Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n
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A23647
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Insulae fortunatae A discourse shewing the happiness of these nations under our present governours & government, or, How they may be happy if they will themselves : delivered for substance in a sermon on a late solemn day appointed by authority for imploring the blessing of God upon his Majesty and the present Parliament / by R.A., pastor of the church at Henfield.
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R. A. (Richard Allen)
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1675
(1675)
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Wing A1044; ESTC R5033
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9,715
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26
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Service of God is and may be rightly called his House The Temple at Jerusalem was burnt with Fire by the Chaldees restored again by the Kings of Persia Cyrus laid the Foundation Darius finisht the Building Artaxerxes furnisht the House with all Necessaries for the Service of God for he sent Ezra the Scribe with Presents of Gold and Silver to buy Meat-Offerings and Drink-Offerings Bullocks Rams and Lambs to offer upon the Altar of the House of God as the God of Heaven had Commanded And thus he Beautified the House of God At the same time the Jews were restored to the enjoyment of many Temporal Blessings and sweet comforts in their own Country a Land flowing with Milk and Honey But Ezra passeth by all these as of small value in comparison and blesseth God for restoring his Holy Worship and Service in his own House at Jerusalem Obs 1. That true Religion the pure Worship and Service of God is the fairest Beauty of Gods House Faithful Pastors and Godly People the richest Ornaments Obs 2. That of all Blessings under Heaven the Truth of Religion the Purity of Gods Worship and the enjoyment of them in his Ordinances is the chiefest choicest and most precious It is as the Ark of God to Israel and to the House of Obed-Edom the glory riches and strength of a Nation As the Temple was then Ezek. 24.21 such is now the House of God beautified with the truth of Religion and purity of Divine Worship It is the Excellency of our Strength the main Bulwark of our Peace and Safety the surest Ground or Foundation of all true Happiness National or Personal Our Saxon Ancestors in their Witten-Gemotts used in the first place to consult about Affairs of the Church and Matters of Religion and when those things were well setled then followed Affairs of the Commonwealth Our Pious Ancestors rightly conceiving that Religion was the principal and most precious and that if Gods Business were done first their own would thrive the better according to that of our Saviour Matth. 6.33 Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and all these things shall be added There is no loss of time in seeking Gods Kingdom first Now it cannot be denied but that this Nation hath received of God by the hands of our Gracious Soveraign many rich Mercies which call aloud for returns of Thankfulness unto God of Love and Loyalty to our Soveraign but instead hereof we hear unthankful murmures and complaints The World was ever given to it and we can expect no other of men who never know when they are well But we have as much cause to bless God for our Good King as ever Ezra had for the Great King To stop the mouths then of such querulous people that are never content I shall endeavour to shew you how much we are bound to return all Loyalty Love and Obedience to our Pious Soveraign with due Honour and Respect to our Religious Parliament for all the good they have done us enough to make us an happy People if we will our selves First It is not so long since but that we may remember when we were under the Conduct of Blind Guides who knew not what they did nor whither they were roaving for they were in the Dark themselves witness their own confession in the Armies Remonstrance and led us into such a miserable Confusion that none but our Soveraign did or could save us from utter Desolation and had it not been for his great Prudence and Moderation we might have been in as bad a condition again Secondly His Majesty was no sooner returned to the exercise of his Royal Authority but his first care was for the House of God to cast out the Filth and Rubbish and to prepare a people for the service of God In his Proclamation May 30. 1660. against Impiety and Licentiousness Drunkenness Swearing Railing at good things c. against Vicious Debauched and Prophane people who in in truth saith his Majesty have discredited my Cause and are a discredit to any Cause they pretend to favour Nothing so much polluteth the House of God nothing such a shame and scandal to our Church and Religion as the vicious Lives and lewd Conversation of too many that pretend to hold Communion with us Thirdly His Majesties next care for the House of God was in his Proclamation Aug. 20. 1663. for better Sanctifying or keeping Holy the Lords Day that his Holy Service might be more frequented and his House filled with the Incense of Prayers and the Sacrifice of Praise and Thanksgiving for all his Mercies The Lords Work must be done on the Lords Day or else it is not his Day but ours Fourthly His Majesty took care of Beautifying the House of God in his Order for Augmentation of small Benefices for the encouragement of Faithful Pastors to adorn the House of God with sound Doctrine and their Doctrine with Holy Life A worthy Member of Parliament Sir B. R. once told the House that Scandalous Livings make Scandalous Ministers both in Life and Doctrine Fifthly His Majesties special care for the House of God appeared in his Gracious Condescentions to the Honourable Parliament His Majesties Invitations of that Great Assembly to prepare Laws against the Growth of Popery and to prepare more severe Laws against Impiety and Licentiousness are a sure Evidence of his Pious Resolution to maintain the true Protestant Religion Piety and Vertue And their Return of Thankfulness to his Majesty for those Solemn Endearing Invitations and their making such good Laws for securing our Religion Peace and Safety whereto also the Royal Assent gave Life and Being give assurance of their Faithfulness Piety and Zeal for the Glory of God and good of their Country Blessed be God for this sweet Union and let all the people say Amen The Kings and Parliaments of England from time to time have always kept the Papal Power at Staves-end K. Henry 8. shook it quite off K. Edward 6. restored the true Protestant Religion that had been under Restraint It was not called by that Name till the Assembly at Spires but yet that Religion that Protestants profess was taught by Christ and his holy Apostles and hath continued to this day The Famous Qu. Elizabeth maintained the same against all opposition and raised a Fort-Royal out of Holy Scripture in our 39. Articles against the future Invasion of Heresie Idolatry and Superstition The Noble K. James with his Learned Pen gave the Adversary such a Deadly Wound that can never be healed Our late Dear Soveraign like a Glorious Martyr laid down his precious Life n defence of the true Protestant Religion and our Dread Soveraign that now is like a Royal Confesfor made open and constant Profession of it in the midst of strong Temptations to the contrary And now our Pious Soveraign insisting in the steps of those glorious Princes his most Noble Progenitors hath done like a Tender Father of his Country and the Honourable Parliament like
Faithful Patriots in maintaining the Church of England and the true Protestant Religion against the Encroachments of Popery and the Church of Rome and that for divers weighty Reasons concerning both our Temporal and Spiritual State First Because the Church of Rome sets up a Power over Soveraign Princes to control them in their own Dominions to the great disturbance of Publick Peace Pope Gregory the Third Excommunicated the Emperour Leo called Iconomachus which caused such a mischievous breach in the Empire that proved the Ruine of Christendom But the Church of England teacheth Obedience to Princes according to the Word of God and we are bound by our Oaths of Supremacy and Allegiance to withstand the Papal Power because it cannot stand with the Peace and Safety of the Nation Secondly Popery is stained with much Blood and charged with Treachery and Cruelty whereof our Fifth of November is a Perpetual Memorial and the World a Witness The Church of England teacheth us to love one another and pray for our Enemies Thirdly Popery is an Heavy Burden without benefit in a long Train of unnecessary people who at once robbed the Church of her Patrimony and devoured the riches of the Land Insomuch that a Noble King of this Nation used to say Monks have too much and Princes too little Hereupon they began to fear him and conspired against him but were prevented by a very strange Providence The Ministers of the Church at this day live most upon their leavings and Starve themselves to Feed you Fourthly Because the Church of Rome is such an hard Mother to her Children in locking up from them the Bread of Life and true Food of their Souls which their Heavenly Father so freely gives them and instead thereof feeding them with Trash Fabulous Legends Dreams Visions Revelations c. teaching for Doctrines the Commandments of men and making the Word of God of no effect through their Traditions But the Church of England lays open before you the Holy Scriptures of Truth sets before you the Bread of Life and feeds you with sincere Milk of the Word drawn from the Breasts of the Old and New Testament Fifthly Popery polluteth the House of God with Idols and the Land with Idolatry in their Image-worship Adoration of Saints and their Reliques c. Pope Boniface the Fourth who begged the Pantheon of Phocas the Emperour in place of the Heathen Gods and Goddesses set up the Images of the Virgin Mary and all Saints changeing the Names of the Idols but not the Nature of the Idolatry For 1 The Heathen had Tutelar Gods and Goddesses for Countries Cities Hills Dales c. so now there be Titular Saints for all places and purposes Vigilius the Tutelar Saint of the Valley of Trent c. 2 The Heathen acknowledged one Supreme God accounting all the rest as Mediators of Intercession examples whereof may be seen in their Poets The Saints are now put in that Office Prayer was made in the Council of Trent for Divine Assistance by the Intercession of Vigilius 3 The Heathen were not so bruitish to take Idols of Wood and Stone for Gods able to help them but in the Idol or Image worshipped some Deity represented thereby Our Adversaries at this day make no other Excuse Some wiser Heathens disliked Images for a two-fold Reason 1 Because they drew men from the true Worship And 2 From the true knowledge of God For this Reason the Pagan-Romans at first had no Images accounting it Sacriledge c. Plutarch in Numa The Council of Trent hath made some provision against the superstitious abuse of Images Reliques c. but to no purpose For we are exhorted 1 Joh. 5.21 to keep our selves from Idols not from Idolatry but from Idols For the holy Apostle knew well the corrupt Nature of Man is such that if Idols be in sight Idolatry will certainly follow For this cause not only the Adoring but the very Making of Images is expresly forbidden by the Law of God Now the Church of England as a careful Mother cast out the Worship of Saints their Images Reliques c. to keep her Children from the great peril of Idolatry a Sin so heinous that it provokes the fierce Wrath of God against a Nation and excludes for ever out of Heaven Sixthly The Church of Rome is very unreasonable in requiring us to believe things that they scarce believe themselves to receive for Truth that which the Word of God saith expresly is false to agree with them who could never yet agree among themselves They are angry with us because we will not take their bare word without proof nor grant that which they could never yet shew us any certain ground for for Councils have erred Popes have been deceived and divided in thirty Schisms have Condemned one another Decreed one contrary to another and used one another very uncharitably to speak the best Their last Council laid a Foundation of Religion that cannot possibly hold or stand together A Learned Carmelite warned them of it and opposed it with such solid Reasons that the Council could not answer but thought fit to stop his mouth with a Check And how can any man rest satisfied in the Judgment and Decision of men that understand not the matters in question For in the Debate between Soto and Catharinus about two most important Articles of Faith some of the Prelates confessed openly that they understood not the differences Hist Coun. Trent But the Church of England builds her Doctrine upon sure grounds even the Foundations of the Apostles and Prophets upon the pure Word of God contained in holy Scripture What shall we do now with Roman Catholicks Labour to out-shine them in Holy Life and out-do them in Good Works the best way either to win them or put them to silence or force them to confess that of a truth God is amongst us There would soon be less Controversie if more Conscience were made of those things that be without Controversie And now our Religion is secured and safe what is there else that any man can murmure at Is it Monarchy that is asserted by its worst Enemies who after they had marched thorough all forms of Government at last saw a necessity of retiring back to a Single Person who wanted nothing of a King but Right and Title Do any distaste our Liturgy that is allowed for sound and good in the Doctrinal part at least by Learned and Pious Adversaries Do our Laws dislike any they are justified by our late Reformers themselves who after long Consultation could find nothing to amend save only in the practise and that they made much worse and so judged by a Learned Lawyer and Commissioner of the Seal who refused to act upon their new Rules Is Trade decayed that 's the complaint raised or made use of by some to bring a scandal upon the Government whereof I could give you a notable instance But it may be real and true and then whatever other causes may