Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	civil_a	magistrate_n	matter_n	3,433	5	6.0251	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A20529	Foure godlie and fruitful sermons two preached at Draiton in Oxford-shire, at a fast, enioyned by authoritie, by occasion of the pestilence then dangerously dispearsed. Likewise two other sermons on the twelfth Psalme. VVhereunto is annexed a briefe tract of zeale. / By I. Dod. R. Cleauer.	Dod, John, 1549?-1645.; Cleaver, Robert, 1561 or 2-ca. 1625.; Winston, John, fl. 1614-1634.; Greenham, Richard.	1611 (1611)	STC 6938; ESTC S114261	70,793	120

they set vpon correction with best staiednesse doe want knowledge and discretion and therefore giue their children too little or too much but the Lord is of such infinite wisedome that hee euer proportioneth his chastisements to the neede of the partie and the nature of the fault Againe earthly parents when they haue layde on stripes cannot take them off againe when they see their children weeping and grieuing and humbling themselues in good earnest for their offences they wish but all in vaine that their paine were ouer the smart remooued but as the Lord woundeth so can he heale as hee cast Iob downe so could he raise him vpagaine and whatsoeuer our distresses be if wee can humble our selues and crie vnto the Lord hee is able and readie to relieue and to deliuervs In which regard wee should be most willing if we must needs he corrected to yeeld vp our selues into his hands For there is no comparison betwixt the compassions of men which are finite and of Gods who is infinite Which may serue to discouer vnto vs their folly that are so farre from submitting themselues to Gods chastisements that they cannot endure his rebukes Let any man of God admonish them and they are readie to flie in his face What hath he to doe with me say they let him meddle with his owne matters I will not take it at his hands with many bitter speeches of that kinde which argue in them great distemper and vexation of minde And let a man tell them in neuer so great loue that if they doe not amend their sinnes will abroad to their disgrace their friends will grieue at them their aduersaries will reproach them and all cry shame vpon them yet they will be no whit pacified but rather enraged against the admonisher not caring what be thought or spoken against them so Christians may not reprooue them Hence is it that men are so loath to be vnder any Christian gouernment where they must be instructed how to doe well and rebuked if they doe not well they will none of it to liue in such a family or congregation where they shall be catechized and restrained from the breach of the Sabbath and other leaud courses they will neuer endure it but will chuse rather to be vnder the gouernement of Antichrist and of Sathan himselfe then of Christ Iesus Let their maisters be Papists cruell oppressors as sauage tyrants as Pharaoh was they will rather dwell with them then with godly and religious gouernours that would vse them most kindly and reward them most liberally for their seruice Such were the Israelites Moses as the Lord testifieth of him was the meekest man vpon the earth and withall a most wise and couragious Ruler yet would they rather haue beene euery day vnder the whip in Egypt then vnder Gods gracious gouernment which was executed by Moses And as these are heere to be condemned of great want of wisedome that will not submit themselues to be admonished and ordered by the Lord so are they also which are vnwilling to come vnder Gods correcting hand which is indeed of al other most desireable And because the present occasion requireth it it will not be amisse to shew that the pestilence wherewith the Lord hath now visired this Nation is a fauourable and gentle correction and that this sword of the Lord is nothing so terrible as the sword of man would be if he should cause that to be drawne out against vs and that for these reasons First because heerein we may more immediately and cleerely behold Gods hand which is a meanes to draw vs to more speedy and earnest humiliation whereas if we were pursued by the sword of men we should be more distracted sometimes with feares of and greese for the enemies violence sometimes with hopes either of mercy from them or of aid from others all which do either vtterly withdraw vs from or much hinder vs in the worke of humiliation Secondly in the time of the pestilence the aduersaries of Religion haue not such matter of insultation as when warres are hote in the Land for then they would triumph in this or the like manner Now these forward men shall pay for it downe they shall all the sorte of them they were wont to brag that God would be their buckler and their shield their refuge and their strong tower of defence but what will become of them now thus would they insult ouer Gods chosen in the time of warre but in the time of this sicknes they themselues are exceedingly afraid euen at their wits ende knowing that hell and destruction gape for them whensoeuer death taketh hold of them whereas Christians are quiet and full of peace ioy in the holy Ghost knowing that if they die they shall go from earth to heauen from a place of miserie to a palace of glorie Thirdly this is a maruellous great mercie that there doth still remaine the face of a Church that the Gospell is preached the Sacraments administred the profession of the truth openly maintained whereas if there were a forraine inuasion or a ciuill mutinie insurrection the vsuall course of the minsterie and of the exercises of religion would be stopped which now is not onely tollerated but commanded Besides now there is a continuance of the state of the common-wealth whereas when the sword rageth in a land the face of the honourable is not respected the Magistrates authoritie is reckoned a matter of nothing and all lawes must giue place to the wills of violent men Againe in the times of warre there is an vtter subuersion of all meanes of maintenance and comfort we cannot enioy our possessions nor dwell in our houses nor reape the fruits of our labours which now through Gods mercie is farre otherwise And as for our estate so euen for our liues and for our soules the case is better with vs in the time of pestilence then in the time of warres for then all our families wiues children seruants and all may bee barbarously slaine or worse vsed before our eyes or we before theirs and if not so yet they must be left to Idolaters and in danger to be vassalls of sinne and Sathan but now if death come it is nothing so lamentable if life bee graunted it is nothing so dangerous for though we be taken away yet our friends shall remaine with the Saints seruants of God and they that haue bene our Christian friēds will be theirs at least there is very great hope of their happinesse both here and hereafter in regard of that liberty of the Gospell which through Gods goodnes is still maintained And therefore great cause haue wee to magnifie the name of God that when our late gracious Queene was taken away the Land must needs bee exercised with some heauie stroke or other that hee then miraculouslie deliuered vs from the violence of the sword of man and smote our Nation with his owne sword Now