Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	prove_v	true_a	truth_n	2,899	4	5.8364	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A28276	A sermon preach'd at the Chappel of Brentwood in Essex, October the 7th, 1693, at the visitation of the Right Reverend Father in God, Henry, Lord Bishop of London ... by Ofsp. Blackall ...	Blackall, Offspring, 1654-1716.	1694 (1694)	Wing B3051; ESTC R5712	20,756	34

Separation of the Reformed Churches themselves from the Church of Rome with which they once held Communion is against that Church So that if there be any thing in this Argument it holds every whit as strong against them as against us But the truth of it is the Argument its self is of no force against either one or the other But in the Case of Separation the only point to be considered in order to the discerning where the blame lies is for what cause the Separation was made For if the ground of our separating from the Roman Church be as indeed it was because we could not communicate with her without Sin this justifies our Separation and is indeed a just Objection against that Church which enjoined such unlawful terms of Communion And on the other side if the Doctrine that we profess and teach be Pure and Orthodox and our Worship to say the least of it such as may in every part of it be lawfully joined in if even they who dissent from us cannot fix on any one thing in our Communion which they can prove is unlawful if consequently the ground of their Separation from us be either because they will not endure sound Doctrine or because they have itching Ears which nothing will please but Novelties they indeed are highly to blame who separate from us upon such trifling Accounts but it is no more a just Objection against our Church That there are some that separate from it than it was against that Church which was at first Assembled and governed by our Lord himself in Person that there were some who when they had listed themselves under him as his Disciples did afterwards upon an unreasonable and groundless disgust go back and walk no more with him 3 What may further be observed from hence in general is this That the Example of a Multitude is not a sufficient inducement to follow their practice any further than the same may be justified by reason For in the Text we are told that many of our Lords Disciples probably not fewer than 5000 went away from him at once and as far as appears by the History there were only 12 that remained with him a very small number in comparison with that great Multitude that went away and yet there can be no doubt but that these were the True Church and that they which went away were Schismaticks From whence therefore by the way we may observe how vain and trifling that Argument is which they of the Church of Rome do urge in behalf of their Church and to perswade us to return to it taken from the great Multitude of those that are of the Roman Communion in comparison with the Reformed Churches For granting that the Roman Church is of much greater extent than the Reformed nay if we should grant it to be of larger extent than all the Christian Churches besides that are not of her Communion which yet is certainly false this is but a very sorry Argument to prove her to be the True and only True Christian Church For if truth be always on the side of the greatest number Which was the True Church in Abraham's time when he was of a Religion by himself Was it in his small Family or amongst the Idolatrous Nations that dwelt round about him Or which was the True Church in all that long Tract of time from Moses to our Saviour Was it not confined to a very small spot of Land even when it was at its largest extent And that again contracted to a much less compass in Elijah's time when there were not in Ten of the Tribes of Israel above Seven thousand men who had not bowed the knee to the image of Baal 1 Kings 19.18 Again if that be always the True Church which is the largest time was when the Arian Hereticks were the True Christian Church and the Orthodox Professors of Christianity who were but a very few in number in comparison with them were consequently miserably deluded and rank Hereticks And thus according to this Rule given by the Romanists for finding out the True Church truth and goodness are really nothing at all but vary according to the Fancies and Customs of Men and what is true and good now may in the next Age become very false and wicked But by what hath been said it appears that the true Worshippers of God have sometimes been but a very few and that the True Church of Christ hath in some Ages consisted but of a very small number and what has been once may be again So that tho we should grant that the Roman Church is larger than any one or even than all the Reformed Churches together yet still these may be the True Churches of Christ and that not for why may not the True Religion and the right Worship of God be confined to a narrow compass now as well as it hath been in former times The truth is number or fewness are both meerly accidental and extrinsecal things sometimes a multitude may be in the right and sometimes probably much oftner they are in the wrong and whether they be in the right or no is a thing to be inquired into not to be taken for granted For Truth and Goodness are always the same but the Fancies and Opinions of men are infinitely various and uncertain And therefore seeing God hath not left it to us to determine among our selves by most Votes which is the True Religion and the Right Worship of God but hath himself clearly stated and fully determined this matter in the Books of Scripture many hundred years ago that Determination of his is and will ever be most undoubtedly true 't is that therefore that we must stick to and abide by let the Crowd or the Multitude go which may it will And so much for the first thing Many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him II. The second thing which I took notice of in the words was the occasion of this great Schism intimated in that Clause 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from that time or as it may be rendred upon that occasion Many of his disciples went back Now what the occasion was we must learn from the foregoing part of the Chapter and it was in short this Our Saviour well knowing the Hypocrisy of that great Crowd that followed him and that all their pretended Zeal for him was really nothing else but Interest plainly tells them of it v 26. Verily verily I say unto you ye seek me not because ye saw the miracles but because ye did eat of the loaves and were filled and thereupon takes occasion to perswade them to withdraw their Hearts and Affections from this World and from their Temporal Interests and Concernments and to give themselves up to be instructed by him in the way and means of Salvation v. 27. Labour not for the meat which perisheth but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life which the son of man shall