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	worship_n	3,910	5	7.2192	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77007	Salvation in a mystery: or A prospective glasse for Englands case. As it was laid forth in a sermon preached at Margarets in Westminster, before the Honourable House of Commons, at their monthly fast, March 27. 1644. / By John Bond, B.LL. late lecturer in the city of Exceter, now preacher at the Savoy in London. A member of the Assembly of Divines. Published by order of the Commons House.	Bond, John, 1612-1676.; England and Wales. Parliament.	1644 (1644)	Wing B3574; Thomason E43_2; ESTC R1754	41,396	73

and deliverance where you would bee Let these Guides and Guidances bee closely followed and then no matter for waves and windes no matter for Sea-sicknesse 't is a good signe of the progresse of the ship and 't is good Physicke to the passenger Quest. But suppose all the premisses are granted namely that this work in its carriage is so spirituall casuall contradictory tradictory so truely mysterious how then may we so order and lesson our selves as to discharge our duties in such difficult service This mystery doth seeme to leave us in a meere muse of contemplation what action or practice is there left to us to be performed in this case what doing lessons may be fetched from hence Answ There are some sure Practicall Lessons to be learnt from the mysterious carriage of our present salvations and that I may shew them the more fully you must know that in this worke there are two parts Aliquid Divinum c. Something Divine and Supernaturall which is chiefly the Lords ends Aliquid Humanum c. Something more humane and secular which is mans ends and aymes Now the great lesson in generall which we are to learne is to sticke and cleave to all Gods ends above any of our owne It was a great errour of the Jewes and Haggai complaineth of it Hag. 1.2 that they fell a building of their owne houses but let the house of God lie wast therefore the Lord is faine to curse and crosse them in their owne selvish designes even in the fruit of the field and in their very meate drinke and cloth as you may reade verse 6. You have sowne much and bring in little ye eate and have not enough yee drinke but yee are not filled with drinke yee cloth yee but there is none warme and he that earneth wages putteth it into a broken bag God did crosse them in things neerest to them that so they might looke more after his part of the worke And indeed it is the wonderfull mercy of God to us that these two parts of the worke Reformation and Deliverance are so twisted together that we are not able to separate them God hath now so indissolubly interwoven the reforming of religion with the settlement of lawes and liberties that we cannot picke off the latter and leave the former Otherwise I feare we should ere this have bin playing the children that use to eate of their hony and then throw the bread to the dogs But our Father hath so wisely ordered the whole that if we will have no Reformation of Religion we shall have no more Lawes Parliaments Liberties nor Priviledges Therefore it will be our wisedome to looke chiefly after the Lords part of the worke Quest. But What is Gods Part End or Aime Answ I answer the Lords ends designes or defires as I may call them in this great worke may be considered two wayes either generally or particularly First 1 Promote Gods generall designes Of Piety his generall or publique designes which he doth owne and aime at requiring us to promote them may be reduced to these three sorts 1. Workes of Piety The Lord doth absolutely require the Reformation of Religion at this time both in Doctrine Worship Discipline and Government in the Church We must out with Idols not onely those in wood stone or glasse that is in walls and windowes but those living Idols that are in Pewes and in some Pulpits they must out I meane all Idoll-shepheards and dumb-dogs close with the handling of it teaching Priest they were without Law A Preacherlesse people wil be a lawlesse people In short the Lord would have you to demolish all high places and not to leave so much as the stumpe of Dagon remaining Yea to bury all the reliques of Romish Jezabel even the skull and the feet and the palmes of her hands Also the Lord doth expect that you should promote the late Solemne League Covenant that triple Cable of the three Kingdomes by which the Anchor of our hope is fastned that three-fold Cord that binds all these Kingdomes together and unto God and is like that golden chaine with which the Tyrians when Alexander beleaguered them bound fast their tutelar god Apollo Curtius in vitâ Alex. for feare he would leave their City Thus if yee do first build the Lords-house and do become faithfull Midwives to his labouring Church then doubtlesse will the Lord deale well with you and will make you houses as Exod. 1.17.20.21 2. Of Iustice Workes of Justice are a part of Gods generall design at this time you cannot but remember the service of Phinehas in executing of judgement when it was a sad time with Israel and the double reward that followed publique to the State the plague was staid and private to his own family the service of God in the Church was particularly intayled upon him and his posterity Numb 25. And blessed be God that you have now put in to the scales of Justice the Archest Prelate of the land Beleeve it such services as these are the way to procure unto us a valley of Achor for a doore of hope even then when we do fly before the enemy as Josh 7.26 when Achan was found out and put to his tryall according to justice the wrath of God was stopped and the late victorious City of Ai is soone taken in 3. The Lord doth now call for workes and acts of mercy too that is Of Mercy that you take speciall notice of the most doing and suffering places and persons that have layd out themselves in this cause to the utmost that like that poor widow 1. Kings 17. have made a cake for the publique out of their handfull of meale and thereupon are much distressed and scanted You remember what David said unto Abiathar when for his sake all the persons of his fathers house were slain by Saul Abide thou with me feare not for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life but with me shalt thou be in safety Much more ought those faithfull Persons Towns Cities and Countries to be releeved that have been most active and passive for God and the Kingdome in this Cause And here A Digression for the West Oh how gladly could I weepe in a Parenthesis for and over the Country of my Nativity the place of my fathers Sepulchres which lyeth wast where so many houses and places are consumed with fire Oh the unparalleld misery of the still-declining west Is it nothing to you all ye that passe by Behold and see if there be any sorrow like unto our sorrow which is done unto us wherewith the Lord hath afflicted us in the day of his fierce anger Lamen 1.12 Could I but draw forth in their due colours the doings and sufferings of those parts of the Land I am perswaded what ever fame may chatter that I should prevaile with the dryest-heart in this great Assembly to contribute at least a teare towards our reliefe