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	faith_n	primitive_a	4,175	5	9.2280	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A42060	The religious villain a sermon preached before the Right Honourable Sr. Robert Clayton, Kt., lord mayor of London, and the Court of Aldermen, upon the fifth day of November, 1679, being the anniversary day of thanksgiving for the deliverance of our church and nation from the hellish powder-treason, at St. Mary le Bow Church in London / by Francis Gregory ...	Gregory, Francis, 1625?-1707.	1679 (1679)	Wing G1903; ESTC R35710	16,801	44

destroy them For 't is very like that many Promoters of Schism and Faction may intend well but we must not trust to the Goodness of our Meanings but look to the Soundness of our Understandings T is not hard to believe that when the Jew and the Gentle Crucified the Son of God and Murdered his Servants they meant well in both nor can we doubt with any Charity but when Zealous Papists and Religious Pagans burnt the Martyrs they intended Good the Text saith that it should be so Every one that kills you will think that he doth God Service If so then take we heed of all gross mistakes in the matters of our Religion let us beware lest we be corrupted in our Judgments either by the Papist on the one hand or the Sectary on the other let us not satisfy our selves that our Intentions are right but look we that our Informations be not wrong for if they be what we do as Duty may prove our Crime and upon that Supposition the more of Zeal the more of Sin 2. Consider we what it is that we must expect from those Men were we in their Power who pursue us upon the Interest of Religion or at least pretend to do so 'T is certain that they of the Roman Church have as great Reason upon Religious accounts and probably far greater upon Wordly Considerations to be as Zealous for their Doctrine and Worship as ever the Jew or Pagan were for theirs Nor is it to be disputed but we of the Reformed Churches do differ from them of the Roman in some of the same Points wherein the Primitive Christians did both differ from the Pagan and the Jew 'T is not hard to demonstrate that we of the Church of England now are in all the Fundamental Points of our Religion what the Apostles and their Followers ever were Nor is it difficult to prove that they of the Roman Communion now are in several matters what the Jews and Pagans were For the great respect which they bear to their written Traditions equalling their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their Law in the Mouth to that in the Book Even this together with the vast multitude of their Ceremonies and such Ceremonies as do render the service of God rather vain than venerable doth prove them somewhat like the Jews onely whereas the Jewish Rites being appointed by God did adorn his Worship and were Parts of it these mens follies invented by themselves do corrupt and spoil it Again their publick allowance of Fornication and taking Money for it as if it were no sin their adoration of Images their invocation of Saints their doctrine of Purgatory which was the Invention of Plato All this doth testifie that both in their Religion and in their Manners they are too like the Pagans The truth is the present Religion of the Roman Church is a mere Miscellany too like that of the Turkish Alcharon as having in it something of the Pagan something of the Jew and something of the Christian too And as our Adversaries do thus resemble both Jew and Pagan in some matters of their Religion so do they match them both in their zealous persecution of all such as do oppose them What kind of usage the Primitive Christians found from Jews and Pagans we learn from the Text and what kind of Treatments the Protestant Churches have found from the Roman our own Chronicles do inform us and that men of the same Principles would fain be at the same sport again we do not need a Spirit of Prophecy to assure us Let 's view the Text once more and see the Parallel 1. The Text saith of the Jew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They will put you out of the Synagogues they will turn you out of their Churches and that being done they will count you as Publicans and Heathens even the worst of men And thus have the Roman Jews dealt with us and our Progenitours they have morally driven us from them by imposing upon us such Conditions of Vnion as did oblige us to break either with God or Them And when the Governours of our Church saw themselves necessitated to withdraw from their Communion they have by their Ecclesiastical Censures condemned us for being Separatists though they themselves have unavoidably made us so 'T is well known what Bulls and Interdicts they have sent us what Anathema's and Curses they have written against us in their Councils what solemn Excommunications they denounce against us yeer by yeer they proclaim us Schismaticks Hereticks and vile Apostates from the Faith of Christ and as such do they treat us and by so doing they fully teach the Example in the Text They will put you out of the Synagogues This they have done over and over and 't is well for us of this Age and Nation that they can yet do no more 't is well that all this Thunder of so many Excommunications which hath made such a mighty noise doth yet want a killing Bolt We are obliged to the good Providence of God that they have not yet found in our days and in our Church what they strangely long for a fair opportunity to melt down their leaden Seals and turn them into Bullets 2. The Text saith of the Jew and Pagan both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Every one that kills you The Jews excluded them out of their Synagogues and both Jews and Pagans turned them out of the world too And have not the Roman Jews and Pagans dealt thus with thousands of our Religion and fain would deal so with us too Have they not seconded their Excommunications with the Sword and their Anathema's with devouring Flames Is it not the constant Doctrine of their Church that Hereticks must be burnt and who those Hereticks are they themselves must be the onely Judges If we shall but read over the Histories of England Ireland France Germany and other places we shall finde that they have made such miserable slaughters in the reformed Churches that it may be justly doubted whether Rome-Pagan or Rome-Papal have shed the greater quantity of Christian bloud But why would they do it 3ly The Text gives us this reason Every one that kills you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will think that he doth God good service It was from a religious mistake that all this Bloudshed did proceed The Pagans had not right apprehensions of God the Jew was deceived in his opinion of Christ so blinde was the Pagan that he thought his false Gods to be true ones so prejudiced was the Jew that he judged the true Messias to be a false one which gross Mistake of theirs did expose them to the commission of that horrid Crime wherewith the Text doth charge them Every one that kills you To kill a man that affronted his supposed God the Pagan did not think it sin to kill a man that opposed the legal Worship of their Church the Jews did not think it Murther no they judg'd it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a

religious Work and pleasing unto God So Theophylact And such Apprehensions concerning us have they of the Roman Church in which men bred up in the ignorance of our Religion yea and much of their own too are taught to believe that we of the Protestant Religion are mere Apostates from the Faith of Christ that we are such Hereticks as deny the great Doctrines of the Catholick Church And yet sure we are that they can never overthrow our Faith nor defend their own by more Arguments than one I mean that one which hangeth by their sides that one which they fetch not from the Library but the Cutlers Shop they can never confute us any other way than that in the Text Every one that kills you We have so much solid Reason on our sides that they can never be too hard for us till either we our selves shall lose our brains or they dash them out And that they may so do O what Endeavours do they use what Plots do they lay what Expences are they at They can fetch Armadoes from Spain false Witnesses from St. Omers and a Powder-Treason even from Hell it self What pains do they take to corrupt such great persons as are either vitious or ignorant Nay what hazards do they run for as things yet stand they cannot attempt our Lives without some danger of their own and yet they will venture but why all this The Text gives us the best account They will think that they do God service c. Certainly they who through the just Judgment of God are given up to such strong delusions as to think that Murther is rather their Merit than their Crime must needs be dangerous men Of all Villains in the world the Religious Villain is far the worst for whilst every common Villain 's Conscience who knows what he doth to be sin may justly check him the Religious Villain 's Conscience who commits a sin but thinks it duty doth not onely invite him to it but applauds and chears him in it 'T is the great unhappiness of the Christian Church that there should be any such mistaken Zelots in it who think the killing of men to be a serving of God But since the Divine Providence for the correction of our Vices or the tryal of our Graces doth permit it so to be since we have such devout and pious Bloud-hounds amongst us as count it a religious act to destroy our Persons and ruine our Nation which they know to be both the defence and glory of the Reformed Churches We may do well to consider these three things First That we have very little Reason to Believe the present Religion of the Roman Church to be indeed the Religion of Christ Never did our Blessed Saviour Teach his Servants to Propagate his Religion by Shedding Blood Never did his Apostles Teach their Successors either by Doctrine or Example to Promote the Gospel by any Sword but that of the Spirit onely I find indeed that Christianity is called by some Antient Authours 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Prevailing Doctrine and the Promoters of it were accordingly stiled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Conquerours But by what Weapons did they overcome St. Paul Answers The Weapons of our Warfare are not Carnal They did not Convert the Heathen World with Swords and Daggers They did not Enlighten the Understandings of Men with Fire and Faggots such Pagan Princes as would not turn to their Religion they did not Assassinate nor move their Subjects to Rebell No the Religion of Christ hath in it such Properties as forbids all this St. James tells us What it is 't is first Pure and then Peaceable The Designs of Christianity is to make Men as more Holy towards their God so more Gentle Kind and Tender-hearted towards their Neighbours then all Man-kind besides 'T is one great work of the Gospel so to Mollifie and Soften the Hearts of Men that the Vulture may become a Dove and the VVoolf a Lamb. But so far is the Roman Religion from doing this that it makes Men more Merciless then it found them For we cannot doubt but they who have the Great unhappiness to be Born within that Church do bring with them into the World the same Natural Bowels with other Men but such is their Education that they Learn more Cruelty from a Corrupted Religion then from a Corrupted Nature Even so much Cruelty that when once they Act like Zealous Papists they do even cease to be Men. And if so that Religion can be no Kin to the Religion of Christ which instead of makeing better doth make him none But Secondly That we have abundant Reason to prepare our selves for the very worst of Sufferings The Scriptures tells us That the Servants of God must expect wrongs and Injuries not from Prophane Persons onely but which is worse even from Devout Ones too VVicked Men may pursue us from a Principle of Irreligion And Devout Men may do as much from a Blind and Ill-grounded Zeal Of this latter sort are they in the Text such Persons as through Mistakes and Mis-informations are of an Opinion that it were a Pious work to Destroy us and so thinks themselves Oblieged to do it This being our Case we should fit our selves to endure whatever God may permit Men of rash and Fiery Spirits Enflamed with Zeal and Edged with Religion to inflict upon us Now that we may suffer if need be with that Christian Courage that becomes us besides our Begging the Assistances of that God for whom we suffer we are Concerned to do these Two Things more First 'T is our Concern to Acquaint our selves thoroughly with the Principles of that Religion which we Oppose and of that we Adhere unto 'T is a great thing to Suffer so harsh to Flesh and Blood that no VVise Man will do it unless he see Good reason for it And in our present Case the onely reason must be the Badness of the Religion which we Renounce and the Goodness of that which we Defend That the Roman Religion is stark Nought That the Reformed Religion is the onely Right one we must not barely Believe by an Implicit Faith but be able to prove by such sollid Reasons as cannot fail us 'T is St. Paul's rule Prove all things All Matters both of Faith and VVorship but why and in Order to what must we Prove them The next VVords tells us Hold fast that which is Good 'T is an Intimation that in times of Persecution we shall never hold fast the best Religion in the VVorld if we do not prove it first but take it up meerly upon trust So Treacherous is the Soul of Man and so averse from Suffering any thing for God that when we are brought into any Extremity our own Hearts may be apt to Discourage us from induring it by raising in us suspitions and Jealousies about the Truth of that Religion which as yet we never strictly Examined but Embraced and owned barely through Custom and