Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	day_n	sabbath_n	week_n	6,281	5	10.0050	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A93757	Six several sermons preached on Isaiah, 38. I. Wherein that great duty of setting our body and soul in order, for we shall die, is at large opened and explained Wherein also many divine truths are made known relating to the same matter; and now published, because of the exceeding importance and concernment of this subject unto all people whatsoever.	Stafford, Richard, 1663-1703.	1696 (1696)	Wing S5135; ESTC R230779	115,810	178

Here also the Law of God is perfect converting the Soul Psal 19. 7. And as it reaches to the very bottom so it extends unto and gives its several Orders and Rules for the Government of and Fashioning and Framing aright all his Thoughts Words and Actions As indeed it would be useful to shew it particularly If any Man among you seemeth to be Religious and bridl●th not his Tongue bu● deceiveth his own Heart that Man's R●ligion is vain And so if People use a multitude of words in which there wanteth not sin if their Lips speak lyes and their Tongue muttereth perve●seness If they utter Error against the Lord or lying words Isa 32. 7. And so it is of Reproaches Slanders Back-bitings and Whisperings if they do not make a Conscience to refrain from every idle and vain and much more from every false word For of every idle Word that Men shall speak they shall give account thereof in the day of Judgment In a word unless they do take heed to their ways that they offend not with their Tongue Alas How very few do all this even among the Professors and Religious also Let them make what pretences appearances and shew they will by going constantly to the Exercises and Ordinances of Religion and by observing all the Acts Times and Seasons of outward Worship both in the Congregation Family Closet or Chamber yet all their Religion is vain Truly there is more that goes to the making up of Good Perfect and thorough Christian than we do at first think and are aware of and so to constitute the Pure and Undefiled the Sincere Real Inward and Universal Religion Which last Epithet Universal is fitly added as comprehensive of all the rest as also to distinguish and know it from the Partial Religion of the Multitude for theirs is a Religion in some things and not in all things There is a great deal more requisite to be indeed a meet Partaker of the Inheritance of the Saints in Light than is to make one only a Member of the Visible Church here on Earth for to that is required no more than their coming to t●e place of Worship and bringing their Bodies with them And People will find I do hereby warn and testifie that they do not discern it then only when it is too late and when the door is shut that there is more to be done and that it is an harder and longer work to get admission and entrance into Heaven than barely to go to Church or to such a Congregation every Sabbath nay though it should be every week day throughout their Life or then to say their accustomary Prayers which too many count it dull tedious and wearisome enough For most true it is that at the day of Judgment it will be seen of many who shall not then only at that moment cry Lord Lord but they also did say Lord throughout all their foregoing life in an accustomary manner of outward Worship and Prayer to whom God shall Answer I never knew ye Depart from me ye that work Iniquity Matth 7. 21. 23. Now the working iniquity signifies the doing those things which are not Equal And so it will be depart from me ye that have lived in the continued Breach of any of my least Commandments Even at that day of general and final Judgment notwithstanding the present heart-burnings and self-justifyings of the Religious The Lord will shew who are his and who is Holy and will cause him to come near unto him even whom he hath chosen he will cause to come near unto him Numb 16. 5. I do really believe and am verily persuaded for I gather as m●ch from the Scriptures and particularly from that saying of Christ That which is highly esteemed amongst Men is abomination in the sight of God Luke 16. 15. That many People will be damned and go to Hell who are now accounted and have the Character of very Religious Civil and Honest People Fair Conditioned and Good Neighbours As again several will be saved whom the World doth revile and cast out their Name as Evil in like manner as their Fore-fathers did to the Prophets Impoverish and Oppress yea it may be Imprison and put them to Death As it was said of Paul Away with this turbulent fellow it is not fit he should live But how must such be ashamed to see those very same Souls had in Honour and Rewarded by the Infinite and Glorious God whom they made and used as the filth and off●scouring of the World had in Derision and a Proverb of Repro ch and esteemed as the contemptible ones of the Earth The Scene will change and there will then appear another face of things I do the more willingly here put in mind of these things for two Reasons 1 st That you may know what to answer when your Opinion is asked concerning such an one of whom perhaps the Multitude is divided and some say He is a good Man and others say he deceiveth the People Some say of him that he is a Rogue Hypocrite or deceived in his Religion Others are apt to think that he is Sincere Understanding and Consciencious in his Religion And so when you hear a more favourable Report of another sort that they are Good Religious People because they always go to Church or Meeting and they do several good Deeds Here it is well for them if their Goodness and Religion is Universal They will not be ashamed neither in this World nor yet in the World to come If they have respect unto all God's Statutes Psal 119. 6. But in both these and so in like cases we ought to think as near as we can according to the Law and the Testimoy and according to the Light that is in them but let alone all pronouncing of Judgment for all Judgment is the Lord's We are to suspend our Verdict and Judge nothing before the time For the day cometh when the Lord will manifest the Counsels of the Heart and then shall every one have Praise of God 2dly I do the more willingly put in mind of these things to quicken stir up and provoke all that shall hear or read these Lines to give all diligence to use their utmost Earnestness Strength Labour and Endeavour and that not only for a fit or spurt But continually throughout all their remaining Life and to be sorry that they had begun to do so no sooner to arise up and be saved For truly there is more absolutely necessary unto it then People are aware of It is observable what follows immediately after Luke 16 15. The Law and the Prophets were until John since that Time the Kingdom of Heaven is preached and every Man presseth into it So it is at this very day and hath been all along the Kingdom of God is preached and the Word of God is preached for to bring People to that his Kingdom or to bring People to Heaven And if you ask every Man or Woman that ever