Selected quad for the lemma: doctrine_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
doctrine_n	according_a	church_n	discipline_n	2,858	5	9.0169	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A93705	A solemn discourse vpon the sacred league and covenant of both kingdomes, opening the divinity and policy of it: / by John Saltmarsh, Master of Arts, and late pastor of Hesterton in Yorkshire.	Saltmarsh, John, d. 1647.	1644 (1644)	Wing S502; Thomason E253_7; ESTC R210075	9,504	8

A SOLEMN DISCOVRSE Vpon the Sacred League and Covenant of both Kingdomes Opening The DIVINITY and POLICY of it By John Saltmarsh Master of Arts and late Pastor of Heslerton in Yorkshire London Printed for Laurence Blaiklock 1644. To the Worthy COVENANTER I Could have given more and more easie and common Observations but these times call for Di courses that work higher and more quaintly I say not this to force any reputation upon the notions This Covenant is the most glorious rise of a Reformation in any age mighty and powerfull are the Principles of it and though this season of our Solemnity be cloudie and our evening bloodie yet it is our Saviours Interpretation When it is evening you say it will be fair weather for the skie is red COVENANT The Holy Obligatory Principles In Praeamb. Having before our eyes the glory of God And each one of us for himselfe with our hands lifted up to the most high God Artic. 6. And this Covenant we do make in the presence of Almighty God the searcher of all hearts As we shall answer at that great day when the secrets of all hearts shall be disclosed THE DISCOVRSE The Power and Excellencie of this COVENANT A Covenat is the last resort of the godly and wise Christian and with this he draws himself neerer Heaven and closer to that glorious Essence and the immediate flowings and emanation of an Almighty power A Covenant is such an Obligation as sayes an ingagement upon the soule and as in tossings and storms at Sea the Marriners find out no safer course then by casting out Cords and Anchors to hold them at some Period so in civill waves and spirituall fluctuations there cannot be a more secure experiment then this of Covenanting which is like the casting out our Coards and Anchors as they did in St. Pauls storm Vndergirding the ship and casting out four Anchors Covenants they are Divine Engines which the godly have found out to winde up their soules from irregular wandrings and strayings into heavenly heights and stations the only remedy and preventive against relapses Apostasies and those vertues and operations the Saints have ever found in Covenants for such resolutions of soul are but the finer cordage which the Spirit spins out and twists from the substance of its own essence and now God and his Angels have something to hold our souls by even the operations and effluxes of our own spirits and though God need none of those but is able to keep us up by the immediate and indistant workings of his holy Spirit yet he is a God that is pleased to take us at our own rebound and to admit us into that holy consociation Wee as workers together with him He that covenants with God by that very act doth carry up himself unto Gods Throne and cites his soul to his Tribunall and then the Majesty of God looks on him with a fuller gleam and so long as that glorious interview continues or any sparkling or raying of it man is awed from sinning and stands trembling like the people of Israel while God appear'd upon the Mount And thus Divine Covenants as they exalt and situate a soul in more glory then before even in the glorious face of God so they are the spirituall stayes and supports and strengthnings of a soule God himself first drew forth his own essence into this course of Covenants to Abraham and Moses and Joshua and his people and from that Covenant he went higher to one of grace besides the particular obligations of his to Noah and other Saints not as if he received any consolidation or conformation by it or any such act of covenanting that he had not before not as if he begun to react upon himself in any new operation far be it from his immutable essence he was as firm and unchangeable in the eternall immanencie of his own before ever hee passed himself abroad into any such act of paction and therefore he could not shew himself to man in the likenesse of any other notion than I am Only hee was pleased to light us by a beam of his own nature into this duty of holy confederation and to shew us a new way of spirituall advancement and establishment How sacred then and how inviolable ought these to be which are made with a most high God when even pactions and promises and Covenants in friendships and lower confederations are reputed holy Thus far of the power of the Covenant upon the soul in that grand and heavenly ingagement now there is a power reflexive and that is a return it makes from Heaven and in that return it brings with it something of God for the soul going up thither by a spirituall might and holy violence brings away from thence graces and blessings and the resort of many temporall mercies as when Moses had been looking God in the face he brought a divine lustre upon his own home with him We see Nehemiah's Covenant had excellent concomitances the dedication was kept with gladnesse and singing and Psalteries and the people offered themselves willingly and the businesse at Jerusalem and all the affairs of Gods House went better on in all the particulars Nehem. 11. 3. 12. 27. The Covenant of Judah drew along with it the like blessings the Lord was found of them and gave them rest and one more superlative blessing not inconsistent with our calamity Maachah was removed from being Queen because she had made an Idoll in a Grove 2 Chron. 5. 25 26. And for this Covenant of ours I am bold to say it hath been in heaven already it came not only from thence in its first inspiration but it hath had a return back and by the power of that reflexive act it hath brought down with it cheerfull concurrences and contributions in both Kingdoms and there are divine stirrings and movings and aspirations in the people of late and as in the Pool of Bethesda the stirrings and troubles in the waters were the only signe of the Angels coming down So these waters in both Kingdoms which in the holy Spirits language are people do stir and move more of late not only in their highest and supreme representative but in their own places which is an indication of some divine vertue descended and co-operating COVENANT The Reformation Principles In Praeamb. 1. To indeavour the advancement of the Kingdome of Iesus Christ Artic. 1. The Reformation of Religion in Doctrine Worship and Discipline according to the Word of God and the Example of the best Churches Artic. 6. The unfeigned desire to be humbled for our sins and the sins of these Kingdomes DISCOVRSE THese are such Maxims as will make a Kingdome holy and happy for holiness is the foundation and basis to all other blessings and hath a perpetuating quality and it is such a condition as God takes in at the felicitating of a person or people Seek first the Kingdome of God and all things shall be added unto you The

advancement of Gods Kingdom was alwayes the advancement of the kingdom of Israel and the glory of the one declined and set in the declination of the other for the Ark and the Glory departed together and both expired at once in a dolefull Ichab●d The advancement of Christs Kingdom hath been the designe of God from all eternity and it is the designe of the godly too God revealeth his secrets to his servants and we have the minde of Christ Now knowing so much of the counsels and designes and secrets and minde of God we are carried on by the same Spirit to be aiding to that designe now though the Kingdom of Christ be such a name as imports glory and dominion yet it is not a glory of this world but a spirituall glory seated in bare and simple administrations such as are foolishnesse to the Greek and to the Iews a Rock of offence and this Kingdom of Christ like other Monarchies hath its rise and growth its ages and improvements according to the propheticall latitude being at no fulness nor perfectnesse til the rest of the Monarchies be conf●●med before it this is that small excrescencie advancing out of the Mountain and by a power insensible exalting it self through al oppositions working through Atheisms Paganisms Idolatries Superstitions Persecutions and all the carnall machinations into a lustre glorious in the judgement of those only who can spiritually discerne the advancement of this Kingdome is only attainable by a Reformation to the Word of God and here wee shall take occasion to part with all the Models and Idea's which are not to be found in holy Scriptures it is markt there as a grand transgression to walk after the imagination of our own hearts and that was said to Ieroboams charge That his Priests Sabbaths and worship were such as he devised is his own heart God will indure no such rivallity nor conjunctures with himself it is an incompleating the work of God to build his House with our own timber and as he made this world at first only after the pattern of his own counsels so in this second work of the setting up a spirituall struct●●e for his glory God thinks none worthy of co-ordination in those things wherein his glory shall be sure to suffer in a distribution with his creatures and his own Image hath ever pleased him best and therefore he made the best piece of his creation according to it And where this Kingdome of Christ is there is holinesse of Doctrine holinesse of Government holinesse of Ordinances holinesse of Life God hath had a people at first whom he made his own by speciall adoption by eminent priviledges by rare providences by Lawes and Institutions by Worship and Administrations And now because darknesse in part is hapned to Israel God will still have a people that shall be his and have their lawes and usages and formes from him their guidance and providences from him This Kingdome of Christ is a company of godly gathered by his owne Spirit having their Lord and Saviour in the midst confederated by an holy and sacramentall paction ruled by the law of his Will and Spirit obeying his commands whither in silent inspirations or louder exhortations either by a word behind us and a saying Seek ye my face or by outward intimations and interpretations of his Will from such wayes of distribution and administration as he hath ordained studying what will adorne the Gospel of Iesus Christ and those that walk in the light and glory of it Being transformed from glory to glory as by the Spirit of the Lord Now these Principles viz. The advancement of Christs Kingdome and humiliation for sins are such as will bring God into this Kingdom and seat him and determine his presence as the Tabernacle and Ark and Temple were the ingagements and inthronizations of and mysterious fixations of Gods Divinity They are likewise an advancement of the Nation too setting it higher then other Nations that was the preferment of the Jewes That to them the Oracles of God were committed Therefore they were said to dwell in the light when other Nations sate in the Region and shadow of death And that Principle of Reformation according to the Word of God and the best Reformed Churches brings us closer to God and consociates us with heaven and makes us arrive at the highest mysterie even the deniall of our selves our own inventions wil-worship and superstitions pulling down at once all our relations to Rome and Popery and working to he pattern so That things which shall be seen shall not be made of things which do appear wee shall likewise be associated to the Church of Christ and so incorporated more clearly and purely and mystically into the body of Christ we shall be now in a capacity with them to partake equally of graces and priviledges and thus the Kingdome of Christ gathers power and latitude and stretches to the bredth of that Prophecie Of the fulness of the Gentiles and gathers strength too against the present Antichristian Monarchie and by that other Principle of humiliation we obtain the qualification and condition for mercie and peace we approach into terms of reconciliation with God if the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts God will forgive and abundantly pardon What is it that thickens the cloud over us but the evaporation exhalation of our sins and iniquities For our iniquities have turned away these things and your sins have with-held good things from you COVENANT The Principle of Extirpation In Praeamb. Calling to minde the treacherous and bloody plots conspirarcies attempts and practices of the Enemies of God Artic. 2. That wee shall in like manner indeavour without respect of persons the extirpation of Popery and Prelacie DISCOVRSE HEre lies the Propheticall power of it against the Church of Rome or Antichristian Monarchy and the bloody plots and conspiracies are such fresh remembrances as seal us to strong and perpetuall endeavours we can read in the leaves of our former Ages their conspiracies still in red Letters and at this day we have a succession of their bloody Designes and I conceive the rise we take from their own foundations in blood is but in holy paralell to him into whose remembrance great Babylon came to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fiercenesse of wrath and to his own peoples resolution Happy shall he be that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us and the treacheries and tyrannies of Gods enemies have ever drawn along with them this resolution in Gods people Amaleck and Asbur and Egypt are standing examples of Divine revenge And for Extirpation it is but a retaliation to their own just cruelty who would raze out the name of Israel that it should be no more in remembrance And what hath their endeavour in our Kingdome of Ireland been but an eradication of our memories And our confederations now cannot but be powerful in the very notion Nationall Leagues