Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	word_n	write_n	year_n	32	3	4.0899	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85014	Feare of losing the old light. Or, A sermon preached in Exeter. By Thomas Fuller, B.D.	Fuller, Thomas, 1608-1661.	1646 (1646)	Wing F2424; Thomason E341_22; ESTC R200911	12,234	30

in the Loynes of their Grandfathers Oh let not their Soules be slain before their bodies be borne by wilfull debarring them by the prophanenesse of this present Age from the future benefit of Gods word Let that sturdy father carelesse of himselfe be conjured into Piety by that potent charme per spem crescentis Iuli. Who can reade the horrid History of so many thousand Childrens corpses drowned as they say in one fishpond in Italy by those Votaries their mothers and is not instantly ready if the fact be proved to arraigne condemne and execute the Memory of such Monstrous Murderers What then shall we say to such Parents as plunge the Soules of Millions in the Pit of Perdition sacrificing the Spirituall lives of their Sons and Daughters to Devils so that as they walke on in their wicked wayes the floore whereon they tread may bee said to be paved with slaughtered Infants and that they trample on a Charnel-House of childrens Soules of their owne killing because the candlestick of the Word was removed from them for their fathers offences 20. See a sad spectacle hereof in the Church of Ephesus to which God at this Day hath done what hee threatned in the Text. Indeed some hundreds of years after the writing of this Epistle Ephesus still continued the Staple of Religion and learning where some Generall Counsels were celebrated Till at last growing notoriously erronious in doctrine and vicious in Manners it is at the present reduced to a miserable condition shrunke almost invisible in our Moderne Maps save that some charitable Geographers in reverence of what shee hath beene allow her a bare remembrance in their larger Descriptions The few Christians therein and thereabout grow contented vassailes to the Turke and the soundest of them are infected in the Point of the Progression of the holy Spirit with many other grievous errours Generally in those Parts God hath permitted his Arke to fall downe before Dagon the Alchoran hath banished the Bible the Candle of the word is put out and in the roome thereof the Moone of Mahomet is risen whose Light is worse then darkenesse it Selfe All which had beene seasonably prevented if the Ephesians had beene but as carefull to take as God was kinde to tender the Caution in my Text. And will remove the Candlestick out of his Place except you repent 21. Now for application to leave Ephesus and come to England Know then in the first place our Land hath equalled Ephesus in favours received No Iland in the world so farre distant from Jerusalem saw the Light of the Gospel so soone yea it was morning here when it was midnight in Germany the last was first our Countrey placed in the Rere of the world marched one of the formost in receiving the Christian Religion And since the Word was here once planted hitherto it was never totally lost but still grew amongst the barren Mountaines in Wales as Piety hath ever an ambition to keepe company with Poverty Yea here Religion hath enjoyed her selfe as purely and plentifully as in any other place and though often sick of severall Superstitions yet these were not the Peculiar Diseases of England but the Epidemicall Infections of those Ages 22. Secondly England what by her sinnes which have caused this war and which this war hath caused hath equalled Ephesus in faults committed In one particular hath exceeded Her For the holy Spirit commendeth Ephesus in the next verse for hating the Nicolaitans whom he also hated These Nicolaitans were so called from * Acts 6. 5. Nicolas one of the seven Deacons who as Ecclesiasticall History reporteth having a Beautifull wife and being taxed for being causelesly Jealous of Her to confute his Accusers prostituted his wife to the unchaste embraces of any thereby to wipe off the Aspersion of Jealousie So then those who evidence their opposition to any Error in Judgement or demonstrate their distance from any vice in practise with such violence and furious indiscretion that they fall into the opposite error or reele into the contrary Vice are most truly and properly though not Literall spirituall Nicolaitans And in this Sense how many wee have of this Sect in our Kingdome not hated but favoured and fostered I am grieved to thinke and unable to number 23. But now the third Parallel I dare not speake and I dare not conceale Yet why should I not speake it In Spaine great rewards are given to such as first are the messengers of Bad newes provided they doe not disperse it to the Disadvantage of the publick but impart it onely to the State which may mend ill accidents before they become worse Sure then though I desire no favour I deserve no frowne if from the simplicity of my heart without sinister intents I shew the danger likely to cease on us if not providently diverted by speedy repentance Plainely t is this I feare we shall be like Ephesus in future punishment and that the candlestick will be removed out of his place 24. Objection There is no danger of the departure of the Light which now daily encreaseth Preaching now a dayes is like Silver in the reigne of * 1 King 10. 21. Solomon so plentifull that it was nothing accounted of The Gospel formerly going afoote now rides on horsebacke Wherefore concerning the removing of the Word you fancy causlesse feares then fear your causlesse fancies it now shineth brighter then ever before 25. Answ As all is not Gold that glisters so all is not light that shines for Glowormes and rotten wood shine in the darke Firebrands also doe more harme with their Smoake then good with their Light and such are many Incendiaries which without either authority of calling or ability of learning invade the Ministeriall function Whose Sermons consist onely of two good Sentences the first as containing the Text and the last which must bee allowed good in this respect because it puts an end to a tedious and impertinent discourse Notwithstanding all pretended new lights and plenty of preaching I persist in my former Suspicion Yet am I not so much affrighted with all the Prodigies reported to have appeared in the Ayre as with the portentous Sins which I dayly behold committed on the Earth And this I say God commonly moves the candle before he removes it The light seemes sicke and faint before it dyes In Mines before a dampe commeth candles begin to burne blew as by instinct mourning their owne funerall before hand Some such sad symptomes discover themselves in our Candle in the preaching of the word if seriously considered 26. First it is an ill signe that so many wantonly play with the Word When children begin to try Conclusions with a Candle sporting themselves at in and out with it their Parents use to take it from them leaving them to doe pennance in the Darke for their wantonnesse I am afraid God will serve us in like manner so many have dallied with the Scripture producing it for the maintenance of

wee hitherto cannot finde a Countrey from which the Gospel did totally depart to which it ever afterwards returned The white * Revel 6. 2. horse in the Revelation which generally is interpreted the word of God went forth conquering and to conquer Went forth still in a Progressive not Retrograde motion like the Sun in the Firmament which * Psal 19. 5. commeth forth as a Bridegroome out of his chamber and rejoyceth as a Giant to run his course his retreating ten Degrees on the Diall of * King 20. 11. Ahaz being extraordinary and miraculous Wherefore seeing it seems not to stand with the State of the Gospel to goe away animo revertendi it will bee our wisest course carefully to retaine what wee have no President to recover 13. Thirdly Christendome is a Zoar a little one in comparison of the Pagan part of the world Call for a Map as our Saviour did for a Penny and see how small a circuit thereof hath the Image and superscription of Christ upon it Thus it is meet that all the Earth being Gods Demeanes his Private Garden should bee lesse then his common grounds about it There was a place in the city of Jerusalem called the Daughter of Zion so named saith an * Adricomius Theatro Ter. Sanct. p 152. numb 26. Author because it was a parcell of buildings which branched or issued out of old Zion as a Colony thereof and surely pretty it was to behold this Babe in the arme of her Mother But oh that I might but live to see a Daughter of Christendome borne I meane a Plantation of Piety amongst the Pagans a Copy like our Originall save onely that it be not written with such red Inke in matter of doctrines and knowledge of Religion 14. Fourthly Christianity hath beene these last hundreds of yeares little effectuall in converting of Heathen For be it reported to Serious Consideration whether those Indians rather watered then baptised driven into the Church as the money changers out * John 2 15. of the Temple deserve to be accounted solid Christians Abate these and then we shall finde small impression and Improvement of the Gospel in these latter Ages on Paganisme I have not heard of many fish understand me in a mysticall meaning caught in New England and yet I have not beene deafe to lissen nor they I beleeve dumb to tell of their Achievements in that kind I speake not this God knoweth my heart to the disgrace of any Labourers there being better taught then to condemne mens endeavours by the successe and am so sensible how poorely our Ministery prevaileth here at home on professed Christians that I have little cause and lesse comfort to censure their Preaching for not taking effect upon Pagans Onely I speake this to the intent that we all should enter into a strict Scrutiny in our owne soules what may be the Reason of this unusuall barrennesse of our Christian Religion Surely it is no infirmity in the Doctrine it selfe disabled with Age like Naomi that could have * Ruth 1. 11. no more Sons in her wombe the fault is not in the Religion but in the Professors of it that of late wee have beene more unhappy in killing of Christians then happy in converting of Pagans 15. Lastly from Jerusalem whence the Gospel first started this Candlestick is observed to have a favourable inclination to verge more and more Westward This putteth us in some hopes of America in Gods due time God knows what good effects to them our sad war may produce some may be frighted therewith over into those Parts being more willing to endure American then English Savages or out of curiosity to see necessity to live frugality to gaine may carry Religion over with them into this Barbarous countrey Onely God forbid we should make so bad a bargaine as wholly to exchange our Gospel for their Gold our Saviour for their Silver fetch thence lignum Vitae and deprive our selves of the Tree of life in liew thereof May not their planting be our subplanting their founding in Christ our confusion let them have of our light not all our light let their candle bee kindled at ours ours not removed to them as God threatned the Ephesians in my Text I will remove thy Candlestick out of his place except thou repent 16. The third and last Doctrine couched in the Commination is this God never removes the Gospel from a Nation untill they or their Ancestors first remove themselves from his service Where the Gospel is given it is Gods Mercy not mans Merit where it is denyed it is Gods Pleasure no Injury to man where it is removed it is Gods Justice and mans punishment who hath beene unthankfull for it and unprofitable under it Thus the Jews our elder brethren were disinherited for their Infidelity at this day wandring in all lands yet having no Land sine Rege Lege Solo Salo I had almost said Coelo too stumbling at Him that should stay them unhappy if they knew their condition and more unhappy because they are ignorant of it 17. Object But this is hard dealing so just that it is unjust that children for the default of their Parents shall be debarred from the meanes of their Salvation Will God banish the sound of a Proverb * Ezek. 18. 3. out of Israel and practise the Sense thereof in his owne proceedings setting the childrens teeth on edge even to their * Mat. 8. 12. gnashing in Hell fire for the Sowre grapes which their fathers have eaten 18. Ans The Day of Judgement wil be the day of the manifestation of the righteousnesse of God whose actions which now are just shall then appeare so to the clearing of his wayes and convincing of others wickednesse The Damned shall want a drop of the water of a colourable excuse to coole their tongues with discontented with their condition but satisfied with the cause thereof so that they may blaspheme but not complaine Untill then let us be content to tarry the Lords leasure suspending our Censures and admiring what we cannot understand David saith to God Thy way * Psal 79. 19. is in the Sea and the sense is the same though inverted There is a Sea in thy way and that a bottomlesse one not like the Adriatick Acts 27. 28 wherein the Marriners sounded and found it 20. fathoms and when they had gone a little farther they sounded againe and found it 15. fathoms but in this Ocean the farther we saile the deeper we sinke and therefore let us make what speed to the Shoare except the Pilot here had more skill or his tackling more strength 19. Meane time how carefull ought Parents to be lest by their wickednesse they wilfully deprive their Posterity of the Gospel Here O let me plead for them who cannot speak for themselves yea I know not how to call my Clients being as yet unnam'd unborne unbegot I meane such little little Levi's which as yet lye hid