Selected quad for the lemma: doctrine_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
doctrine_n	apostle_n	church_n	primitive_a	4,139	5	9.1134	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A14172	Amendment of life three sermons, vpon Actes 2. verses 37. 38. conteining the true effect of the worde of God, in the conuersion of the godly: and the maner how it changeth their harts, and reformeth their liues, which is the true vvorke of regeneration. By Iohn Vdall, preacher of the worde of God, at Kingstone vpon Thames.	Udall, John, 1560?-1592.	1584 (1584)	STC 24489; ESTC S102078	40,987	110

AMENDMENT of life THREE SERMONS VPON ACTES 2. VERSES 37. 38. CONTEINING the true effect of the worde of God in the conuersion of the godly and the maner how it changeth their harts and reformeth their liues which is the true vvorke of regeneration By IOHN VDALL Preacher of the worde of God at Kingstone vpon Thames IOHN 3. 3. Except a man be borne againe he can not see the kingdome of God AT LONDON Imprinted for Thomas Man W. B. and N. L. 1584. TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE CHARLES LORD HOVVARD BARON OF EFFINGAM Lord Chamberlaine of the Queenes Maiesties most honorable houshold Of the moste noble Order of the Garter Knight and one of her Maiesties moste Honorable Priuie Counsell IOHN VDALL wisheth continuall encrease in all vertue godlines AS there is no field be it neuer so wel tilled and be the seede neuer so good that is sowne in the same but weedes will of their owne accorde spring therin and without the diligent care of the husband-man choake the good seede and deceiue the owner of the expected fruit of his former labour so there hath neuer since the world began right honorable bene any church so pure without corruption that hath not had many blemishes in the same the which without the great mercie of God and prouident care of the gouernours thereof both hath and doeth to the ende of the world will so growe and encrease that they will neuer staye vntill they haue brought to passe the vtter subuersion and ouerthrow of religion there professed for if we beginne with the Church of the Iewes not onely the first visible established church but also the image and picture of the Church of God for euer and consider what corruptions haue crept into the same howe they haue increased from time to time often preuailed against the sincere worship of God to the vtter ouerthrow of true religion and strengthening of idolatrie it is so manifest in the bookes of Moses Kings and the Prophets that either we must refer the consideration thereof to those places or els which is needeles make a whole volume of the discourse of the same We see the same practize in the Primitiue Church euen in the time of the Apostles that both corruption of doctrine and also loosenes in conuersation did greatly infect that age The which is euident in the times following and euen vntill this day that the true doctrine of the Gospel hath bene most blasphemously peruerted and godlesnesse in life so rooted into the heart of man that the number of true Christians hath euer bene a small poore and contemned flocke And in truth we neede goe no further than to these present times wherein we liue in which because thorough the great mercy of our good and gracious God the seedes of Popishe tares can take no such roote as Satan wisheth we may behold and to the great griefe of Christian hartes too plainely see how greatly Atheisme and vngodlines preuaileth that it is a hard matter euen in this bright sunne shine of the Gospell of Iesus Christ to finde many of them that together with puritie of religion doe studie to keepe a sincere and vpright conscience in their life For religion now adayes is made a cloake to hide sinne a myst to bleere the eyes of the world a den for transgressors and a cage for all vncleane birds in the world All which springeth hence that Satan can perswade men that if they professe themselues to be Gospellers and make shew of religion it is not onely sufficient because no man shall be saued by his works but also it shall bring them into more credite and estimation in the world thereby to growe greater which bringeth forth these three most pernicious and daungerous euills among men first that the Papists who measure all things by the outward shew are not onely kept from listening to the truth but also more hardened in their blind superstition Secondly that the glorie of the highe and mightie God which should shine in our liues by the Gospell is trampled vnder feete Lastly that their owne soules and bodies are in a most daungerous estate being driuen by the prouocation of the deuil headlong into the pit of condemnation whereinto so many as with out repentance runne on to the ende must needes fall at length feeling the torments increased vnto them that for laying stumbling blocks in the way to ouerthrow others and defacing the glory of the great God and proceeding in satisfieng their owne appetite with sinne they haue most iustly deserued The consideration of which mischiefe moued certaine godly and well disposed persons who were by the prouidence of God eare witnesses of a discourse that it pleased the Lord to strēgthen me to vtter in my ordinary course vpon the Acts of the Apostles earnestly to intreate me that I woulde penne the same for their further comfort which good godly motion of theirs for that it proceeded I doubt not from an earnest desire in them of spirituall edification I condiscended vnto And because it hath pleased God to make me by speciall dutie bound vnto your Honor I therefore haue made especiall choice of the same wherevnto these my simple small labours might be dedicated most humbly beseeching your honor that as it is the summe and substance of all the religion taught and professed in this poore Towne of Kingston so it would please your L. to accept therof not according to the quantitie that is but small nor expecting the inticing words of mans wisedome which is most vnfit for the Gospell of Christ but according to the substance of the thing and the mind of the poore labourer So shall your Honor bind me which notwithstanding is my duetie with the rest of them that feare God among vs to pray continually vnto the father of our Lord Iesus Christ for you that it woulde please him so to direct guide and blesse all your enterprises as may best tende to the glorie of his most blessed name the benefit of his Church and this common weale and the eternal euerlasting comfort of your owne soule Your Honors most humble to commaund in the Lord Iesus Christ. IOHN VDALL Three Sermons of the amendment of life Acts. 2. verse 37. 38. Now when they heard it they were pricked in their hearts and said vnto Peter and the other Apostles men and brethren what shall we doe Then Peter said vnto them Amend your liues WHen our Sauiour Iesus Christ according to his promise has sēt dawn y ● holy ghost into the hearts of his discipls which was so effectual in them that they who were vnlearned spake with diuers languages the Iewes and straungers of diuers countreyes gathered togither to sée that straunge wonder and some admired it as the wonderfull worke of God others mocked them affirming them to be droncke wherevpon Peter stoode vp making an Apologie for himselfe and the rest first deliuering them from that lying slaunder of dronkennes

is saide if ye had but fayth as a graine of mustard séede should say vnto this mulbery trée pluck thy selfe vp by the rootes and plante thy selfe in the sea it should euen obey you This kinde of fayth was very rife in the primitiue church when the gospell was to be planted in the whole worlde for God gaue vnto the Apostles power to confirme their doctrine with signes and wonders But afterwarde it ceased only the ordinary confirmation by the preaching of the word remayneth now amōg vs. This fayth hath bene and may be in a man that is a reprobate and cast away for some shall say in the latter day Lord haue not we cast out deuils in thy name to whome it shallbe answered I know ye not departe from me ye workers of iniquitie The strength of Antechrist was foreshewed to be with signes and greate wonders And it is also sayde by our Sauiour himselfe speaking of the last dangerous times that there shall arise false Christes and false Prophets that shall shew great signes and wonders so y ● if it were possible they should deceiue euen the very elect which we haue séene and dayly doe sée by experience especially in the confirmation of Antechristes kingdome Thirdly faith is taken in the scriptures for that fayth whereby we apprehende the mercy of God to saluation commonly called Iustifiing fayth which so beleueth the word of God to be true that it applieth the whole as profitable to himselfe the threatenings to feare him from sinne and the promises of God in Iesus Christ vnto his owne comfort and consolation and then both to drawe him on to godlynesse in these thrée senses is fayth most commonly vsed in the worde of God The last is that which appertayneth to our purpose whereof we are to speake yet more at large It may be thus desyned Fayth is a certaine knowledge and sure perswasion of the frée fauour of God in Iesus Christ grounded vpon the promises of God in his holy worde and sealed in our hearts by the holy Ghoste This definition containing in it y e whole substance and summe of our fayth is to be enlarged further to the ende that euery parte and parcel thereof may the more plainely be knowen Certaine knowledge This is the beginning and as it were the cause of fayth for as the appostle sayeth he that commeth to God must beléeue that there is a God so he that beleueth must first know what to beleue and learne the doctrine of saluation out of the worde and therfore our Sauiour Christ in that heauenly prayer that he made a little before his passion hath these wordes This is life eternall that they know thée to be the onely very God and whome thou hast sent Iesus Christ. The which place though it containe in it fayth also yet it is forcible to prooue that knowledge must goe before faith for it is the nature of faith to beleue that it certainely knoweth and therfore where there is no knowledge there can be no faythe Then let all men iudge what doctrine that was which taught ignorance to be the mother of deuotion and forbid the people the knowledge of the worde of God it was euen to blindfolde our eyes that we might fall into the pitte of perdition before we beware it was to hide the keyes of the kingdome of heauen so that they neyther entered them selues neyther suffered others to enter But blessed be God who of his great and infinite mercy hath eased vs of that burthen and granted vnto vs his holy word The which albeit many amonge vs do little estéeme because their consciences are seared with a hote yron that they cannot sée the necessity of it And therefore doe loath the hearing of the same preached yet we know that fayth commeth by hearing and hearing by the worde of God And albeit it was to the Iewes a stumbling blocke and the Grecians foolishnesse and is now to the supersticious Papist Heresie and to the conceited wise man of the worlde néedelesse or too base for him to meddle withall yet it then was and now is and euer shall be to them that beleue the power of God to saluation and that by preaching the which must make vs if we haue any loue to our owne soules health or desire of fayth to meditate in the worde of God day and night and to loue and like it aboue any profite or pleasure this knowledge must be certain for knowledge being the ground work of fayth if it be vnstable the building cannot stande sure which certeinty standeth in these two poyntes first to be perswaded of the vndoubted truth of Gods word and secondly of the absolute sufficiencie thereof not to néede any traditions of men to make it perfect for so much as it is euery waie perfect it self These two things are duely to be considered and so much the rather for that Sathan fighteth to shake them both laying the truth of the word vpon the approbation and allowance of men and foysting dreames and fancies of idle brayned persons into it to consūmate the perfection of the same Sure perswasion This is the substance and nature of fayth which doeth arise by the working of Gods spirite with the worde out of the knowledge of the same that hereby we are not only perswaded of the truth of his worde but also beleue vndoubtedly without wauering to be partakers of the mercies of God in Iesus Christ. The names that the holy Ghost ascribeth vnto this fayth in the doctrine of the apostles be notable to proue the same not to be wauering but sure and certaine it is called a ground or foundation a stedfaste fayth and assurance of fayth without wauering a full assurance an anchor of our soule both sure and stedfast which comparison is notable for as the anchor though the shippe be tossed moued with the waues and tempests yet it is still safe and holdeth fast euen so faith what troubles or trials so euer befal vnto the godly in this world doth neuer let go his hold that it hath in Iesus Christ but cleaueth vnto him and dependeth vpon his mercy in all extremities and so the Children of God féeling the comfort of Gods grace and hauing a sure hope of the performance of Gods promises vnto them are certaine and sure to be saued The which doctrine Satan hath euer laboured and doth greatlie at this day labour to darken and extinguish affirming it pride and presumption to dare be so bold as to be assured of saluation Which thing is true if the certainty therof stoode any way in man himselfe who is naturally filled with al sinne and incredulity but while they take their markes amisse they greatly dishonour God For marke this well God promiseth in his worde eternall life to all that beleue thou sayest thou beleuest and I say so too thou art not sure to be saued and I say that I