Selected quad for the lemma: doctrine_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
doctrine_n	article_n	church_n	creed_n	2,425	5	10.1630	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A45493	A sermon preached before the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor, and the Court of Aldermen, at Guildhall-Chappel, Septemb. 19, 1680 by Robert Hancocke ...	Hancock, Robert, fl. 1680-1686.	1680 (1680)	Wing H645; ESTC R10880	15,293	37

destructive to Peace and Government That Catholicks hold it an Article of Faith I speak their own words that the Pope can depose Kings and absolve Subjects from their Allegiance I stand amazed at the ignorance or dishonesty of some of them that profess to the World they never found any such Principles asserted in any of their General Councils As if we had out-done them in their old trade of Forgery As if the General Councils of Lyons and Trent the third and fourth Councils of Lateran were meer fictions of the Protestants I am sure either these are the Doctrines of the Church of Rome or Transubstantiation itself is none of them either these are her Doctrines or she hath none at all 2. I might from hence take occasion to vindicate the peaceableness and loyalty of the Reformed Religion that excellent Religion which is the best Friend in the World to Kings and Princes And yet it suffers in the esteem of some men for the Crimes of those that with as much reason arrogate the Name of Protestants as the Papists do that of Catholicks to their own party I know no Protestant Church in the World that hath by any publick act maintained any treasonable Principles 'T is certain we have been educated in a Faith of Loyalty and Obedience and I hope we shall never be tempted by any though never so specious pretences to desert it Whether there be amongst us a sort of men that under the disguise of zeal against Popery labour to undermine the Government I know not but if there be they are either Papists in Masquerade or at least such as serve the interest of Rome though against their wills as truly as the Pope's own Creatures I am sure neither the Church of England nor the best Reformed Churches in Christendom will own them God deliver us from the sad effects of a fiery seditious Religion whether of an Enthusiastick or Roman Catholick Spirit 2. I should now come to shew what we are to contribute towards the peace of the Church the composing or suppressing our religious quarrels which have almost eaten out the life and soul of Christianity among us But having already spent most of the time allotted for this Exercise I shall only recommend to you these two things wherein every one that hears me is concerned 1. I doubt not but a right understanding of the nature of Christianity would go a great way towards the abating our contentions about it It must needs put an end to some of our controversies and secure us from the sad consequences of the rest of them if we had a true notion of the difference between such things as are essential to Religion and such as are at a great distance from it Now true Religion consists in the imitation of the Divine perfections Be ye perfect even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect (k) St. Matth. 5.48 As he which hath called you is holy so be ye holy in all manner of Conversation (l) 1. Pet. 1.15 that is so far as we are capable of being like to the most excellent Being in this faln and imperfect State And this consists in the mortifying of our Lusts and Passions in living a Life of Spiritual Purity and Devotion Self-denial and Meekness Justice and Charity Patience Peaceableness Sobriety Chastity and because in many things we offend all (m) St. James 3.2 through ignorance or inadvertency or weakness when we have done our best we are to trust in the Merits of Christ for the pardon of our sins and the acceptance of our imperfect Righteousness These are the substantials of our Religion about which all wise and good men are agreed however we differ about other matters Did we make conscience of these as we ought to do we should soon find by happy experience that they are infinitely more for the honour of God the peace of the Church and the good of one another then an hot and fiery contention about speculative indeterminable and unprofitable Questions Could men be perswaded to a greater care and study of this Catholick Christianity the minding of it would take up so much of our time and pains that we should hardly be at leisure to raise or foment differences Yet if any Disputes should arise about lesser matters yet we should all agree in obeying our Superiours where we are not sure of the unlawfulness of their commands in loving praying for doing good to one another Now since these things are so let us bring our Opinions and Practices to this trial 1. As to matters of Doctrine or Opinion it is too evident that the Articles of Faith are monstruously swelled of late in the Roman Church I mean by the addition of 12 new Articles of Pius the fourth not one of which is to be found in the Scriptures or the Creeds of the Primitive Church I cannot mention without horror the dreadful Anathema's they denounce against all that presume to deny any of them but to the honour of the Church of England let it be said whatsoever is imposed on us as necessary to the Salvation of all men is contained in the Apostles Creed This is the Faith of the first and best times of Christianity the Faith into which we are baptized and the belief of this Creed hath a direct influence on our Christian practice which is the great business of Religion Let us therefore contend earnestly for this Faith which was once delivered to the Saints (n) Jude v. 3. Let us not entertain any other Opinions which invalidate the necessity of an holy life let us not propagate our private conceptions with the breach of the publick peace order then we shall have no reason to quarrel with one another for simple invincible Errors 2. Let us judge of matters of practice by the same rule and then we shall lay the greatest stress upon such things as bring us to the nearest conformity to God we shall not build our hopes of Salvation on any outward observances or abstinences about the mode of our Worship but on the great indispensable Duties of Christianity We shall comply with the Injunctions of Authority in all things about which Christ hath not left us any standing Law For since many things done by Christ and his Apostles were occasional and temporary fitted to the circumstances of those times but not of ours since they were not founded on any moral reason nor have we any command for the continuance of them since there is no Law in Scripture about these things there can be no transgression in the practice or disuse of them otherwise then as they tend to the dividing the Church the contempt of Authority or the scandalizing our Brethren But this brings me to the second thing 2. Let us remember that we are under Christian Laws and Government and from hence we shall learn these three things 1. That we ought not to provide for our own safety or the