Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	church_n	doctrine_n	popery_n	4,964	5	10.7046	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77847	The reformation of the church to be endeavoured more then that of the common-vvealth, declared, in a sermon preached before the Right Honourable House of Lords at the publike fast, August 27. 1645. / By Anthony Burges, pastour of Sutton Coldfield, and now preacher at Laurence-Jury, London.	Burgess, Anthony, d. 1664.	1645 (1645)	Wing B5654; Thomason E298_13; ESTC R200236	17,974	31

Where the Churches of God retain the true Doctrine there is not an essentiall alteration nor can Religion properly be said to be changed And thus when calumniatours say that we are setting up a new Religion it 's but a slander for the doctrine that hath heretofore been retained in England I speak not of Papizing and Arminianizing persons is not changed we still retain the Doctrine of the Scriptures of the Trinity of Christ of justifying faith therefore all the alteration is accidentall concerning rituals and discipline which alteration makes to the perfection and well-being of the Doctrine for the Doctrine that is anima and Discipline that is the nerves whereby the body is compact together 4. No Reformers that ever God raised up in the Church would own themselves so far perfect as that there needed no addition we should doe wrong to the blessed Reformers if so be that we should think they themselves thought they had attained to such a Reformation as needed no further a Reformation It 's expressed in the Common-prayer book That till the primitive Discipline may be restored again they ordered for the present thus and thus Nay certainly were the godly Martyrs commanded to come out of their graves and to see what is now doing in England they would exceedingly rejoyce to see the fruit of their prayers 5. It lieth as a dutie upon Churches to improve their talents as well as particular persons If persons are to grow in knowledge and Reformation then why not Churches not as if that Academicall principle of the Socinians were to be received that it is lawfull every moneth to alter our opinions in the Doctrine of Religion that is to bring in Atheisme at last yet notwithstanding there is to be a growth in the clearer knowledge even of essentials as when a childe groweth he doth not get new members or parts only they grow in their kinde It is profectus not alteratio as Lyrinensis called it and as for those things that are not absolutely essentiall we see by experience what need there is that Churches should daily encrease in their knowledge And so much for this Objection The next Objection is of those who say It 's no such dangerous thing to live and die in errours therefore there needeth not so much strictnesse and accuratenesse herein and the handling of this is necessary in these times when it is thought that heresie is but a theologicall fiction and that it is great innocency Now though great care ought to be used for the declining of all tyranny in Discipline against errours and in opinions of lesse concernment a Magistrate is not to make the major proposition a jailor the minor and a prison the conclusion yet that people may be more afraid tremble about errour then they do It is good to confider first a man may pervert Scripture to his own damnation by errour 2 Pet. 3.16 Which the unlearned and unstable wrest to their own damnation So that a man may damn himself by errours as well as by a wicked life Yea Oecumenius makes it as great a sinne to wrest and mangle the Scripture as to take the bodies of the holy Pen-men and to murder them consider that place Prov. 30.6 Adde thou not to his words lest he reprove thee By reproving is meant a reall chastisement and affliction now when thou liest under heavie troubles thou enquirest what sin have I done What iniquity is it that I have committed for which God doth thus heavily afflict me never considering that it may be for a sinfull and carnall opinion If therefore errour may be the poison and damnation of a mans soule it is not to be judged as a thing of pardon rather then of blame as some would have it 2. Heresies and errours come from damnable causes therefore they are not to be sleighted the generall cause of them is made to be the flesh Gal. 5.20 and reckoned in the nature of them with grosse sins murders whoredoms c. and joyned in the damnable effect of them They that do these things shall never inherit the Kingdom of heaven neither is there any necessity of that forced interpretation to take heresies there spoken of for contentions and strifes seeing though the word may denote some wilfull pertinacie yet it frequently signifieth some pertinacy about religious matters by this therefore it appeareth that a man may be carnall by his head-sins as well as by his hand-sinnes then there are more particular causes mentioned by Scripture of errour which are damnable as obstinacy covetousnesse pride and vain-glory as in Marcion when he said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he would throw the fire-bals of contention which should be unquenchable like those of hell especially these errours are of a damnable cause when they come from a loosenesse of heart as those that dispute against the morality of the Sabbath and the strict keeping of it and against the obligation of the morall law and the divinity of the Scriptures therefore goe to the fountain of every errour and see how dangerous that is 3. The severall acts or nature wherein it consisteth is damnable There is a learned man that confidently maintaineth the word Heresie is never used in the Scripture in a middle or indifferent sense but alwaies in an ill notion I shall not call that into question now only we say as it is taken ecclesiastically the acts of it are very hainous as that it 's putting a lie upon the holy Ghost if the salfe prophets were so threatned for saying Thus saith the Lord when the Lord did not say so then must the like condemnation fall upon them who say Thus saith the Scripture when it saith it not Again Gods Word is the publike Standard it 's the testament of Christ now how harnous a thing is it judged to falsifie the last will of a man Again Gods Word is precious and dear to him and he will hear the words and the groans as it were which this corrupt heart makes in it 4. The consequents of it are damnable for errour is like the plague and infection which destroyeth many others Arius una scintilla fuit and yet how did it fire the whole world and how well were it if Luthers temptation were upon many men Tune solus sapis art thou only wise what if thou be damned and drawest many thousands to hell with thee therefore it is a true saying Quicquid in religionem divinam committitur in omnium fit injuriam Again these sins of errours pollute the minde and understanding which are the choisest parts of man alwaies the sins that are majoris infamiae greater reproach among men are not presently majoris reatus of the greater guilt before God Is not the devil called an unclean spirit yet he hath no bodily wickednesse therefore doctrine being the foundation of practice it is dangerous to erre there And then lastly such sins we are hardly convinced of An outward grosse sin naturall conscience may condemn but

captivity how tender are they Psal 137.3 4. In that Psalme many things are observable to our purpose as first though they were by the pleasant rivers side yet they could not but mourn for Ierusalems sake Again it s observed by Calvin as a great testimony of their faith and godly zeal that they carried their harpes with them into so strange a land from their own countrey as their dearest houshold-stuffe which they would keep till God restored them to their worship in Ierusalem again Further you may take notice of their refusall to sing in a strange land the publike worship of God and the legall Sacrisices might not be celebrated in a polluted land Hereupon see into what an holy passion the Church breaks out ver 6. If I forget the O Ierusalem let my right hand forget her cunning If I do not remember thee let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth If I preferre not Ierusalem above my chief joy Here are spirituall and heavenly hearts that can rejoyce more in the restitution of the worship and ordinances of God then in all their own private advantages By this Psalme you see what an oppression and misery is upon those who groan under Church-pollutions Now one of the main burdens that hath borne down the backs of the godly Ministers in this kingdome hath been the want of holy and powerfull discipline England was a good school wherein truths were taught but there wanted a rod to correct vice the want of this is a grievous burden It s a passage of Calvins to Farell speaking of the Sacrament to be with them the next Lords day Cogita saith he quantis angustijs constringer utinam me absente posset celebrari hâc conditione ut ad vos usque vel manibus reptarem What is the cause then that men may be earnest for the one and not for the other 1. The state reformation agreeth most with our sensible good hence we shall see the Romanes and other Heathens have adventured themselves for the Common wealth and have gloried in being the assertors of its liberties but to promote Christs waies that is contrary to our corrupt hearts therefore men may be forward to have monopolies and taxes removed that yet cannot indure to have the sanctification of the Sabbath the powerfull and soul saving preaching of Gods Word established How few are like Theodosius of whom Ambrose saith Dilexi virum qui cum corpore solveretur magis de statu Ecclesiarum quàm de proprijs periculis angebatur he was more carefull about the Church then his own affairs 2. Multi ●●nt qui d●sciplinam imperium esse judica●t ac rationa●●m ca●●●gationem superbiae assignant quum non fit imperium aisi ubi aliqui● juberur i●●u●●um ne● superbia nisi u●i regligitur disciplina Aug. Christ hath yokes and Common wealths are unwilling to receive these In Psal 2. ver 3. see the resolution of the governours of the earth Let us break their bonds and cast their cords from us The orders of Christ are so holy so heavenly so self-denying that few states will arise to the obedience of them And this made the Heathens object though very falsely that Common wealths and the Christian religion cannot stand together And this made some prophane men professe when the reformation began in Lathers time that they had rather live under the government of the Turke then where all things should be ordered according to Gods Word but this is to be ignorant of the great happinesse both spirituall and temporall which the waies of Christ bring to a people Besides the former there are also extrinsecall causes 1. God leaveth them to their own carnall wisedome this is a great judgement of God when they are left in matters of Religion to their own hearts as in Jeroboam and others some have said the head of every sacrifice was to be thrown away and not offered to signifie that our own carnall apprehensions must be laid aside in the worship of God Now the Church of God scarce ever had a reformation wherein men have not been in part left to this as appeareth by that frequent passage Neverthelesse the high places were not taken away therefore to reforme is Gods great worke upon the hearts of men as he poured his Spirit upon Zerubbabel and take the best reformers while they have no more then man in them they are like Sampson without his hair fearfull worldly self-seeking as others 2. The people are unwilling and unprepared thus it was in Josiahs time insomuch that one would wonder to read the story in Josiahs time to see what a generall compliance there was in the whole kingdome with his reformation yea an universall submission thereunto and to observe the prophecy of Zachary which is said to be at the same time for in this latter God by the Prophet complaineth of them as a very wicked people yet they gave way to the reformation by Josiah only this did not last for Josiah is immediately killed and all the people fall back to their false worship again so that the inward rottennesse and hypocrisie of their hearts do either stop a reformation intended by governours or else throweth down immediately whatsoever is built up 3. A corrupt Ministery doth alwaies oppose this Magistrates have not been alwaies able to reforme as they would because of the wickednesse of the Ministery who should indeed have laid the first stones of every spirituall building Thus Christ whom the zeal of Gods house did consume by whom was he contradicted in a most violent manner but by the Priests and Pharisees Thus Luther professed hee found more enemies in the Cloisters and Monasteries then out of wicked and prophane places And is not this to be found in England had not corrupt Ministers brokers for Popery like the Philistims thrown earth into all our springs that we were to drinke of yet do they repent and humble themselves for all their superstitious pollutions to this very day or are they not rather obstinate and hardened in the maintaining of them So then it s no wonder if the governours of a Common wealth do not so willingly and fully reforme when great learned scholars and men much admired for their knowledge shall oppose it It was a witty speech of Luthers Monachica theologia nihil videt in Scriptur is nisi cucullos and its true still great scholars corrupted in their judgements see nothing in the Scripture but what they thinke maketh for Altars and Ceremonies and such vanity Vse This is a reproofe to those who are willing for the one but cannot abide the other By what hath been delivered you may see how happy and blessed a thing it is to a Common wealth when governours and people are as desirous to have the liberties which Christ hath given his Church confirmed as their state liberties when they desire to see the Church of God in her spirituall beauty as well as the Common wealth in flourishing prosperity