Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
lord_n	heart_n	keep_v	law_n	23,701	5	6.5100	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A44635	The evil of our dayes with the remedy of it : a sermon preach'd at a visitation at Rothwell in Northamptonshire, Octob. 12, 1697 / by John Howard ...	Howard, John, 1647-1729?	1698 (1698)	Wing H2982; ESTC R8165	19,799	29

men arise speaking perverse things to draw away Disciples after them So evil were the days wherein these Ephesians liv'd in respect of Sin Therefore the Church could not be secure from the other evil of suffering But to say nothing of the secret Temptations of the Devil which are common to all Christians in every time and place though they must be suppos'd most violent where that enemy had such an interest to lose and in so great danger as at Ephesus To pass by many other Troubles which almost constantly attend a sincere Profession of the Gospel Here the Disciples were alwayes liable to Persecution for the sake of Christ from the blind Heathens on the one hand and the more obdurate Jews on the other Here as 't is most probable St. Paul and his Companions met with those great Troubles which he complains of 2 Cor. 1.8 which press'd them out of measure above strength insomuch that they despair'd even of Life and had the Sentence of Death in themselves For it is certain he was in danger at Ephesus of being carried to the Theatre Act. 19.29 30. to be devour'd there as we may suppose by Wild Beasts kept for the Execution of Malefactors and to which Christians afterwards were sometimes expos'd Therefore he sayes That after the manner of Men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to Man or so far as was in Man's Power he fought with Beasts at Ephesus 1 Cor. 15.32 And it cannot be suppos'd but the Church must be always in a Suffering State and receive daily Affronts from the Rage and Malice of such Enemies among whom they liv'd though St. Paul does not directly mention it in this Epistle for this Reason it may be least it might have Exasperateed their Enemies the more against them and therefore he gives only such general hints to it as this in the Text. Now because they endur'd these and some following Persecutions with a true Christian Courage and Patience our Saviour mentions this to their honour Rev. 2.3 Thou hast born and hast patience and for my Names sake hast labour'd and hast not tainted Thus it appears these Ephesians liv'd in an evil time both in respect of Sin and Suffering and it is with relation to these especially that the Apostle Exhorts them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to make the best Merchandise of the present season by behaving themselves with that wisdom and circumspection which such evil Times did especially require And in this sense it will best agree with what appears to be the design of the same Exhortation to the Colossians Chap. 4.5 Walk in wisdom toward them that are without redeeming the time That is use that prudence in your Conversation towards Unbelievers that ye may preserve your selves from their sins and from suffering by their means and gain upon them if possible in order to their receiving the Faith of Christ Now this Exhortation and the reason by which it is enforc'd do nearly concern all Christians at this day and in this Nation but especially Ministers of the Gospel who of all Men should be most sensible of the evil of the Times as indeed they usually feel the greatest share of it and who have a more considerable and difficult part to act with relation to it than others Therefore in the following part of my Discourse I shall chiefly confine my self to them And because the Apostle exhorts us to redeem the time with respect to the evil of it I shall first represent to you the evil of our present days and then shew how we are to redeem the time with respect to it First I shall give some account of the evil of our dayes both in respect of sin and suffering 1. In respect of Sin And here I have a very Melancholy Scene before me and such as I had rather secretly lament than describe to you were it not necessary we should know and consider this dreadful evil in order to its Cure if it be not past remedy We live in an Age and Nation wherein too many are Monstrously corrupted in their Judgment and Manners Some are sunk so far below the common reason and sense of Mankind as to deny the God that made them though there is a thousand times more certainty of his existence than their own Others will own no Religion but what is Natural because they cannot comprehend those Mysteries God has reveal'd to us and so they deny the Lord that bought them Some arrogate to themselves a Power of keeping the whole Law and attaining Perfection and Happiness by that means others contend for a Chimerical Faith that has neither grounds nor effects as sufficient for Salvation how bad soever Men are in their hearts and conversations and so make our Blessed Lord himself as much as lies in them a Patron of vice and wickedness and his Holy Religion a pretence for the vilest practices What shall we say of Popery that Hydra of errors which have been so often baffled and yet they live Though one would think if the Men of that Religion would seriously consult either Faith or Reason and that Law of Kindness which is naturally written in our hearts they must needs be asham'd of their gross Idolatry of the many contradictions and absurdities they have receiv'd and that Cruelty practiced in their Church towards all Men that dare be wiser than themselves To these I might add the Dreams and Fancies of many Enthusiasts among us who conceive such Notions of God and their Duty towards him as are unworthy of his Being and so far below those excellent discoveries he has made of his Nature and Will in holy Scriptures that their own Reason as imperfect as it is would in a great measure correct these mistakes if they would but attend to it Now what can be the fruit of such errors in Mens Minds but a Corruption also in their Conversation which indeed is very great and common amongst us What horrid Oaths and Blasphemies what scoffs at Religion and the sincere Professers of it are heard in many places How is the Sacred Name of God his Ordinances and Providences despis'd How are his holy Word and Ministers Ridicul'd and made Subjects for the Profane Wit and Raillery of those sensless Men who thus abuse the gifts of God to his dishonour and their own destruction And does not Profaneness in some measure enter into our very Churches too For even there we often observe a behaviour in Men very unsutable to those Places and the holy Duties perform'd in them What irreverence is us'd in Prayer What indifferency in hearing the Word of God Yea what drowsiness is indulg'd by some and what levities practis'd by others while they are present at these Ordinances And if the Sacred Rights of God are thus violated by sinfull Men it is the less wonder they should also invade those of their Neighbours and that we so often hear of Contentions Murders Adulteries Thefts Oppressions False-witness Malicious Slanders Revilings c. and