Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	peace_n	spirit_n	unity_n	1,812	5	8.9331	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A53253	A sermon preached at the assizes held at Reading, in the county of Berks, July 12th, 1681 by John Okes ...	Okes, John, b. 1649 or 50.	1681 (1681)	Wing O194; ESTC R9257	9,916	30

cometh up and when thou hast opened his mouth thou shalt find a piece of money that take and give unto them i. e. the receivers of the Tribute-money for me and thee Would every one in their proper places thus perform their respective duties we may by the blessing of God continue long to be a happy people There would be no need of affixing penalties of the Laws if men would be perswaded to do their duties till then which is daily to be wished there is need of a Sword of Justice to restrain the extravagant errours of froward men at least to correct their folly and obstinacy if they still persist in them for the Magistrate beareth not the Sword in vain he is the Minister of God to execute wrath upon him that doth evil and to him in a great measure we owe the security of our Lives and Estates for though the Law of God forbids the commission of murther robbery and such-like crimes yet it is to be feared through Atheism and Irreligion which too much abound in these our days those Laws would soon be forgotten if the Law of the Land did not provide a punishment answerable to those and such-like crimes it were well if one or the other or both would keep men in awe and bring us to a sense of our duty so as to make us voluntarily and freely Render to Cesar the things that are Cesar 's and unto God the things that are God's which brings me to speak of the second thing I mentioned contained in the words of my Text Viz. 2. Our Duty as it relates to God Him we must serve with reverence and a holy fear and frame the whole of our lives and actions according to the rules prescribed in his Word there we may be directed how to walk and there we have the general rules whereby things are to be ordered in the Church according to which our Governours are to make particular Laws and we to obey them to prevent that disorder and confusion which would otherwise unavoidably happen if every one was left to his own liberty of prescribing his own way of Worship I mean in publick according as his fancy or humour leads him Since God hath not appointed any certain Model of Worship whereby he will be served and no otherwise it is very rationally to be supposed that he hath left it to the prudence of our Governours to consider and determine how Christian Societies when they meet together may most solemnly and decently perform that duty which God requires of them And where is or can this be better practised than it is now in the Church of England the best model'd Church this day in the Christian World Her Doctrines are all heavenly and divine and that Worship which she prescribes is pure and undefiled attended onely with some innocent harmless Ceremonies in themselves indifferent but appointed to be used for Decency Order and Edification I shall not now spend time to prove the lawfulness or urge the usefulness of a set Form of Prayer to be used in the publick Assembly that hath been sufficiently cleared by the Pens of our learned Writers Now it hath pleased God to make the Magistrate his Vicegerent on Earth to take care of and defend his Church and then indeed may Kings and Queens be fitly stiled nursing Fathers and nursing Mothers when they cherish and propagate that Faith which was once delivered to the Saints And because we are beset with many both publick and private Enemies who would gladly destroy our Church and lay her Name and Honour in the dust she is therefore fenced about with good and wholesom Laws such as provide a punishment for her disobedient Children and a scourge for such as will not be reclaimed these if they were duely executed would preserve that reverence and esteem that is due to her these would reduce many of those already departed from her and preserve those that are yet in her Communion from being infected with the poison of Schism and Sedition as too too many have been already But I could wish rather that every one would be perswaded to reform his own errours and endeavour as much as in him lies to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace Would men lay aside their prejudice and embrace truth for the truth's sake there would be then some hopes of a general reconciliation But when they divide themselves into Schisms and Factions there is no hopes of effecting that which is of all good men to be wished namely that we might be all of one minde as there is one Lord one Faith and one Baptism If we could or rather indeed if we would walk together to the house of God as friends this would conduce much to the honour of God the credit and advantage of our Religion and the setling of a lasting Peace in this our troubled Nation this would be the way to discourage all the Plots and Conspiracies of the Romish Party and would be the best Bulwark against Popery it self so much dreaded among us it is their business and endeavour to keep us at odds the better to carry on their own designes and therefore they have their Emissaries up and down to preach Schism and Sedition into peoples ears By such arts as these they insinuate themselves among the poor deluded people of our separate Congregations and joyning with them in their clamours against the Church of England crying it down for superstitious and Popishly affected they pass there for gifted Brethren and real Popery is carried on by such disguises Whereas were we united among our selves they would soon find it in vain to make any such attempts upon us But alas while the breach is kept open by those sad Distractious and Divisions that are among our selves how easily may the Pope enter in Schismaticks whatever they pretend do but carry on the Pop●●● Cause for the more strength and number any Faction draws from the Church so much is added to her Enemy who hath perhaps no other hopes of destroying but by dividing us If therefore those good men that cause such Schisms and Divisions among us had that love for the Protestant Interest as they have for the bare Name they would be more zealous for the preservation of it and think it their duty at least in this juncture of affairs to comply with the Church and joyn in her Communion for securing our Religion rather than by perverseness and obstinacy endanger its total ruine If they had that love for Peace which they pretend they would seek more after it and prise it at a higher rate than to break the unity of the Church upon such slender accounts as now they do Oh that they would yet in time bethink themselves that we may at last with one minde and one accord praise and glorifie that God who is the God of Peace and Order This if we would do heartily and sincerely he would certainly reward us for it for they that love and seek peace shall enjoy everlasting peace hereafter Now to our God who is the God of Peace to his onely Son who is the Prince of Peace and to the Holy Ghost who is the Spirit of Peace be ascribed as is most due all honour glory praise power and dominion henceforth and for evermore Amen FINIS