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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	new_a	old_a	testament_n	18,420	5	8.4579	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A28594	A sermon against persecution preached March 26, 1682, being the 4th Sunday in Lent (on Gal. 4:29, part of the Epistle for that day) and the time when the brief for the persecuted Protestants in France was read in the parish church of Shapwicke ... / by Sa. Bolde ...	Bold, S. (Samuel), 1649-1737.	1682 (1682)	Wing B3488; ESTC R19364	31,668	42

earnestly and useth such variety of Arguments to secure them from giving place any further to those false and pernicious Teachers and to convince them of their errour and fault in giving way unto them at all Amongst other Arguments he urgeth the different state men are in when under the Gospel from that they were in when under the Law And that the Law was primarily designed only to prepare and fit men for the Gospel but not to continue in the same Place and Power after as before no more than he that being arrived to ripe and full years is bound to continue under their Tutorage who had the care of him in his Minority Gal. 4. 1. He afterwards proceeds to argue with them from the Nature of that Law they are so desirous to be under v. 21. And then explains himself by a Similitude of Abraham's two Sons shewing there is as great a difference between those who are under a Gospel State and them that are under the Law as between that Son which was his natural Child and that which was conferred on him by the special Promise and powerful Interposition of God's particular Blessing And thus he takes occasion to reflect on the great Alteration that was wrought amongst them since they did histen to and entertain these false and deceiving Apostles And does as it were tell them it was no wonder they should thus vary and that they should now approve ways of Severity towards Christ's apostles and Followers seeing they did receive and adhere to them that were directly contrary to Christ's Ministers and Servants Compare Gal. 4. 14 15. whith this 29. v. It is no more than what hath fallen out in all Ages of the World The Servants of Sathan and Enemies of true Godlyness have always bin for persecuting the faithful and obedient Children of God And it seems by this Epistle to be the especial and peculiar Character of them that are irreligiously and immoderately hot and zealous about Ceremonies to be the greatest Persecutors of those who are most Pious and Conscientious Look through all the Scriptures nay look through all the Ages of the Church you shall generally find that those who were most for the Persecution of others on the account of some indifferences relating to Religion were very wicked superstitious men Men that were inordinately Zealous for and fond of some outward Ceremonies Now if a fondness for any Ceremonies would maintain and justify Mens Persecution of others who cannot approve their Fopperies one would think these Teachers who were crept in amonst the Galathians should be excused because they prest only those things that had formerly bin of Divine appointment For He that came to take away the insupportable Yoke of Jewish Ceremonies certainly did never intend to gall the Necks of his Disciples with another instead of it But here we see how dangerous it is to give our selves too great a Liberty in admiring any bare external and accidental Appendage to Religion Sathan doth suddenly strike in on such Occasions and doth so powerfully affect mens Minds with some strange Apprehensions of the Beauty Excellency Usefulness and Necessity of these things they are quite taken off from minding the inward Part and Soul of Religion And by this means they come to lay out all their Zeal about these trifling and worthless Parts they even starve their own Souls by a constant feasting on these meer Husks and do what they can to destroy others Souls at least their Bodies by persecuting them if they will not conceive and believe as well of these things as they do It is a very shrewd Sign and token that a Man is a wicked unregenerate Man if he be of a fierce and persecuting Temper if he be prone to endeavour to Ruine and Trouble or further the Vexation and Disturbance of serious pious People only because they cannot be as Ceremonious as he is He that was born after the Flesh c. The Words do immediately relate to the Sons of Abraham Ismael is He that was born after the Flesh viz. in a meer natural ordinary way Now as he did Persecute and Mock and Deride and Insult over Isaack who was born after the Spirit viz. who was the Son of the Promise and in order to whose Birth there was the Exerting a Divine Power in the accomplishing of that Promise which was made to Abraham when both he and Sarah were past Hopes and naturally uncapable of having Children so it is now viz. Even so those in these Days who are of the Seed of Abraham that pretend they have him for their Father and are outwardly Jews or that pretend themselves so out of servile Compliance do persecute them that are born after the Spirit that is those who are the Children of the Promise the Seed of Abraham truly so called in a religious Sence who succeed him in his Faith The Jews did very much boast of and lay an extraordinary stress on their being the Seed of Abraham they placed most of their Religion on this and thought it a sufficient Plea for themselves on all Occasions and an effectual Security from those Judgments that were sometimes threatned against them and therefore we find the Holy Men in Scripture often labouring to Convince them what a sandy Foundation they did build upon Mat. 3. 9. John 8. 39. Rom. 4. 12 13 14. It is indeed a great Mercy to be Born of Pious and Religious Parents Those Parents that have a great Familiarity and Interest with God have usually a great Treasury and Portion of Blessings laid up with God for their Posterity Exod. 20. 6. But People may lay too great a stress on this outward Priviledge And if Children do not labour to walk in the Steps of Religious and Gracious Parents but depend wholly on their Predecessors Holyness they will be fearfully mistaken at last He that was Born after the Flesh c. He that is a loose wicked Unregenerate Carnal Person is for Persecuting and Undoing him that is Born after the Spirit him that is Serious Holy Strict and Conscientious thus it has bin and thus it is I will sum up all into this Proposition Wicked Unregenerate Men always have bin and still are for Persecuting Holy Religious Spiritual Men. Look through all the Books both of Old and New Testament nay look through all History and you will still find where ever you meet with Persecution that it was carried on by the Devil's Agents by Wicked Lewd Men against Holy and Righteous Men. Observe the Characters every where of Informers and Persecutors and see if they have not bin branded with some notorious and hateful Wickedness Indeed Men can scarce arrive to such a height of Wickedness as this is till they have by the habitual Exercise of other Crimes feared their Consciences and are become so insensible that all the commendable Notions and Sentiments that do usually accompany Mankind are lost and eradicated out of their Brests Consider these few Instances of