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	england_n	rome_n	5,202	5	6.8819	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A90296	A vision of vnchangeable free mercy, in sending the means of grace to undeserved sinners: wherein Gods uncontrollable eternall purpose, in sending, and continuing the gospel unto this nation, in the middest of oppositions and contingencies, is discovered: his distinguishing mercy, in this great work, exalted, asserted, against opposers, repiners: in a sermon preached before the Honourable House of Commons, April. 29. being the day of publike humiliation. Whereunto is annexed, a short defensative about church-government, (with a countrey essay for the practice of church-government there) toleration and petitions about these things. / By Iohn Owen, minister of the gospel at Coggeshall in Essex.	Owen, John, 1616-1683.	1646 (1646)	Wing O825; Thomason E334_15; Thomason E334_16; ESTC R200768	49,154	60

these things But that these apprehensions may not too much prevail to the vilifying and extenuating of Gods mercy in restoring to us the purity and liberty of the Gospel give me leave in a few words to set out the danger of that Apostasy from which the good pleasure of God hath given us a deliveranc● I shall ●●stance onely in a few things observe then that First The Darling errours of late years were all of them stones of the old Babel closing and coupling with that tremendous 〈◊〉 which the man of sin had erected to dethrone Jesus Christ came out of the belly of that Trojan horse that fatall engine which was framed to betray the City of God They were popish errours such as whereof that Apostasy did consist which onely is to be looked upon as the great adverse state to the Kingdom of the Lord Christ For a man to be disorderly in a Civill state yea often times through turbulency to break the peace is nothing to an underhand combination with some formidable enemy for the utter subversion of it Heedles and headles errours may breed disturbance enough in scattered individualls unto the people of God but such as tend to a peace and association cum Ecclesia malignantium tending to a totall subversion of the sacred state are far more dangerous Now such were the Innovations of the late Hierarchists In worship their paintings crossings crucifixes bowings cringings Altars Tapers Wafers Organs Anthems Letany Rails Images Copes vestments what were they but Roman vernish an Italian dresse for our devotion to draw on conformity with that enemy of the Lord Jesus In doctrin the Divinity of Episcopacy auricular confession free-will predestination on faith yea works fore-seen limbus patrum justification by works falling from grace authority of a Church which none knew what it was Canonicall obedience holinesse of Churches and the like innumerable what were they but helpes to sancta Clara to make all our articles of Religion speak good Roman-Catholike how did their old father of Rome refresh his spirit to see such Chariots as those provided to bring England again unto him this closing with Popery was the sting in the errours of those daies which caused pining if not death in the Episcopall pot Secondly They were such as raked up the ashes of the ancient worthies whose spirits God stirred up to reform his Church and rendred them contemptible before all especially those of England the most whereof died in giving their witnesse against the blinde figment of the reall presence and that abominable blasphemy of the cursed masse in especiall how did England heretofore termed Asse turn Ape to the Pope and furnished it with all things necessary for an unbloody sacrifice ready to set up the abomination of desolation and close with the god Maozim who hath all their peculiar devotion at Rome Thirdly They were in the management of men which had divers dangerous and pernicious qualifications as First A false repute of learning I say a false repute for the greater part especially of the greatest and yet taking advantages of vulgar esteem they bare out as though they had engrossed a monopoly of it though I presume the world was never deceived by more empty pretenders especially in respect of any solid knowledge in Divinity or antiquity but yet their great preferments had got them a great repute of great deservings enough to blinde the eyes of poor mortals adoring them at a distance and to perswade them that all was not only Law but Gospel too which they broached and this rendred the infection dangerous Secondly A great hatred of godlinesse in the power thereof or any thing beyond a form in whomsoever it was found yea how many odious appellations were invented for bare profession to render it contemptible Especially in the exercise of their jurisdiction thundring their censures against all appearance of zeal and closing with all profane impieties for were a man a drunkard a swearer a Sabbath-breaker an unclean person so he were no Puritan and had money patet atri janua Ditis the Episcopall heaven was open for them all Now this was a dangerous and destructive qualification which I beleeve is not professedly found in any party amongst us Thirdly Which was worst of all they had centred in their bosoms an unfathomable depth of power Civil and Ecclesiasticall to stampe their apostaticall errours with authority giving them not only the countenance of greatnesse but the strength of power violently urging obedience and to me the sword of errour never cuts dangerously but when it is managed with such an hand This I am sure that errours in such are not recoverable without the utmost danger of the Civil state Let now I beseech you these and the like things be considered especially the strong combination that was thorowout the Papall world for the seducing of this poor Nation that I say nothing how this viall was poured out upon the very throne and then let us all be ashamed and confounded in our selves that we should so undervalue and sleight the free mercy of God in breaking such a snare and setting the Gospel at liberty in England My intent was having before asserted this restauration of Jerusalem to the good pleasure of God to have stirred you up to thankefullnesse unto him and self-humiliation in consideration of our great undeserving of such mercy but alas as far as I can see it will scarce passe for a mercy and unlesse every mans perswasion may be a Josephs sheaf the goodnesse of God shall scarce be acknowledged but yet let all the world know and let the house of England know this day that we lie unthankefully under as full a dispensation of mercy and grace as ever Nation in the world enjoyed and that without a lively acknowledgement thereof with our own unworthinesse of it we shall one day know what it is being taught with briars and thorns to undervalue the glorious Gospel of the Lord Jesus Good Lord what would helplesse Macedonians give for one enjoiment O that Wales O that Ireland O that France Where shall I stop I would offend none but give me leave to say O that every I had almost said O that any part of the world had such helpes and means of grace as these parts of England have which will scarce acknowledge any mercy in it the Lord break the pride of our spirits before it break the staff of our bread and the helpe of our salvation O that the bread of Heaven and the bloud of Christ might be accounted good nourishment though every one hath not the sauce he desireth I am perswaded that if every Absolom in the Land that would be a judge for the ending of our differences were enthroned he spoke the peoples good though he intended his own power the case would not be much better then it is Well the Lord make England make this honourable audience make us all