Selected quad for the lemma: saint_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
saint_n	church_n	doctrine_n	invocation_n	1,848	5	11.0599	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A54585	A sermon preached before Their Majesties, K. William and Q. Mary's forces, at Gant in Flanders the Sunday before they marched into the camp, 1694 / by John Petter ... ; published at their request.	Petter, John, 1661 or 2-1700.	1694 (1694)	Wing P1890; ESTC R33393	18,429	44

of which in these Countries are daily visible to your Eyes though of some they seem to me to be ashamed by their abstaining from the Use of them in those Garrisons where the Protestants are quarter'd during the time of their abode there All the Doctrines of your Church are ancient holy just and good such as were taught by our Saviour Himself when here on Earth practised by his Apostles deliver'd from them to the primitive Christians and so derived down to you They are all of them most agreeable to the highest reason in their consequences tending most directly to the promoting of Piety and true Morality the peace of Societies and the good of every particular Person they are so clearly subservient to all good Ends that if your design by Religion be what it ought to be nakedly to save your Souls you may then in communion with the Church of England pass surely and safely to Heaven God hath not dealt so with other Nations neither have they such comfortable freedom in his ways You see Gentlemen in what blind ignorance they here keep their People by the forbidding them under the most severe Penalties the use of the Holy Bible or the reading any Protestant Books or conferring with any Person upon any point of Religion or the doing any one thing that may tend by the opening of the Eyes of the Blind to the discovery of these Cheats which Commands if any of them should chance to transgress it must be inserted into the Catalogue at their next confession and they poor Souls before they can be absolved and re-admitted to their half communion must undergo what penance the Confessour shall think fit who for such heinous Crimes as these always enjoins to be more severe than for Theft Whoredom or Murther c. You see what intolerable Burthens they lay upon them how many ridiculous and foolish Ceremonies barbarous and uncommanded Penances they enjoin them and none of them tending in the least to benefit the Souls of the ignorant performers but all of them insignificant to any other ends and purposes but that of maintaining the Power and increasing the Wealth of their Church The Church you contend for enjoins nothing but what tends to the promoting of true Piety she hath crowded in among her Doctrins no Pardons nor Indulgences no Pilgrimages to the shrines of pretended Saints nor vain Oblations to enrich her Coffers she hath thrust in no Invocation of Saints nor Prayers for the Dead no pompous Processions nor sacred Reliques to fill the pockets of her Priests she hath squeez'd in no Infallibility nor Probability no Enthusiastical pretences to immediate Revelation nor pretended Miracles to impose upon her People You see therefore Gentlemen how much 't is your interest as well as your duty if you sincerely love God and your own Souls or have any real desire of your own or others welfare faithfully to adhere to that Church you have the happiness to be Members of and to quit your selves like Men by vigorously maintaining and defending it against all Opposers whatsoever and this is the second consideration to move you to quit your selves like Men the Church and Faith you contend for Now I proceed to the 3d Consideration which is the Defenders of the Faith you have to serve and they are a King and Queen professing the same Faith with your selves and worshipping God in the same manner An happiness and blessing long wish'd for in our Kingdoms and I pray God long to continue it to us Besides how tender are they of all your welfare how carefull of your Liberties and Properties how great encouragement do they give to Piety Sobriety Justice and Charity and every thing that is praise-worthy both by their Precept and Example Can you wish for can you conceive any Princes more gracious than those whom God hath set over you and hitherto miraculously preserv'd for the publick good and benefit of your Kingdom Their onely aim and study is to make you a great and an happy People for the effecting of which 't is plain they spare themselves no pains no care nor trouble For this end to how many great and inexpressible Hardships and Dangers has His Majesty willingly and chearfully exposed His Sacred Person and with the same willingness and chearfulness doth still continue to expose it both by Sea and Land He like the Noble Caesar in all his Commands in the Field was never heard to say Ite milites sed venite not go but follow me as if he scorn'd in all his on sets to be any thing else but still a Leader He has always taught you Gentlemen by that which is the strongest Authority his own forwardness and example and he seems to be one that the supream God hath taken particular care of by Death's coming often so very near him yet passing him by and shunning him when it hath swept away almost all about him I need not tell you the many narrow Escapes he lately had nor how often he hath been miraculously and particularly defended in the midst of the greatest Dangers but besides these open Dangers how many secret Snares of Death that have been villanously contrived and cunningly laid for him hath he escaped Yet he still goes on with his usual chearfulness and bravery to expose himself to these open and secret Dangers for the good and safety of your Church and Kingdom What Honour and Success may you not yet hope to gain when so many thousand Men of Valour are headed and led on by so experienced and so brave a General whose Security and Safety is to you all an high Concern He hath Gentlemen laid on you all the obligations you can wish or desire to Quit your selves like men Besides 'T is your interest so to doe for 't is endeavouring to preserve the Ship wherein you are all embarqued If you would strengthen the house you must not weaken him that bears up the pillars of it Ps 75. 3. Your firmness and steadiness to him is at second hand but a kindness to the Breath of your own Nostrils Thus whilest your Royal Master by his great Courage and good Conduct endeavours all he can here and your Royal Mistress by her most prudent and discreet management of Affairs in England in his absence does her utmost to make you a great and an happy People What can you Gentlemen doe less than to love and revere them to obey them readily and chearfully to think your selves only capable of being made great and happy by making them greater and happier Every Soul of you to be subject to them so as strictly to observe all their Orders and Commands for Love of them more than for Fear of punishment to be silent from all manner of murmurings and mutinies loud only in their Applauses and Thanks to Almighty God for the felicities of their Reign On which account happy we their Subjects the most fortunate and happy People in all the World And this is the