Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	church_n	love_v	zion_n	21	3	9.3923	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30640	Englands bondage and hope of deliverance a sermon preached before the honourable House of Parliament at St. Margarets in Westminster / by Mr. Henry Burton ... Iune 20, 1641.	Burton, Henry, 1578-1648.	1641 (1641)	Wing B6162; ESTC R5904	17,112	32

be silent untill the Righteousnesse thereof breake forth like a morning Lampe And beloved this is indeed the naturall affection of the people of God it is naturall and proper unto every child of God thus to bee affected and ravished with the Church of God as above all things in the world to wish the good and welfare of it when it lyes under the waves and billowes of Affliction as the Apostle saith we must weepe with them that weepe rejoyce with them that rejoyce to be of like affection and surely beloved we have many motives and reasons to induce us and incite us to the love of the Church of God we have besides the example of the Saints First the example of God himselfe the Father who from everlasting hath so loved the Church that he did from everlasting choose it for his owne Predestinated them to salvation gave Christ for them gave him up to death for them as the Scripture saith Hee so loved the world that hee gave his onely begotten Son that all that believed on him should not perish but have Life everlasting hee would not have any of his perish but all saved though it cost him the death of his owne sonne such was his Bowels of Mercy and compassion towards them Secondly of the Love of Jesus Christ the sonne of God though hee was sent of the Father yet it was his owne good will that he gave his life for the Church shed his blood for it when hee put our humaine nature upon him that he might learne to have compassion on our infirmities and out of that compassion save us yea there was so much of that Philanthropos love of man in Christ that hee wept over the Jewes because of the hardnesse of their hearts because they would not give eare to his word nor believe in him hee wept for the destruction comming upon them Againe in the third place a third reason may bee taken from the consideration of the Church of God why we should love her and be well affected to her when we behold the Church cloathed with the righteousnesse of Christ shining out in those many battailes of Heaven and if we consider our relation to the Church of God in relation to Christ himself being his members his spouse his sister and every way so beautifull even so as Christ himselfe is ravished with her love as yee may read Cant. 4. And so in her Innocence it is Christ in her selfe it is none of her owne but by Christ the Church of God is made so innocent that she is without spot or wrinckle so noble so excellent and so glorious so highly in favour with God and with Christ now to see her lye under bondage and captivity that she that is freed by Christ should bee a Captive or a slave who can but bee affected therewith Wee doe compassionate those that are great men especially the high borne that are in bondage we pitty the very Lamb that is among Wolves the Dove among dogs and the Lilly that is crushed with Thornes more then all these is the Church of God a poore Lamb an innocent Dove a spotlesse Lilly when therefore shee is in this case it should move us to compassion Again another reason is taken from our selves we all desire to be of this Church of God to be in the very midst of this Assembly of the Church then beloved wee must bee of the same mind and affection with the Church of God of the same spirit to weep for it when occasion serves and herin stands our happinesse when we affect the Church of God Psal. 122 Pray for the Peace of Ierusalem that is the Church of God they shall prosper that love her see how the spirit turnes to those that love her pray for the Peace of Ierusalem peace be within thy wals and prosperity within thy Pallaces and surely beloved if the voyce of euery Christian should thus resolve with it selfe I desire to enjoy no liberty no mercy of God my selfe which I do not enjoy in common with the Church of God this is that makes every blessing to bee indeed a blessing when we doe injoy it not alone with our selves in particular but with the Church and when such a Land hath bin in Captivity as here in my Text when they are restored to their land and to their liberty and see the Land rejoyce with them also what a great Mercy is this of God and what abundant matter of Joy doth it afford unto those that are thus well affected that 's the fourth reason A fifth motive why wee must love the Church of God may be taken from the consideration of the captivity and bondage which here my Text hath relation to The Psalmist doth rejoyce at the deliverance of the Church of God because they were in captivity Captivity It takes away a mans heart and whatsoever is good in him we see what it hath done in other Countries in Turkie and many other places where men lye under Captivity what slaves are they and in what miserable cases are they Againe if we consider Captivity in the kinds of it either of the body or of the soule or of the conscience It is a miserable thing in any of these to be in bondage indeed we are all by nature borne slaves under the bondage of Sin and Satan but from this Christ hath delivered his people there is also a bondage of cōscience even many times of those people that are the children of Christ and that is under the servitude of humane inventions if it be a bondage of the body it may have a dependancie upon the bondage of the consciēce when the godly doe refuse to subscribe to mens devises in the worship of God then they are sent to Captivity of their bodies or else when men doe suffer their goods to be lost for it either of these kinds of bondage are the worst kinds in the world how many thousands of christians since England hath fallen out with God have bin devowred by these lyons as it is in the Chronicles when the Children of Israel set up their Idols then Gods sent lyons amongst them to devowr them and destroy them when England began to set up humane devises to corrupt the worship and service of God God sent lyons amongst us but thanks be to God at this time they are obiects of our pitty and compassion and it hath pleased God to move this honourable assembly to take into their harts the miserable condition of those that were thus captivated even so when wee see Gods Church in Captivity it should make us be affected with it it should make our Bowels earne over them with a desire of their freedome And then againe in respect of the deliverance it is glorious and honourable as in all times when God delivers his people he doth it with honour so when God delivered his children out of Egypt it was with honour in the face of all the World and so

wherein it doth stand or what are the signes of it that Gods people lye under this bondage in this Land J will give instance thereof in foure particulars The first is the bondage of Conscience 〈◊〉 poynt of Liturgy devised by men and imposed vpon the Consciences of the Godly The second is the Bondage of the Conscience under Ceremonies The third is the Bondage of Conscience under Discipline and the fourth is the Bondage of the Conscience vnder Governement First for the bondage of the Conscience vnder Liturgy Beloued if you turne to Coloss. 2.20 you shall find that the spirit of God doth by St. Paul blast all these seruices at one breath invented by men and imposed of necessity vpon the Conscience in vsing those prayers which the service of God 〈◊〉 Apostle calls all such Will-worshippers as you may see Coloss. 2.23 I would haue you turne to the Chapter and study it well speaking there of the ordinances of men which things saith hee have indeed a shew of wisedome in Will-worship and humility c. Though the pretended humility in all these Innovations of men pretend to be louing and humble yet all this worship is a will-worship devised by man and so becomes a snare to Gods people and 〈◊〉 agayne this is that our Sauiour Christ expressely condemnes 〈◊〉 15.9 In vaine doe they worship me teaching for Doctrine the Traditions of men it is a vaine worship Also Esay 29. These people draw neere to me with their lips and with their mouthes they honour me but their heart is farre removed from me What is the reason of that What 's the ground of all this their feare towards me is taught by the precepts of men Here is the very reason ground why the service devised by men is abhominable before God and is nothing but meere Hypocrisie when men draw neere him with their lip● and their hearts are farre from him Many men would teach how to serve God and prescribe rules for the service of God so to impose this yoke upon Gods people they would sit in Gods Chaire and doe in this as if the Servant should teach his Master what to doe God did not doe it nor Christ did not doe it but Man will doe it By which it may appeare that it is Hypocrisie and a vaine worship This is one bondage under which the Land hath suffered and for which we have cause to cry with the Prophet Oh that the Salvation of Israel were come out of Sy●n oh that there were a deliverance of Go●● people from this bondage The second is bondage under Ceremonies they be also branded Coll. 2.8 Beware lest any man spoyle you through Philosophy and vaine deceit after the Tradition of men after the rudiments of the world and not after Christ And so afterwards touch not taste not handle not the new devises of men set up in the service of God it spoyles men when they doe bind them to humane Ordinances it is a leading of them captive wherefore in the 10. ver. he shewes it is the vacuating of Christ 〈◊〉 you allied to Christ how comes it that you are subject to humane Ceremonies that you live under humane Ordinances this shewes you have no part in Christ so long as you are subject to humane Ordinances For Christs death hath abolished all Ordinances of the Law which were of Gods ordaining much more the Ordinances of men in the worship of God To set up these things and to let the conscience lye under bondage this is a great Captivity Christs death hath made void all these This is another bondage and we cry concerning this Oh that the Salvation of Israel were come out of Sion when God turneth the Captivity of his people from this Jacob shall rejoyce and Israel shall be glad The third is a Bondage under Discipline here the Discipline is brought under one man one man hath the Discipline of the whole Church The Archbishop in his Province The Bishop in his Diocesse This is condemned flatly and expressely in the Scripture That the power of Discipline it is not lest to one man but indeed to the whole Congregation Math. 18.17 First see it in Christ if thy Brother offend thee first admonish him thy selfe in private if none of this will doe tell it the Church that is the Congregation The Apostle makes it plaine 1 Cor. 2.6 Here is the infliction of punishment he was put out of the Congregation for incest Here was a punishment inflicted by many who are they The whole Congregation for the Congregation had a vote in this businesse of executing of censure upon such an offender So we may see this is meant of the Church 1 Cor. 1. To the Church which is at Corinth that is the Congregation you see it more plainly 1 Cor. 5.4 In the name of the ●ord Jesus Christ when you come together you that is the Congregation So then the Discipline that is executed by the will of one man sitting in the Court and admitting of whom hee will and shutting out whom hee will receiving whom hee will and rejecting whom hee will absolving whom hee will and excommunicating whom hee will sending to Heaven whom hee will and to Hell whom hee will is not warranted by Scripture Diothrepes who was one of the first Practitioners in this kind of this Sect was thrust out of the Church of God for taking on him such an Office Jn the last place the fourth bondage under which the Land hath suffered is the Bondage of the Hierarchy that is the fall of the spirituall Government and beloved it cannot be better paralell'd then to the Hierarchy of Antichrist Jt is a limbe of him he exalts himselfe above all that is called God in all matters of Religion hee must governe the conscience nay they must learne men in their Faith Psal. 149. where it is there Praise God for the Conquest he hath given the Church over her Enemies they will have it Praise God for the power he hath given the Church over the consciences of men what a● high presumption is this that any man should put in such an expression into the holy Bible yea we find that the Articles of our Religion hath bin some of them altered as in the 20. Article where meaning the Prelats the Church say they hath authority to ordaine rites and Ceremonies and hath authority in matters of Faith They would get that which Christ never left to them and never any before Antichrist such as love the preheminence Diotrephes he was he that loved the Prehemi●●●●ie that is he loved the Prelacy in St. Johns time and under St. Iohns nose and thus we see another bondage vnder which the people of this Land hath suffered and when we are deliuered from this Jacob shall rejoyce and Jsraell shall be glad But since the Reformation we could not be freed from this bondage and delivered now wee may cry Salvation is come to Jsraell whereof Jacob rejoyceth Beloved J must