Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	great_a	king_n	majesty_n	3,331	5	6.0086	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17127	A sermon preached before His Maiestie at Whitehall, March 22. 1617. being Passion-Sunday, touching prostration, and kneeling in the worship of God. To which is added a discourse concerning kneeling at the Communion. By Iohn, Bishop of Rochester.	Buckeridge, John, 1562?-1631.	1618 (1618)	STC 4005; ESTC S106770	134,604	258

Lord himselfe the bread and meate and drinke of our soules The people of Israel who were a stiffe-necked people when Moses tolde them the law of the Passeouer Exod. 12.27 Incuruatus adorauit bowed themselues and worshipped or adored and that was but Typus the Type and Lex the Law of the Passeouer and not the true Passeouer But this Sacrament containeth Christ the true Passeouer and shall wee not much more bow downe and kneele when wee receiue this trueth and substance If the King that is but a mortal man whose breath is in his nostrils giue vs a pardon or some great gift and office who is so proud but hee will stoope and bow downe his head and kneele nay kisse his feete And the greater the Kings grace is the greater will be the receiuers humiliation And shall we denie that to God which we euery day tender to man So then as Religion taught men naturall and ciuill dueties to Parents to Kings and to Priests and benefactors to kneele and to bow the head in reuerence when wee receiue naturall and ciuill gifts so let nature and ciuilitie as Riuers returne their streames to the Sea of Gods goodnesse whence they take their beginning and teach men the dueties of Religion and deuotion to bow the head and the bodie and the knees with all reuerence and humilitie to God who giueth not onely naturall but also supernaturall and diuine graces and glory it selfe nay that giueth himselfe and his Sonne and his holy spirit for vs and to vs in this Sacrament And let Fathers and Masters on earth learne euen of their children and seruants on Earth to do their duetie to their Father that is in Heauen Thou bowest and kneelest to thy Father thy Master thy Prince thy ghostly Father in earth who are but instruments and vnder-agents of thy being and conseruation in nature and grace and therein doest but thy duetie And wilt thou not much more kneele and bow to thy Master and King and Father and God in Heauen who is the first and supreame Author and cause of our naturall and supernaturall being in grace and glory If thou doe it to Gods Image much more doe it to God himselfe for Gratiam Psal 84.12 gloriam dabit Dominus grace and glorie are both the gifts of God and because they bee the greatest gifts they must bee receiued with greatest reuerence and humiliation and therefore with kneeling Ratio 4. Tremenda mysteria I Come to the fourth Reason and that is Mysteriorum dignitas the dignitie of the mysteries And that surely is great since they exhibite Christ vnto vs for as it appeareth in the former Reasons in this Sacrament God giueth his Son Christ and Christ giueth himselfe to be our food And therefore since wee receiue the bread of Heauen and the soode of Angels we may well thinke the Church to bee another heauen vnto vs where God feedeth vs with his Sonne and the Angels assist and minister in this feast And in that respect all humilitie of soule and bodie and consequently kneeling is most fit for this holy action of consecration and participation of this heauenly and Angelicall foode Moses beheld a burning bush in the wildernesse Exod. 3.5 and hee might not come neere it vntill hee had put off his shooes the reason is because Locus in quo stas terrasancta est the place wheron thou standest is holy ground and is not this sacred mystery as holy if not more holy then this burning bush since it hath vim Sanctificantem a sanctifying power in all them that receiue it with true contrition and faith When God appeared to Iacob at Bethel Gen. 28.16 17 Iacob said Surely God is in this place and I knew it not and hee was afraid and said Quam terribilis est hic locus How dreadfull is this place This is none other but Domus Dei Gen. 31.13 and Porta Coeli the house of God and the gate of heauen and God calleth himselfe the God of Bethel But this mystery goes further It is not Domus but Mensa Dei not the House onely but the Table of God not Porta but Cibus Celi not the gate onely but the foode of heauen yea Christ that is God and man is here offered and receiued and therefore as that was Locus terribilis a dreadfull place so this is Actio terribilis an action not of familiarity which breedes presumption and presumption begets contempt but of dread and reuerence and therefore to be vndertaken with all deuotion of soule and humiliation and kneeling of bodie And if holinesse doe become Domum Dei Psal 93.6 the house of God for euer much more doth holines become Deum Bethel the God of Bethel the God of that house If holinesse become the materiall house or Temple much more doth it become the spirituall house and table of the Lord in which wee offer our soules and bodies to be spirituall Temples to the Lord. And this holinesse must make a difference of the Lords body from other meates 1. Cor. 11.29 for some eate and drinke their owne damnation because they discerne not the Lords bodie And what is it to discerne the Lords bodie Doth hee discerne or make a difference of the Lords body that commeth to this Sacrament with no more respect or reuerence then hee commeth to his ordinarie supper Doth hee discerne the Lords bodie that adoreth and kneeleth to the Elements and giueth the worship to the creature which is due onely to the Creator Doth hee discerne the Lords body that commeth to this Sacrament Pompaticè gloriosè pompously Cyprian de Coena Dom. and gloriously without all contrition and sorrow for guiltinesse of sinne without all praise and thanks for the great blessings hee is to receiue without any prayer that hee may worthily receiue those great mysteries Doth hee discerne the Lords bodie that commeth to these mysteries rashly and presumptuously as if he were coequall and hailefellow with Christ when as wee should indeed come cum timore tremore Chrysost with feare and trembling in respect of Gods greatnesse and our owne vnworthinesse to receiue these sacred mysteries So then these holy mysteries by their dignitie and greatnesse should strike an awe and reuerence in vs when we come to the Lords Table and procure adoration and kneeling not to them for they are but creatures consecrated to an holy vse but to the Creator that feedeth vs in such holy yet fearefull maner In which respect the ancient Fathers spake of these mysteries with great reuerence Hom. 24. in 1. Cor. 10.16 chiefly S. Chrysostom who expounding the words of S. Paul The cup of blessing which we blesse c. saith Quid dicis O beate Paule volens auditori pudorem suffundere reuerendorum mentionem faciens mysteriorum benedictionis Calicem vocas illum terribilem maximè formidandū calicem certè inquit non est enim paruum quod dictū est Nam

surely the Prince and Prelates of this Church proceeded to the reformation of superstitions and abuses crept into the worship of God by the corruptions of Poperie according to some rule or Canon and proposed to themselues to goe by an euen way that is so to reforme that they might withall restore the Church to her ancient puritie In which respect they endeuoured to take away the multitude of idle and superfluous Ceremonies that made the state of Christianitie more intollerable then the state of the Iewes was and to retaine such gestures and Ceremonies which they found truely ancient and reasonable Their meaning was not to make a new Church but to reforme according to the first and primitiue and Apostolicall institution for that which is first that is true Their purpose was not to take the crooked staffe and bow it so farre from one extreame to another that from superstition they would presently decline to prophanesse but thought it fit to make a stay in the golden meane neither retayning all Ceremonies lest Religion might seeme to be nothing else but externall pompe and gesticulation neither reiecting all lest Religion hauing lost all externall maiestie might appeare naked and soone decay at the heart Among those Ceremonies retained this Prostration and Kneeling is one as being ancienter then Popery and fetching his pedegree from the first Fathers and Martyrs in the Church and grounded vpon good and sufficient reason as being a duety to be performed by the body in that eminent part of diuine worship that is the Sacrament as Deuotion and Pietie is the duety which at that time is to be tendered by the soule Either of which two whosoeuer will leaue out in the celebration of this holy mysterie he must withall strike out all subiection and humilitie out of this seruice and come pompously glorioussy and Pharisaically as if hee were fellow and equall with our blessed Sauiour the eternall Sonne of God and the blessed Trinitie that is the Maker of this great Feast For if Christ be God why should hee not be adored in his Word in his Sacraments in his Worship and in all parts of Christian duetie And if the Iewes Synagogue had power to turne standing into sitting at the Passeouer as some thinke though I be not of their opinion they did after the captiuity why hath not the Church of Christ power to change sitting or lying and leaning into kneeling which is the fittest gesture to represent subiection and humilitie So the Church of England reforming by the rule of the Primitiue Church hath learned and practised by her example to prostrate and kneele at the receipt of those great and sacred Mysteries In which I dispute not whether it be a duetie of necessitie or a Ceremonie of indifferencie I conceiue vpon reason in mine owne Iudgement that it is a duety or part of Gods worship not to be omitted in publicke and solemne Adoration but in case of euident necessitie If any man take it to bee onely a Ceremony of in differencie I wil not be contentious sure I am if it be a duery there is sufficient power in the Church to declare it and punish the refractary and disobedient If it be a Ceremonie of indifferencie there is sufficient power in the Church vpon good reason of decencie and order to establish it and bring all her members in obedience to it If there be not a power in the Church to declare Articles of faith and dueties of Religion then will it be free for euery man without controule to beleeue and doe what he lift no man shall haue power to correct him for his erroneous conscience If there bee not a power in the Church to institute and restore Ceremonies of decencie and order and to remooue vndecent and disorderly gestures then will it bee free for euery man to worship God after his owne fashion and then so many men so many worshippers and euery priuate man shall haue more power then the whole Church hath to institute what Ceremonies he list and then to be Lord Paramount subiect to none no not to the whole Church S. 1. Cor. 11.34 Paul said Caetera cum venero disponam the rest I will dispose when I come Hee had deliuered the whole substance and essentiall parts of this Sacrament before to which no man may adde frō which no mā may detract any thing no not the whole Church though she haue power of declaration and interpretation in it And somewhat he deliuered about Ceremonies as of fasting and eating before they came to the Lords Table of the time before or after Supper and the place the Church not the priuate eating house There remained some other Ceremonies neuer deliuered by the Apostle concerning this Sacrament In this either the Church hath power to institute and establish as the Nicene Councell did for standing at Praier C. 20. or else all things shal not be done decently and in order much lesse in Vnitie and Vniformitie 1. Cor. 14.40 So then the Church that hath a power to institute and establish Ceremonies in matters of decencie and order hath appointed this gesture of kneeling that doth most fully expresse the subiection and humilitie of Communicants of Worshippers of Sacrificers of Penitents of Suppliants and of Praysers to bee fit and decent and orderly in the receiuing of this Sacrament and if the spirits of the Prophets were subiect to the Prophets among vs 1. Cor. 14.32 as in right they ought to bee euery priuate man should lay downe his owne selfe conceipt and submit himselfe to the more mature and ripe iudgement of the Church wherein he liueth If any man will still bee contentious hee is worthy to vndergoe the censures of the Church and if that discipline bee not strict ynough it is fitte hee should bee brought into order by the seuere castigation of the Ciuill Magistrate who euen in Church causes beareth not the sword in vaine Rom. 13.4 For the King as the keeper of Gods Law of the first Table of Religion as well as the second of Ciuilitie in those things which are commaunded by God and taught by our Sauiour Christ hee is Iudex vindex not Legislator Iam. 4.12 he is no Law-maker that is Gods Office but he is the Iudge not of the Law but according to the Law and the reuenger to execute wrath vpon them that doe euill and no man neither Priest nor people is exempt from his sword if he faile in the performance of his duetie In things indifferent the King with his Church is first Legislator then Iudex and then Vindex first a Law-maker to ordeine and institute and establish Ceremonies of decencie and order in the worship of God and the King onely hath power to giue life and strength to them by the mulcts and penalties of his Ciuill power Next he is the Iudge and reuenger ciuilly to punish all refractaries and sectaries that will not endure to bee enclosed within the bounds