Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	false_a	true_a	worship_n	4,780	5	7.8086	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10018	Sermons preached before his Maiestie; and vpon other speciall occasions viz. 1 The pillar and ground of truth. 2 The new life. 3 A sensible demonstration of the Deity. 4 Exact walking. 5 Samuels support of sorrowfull sinners. By the late faithfull and worthy minister of Iesus Christ, Iohn Preston Dr. in Diuinity, chaplaine in ordinary to his Maiesty, master of Emmanuel College in Cambridge, and sometimes preacher of Lincolnes Inne.	Preston, John, 1587-1628.; Goodwin, Thomas, 1600-1680.; Ball, Thomas, 1589 or 90-1659.	1630 (1630)	STC 20270; ESTC S120145	80,456	162

mysticall bodie on earth and complete number of his elect cannot erre in matters fundamentall for then they might fall away and the gates of hell prevaile against them yet the externall visible bodie of the Church may erre because the truth of God may bee locked up within the hearts of such a companie as in competition of suffrages cannot make a greatet part in a generall Councell so that the sentence decreed therein may bee a fundamentall errour From these grounds thus laid may fitly rise a threefold application First seeing it is thè received and approved doctrine of the Papists That the Church of Rome cannot erre in points of Faith and Doctrine wee see how little hope there is that wee and they should ever bee reconciled or that one truth should arise from a composition of their and our opinions for if they yeelde in any thing to us it would presently follow that in that wherein they now yeelde before they erred and so this fundamentall point of their Churches not erring would from thence be overthrowne Wee may alter our Tenents if wee will but they are strongly engaged to keepe theirs without anie change or variation we may goe to them they cannot come to us witnesse the Germane Interim so carefully and often tempered wherin there were but few of their ingredients left out yet was it more than Charles the Fifth could do to get it entertainment on eitherside and therefore those Cassanders that thinke by wit and policie to reconcile us attempt a thing impossible For of what materials shall any middle course bee framed when neyther side can spare the smallest piece of timber in their building they cannot because thereby they should bee argued of erring for merly we cannot for true Religion is of a brittle nature breake it you may bend it you cannot no not in the least degree It cannot bee accommodated to interests and respects of policie and seruing turnes it cannot be mixt with errour no more than oyle with water iron and steele with clay Daniel 2. 43. They shall mingle themselves with the seede of men but they shall not cleave one to another even as iron is not miset with clay or as the elements when once they are mingled in a compound bodie doe lose their proper formes even so Religions when made ingredients and compounding parts of any other do lose their formes and cease to bee religions in Gods account 2 King 17. 33. It is said the mingled people of Samaria feared the Lord and served their owne gods after the manner of the Nations whom they carried away from thence that is they jumbled all together the fear of God worship of their Idols thinking thereby to fit both parties Iewes and Heathens with a religion wherein both might bee gratified But what saith God doth he approve this mixture verse 34. Vnto this day they doe after the former manners they fear not the Lord neither do they after their statutes or after the law or commandement which the Lord commanded God will not owne his owne commanded worship when mingled and compounded with another So Gal. 5. 1. 2. Bee not entangled againe with the yoke of bondage that is take heede of entertaining those rites and customes of the ceremoniall law from which now by Christ ye are set free Well but what if circumcision the ancient character bee still retained and joined unto Christ is it not better to be sure of both See what he answers in the second verse Behold I Paul say unto you that if you bee circumcised Christ shall profit you nothing And again vers 4. Christ is become of none effect to you As if hee should say Take whether you will either Christ or circumcision for both yee cannot have So Esay 1. vers 21 22. How is the faithfull Citie become an har lot But how proveth hee that Thy siluer is become drosse thy wine mixt with water He denies not but they had silver and wine amongst them but as silver mixt with baser mettall becommeth drosse and is no longer accounted silver so wine when it is mixt with water leaves off to be accounted wine Ier. 23. 28. Hee that hath my word let him speake my word faithfully for what is the chaffe to the wheat Whatsoever of our owne we offer to annexe to the word of God in Gods account is as if wee added chaffe to wheate by which addition the wheate can bee no gainer They that goe about to mixe true and false religions are like those that take too big a graspe and so let whatthey meant to have sustained fall and breake as wee see in Ieroboam who mingled truth and falsehood not changing the worship as hee thought but the place and manner of the worship onely lest the kingdome should returne unto the house of David that was the interest whereunto he thought to make religion stoope 1. Kings 12. 26. c. But what came of it He made a nullitie of religion and of his and his posterities title to the kingdome Saul had a strait command to destroy all the Amalekites but because in execution of it hee needs would interpose his owne discretion in sparing Agag and some of the cattel God takes the kingdome from him for it Moses will not yeeld to the King of Egypt to leave one hoofe behinde him of any thing that did belong unto the Israelites Mordecay because God forbad them to make peace with Amalek for ever will rather hazzard his owne and others safetie than so much as bow the knee to Haman an Amalekite Daniel when God commanded to pray towards the Temple will not omit that circumstance of his praier though he cannot practise it without hazzard of his life This is the disposition of all whose hearts are perfect with their God they dare not pare away the least lap from the garment of religion nor adde the least flye to this boxe of precious ointment for in this curious clocke-worke of religion every pin and wheele that is amisse distempers all And as we are wont to lay aside cracked vessels and distempered watches as unusefull so doth God distempered and mixt religions As to the Iewes a garment made of linzy woolsie might not be worne so to vs a Samaritan religion made vp of true and false is not to be endured but as the stomacke loathes lukewarme water so God lukewarme religions As therefore Eliah exhorts the people to follow either God or Baal and not to halt betweene them both so it 's good for vs to take heede of mingling truth and falsehood whereof God is more impatient than of either of the two extremities apart For one to be a downe-right Papist may be a sinne of ignorance but to blend and mingle with it to picke and choose some tinctures of it to serue our worldly turnes cannot but be a sin of knowledge for if one were fully in his heart perswaded that Poperie were the truth he would embrace that and cleave to that