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	king_n	supremacy_n	3,213	5	10.5909	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A23679	A sermon preacht in Bridgewater, the next day after the election of burgesses, February 27, 1680/1 by William Allen, B.D., and Vicar of Bridgewater, Somerset.	Allen, William, fl. 1681-1697.	1681 (1681)	Wing A1079; ESTC R9086	9,674	20

Brethren I appeal to your own Consciences Do you not believe that we are happy and blessed in the Government of a great and a gracious Prince Are not the Laws of this Land under which we live not only just but good Are we not happy and may be so under the present Establishment both in Church and State as now settled by Law What Priviledge can the Subject either reasonably desire or enjoy than what he hath What as a Christian or Member of a Christian Society can any man as much as wish for that he is not blest with in the Communion of this Reformed Church of England Brethren you believe I hope you do believe what I say You are of our Communion you are of us and amongst us you are Subjects of the same King and Members of the same Church we have hitherto walked together as Brethren The Oath of Allegiance and Supremacy is our Bond of Peace The Covenant which you made with God in your Baptism by which you were admitted into Christ's Church and the Church of England is that Unity of Spirit by which we are united to Christ and to one another I pray ask your own Consciences and tell me whether they would not accuse and condemn you for perfidious men if any worldly respect should so far prevail upon you as to be in any instance instrumental in your Sphere to disturb or subvert a righteous and peaceable Establishment either in Religion Church or State The true and first Protestants of the English Nation under Edward the Sixth Queen Elizabeth King James blessed God for our Reformation and many of them rather parted with their Lives than flinch from the conduct of so excellent a Church And why O why should we cast a sham upon our Forefathers and disgrace a wise and holy Constitution by yielding to those Beasts of prey those devouring Wolves those wild Foxes that would destroy our Vineyard and make our Temples once again Dens of Thieves Be this far from us say you But then what means this bleating of the sheep and the lowing of the oxen which I hear Why are the most Loyal and the most Faithful obraded with being Papists in Masquerade and therefore rail'd at and revil'd for being faithful to God and their King and that I cannot say by the Friends but the Foes in our own Houshold How comes it to pass that any of us should herd it with the Fanatick drove and by noise or Suffrage or what is worse by malicious Stories and impudent Defamations blacken that Constitution and that Church in which we live and move and have our being yea our well-being either as Men or Christians It is apparent to all that have Eyes to see or Understandings to consider that the divided Sects amongst us joyn hands and hearts together and are so far Brethren as to carry on their work of Iniquity to turn once more a peaceable Land into Blood and to effect what our more open enemies the Papists design'd the ruin of our English Monarchy and Protestantism O my Soul come not into their Secret unto their Assembly mine Honour be not thou united for in their anger they slew a man yea the best of men and of Princes the Lords Anointed and in their Self-will they digged down a wall this they have done and this they are complotting to do again Cursed be their Anger for it was and is fierce and their wrath for it was and is cruel May God so divide them in Jacob and scatter them in our Israel that all their Counsels and Machinations may be brought to nought and they may be as water spilt upon the ground And let no man prosper that wishes ill to our English Sion Hold fast my Brethren the profession of your Faith without wavering and be not impos'd upon by crafty men that lie in wait to deceive and with fair Speeches and smooth Words would draw you off from your stedfastness Remember that ye are Englishmen and Christians be true therefore to your Soveraign as your Soveraign and to your Church as Reformed according to the truely antient Apostolick Form and Catholick Faith And I adde Secondly It argues our Sincerity when we are as zealous as sincere Gal. 4.18 It is good saith the Apostle to be zealously affected always in a good thing For coldness of Affection and indifferency of Minde argues either the badness of our Cause or our Hearts either that we are not in the Right or not right in the right way It is a base and disingenuous affectation to glory in that new-form'd Nickname a Linsie-wolsie man Rev. 3.16 which is such an one whom Christ says He will spew out of his mouth and really he deserves to be hated and deserted by all that pretend to any Principle of Honesty These Moderate Men as sometimes they call themselves are the Foes of our own Houshold they assoon as any would give us up as a prey into the hands of our Enemies All heads and hearts and hands I am afraid are now on work to pluck up and pull down even that Vineyard which God hath planted and that House which he owns as his House of Prayer And now if ever ought we to stand in the gap to show our selves true and sincere Protestants and that not only in declaring against the Conclave but the Conventicle and the Classis These are the Vermin and the Vipers that would eat through their Mothers Belly And being for these many years warm'd by the benign Influence and Government of a Gracious Prince begin now to hiss and more than to shew their Sting Ah Lord If we have any love for God or our Country for Church or State let us not unconcernedly look on and see both running into Ruine without giving a helping hand to prevent such a desolation Let us be as active in the right way as our Enemies are in the wrong And let us who are of one Communion be of one Heart and of one Way let us joyn together as Brethren that have the same Father and Mother and the same Interest Let us learn Zeal and Union even from our Enemies for so those are that would upon any account alter the present Establishment under which we may be blessed in Body Soul and Estate But my Brethren if there are any amongst us that like Judas put their hands into the Dish with us and then go forth and betray let them assuredly know that if they meet not with his Fate in this world they may expect his Portion in the other FINIS