Selected quad for the lemma: heart_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heart_n	worship_n	worshipper_n	year_n	19	3	5.3589	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A61076	Reason against rage being some animadversions upon a late scurrilous libel, prefix'd to a sermon preach'd nine and thirty years ago; and dedicated in these words, (viz.) to Mr. Serj. Powlett, recorder of the City of Bristol, and Mr. Robert Yate, mercht. Together with an occasional discussion of some particulars relating to persecution, and liberty of conscience. To which is subjoyn'd, a brief application, made by way of advice, humbly offered to all the inhabitants of the City aforesaid. By Thomas Speed.	Speed, Thomas, b. 1622 or 3.	1691 (1691)	Wing S4906; ESTC R220758	23,658	33

The Nation doth too much abound with such Pollutions already and it would be the joy of all good men to see them more severely curb'd by Authority Not a liberty to do my Neighbour any Civil injury by no means No man may pretend Conscience to dampnifie his Neighbour either in his Person his Estate or good Name The Civil Law is set as a guard to preserve these and he that will presume to violate it justly suffers by the hand of Authority And if the Government I am under shall deny me the liberty of my Worship and shall cause me to suffer on that score Although this be an evil in the Government yet I am not therefore to plot and contrive its disturbance or subversion to obtain my ease and relief I did some years past suffer both by imprisonment and otherwise for no other cause but the Quiet exercise of my Conscience to God But I did not therefore betake my self to Plotting against the Government for the procuring my liberty No no I bless God I always stood firm in the practice of that Christian Doctrin of Passive Obedience and Non-resistance and hope so to continue to the end of my days Nor am I fond of the Government by a Common-wealth as you would maliciously suggest to your Reader For in truth so little am I knowing in the Politicks of Government that if I were ask'd I could not give account of the particular methods of Administration used in that form of Government But since I came to any measure of maturity of understanding I have with my self often admired the Prudence of our Ancestors who contrived the Frame of our ancient English Government For where there is a Pious Prince a Noble Counsel of Peers Noble as well by the inward endowments of Vertue as by Birth A grave Senate of prudent Patriots of their Country lovers of God and Good Men I say where these three meet in one steering their Conduct with a steady aim at the glory of God and the Peoples welfare what Form of Government can be found more conducing to the outward happiness of a Nation than this You would farther bug-bear your Readers and beget them into a belief that I am now an enemy to the publick way of Worship by reason of one Expression drop'd in the Sermon Touching which I shall give a plain and candid Account of my self by informing you and your Confederates and all men else that I hate no Man's way of Worship nor any sincere Worshiper of God who doth with an upright heart according to the utmost of his Knowledge offer up to him that Sacrifice which he doth believe is most acceptable to him such his worshiping being accompanied with a holy Life and Conversation I my self was educated in the national way of Worship from my Childhood And was a zealous Worshiper in that way and do believe that God accepted my Sacrifice because according to my then-understanding I offered it up with a sincere heart And although I am not now in the practice thereof being convinc'd of a way more agreeable in my judgment to the practice of the Primitive Christians mentioned in the holy Scriptures yet I neither judge nor condemn those that are who being conscientiously concern'd therein do in Sincerity and Uprightness worship God according to what is made manifest to them and do bring forth the Fruits of Love and good Works in their Conversations in the World It 's not the Worship but the Hypocrisie of those Worshipers that I do condemn who contradict their Prayers by their Practices who do in words often pray they may be delivered from the Sin of Pride and yet live in it from vain Glory and yet abound in it from Hypocrisie and yet openly manifest themselves guilty of it Are not you my nameless Adversaries frequenters of the Publick Service If you are I blame you not for it But consider do you not there pray in these words From Envy Hatred and Malice good Lord deliver Vs The Prayer is good But how far your Practice is remote from your Prayer let your Works speak Can you think that any understanding and unbyass'd Reader will believe that your Hearts were not fill'd with Envy when you contrived and framed that spightful Epistle Could the most malicious among Mortals I had almost said among Devils express greater Hatred and Malice than you have done against me in reprinting a Sermon which had lain buried in Oblivion for almost forty Years past hoping thereby to murther me in my Reputation and I doubt not but in my Life also had it lain in your Power And as a Demonstration that it was pure Malice in the very Abstract that prompted you thereunto ye did it without the least shadow of any just provocation given you on my part Is this less than a mocking of Almighty God to pray with your Lips that he would deliver you from Malice Hatred and Envy when as at the same time ye were studiously contriving with Hearts full fraited with them all how to express them against your Neighbours It 's far from me to condemn any sincere Worshiper in the national way of Worship I condemn only that which God condemns Viz. Deceit and Hypocrisie when Men draw † Isa 29.13 Matt. 15.8 near unto God with their mouths and honour him with their lips while their hearts are far from him And cry out the Church the Church as they did of old ‖ Jer. 7.4 The Temple of the Lord The Temple of the Lord and at the same time live vicious Lives and are found in the Practice of Ungodliness and Prophaness in their Conversations and so make their Prayers and outward performances a Cloak to cover over their Iniquities This is that which the Spirit of God in the Scriptures of Truth doth condemn and 't is that only which I do at this day judge and condemn also True Religion consists not in the Exercise of any outward form of Worship but in an entire resignation of the heart † Prov. 23.26 to God attended with a holy life An unclean heart under a specious sorm of outward worship is no other than as a painted Sepulchre which appears glorious and splendid without whilst rottenness and corruption possesseth the inside I am not so narrow spirited as to confine acceptance from Heaven to any one outward way of worship in the world but do believe with the Apostle Peter ‖ Acts 10.35 that in every Nation he that feareth God and worketh righteousness is accepted with him And for a close of what I have to say on this Subject I declare this as my Faith that it 's not outward Service but inward Sincerity of heart that God the searcher of all hearts hath regard unto And whoever hath that for the companion of his Life will not miss of Peace with his Maker which is a Jewel of a greater Value than all the Treasures of the whole Universe Happy will that man be who when