Selected quad for the lemma: christian_n

Word A Word B Word C Word D Occurrence Frequency Band MI MI Band Prominent
christian_n church_n part_n universal_a 2,451 5 9.1017 5 true
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A55106 Popery and hypocrisy detected and opened from the Holy Scriptures as it respects magistrates, ministers, and people. In a sermon upon the occasion of a general fast, kept Decemb. 22. 1680. By the author of the Plotters doom, a true son of the Church of England. Palmer, Samuel, d. 1724. 1680 (1680) Wing P252; ESTC R217473 30,180 38

There is 1 snippet containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

that would shamm off this duty by renting of the Garments for he cares not how much nor how abounding you are in this work of exterior Observations so you do but let alone That he will compound with you and let you pay Tithes of Mint Cummin and Annise all the days of your life if you will so you will but omit the weightier matters of the Law Judgment Mercy and Faith Nay he 'll aid and encourage you in your formal and exterior Observations so that you will but rest there and go no further for he 'll let you be indefatigably zealous in that work In the 18th Chapter of the first Book of Kings you find the strangest Question started that ever you read of in any Book either Religious or Prophane for the Question was Who should be God The God of Heaven or Baal The Priests and Worshippers of Baal contended strongly that Baal was God and to be served and followed The Prophet Elijah asserts that the Lord is God and that they ought to serve and follow him At length they agreed in this issue that two Bullocks should be brought and the Clergy that were for Baal should choose one of these Bullocks and cut it in pieces and lay it on wood and put no fire under and the Prophet Elijah would dress the other Bullock and lay it on wood and put no fire under and they should both call on the Name of their Gods and the God that answered by Fire he should be God vers 23 24. Well! this was done and now pray mark the carriage of these Worshippers The Priests the Text tells you called on the Name of Baal from Morning to Noon in their dull Let any saying O Baal hear us we beseech thee to hear us good Baal and they leaped up and down about the Altar but there was no hearing nor no answering for all that Then they cryed aloud and cut themselves with Knives and Launcets till the blood gushed out and this they did until the Evening Sacrisice but received no answer still And now the holy Prophet comes to act his part and pray observe that he useth no such Formal and Exterior Observations no Cap●rings nor Cringings neither about the Altar nor no Canting out of a little Nonsence or Tautology from Morning to Noon and from Noon to Night No cutting nor slashing himself nor mingling blood with his Sacrifice but calmly and humbly addresseth himself to God in an honest and plain Prayer suitable to the occasion Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt Sacrifice and the Wood and the very Stones in so prodigious a manner that all the people were convinced and falling on their faces with an universal Vote cryed out The Lord he is God the Lord he is God Verse 37 38 39. From whence you may discern how elaborate and indefatigate a corrupt Clergy is to propagate the Devils side and the worser Worship and how they lay out themselves in promoting the Observation of exterior Ceremonies which are of no avail They cry aloud frisk about the Altar and cut themselves like any mad and do a world of things which were never commanded by God and which are but ridiculous among men and yet all this Frenzie must pass for true Religion and Decency of Worship or they 'll quarrel you for Fanatiques One would wonder what Baalam mean'd Numb 23 c. where he commands seven Altars to be built and seven Oxen and seven Rams to be prepared One would think that he were going to offer to a whole Heptarchy of Gods did not the Scripture every where shew us that hypocrytical false Prophets and false Worshippers are mighty Wonderfull abounding in their Altars and Offerings and all the exterior parts of Religion pray will you take a view of that formal Gentleman you meet with in the 18th of St. Luke vers 12. and see how he pranks himself up with his exterior performances I fast twice a week says he I give Tythes of all that I possess and yet for all that he was but a proud Pharisee still a wicked false Hypocrite still and came out of the Temple the same man that he went into it so that though he fasted and went to Church every Wednesday and Friday yet he had been as good he had stayed at home for he got no good by going thither It only prided him up to despise his Neighbours and wrought in him a Conceit that he was better than them and pray God this be not the Case of too many of us For while we lay the stress of all Religion upon formal and exterior Observations we are but doing the Devils work even when we are engaged in Gods Service For whiles we are but for Renting of the Garments only and so quarrelsomly set for formal and exterior Observations we may pray and preach too in the Temple as long as we will and yet be still but on the Devils side for all that Fourthly Again bethink your selves you that are concern'd in this Reproof that while you are for Renting of the Garments only for the outside guilded part or Husk of Religion you are but for a Faction and a Party and have no Communion with the Vniversal Church of Christ You are but for Christians of your own Size and Hue and grow up into a little creeping narrow spirit that can never love nor serve any Soul but what is just and directly of your own dimension Whereas a Christian of the Universal Church is of a large comprehensive generous Spirit and Principle and loves a good and a vertuous man that makes it his Religion to Rent his Heart and not his Garments let his perswasion in other and minuter things be what it will For this is Gods Religion all other is but Mans and subject to Innovation and Changes according as their humours vary and must be managed by brutal and unnatural heats and sury Hence is it that you see those that are for Renting the Garments for formal and outward Rites are alwayes sowre and quarrelsome fretting themselves and vexing others if they come not up to every Punctilio of their Observances For they quarrel your Carriage your Company your Discourse and in a word your whole Conversation For 't is a Spirit of such a silthy rude imposing Nature that you must be an absolute Slave to it or it is never satissied Pray look into the second of St. Mark and you will there find these men quarrelling our Saviour upon all these Accounts for they fall out with him no less than four times in that one Chapter First They quarrel his Discourse and charge him with Blasphemy in saying to the sick of the Palsie Son thy sins are forgiven thee Why doth this man speak Blasphemy say they who can forgive sins but God only vers 5 7. Secondly They quarrel him for his Company and charge him with Profanity in eating and drinking with Publicans and Sinners How is it say they that he