Selected quad for the lemma: doctrine_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A28581
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A brief account of the first rise of the name Protestant and what Protestantism is ... / by a professed enemy to persecution.
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Bold, S. (Samuel), 1649-1737.
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1688
(1688)
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Wing B3477; ESTC R16825
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36,552
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49
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if the ordinary sort of People be well vers'd in the Holy Scriptures it will not be easie to impose upon them Why cannot Men that would be Teachers now a days be as open and plain as the Prophets and as Christ and as his Apostles were These came not to vent any counterfeit false Wares and therefore they were wiling the People should examine and try what they taught them They were for the People's reading and searching of the Scriptures and judging of the Doctrines which were taught them by those Holy Scriptures which had been delivered unto them They came to deliver people out of Darkness not to keep them in or lead them unto Darkness And those who are their true Successors and Followers will do the like If Men have no Notions to scatter about and perswade People to swallow and submit to but what are sound and true and good and which are authorised by Jesus Christ they will have no occasion to be ashamed or afraid that People should examine them by the Scripture None flee from the Light but those whose Doctrines or Practices will not bear the Light. Christ's Doctrines did accord very well with those Divine Revelations those Jews had amongst them But the Unscriptural Traditions they had got amongst them and our Saviour's Doctrines could not stand together To the Law and to the Testimony if they speak not according to this Word it is because there is no Light in them Isaiah 8. 20. Secondly Those who profess themselves Protestants ought to take care that they be well fixed and settled in the Protestant Religion The Apostles often require their Followers and Disciples and those they write unto to Stand fast in the Faith 1 Cor. 16. 13. And to Contend earnestly for the Faith once delivered to the Saints Jude 3. And to Strive together for the Faith of the Gospel Phil. 1. 27. Now by these and the like Expressions which you meet with in the Apostolick Writing they plainly first warn them of the danger there is of Peoples Apostarizing from the True Faith and Religion of Jesus Christ after that they have made a Profession of the same And secondly excite and stir those up who make a Profession of the True Faith to take care that their Minds and Hearts may be throughly fixed and settled in the Faith least they should yield and waver and decline when Storms and Tryals shall arise and their constancy shall be assaulted And if there be but too much ground to fear that many who make a Profession of the Truth will Apostatize and forsake it when they shall be called to bear witness to it in some Instances which are ungrateful to Flesh and Blood. It highly concerns all who at present profess True Christianity to look well to it that they be so established and confirmed in what they profess that if a day of Tryal should come they may not loose their Crown destroy their Souls or betray the Truth First Those who do profess the True Religion may afterwards Apostatize from and relinquish it And there is too great occasion to fear that many however forward they appear in Profession will do so should they be tryed in any difficult and beloved Instances I do not mean that People who have long habituated themselves to profess the Christian Religion will easily be brought to an open and avowed renouncing of the Name of Christianity as though none could be justly charged with Apostacy from the Truth but those who can vye with Julian for impudence in contemning and trampling under foot the very Name and Profession of the Son of God. The estate of those who proceed so far is beyond measure dreadful Heb. 6. 4 5 6. But there are two things which the Scriptures more especially insist on as imported by People's Apostatizing from the True Faith and which People are generally too prone unto and both which are very displeasing unto and greatly provoking of God. 1. Departing from the Purity and Simplicity of the Faith of the Gospel espousing and imbracing together with those Doctrines and Practices which Christ hath authorized in his Holy Scriptures other Opinions and Practices which are destructive of the Truth and power of Religion Christianity is as really impaired and injured by evil mixtures as by open professed opposition The Apostacy the Apostles spake of which was to accompany or rather constitute that great Antichristian State they foretel would have such a vast and large and durable Empire in the Christian World seems plainly to be of this kind The great Fundamental Doctrines of Christianity should be retained in outward Profession but yet other Doctrines should be introduced and be so vehemently imposed and insisted on that thereby the main Essential of Religion should be slighted oppressed and become in a great measure useless And way has been made for these Innovations by first forging some gross Impostures and counterfeiting some strange things to which they have given the Name of Miracles and so unwary ignorant People have been prevailed with to entertain no better than Diabolical Delusions as Divine Instructions and Commands very agreeable to what the Apostle foretells of Antichrist's coming After the working of Sathan with all Power and Signs and lying Wonders 2 Thes 2. 9. 2. Altering the nature and use of many things which were Innovated by the pious Antients without any Divine Authority and purely by the conduct of a warm Zeal and a devout Intention Had no further progress been made in those Instances than those Antients made little prejudice would thence have happened to Religion But God is so jealous of his own Honour that usually when People manifest they have an Opinion that God hath not carefully enough provided for his own Cause and therefore they will guard and sence and provide more effectually for it He blasts all those Devices and suffers such Humane Inventions to be occasions of more than ordinary trouble and sometimes to be prosecuted so far as to make a formal and mortal Opposition to the Vitals of Religion 3. Depressing the Offices and Devotional Duties of Religion with unreasonable heaps of outward Formalities and Ritual Observations that so the Senses might be superfluously carest and by accomodating the Matters of Religion too much to the Rules of Carnal Policy By this means inward Seriousness and the Spirituality of Religion have been dispenc't with and Peoples Minds have been rendred lax and vain aiery and garish And having been thus inured for some time to these meer Externals which they have taken upon trust they have at last been so easie as to content themselves with an Implicite Faith and have rather chose to swallow any thing that should be offered them whole than put themselves to the trouble to enquire into its Nature Rise and Grounds 4. Finding out ways to reconcile what they stile Religion to Men's Carnal Lusts and Natural Tempers and Constitutions devising easier ways as they pretend to Heaven than any of the Saints in
the better for his thirty pieces of Silver What a sorry Plaister was this for a wounded Conscience What a poor comfort to a justly despairing Soul What a fearful end have they ordinarily come to who have forsaken Christ and the Gospel for Preferment Wealth or any Carnal Interests 3. The more we are confirmed in the Faith the greater measure of inward Comsort we may confidently look for if we should be called to suffer for the Truth God will not leave such comfortless they shall have experience of his gracious refreshing Presence and Supports The Disciples when publickly disgraced and whipt they went away rejoycing that they were counted worthy to suffer for the Name of Christ See Acts 5. 41. 2 Cor. 1. 3 4 5. 4. You will hereby be in a capacity of doing others eminent service by your Instruction and Counsel and Example It is a great mercy not to cumber the World not to live uselessly and unprofitably to do real good Services to people in our Generation nay more you will hereby be in a capacity of doing much to retrieve the Credit and Honour of Religion which has indeed been horridly betraid and prostituted by Hypocrites and wicked pretenders to it 5. The Promise of God is only to those who stand fast who do persevere and overcome A Profession be it never so good and Orthodox for the matter of it will turn to no good and comfortable account to particular Persons unless they faithfully adhere to and persist therein To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for Glory Honour Immortality and Eternal Life Rom. 2. 7. To him than overcometh will I give to eat of the Tree of Life which is in the midst of the Paradise of God. Rev. 2. 7. Rev. 2. 5. He that overcometh shall inherit all things and I will be his God and he shall be my Son. Rev. 21. 7. These and considerations of the like nature which will easily occur unto you should make some impression on you Have you had your Bibles so long and means of Instruction so much above all others who are of the contrary Perswasion and what will you now throw away your Bibles as being imperfect Will you hood-wink your selves or be content to be led blindfold by Guides that either cannot or will not see Are you weary of the glorious Light of the Gospel What sort of people are they in St. Paul's Judgment who dislike the glorious Light of the Gospel 2 Cor. 4. 3 4. Can you now at last be contented with the poor Glow-worm light of simple Tradition or an uncertain wavering of Ignis fatuus which certainly leads all who foolishly resign up themselves to its conduct out of the true way into very hazardous Inconveniences Quit you like Men yea quit you like Christians labour and strive to get your Minds and Hearts justly fixed in the Religion you profess Be not so soft and easie be not so foolish and inconsiderable be not so unreasonable so distracted so irreligious as to suffer your selves to be so frighted out of your Religion or slattered and collogued cheated and childishly allured out of it nor yet to be so jeared and laught and lampooned out of it and then you 'l be pritty safe for their Arguments and Reasonings if you are wise will never do you hurt The Religion you profess contains all in it that is necessary yea that can be really useful to any Man in order unto his having a safe and sure conduct to Heaven and why should any Man desire to go further None of the Apostles none of the antient Martyrs dared either to die for or teach any other Doctrines than what your Religion doth comprize And what will it not content you to keep pace with them Must you needs exceed and outstrip them Take need the more ambitious proud and presumptuous you are the less safe you are Lucifer and his Comrades had the most dreadful and unhappiest fall that ever Creatures had and it may be to be wise above or if you like the Phrase better to be Religious beyond the Scripture may in the end prove to have a great Affinity with that they were guilty of And if so the punishment of that fault must bear some proportion with the other I would cherish as much charity with reference to those who manifest any pious Sentiments in the Perswasion contrary to ours as is possible But yet I must needs say that no solid proof hath ever yet been produced that any Persons ever yet suffered death comfortably for any of their peculiar and proper Doctrines taken abstractedly from those which we justly profess and was accepted with God for so doing But we have Instances enough of those who have joyfully laid down their Lives for the Doctrines we profess abstractedly from all those wherein they differ from us that is those which they have added to the Scriptures and the suffering and bearing witness to the Truths we own and profess have been of great account with God. Should the worst you can imagine follow on your firm adhering to the Faith you profess viz. That you shall be persecuted and suffer for it yet this should not startle nor discompose you That is but a sorry Religion that is not worth suffering for There has been more Blood cheerfully parted with more Tortures joyfully endured for the Religion you profess than for any it may be for all other Causes in the World. If you are called to suffer on this Account your Cause is so good you need not be afraid of any Enemies terrours you have no occasion to be troubled 1 Pet. 3. 14. The Comfort is unexpressible which you may warrantably expect The Holy Spirit is promised to be a Comforter more especially to those who are persecuted and who suffer for this Religion Joh. 16. 7. What glorious Rewards are there for you in Heaven The more like you are to Christ in his Sufferings the more you shall resemble him in Glory Rom. 8. 17. Mat. 5. 11 12. Alas consider matters well though the worst should come to the worst Shall you loose your Estates your Wealth your Houses your Friends your Relations yea your Lives And what then What are these to your Souls What are these to Eternal Glory These are poor mean uncertain perishing things at best these may be taken away from you on other Accounts you may have all these and yet no Comfort But you may be exercised will you say with cruel Usages with Tortures impossible according to Humane Judgment to be born with any patience Be it so make the worst you can of it they cannot be answerable for vehemence and horrour to the Torments in Hell they cannot lie in the Ballance with the Glory and Joy of Heaven Rom. 8. 18. Be they never so great one smile from Christ will render you insensible of the pian How many upon the Racks and in Flames for this Religion have publickly declared and manifested they felt no pain