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
A94070	XXXI. select sermons, preached on special occasions; the titles and several texts, on which they were preached, follow. / By William Strong, that godly, able and faithful minister of Christ, lately of the Abby at Westminster. None of them being before made publique.	Strong, William, d. 1654.	1656 (1656)	Wing S6007_pt1; Thomason E874_1; ESTC R203660	309,248	523

Babylon hath all the strength of the earth on her party the Kings of the earth do bring their glory to her and give their power and strength to the Beast it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all their natural power and strength is given to her and all their civil power and strength or authority and therefore a man would think it impossible for any to make war with the Beast But they have a strong God against them and he hath undertaken it and the Lord will never make peace with Rome this is that spiritual Amalek with whom God will never make peace from Generation to Generation there be some of the enemies of God that shall be converted in the latter daies and many of those Kings the Lamb shall overcome not by their destruction but by their conversion for he will uphold them afterward though they had been his enemies but with Rome he will never have peace but will be a professed enemy unto them for ever the enmity between God and them is like the enmity between the seed of the woman and of the Serpent that shall never be reconciled never have an end Secondly look upon the causes of their destruction and they are mainly four and all of them will bring eminent destruction with them First because they corrupted Religion and that both in doctrine and worship they have made all the Nations of the earth drunk with the wine of her fornication and this they have done in a golden cup they make fair and specious pretences and call themselves the Church of God Romae venduntur omnia nihil tamen agas sine lege formula sanctissimi moris Lud. Viv. Ludov. Vives Religion in Doctrine and worship is very dear to God and he will not have it to be corrupted and therefore he is an utter enemy unto corrupters but this is the mother of Harlots and of all the abominations of the earth Secondly because the Kings of the earth have committed fornication with her Rome hath been the great corrupter of Kings and of all men that have been eminent in authority and this is their last refuge Rev. 16.14 they send forth their Emissaries unto the Kings of the Earth and of the whole world it is a great influence that they have had upon the authority of the world Now Kings they stand in the place of God and bear his Image in respect of government to have them corrupted is a great provocation unto God and a great occasion of destruction unto the world Thirdly by reason of her merchandize the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through her delicacies what is this merchandize it cannot be meant of merchandizes in a litteral and proper sense where it is said ver 11.12 the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her c. not that men shall merchandize no more for gold and pearl and precious things which ordinarily merchants trade about the merchandize of them shall not cease when Rome shall be destroyed for the world shall continue and trading shall still be In the 13. ver we read part of their merchandize to be the souls of men Brightman quae nullo modo in propria vocum natura haerere scimus nos It is spoken of spiritual merchandize making sale of the things of God and the Ordinances of God and the souls of men for their own gain and advantage which is unto the Lord a great provocation Rome is another Tyre as Tyre was the Mart of the earth for temporal things so is this City nobile emporium rerum spiritualium and men grow great and are advanced by this merchandize c. Fourthly for her cruelty Chap. 18.24 in her was found the blood of the Prophets and of all the Saints that were slain upon the earth and God will not suffer the blood of his Sains to lie unrevenged the cry of blood the Lord cannot deny to hear though it be but the blood of men but much more the blood of Saints for precious in his sight is their blood he hath a bottle for their tears much more will he make inquisition for blood and if the blood of any one of his Saints be such a burthen that God cannot bear it at the hands of men how much more when the blood of all the Saints shall be shed the Prophets and Martyrs of Jesus Specially considering that their cruelty shall grow and they shall be mo●e bloody towards their end for whereas the witnesses before did but prophesies in Sack-cloth and ashes now they must have a time to be killed and that with the greatest cruelty and revenge they shall rejoyce over them and keep their dead bodies upon the earth and no man shall bury them Thirdly it is the great design that Christ hath in the latter daies of the world to destroy this Beast the last enemy Dan. 7. is the fourth Beast and in the fourth Beast there is a little horn that shall be more sierce then his fellows and ver 11. before that the words that the horn spake I beheld till the Beast was destroyed all the Roman power doth perish in the little horn in the destruction of Antichrist all the Roman power shall be utterly broken there were ten horns that did arise upon the rise of the Beast and there was government given them and power successively but when this little horn shall be destroyed never a horn shall stand up in the place thereof any more and therefore Rev. 16. we see the vials that are poured out are but degrees of wrath upon Rome Antichristian and we have seen many of them in a very glorious and unexpected way already accomplished and therefore we have great cause to trust Christ for the effecting of the rest and he will turn the heart of the Kings against them that they shall hate the whore they that did support her they shall become the greatest instruments to destroy her as the seals have had their effect upon Rome Pagan and the Trumpets upon Rome Christian so shall the vials upon Rome Antichristian for this book of the Revelations doth mainly concern Rome for there is a double prophesie fata Ecclesiae Imperii and they are the two great works Christ hath in design after his ascention Fourthly it shall surely be destroyed because they shall never repent Rev. 16.9,11 When the vial is poured out upon the world they were scorched with sire exceedingly enraged and they blasphemed the name of God which had power over these plagues but they repented not to give glory and upon the seat of the Beast they Blasphemed God because of their pain but repented not of their evil deeds and the ground of it is because most of them generally they that embrace the Doctrine and worship are reprobates and the Scripture doth make it a dangerous sign of reprobation Chap. 13.8.17.8 They that wonder who are they such whose names are not wrote in the Book of life from the foundation

corner-stone to a Nation or to a Common wealth or to a Ci●y when you do thus uphold them And that is the first thing The Corner-stone aedificium sustinet it upholds the building I would speak something of the second the Corner-stone aedificium continet it unites it Magistrates are not only to sustain and to uphold but they are to unite Magistrates be called Healers Isa 3.7 they must bind up the wounds of the people The Lord Jesus Christ it is his glory and work 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he doth unite them all under one Head things in Heaven and things in earth Eph. 2.20,21 in Adamo nos omnes uni sumus Prosp that as in the first Adam so it is true in the second Adam it is in him they are made one and united The Corner stone is to unite as well as to support Oh But you will say to me It is union that we all long for we are a divided people shall we alwaies eat the flesh of our own arms shall Ephraim be against Manasseh and Manasseh against Ephraim and both against Judah still The staff of bonds is broken amongst us shall it alwaies remain broken what way is there that there might be a healing in this that this breach might be made up Why truly the hand of the Ruler must be first in this thing that the mercy may be called by his name the hand of the Ruler must be first in it you that are the Corner stones must unite the building you talk of perswading the people to unite I say the hand of the Ruler must be first in the union I but you will say how can that be I beseech you let me give you a few directions and then I shall from all make a short Application and conclude The waies of union are these five and I desire you that are in Authority to lay them to heart In the first place Religion is the great bond of union therefore I say let it be your great care that there be a unity in Religion the greatest breach is in that Odia-religionum sunt accrbissima no breach like that You shall see what began a breach between Israel and Judah it was Religion upon a Politick respect when God rent the Kingdom from the house of Rehoboam but observe the Politick difference might have been made up and Jeroboam out of his Devilish subtilty foresaw it 1 King 12.17 he saith if the people go up to Jerusalem to worship their hearts will turn again to the house of David saith he The Politick difference would have been made up therefore saith he I will make them two Calves one in Dan and the other in Bethel and this shall set them at a perpetual distance the difference the Politick difference might have been made up the State difference but the difference in Religion would never therefore this was the way to divide them perpetually If ever you will unite the people there must be your foundation So the Lord begins when he will unite his people Zach. 14.9 Iehovah shall be one and his name one you shall have but one God and you shall worship him one way by one name Now you have many Gods and many names Ichovah shall be one and his name one Ier. 32.39 I will give them one heart and one way one way in what one way in Religion that is the main thing he speaks of or as the Prophet saith Zeph. 3.9 They shall serve the Lord with one shoulder I desire therefore that no man would take delight in keeping up differences in matters of Religion take heed of it either upon this ground because you look upon it as policy to uphold parties or else it may be because you dare not displease either party take heed of it I say be valiant for the truth upon earth in this contend earnestly for the faith once given to the Saints usually a girdle was an ornament belonging to the Magistrates in former times it is fit for those that are Rulers to wear it still have your loins girt about with truth Eph. 6.14 Beloved it is true I expect not that all men shall be of one mind one judgement I know men see with different light and I know that while the smoke of the Temple lasteth as it shall be during the pouring out of the Vials Rev 15. I know the Sea of glass will be mingled with fire but in this you should be of one mind you must be in the fundamentals that without which there can be no Religion no Christianity he that speaketh against these openeth his mouth wide against Heaven Neither say I that the Magistrates judgement in this should be the rule as some men suggest then you will have the Magistrates judgement to rule in matters of Religion No we have a sure word of prophecy and we know this sure word of prophecy is not dark in that in things necessary The Apostle tels us plainly there is a pattern of wholsom words to which we must keep 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and though it is true the grossest errors in the world would shroud themselves under Scripture and flie thither for a refuge saith Iustine Martyr Justine M●…r 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 such a man expounds the Scripture secundum sensum non quem legit sed quem Attulit August August they would offer violence to the Scripture they would flie thither for refuge but upon examination it would appear that the Scripture gives no such shelter Well that is the first thing if you would unite the great body unite in Religion Let Ichovah be one and his name one Secondly if Magistrates would unite the people then take heed agree amongst your selves if you would have union amongst the people I say agree amongst your selves if the Corner-stones once fall asunder you may easily expect many cracks in the building differences amongst Governors must needs cause strange distractions among the people for they are generally led by parties and personal respects therefore if you would heal this breach now which you all seem to complain of begin with your selves Physitian heal thy self heal your own differences first all divisions amongst your selves this is the way the Lord takes in Hos 1. ult he saith they shall appoint to themselves one Head they should have many Governors united all under the Lord Jesus Christ they should be all under one head I beseech you consider it how comes it to pass then Governors in their Politick meetings meet with as great confusion as they did in their Church Ecclesiastical meetings 1 Cor. 14.26 how is it saith the Apostle that every one hath a Psalm and every one a Doctrine and every one hath a Revelation and every one hath an Interpretation let all be done to edifying every man did seek to shew his gifts and to lay out his own parts without all respect to the edification of the Church So many times it proveth in Politick meetings too It is good advice