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
A65470	A sermon preached at the anniversary meeting of the Sons of Clergy-men, in St. Paul's Cathedral, December 3, 1700 by Richard West ...	West, Richard, 1671 or 2-1716.	1700 (1700)	Wing W1381; ESTC R14312	11,130	29

often press'd and inculcated the Necessity of it to others should be mean or narrow-spirited in our Contributions 't is probable that we shall not only give Offence to others but put a Stop even to their Good and Charitable Intentions If we that cannot of all men be ignorant what we ought to do for our Brethren and Companions sakes should not contribute all we are able to the encouraging and promoting this Good Design begun and carried on purely for their Interest it can't be supposed that others who are removed something farther from the Relation should be more forward in their Endeavours to support it Good Examples do great service in all such cases and the higher mens Characters and Stations are so much the greater and stronger Influence have they The Royal Psalmist describes to us the Joy and Satisfaction he felt in himself when he was called upon to assist at the Worship of God I was glad when they said unto me Let us go into the House of the Lord Not only glad of the opportunity of offering up his Prayers and Praises to God but also doubtless that he met with an occasion of countenancing Religion by his Presence and of encouraging others by his Example And thus have I considered the great service we shall do Religion by our present Designs of promoting Peace and Charity and have also observed how much prejudice may be done it by the neglect of these Virtues The latter of these I should have pass'd by as being foreign to our present Business had I not thought my self obliged to take notice of that double Pleasure which always attends such good Actions the one arising from the sense of the Services we do the other from the thought of having avoided all those Inconveniencies all that Uneasiness of Mind and Guilt of Conscience which are inseparable from the contrary Practices II. I proceed in the Second place to represent another Advantage of this Good Design namely the raising the Honour of our Church For we are not only to consider the Service we can do Religion in general but also how we can best answer the Obligations we are under to that Church in particular whereof we are Members And that these Virtues of Peace and Charity will advance the Credit and Reputation of it is more than probable since they tend most to Unite and Preserve it And when it is like Ierusalem compact together and at unity in it self the gates of hell cannot prevail against it The Royal Psalmist repeats his Prayers and Wishes for Peace several times in this short Psalm Whether or no there were then any divisions in the Church or any heats or contentions among any of its Members that occasioned his being thus earnest and sollicitous 't is certain he very well knew he could ask for no other Blessing that could gain it so much respect and veneration abroad that could make it so strongly oppose the attempts of its Enemies or that could so firmly establish and so long preserve it We are therefore very much indebted to the Wisdom of those who first formed this Charitable Corporation and contrived this Annual Meeting for the preventing and making up all such unnatural differences among us and for the preserving that Love and mutual Agreement which is so necessary for the Honour and Security of our Church We are this day the best Constituted Church in the whole World and its Doctrines the most Pure and Primitive and I hope we may add that it is most Catholick and Apostolical in its practice of Christian Duties The first Believers did more Honour and Service to Christianity by their good Actions than by their Faith and they appealed to their Lives for a confirmation of their Doctrines And I hope it may still be used for an Argument for the best Religion in the World that it is the best observed That we are reformed from the Errors and Corruptions that were crept into the Church is owing to the pious Care and Zeal of our Forefathers but let it be owing to us that this present Age shall leave behind it more lasting Monuments of Kindness and Generosity of Love and Unity It is a great Happiness to be of the True Faith but it will be a greater to superadd to it the meek and peaceful Spirit of the Gospel This one would think should be made the chief Mark of a True Church for nothing not even Faith it self without Charity can ever make a good Christian and I don't see how it is possible it should ever build or keep up a Church Love and Tenderness ought always to attend Truth for they are the best able to gain it Friends They are of an insinuating Nature and lay open an easy Passage to the Understanding A sowre ill-natur'd Argument was hardly ever known to convert an Adversary how strong and powerful soever it might be to silence him There 's no body can bear to be affronted even into Truth it self or to be brow-beaten though it should chance to be into Right Reason Truth indeed is Bold but 't is never Insolent and Imperious But Falshood and Ignorance are generally so And if we judge of them by that Mark we shall not often be mistaken For we have great reason to suspect that for Counterfeit which is swell'd with Pride and Ostentation However it be Truth never wants an Haughty Advocate and a Good Cause is always the worse for an Ill-natur'd Management And what is more to our purpose the Best of Churches must suffer great Prejudice if there is found an Uncharitable Behaviour among any of its Members But 't is my Business only to commemorate the Blessings we enjoy and not to tell of Mischiefs which 't is to be hoped we shall never feel III. Let us then consider the Third and last Advantage of our Pious Designs and that is The vindicating the Clergy from Contempt This will be Justice to the Memory of the Dead as well as a Service to the Living And I doubt not but we shall guard off Contempt from them at least set them above it in relation to those common Objections that are formed against them And these respect either their Self-Interest their Poverty or their Posterity I. And first We shall in some measure vindicate them from the Imputation of Self-Interest or Private Designs We are indeed many times upbraided upon these accounts but if our Enemies would but consider the many Charities that have been bestowed by that Order of Men they would be a little more sparing in their Censures We are told that Charity it self shall cover a multitude of sins And if God Almighty will be so merciful as to pass by a great many Offences for the sake of that one Virtue methinks Men might overlook some Defects for the sake of it too I am persuaded I may venture to say That the Good Works of a great part of the Clergy speak for them and 't is but just that the Number of those who