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	great_a	rome_n	5,301	5	6.4962	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A13022	A learned treatise in three parts, 1 The definition 2 The distribution of Divinity. 3 The happinesse of man; as it was scholastically handled by John Stoughton D.D. in Immanuell Colledge Chappell in Cambridge, while he was fellow there: and now published according to the copy left under his own hand.	Stoughton, John, d. 1639.; Burgess, Anthony, d. 1664.	1640 (1640)	STC 23309; ESTC S121757	47,895	106

to all men and to us in a more particular manner wherein because I have been longer then I purposed I will passe over the rest though more material the more briefly The second follows for Exhortation And first to thankefulnesse upon a double ground First that God hath set us in so honorable a station a calling so worthy as you see that of a Divine must needs be whose imployment is about that knowledge a small portion of which to have attained is the happinesse of other men what though the tribe of Levi hath no inheritance among their brethen shall not we thinke this a Royall recompense of that want since the Lord is their inheritance the Lord is their portion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Lucian speaks of his Preists not their revenues are their God as some prophane person might invert the words pervert the meaning like them whom the Apostle Paul reproves that would have gaine to be godlinesse which he corrects affirming that godlinesse is great gaine so here God is their revenues let other professsions please themselves in the gaine or glory that they procure Dat Galenus opes dat Justinianus honores I envy them not but let my Soule delight in the law of the Lord and meditate therein day and night and let me alway account that the chiefe part of my blessednes Prayse the Lord ye house of Israel for in Jury is the Lord known he hath given his statutes to Israel great is the priviledge of the Jew for them did the Lord betrust with his Oracles but especially prayse the Lord ye house of Aaron prayse the Lord ye house of Levi whom he hath entertained into neerer service though your condition be full of difficulties and your vocation obnoxious to the obloquies of the world say with the Psalmist The lots have faln to me in pleasant places yea I have a faire heritage and this may be the first ground of thankfulnes in a word plainly that God hath honored us with such a calling in which we have liberty and meanes to study for that which all desire the Art of Happinesse The second is from this that God affords so many meanes unto us to furnish us for the discharge of this calling 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that the name of God may be even and square and perfect to all due performances you all know and have heard often how Plato thanked the Gods that he was borne a Graecian an Athenian and especially in the time of Socrates and you can all make the application without my helpe that you have greater cause to thank God that you are born Christians in the wombe of the true Church that you are brought up Athenians in the bosom of a most famous University and that in this flourishing estate of Religion and time of the gospell when God hath powred forth of his Spirit so plentifully among us especially in these places that as Plutarch saith of the neighbour villages of Rome in Numa's time that sucking in the aire of that City they breathed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 righteousnesse so from the overflow of this place all parts of the kingdom are full of knowledge I wish I could say of Religion and Piety Behold a greater then Socrates is here even God himselfe in his ordinances we are wet with the influence and dew of heaven as Gedeons fleece though all the region about be dry in comparison and againe when all about us are wet with the waters of affliction we are dry and free we are in the land that floweth with milke and hony and though it were but a wildernesse otherwise yet God raining Mannah from heaven the food of Angels in that respect it were a mappe of heaven we sit under our vines every man and under our figtrees and are planted in Paradise neere the tree of life plainly we injoy all blessed meanes for the knowledge of the way to Salvation in the practicall study of Divinity and of that knowledge which was so dainty heretofore we have Gods plenty Silver is like dust and gold like stones in our streets the most pretious treasures of divine wisdome and understanding are open unto us And have we not as good cause to thanke God as Plato had The Queen of Sheba came from the South to heare the wisdome of Solomon and accounted his men happy and those his servants happy that stood ever before him and heard it Behold a greater then Solomon is here even the Spirit of God teaching us in the doctrine of Divinity the way of life and happinesse Blessed are your eyes that see and your eares that heare these things Yea blessed be God that hath given us these meanes and oportunities Deus nobis haec otia fecit But I passe to the second exhortation which shall be to the diligent study of this Doctrine and use of the meanes thereunto because there I shall lay open better the grounds of our thankfulnesse and withall keep my selfe closer to the matter in hand Now we may be provoked to alacrity and diligence in this study from some considerations out of the definitions the summe of all which is the excellency of this doctrine above others which may appeare in three particulars First the Certainty of the truths conteined in it from the manner of the conveiance of them to us which I told you was by Divine Revelation Second the Nobility of the object which as this Art is usually and wisely handled is God and divine things Third the necessity of the end which is mans happinesse or Salvation a word of each of these and so I will conclude First of the Certainty of the truths whereas all other Arts the skill of which we are to attaine unto by naturall reason upon observation and experience are so uncertain for the most part that a man when he hath done his best may remaine a Sceptick or Academick by reason of the weaknes of our understanding proceeding from the wound of originall sin it is not so with this where we receive all our light and information from God himself who being the fountaine of wisdome not subject to the least ignorance and the Ocean of goodnesse far from all malice can neither deceive nor be deceived and therefore the light of our knowledge being derived from his light in lumine illius videmus lumen is pure from all darknesse and eclipse of error and as among all the delight that Mathematicks afford to the students of them the evidence and certainty of the truths is one great part of the witchcraft which makes them dote with love upon them so I do see no reason why in this the same convenience should not be an effectuall argument to incourage us to digest the labours of our calling with much alacrity and cheerefulnesse Second for the Nobility of the object God and divine things if the Poets thought so highly of the study of Astronomy because it is occupied about the Spheares and stars and celestiall bodies