Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	church_n	england_n	true_a	3,996	5	5.6510	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A60387	A sermon preach'd at St. James's Church, Westminster, April 2, 1696, upon the discovery of the late horrid conspiracy against the person of our gracious King William by James Smalwood ...	Smalwood, James, d. 1719.	1696 (1696)	Wing S4008; ESTC R10066	10,726	33

to be brought in by the help of a Foreign Power no reasonable Man I am sure no true Son of the Church of England ought to be discontented with matters as they now stand 1. If you will recollect the Unhappinesses of the last Reign In what a Condition was both the Church and State like then to have been How did Idolatry creep into the Worship of the one and Arbitrary Power invade the Priviledges of the other The Laws of our Land were infringed and trampled upon the Governours of our Church were imprisoned our Universities were poysoned with Errors indeed God Almighty was pleased to let all their Designs be carried on so far as if he were resolved to bring us just to the Mouth of Destruction that so his Goodness and Omnipotence might appear the plainer in our Rescue 2. Let us consider the Miseries we might probably have fallen into if the late King should have happened to be brought in by a Foreign Power The Principles and cruel Designs of Popery may plainly be understood by any who have a mind to it we have had Trial and Experience enough of them in this Nation especially now lately we have had a dismal and horrid View tho' blessed be God it was but a transient View of the true Spirit and Temper of that Religion But then to consider the Tenets of that Religion joyn'd with a natural Implacableness of a Man 's own Temper and that exasperated not only by the Instigations of vile Men about him but likewise by the irksom and vexatious remembrances of his own Losses All this I say put together what could be expected from the Success of such a Design as this Good God! to what a height of Barbarity would their Insolence and Rage have drove them if their Plots had taken effect There is no expecting Grapes of Thorns or Figs of Thistles Mat. 7. 1● The Foundation of this true Romish Attempt like that of ancient Rome was to be laid in Royal Blood and what After-works were to be expected from such Beginnings And now since by the undeserved Mercy of God to us we have escaped their Rage and Fury can any Member of our Church have any Adherency to the Maintainers of these bloody Principles Can any Professors of the true and peaceable Faith of Christ have any Affection for the Defenders of such a Faith as This In short to use the words of Ezra Seeing that thou our God hast punished Ezra 9. 13 14. us less than our Iniquities deserve and hast given us such a Deliverance as this should we again break thy Commandments and joyn in Affinity with the People of These Abominations wouldst not thou be angry with us till thou hadst consumed us so that there should be no remnant nor escaping But it was not only Popery that was coming in upon us but a Foreign Power When God threatens his People with the severest sort of Foes he adds this as the most aggravating Circumstance I will bring a Nation Jer. 5. 15. upon you from far a Nation whose Language thou knowest not neither understandest what they say Nor was it only a Foreign Power that was coming but a Power that has hitherto exercised the greatest Inhumanities a Power that has disturb'd the Peace of Christendom a Power that were not the Power of God greater than it would over-run all the Bounds of Right and Wrong and would swallow the whole World without Remorse and make the very Church of Christ a Prey to its Insatiableness I would therefore have those Men that are Well-wishers to their Old Master as they term him consider they cannot have him without this Power we have been describing And how small Gainers either their Master or themselves would be by this Power if it should prevail may easily be guess'd from the many wonderful Loving-kindnesses and Mercies it has hitherto been guilty of in all its Conquests Thirdly The third Reason why some Men will not comply with the Government may be some pressures of Conscience they may pretend to be laid upon them but what those pressures are who can tell Sure I am a great many are taken off here are no Persecutions now for Conscience sake no Imprisonments for bare Non-compliances nothing that is heavy or grievous to the Subject but what the misfortune of a War makes unavoidable But one thing there is thas lies heavy at the bottom of some Mens Stomachs and that is some Oaths and Obligations and Subscriptions which the Wise and Great Council of the Nation think proper to be taken and entred into And when the Government has thus determin'd them to be proper I think it no offence to any any Man's Conscience to comply with them The Throne became vacant by Cession or Desertion and the next Heir by Rightful Succession was placed in it by the hand of God and the consent of the People which was solemnly confirm'd by the Three Estates of the Government Then forms of Oaths of Fidelity were Compos'd and Tender'd to the People and undoubtedly with the greatest Prudence and Wisdom for Men are apt to sit loose in their Obedience without the restraints and ties of Conscience and then nothing but Power can keep the wavering parts of such a Government together The People are a fluid Body like the Sea and every Wind puts them into a Disturbance and Commotion therefore Oaths are of great use in a Government to fix and settle the Subjects of it But the most preposterous Creature of all is he that can take the Oaths and yet speak and act against the Government that can deliberately in a Court of Judicature Swear Fidelity to a Prince and with the next Glass of Wine mix his Confusion It is indeed a thing much to be lamented that Men can thus trifle with their Consciences and I could heartily wish the Church of England could not be tax'd with the having of some of this stamp in her bosom Indeed they would make far fitter Members for the Church of Rome where Equivocation and the palliating of a Man's Conscience is as much Tolerated as speaking of Truth is Commanded in the true Church of Christ I have now done with the two sorts of Men which my Text seem'd directly to point at the Men that seeing will not see nor hearing will not hear neither will they understand And I will now make use of the same Inference from these words to you that our Saviour did to his Disciples but blessed are your eyes for you see and your ears for you hear I hope there is no body here but what is fully convinced of the continual Endeavours of the Romish Party against us how close they are in their Contrivances how eager they are in their Pursuits and how Barbarous they would be in their Executions Not to recount all their Plots and Conspiracies since the Reformation let us but thoroughly look into this last contrived against us How deep was it laid and how far was it carried on What Preparations of War did as out of the Clouds on the sudden appear to us from afar And how secretly were their Combinations carried on here at Home And yet by the merciful Providence of God how happily and how strangely was it prevented even when it was just upon the point of Execution Plots and Conspiracies against the Church of Christ and Lawful Governments prove often to be of the same Nature in the Political Body as Boils and Tumors are in a Man's Natural Body all the ill Blood gathers together and there it frets and ferments for some time and is very angry and peevish till it digests and grows ripe and then it is either lanced and probed to the bottom or it often breaks of it self and le ts out the Corruption and afterwards the whole Body is much the better for it Indeed we have great Reason to thank Almighty God for his Critical Discovery of this black Conspiracy that was now laid against the Person of our Sacred King and all his good Subjects at once It was truly come to a full Head and Ripeness and the Design as it was Cruel and Tragical so certainly would the Execution of it have been Universal it had broke in like Wildfire amongst us and none would have escaped its Wrath and Fury And God we cannot but confess might have justly stood aloof from us in the Day of our Distress and might have said to us as he once did to the Children of Israel So often have I delivered you from the hands of your enemies but ye have still provoked me more and more wherefore I will deliver you no more But his tender Mercies have been far greater unto us And now what may God justly expect from us in return for this his Goodness to us 1. That we should glorifie him by off ring him Praise and Thanksgiving and by ordering our Conversation aright that he may still delight to shew us his Salvation 2. That we should live quietly and peaceably under Him that he has placed over us as our Lawful Governour praying to Almighty God that he would defend and protect him both against all open Violence and against all secret Attempts that he would guide his Counsels at home and prosper his Arms abroad that he would give Him a long and happy Reign over us and keep Vs in humble and due Obedience to him Lastly That he would cloath all his Enemies with shame but upon himself let his Crown flourish And this we beg for Jesus Christ his Sake Amen FINIS