Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	king_n	prince_n	subject_n	3,995	5	6.4954	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B00700	A godly and fruitful exposition on the twenty five psalme, the second of the penteniials [sic]. Seruing especially for the direction and comfort of all persons, who are either troubled in minde, diseased in bodie, or persecuted by the wicked. / by A. Symson, pastor of the church at Dalkeith in Scotland.	Simson, Archibald, 1564-1628.	1622 (1622)	STC 22565.5; ESTC S107781	90,612	198

himselfe ●nlesse he pray for the Church also as Da●id doth in many Psalmes If a man be a ●ensible member of the body it is not pos●●ble but the euills which befall to any one ●ember let be all touch not him to the heart as it were done to himselfe In this verse are three things contained first for whom he prayeth for Sion and Ierusalem secondly what he suiteth Gods fauour thirdly out of what ground for thy good pleasure But before we enter to any of these particulars we haue some generalls necessarely to be marked The chiefe care of princes should be for the Church First that the chiefe care of Princes should be the weale of the Church The Church is as the heart in the body which being troubled of necessitie the body must be in danger if ye loue your head keepe your heart The Church nurisheth the heart bloud of Christ in her bosome The Church is as the heart the rest of the members haue also their owne offices but she hath the chiefest office being the most noble part and who should maintaine her more then the head who hath all the sences infixed therein and from which all the members sinewes and veines take their life And what grea●er honour can they haue then to be nursing fathers of the Church If a king concredite his child and his first borne to be nourished by any of his subiects may not that subiect thinke he hath gotten great honour Simil. and may expect for his trauell great commoditie and when a king hath receiued Gods first borne for Israel is his first borne in his custodie may he not thinke he hath gotten great glorie and if he neglect his first borne shall he not receiue great infamie Those who are greatest officers in a kingdome as Chancelour Chamberlane President Secretarie and men of estate are in greatest estimation and credite and shall not great men thinke they are greatlie obliged to God who hath made them administrators of his kingdome whose standing is the weale of the Church the principall e●tate of their Common-weale if it stand then they stand if it fall they fall for their subiects obey them more for conscience then for any terrour or feare of their lawes Then it is best for them to be religious and to propagate holie religion for their owne standing The Romans wrought more by religion then the sword The auncient Romans Lacedemonians Athenians were most carefull of religion ●ecause they affirmed that they wrought more by deuotion then they were able to ●oe by the sword This was their good po●cie as Plutarch amplie reciteth in his Historie Then when Princes inuade religion and draw the people to atheisme see if they be not gratest enemies to themselues to their estate and posteritie The Turke and other polititions may giue Christian princes sufficient proofes of this my assertion as also if examples of Dauid Let princes follow Dauids example Solomon Iosias Ezechia Constantine Theodosius may moue them whose posteritie hath brought eternall renowne vnto them and if not let Iulian affray them and wicked princes like vnto him The care of religion a princes chiefest safeguard The care of religion and to be a religious prince is the greatest safeguard to a prince For religion hath Gods maintainnance and God hath shewen his mightie hand for Ezechia against Senacherib and for Dauid against all his enemies for Queen Elizabeth who died in peace notwithstanding all the maginations of her enemies and for our dread Soueraigne Lord King Iames Princes religious bring wealth to their subiects against all the horrible and monstrous designes of his enemies Princes maintaining religion bring great wealth to themselues and to their subiects as Solomon did when gold was as dust and siluer as the stones Next 1. King 10.21 the Church being vnder continual danger should be helped by princes The Church being troubled should be helped by princes Since the Church is the princes depositum which God gaue to their custodie they ought to haue a chiefe regard of her The fatherlesse widow and orphans are concredited to them much more they should defend the Church because the deuill and his instruments and her fight against her and who should maintaine her but princes who are set in authoritie onely for her cause to debate and take her part against all the world Her enemies are more then notorious she was neuer at rest her enemies are assaulting her continually hell hath broken loose against her in these latter daies princes haue put their diadems on the hornes of the beast people are rageing And seeing that eternall spouse of God is so hated of the world should not princes with Dauid procure her welfare euen to their vttermost Princes who would fight well must pray well Princes must by prayer and power support the Church Prayer hath more power then armour Therefore princes who would fight well must pray well Moses did more with his hands lifted vp to God then Iosua did with his sword Exo. 17.11 Gen 32.28 Israel wrestled with God gat his name by prayer for otherwaies he could not haue preuailed with such a maiestie Therefore princes who be athiests can neuer be good to the Church and no maruell because they know not what prayer is Wicked princes cannot abase themselues so low as to pray to a superiour but Dauid who will be renowned for euer not onely prayeth but biddeth the people pray for the peace of Ierusalem In a word the chiefe armour of the Church and all Church wardens and Church defenders are spirituall Arma militia non sunt carnalia The weapons of our warrefare are not carnall but spirituall Be fauourable vnto Zion He prayeth for Sion and Ierusalem this is a noueltie should the king pray for the Church I thinke the Church should pray for the king Yea but this king thinketh that all his prosperitie standeth in the weale of the Church and therefore he as the most principall member thereof prayeth for her What Sion and Ierusalem were and what they signified The Church is represented by the names of Sion and Ierusalem Sion was the mountaine vpon which the fort and Temple were builded Ierusalem was the cittie But these two haue spirituall interpretations being shaddowes of things to come as all the Fathers confesse Sion was a mountain in the holy land which the Lord loued more then all mountaines He might haue chosen Olimpus for height Basan for fatnesse And what was Sion it is to be seene yet there are many bigger stronger and fairer mountaines in Scotland then was Sion I will compare it to Authur-seate at Edinburrough how commeth it to passe that the Lord chooseth it before all mountaines What but because he loued it and made it a place of his habitation there he built a Church out of it he will let the law yea the Gospell came to all nations mount Sion is a place so firmely fixed

true marke of a penitent sinner to aggrauate his sinne To aggrauate sin a true marke of a penitent Some vse to extenuate their sinnes by comparing them to others whom they thinke sinne more then they doe others excuse them as Adam did when hee said Gen. 3.12.13 The woman which thou gauest to bee with me shee gaue me of the Tree and I did ●ate shee againe excused herselfe The Serpent beguiled me and I did eate Doctr. But let the children of God search and finde out the greatnesse of their sinnes Whē man remembreth sinne God forgetteth it and aggrauate them that God may extenuate them and so forget them Are yee loadned with sinne remember it and God will forget it and ease you if yee haue it before your eyes hee shall cast it behind his backe but if you thinke nothing of sinne God will binde it on your backe so that it shall presse you downe as a milstone But he craueth this for Gods names sake his name is his honor Doctr. shewing vs that God purchaseth his chiefe honour by his mercy Gods chiefest honor is his mercie It is the honour of the King to try sinnes but the honour of God to couer them Pro. 25.2 VERSE 12. What man is hee that feareth the Lord him will hee teach the way that he shall choose IN this and the other two verses following is contained another quality which God craueth in his penitent humble and obedient sinner to wit that he haue the feare of God who is rewarded with temporall and spirituall blessings in his soule body and posterity So godlinesse is great gaine hauing the promises of this life and the life to come 1 Tim. 4.8 What man is he By this forme of interrogation hee would note the raritie of those that shall finde mercie and this indefinite speech answerable to an vniuersall declareth that whatsoeuer they bee of whatsoeuer estate and condition who feare God shall bee sure of these after following blessings Doct. God directs them whom hee forgiues Next obserue that God hee directs all these in the course of their life whom hee hath pardoned therfore those who are not reconciled to God need not looke for Gods direction he was a Pillar of fire and Cloud to the Israelites for they were vnder the Couenant Exo. 14.19 The feare of the Lord is the chiefe vertue Pro. 15.33 What the feare of God is euen the beginning of wisedome It is a secret reuerence bred in the heart of a Christian proceeding out of the sense and feeling of Gods loue whereby a sinner is affraid that hee neither thinke speake or doe any thing which hee supposeth may offend Gods Maiestie This secret feare if it bee once planted in the heart will direct thee in all good actions acceptable to God and correct thy euill doings Note The loue of God hath a constraining power The two properties of Gods feare whereby it compelleth and forceth vs to serue him the feare of God hath a restraining power by which it restraineth and stayeth vs Simil. and keepeth vs backe from offending him this is like a bit the other like a spur Abraham feared that the feare of God was not Gen. 20.11 in the place wherto he went Ioseph being inticed by his Mistris to commit wickednes with her answered How can I do this great wickednes and so sin against God Ge● 39.9 the Lord plant this feare in our harts This is a filial feare which he craueth comming from loue not a seruile feare which commeth from a feare of punishment How the feare of God is preserued The preseruer of this feare is a continual nourishment in thy minde of the presence of God to whō thou presentest all thy actions When thou cōmittest any thing vnworthy of his presence be ashamed of it flie frō it craue mercy for it make the quiet Cabinet of thy mind the Chamber of his presence wherin thou darest admit no lewd thought no filthy thing And because it is impossible to fray thy hart minde from the conceptions of that sinning sinne in thee Note yet haue this testimony that it is no sooner conceiued but as soon repented Will he teach the way that he shall choose He promiseth foure benefits to the man that feareth God he heapeth vpon him grace vpon grace before hee pardoned him and now he directeth the man whom he forgaue for no sooner receiueth hee any man in his fauor when he immediate●y takes the protection and direction of him But out of these words we see three things First there are diuers yea contrary wayes as there are contrary ends the broad and the narrow the Kings way and by-rodes the way of life and of death Many promise to themselues a Kingdom not being in the way leading thereto This is against such as dreame to themselues that whatsoeuer religion they professe or howsoeuer they liue they shall goe to heauen but they are deceiued for if thou be not in the way to the Kingdome thou shalt neuer attain to the Kingdome many yea the most part are not going but riding not running but posting to hell whom if ye demand whither they goe they will answere to heauen yea and they will bragge they shall be nearer God then the Preacher himselfe euen as if one would dreame of life at the poynt of death Next wee see that a man cannot of himselfe choose the right way to heauen Doct. for the naturall man cannot apprehend those things which pertaine to Gods Kingdome Man of himselfe is ignorant of the right way neither yet can he see them for they are spiritually discerned Whereupon followeth the third 1 Cor. 2.14 that is how man shall choose the good and refuse the euill way Non est currentis nec volentis sed miserentis Dei Rom. 9.16 It is not in him that runneth nor in him that willeth but in God that sheweth mercy Heb. 11.25 Moses choosed rather to suffer with the Church then to bee called the sonne of Pharohs daughter Ios 24.15 Ioshua and his house choosed to serue God though all the people should serue Baal Psal 4.6 Dauid the King choosed the light of Gods countenance to shine on him 1 Kin. 3.9 Solomon made his choyce of wisdome Luk. 10.42 Mary choosed the better part Paul thought all things to be dung in respect of the excellent knowledge of Christ Phil. 3.8 The Church of Laodicea was counselled to buy gold Apoc. 3 18. But all these their choyces were of God who put it in their hearts to choose good things Wisedome cryed in the streets that all that were destitute of vnderstanding should come to her Pro. 8.1 but the foole heard the voyce of the harlot Goe to our daliance Pro. 7.22 saith shee and hee went like a sheepe to the slaughter So by nature we choose the