Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	aaron_n	church_n	religion_n	15	3	4.7580	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A13827	Times lamentation: or An exposition on the prophet Ioel, in sundry sermons or meditations	Topsell, Edward, 1572-1625?	1599 (1599)	STC 24131; ESTC S118486	347,352	464

man but nowe the worlde was turned with them they being bewitched with the false Apostles for at once they had forsaken their faith towards God and their reuerence toward the preacher The diuell is subtill and knoweth very well that so long as the ministers credite raigneth his kingdome decreaseth and therefore where he cannot at the first ouerthrow the doctrine there he laboureth to bring the prophet into disgrace But hearken my beloued I beseech you a while and shut your eares against the diuels accusations If you will euer liue vnder the winges of the Gospell you must euer loue the feete of God his ministers so long as these Galathians bore this minde towardes their Apostle their faith was glorious their church was famous their liues were godly and their endes were happy but when they accounted the Lordes messenger but as a man when they thought him worthy no more then a common person although they would once haue plucked out their eies to haue done him good then followed and fell vpon them like hailestones vpon the Canaanites heresies to disquiet them diuisions to molest them ignorance to condemne them and the wrath of God to consume them Looke to it my beloued the contempt of preachers of ministers and seruants of the Lorde hath already wrought many strange effectes among vs. Those reuerend fathers of our church which haue brought vs out of Babylon as Moses and Aaron brought the Israelites out of Egypt whereof some haue sealed vp our safetie with their owne blood others haue wasted their health and wealth in defence of our religion state and profession and many yet liuing holding great places in the Church of England hauing onely for the Gospell and the Lords Ierusalem endured many strange conflictes and vnknowen troubles these I say euen by the railing libels of counterfaite and vnknowne Christians haue beene laide open to the view offoes and friends both by truthes and vntruthes if it were possible to the vtter ruine of learning extreme sorrow of many good men and euerlasting disgrace of the ministerie As Origen was woont to say Sicut omne bonum ab ecclesia prouenit sic omne malum ab ecclesia egreditur As al goodnesse commeth from the church so all euill commeth from the church so I feare that the Lorde may say to the ministerie as to Israell O Israel thy destruction is of thy selfe but in me is thy saluation The ministerie hath been lamentably diuided and for this cause euen by base persons they haue beene and are scornfully reuiled we our selues haue wrought our discredit but the Lord is our comfort The ignorance of many silly and dumbe fellowes disgraceth the learned the pride of many lofty preachers discrediteth the humble the couetousnesse of many encroching parsons ouerthroweth the liberall minded and finally the negligence of many noble and excellent men in their charges giueth a deadly discouragement to the painfull But yet these are the faultes of the persons not of the places and a personall action dieth with the person therefore my beloued pray vnto the Lord for discerning spirites that you may liue by the line of the word and not by the lines of many although we should forsake the Lord by our falles yet doe not you cast away your selues by our example Maintaine the name and credit of euery one whose ministerie the Lorde vseth in gouerning and instructing his Church stand not vpon titles for they which labour well are woorthy of double honour regarde not garments for Iustine Martyr preached Christ in the attire of a heathen philosopher looke not too much vpon their faultes for euen amongst the Apostles there wanted not diuisions esteeme them as the ministers of God which watch when you sleepe labour when you rest fast when you feast and pray for the saluation of your soules when you are sporting in pleasures Your soules then lye open to the diuell when you are growne in dislike of your pastors for if the man displeaseth we cannot like of the doctrine If our countreymen the Lords flocke can once againe ioine with the preachers and promoters of the Gospell then shall Atheisme be banished Poperie ashamed hypocrisie discouered diuisions ended and truth shall flourish out of our nation Secondly another vse we may profitably make heereof which is this that exhortation of the Apostle Philip. 2. 29. speaking of Epaphroditus a faithfull minister of God whom he sendeth vnto them Receiue him saith he therefore in the Lord with all gladnesse and make much of such we must open our houses and churches with reioycing spirits when we see the embassadours of peace comming vnto vs and account most pretiously of them who trauel with the Lords message for our good Wee reade that the Shunamite to entertaine Elishah built him a chamber that when he came that way he might visite their familie how much more ioyfull ought we to bee to entertaine the messengers of better things then Elishah brought It was a great commendation of the Iewish women that followed our Sauiour vp and downe that they ministred vnto him but most lamentable it is that in our daies the ministers and preachers haue almost as slender entertainment as Christ himselfe had among the Samaritans Their houses be too great their liuings be too large their reuenues say some clawbacks will suffice a good knight or a worshipfull gentleman and why may not a good minister be allowed as well as a good magistrate or a man of learning dwel in as faire a house as a lawyer Indeede our houses in your conceite are too great for vs and in our harts we thanke God that they are too little for you wee see many ministeries and parsonages defaced but none built many gathered but none sowed we are receiued very ioyfully of great numbers where they hope to haue any gaines by vs and their purpose being obtained then they bid a fig for the parson Oh this is the sinne of many gentlemen that they will neuer or seldome allow the fourth part of that which of dutie they owe vnto vs but will wage the customes at the lawe to giue nothing to the Lord. Who seeth not that these men woulde haue offered if they had liued among the Iewes surely I thinke burnt offerings and peace offerings should haue discontinued and the Lord must haue thought him beholding vnto them if they gaue him one for a thousand And for our ministerie and preaching I dare say it was not lesse regarded except persecution one hundred yeere a goe then now it is If gentlemen or noble men receiue their tithes the people are well contented but if the preachers take them it greeueth them deadly belike because they goe to the right owners And thus the world make much of vs our liuings are diminished our labours are neglected our presence despised They account their parishes the happiest where is no preaching ministerie no controlling of sinners no fighting with the diuell no conscience of religion O miserable times O