Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	henry_n	king_n	pope_n	16,586	5	6.9376	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A32041	The monster of sinful self-seeking, anatomizd together with a description of the heavenly and blessed selfe-seeking : in a sermon preached at Pauls the 10. of December, 1654 / by Edm. Calamy, B.D. ...	Calamy, Edmund, 1600-1666.	1655 (1655)	Wing C259; ESTC R15527	29,832	44

frivolous and unconscionable excuses If thou art like unto Hormisdas a Nobleman of Persia who was deposed from all his Honours because he would not deny his Religion and afterwards restored again and a little after solicited again to deny Christ and his truths but he rent his purple robe and laid all his honours at the foot of the Emperour and said Si propter ista me denegaturum Christum put as ea denuò accipe If you thinke to gaine me to deny Christ for the re-obtaining of my honours take them all back againe If this be the frame of thy heart it is a certaine token that thou prizest lovest and seekest the things of Christ before and more then thine owne things 3. The third sort of those who are guilty of this sinfull selfe-seeking are such who pretend to seek the things of Christ but seek their owne things under colour of seeking the things of Christ who hold forth the preservation and propagation of Religion as a stalking horse to catch men by as a blinde to deceive the world but aime a● nothing lesse then Religion but either with Demetrius at their owne gaine or with Jehu at the obtaining of a Kingdome or with Balaam at the wages of iniquity This sinne of selfe-seeking is so odious both to God and Man that it never appeares upon the stage in its owne likenesse but alwaies covered over with Samuels mantle There is no sinne hath more {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} and {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Fig-leaves and religious cloaks to cover it then this sinne By this meanes the Pope of Rome hath purchased his triple Crowne It is said Rev. 13. 11. that Antichrist should have two hornes like a Lambe but yet act like a Dragon signifying unto us that Antichrist should under colour of Religion act all his villanies and bloudy Massacres and by this means deceive all the world Therefore Antichristianisme is called a Mysterie of iniquity that is iniquity covered over with faire shewes and pretences of godlinesse What Murders what Treasons hath not the Pope committed under the colour of defending the Catholique Religion under pretence of being Peters successor and of having ●eters keyes and chaire Witnesse the holy league as it was called in France witnesse the Gunpowder treason amongst us undertaken under shew of Religion for the defence of the Catholique cause What I affirme of Papists and Jesuites the like I say of all the Errors and Heresies that have been broached in the Christian world The Apostle tells us that the first Authors of Heresies and Schismes were great selfe seekers Men greedy of filthy lucre who served not the Lord Jesus but their owne bellies who made merchandise of the Soules of people making gaine their godlinesse not godlinesse their gaine But though they were such yet they did not appeare to be such but seemed to be very holy and selfe-denying Therefore Christ calls them Wolves in sheeps cloathing ravening Wolves inwardly though innocent Sheep outwardly They honied over the poison of their Doctrine with good words and faire speeches to deceive the hearts of the simple Rom. 16. 18. Such a one was Pelagius one of the greatest enemies to the Doctrine of Grace that ever the Church had who made such a shew of godlinesse that when Hierome first wrote against his Heresies he was forced to conceale his name lest by appearing to write on purpose against him his book should have been rejected by the people who did so highly magnifie him Let me adde This is a sinne which not onely Papists and Jesuits Schismaticks and Hereticks but most Christians in the world are tainted withall It is a most true saying Pauci amant Iesum propter Iesum there are few and but very few who love Christ for Christs sake Most people follow Christ for the loaves and make use of Christ to serve their own ends and interest Let a Man be to marry a Wife and he will in words pretend that it is Religion and Godlinesse that he most of all desires but if you had a window to look into his heart you will finde that it is Money which is his chiefe aime But amongst all sorts of Men the great States-men and deep Polititians are most eminently guilty of this sin who usually bring Religion upon the stage meerly to usher in their Politick designes It is a cursed Maxim in Machiavel that Kings and Princes should labour after a shew of Religion but not look much after the substance For the substance would be a burden but the shew of it would be very usefull for the carrying on of their own ends and designes This wicked advise and counsell is followed by many Kingdoms Common-wealths at this day there was scarce ever any State or Church-reformer who did reforme Religion for Religions sake but for his owne ends either to be revenged of his enemies or to gaine Church-revenues or to be a coy-Duck to draw a party to side with him Let me give in a few Examples It pleased God so to order affaires in Henry the Eights time that the Popes supremacy was abolished in England But what was the principle that moved the King to doe this was it out of love to the true Religion or was it not rather that thereby he might be revenged of the Pope who would not allow of his Divorce from his first Wife I have read of Maximilian Emperour of Germany who living in Luthers time professed a great deale of zeale after Reformation and especially in plucking down golden Images But the story saith that it was not so much out of hatred to the Images as out of love to the gold which made him undertake it In the History of the Civill Warres in France I read that when the Princes of the blood fell out one with another one party called in the Protestants to their assistance not out of love to Religion but that thereby they might gaine a party That which I say of Kingdomes and Common-wealths the like I say of Armies I read of Goliahs sword hid in a cloth behind the Ephod 1 Sam. 2. 9. The sword never appeares to the world under bloudy colours but alwayes cloathed with a linnen Ephod pretending Reformation of abuses in Church and State But it is worth remembring that this sword was the sword of Goliah who was a defier of the Israel of God and a great enemy to Religion The summe of all amounts to this that in all ages of the Church especially in times of Civil Warre and in times of Reformation there are thousands that hold forth to the world in their words and Declarations a sincere desire to propagate the Gospel and the Kingdome of Christ and to advance the pure Ordinances of Christ yet notwithstanding minde nothing really and inwardly but their preferment and advancement Quest But how shall I know whether I am but a pretender to the things of Iesus Christ whether I am one who makes