Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
lord_n	christian_a	good_a	great_a	1,688	4	2.1264	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A49413	Christian liberty not to be abused, or, Antient and primitive truth correcting some modern, or new abuses, of that which is so much pleaded for, and so little understood, viz. Christian liberty in a sermon preached in the church of Bridport within the county of Dorset, on Sunday the forenoon, being November 3. 1672 ... / by Rich. Luce ...	Luce, Richard, Presbyter of the Church of England.	1673 (1673)	Wing L3423A; ESTC R5778	16,643	38

calling of Christianity For that we are a Chosen Generation a Royal Priesthood an Holy Nation c. by reason of our Redemption purchased by Christ Jesus our Lord. To this end compare the 9th verse of this Chapter out of which my Text is selected with the first Chapter throughout especially with the 18th and 19th verses c. of that same Chapter Now lest that these priviledges should make us grow Proud and Insolent and forgetful of our duty towards men under pretence of our near Relation unto God The blessed Apostle St. Peter after he had pressed the Exercise of our Sanctification both in abstaining from and utter Renuntiation and Detestation of all fleshly Lusts and Infernal Powers which War against the Soul as also in leading of an honest and upright Life and Conversation amongst the very Gentiles to the glory of God and the vindication of the Doctrine of the Gospel of Christ from the virulent Tongues of all malitious Detractors and pernicious Calumniators ver 11 12. He proceeds in especial manner to give us direction so well as command concerning submission or subjection and obedience to all lawful Authority whether it be to the King as Supream or unto Governours as sent by him for the punishment of Evil doers and for the praise of them that do well verse 13 14. and to this purpose he adds his Reason verse 15. For so is the Will of God that with well doing ye should put to silence the Ignorance of Foolish men and not without need seeing that no sooner was the Christian Religion planted in the World but on a sudden the Prince of Darkness the Devil and Satan finding his Dominion broken and routed endeavoured by all means possible to disturb the free and happy passage of the Gospel both by procuring open Persecutions to be raised against the Church and true Professors of our most holy Christian Religion as also by raising and stirring up divers false Brethren from at home and within the very bowels of the Church who spake and vented divers perverse things both contrary to the Dectrine and Fundamental grounds of the holy Christian Faith so well as to the Peace and tranquillity of the Communion of Saints Neither had he any device more apt for his purpose then a pretence that Christianity was destructive to Magistracy whereby he incensed all that were in Authority with a very severe jealousy against the Truth of Christ though yet our Lord himself had declared openly that his Kingdom was not of this World John 18.36 But of all the Impostors that ever I meet with in this kind I find none more notorious and dangerous then Simon Magus who as the Learned and Pious Dr. Hammond notes in his Proenical dissertation concerning Anti-Christ Chapter the ninth was the ring-leader of the Sect of the Gnosticks This is he who in the Acts of the holy Apostles Chap. 8 10. was held in high esteem amongst the People who blasphemously called him the great power of God By him they had been long and long deceived and bewitched with Sorceries and Magical Enchantments And now he finding his Trade of Imposturage or Cousenage to decay by the propagation of Christianity this very Simon enrolls himself under the Banner of our Lord Jesus Christ by Baptism Act. 8.11 Simon himself saith that Scripture believed also and when he was baptized he continued with Phillip c. This he did as appears by the Sequel of that Chapter not so much out of any true zeal or love which he did bear towards Christianity as in hopes to have made a gainful Trade of it For when he saw that his expectation was frustrated this way he with his Followers forsook the way of Christ and first of all they relinquisht all the Orthodox and pure Professors of the Christian faith and by this Schism they break the Union of the Church 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They went out from us saith St. John in his first Epistle Second Chapter ninteenth Verse Neither would they remain any longer in the bosome of the holy Christian Catholick and Apostolick Church And thence having broken the Churches Unity they did forthwith cast off all Charity towards their Brethren and Fellow Christians From whence the Apostle and beloved Disciple of our Lord concludes 1 John 4.8 compared with the second Chapter of that Epistle Ver. 9. That however they did pretend to greater light and knowledg in Heavenly Misteries c. then others yet that they were a Company of self-conceited blind sottish and prodigious ignorants Hence saith Saint John He that loveth not knoweth not God for God is love And he that saith he is in the light and hateth his Brother is in darkness even until now And indeed against these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 kites rather then Gnosticks Ignorants rather then Persons of Knowledg we find both Saint Paul and Saint Peter Saint John and Saint Jude directing their discourses throughout their several Epistles Amongst many others take that in 1 Tim. 6.3 c. If any man teach otherwise and consent not unto the words of our Lord Jesus Christ and to the doctrine which is according to godliness He is proud knowing nothing but doting about questions and strifes of words whereof cometh Envy Strife Railings Evil-surmisings perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth supposing that Gain is Godliness from such withdraw thy self Such men these were who turned the grace of God into lasciviousness Jude the fourth verse Insomuch that they denyed the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ These were the Monsters in the saith of whom Saint Peter fore-warns the Christian flock 2 Pet. 2.1 c. when he saith There shall be false Teachers amongst you who shall privily bring in damnable Heresies even denying the Lord. that bought them and bring upon themselves swift destruction And many shall follow their pernicious wayes by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of And through Covetuousness shall they with feigned words make Merchandise of you whose judgement now of a long time lingreth not and their damnation slumbereth not These were the ●avening ●or devouring Wolves of whom our Saviour speaks Matih 7.15 And the false Christs that should come and deceive many Matth. 24.24 Those are the Dogs Saint Paul bids us beware of This Ignatius was as is said that Child which our Lord took up in his own Armes Mar. 10 13. Euseb lib. 1. Eccles Hist in Philip. 3.2 And Ignatius in his Epistle to the Ephesians calls them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ravening Doggs These are the Concision because whiles they feigned themselves to be Jews i. e. Circumcised and Zealots for the Mosaical Circumcision yet did they not keep the Law but only under this pretence tear in pieces the Church of Christ And therefore it is most plain what St. Peter drives at both in my Text and in 1 Pet. 4.17 when he saith The time is come that Judgment mast

as in the solar beams displayes it self and spreads its rayes from the Seat and Throne of Majesty both in that so many Hundred Thousands are subjected to the power of o●e and in that the whole administration of a numerous People is in one hand and that the good estate of all dependeth on one alone under God So the inferiour Magistrates or rather those whom the Soveraign Power of the Prince hath put in Authority under him according to the Laws and Statutes Customes and Constitutions of his Realms Those I say by virtue of their Commissions and Charters receive a kind of an Impress of the Princess Majesty and Authority which as loyal Subjects and faithful Administrators of Law and Justice they are to improve for the glory of God the preservation of the publick peace according to the Laws of God and the known Laws of the Realm And who then is that Son of Belial that durst set himself in opposition to so solemn and sacred a sanction or what company of men durst violate so Divine a constitution Surely God will take this one day as an high affront done to himself and if any will be so impudent as to despise their Superiours whether in Church or State they may exspect to hear that in 1 Sam. 8.7 applyed against themselves They have not rejected Thee i. e. the lawful Superiour But they have rejected me that I should not raign over them God takes the dishonour which is done to those whom he hath placed in Authority over us as done to himself and this Refractory disobedients shall know one day both to their great grief and extreamest horrour unless God of his infinite mercy grant them repentance unto the humble and hearty acknowledgment and amendment of their most lew'd and wicked Errour Object But what need all this adoe Ad quid perditio haec To what end is all this wast we are Freemen we have a liberty c. to serve God according to our Conscience and what hath any man to say against it Solut. Ay! and have you a Liberty indeed A Liberty I say Well said But for what I pray you What! to say and do what you list I hope not so But if any of you durst think so or take it so I pray God you may see your mistake in time before it be too late You have a Liberty you say to serve God according to your Conscience I pray God when He shall call us all to a strict accompt and reckoning that that same thing which some call Conscience do not appear to be meer Humour and Obstinacy For they can shew us no grounds in all the World why their Enthusiasmes should be called the service of God And now I am come so far as to meet some who are hugely taken up with their New-erected Meetings neither may I baulk them though I must tell you I quarrel not with his Sacred Majesties Indulgence yet I cannot chuse but pitty their ignorance who so manifestly abuse it For let me demand of any Person breathing who dislikes the publick communion of the Church of England that refuse to joyn with us in prayers and praises in the service of God appointed in this Church in the hearing of the Word of God read and preached and in the participation of the blessed Sacraments I pray you upon what terms do you hold Communion one with another in your New erected Congregations or Societies if you do not openly and solemnly declare in the same societies and solemn Meetings of yours That you do renounce the Devil and all his Works the Pomps and Vanities of the wicked World all the sinful lusts of the flesh all the carnal desires of the same so as not to follow nor be lead by them do you profess openly and solemnly your belief of all the Articles of the holy Christian Faith And do your Speakers read unto you the Moral Law Do they call you to the obedience of Gods holy will and commandements And do they press you earnestly to walk in the same all the dayes of your lives do they press you and call upon you to confess dayly and hourly your sins unto Almighty God with an humble lowly penitent and obedient heart to the end that you may obtain forgiveness of the same by his infinite goodness and mercy do they teach you to pray and sue earnestly and heartily for the pardon of the many breaches and violations of Gods Law whereof you stand guilty before him and in the Courts of your own Conscienes do they teach you to pray unto God in and through the merrits and mediation of our Lord Jesus Christ for his special grace that He will incline your hearts to keep his Laws better for the time to come For mine own part I do declare my self freely to all the World how indifferent soever I am contented to be accounted in other matters which are but meerly circumstantial and arbitrable by common Authority yet without prejudice to any Person or Party I do solemnly declare it in the presence of God and in the face of this Christian Congregation That I cannot see good grounds for my self or any other Person professing Christianity to hold Communion with any Society whatsoever where the People are not put in continual remembrance of the Vow and Covenant which they have made with God in their Baptism where they have neither Creed nor Lords Prayer nor Ten Commandements nor the Doctrine of the Sacraments expounded much less the same Sacraments I mean of Baptism and the Lords Supper administred accordding to the order and form the judgment and practice of the Primitive Church For how can I or any man or woman seriously and in good earnest professing Christianity venture our Salvation in such a Communion where the faith once delivered unto the Saints is not openly confessed with the mouth so well as they pretend to believe it in their hearts especially seing the great Apostle speaks it so plainly That with the Heart Man believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth confession of faith is made unto Salvation Rom. 10.10 I abhor such foolish Whimses to say no better and such horrid and dangerous Enthusiasmes to call them no worse which prefer every odd and idle fancy of any particular man or Minister whatsoever to the received Doctrine and Practice of the Universal or holy Catholick Church And so much the more for that the Apostle Saint Peter tells us plainly that no Prophesy of Scripture is of any private interpretation or resolution 2 Pet. 1.20 And surely if it be an absurd imposition of the Council or rather Conventio●… of Trent to change the Rule of the Christian Faith Sess 4. by Equiparating unwritten Traditions Decreto 1. with the very written word of God can we judge it less absurd in our Novellists at home who will have so many Creeds as Heads though never so contradictory each to other Beloved saith Saint Jude when I gave all diligencē to