Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	law_n	liberty_n	parliament_n	4,902	5	6.1958	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A89892	England's royal stone at the head of the corner, through the wonderful working of almighty God. Set forth in a sermon preached in the Cathedral church at Gloucester, the 28th day of June, being a day of publick and solemn thanksgiving for His Majesties happy restauration. By Joh. Nelme, M.A. and Pastor of S. Michaels in the said city.	Nelme, John, b. 1618 or 19.	1660 (1660)	Wing N415; Thomason E1034_9; ESTC R209037	19,061	28

fitter Stone to be found in all the heap to make the chief-corner-stone of in the building of Israel's Commonwealth then he But Saul and his Counsellours and the great men of Israel who are here compared to Builders would not so much as let him lie in the building not suffer him to have any place of abode in the Lords inheritance but hunted him up and down as a Partridge is hunted in the mountains laid him utterly aside made him the Common Enemy And when after Saul's death David was crowned King in Hebron over Judah the Elders of the rest of the Tribes would not hear of his being King over them no not they Till at length God takes the building in hand himself and by his over-ruling providence sets this stone at the head of the corner beyond all expectation seats him in the throne of Israel and Judah both Both the walls of this politick Structure now met in David as the head-corner-stone that kept them together The meaning of the words as applicable unto King Christ the Antitype is briefly this Jesus was the Messiah that was to come anointed of the Father to be the Saviour of his People the King and Head of the Church Now the chief Priests and Elders of the Jews who are compared to builders instead of giving him that honour in the building that he ought to have had utterly laid him aside persecuted him to the death as unfit to live thrust him out of the world in a most shameful manner But yet for all this whether they would or no God takes the building into his own hands raises Jesus up again from the dead takes this pretious Stone out of the rubbish and sets it in the head of the Corner even at his own right hand in heavenly places far above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named not onely in this world but also in that which is to come c. The words are under consideration at this time as applicable to Davids Case which is the prime import of the Psalm and they being thus briefly but truly opened your thoughts cannot but out-run my words to the making a pertinent application thereof They are urged by David as an Argument of his resolution to praise God I shall urge this for the same end upon you to quicken you to this days Duty For which end I beseech you to consider with me 1. Englands late Misery 2. Englands present Mercy First Englands late Misery by falling into the hands of foolish Builders who took upon them to set fast the Fabrick of our tottering State that was ready to fall asunder by the unhappy Divisions that fell out between His late Majesty and his two Houses of Parliament of which three Estates the goodly Structure of the English Government is composed The two walls of the building unhappily fell from the chief-corner-stone which before held them together and then there was no likelihood but that all would tumble except some skilful hands might interpose to cement them together This was hopefully endeavoured until some busie Sword-men presuming they could handle the State-Trowel as well as the Martial Sword took the matter in their own hands and in stead of building destroyed and pulled down to the ground that most excellent Structure which our wise Ancestors left framed and fitted to our hands and beautified with all the Ornaments of a most flourishing Kingdom and all the most desirable Immunities of the freest People They left scarce a Pillar standing that was any ways useful to support it And the stones of the best use and worth they all flung out of the building Onely one crackt piece of that politick Fabrick they left in being which by a strange Synechdoche still retained the name of the whole and these they made no further use of neither then to pelt the Head of the Corner quite down withal Which was done on that fatal day of the execrable Murther of the Lords Anointed the saddest Day that ever England saw it being an Act of the most abominablest Treachery and Vnfaithfulness that ever the Sun beheld Well this desperate Turn being served our foolish builders in a while began to see a necessity of pulling down all that they had left standing and to enter upon fresh counsels of building all anew again And here to see our misery so much the more consider First what a loss we were at After a tedious contest on pretence for King and Parliament religion laws and liberty we had fairly sought our selves out of all having neither the one nor the other left unto us But all swallowed up by the all-devouring sword There was only a name of religion left and owned by these dovourers But it proved but a name in the issue A form a vizor of Godliness But it was not thick enough to cover the covetousness pride blasphemy ingratitude wickedness and treachery of those in power who went under that mask Secondly consider what an advantage there was of settling all again and setting up the old and best frame of Goverment on firm foundations and yet how foolishly this advantage was not laid hold of but slighted neglected and scorned Our Royal Soverain that now is was a stone fittest to make the head of the Corner of all that were to be found in the heap as being by the Law of God and of this Nation the undoubted heir of the Crown and being endued by God with such regal abilities as are not every where to be parallel'd But alas our foolish builders would have none of him And yet rather then not be building they assayed to build without a foundation setting up a linsey-woolsey Tent upon sticks sirnamed a Parliament and the supreme authority But that was quickly weather-beaten and fell asunder of it self A Fabrick somewhat like the old was at length resolved on But him whom God had fitted to be the head of the Corner they would none of And therefore by a new devised Instrument they clap in a piece of Iron instead of the true-corner-stone And now the Government was rather forcibly crampt then orderly joyned together This Iron-piece held it by force a while But it rusted at last and all came down again And now our builders might have had him whom God had fitted to be the head of the Corner But they rejected him still and put in a piece of soft clay in the room thereof and pull'd it out again as unserviceable almost as soon as they put it in And yet him whom God had fitted to be the head of the Corner they would none of All the skilful and conscientious workmen that knew none would serve but He cryed shame upon these bungling builders Yet so foolish were they as to let none meddle with the work but themselves And though they did they knew not what yet they would not give over Like besotted builders they fall to building without a foundation again but yet with some