Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	church_n	england_n	reform_a	4,212	5	9.5265	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A42767	A sermon preached before the right honourable the House of Lords in the Abbey Church at Westminster, upon the 27th of August, 1645 being the day appointed for solemne and publique humiliation : whereunto is added a brotherly examination of some passages of Mr. Colemans late printed sermon upon Job 11.20, in which he hath endeavoured to strike at the root of all church-government / by George Gillespie, minister at Edenburgh.	Gillespie, George, 1613-1648.	1646 (1646)	Wing G759; ESTC R30413	43,318	49

of evils and mischiefs which Presbyteriall Government hath brought upon other reformed Churches Well the Reverend Brother hath not done but he proceedeth thus I●n as the King of Sodomes speech to Abraham Give me the persons ta●eth ● the goods So say I Give us Doctrine take you the Government as 〈◊〉 said Right Honourab c give me leave to make this request in the behalf of the Ministery give us two things and we shall do well 1 Give us earning And 2 Give us a competency This cals to ●inde a Story which Clemens Alexandrinus tells us When one had painted Helena with much gold Apelles looking upon it Friend saith he when you could not make her fair you have made her rich Learning and competency do inrich The Jesuites have enough of both but that which maketh a visible Ministeriall Church to be beautifull as Tirzah comely as Jerusalem That which maketh fair the outward face of a Church is Government and Discipline the removing of scandals the preserving of the Ordinances from pollution He had spoken more for the honour of God and for the power of godlinesse if he had said this in the behalf of the Ministery It were better for us to want competency and helps to learning then to partake with other mens sins by admitting the scandalous and prophane to the Lords Table his way which he adviseth will perhaps get ●s an able Ministery and procure us honour enough as he speaketh but sure it can neither preserve the purity nor advance the power of Religion because it putteth no black mark upon prophanesse and scandall in Church Members more then in any others The King of Sodoms Speech cannot serve his turn except it be turned over and then it will serve him as just as any thing thus Give us the goods take you the persons or the souls as the He●rew and the Chaldee hath it Give us a competency saith he here he asketh the goods Take you the Government here he quitteth the persons or souls to be governed onely by the civill power however as at that time Abraham would take nothing that was not his own insomuch as he answered the King of Sodome I will not take from a thred even to a shoe latchet and I will not take any thing that is thine So this Parliament I trust shall be so counselled and guided of the Lord that they will leave to the Church what is the Churches or rather to Christ what is Christs And as A●raham had lift up his hand to the most high God to doe that so have the Honourable Houses with hands lifted up to the most high God promised to do this And now seeing I have touched upon the Covenant I wish the Reverend Brother may seriously consider whether he hath not violated the Oath of God in advising the Parliament to lay no burden of Government upon Church Officers but to take the Government of the Church wholly into their own hands In the first Article of the solemn League and Covenant there is thrice mention made of the Government of the Church and namely That we shall indeavour the Reformation of Religion in the Kingdoms of England and Ireland in Doctrine Worship Discipline and Government according to the Word of God and the example of the best reformed Churches Where observe 1. The extirpation of Church-Government is not the Reformation of it The second Article is indeed of things to be extirpated but this of things to be preserved and reformed Therfore as by the Covenant Prelacy was not to be reformed but to be abolished so by the same Covenant Church Government was not to be abolished but to be reformed 2. Church-Government is mentioned in the Covenant as a Spirituall not a Civill thing The matters of Religion are put together Doctrine Worship Discipline and Government The Priviledges of Parliament come after in the third Article 3. That Clause according to the Word of God implieth that the Word of God holdeth forth such light unto us as may guide and direct us in the Reformation of Church-Government 4. And will the Brother say that the example of the best reformed Churches leadeth us his way that is To have no Church-Government at all distinct from the Civil Government And so much concerning his third Rule The fourth was this A Christian Magistrate as a Christian Magistrate is a Governor in the Church And who denieth this The Question is Whether there ought to be no other Government in the Church beside that of the Christian Magistrate That which he driveth at is That the Christian Magistrate should leave no power of Spirituall Censures to the Elderships He would have the Magistrate to do like the rich man in the Parable who had exceeding many Flocks and Herds and yet did take away the little ewe-lamb from the poor man who had nothing save that The Brother saith Of other Governments besides Magistracie I finde no institution of them I d● Rom. 13.1 2. I am sor●y he sought no better else he had found more Subjection and obedience is commanded as due not onely to Civil but to Spirituall Governors to those that are over us in the Lord 1 Thes. 5.12 So 1 Tim. 5.17 Let the Elders that ru●e well be counted worthy of double honour Heb. 13.7 Remember them which have the rule over you who have spoken to you the Word of God Vers. 17. Obey them that have the rule over you and submit your selves for they watch for your souls And what understandeth he by him that ruleth R●m 12.8 If the judgement of Gua●ther and Bullinger have any weight with him as I suppose it hath they do not there exclude but take in under that word the ruling Officers of the Church But now in the close let the Reverend Brother take heed he hath not split upon a Rock and taken from the Magistrate more then he hath given him He saith Christian Magistrates are to manage their Office under Christ and for Christ Christ hath placed governments in his Church 1 Cor. 12.28 c. I finde all Government given to Christ and to Christ as Mediator I desire all to consider it Eph. 1.3 last vers. and Christ as Head of these given to the Church If this be good Divinity then I am sure it will be the hardest task which ever he took in hand to uphold and assert the Authority either of Pagan or Christian Magistrates First he lets the Pagan or Infidel Magistrate fall to the ground as an Usurper who hath no just title to reign because all Government is given to Christ and to him as Mediator But which way was the Authority of Government derived from Christ and from him as Mediator to a Pagan Prince or Emperour Next he will make it to fare little better with the Christian Magistrate For if the Christian Magistrate be the Vice-gerent of Christ and of Christ as Mediator and if he be to manage his office under and for Christ then the