Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	common_a	order_n	prayer_n	3,129	5	6.3580	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A54047	A question propounded to the rulers, teachers, and people of the nations of England, for them singly to answer in their hearts and consciences in the fear and dread of the Almighty God ...	Penington, Isaac, 1616-1679.	1659 (1659)	Wing P1183; ESTC R31072	6,399	10

which was derived from Rome It is a sore stresse the Ministers of England have been put to namely to plead for the truth of the Ministry of the Church of Rome that thereby they might defend their own Now mark this thing following There arose false Apostles false Prophets false Teachers in the Apostle daies whom Satan clothed like true Apostles like true Prophets like Ministers of righteousness Thus they appeared thus they seemed to be but they were not of God but Satan not sent of God not inspired by God but inspired and sent by Satan These false Apostles these false Prophets fought against the true Church and true Ministry of Christ And though they were oftentimes discovered by the Spirit of Christ in his Church and the Church preserved from them yet we find related in Scripture that at length they did prevaile insomuch as the third part of the true Ministers was shaken and swept down from their place and standing by them Rev. 12. 4. yea and at length the Church her self as to the truth of her outward state overcome and fled into the wilderness vers. 6. 14. and a false Church got up in her stead which hath a cup of fornication to make people spiritually drunk and to bewitch them from the true worship of God into imitations and likenesses Rev. 17. 4. and those who will not acknowledge her likenesses imitations to be the truth but in the word of the Lambs Testimony witness against them she drinks their blood ver. 6. Now can any man of any manner of seriousness and sobriety of Spirit who is not drunk overcome with this Whores wine beleive that after false Porphets had got the day and set up the false Church that they would setup the true Ministry in it O how blind have men been that they should go about and take such pains to derive a succession of the true Ministry from the Ministers or Prophets of the false Church Thirdly What kind of maintenance was set up for this Ministry Was it a Gospel maintenance Was it that they should live of the Gospel which cannot but open mens spirits to the true Ministers thereof Or was it a maintenance forced from the people by that outward power which set up the Church And was this maintenance like unto or the same with the maintenance which the Popish Ministry had before in this Nation for their idolatrous service Fourthly What kind of Worship was it which was set up Was it the worship of the Gospel which is in spirit and truth Or was it a form of worship invented by man and so accommodated to the present temper of the Nation that they might with the more ease and willingness step out of Popery into it because of its nearness and likeness thereto Fifthly What kind of Church Government was set up Was it a pure spiritual Government Was it put into the hands of the spirit For nothing is to govern or can rightly govern over the spirits of Christs people in spiritual things but the spirit of Christ Or did men frame up a Church Government by their wisdome and put it into the hands of such as might exercise it without yea and against the Spirit Sixthly What kind of order was set up in this Church Was it the true Gospel order Was it the order of Christs Spirit whereby the carnal wisdome of man might be quenched and his spirit have scope Or was it a carnal order whereby the carnal wisdome learning knowledge and arts of man might have scope and the spirit in its motions be quenched Seventhly By what wisdome was the Common Prayer Book compiled and set up and surplices crosses and other cerimonies injoyned Was it by the wisdome of Gods Spirit for the building up of the spirits of his people in the faith Or was it for the pleasing and satisfying of the carnal part in people And what sort of persons were they who did most contend for and were most pleased with these Were they for the generality the stricter or the looser sort Eightly How came it about that the supream Magistrate of this Nation was made cheif head and governor of this Church under Christ Was this from Christs institution or of mans wisdome and invention If of mans inventing wisdome then against Christ then of Antichrists spirit who exalteth that which is not of Christ to sit and govern in his temple O weigh these things look about thee O England O Rulers Teachers and People look about you And if it plainly upon a naked search appear that there was at the very first a foundation laid of suppressing the true worship and the witnesses to it do not shut your eyes Have not the people of God still been mis-represented had reproachful names cast upon them and in some degree or other been persecuted from the beginning of the reformation And though names change and Rulers change and the teachers change and the people also change in their religion and worships yet is not the persecuting Spirit still the same and the persecuted Spirit still the same also The persecuting Spirit changeth its cover often but still retains its nature hunting after the life and pure power of the Spirit in the Children which are begotten of God Are not the people of God in every change a despised people and their integrity towards God still struck at When the Lord began a little to wipe off the reproach from them at the beginning of these troubles and the persecuting Spirit could not so conveniently hunt them any longer under the name of Puritans then other names were invented for them whereby the same spirit sought to make them appear odious again under a new reproachful title that so it might be persecuting the same thing afresh O how mightily hath the Lord striven to keep the Powers and people of this Nation from falling upon his people and yet still so soon as they come to any peace and feeling of power they are at it again O England thy persisting in this cannot but bring wrath upon thee What wouldst thou have of us Shall we not fear the Lord Shall we not obey the Lord Shall we not worship the Lord our God who hath redeemed and is redeeming our souls from death Shall we not be Protestants in truth and uprightness of heart before the Lord Shall we not testifie against the Popish Spirit and Popish practises and all new inventions of the same spirit though they get never so fine a covering in the Church of England as well as against them in the Church of Rome The Lord is our witness we would not offend thee O England no not the meanest persons of the whole Nation but from out of Popery are we called and from what ever else the same nature and Spirit may take up in the stead of it to follow the Lord our God towards the land of the living and follow him we must however thou deal with us O England If it had been so