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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
power_n	ceremony_n	church_n	rite_n	2,845	5	10.3412	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A50342	A sermon preached before the King at White-Hall on January the 30th, 1681 by Henry Maurice ...	Maurice, Henry, 1648-1691.	1682 (1682)	Wing M1370; ESTC R3724	13,058	37

GOD who has restor'd Us to our Ancient Honour and Dignity by the Restauration of our Gracious Sovereign And tho all this Reproach and Obloquy may be justly come upon us yet what has our Innocent and Holy Religion done to be Involv'd in the same Blasphemy The rest of the Calamity was grievous enough and like the Arrows of God sticking in the Flesh but this breaks the Bones according to the Expression of the Royal Psalmist My Bones are smitten asunder as with a Sword while mine Enemies that hate me cast me in the Teeth Nor was it any Personal Reproach that wounded him so deep but the Dishonour of God Namely while they daily say unto me Where is now thy God And I would to God the Enemies of our Religion had wanted so fair an occasion to Blaspheme it just there can be none and this is but too plausible For when Religion was made the Disguise of a most Unnatural Treason and the most Wicked Wretches upon Earth did Impropriate to themselves the Name of Saints together with all the Sacred Functions of the Ministry and took a singular delight in the style of a Preaching and Praying People When Prayer and Fasting was made the Prologue to some Bloody Tragedy and serv'd as the Eve or Vigil to the Day of Sacrifice When Scripture was alledg'd in Defence of the greatest Villanies even that of this Day and where Scripture could not be colourably perverted Immediate Revelation was pretended and Special Commission from God In sum When all the Mischiefs which We now bewail were carried on under the disguise of Conscience and Religion what wonder is it if the Name of God upon this occasion be Blasphemed among the Gentiles Great and grievous was the Blasphemy and too fatal was the Influence it had upon Weak Minds that had been Trayn'd up in the Opinion of Christian Religion Many began to run away from all Form and Appearance of Religion and were afraid to make any shew of Piety for fear of being suspected for Rebels and Impostors Many were asham'd of that Profession that was cover'd with so much Infamy and Reproach and True Piety was almost out of Countenance and forc'd to hide it self Yet after all this The Blasphemies of Irreligion are but false and mistaken Triumphs For if a True Jewel lose nothing of its Value because there are many Counterfeits if the sincere and precious Metal preserve its Esteem notwithstanding all secret practice to Embase it If an Angel of Light cannot lose his Integrity and Honour because Satan transforms himself into his Likeness why should Christian Religion why should Holiness and Vertue suffer for the Wickedness of detected Hypocrisie Nay on the contrary it is clear that the Real Value of any thing makes Men so industrious to Counterfeit and if there were not some great Excellency in True Godliness Evil men would never take the pains to pursue the Shadow of it and to carry on their Wicked Designs under that Disguise But besides the Common Enemies of Christian Religion the Peculiar Adversaries of the Reformation are not wanting to so fair an Occasion of Blaspheming it The Church of Rome which we charg'd but too truly with the Treasonable Doctrine of Killing Kings and Practices correspondent do not neglect to return the Charge with Insolence and Triumph and appeal to this day for the Loyalty of Protestant Religion It cannot but be a great grief to any one who owns the least Affection to that Name under which so many Noble Churches united against the Common Oppressour that any who make Profession of it should give the Enemy so great occasion to Blaspheme But Men will take what Appellations they please and Act afterwards as they think fit and it would be too hard measure to charge the Crimes of some Usurpers upon the whole Denomination the Lewdness of the Gnosticks might have been as reasonably charg'd upon Christianity and the Piracy which the Turks exercise under the Counterfeit of our Colours may with the same Justice be imputed to Us. And this is our Comfort in the present Case That whatever Agreement the Authors of this Days Wickedness may own with other Churches they have done us the Favour to disown Us. And doubtless We have great Reason to own the Kindness of their Separation They went out from Us and would not be of Us because Our Doctrine was too Loyal and Passive for Men of so fiery Temper and the greatest Tyranny they found in Our Religion was the Restraint that it laid on the Conscience of Men from resisting against the Higher Powers This was nay is yet more grievous to them than all the pretended Oppressions of the Hierarchy This is a more real and greater grievance to their Consciences than all the Rites and Ceremonies of the Church And had they been Enemies only to the Dignity of our Church or the Decence of our Worship some Accommodation might be expected but alass these things are but Pretences to cover the Restless and the Factious Spirit and to disguise their Practices against the Government 'T is this we know not how to reconcile to our Communion 'T is this which no honest Comprehension can admit Nor is this a new Charge rais'd by Zealots of Our Church to render them odious to the Government For a Great Statesman of this Nation and reputed no Ill Friend to the Party has long ago acquitted Us from any note of Persecution on their Account and confesses Their Sedition to have been the sole ground of all those Laws that have been made against them and adds in behalf of the Government then That it was Wise enough to distinguish between Conscience and Faction And how much Wiser at leastwise more Knowing in that Point sad Experience has made us since I need not say This Day shall speak it for me But now to Return to the Blasphemy of the Church of Rome If Community of Name be not so much to be regarded as Agreement in Doctrine our Accusers will be found to have a greater part in these Sectaries than We for both Agree in the Fundamentals of Rebellion and the Lawfulness and Merit of Resisting the Higher Powers And if we Trace backward the Footsteps of our Troubles we may easily see that it was from thence the Faction borrow'd their Arguments and from their Catholick Authors the Semons and Speeches of the Party had deriv'd all the Art and Colour of Their Treason But this is not a Time to Justifie but to Humble our selves nor is it so material from whence these Barbarous Men deriv'd their Principles of Disloyalty since it is too certain that they owe all their Success and Advantages to our Sins as these Increase so do They they have both one Common Fate they multiply and decrease together Our Prophaness and Contempt of Religion begets in them a Contempt of Authority and the Laws and the Neglect of that Holy Service we pretend to Extol adds greater Numbers to our Enemies than all their Arts and Industry can pervert If we would weaken that Faction let us take away the Support they have among our selves the Open scandal and Viciousness of our Lives and then they are lest without Pretence and fall without our Trouble Let us confute their Reproaches by a Reformation of our Manners and detect their Hypocrisie not by washing off the Paint with Satyr but by Confronting their Pretence and Form with solid and sincere Piety Without this all other Means will be to little purpose Without this Loyalty is but Affectation a thing no less Unserviceable than it will be Uncertain for he who Fears not God will have but little Reverence for a Man whatever Title or Authority he may bear and he who has no due Conscience of his Duty to his Prince and Obeys not for Gods sake but his Own is a Servant but during his own Pleasure or Advantage Or if the Treacherous foundation do not betray that frail Faith to Change and Ruine yet what Fruit can be hop'd from the Services of those who are at defiance with GOD upon whom all the Success does depend Be not deceiv'd God is not mock'd especially not by an open and profest Contempt and if the different Mockeries of Hypocrisie and Prophaness should come to Contend for Victory who can tell but that God should rather Incline to favour the Shadow and Resemblance of Religion rather than a Wanton Contempt of all that is Sacred and Good and that Scribes and Pharisees Hypocrites of transparent Disguise may yet be preferr'd to Sadduces and Libertines that believe neither a Spirit nor a Resurrection and Live as if neither Body nor Soul were to render any Account And now let us Learn from this Vnhappy Day and how shall we Learn if this cannot Teach us the Necessity of Joyning Religion to Loyalty to Fear God and the King together It is the same Power that is to be Reveronc'd in both they cannot be separated but to the manifest Disadvantage of all Human Authority Let us Lastly out of a due Sense of the Trouble Rebuke and Blasphemy of this Day Learn to detest all the plausible Beginnings and Witchcrafts of Rebellion and Confirm our selves with stedfast Resolutions of perpetual Obedience to our Sovereign And further Since it is not the Affection and Loyalty of Men but the Favour of GOD that supports the Royal Throne Let us Beseech Almighty God That he would Protect the Person of his Anointed and make the Government to Prosper in his Hands that at length He would Recompence all the Sufferings of the Royal FATHER with Double Blessings of Prosperity upon the SON Our Dread Sovereign that under him We may live Quiet and Peaceable Lives in all Godliness and Honesty in all humble Obedience and Loyalty FINIS