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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	church_n	great_a	schism_n	1,418	5	9.7695	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A43697	A sermon preach'd before the Lord Mayor and Court of Aldermen, June 27, 1680 by Charles Hickman ...	Hickman, Charles, 1648-1713.	1680 (1680)	Wing H1895; ESTC R18596	14,790	42

judgment in the search and only requires them to make a return according as they find the proof Not like the practices of the Church of Rome which requires an implicit faith to their unconceivable devices and ties us up to all the dictates of their infallible Judge that confines all knowledge to the mouth of the Priest and allows not so much as the evidence of opinion to the people Surely the light was made to shine and the Gospel was given us to profit withal but their concealments are an argument of their guilt and if Rome must still be under-ground it is not now to avoid the persecutions of tyranny but the convictions of truth it self This is the first argument of the truth of a Religion from the Reasonableness of it the second shall be taken from its Success It was this issue upon which Elijah put the grand debate between him and the Priests of Baal he pray'd and God heard his voice he believ'd and therefore it happened unto him according to his faith and the fire came down from Heaven to consume his Sacrifice God has in all ages shew'd an especial regard to his Church and with the watchful eye of providence has directed all its motions How miraculous were the advances of Christianity in the Primitive times when all the powers of the world set themselves with fire and sword to oppose its progress How wonderfully have those uncorrupted streams of truth been deriv'd to us through all the seas of violence and falshood with which it has continually encountred and 't is no less a miracle that we still continue in the true worship of God though compass'd about with our Adversaries on every side that our Church still retains the purity of its doctrine notwithstanding the perpetual assaults of Superstition and Idolatry and the secret underminings of Heresie and Schism which is a great proof that God has espous'd the cause of our Church since no weapon has prosper'd that was lifted up against it 'T is true that an evil cause also may be supported for a season by the force of evil arms and therefore I should not insist upon this argument in our defence but that there are still amongst us those who formerly design'd it to our destruction men of so politick a faith that they could measure the goodness of their cause by the number of their adherents and thought a Victory did sufficiently justifie a Rebellion they had no plea for breaking down all the fences of human society and violating the Ordinances of both God and man but the dictates of their private spirit and secret correspondence with God and they had no proof of this their Almighty commission and correspondence but from the success of their arms then they boasted themselves of their Victory and were exalted in their strength and as they made God the Author of their sins so in frequent thanksgivings they gave him the praise of its success But blessed be God our Religion as it was founded upon no blood but that of our Saviour so it was restor'd to us from the usurpation of these men in peace has hitherto flourish'd in the truth and I hope will be supported by Godliness But thirdly Supposing the Lord to be God yet we may make some use of the Prophets words that if Baal be God we must follow him From these worshippers of Baal we may in some sort learn how to follow the living God 'T is a shame to our Religion that we should go to the Heathens for examples of vertue and learn piety of an Idolater and yet if we observe the devotion of these Priests of Baal and other Enemies of our profession we shall find such strains of zeal amongst them as may serve though not for our imitation yet for our reproach How did they cry aloud from morning even until noon and cut themselves after their manner with Knives and Lancets till the blood gushed out upon them How do others also make it a piece of their Religion to rise up at mid-night to their Prayers and awaken their devotion with cords and thongs How did those Idolaters make their Children pass through the fire to Moloch How do these also sacrifice not only their Children but their Parents also their Kings and Princes to their devotion If their zeal could force them voluntarily to do violence to their natures cannot we at the command of God himself use such necessary self-denyal such moderate abstinence and fasting as may fit and prepare us for his reasonable service if they to serve their Idols could force their way through all the bounds of humanity and follow their God as the Jews follow'd our Saviour with Swords and Staves Cannot we submit to the just and easie commands of the Almighty for what does he require of thee O Man but to do justly to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God The sum of all is this Let us no longer halt between two opinions but if God has set up his Standard in Rome for an Ensign of the People to which all the Gentiles should seek let us no longer conceal our duty nor delay our holy Pilgrimage but make our way with Fire and Sword let us give the reins to our lusts and commit all iniquity with greediness that the vehemence of our passions and the greatness of our sins may add strength to our faith and sincerity to our repentance as if they loved most who had most need to be forgiven Or if God had withdrawn his presence from our solemn Congregations and shrouded his glory in the private retir'd Assemblies if the beauty of holiness consists in an unseemly disrespectful service and the liberty of the Gospel leaves us to our own devices If dissimulation and familiarity with our God be a virtue and Rebellion against our Prince be the great commandment then let us be zealous in this work of the Lord and drive on furiously towards confusion let us once more bind our Kings in chains and our Nobles in fetters of iron But if these things are an abomination and there can be no communion betwixt God and Baal then my beloved Brethren be ye steadfast and unmoveable always abounding in the work of the Lord for as much as ye know tha your labour is not in vain If the Lord be God follow him in the worship of his Name with boldness and resolution follow him in your lives with zeal and affection and be ye constant unto death Let neither Tribulation nor Anguish Principalities nor Powers things present nor things to come separate us from the love of God or shake our resolutions Let neither the temptations of the flesh nor the evil customs of the wicked world induce us to take part with the destroyer but let our good works shine like lights before men to the glory of God and the confirmation of his Church Let our ways be upright as amongst the Gentiles and our conversation unblamable to stop the mouths of of gain-sayers and let our faith overcome the world and tread down Satan under our feet for this is a Christians triumph these are the badges of our profession and must be our Crowns and Diadems when dignities and distinctions shall be no more Without these it is but vanity to expect and injustice to demand the honour due to the Servants of the Lord when our Vices shal level us with the worshippers of Baal FINIS

Anchors we lie at the mercy of every wind and tide and are in danger of being foundred upon every shallow and split upon every Rock therefore we must first beware of a blind misguided zeal But 2. We must be cautious also that our zeal be according to discretion we must make allowances for the infirmities of our nature and not extend our passions to the utmost pitch like him that spreads all his sayls for the speedier expediting of his course till at length for want of a due proportion of ballast he is over-power'd by the impetuousness of the wind and his Vessel overset Therefore we must beware also of a fiery ungovernable zeal and make reason our judge not only of the ends we propose but also of the means we use The honour of God and the defence of his worship are glorious undertakings and yet even here the excess of zeal is a crime and the great importance of the end cannot justifie any unlawfulness in the means the will of God as it is express'd in his word is the Standard of good and evil and he will not suffer his eternal Laws to be violated though in his own defence If it should please him to give his and our Enemies such advantage over us as may endanger the exercise of our Religion we have our prayers and other lawful endeavours for our redress but we must not defend our Church by an unlawful return of evil for evil nor like our Adversaries commit any act of impiety or injustice though under the most specious pretence of fighting the battel of the Lord. The goodness of the cause here is so far from justifying the act that it only aggravates the offence for the sins of a private circumstance may much easier be forgiven where the frailties of our nature or the violence of a temptation may lessen the crime and the obscurity of the Author may remove the scandal But when a Law is violated or any injustice done for the sake of our Religion both the scandal and the crime become conspicuous they are then laid at the doors of our Church and bring a publick and perpetual blot upon our cause If God stands not in need of our vertues much less does he stand in need of our sins If it please him to continue the light and truth of his Gospel amongst us he can do it without any offence or fault of ours Si Pergama dextra defendi possent etiam hac defensa fuissent with his own right Hand and with his holy Arm he will get himself the victory But what can our Religion profit us or what honour can it bring to the Almighty when 't is defended by such means as dishonour both God and Man when our sacrifice comes polluted with blood and violence of its own how can it attone for our transgressions Therefore it is necessary that we obey not only for wrath but also for conscience sake St. Peter who was the first that drew his Sword in his Masters quarrel was the first that deny'd his Name and forsook his cause and doubtless whosoever fights for his Religion against his Prince can never pass the muster without a Romish dispensation It is not Piety but Faction that animates his zeal and like the unjust Steward he says What shall I do I cannot die for my Religion and to comply I am asham'd therefore as Cowards do he shuts his eyes against the danger and the fear of Death makes him valiant and if he dies in the cause who would not sooner set the brand of Heresie upon his face than the Crown of Martyrdom upon his head I wish this Discourse were altogether as impertinent in these our days as I hope it is in this place which seems to be stil'd the Metropolis of Piety and the center of Obedience where Righteousness and Peace do flourish and Religion and Loyalty go hand in hand And indeed it is only the practice of some misguided Zealots that can separate them without an absurdity for no Man ever did or can follow the Lord to the tents of Rebellion he always leads his people by the hands of Moses and Aaron and has given us Kings to go in and out before us and whosoever forsakes them forsakes also the Commandments of his God Religion may be his pretence and Godliness the Colours which he displays in his Banner but 't is Pride that whets his Sword and Interest that makes it ready to the Battel And to break Gods Law for the support of his worship is no less a contradiction than to fight against a Prince in his own defence Since therefore the heart of Man is deceitful altogether and we are subject to interpret those actions for the effects of Zeal which are in truth the insinuations of the Devil I shall shew 3. how we may know whether we follow the Lord or not And I. If we truly zealous toward God we shall be zealous also for his Commandments we must live in a constant intire obedience to his will without which our worship is in vain and we may cry unto him Lord Lord but he he will not hear for what mercy can excuse him who continually affront the God of mercy or what power can save him who lives in defiance of that power which he acknowledges to be Almighty Not that every sinful act proclaims us Traitors to the most High and puts us out of the protection of his Law as long as the Gospel of repentance is in force the unalterable decree of judgment does not pass upon us but while we continue in an habitual state of sin and allow our selves the constant enjoyment of any one forbidden Lust so long we resist the will of God and either question his Truth who reveal'd the Law unto us or deny his power of punishing the breach thereof and therefore Saint James tells us If we keep the whole Law and yet offend in one point we are guilty of all And when the guilt of a universal disobedience lies upon us we are surely very unfit to fight under the Banner of Christ But to avoid this fatal necessity that they may still indulge themselves in their sins without forfeiting their Title to the Church the men of this World have found out these two evasions 1. They advance the merits and necessity of Vertue in their Doctrine above measure not for the sake of God but Mammon They resolve the whole practice of Religion into Morality and make good works the only means of Salvation that when they have laid such heavy burthens upon the people as neither they nor their forefathers were able to bear they may absolve them at their pleasure and dispense with them at their own rates Thus they prostitute their Temples again to the Money-changers and make Merchandize of their Divinity and then how easie is it for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven But 2. This abuse has produc'd the quite contrary extream in another sort of men