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
A50843	Samaritanism reviv'd, a sermon preached at the parish church of Great Yarmouth, upon the ninth of September being the day appointed for a solemn thanksgiving for the discovery of the late horrid plot, against His Majesty's person and government / by Luke Milbourne.	Milbourne, Luke, 1649-1720.	1683 (1683)	Wing M2037; ESTC R7778	45,022	57

truth of Christs Religion She again by Act of Parliament resettled that almost lost form of Worship Calv. Cecillio Anglo and to this very work Calvin himself excites as he tells Sir W. Cecill afterwards Lord Burghly whom by an Epistle he perswades to advance the same Work with all his power and he that shall compare that Epistle of his to the Duke of Somerset when Protector with this will find him a strong approver of that very Method our English Prelates insisted in in their Reformation The maintaining of Gods Worship so settl'd has been the work of succeeding Princes wherein CHARLES the Martyr of Glorious Memory was Inferior to none More Black more Bloody and terrible yet was that gloomy Night of Confusion and Rebellion that ensued but it pleas'd God the great worker of Miracles to produce Light once again out of horrid Darkness to restore our Sovereign to his Throne and our Bishops and Curates to the Church as at first A task they had no less hard than that of Judas Maccabeus of old 1 Mace 4.36 61. to purifie those Temples once dedicated to Gods Honour but then miserably profan'd by the impure devotions of time-serving Enthusiasts and Rebels then was the Nations Gratitude to God for that never to be forgotten Mercy duly exprest by renewing the Vniformity of Common-Prayer and Service in the Church Act of Uniformity 14 Car. 2. and Administration of the Sacraments for the better securing divine Blessings to us for the future And this Order is now settled among us by so good Laws confirm'd by so irrefragable Authority secur'd by such excellent Rules and Canons Corbets and Okeys Speeches in the Account of their Deaths p 54 56. See Burnet's Hist of Ref. v. 2. Preface p. 16 17. that even by the Confession of our greatest Enemies our Church and Nation is the Envy of our Neighbours the Bulwark and glory of the Reformation And the Regular and Instituted Clergy are generally so faithful to the Interest of the true Religion as establish'd among us by Law and so well able to assert it against all Gainsayers that while any regard is had by the People to them we need not run out of our Wits for fear of Innovations In three Revolutions then our case has been paralel with that of the Jews we have been Captives to our insulting Enemies as well as they and every return from Captivity has been celebrated with the Restauration of Gods truly Ancient Worship and Service But we have had Samaritans too Persons who have by all the Methods of Subtilty and Violence oppos'd that Glorious Work That the Zealots of the Church of Rome should espouse her Interest endeavour to reenslave these Churches to Superstition and Idolatry is no wonder but that Persons who pretend the greatest Hatred to that Religion should joyn with its Favourers should promote and extend its Doctrines should imitate its worst and most Unchristian Practices was very strange But again to abate of that wonder it was impossible that those Persons who concluded every thing unlawful and execrable that had been us'd in the time of Popery and consequently to be rejected should have any real good will to the Reformation Reason tells us That the abuse of a thing though never so gross cannot alter its first or Original nature Our Saviour himself submitted to the Jewish Rites that he might fulfil all righteousness though Moses's Law had been as much adulterated among the Jews Matth. 3.15 as that of Christ among Papists And the Apostles did not reject every Ceremony or Circumstance that had been abus'd by the Heathens All which may inform us that those who use such Arguments against Constitutions lawful in themselves as their former abuse can aim at nothing by so doing but only a general Disorder and Confusion It was indeed the Master-Piece of Roman Policy to scatter the Seeds of Division and Separation among us and to bring men into conceit against all public Order and Vniformity and they began this Practice betimes some few there were that from prejudices contracted by forreign Conversation oppos'd some appointments of the Church in K. Edward the 6ths days but their Scruples were of little concern the Effects of their opposition were prevented by Qu. Maries Persecution But it was an ill Omen of what might follow that the English Exiles at Frankford should quarrel about the form of Gods Worship and Knox the Head of the Schismatical party be so early and yet justly accus'd of Treason against the German Emperor When those who had created disturbance there return'd home in the beginning of Queen Elizabeths Reign they brought so much of a pervicacious humor along with them that though they fell not themselves into direct separation from the establish'd Church of England yet they laid the cursed foundations of those fatal differences we have ever since groan'd under the Parties were but few in those days but that prudent Queen was so well convinc'd of the Influence their Novel and disorderly conceits then vented must have upon the State that no perswasions though from her greatest Favourites could reconcile her to them and yet the Dissenters their Successors in these days proclaim her no friend to Popery He that reads the Authentic story of Faithful Commin the Romish Priest the great Patron of Phanaticism in those days Foxes and Firebrands by Nalson Camdens Ann. Eliz. 1588. and of Heath the Jesuit afterwards with the Principles they acted upon and observes the practices of Hacket Coppinger Arthington and others with the boldness of Barrow Penry and other furious Factors for Puritanism in that age will be easily convinc'd that a well regulated Monarchy can never prosper where such Incendiaries are indulg'd Incendiaries I may well call them for in the Reign of CHARLES the First their seditious Opinions and Practices propagated to their Posterity prevail'd so far as to set Three flourishing Kingdoms in a flame to the ruine of Law Liberty Religion and whatsoever could be dear to Men or Christians The several Plots and Conspiracies the Pretenders to tender Consciences in former days were engag'd in receiv'd their Consummation at last in that great and tragical Rebellion and it was no wonder that Rebellion should follow upon that Doctrine That Princes were accountable for their miscarriages to their own Subjects Dangerous Positions p. 14. That their Subjects in case of their Neglect might reform Religion without and in opposition to them and that the Church of England was then so miserably corrupted both in Doctrine and Discipline that a Reformation was absolutely necessary Doctrines which the Apostles and Primitive Christians were absolutely unacquainted with and which the wisest Men saw no necessity of which Doctrines were all of them confirm'd in that cursed Covenant † The Covenant was receiv'd by Papists with infinite Joy as hoping that now the time was come in which both we and our Successors might be brought to abhor and detest

are for the Other Government the Case is very different They declare No one Man Assemb adv concerning Conf. of Faith 〈◊〉 1. par 4. No Body of Men whatsoever to be Infallible and yet though they acknowledge they may err and be mistaken in their Apprehensions and Decisions of things they are resolv'd to maintain their Superiority to all Powers whatsoever 'T is a standing Rule with them To Discipline must all the Estates in a Kingdom be Subject 1 Book of Discipline c. 7. ● Book c. 13. as well the Rulers as they that are Ruled And this Princes and Magistrates not being exempted from Discipline A third Means whereby they have ●verted our People has been the range and damnable Positions such as that Subjects do of their own Heads 〈◊〉 much better than what they do in Obedience to Authority The Parliament can make no Law at all concerning the Church but only Ratifie what the Church decreeth It is lawful for Sub●●cts to make a Covenant without the King and to enter into a Bond of mu●ual Defence against the King and all Persons whatsoever An Assembly may ●brogate Acts of Parliament if they reflect upon Church Government The Protestation of Subjects against Laws establish'd frees them from all Obligation of Obedience to those Laws Kings Declar. Annals of Ch. 1. p. 760. and those that are placed in the Ecclesiastical Estate rightly ruling and governing God shall be glorified So that though we convince them of never so many Errors and Corruptions and prove their Judgments never so much mistaken there 's no Remedy they are in the Chair and Right or Wrong they will Govern Now where such fallible Persons can Excommunicate the Supream Magistrate and warrant the Disobedience of Subjects 't is in vain to teach Submission to Civil Authority ev●ry one looking upon himself at such a time as dispens'd with for all Vows and Oaths whatsoever I need not instance in any thing more of this Nature these to unprejudiced Persons are enough to convince them of the danger of Indulgence Could it have had a good Influence up●n Piety Julian the Apostate that subtile and inveterate Enemy to Christianity would never have granted it Dissidentes Christianorum Anti●●●● cum plebe disci●●● pal●●●● intro●●●●es me●●bat ut Civilibus discordiis C●nsopit●s ●uisque nullo vetante Religioni sue serviret intrepidus Quod agebat ●d●ò obstinate ut dissensiones augente licentiâ non timeret unanimantem postea plebem Null●s 〈…〉 bes●ias ut sunt sibi fera●es plerique Christianorum expertus Amnian Marcell Lib. 22. cap 5. nay his own Historian assures us That be recall'd those Christian Bishops from Exile who had been banisht by his Vncle Constantius advis'd them to live peaceably and every one else to exercise their Religion freely hoping that the Christians by that Indulgence being animated one against another that Heathenism which he design'd to restore would meet with the less Opposition And the same is confirm'd by the Church Historian in his Account of Julians Revocation of the banish'd Bishops 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sozomeni Lib. 5. c. 5. Denique tunc ●●ddidit Basileias Haereti●is quando Templa Daemoniis eo medo putan Christianum nomen posse perire de t●rris si unitati Ecclesiae de quâ lapsus fuerat invideret sacrilegas dissensiones liberas esse permitteret August Epist 166. And whereas the Donatists as well as others had their Share in Julians Liberty of Conscience St. Augustine tells them That Julian opened Temples to Hereticks and Devils at the same time hoping by that means so far to encourage and foment Dissensions in it as thereby at last totally to ruin the Church of Christ And whereas we find Themistius applauding Jovian the Christian Successor of Impious Julian for his Gentleness in permitting every one to serve God according to his own Conscience a Policy very necessary in that sudden Revolution of Affairs upon the Apostates Death A Learned Man of our own observes That when the Gentiles were under Hatches Caves Eccles. 2 vol Introd See 4. p. 51 52. they knew no Means so effectual for the keeping Paganism alive as frequent Intercessions for a Toleration But supposing it fit an Indulgence should be granted to all persons of what Profession soever I would fain know why the Extravagancies of Morality as well as Divinity should not be allow'd why should not Vice be publickly and legally allow'd and protected Every one I know will exclaim against that and yet more may be said for that than the other In Relation to the Church Vicious Men are scandalous yet they never quarrel about Circumstances or study to set people together by the Ears If they give Offence in participation of Divine Ordinances let them but alone and they 'le never trouble you they have as Vicious no Piques against the Pastors of the Church for doing their Duties nor do they trouble themselves in controverted Doctrines whose Arguments are the strongest so that in the Church if tolerated they create no Disturbance nor begin any Heresie or Schism In relation to the State Let but the Adulterer enjoy his Whores the Drunkard his Cups the Covetous Man his Tre●●●sures c. and as such a one he 'le never engage himself in Plots ●g●●●●st the Established Government nor pry too busily into the Miscarriages of Superiors But indeed when Men of these Trades to cloak their Vices espouse the Interests of a Religious Party then they grow dangerous for since nothing but their furious Zeal for a Faction hinders the World from making Remarks upon their Shameful Debaucheries 't is their greatest Policy to shew enough of that by this means after their firm Closure with Malecontents and Schismaticks how many soft and gentle Words are found out to extenuate their Crimes So that He that is loaded with all the Wickedness Hell can furnish for him while he Heads a Party shall be accounted though a frail and frequently tempted yet a very sincere and well-meaning Brother But if at last we look into the Word of God we shall find that as he has commanded us to abstain from all Immoralities even from whatsoever has the least appearance of Evil so he has by the Apostle enjoy'd us To mark to set a Brand of Infamy upon those which cause Divisions and Offences contrary to the Doctrine we have learn'd 1 Thes ●5 22 and to avoid them for they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ but their own Belly and by good Words and fair Speeches deceive the hearts of the simple Rom 16.17 18. It is not the openness of a Sin that makes it comparatively the greater Malice is as bad as Theft yet it lies close conceal'd within the dark Recesses of the Soul Witchcraft is an obscure Sin few know what it is yet every one believes it worse than Drunkenness Adultery Covetousness c. And Treason though it hates the Light is as bad as Prophaneness