Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	hear_v	receive_v	word_n	3,147	5	5.3302	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A40077	A discourse of offences delivered in two sermons Aug. 19, and Sept. 2, 1683 in the Cathedral church of Gloucester / by Edward Fowler.	Fowler, Edward, 1632-1714.	1683 (1683)	Wing F1702; ESTC R6859	22,108	40

convinced how greatly they are involved in the guilt of Offending or making people to Offend Of making them strangely Censorious and Vncharitable mighty Vnmanageable and Vngovernable extremely Conceited Vain and Wanton and most Vnfixed and Vnsettled Innumerable of those who have entertained such Principles having been known to run from one Sect to another till they have at last settled in Quakerism or turned mere Scepticks or cast off all Religion Have been tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the sleight of men and the cunning craftiness of those that lie in wait to deceive I pray take notice that what I have now said hath not proceeded from the least pique at Persons but from pure good-will to those who are herein concerned From hearty love and charity to their Souls and a solicitous concern for the interest of our Religion and the welfare of the Publique And having solemnly declared this I hope I shall not need to use St. Paul's Expostulation Am I therefore become your Enemy because I tell you the truth II. Another way of Offending or making people to Offend is inticing them to Sin by wicked Advice and Solicitations which is an horribly bad way indeed But as bad as it is it is very common Particularly as to intemperate Drinking how common is it grown in this most dissolute Age not onely to intice but even to force men to this Sin notwithstanding the woe that is pronounced against him who giveth his Neighbour drink and putteth his Bottle to him and maketh him drunk c. Hab. 2. 15. And there is a fine device of Good-Fellows to force down Drink Civilly and Gentily namely that of multiplying Healths which not to pledge or to refuse to pledge them in full Glasses and those large ones too is to be mighty Rude and at least deserves a Challenge But I will trouble my self no longer with these wicked men than while I conjure you to fly their Company and all their Haunts as you would do the Dens of the most Salvage Beasts I might add to this sin of inticing to Drunkenness that of inticing to Vncleanness and several other sorts of Wickedness not much less Common Particularly to name no more to Plots and Conspiracies against the King and his Government which of late years to our Amazement have been practised by more among us than have been known to adventure upon so fearfull a sin in some whole Ages heretofore Now these Tempters of others to Wickedness are Daring Sinners indeed Who as the Apostle saith Rom. 1. 32. knowing the judgment of God that they which commit such things are worthy of death not onely doe the same but have pleasure in them that doe them Which Pleasure excites them to doe their utmost to make others as wicked as themselves What name shall I give to these Sinners They deserve no better than that of Devils in Humane Bodies These one would think are affraid of being damned with too little Company and they are not content to be damned for their own sins onely but must have their Reckoning inhaunced by the Sins of others which they make their own And therefore they seem not to be satisfied with the same damnation for kind with that of the Devils without the same damnation for degree too III. Another way of Offending and laying Stumbling-blocks before others is that of Affrighting or Discouraging others from being Religious or from the doing of their duty in particular instances 1. The highest Offence of this kind is that of Persecution for Righteousness sake Which is a great Offence and Scandal to those that are actually persecuted or in danger of Persecution And Persecution for Well-doing is such a Stumbling-block as hath occasioned the Falling away of Multitudes of Professors of Religion And 't is a thousand to one that he who is not well confirmed in his Religion or if he be is not a Conscientious Practicer of the duties thereof will not stand his ground especially when he meets with or finds himself in danger of the Sharpest sort of Persecutions When he meets with a Fiery Tryal or is in danger of it See what our Lord saith of the Stony ground Hearers Matt. 4. 17. These are they which are sown on stony ground who when they have heard the word immediately receive it with gladness and have no root in themselves and so endure but for a time Afterwards when Affliction or Persecution ariseth for the word's sake immediately they are offended or fall away And the danger Christ's Disciples are in of falling off from him when they cannot adhere to him but they must suffer Persecution is intimated in those words Matt. 11. 6. And blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in me I need not tell you that the Church of Rome is horribly guilty of this kind of Offence but so is not our own Church God be thanked Her terms of Communion being none of them such as contradict any Law of God as abundance of the Best of people are verily persuaded And not a few of our Divines and other Learned men have with great and I think irresistible strength demonstrated 2. Another Offence of this nature is Representing the ways of Religion as very Rugged and Difficult and the duties thereof as over Harsh and Severe and at least next to impossible Representing the Yoke of Christ as an Vneasie Yoke and his Burthen as an intolerably heavy Burthen This hath ordinarily been the Practice of Sensual People of people who are wedded to their Lusts and Vile Affections And by this means I fear not a few poor Souls have been utterly ruined who have given more credit to these Wretched People than to their Saviour or to those Good men who assure them that such Representations are most false and unworthy from their own Experience 3. Another Offence under this Head is that which was charged by our Blessed Saviour upon the Pharisees viz. Binding of Heavy Burthens and Teaching for Doctrines the Commandments of Men Or making a great number of Additions of their own to the Laws of God and imposing them as necessary to Salvation And so making Religion to be indeed a mighty burthensome and uneasie thing And of this Offence the Church of Rome is more notoriously guilty than were those Pharisees But I must again doe that right to our own Church as to pronounce Her Guiltless as to this Offence also She having not made any thing a Part of Religion but what is plainly contained in the Holy Scriptures nor enjoyned any thing of her own as necessary to Salvation but onely in order to the more Solemn Administration of Divine Worship according to general Rules laid down in Scripture Which hath not determined as all sober men will grant the particular circumstances of Worship but prescribed Rules in general whereby the Governours of Churches may determine them 4. Another Offence under this third Head is Treating of those who have fallen into Errours