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	government_n	worship_n	3,428	5	7.3798	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A63950	The golden grove, or, A manuall of daily prayers and letanies, fitted to the dayes of the week containing a short summary of what is to be believed, practised, desired : also festival hymns, according to the manner of the ancient church, composed for the use of the devout, especially of younger persons / by the author of The great exemplar.	Taylor, Jeremy, 1613-1667.	1655 (1655)	Wing T336; ESTC R17298	60,024	193

THE GOLDEN GROVE OR A MANUALL OF Daily Prayers and Letanies Fitted to the dayes of the Week Containing a short Summary of What is to be Believed Practised Desired ALSO FESTIVAL HYMNS According to the manner of The Ancient Church Composed for the Use of the Devont especially of Younger Persons By the Author of The Great Exemplar London Printed by J. F. for R. Royston at the Angel in Ivie-lane 1655. TO The Pious and Devout READER IN this sad declension of Religion the Seers who are appointed to be the Watchmen of the Church cannot but observe that the Supplanters and Underminers are gone out and are digging down the Foundations and having destroy'd all publick Forms of Ecclesiastical Government discountenanc'd an excellent Liturgie taken off the hinges of Unity disgrac'd the Articles of Religion polluted publick Assemblies taken away all cognisance of Schism by mingling all Sects and giving countenance to that against which all Power ought to stand upon their guard There is now nothing left but that we take care that men be Christians For concerning the Ornament and Advantages of Religion we cannot make that provision we desire Incertis de salute de gloriâ minimè certandum For since they who have seen Jerusalem in prosperity and have forgotten the order of the Morning and Evening Sacrifice and the beauty of the Temple will be tempted to neglect so excellent a ministration their assembling themselves together for peace and holy Offices and be content with any thing that is brought to them though it be but the husks and acorns of Prodigals and Swine so they may enjoy their Lands and their Money with it we must now take care that the young men who were born in the Captivity may be taught how to worship the God of Israel after the manner of their fore-fathers till it shall please God that Religion shall return into the Land and dwell safely and grow pr●…sperously But never did the excellency of Episcopall Government appeare so demonstratively and conspicuously as now Under their conduct and order we had a Church so united so orderly so govern'd a Religion so setled Articles so true sufficient and confess'd Canons so prudent and so obey'd Devotions so regular and constant Sacraments so adorn'd and ministred Churches so beauteous and religious Circumstances of Religion so grave and prudent so useful and apt for edification that the enemies of our Church who serve the Pope in all things and Jesus Christ in some who dare transgress an Institution and Ordinance of Christ but dare not break a Canon of the Pope did despair of prevailing against Us and Truth and knew no hopes but by setting their faces against us to destroy this Government and then they knew they should triumph without any enemy So Balaam the son of Bosor was sent for to curse the people of the Lord in hope that the son of Zippor might prevail against them that had long prospered under the conduct of Moses and Aaron But now in stead of this excellency of Condition and Constitution of Religion the people are fallen under the harrows and saws of impertinent and ignorant Preachers who think all Religion is a Sermon and all Sermons ought to be libels against Truth and old Governours and expound Chapters that the meaning may never be understood and pray that they may be thought able to talk but not to hold their peace they casting not to obtain any thing but Wealth and Victory Power and Plunder and the people have reap'd the fruits apt to grow upon such Crabstocks they grow idle and false hypccrites and careless they deny themselves nothing that is pleasant they despise Religion forget Government and some never think of Heaven and they that do think to go thither in such paths which all the ages of the Church did give men warning of lest they fhould that way go to the Devil But when men have try'd all that they can it is to be suppos'd they will return to the excellency and advantages of the Christian Religion as it is taught by the Church of England for by destroying it no end can be serv'd but of Sin and Folly Faction and Death eternal For besides that no Church that is enemy to this does worship God in that truth of Propositions in that unblameable and pious Liturgie and in preaching the necessities of holy life so much as the Church of England does besides this I say it cannot be persecuted by any Governour that understands his own interest unless he be first abus'd by false Preachers and then prefers his secret opinion before his publick Advantage For no Church in the World is so great a friend to Loyalty and Obedience as she and her Sisters of the same perswasion They that hate Bishops have destroy'd Monarchy and they that would erect an Ecclesiastical Monarchy must consequently subject the Temporal to it And both one and the other would be Supreme in Consciences and they that govern there with an opinion that in all things they ought to be attended to will let their Prince govern others so long as he will be rul'd by them And certainly for a Prince to persecute the Protestant Religion is as if a Physician should endevour to destroy all Medicaments and Fathers kill their Sons and the Master of Ceremonies destroy all Formalities and Courtships and as if the Pope should root out all the Ecclesiastick State Nothing so combines with Government if it be of Gods appointment as the Religion of the Church of England because nothing does more adhere to the Word of God and disregard the crafty advantages of the world If any man shall not decline to try his Title by the Word of God it is certain there is not in the world a better guard for it then the true Protestant Religion as it is taught in our Church But let things be as it please God it is certain that in that day when Truth gets her Victory in that day we shall prevail against all Gods enemies and ours not in the purchases and perquisites of the world but in the rewards and returns of Holiness and Patience and Faith and Charity for by these we worship God and against this interest we cannot serve any thing else In the mean time we must by all means secure the foundation and take care that Religion may be convey'd in all its material parts the same as it was but by new and permitted instruments For let us secure that our young men be good Christians it is easie to make them good Protestants unless they be abus'd with prejudice and suck venome with their milk they cannot leave our Communion till they have reason to reprove our Doctrine There is therefore in the following pages a Compendium of what we are to Believe what to Do and what to Desire It is indeed very little but it is enough to begin with and will serve all persons so long as they need milk and not strong meat And

and delivered him over to Pilate and by importunity and threats forced him against his Conscience to give him up to be scourged and then to be Crucified The Souldiers therefore mocking him with a robe and a reed and pressing a Crown of Thorns upon his head led him to the place of his death compelling him to bear his Cross to which they presently ●…il'd him on which for three ●…urs he hang'd in extreme torture ●…ing a sad spectacle of the most af●…cted and the most innocent pern of the whole world Dead When the Holy Jesus was weari●… with tortures and he knew all ●…ings were now fulfilled and his ●…thers wrath appeased towards ●…ankinde His Father pitying his ●…nocent Son groaning under such ●…tolerable miseries hastened his ●…ath and Jesus commending his ●…irit into the hands of his Father ●…ied with a loud voice bowed his ●…ad and died and by his death ●…aled all the Doctrines and Revela●…ons which he first taught the ●…orld and then confirmed by his ●…ood he was consecrated our mer●…ful High-Priest and by a feeling ●…f our miseries and temptations be●…me able to help them that are tempt●… and for these his sufferings was ●…alted to the highest Throne and ●…eat of the right hand of God ●…nd hath shewn that to heaven there is no surer way then suffering for his name and hath taught us willingly to suffer for his sake what himself hath already suffered for ours He reconciled us to God by his death led us to God drew us to himself redeemed us from all iniquity purchased us for his Father and for ever made us his servants and redeemed ones that we being dead unto sin might live unto God And this death being so highly beneficial to us he hath appointed means to apply to us and to represent to God for us in the Holy Sacrament of his last Supper And upon all these considerations that Cross which was a smart and shame to our Lord is honour to us and as it turned to his glory so also to our spiritual advantages And Buried That he might suffer every thing of humane nature he was by the care of his friends and disciples by the leave of Pilate taken from the Cross and embalmed as the manner of the Jews was to bury and wrapt in linnen and buried in a ●…ew grave hewn out of a Rock ●…nd this was the last and lowest step of his humiliation He descended into Hell That is He went down into the ●…ower parts of the earth or as himself called it into the heart of the ●…arth by which phrase the ●…ture understands the state of sepa●…ation or of souls severed from their ●…odies by this his descending to the land of darkness where all things ●…re forgotten he sanctified the state of death and separation that none of his servants might ever after fear the jawes of Death and Hell whither he went not to suffer torment because he finished all that upon the Cross but to triumph over the gates of hell to verifie his death and the event of his sufferings and to break the iron barres of those lower Prisons that they may open and shut hereafter onely at his command The third day he rose again from the Dead After our Lord Jesus had abode in the grave the remaining part of the day of his Passion and all the next day early in the morning upon the third day by the power of God he was raised from death and hell to light and life never to return to death any more and is become the first-born from the dead the first-fruits of them that slept and although he was put to death in the flesh yet now being quickned in the Spirit he lives for ever and as we all die in Adam so in Christ we all shall be made alive but every man in his own order Christ is the first and we if we follow him in the Regeneration shall also follow him in the Resurrection He ascended into Heaven When our dearest Lord was risen from the grave he conversed with his disciples for forty days together often shewing himself alive by infallible proofs and once to five hundred of his disciples at one appearing having spoken to them fully concerning the affairs of the Kingdome and the Promise of the Father leaving them some few things in charge for the present he solemnly gave them his blessing and in the prefence of his Apostles was taken up into heaven by a bright Cloud and the ministery of Angels being gone before us to prepare a place for us above all heavens in the presence of his Father and at the foot of the Throne of God from which glorious presence we cannot be kept by the change of death and the powers of the grave nor the depth of hell nor the height of heaven but Christ being lifted up shall draw all his servants unto him And sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty I believe that Jesus Christ sitteth in Heaven above all Principalities and powers being exalted above every Name that is named in heaven and earth that is above every creature above and below all things being put under his feet he is alwayes in the presence of his Father interceding for us and governs all things in heaven and earth that he may defend his Church and adorn her with his Spirit and procure and effect her eternal salvation There he sits and reigns as King and intercedes as our High-Priest He is a minister of the Sanctuary and of the true Tabernacle which God made and not man the Author an●… Finisher of our Faith the captain of our Confession the great Apostle of our Religion the great Bishop of our souls the Head of the Church and the Lord of heaven and earth and therefore to him we are to pay Divine Worship Service and Obedience and we must believe in him and in God by him and relie entirely on the mercies of God through Jesus Christ From thence he shall come In the Clouds shining and adorned with the glory of his Father attended by millions of bright Angels with the voyce of an Archangel and a shout of all the heavenly Army the Trump of God and every eye shall see him and they that pierced his hands and his feet shall behold his Majesty his Terror and his Glory and all the families of the earth shall tremble at his presence and the powers of heaven shall be shaken and the whole earth and sea shall be broken in pieces and and confusion for then he shall come to put an end to this world and To judge the Quick and Dead For the Father judgeth no man but hath given all judgement to the Son and at this day of Judgement the Lord Jesus shall sit in the Aire in a glorious

Throne and the Angels having gathered together Gods Elect from the four Corners of the world and all the kindreds of the earth being brought before the Judgement-feat shall have the Records of their Conscience laid open that is all that ever they thought or spake or did shall be brought to their memory to convince the wicked of the Justice of the Judge in passing the fearful Sentence upon them and to glorifie the mercies of God towards his Redeemed ones and then the righteous Judge shall condemn the wicked to the portion of Devils for ever to a state of torments the second and eternal and intolerable death and the godly being placed on his right hand shall hear the blessed Sentence of Absolution and shall be led by Christ to the participation of the glories of his Fathers Kingdome for ever and ever Amen I believe in the Holy Ghost or the Holy Spirit Who is the third person of the holy ●…ndivided everblessed Trinity which 〈◊〉 worship and adore and admire ●…ut look upon with wonder and am ●…ot in a capacity to understand I ●…elieve that the Holy Spirit into whose name as of the Father and the ●…on I was baptized is the heavenly Author the Captain the Teacher and the Witness of all the Truths of the Gospel That as the Father sent the Son so the Son from heaven sent the Holy Spirit to lead the Church into all Truth to assist us in all Temptations and to help us in the purchase of all Vertue This Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and our Lord Jesus received him from his Father and sent him into the world who receiving the things of Christ and declaring the same excellent doctrines speaks whatsoever he hath heard from him and instructed the Apostles and builds the Church and produces Faith and confirms our Hope and increases Charity and this Holy Spirit our blessed Lord hath left with his Church for ever by which all the servants of God are enabled to do all things necessary t●… Salvation which by the force of Nature they cannot do and we spea●… by the Spirit and work by the Spirit when by his assistances any wa●… imparted to us we speak or do an●… thing of our duty He it is wh●… inlightens our Understandings 〈◊〉 our Will orders and commands our Affections he comfo●… our sorrows supports our spirits i●… trouble and enables us by Promis●… and Confidences and Gifts to ●…suff for the Lord Jesus and the Gospel●… and all these things God the Fath●… does for us by his Son and the So●… by the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit by all means within and without which are operative upon and proportionable to the nature of reasonable creatures This is he wh●… works Miracles gives the gifts of●… Prophesie and of interpretation that teaches us what and how t●… pray that gives us Zeal and holy Desires who sanctifies children i●… Baptism and confirms them with his grace in Confirmation and reproves the world and consecrates Bishops and all the Ministers of the Gospel and absolves the penitent blesses ●…he obedient and comforts the sick and excommunicates the refractary and makes intercession for the Saints that is the Church and those whom he hath blessed appointed and sanctified to these purposes do all these Ministeries by his Authority and his Commandment and his Aids This is he that testifies to our Spirits that we are the sons of God and that makes us to cry Abba Father that is who inspires into us such humble confidences of our being accepted in our hearty and constant endevours to please God that we can with chearfulness and joy call God our Father and expect and hope for the portion of sons both here and hereafter and in the certainty of this hope to work out our salvation with fear and reverence with trembling and joy with distrust of our selves and mighty confidence in God By this holy and ever-blessed Spirit several persons in the Church and every man in his proportion receives the gifts of Wisdome and utterance and Knowledge and Interpretation and Prophecy and Healing and Government and discerning of Spirits and Faith and Tongues and whatsoever can be necessary for the Church in several ages and periods for her beginning for her continuance for her in prosperity and for her in persecution This is the great Promise of the Father and it is the gift of God which he will give to all them that ask him and who live piously and chastely and are persons fit to entertain so Divine a Grace This Holy Spirit God gives to some more to some less according as they are capable They who obey his Motions and love his Presence and improve his Gifts shall have him yet more abundantly but they that grieve the holy Spirit shall lose that which they have and they that extinguish him belong not to Christ but are in the state of reprobation and they that blaspheme this holy Spirit and call him the Spirit of the Devil or the Spirit of Error or folly or do malicious despites to him that is they who on purpose considering and choosing do him hurt by word or by deed so far as ies●… in them shall for ever be separated from the presence of God and of Christ and shall never be forgiven in this world nor in the world to come Lastly this holy Spirit seals us to the day of Redemption that is God gives us his Holy Spirit as a testimony that he will raise us again at the last day and give us a portion in the glories of his Kingdome in the inheritance of our Lord Jesus The holy Catholick Church I believe that there is and ought to be a visible Company of men professing the service and discipline that is the Religion of the Gospel who agree together in the belief of all the Truths of God revealed by Jesus Christ and in confession of the Articles of this Creed and agree together in praying and praising God through Jesus Christ to reade and hear the Scriptures read and expounded to provoke each other to love and to good works to advance the honour of Christ and to propagate his Faith and Worship I believe this to be a Holy Church Spirituall and not Civill and Secular but sanctified by their Profession and the solemn Rites of it professing holiness and separating from the evil manners of heathens and wicked persons by their Laws and Institutions And this Church is Catholick that is it is not confin'd to the Nation of the Jews as was the old Religion but it is gathered out of all Nations and is not of a differing Faith in differing places but alwayes did doth and ever shall profess the Faith which the Apostles preached and which is contained in this Creed which whosoever believes is a Catholick and a Christian and he that believes not is

inquisitive after thy will pure and holy thoughts strong and religious purposes and thy grace to perform faithfully what we have promised in the day of our duty or in the day of our calamity Hear our prayers c. O teach us to despise all vanity to fight the battles of the Lord manfully against the Flesh the World and the Devil to spend our time religiously and usefully to speak gracious words to walk alwayes as in thy presence to preserve our souls and bodies in holiness fit for the habitation of the holy Spirit of God Hear our prayers c. Give us a holy and a perfect repentance a well instructed understanding regular affections a constant and a wise heart a good name a fear of thy Majesty and a love of all thy glories above all the things in the world for ever Hear our prayers c. Give us a healthful body and a clear ●…nderstanding the love of our neighbors ●…nd the peace of the Church the publick ●…fe and comfort of thy holy Word and ●…acraments a great love to all Christians ●…nd obedience to our Superiors Eccle●…astical and Civil all the dayes of our ●…ife Hear our prayers c. Give us spiritual wisdome that we may ●…iscern what is pleasing to thee and fol●…ow what belongs unto our peace and let the knowledge and love of God and of Jesus Christ our Lord be our guide and our portion all our dayes Hear our prayers c. Give unto us holy dispositions and an active industry in thy service to redeem the time mispent in vanity for thy pity sake take not vengeance of us for our sins but sanctifie our souls and bodies in this life and glorifie them hereafter Hear our prayers c. Our Father c. IV. To be added to the former Letanies according as our Devotions and time will suffer For all states of men and women especially in the Christian Church OBlessed God in mercy remember thine inheritance and forget not the congregation of the poor for ever pity poor mankinde whose portion is misery and folly shame and death But thou art our Redeemer and the lifter up of our head and under the shadow of thy wings shall be our help untill this Tyranny be overpast Have mercy upon us O God and hide not thy self from our petition Preserve O God the Catholick Church in holiness and truth in unity and peace free from persecution or glorious under it that she may for ever advance the honour our of her Lord Jesus for ever represent is Sacrifice and glorifie his Person and ●…dvance his Religion and be accepted of ●…hee in her blessed Lord that being filled with his Spirit she may partake of his ●…lory Have mercy upon us c. Give the spirit of Government and ho●…iness to all Christian Kings Princes and Governours grant that their people may obey them and they may obey thee and ●…ive in honesty and peace justice and holy Religion being Nursing Fathers to the Church Advocates for the oppressed Pa●…rons for the widows and a Sanctuary for the miserable and the fatherless that they may reign with thee for ever in the Kingdome of the Lord Jesus Have mercy upon us c. Give to thy servants the Bishops and all the Clergy the spirit of holiness and courage of patience and humility of prudence and diligence to preach and declare thy will by a holy life and wise discourses that they may minister to the good of souls and finde a glorious reward in the day of the Lord Jesus Have mercy upon us c. Give to our Relatives our Wives and Children our Friends and Benefactors our Charges our Family c. pardon and support comfort in all their sorrows strength in all their temptations the guard of Angels to preserve them from evil and the conduct of thy holy Spirit to lead them into all good that they doing their duty may feel thy mercies here and partake of thy glories hereafter Have mercy upon us c. Give to all Christian Kingdomes and Common-wealths peace and plenty health and holy Religion to all families of Religion and Nurseries of piety zeal and holiness prudence and unity peace and contentedness To all Schools of Learning quietness and industry freedome from wars and violence factions and envy Have mercy upon us c. Give to all married pairs faith and love charitable and wise compliances sweetness of society and innocence of conversation To all Virgins and Widows great love of Religion a sober and a contented spirit an unwearied attendance to devotion and ●…he offices of holiness protection to the fatherless comfort to the disconsolate pa●…tience and submission health and spiritual advantages to the sick that they may feel thy comforts for the dayes wherein they have suffered adversity Have mercy upon us c. Be thou a star and a guide to them that travel by land or sea the confidence and comfort of them that are in storms and shipwracks the strength of them that toil in the Mynes and row in the Gallies an instructer to the ignorant to them that are condemn'd to die be thou a guide unto death give chearfulness to every sad heart spiritual strength and proportionable comfort to them that are afflicted by evil spirits pity the ●…unaticks give life and salvation to all to whom thou hast given no understanding accept the stupid and the fools to mercy give liberty to prisoners redemption to captives maintenance to the poor patronage and defence to the oppressed and put a period to the iniquity and to the miseries of all mankinde Have mercy upon us c. Give unto our enemies grace and pardon charity to us and love to thee take away all anger from them and all mistakes from us all misinterpretations and jealousies bring all sinners to repentance and holiness and to all thy Saints and Servants give an increasing love and a persevering duty bring all Turks Jews and Infidels to the knowledge and confession of the Lord Jesus and a participation of all the Promises of the Gospel all the benefits of his Passion to all Hereticks give humility and ingenuity repentance of their errors and grace and power to make amends to the Church and Truth and a publick acknowledgement of a holy faith to the glory of the Lord Jesus Have mercy upon us c. Give to all Merchants faithfulness and truth to the labouring husbandman health and fair seasons of the year and reward his toil with the dew of heaven and the blessings of the earth To all Artizans give diligence in their Callings and a blessing on their labours and on their families To old men piety and perfect repentance a liberal heart and an open hand great religion and desires after heaven To young men give sobriety and chastity health and usefulness an early ●…iety and a persevering duty To all families visited with the rod of God give consclation and a holy use of the affliction and a speedy deliverance To us