Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	church_n	ground_n	pillar_n	2,625	5	10.3132	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17328	The rowsing of the sluggard, in 7. sermons Published at the request of diuers godlie and well affected. By W.B. Minister of the word of God at Reading in Barkeshire.; Rowsing of the sluggard, in 7. sermons	Burton, William, d. 1616.	1595 (1595)	STC 4176; ESTC S118396	79,897	163

daies and their popish Lent●● fast they haue made it a painted garment and very ●●●●itorious and so by little and little they haue made vp this monster of many coto●● So came in Idolatrie at the first into the Church first the images of the godly were o● a good intent brought into the Temples and afterwards superstition crept in like a Ring-worms and men fell to worship them as in time the Israelites worshipped the brasen S●rpent in the wildernes Then the supposed pictures of Christ were worshipped wher of there grew to be very many and neuer any one like another but euen as it pleased master Painter And then the Crosse by the hie waies side and then the very letters of the name of Iesus and whē the painter had made a picture like some foule Mawkine or some foolish gameplayer in disguised colours and set it vp in a glasse windowe or some stone wall and a toy tooke ignorant men in the head for strong is imagination that must bee our Ladie forsooth and so to be worshipped Then further when men began to neglect the most sacred scriptures of God which are the onely pillar and ground of all trueth they began to build vpon Councels and Fathers and Doctors and the interpretation of the Church without any tri●ll of the same to be made by the scriptures and at last the worde of God which should haue sit as Iudge was brought down and set at the barre to be iudged by men yea by his enemies too And by little and little it came to this paste that the Church could not erre in any thing and that the Church of Rome must be that only priuiledged Church which could not erre And then they thrust vpon vs what they listed as the Philistims made Sampson doe what they would when they had put out his eyes But this was done by degrees for first the Bishops and teachers waxed rich and wealthie then they grew to be proud and lordly then couetous and greedie then idle and lazie and then cruell and bloudie as also subtill and craftie to couer all withall And when the starres thus began to fall from heauen that is from the heauenly doctrine and from heauenly conuersation to become so carnall and earthlie minded the sunne of righteousnes also the Lord Iesus Christ himselfe that true light began to be darkened and his Gospell to be depraued then the Moone that is his Church must needes lose her light for shee hath no light but from the sunne and then as the Prophet Ioel speaketh was the Church also turned into bloud for vpon these things grewe most horrible persecutions in the Church through the malice crueltie of the Prelates so that she failed both in light and life together And so it is to bee feared that for our sinnes it may fall out againe for as by little little the candle goeth out so by little little darknes commeth in And after the same manner came in such monsterous abuses in apparell both in men and women such excesse and riot in eating and drinking such idlenes and prophanenes as is euery where to be seene so grewe tumults and rebellions in the common people so groweth stubbornnes in seruants and disobedience in children through sufferance and too much foolish cock●ring till by little and little many of them come to shame and confusion And thus haue all ill customes growne vp from time to time both in the Church and in the Common-wealth all by the custome of the diuell that is by little and by little yea and that so softly and slilie he creepethinto men that they can hardly either see him or feele him when he commeth As wee see the weedes growe vp amongst the corne while men sleepe but so softly that no man can perceiue how they growe or how much they growe at once but that they doe growe and in time if they be not plucked vp ouergrow the corne euery man may see that Or as the Iuie by little and little creepeth vpon the oke till at last he doth ouergrowe and destroy the oke So doth sinne by little and little get vp and get the strongest and the mightiest men sometimes vnder him as it did Salomon and Dauid and Peter and diuers others for all their wisedome and learning and iudgement and experience which they had both of themselues of the world Now to saue our selues from this vsurping and encroching enemie it shall bee our best course still to pray vnto our God for the helpe of his grace and holie spirit and stil to perswade our soules and our friends by the word of God to make resistance at the verie first entrie and continually to withstand the beginnings and first motions of Sathan vnto any sinne lest by little and little now a stone and then a stone now a basket full and then a basketfull he cast vp his mount and fortifie himselfe against vs vntill he hath battered and spoyled all the good things that were in our soules And that the daunger of these same littles may the better appeare vnto vs let vs remember that sinne is like leauen a little wherof will sower the whole lumpe of dowe It is like fire whereof but one sparke is sufficient to kindle a great fire and to burne down a whole citie It is like a tree whose stubbes remaining in the ground are enough to giue one a fall It is like Iezabel that painted harlot whose verie remnants as the skul of her head the palmes of her hands must be buried least they infect the ayre A mote in the Sunne is but a little thing and yet enough to hinder the sight to paine the eye and to trouble the whole bodie A haire is but a little thing yet enough to stiffle a mā The ●lies of Egypt were but little things yet none of the least plagues The lice were lesse then the flies yet one of the greatest plagues that came vnto Egypt And such be our sinnes which wee call little sinnes and the Papists call them veniall sinnes that may bee washed away with a little holie water c. we count them little and nothing and not to bee stood vpon nor once to bee touched but in time wee may proue them to bee the greatest plagues that will trouble vs if securely rashly we venture vpon them For though the occasions and motions perhaps bee but small in respect of grosse sinnes and hainous crimes yet there is a hidden corruption in our nature whose very froth doth continually annoy the children of God and that may threaten some hainous downfal in time to come which hath made euen men of very good report and conuersation to hang downe their heads still fearing their secret hypocrisie as that which may breake forth to the shame of all the former in time to come In regard whereof Gods children haue such a ielousie that they tremble at the very first motions and the least occasion to

land yea with countenance credite too perhaps more then shall be aforded to better men And where is he that dare speak almost against thē much lesse bridle them for feare of many displeasures and dangers And is it not come to passe that a man may with more saftie credite commit sinne then control sinne which is most lamentable It was once said of Rome so far was it degenerate frō all grace goodnes that Omnia cum liceant non licet esse bon●● 〈◊〉 was lawfull to bee any bodie and to doe any thing in Rome but not to bee a good man And is it not almost come to that passe in some places of England that it is more tollerable for a man to bee what hee will sauing a good man indeede For that can hardly bee without some trouble Doest thou see now how the poore Church of GOD is pestered and ou●●runne with weedes and wildernes And 〈◊〉 thou not maruaile that the Lorde hath let it ●lone so long When thou seest the Church of God thus pained though in respect of others of her sisters very blessed imagine thou seest Iob aliue againe sitting downe vpon his ashe heape and breaking out with botches sores from the top to the toe and his griefe encreasing so that his friends begin to sit aloofe from him being so grieued with the sight that they know no● well what to say to his comfort And what doth all this foreshew but that the Lorde is hard at hand to visite the land with scourges and to feede his people with the breade of affliction And further it is to be obserued how the enemies of the Gospell and the Churche of Christ doe encrease how bolde they growe how disguisedly they goe and how they can fitte themselues to the present time and frame themselues to euery companie hauing change of sutes and visards wherein they maske it at the●● pleasure that the Church of Christ hath 〈◊〉 a doe to 〈◊〉 her friends and foes as●●der neither doth she know with whom to 〈◊〉 for pietie or whom to tr●st for safetie All our comfort vnder God whose 〈◊〉 still watcheth ouer the righteous ●s that our Mother is yet liuing I meane her 〈…〉 on whose lappe the poore Church of the Lorde Iesus may lay her head whose tender loue and care doth still ●euiue the fainting spirits of Christs little ●●ocke which otherwise were euen readi● 〈◊〉 yeeld vp the ghost but that their trust is in their great shepheard who will both keepe and defende them that they miscarrie not No not o●e of his will 〈◊〉 lose This is some comfort yet God make vs truely thankfull for it to his diuine Maiestis This is some comfort yet I say that our tender Mother is yet liuing amongst vs and Lord for thy mercies sake long prolong her daies ●o the cōfort of 〈◊〉 Church But yet in this bless●d comfort there appeareth s●fficient matter to hūble vs and to make the sluggard looke about him For is not the Church now very sick weake Is not her Mother our gracious Soueraigne in continuall danger of 〈◊〉 hangbies and bloudie traytors Are not hollow hearted and false hearted subiects a●mitted to her gracious ●●●sence many times more then she or her friends knowe of But that the Lord hath still 〈◊〉 them as cunni●gly as they masked it blessed be his name And doe not the bloudie Papists for that is their brand stād be 〈◊〉 the cloth as it were with their swords draw●● readie euery houre to steppe vpon the stage to play their parts doe they not onely waite for a day like Esaw who purposed to kill his brother when his father was gone Well 〈◊〉 Lord is in heauen laugheth them to scorne and knoweth how to dispose of their purposes and intents wel enough and can preuent them if it please his Maiestie as he hath done but this may greatly humble vs and awake vs. Againe as we haue obserued in the preaching of the Word where it is a great defect in respect of the manner which is too pleasing so also may we obserue if our eyes be in our head● some corruption in respect of the matter in many places though not so general as the former And that is not lightly to be passed ouer but wee should learne in the feare of God to make some vse thereof And let the sluggard consider well of it that when any shall now in so great and cleere a light of the Gospell popishly maintaine the 7. deadly sins or call in question our iustification by faith in Christ alone or denie to the Church the assura●c● of her saluation by Christ or discourage men 〈◊〉 the reading of the scriptures we are to 〈…〉 of these things Last of all to conclude 〈◊〉 poynt when any shall teach that we must beleeue as the Church beleeueth without examining the doctrine by the word and if any man be deceiued that it is sufficient for him to say before the Lord that the Church deceiued him as if it had been sufficient for Adam to say his wife deceiued him and the serpent deceiued her When thou Hearest I say of these things day them to heart take them as prognostications of further matters and forerunners of greater euils to ensue especially seeing the people are as greedie to drinke as othe●● 〈…〉 broach whatsoeuer it be Therfore the 〈…〉 his rich mercie open our sluggish ey●● 〈…〉 of our 〈…〉 curitie And as Christ sayd When you see the abomination of desolation stande in the holie place let him that readeth consider So I say whē you see the corruption of sound doctrine and the abomination of popish filth stand in the holie place let him that heareth consider for it is Gods doing though it bee the diuels suggestion and that iustly for our sinnes Thus haue wee runne about the streetes 〈◊〉 Ieremie did and in casting our eyes here and there wee haue found that which you see much more is behind that we see not But this is suffici●n● to proue vnto the sluggards face that as a winter is likely 〈◊〉 come so if God bee not exceeding mercifull by all signes and ●okens it is hard at hande for the figge tree hath lost her tendernes and there is generally a fall of the leafe in all places and wh●n wee see that we may know for a certaine that winter is neere Therefore O Sluggard put off the time no longer but while it is yet summer prouide against winter least thou repent it too la●e By this time the Sluggard might haue been awakened but he sleepeth still and therfore now let vs heare the. Lord calling 〈◊〉 him and what answere hee will make when hee is called The fift Sermon 9 How long wilt thou sleepe O sluggard wh●● 〈◊〉 thou arise out of thy sleepe 10 Yet a little sleepe c. THis question demau●ded of the Sluggard doth most 〈…〉 set foorth his nature which ●●lighteth in sleeping long which loueth ease and