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	image_n	invocation_n	1,631	5	10.7407	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A14711	The sermons of master Ralfe Gualter vpon the prophet Zephaniah written in Latine. Translated into English by Moses Wilton. Seene and allowed	Gwalther, Rudolf, 1519-1586.; Wilton, Moses.	1580 (1580)	STC 25014; ESTC S102103	95,131	274

Priests 5 And them that worship the host of heauen vpon the house tops and them that worship and swere by the Lord by Malcham 6 And them that are turned backe from the Lorde and those that haue not sought the Lord nor enquired for him The argument and vse of this present place ZEphaniah in the beginning of his sermō vseth a most grieuous thretning wherin he denounceth to all men in generall the horrible iudgement of God For with the obstinate and froward he must deale very sharply if peraduenture they might be stirred vp to a more diligent regard of their saluation And how necessarie a more sharpe and franke manacing of punishments is they do quickly feele in thēselues which by the rule of God his law do examine the disposition of their owne flesh but when punishments are generally denounced two things for the most part do alwaies hinder that we cannot be amended for eyther we thinke that the matter belongeth not vnto vs or els wée complaine of the ministers roughnesse or sharpenesse as though they should dispightfully deale against vs being innocēt hauing deserued no such thing It shall bée néedefull therefore to deale plainely that euery one may know in themselues acknowledge the causes of Gods wrath The Prophet Zephany in this present place performeth both these thinges For first hee bendeth these threatninges against the kingdom of Iuda Ierusalem thē he sheweth the wickednesses which must with such plagues be purged this place therfore teacheth vs to iudge of the calamities of our time what sins they must eschew which would that their affairs should be well séene vnto For the first he speaketh thus in the person of God I will stretch my hande ouer Iuda and ouer all the inhabitants of Ierusalem He bendeth his threatning of the punishment against Iuda and Ierusalem Gene. 19. By the stretching out of the hand he declareth the gesture of him that striketh and that because he hath purposed to bring vppon them no vsuall or common plague But Iuda and Ierusalem are named of purpose because vnder these names they alwayes promised them selues safety For Iacob long before spake of Iuda saying the scepter shal not departe from Iuda nor the Lawegiuer from betwixt his feete vntil Shilo come and the nations flow vnto him Psal 132. Iere. 7. Moreouer there were promises apparaunt which before hand did signifie that the kingdome should bée established to Dauids posteritie for euer namely in respect of Christ who as concerning the fleshe should bee borne of that stocke which promises they did expound of an earthly kingdome and those that were proud were not a little incouraged by this that when the Israelites were caried away captiue into Assiria they with their kingdome remained still in safetie But Ierusalem besides that it was the kings seat being famous by reason of the temple and religion vaunted in the promise of God which had saide that this should bee his resting place for euer And we know by Ieremy his sermons how proudly they were woont to obiect vnto the Prophets the worthinesse of their citie if at any time they were reproued of them Therfore Zephaniah telleth them that al that their confidence was vaine and to no purpose seeing that before all others hee threatneth Iuda and Ierusalem But from hence a generall doctrine may bée gathered namely that such as frowardly striue against God can be in safetie by no outward prerogatiues or promises made vnto them For all are ioyned with a conditiō which whosoeuer neglecteth doeth in vaine so violently pull vnto them the promises frō the which they haue parted them selues through their owne faulte Moreouer with how much more honour God hath vouchsafed to beautifie vs so much more detestable and grieuous is the faulte of our vnthankfulnesse wherevnto we haue runne by reason of disobedience These thinges may well be laide in the way of those Romish ones which obiect vnto vs their Rome That that ought to be acknowledged For what hath God at any time saide as concerning that citie whereby it may bee proued that that ought to be acknowledged the chiefe seate and head of the Church but that we may graunt that those thinges bée true which they falsely auouche what shal they perteine vnto thē which haue no lesse fowly fallen from the godlines of their forefathers then the Iewes inhabitāts of Ierusalē did let those also think that the same thing is spoken vnto them which are accustomed to glory in the doings of their elders when as they them selues are infamous throrowe their owne sinnes and wickednesse c. He accuseth the wickednesse of the Iewes But that they should not think that they should be punished otherwise then they had deserued he maketh a catalogue or scrowle of their sins for the which they deserued to be cut of and yet he doth not here name their vsurie riot lust incest murders and such like offences which wise men of better report cōmōly are wont to condemn But those which in the iudgement of God are more horrible althogh men make smal account of thē as namely the corruption of religion this that they would not subiect themselues to the reformation established by Iosia let vs consider euery thing in order First I will cut of saieth he the remnaunte of Baal from this place The remnaunt of Baal Baal was the God of the Sidonians as Hieronymus hath noted in his commētaries vpon Hosea being the same that Belus is which by the commandement of Simiramis was worshipped of the Babylonians Of whome it is sufficiently knowne out of the olde Poets and storie writers that the kings of the Sidonians tooke their beginning Virgil doubtlesse writeth that Dido when she entertained Aeneas dranke wine in the same bowle wherein Belus and al since him were wont to do c. 1. Reg. 18. Achab king of Israel was the first that brought this Gods seruice into the holy Land when he had maried Iesabel the kings daughter of Sidon From hence the cōtagion came into the land of Iuda that there also temples and Altars were euery where erected vnto Baal althogh Iosia as we said before had pulled thē downe yet there were not wanting which had their pictures and images in their houses at home which they worshipped superstitiously And these were the remnants of Baal which God thretned to cut of But let those thinke that this is spoken vnto them whosoeuer are carefull to keepe the remnaunt of Baal whiles reformation of doctrin and religion is established This doe they which priuily doe conueie out of Churches Images painted Tables relikes of Saincts and instruments of superstitiō that they should not be destroyed with the rest as many also as cause new Images to be made at their own cost wherevnto they burne lightes at home and pray before them and worship them with whome also they especially do deserue to be reckoned which carefully kéepe

that honour which is due vnto God onely Furthermore they doe plainely inuocate or call vppon Sainctes when they say so God shall helpe mée and all Saints But that inuocation is due onely vnto God it is better knowne then that it néedeth to be shewed in many words the Martyrs sawe these thinges longe since which had rather suffer most cruell punishment then they would swear by other Gods A notable example against swearing by that ought not Among the which the godlynesse of Policarpus was singular whome neyther threatnings nor flattering entreaties coulde once moue to sweare by Caesars fortune although hée might readily haue excused the matter because fortune is the God which by his counsell doeth gouerne and direct mens behests But hée rather regarded what the wicked enimies vnderstoode by the word fortune then how the denyall of his fayth might by any meanes be couered before men Let vs in these dayes follow the constancie of this man least while wée raught after vnprofitable escapings wée deserue to bée numbred with them vnto whome the Prophet Zephanie denounceth this horrible iudgement of God 5. Backsliding Fiftly hée passeth verie plainely to the wicked and such as were bakslyders I will cut them of also saieth hee that haue gone backe from the Lorde He compareth them to vntrustie souldiers which flye from the battayle while others encounter with their enimies and by and by after hée teacheth what they bée namely such as do not seeke the Lorde nor enquire after him God is sound in his worde wherein hée maketh him selfe and his will knowne vnto men They therefore séeke him truely that heare his worde attentiuely and doe diligently followe that way of worshippinge GOD and trade of lyfe that is taught therein And againe they bée faythlesse startbackes as many as doe prolonge the time to heare the worde of GOD such for the most part pretende ignoraunce but for as much as they will not heare GOD though hée speake vnto them this their ignoraunce is wilfull and grosse and therfore deserueth not any way to bée excused And wée are taught so in this place that the contempte of GOD his worde is the fountaine or head of all fallinges from GOD and superstitions For they that forsake this worde doe follow their owne fancies and so goe astray hauing knowledge they cannot tell what to doe This may bée séene in the Iewes they had a worshippe or religion taught them of GOD they had the doctrine of the Lawe and the Prophets whome God sent dayly vnto them as if they had béene receiuers Notwithstanding all these béeing vtterly despised they followed their owne dreames and therfore deserued to bée entangled with errours The same thing at this time hath befallen the Papistes they haue the scriptures as wel as we which they accustomed to reade singe in their Churches And many also doe reade the same at home priuately Besides this they haue the Lordes Prayer the Apostles Créede or Articles of the fayth the ten commaundementes Baptisme such like all which thinges doe sende vs to GOD and doe teach vs in him to séeke the way of saluation Yet notwithstanding they are turned to the creatures and so hauing knowledge they willingly forsake the true way of saluation The degrees of superstition But let vs consider the degrees of superstition which the Prophet in this place maketh mention of The first is when the remnaunt of superstitions is kept when GOD graunteth libertie to reforme thinges craftie dissemblers doe attend vpon these superstitions wherevnto they beare great good will and doe by little and little spreade them aborad by by after followeth open Idolatrie but least wée shoulde séeme to forsake GOD altogether first there is inuented a certaine mixture but the same at the length degenerateth to a playne defection or falling from God and these thinges certainely euen at this day are séene euery where and doe we as yet meruaile at the wrath of GOD hanging ouer our heades Let vs learne therefore to attend and waite vpon the word of God to flye all occasion of euil but let vs séeke for al saluation onely in GOD through the merit of his Sonne Iesus Christe to whome bée thankes giuing honour glory and power for euer Amen The third Sermon The Text. 7 BE still at the presence of the Lord God for the day of the Lorde is at hand for the Lord hath prepared a sacrifice and hath sanctified his guests 8 And it shal be in the day of the lords sacrifice that I wil visit the Princes and the Kinges Children and al such as are cloathed with straunge apparell 9 In the same day also wil I visit al those that daunce vppon the thresholde so proudly which fill their maisters houses by crueltie and deceit 10 And in that day saieth the Lorde there shall be a noyse and cry from the fish gate an howling from the second gate a great destruction frō the hils 11 Howle ye inhabitants of the low place for the cōpanie of the marchāts is destroyed al they that bare siluer are cut of The argument and vse of the● present place BEcause Zephaniah began with a grieuous thretning of punishmēt by by after he sheweth the causes thereof least hée should séeme to haue spokē any thing rashly or of some wicked affection but he hath especially accused those thinges that concerne religion which they had corrupted with many superstitions seeing that they fauoured those thinges secretely which Iosia woulde haue had destroyed But as the disposition of mā is naturally prone to sinne and errour so when punishment is denounced eyther hee murmureth against God as though hee were more vniustly dealt with then hée deserued or else he fenceth himselfe about with outwarde assistance and thinketh he is in safetie eyther because of his dignitie or wealth or because of his might or power and such like Those therfore that are so disposed must be answered very flatly least peraduenture they should continue eyther stil to murmure agaynst God or els being withholden by reason of their vaine confidence they shoulde neglect the care of repentance by the which they might be brought into fauour with God This thing doeth the. Prophet Zephaniah performe in this place For first hée answeareth too their grudgings and telleth them that the punishmentes which they haue deserued can be auoyded by no meanes neyther yet by any colourable pretence of excuse whatsoeuer Then he doth as it were by name rehearse those which thought themselues placed without all reache of weapon by reason of their dignitie and great power Afterward hée passeth to describe the punishment and this hée doeth more at large continue vnto the end of the Chapter Wée are taught in this place that when GOD hath to doe with vs by his threatnings no persuasion of the flesh wherewith it is woont to fawne vppon vs ought to be allowed of but we must rather apply al our diligence vnto this