errour which are damnable as obstinacy covetousnesse pride and vain-glory as in Marcion when he said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he would throw the fire-bals of contention which should be unquenchable like those of hell especially these errours are of a damnable cause when they come from a loosenesse of heart as those that dispute against the morality of the Sabbath and the strict keeping of it and against the obligation of the morall law and the divinity of the Scriptures therefore goe to the fountain of every errour and see how dangerous that is 3. The severall acts or nature wherein it consisteth is damnable There is a learned man that confidently maintaineth the word Heresie is never used in the Scripture in a middle or indifferent sense but alwaies in an ill notion I shall not call that into question now only we say as it is taken ecclesiastically the acts of it are very hainous as that it 's putting a lie upon the holy Ghost if the salfe prophets were so threatned for saying Thus saith the Lord when the Lord did not say so then must the like condemnation fall upon them who say Thus saith the Scripture when it saith it not Again Gods Word is the publike Standard it 's the testament of Christ now how harnous a thing is it judged to falsifie the last will of a man Again Gods Word is precious and dear to him and he will hear the words and the groans as it were which this corrupt heart makes in it 4. The consequents of it are damnable for errour is like the plague and infection which destroyeth many others Arius una scintilla fuit and yet how did it fire the whole world and how well were it if Luthers temptation were upon many men Tune solus sapis art thou only wise what if thou be damned and drawest many thousands to hell with thee therefore it is a true saying Quicquid in religionem divinam committitur in omnium fit injuriam Again these sins of errours pollute the minde and understanding which are the choisest parts of man alwaies the sins that are majoris infamiae greater reproach among men are not presently majoris reatus of the greater guilt before God Is not the devil called an unclean spirit yet he hath no bodily wickednesse therefore doctrine being the foundation of practice it is dangerous to erre there And then lastly such sins we are hardly convinced of An outward grosse sin naturall conscience may condemn but

from corrupt worship and Idolatry we may conclude Doct. 1 That it is an happy thing when those Magistrates whom God raiseth up to assert the freedoms of a Common wealth do also endeavour a reformation of the Church In the second place whereas you see Gideon much opposed and that by the multitude of people and the dearest of his friends in so much that had he not been endowed with extraordinary piety and magnanimity from above he could never have performed this great service to God we may observe Doct. 2 That there is a necessity of the concurrence of many speciall abilities and graces in those who undertake a Reformation I will begin with the first Doctrine Before we lay down the grounds of this take notice that it lyeth as a duty upon Magistrates to attend to the reformation of all corruptions that creep into the Church as well as to redresse the abuses in a state Only concerning his power herein there is a two-fold extremity by way of errour first of Popery who do not well approve that the Magistrate should meddle in matters of Religion but would have him altogether bound up in the determinations of the Pope and his Bishops and especially they abhorre this doctrine when it extendeth to the reformation of the Ecclesiasticall persons But we see in the Scripture the godly Magistrates Hezekiah Josiah and others demolishing the Altars incouraging the Priests that taught the good knowledge of God and punishing Baals Priests and where these things have not been done there we finde the Magistrates reproved on the other side the errour may be extreme when we give them an unlimited power in establishing matters of Religion as if they were not to be regulated by Scripture or to take the advice and counsell of those that are Spirituall governours in the Church Thus Constantius is branded who when he would have counselled the Orthodox to Arianisme he uttered that speech full of pride quod ego volo pro canone sit what I will shall stand for a rule Thus also we go too farre when we confound Civill power and Ecclesiastique making the former wholly to devoure the latter Hence Calvin speaking of the duty of Kings and all in authority to use the sword for the defence of Religion and the worship of God yet addeth that there are inconsiderati homines c. some rash and indiscreet men who go beyond their bounds in setting up the Magistrates power so that they do abolere omne spirituale regimen abolish all spirituall government By this briefly it may be seen that it is the Migistrates duty to establish the worship of God to reforme corruptions in the Church yet with some rules and grounds I come therefore to the reasons why Governours ought to lay to heart and to be affected with Church matters as well as those of the state As 1. Because Gods blessing doth most remarkably follow their other enterprises Hence Hag. 1. God bids them consider whether they did not thrive accordingly as they promoted the building of the Temple and thus Jehoshaphat when he bestirred himselfe in a reformation fear fell upon all the nations round about that they dared not to warre with him and on the contrary how was Solomons and Rehoboams kingdome shaken when they corrupted the worship of God If we would judge by Scripture we should see horrible wickednesse and impiety in those speeches of men which say It is this strictnesse this reformation that brings all our calamities upon us men that will not be perswaded their own oaths drunkennesse and ungodly practices do make the land miserable will yet thinke the prayers and active endeavours of the godly to bring all our ruine upon us 1. This is no Scripture judgement If therefore we would have God subdue our enemies and those that hate us let Magistrates subdue that which is an enemy to God corrupt worship defiled administrations of ordinances these are enemies to God It is true sometimes God to try the constancie of reformers and their faithfullnesse hath brought much warre and calamity upon them presently upon finishing the reformation as 2 Chron. 32.1 2. Herein are concerned the souls of men certainly this ought much to inflame and kindle your affections in a Church-reformation that hereby you may preserve the souls of thousands from everlasting perdition Monopolies and illegall taxes these onely waste the outward estates of men but corrupt worship doth the souls of men You doe bemoan those thousands that have lost their blood in the field since the warrs began but had not God stirred up Governours to reform how many thousands of souls would have perished through ignorance and superstition So that Joseph was never in more mercy raised up by God to preserve his Father and Brethren from famine in time of dearth then when God moved the hearts of divers in eminent places to cause the plenty of Gods Word Know therefore Right Honourable that by your places and power which God hath committed to you you may save the souls of many Look upon it as the least thing that the people of England may by your means have their bodies and estates securely provided for but account it the greatest obligation and tie upon you to provide for their souls and spirituall happinesse There are spirituall plunderings as well as corporall and there is the siring of souls as well as houses and towns therefore let your thoughts and consultations be to prevent these 3. The devil useth all his malice and power for the subverting of this rather then the other Wherein doth the devils great enmity and rage appear against men It is not against their purses their bodies their outward comforts so much as against their souls The devil and his instruments they chiefly labour that there may be no pure doctrine no holy discipline no godlinesse promoted to stop this all the power of hell combine so that the greatest and the most dangerous part of our warre at this time is with the powers of darknesse which stirre up instruments to promote that kingdom of darknesse As they report of the Basilisk it hateth man so much that wheresoever it seeth the image or picture of him it endeavours to tear it in peeces such is the hatred of Satan and his instruments to any thing of God appearing in doctrine worship or discipline that he would pull all into pieces and certainly the confusions that the devil hath brought upon Churches by heresies and impieties are more dreadfull and terrible then all the devastations and desolations he hath brought upon States and Common-wealths by the sword or other calamities Let this therefore awaken men in place and authority and let them thinke what is that which hell which the devils which wicked men would so gladly have and they shall see it is nothing but a dissolute carelesse and impenitent life without any check from the Word of God 4. Gods care about his Church is farre above that to the Common-wealth Therefore

But this is the great eye-sore and trouble to many they would have it better with the state and are not affected with a reformation in the Church and this carnall disposition was of old Austin speaks much to this purpose about the Heathens who cried out of the Christian religion as the cause of all their troubles and miseries They would have peace againe though they had thereby mala saevis pejora hostibus and he bringeth in an Heathen saying Let us have our feasts again our merry meetings reges non curent quam bonis sed quam subtitis regnant non jubeantur dura non prohibeantur impura Let no hard duties be commanded no impure waies forbidden I lle sit publicus inimicus cui haec felicitaes displicet Lib. 1. de civit cap. 30. I fear these things lye in the bottome of many mens hearts who yet are very willing to have all state grievances taken away The means to be such Magistrates and people are these 1. Be affected with Gods Word take that for a rule adore the majesty and fullnesse of the Scripture consider not what this or that carnall principle suggesteth to you but say how is it written and how do we read in the Scripture The Church of God is tied to the Scripture to fetch all nourishment and support from it as the childe is fastened by the navell to the mother for the relief and maintenance of it What hath made men heretiques in the mysteries of the Trinity and Deity of Christ but only attending to reason and not Scripture they will have us shew the like in the creatures but the Father said well to the Arian that demanded so Da mihi alium Deum aliam Trinitatem tibi ostendam 2. Get an heavenly heart and minde which will prize the ordinances of God till this be in men they will not move or stirre in any Temple-worke It s no marvell if David have such a desire to build an house to God when he cryeth out How amiable are thy Tabernacles O Lord Psal 84.1 Blessed are they that dwell in thy house c. So when he is in banishment what is that which he so longeth for is it to have his peace and outward tranquillity again or not rather to see the power and glory of God as he had seen it in the sanctuary Psal 6.31 2. 3. Humble your selves for former known pollutions or for negligence and remissenesse in reformation when opportunities have been offered Who knoweth whether much of this worke that is now to do might not have been dispatched heretofore if the hearts of men in place had been for it Can we say that it is not the sinne of Parliaments and governours heretofore that the Ark is not already setled and how necessary our humiliations are for former known defilements and superstitions appeareth Ezek. 43.10 11. 4. Remember these considerations 1. What the thoughts are which God hath about a worship that is none of his Joh. 4. You worship you know not what men do they know not what howsoever they dote most upon their own invented worship There is a Papist Raymundus saith There are as many mysteries in the Masse as drops in the sea Angels in Heaven Starres in the firmament atomes in the Sunne-beames or sand in the sea shore but that which is highly esteemed among men is abominable before God 2. The danger of our own hearts in such things God doth frequently forbid our own wisdome and discretion in matters concerning him and the wiser men are the more absurd they have been in their worship when they have not been guided by the light of the Scripture as in the Egyptians who were noted to be a fountain of the arts and much knowledge they were of all the Heathens most ridiculous about their gods And all Popery may sufficiently advertise us how dangerous it is to leave Gods word and to follow our own imaginations In things of this life a Magistrate de jure suo tantum remittere potest quantum pacis studium requiret sed alia est ratio spiritualis regiminis 3. The unprofitablenesse of any such way for a spirituall benefit whatsoever doctrine worship or ordinance is not of the Lords institution can never be blest to any spirituall effect upon the soul The word of promise doth alwaies suppose a word of institution 4. Godly men cannot rejoyce in outward blessings if this be wanting as you heard before of David though he might have his countrey his liberty again yet that was not so great a good as to enjoy God again it is riches and the Gospel peace and the Gospel that makes a people happy 5. This is a great argument to prevail with God what an argument is this in prayer Lord blesse these Magistrates this Parliament for they set up thy Kingdome and consider that every time you pray that petition in the Lords prayer that the Kingdome of God would come the meaning is that the powerfull preaching of Gods word and the wholesome dispensation of the ordinances may every where be setled But against all these Arguments for a Reformation there are many objections brought I will instance in three only First Some say this is to make all Religion ridiculous what a vanity and inconstancy doth this seem to be to have one year one kinde of service and worship of God and another the next year Now to this I answer these things 1. It is indeed a very hard thing to take men off from their religious usages though they have no solid ground to retain them Thus Austin he complained Genus est morbi gravissimi eorum qui dicunt nobis verè quidem dicitur non est quod respondeatur sed durum est nobis traditionē parentū relinquere This doth much trouble men to leave customs which by long tract of time have made an awfull impression upon their conscience And thus Austin at another time Sensi saepe dolens gemens c. he often perceived with much grief that many perturbations and contentions were raised in many things one reason whereof was because it was not their custom in their countrey to doe so Therefore this must be acknowledged that people will generally startle and be astonished if an old custome be denied them though they have no Scripture for it 2. It may fall out that it is so far from being mutability that it is a duty to leave off such things as have been practised Thus when the kingdome of Israel had set up many idolatricall practices was it their sinne because they made their change or not rather their duty and thus in Popery when God caused the light of Reformation to shine out of that thick darknesse was this levity and mutability because there were no Altars no Images no Masse where they were used to be for many hundred years No God commanded them to leave Babylon 3. There is an alteration essentiall and destructive and an alteration accidentall and perfective

it cannot doe so in matters of faith because they are supernaturally revealed These things duly considered may make men pray and again pray that God would not leave them to their own understandings Lastly There is no solid excuse or plea can be made for it Not that it is a mans ignorance and therefore we are to do with them as blinde men whom we pity and not beat for by this means the Jews who opposed Christ should have been excused and those who thought they did God good service in killing of the Prophets insomuch that a man may be under much guilt by errour and yet be perswaded he is in the right way neither doth this excuse him that he cannot help it or remove his errour no more then he can remove a mountain into the sea for then this would excuse those also who are captivated to any sinfull way and certainly the commands of God are as much to understand the truth and to believe what God hath revealed as to embrace in our will and affections what is good neither doth this excuse them that they have good intentions and ends for the Socinians professe they dare not hold Christ to be the true God equall with the Father out of reverence and respect to the Father lest they should dishonour him Nor lastly that every man is fallible and therefore no man may judge another to erre for if because all may erre it would follow that they do erre then all truths in Religion would be quite overthrown The last Objection is wherein should England be reformed Hath not the Church thereof been famous for her orthodoxy what can be done more to her I answer to settle wholsome orders and spirituall discipline against sin It 's not enough for a Church to be orthodox but she ought to be holy also and the Scripture is not only a rule for faith but for our life also now take those places of Scripture 1 Cor. 5.11 2 Thess 3.6 what little influence had they upon our Kingdom O but this will bring men into bondage and slavery no more then to have Physicians in the Common-wealth then to have Pilates in a ship these orders of Christ are meerly medicinall utiliter vincitur cui licentia iniquitatis eripitur Again these orders of Christ are not terrible for he hath commanded them to be administred with all love tendernesse and compassion Luther said while he was still leavened with Popish principles of contrition and their penance there was no more bitter word in all the Scripture then resipisce repent but when he understood the Gospel then it was precious and welcome Thus it may be with the orders of Christ while they are lookt upon as made odious by the calumnies of men they are ready to reject them but if once understood according to the institution use and end of them then with Moses you may take this Serpent that you were afraid of and it will become a rod. Further consider that it 's no bondage to take Christs yoke but to be under the command of sin that is a slavery To be servum tot Dominorum quot vitiorum this is indeed a great vassalage Again For want of spirituall order and government in a Church many sins goe unreformed which yet do much dishonour God for commonly States in making of laws consider a sin as it is destructive to the Common-wealth and as injurious to others and doe not for the most part attend to a sin as it is offensive to God now what a sad thing is it to consider that the sea is not fuller of water or the air of flies then towns and cities are full of wretched oaths and blasphemous curfings which certainly do much provoke God against us whereas spirituall order would be a speciall means to remove these And lastly lay to heart seriously how far Popery hath prevailed with Kingdoms and States to debase and wrong themselves indeed in their outward liberties to set up that and shall not Christ prevail to have his doctrine and orders setled which will indeed be no detriment but a preservation of all honour and dignity And thus have I answered the three main Objections I come to the second Doctrine which is That the work of Reformation requireth the concurrence and conflux of many noble and excellent graces It 's like the choice compound of ointment which Aaron was to make As First A clear understanding of Gods will out of his Word Thus the King he was to write Gods Word and to be acquainted familiarly with it that so he might be the more able to reform all abuses that may creep into the worship of God it 's a great fault when men in place and power think that matters of Religion doe not at all belong to them whereas they cannot discharge their duties if they know not by the Word what to doe 2. Zeal for Gods glory and his pure worship Such as was in David and Hezekiah and most remarkably in Christ himself It 's an excellent thing when Magistrates lay to heart Gods dishonour more then their own and are more sollicitous that the laws of Christ may be best then their own laws It was an ingenuous way of reproving which one orthodox Bishop used to an Arian Emperour who being called into the Emperours presence where his son also was the Bishop made his low obeysance to the Emperour but took no notice at all of the Emperours son at which there was great offence taken but the Bishop replied that if he would not honour the Son of God why should he regard his son So why should we look upon it as an hainous thing when men will not keep our Laws if we doe not Gods 3. Publike affections and love to the soul of others Unlesse a man beclothed with a publike spirit he cannot labour for a Reformation Nehemiah though it was well with him yet how deeply and sadly is he affected because the Temple lieth desolate and thus Christ himself at that very time when he was received with the greatest acclamations he doth not minde them but weeps for Jerusalem Then hath God dealt graciously with your hearts when neither riches honours or any personall dignity can do you any good till Jerusalem be setled a praise in the earth as it was with David 4. Sincerity and pure aims For though Governours may be carried far in a Reformation yet if pure love to God and his Ordinances be not the Star which leadeth them the issue will be very uncomfortable you have a sad instance in Iehu who though he did all according to Gods heart as the Scripture saith yet Hos 1. God threatens to be avenged on him Take heed therefore of corrupt politicall designs in promoting Gods work Nazianzen complained of some that were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This hath made God many times let his own Ark fall into the hands of the Philistims not but that his cause was dear to him only those who managed it had selfish and particular interests 5. Humility under all the honours God puts upon them This was wonderfull in Gideon and David whereas men who are lifted up by any successe that God bestoweth on them are like a blazing star that make a great lustre at first but at last end in slime Iohn the Baptist that wrought a great Reformation and the eyes of the world was upon him yet he rejoyceth because he must decrease and Christ increase 6. Exemplary holines of life This obligation cometh upon all Reformers by that generall rule He which reproveth others ought himself to be free from those sins The examples of Reformers they are to others as the particoloured sticks to Jacobs sheep and indeed how uncomely is it when Governours make laws against impiety prophanation of the Sabbath contempt of holinesse and such sins be found in their lives or in their families Now this is a great part of Reformation when the lives and families of men are changed as well as when Reformation is in the publike worship and Ordinances 7. Fortitude and courage accompanied with faith For all Reformations meet with much opposition and contempt When Hezekiah sent messengers up and down for the pure keeping of the Passeover they were mocked and scorned Now to goe thorow all the accusations and calumnies of men yea and many exercises from God himself this requireth as humility and patience to be under them so faith and courage to be above them 8. Prudence and singular wisdom This fact of Gideon going with some few men in the night is questioned by some as a weaknesse in him whereas indeed it was his great prudence Any that hath read ecclesiasticall Histories may observe that the imprudence of men hath much hindred the propagation of truth only there must be care that prudence doe not degenerate into carnall and meer State-wisdom God hath made such wisdom in the end great folly especially when it is accompanied with the corruption of his worship The Use is for Exhortation to be filled with all these excellent qualifications God hath put an opportunity into our hands and we have all covenanted according to our places and callings to set upon this work Let us therfore be humbled and ashamed this day that we have with no more zeal promoted it How have Governours and others who have not had such advantages such interests in the Kingdom done much for Christ and his Ordinances and do these things speedily lest hereaster you may in the anguish and grief of your spirits call for the time and opportunities again but cannot obtain them let not the generation to come say our Governours indeed delivered a Common wealth from thraldome but beset the faithfull Ministers and the godly people of the land under as many groans and troubles as ever before FINIS