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
A93351	The three Kingdomes healing-plaister. Or, The solemne covenant of reformation and defence explained. Wherein is shewed the authority, antiquity, and use of an holy covenant: the occasions moving to it, and the ends in doing it, the necessity of it at this time, for diverse reasons herein expressed. Also a full explanation of each article of the Covenant, to the satisfaction of all: shewing the benefit that may redound by it, viz. Gods protection and blessing to heale our miseries, and establish truth in religion, peace and lasting happinesse to the three kingdomes. Likewise shewing the danger of refusing it, and Gods curse upon us, if we enter into it deceitfully. Imprimatur, Ia. Cranford. By G.S., Gent.	Smith, George, 1602 or 3-1658.	1643 (1643)	Wing S4039; Thomason E71_14; ESTC R460	14,884	18

Chron. 34. 31. The occasions moving Gods people to enter into covenants have beene either engagements by way of thankfulnesse to God for great mercies and deliverances or for reformation by way of humiliation for sinnes committed to remove or prevent wrath and sometimes both these together Vpon the first occasion Joshuah drew the people to make a Covenant with God Ioshuah 24. upon the second Shechaniah and Ezra caused all the people to enter into a Covenant Ezra 10. Vpon both those occasions together Asa made that solemne Covenant with God partly for the great deliverance from the great Army of the Aethiopians 2. Chron. 14. 12. and partly for reformation to prevent wrath and to appease Gods anger 2 Chron. 15. 6. 7. Now we of great Britaine have all these occasions at this day to move us speedily and heartily to enter into Covenant with God If wee looke upon the mercies preservations and deliverances which we have received from God they are innumerable not onely of former yeares but now every day even in these times of our revolt and of Gods indignation against us He hath had respect to the Covenant which he made with our fathers as he had to Iudah in the time of Jehoram 2 Chron. 21. 7. and spar'd us for his owne names sake because his compassions faile not If we looke upon our sinnes by which he is provoked they are crying and hasten destruction to us and to our posterities Our idolatry strange wives adultery prophanation of Gods name and day are prodigious as if we had utterly cast off God from being our God And for these sinnes Gods wrath is gone out against us as if he would speedily make us no Nation If we consider either of these apart or looke upon them both together they call upon us to seeke the Lord by convenanting for reformation and thankesgiving for deliverance It is a duty absolutely necessary of greatest utility Therefore not to be refused nor deferred except wee will declare before God and men that we are hardned to destruction and will not be healed It is absolutly necessary because it is an Ordinance of God commanded for God commandeth nothing unnecessary It is also of greatest profit and benefit to Gods people to procure blessings and happy condition without compare the examples in Scripture that prove it so are obvious Now whatsoeve● hath beene necessary and profitable to the people of God is the same to us now for we have the same God who is the same for ever we are bound by the same commands that his people were before and stand in the same n●ed of the use of such divine and holy Ordinances Whatsoever things were written before were written for our learning that through patience and comfort of the Scriptures we might have hope Rom. 15. 4. and whatsoever is written is for our practise Therefore this is a duty to us as to the Jewes Nay I will not feare to affirme that as the case now stands with the people and Kindomes of great Britaine it is of more necessity to us at this time then ever it was to the Nation of the Jewes and of greater utility if rightly done and well performed The necessity will appeare by these reasons First because our revolt hath bin as great ●a ever the Iewes was to cause God to hide his face from us and to procure his fierce wrath against us Secondly because the judgements that are present upon us and that daily threaten us are not inferiour to any judgement or captivity that ever the Iewes lay under Thirdly because our enemles have more subt●●ely combined confederated and covenanted against us then ever any brood of hell did against a people and sworne our destruction Fourthly because the mysterie of iniquity now worketh in it 's full power by lying wonders to delude insinuate and draw men from God to the Devill from the true Protestant Religion to Popery by protestations that they fight for God for Religion for Lawes priviledges of Parliament and the liberty of the subject but they intend as the Israelites when they had forsaken God and their Prophet Moses proclaimed and said tomorrow is a feast to Iehovah when they intended it to the worship of their new Gods their Idole Calves Fiftly because of their ludifying Declarations to steale away the hearts and hands of the people by great promises of reward and gratefull acceptance of their service as at first they did to the people of Yorke-shire to raise an Army under pretence of a personall guard with protestations that they intended no warre against the Parliament The like Declaration is lately sent to the people of Cornwall to be read in all Churches and kept for their assurance of future rewards to their posterity not a flap with a Fox taile but chastisement with Scorpions as such evill Counsellours sometime promised to the ten Tribes Sixtly because there are many Judases traytors mingled among us through the three Kingdoms that professe to be our brothers but prove our butchers seeme friends and under pretence of a kisse or Hale Master betray us fight against us as it was once practised by the Ephramites against Iepthtah who could not be discovered but by the word Shibboleth Seventhly because of the many Sects Schismes and dangerous opinions of men that live amongst us which by these meanes may be discovered and purged ou● as those that dishonour God and disturbe the peace of Gods people In all these respects this Covenant is of necessity to be entred into Now because every one may speedily willingly and joyfully enter into this Covenant I would commend to all men these foure considerations First the matter of the Covenant 2. The authority commending it 3. The end 4. The profit or benefit First consider the matter of the Covenant is just and holy in every thing therin contained agreeable to the holy Scriptures expressely comm●nded necessarily implyed by Texts both of Old and New Testament As first we covenant in our places and callings to endeavour to preserve the Reformed Religion in the Church of Scotland in doctrine worship discipline and government against the common enemy Papists for none but Papists deny the Church of Scotland to be Orthodoxall therefore we are bound to endeavour to preserve it if the Apostles example be a rule to us 1 Cor. 11. 28. besides wee are commanded to doe to others as we would that others should doe to us Math. 7. 12. Now they jointly Covenant and sweare to preserve the reformed Religion of the Kingdomes of England and Ireland in doctrine discipline and government so far as it is for shall be agreeable to the word of God and we covenant but the very same for them and although the two Kingdomes should not in every particu●ar agree in government that is no breach of Covenant But because conjunction and uniformity in doctrine and discipline is most glorious acceptable to God and

profitable to both Kingdomes Wee Covenant to them as they to us to endeavour to bring the Kingdomes to the nearest Conjunction that may be still with this proviso according to the word of God and this is an Apostolicall precept Rom. 12. 6. and Rom. 15. 6. Secondly wee Covenant to endeavour to extirpate Popery Prelacy Church Governement by Arch-Bishops Bishops their Chancellors and Commissaries c. depending upon the Hierarchy no otherwise then they shall be found contrary to sound Doctrine which is also an Apostolicall precept bee yee followers of me even as I am of Christ 1 Cor. 11. 1. Now we know to our wofull experience that these have not beene followers of Christ but for gaine as those that followed Christ because they ate of the ●oaves and were filled John 6. 26. and for their private ends would at this day betray Christ whom they pretend to serve having like Alexander and Hymeneus put away good Conscienc● and made ship-wrack of the Faith of Christ and for their Chancellors Commissaries and the rest what are they but fretting Caterpillars in Church and State Such as were never instituted by Christ nor the Apostles nor thought of in the primitive times as for superstirious Heresies Schismes and prophanesse who that would be counted an honest man but will say hee is bound to extirpate our heavenly Father never planted any of these and therefore if we will believe Iesus Christ they must be rooted up Mat. 15. 13. The word Protestant puts us in mind of ou● duty to abhor all herefie and false Worship and therefore a● we are true Protestants we are bound to protest and to endeavour to extirpate Popery Every Christian King every Father and Master in their Families are bound to bring their Subjects Children and Servants to the obedience of the Faith of Christ and the true Worship of God Kings are called nursing Fathers Esay 49. 23. Parents are commanded to teach their Children the Peare of the Lord and his true Worship Deut. 4. 10. And the command of Sanctifying the Lords day is given to the Father and Masters of Families therefore they are not to suffer a contrary Religion or a prophane person to live in their Houses this was the practice of David and is the Duty of all Christian Kings therefore not to tolerate any contrary Religion as Idolaters in their Kingdomes nor witches in their Camps Besides it is Gods command that if any person shall inti●e to Idolatry or any City set up Idolatrous worship that person shal be killed and that City destroyed Deut. 13. 9. 15. This saith reverend Willet is the meaning of the Law in forbidding to sow the field with divers seeds or weare a garment of linnen woollen Levit. 19. 19. We may not plow with an Oxe and an Asse together which Saint Paul expoundeth when he saith be not unequally yoaked 2 Cor. 6. 14. what Communion between light and darknesse what fellowship betweene God and ●●eli●l contrary religions must not be suffered in one Kingdome Abraham cast out scoffing Ismael out of his family Gen. 21. 10. Iacob put away his strange Gods Gen. 35. 2. David put out the Idolatrous lebusites ou● of Ierusalem 2. Sam. 5. 8. Asa put out his Mother Maacha from being Queene because of her Idolatry and brak● downe her Idol 2 King 23. y. Zerubhabel would not admit the Idolatrous Som●r●●anes to joyne with the people of God in building the Temple much lesse would he accept of them in his Army Ezra 4. 3. These are commended in Scripture and blessed of God leftupon divine record for our example and Imitation The third Article of the Covenant is to endeavour with our estates and lives mutually to preserve the rights and priviledges of Parliaments in all the three Kingdomes Now we are bound in justice to leave our posterities as free as our Fathers left us what they gained for us with the losse of their lives let us preserve with the hazard of ours to our posterity Againe we covenant to preserve the Kings Person and authority in the preservation and defence of the true Religion and Liberties of the Kingdome nor let any make scruple a● this clause or ●mitation to preserve the King an the preservation of the true Religion for we cannot nor may not covenant further except we disobey God or covenant against God God commands the King to preserve and defend the true Religion and us to defend the King in defence of Religion not against Religion Let every soule be subject to the highest power Rom. 12. 1. But God is the highest power therefore we must be subject onely to God he must be obeyed the King for God and in God as his Vicegerent if God command obedience to his Deputy much more doth he require obedience to himselfe The fourth Article is to endeavour to discover Malignant evill instruments that hinder the Reformation of Religion divide betweene the King and his people or one of the Kingdomes from another by making Factions and parties amongst the people contrary to this Covenant such as are crafty Achitophels flattering Zi●a's and treacherous Iudases that they may be brought to tryall by the justice of the Law No man not voyd of common nature but would gladly enter into such a Covenant it tending to the generall good both of King and people The fifth Article is to endeavour to maintaine the peace between these Kingdomes to our power in our places and callings to all posterities c. This none can deny but to be agreeable to Scripture and commanded by nature conducing to the height of temporall felicity how good and how pleasant a thing it is for Brethren to d●ell together in Vnity Psal. 133. 1. For there the Lord commandeth a blessing vers. 3. And for the sixth Article to endeavour to assist and defend all that enter into this Covenant in the pursuit thereof is but reason and duty for that we are all members of one body the Church whereof Christ is the head and not onely so but members united by this Covenant to withstand and oppose all the opposition of hell Pope and papacy Now if one member suffer all members should suffer with it or else relieve it If one member be honoured all the members should rejoyce with it 1 Cor. 12. 16. We being but one body and we members one of another Rom. 12. 5. And that we should not be drawne off from this Union by any craft perswasion threatning or terror it is also just and consonant to divine precept for else we maime the body for there is an use of the meanest members and none can say I have not need of thee 1 Cor. 12. 21. For the body is not one member but many vers. 14. And to be Neuters is most base and cowardly hated by men and accounted by God as enemies Mat. 12. 30. Lastly because the generall provoking sins of the Kingdomes are made full by each particular