Selected quad for the lemma: doctrine_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
doctrine_n	church_n	england_n	reform_a	3,931	5	9.9167	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A31846	A sermon preached before the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor, aldermen, and citizens of London at the Church of St. Mary le Bow, September the second, 1684, being the anniversary fast for the dreadful fire in the year 1666 by Benjamin Calamy ...	Calamy, Benjamin, 1642-1686.	1685 (1685)	Wing C219; ESTC R5723	17,267	37

pulled off and such deformed Visages have appeared to have been disguised under it that it is to be hoped that the People of this Kingdom or City will not be easily cheated again into a Belief of the Honesty or Good-meaning of any Persons who joyn in a Party against the Lawful Government they live under let their Pretences be what they will It is otherwise with True Religion It is quite of another Genius It begets other Tempers and Spirits in Men. The wisdom that comes from above is first pure then peaceable Especially our Christianity is so admirably fitted for the benefit and advantage of Societies that were there no Obligation to the Practice of it from the Considerations of another Life yet all wise Men would think themselves bound to the observance of the Chief Laws of our Saviour were it onely out of respect to our Peace and Security in this present World 2. Since the Publick Welfare depends upon the Manners of Men we may thence conclude how much it is the Interest as well as Duty of all Governours and Magistrates in their several Places to discourage and punish all Vice and Wickedness and to countenance and promote True Religion which is the great Instrument of Political Happiness The more the Fear of God and the Practice of Righteousness prevails amongst the People the more easie and safe will the Government be and therefore Religion doth fully reward the Civil Powers for all the Protection they can give it True Religion tends so much to the Establishment and Prosperity of any Nation that they whose Office it is to look after the Publick Good cannot do any thing better for themselves or for the People committed to their Charge for the securing their own just Authority or maintaining the People in Peace and good Order than by all means to preserve and increase amongst them a Reverence and Obedience to Almighty God and his Laws This will keep them in firm subjection to their Superiours this will unite them one to another in Love and Charity and which is never to be forgotten this will procure Gods Blessing both upon Governours and People And since Christians are unhappily divided into several Denominations and Communions take that Church I beseech you into your especial Care and Patronage whose Principles do most effectually contribute towards Mens orderly and quiet living together in Societies If you can find any Church or Body of Christians in the World whose Doctrines are more Loyal whose Government is better consistent with Monarchy whose Practices have been more peaceable at all times than the Reformed Church of England I would e'en exhort you then to forsake and renounce ours and not onely tolerate but establish and set up that Church amongst us But in this certainly our Church hath no Competitor Peaceable and quiet living under the Civil Government always was and is still the Glory of the Church of England This Praise she stands upon and challengeth as due to her and on this account doth she with confidence recommend her self and all her true Members to the Care and Protection of those who are in Power and Authority that they would be so just as to defend that Religion that Church which doth best defend and support the Publick State 3. Hence we may learn the true Cause of all those Publick Evils and Calamities that have befallen this Kingdom or City of late Years Our Sins have been the Natural Causes of some of them the Meritorious Causes of others Some we have brought upon our selves as the necessary Effects of our own wicked Courses others God in Justice hath inflicted upon us as the Punishment of our Disobedience I shall not now undertake to give in a Catalogue of those many Sins that we in this City have been notoriously guilty of I had much rather leave that Work to your selves for every Man to smite upon his own Breast in which he will find a faithful Monitor I mean his Conscience which will impartially tell him wherein he hath provoked God and contributed to those Judgments and Distractions we have laboured under if so be he will but patiently attend to its Suggestions and give it leave and opportunity freely to speak unto him I am sure it much more becomes us all this Day to give Glory to God and to take Shame to our selves and to charge and accuse our selves than wholly to shift off all the Guilt Blame upon others We are very apt indeed to impute these Publick Evils to other Causes we are very curious in guessing at the immediate Instruments of them and which is worst of all too many amongst us have been on all occasions ready to lay all Publick Miscarriages and Misfortunes at the Door of their Governours and Superiours whereas the true Cause hath been from our selves wherein no one can acquit himself tho' some far more innocent than others But I shall rather chuse to spend that little time your Patience can yet allow me in persuading you all to amend than in ripping up the Vices of this Age or City or several Parties of Men amongst us for which we may justly suppose God hath visited us with the Plague this dreadful Fire and which was no less punishment those unnatural Divisions and Heats which of late so violently broke out amongst us and threatned sudden Ruine both to Church and State 4. And lastly This Doctrine which I have now proved to you teacheth us the best Expedient to prevent such Judgments for the future and to settle us in firm Peace which is a general Reformation of our Lives and Manners Blessed be God the Case is much mended with us since the dreadful Burning of London Our City hath been many Years re-built and that more splendid and glorious than before We miss not that number of Inhabitants who were swept away by the devouring Plague nor hardly now do we feel any of the dismal Effects of that terrible Fire We seem to have weather'd out those sore Calamities And tho' of late our intestine Animosities arose to such an height as that we all feared a woful Interruption of our Peace yet God hath not as hitherto delivered us into our own Hands nor suffered us to destroy our selves Nay things tend at present towards an happy Settlement and Composure and we begin to entertain hopes of living in quiet and safety every man sitting under his own vine and figtree The Face of our Heavens is more clear and serene and the black Clouds that presag'd so dreadful a Storm seem in some measure to be dispersed Yet let us not deceive our selves and rashly conclude that the bitterness of death is now past For as I said at first the same Causes will always produce the same Effects and if the same Sins still continue amongst us they will soon be attended with the same or worse Desolations and Confusions If this be the natural Effect of prevailing Atheism Prophaneness and Contempt of Religion of Hatred and