Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	france_n	king_n	kingdom_n	14,965	5	6.1241	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A70537	The character of the true church In a sermon preach'd at the French church in the Savoy, upon these words, How goodly are they tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel, Numb. XXIV. v. 5. By A. D'Astor de Laussac, formerly a prior and an archdeacon of the church of Rome.	Dastor de Laussac, Antoine.	1700 (1700)	Wing L623C; ESTC R221680	22,752	35

THE Character of the True Church IN A SERMON Preach'd at the French Church in the Savoy Upon these Words How goodly are thy Tents O Jacob and thy Tabernacles O Israel Numb XXIV v. 5. By A. D'Astor de Laussac formerly a Prior and an Archdeacon of the Church of Rome LONDON Printed for Matt. Wotton at the Three Daggers in Fleetstreet and sold by A. Baldwin in Warwick-lame 1700. ADVERTISEMENT A Person who is deeply touch'd with the miseries which poor French Protestants suffer while there and more rigorously for but attempting to get away tho with the loss of their Estates was mightily pleas'd to find by reading the Original of this discourse that a Romish Priest of their Nation had been so far from acting in those Cruelties that he had quitted his Preferments to become of himself a Refugee being forc'd only by the power of Truth to yield at last to the Conviction of his Conscience which he owns he had long resisted and that in their chiefest Church the Savoy he had made a free and open Abjuration of all the errors of Popery giving very many weighty Reasons whereby he was mov'd to Renounce it which utter'd with concern by such a New Convert cou'd not but draw great attention and thereby as also by his example 〈…〉 ●…lent to work that 〈…〉 Faith which he 〈…〉 and confirm in hi●… 〈…〉 An earnest desire and hope of good effects by those motives if more known amongst us made the said Person wish they were in English This the Author hearing got the Sermon Translated and brought it to him by whose encouragement he has now Printed it for a second and more publick Abjuring of all Popish Superstitions with the methods still us'd in France and now more severely than ever to make Proselytes by Persecution England not many years ago was in manifest danger of the like and several large steps had hastily been made here to that end but the King of Kings suddenly overturn'd that confidence when at the highest and by his mighty hand the Religion of this Church and the Laws of this Kingdom were strangely rescu'd from the violence of Arbitrary Power and are now peaceably re-established which amazing mercies shou'd by this Nation with most hearty thankfulness be for ever remembred to the Glory of God and Honour of the King his Instrument in that Wonderful Revolution NUMB. XXIV 5. How goodly are thy Tents O Jacob and thy Tabernacles O Israel THese words spoke Balaam and bless'd Israel not so much in reference to any greatness or magnificence he saw in that people as by reason of some extraordinary and miraculous influence he felt within himself This false Prophet drawn away by the motion of his own heart which God suffer'd him to be led by follow'd the second Messengers of the King of Moab and tho he appear'd sensible of his fault when frighten'd by the Angel of the Lord yet all his ways and all the subtle contrivances of his hypocrisie easily perswade us that in order to prosecute the pressing instances of Balak and satisfie his own desire his real intention was to curse Israel But no sooner does he think himself at liberty again and just ready to execute his pernicious design but he feels within himself an inward power that stops him a secret and incomprehensible motion which in an instant turns his heart in the behalf of Israel and forces him to cry out in spite of Balak nay and in spite of himself How goodly are thy Tents O Jacob and thy Tabernacles O Israel No doubt but you are beforehand with me in applying this accident to my present circumstance You have here before you a Minister of error and falshood who comes to joyn with you in the profession of a truth he has but too long withstood One who though engaged by his Birth Education and Ministry to persecute your holy Religion yet is now thoroughly convinc'd of his past blindness ready to turn into blessings the curses he formerly pronounc'd against you How shou'd I curse whom God has not curs'd 'T is not expected I shou'd pretend any way to extenuate or lessen my errors and mistakes I have I own it to my shame and confusion I have for many years stifled the saving impulses of Grace and at the very time it pleas'd Almighty God to enlighten me in his ways and to open my eyes to the purity of the Evangelical Doctrine I did but too long defer my conversion and was at a stand between God and the World God alone from whom nothing can be hid knows what struggles and agonies I underwent But at last his efficacious Grace triumph'd over the hardness of my heart He drew me over to him by the ties of meekness and gentleness I am the least of Christs Disciples unworthy to be call'd a Minister of the Gospel since I persecuted the Church of God but by the grace of God I am what I am Clouds of error and ignorance sentiments of flesh and blood prejudices of birth and education groundless shame which force so many to with-hold the truth in unrighteousness all your illusions are now dissipated you have given way to the bright and shining light of the Gospel which alone is able to enlighten our minds and to that victorious grace that can in a moment destroy all our ill habits and change the affections of our hearts Since then it has pleas'd God in his infinite compassion to open my eyes and loose my tongue since it has pleas'd him to put these words in my mouth why shou'd not I cry out with Balaam How goodly are thy tents O Jacob and thy tabernacles O Israel The following discourse being more particularly design'd for your edification than instruction I shall pass by the different acceptations these words may admit of I thought it therefore most proper to gather from thence the principal motives that prompted me to embrace the doctrine of the Reformed Churches by shewing that therein I find the distinguishing characters of the true Church of Christ I discover in your Communion the Church of Christ because 't is the authority of the word of God that has preserv'd in it the purity of the Faith This is the first character the second is that the purity of the Faith draws upon it the persecutions which the world doth exercise against it 'T is the Church of Christ since it goes by no other rule than that of his Gospel 'T is the Church of Christ since it suffers persecution for his name and for his truth These shall be the two heads of the discourse The Christian World is particularly divided into two different Communions they agree in many effential points of Religion but differ in the principle that occasioned their separation and gives each of them a particular Character The Church of Rome uses the Holy Scripture to attribute a supream Authority to its Ministry which makes it head not only to be as the oracle of God but the