Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
lord_n	work_n	zeal_n	zealous_a	255	3	9.4920	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A52918	Vox clamantis, or, A cry to Protestant dissenters calling them from some unwarrantable ways, with which they are vulgarly, and perhaps too truly charged, viz. from all unnecessary medling in matters of state, from too deep engagement of themselves in this present world, and too great conformity to it : from thinking too highly of themselves for their separation-sake only : from fanaticism, properly so called, in their prayers, sermons, books, &c. : and seriously exhorting them to the minding of the great concerns of heaven, to fruitfulness in well-doing, to sobriety, and the use of reason in all religious matters / by N.N. a Protestant and declared dissenter from the Church of England, as far as that church dissents from Christian liberty, to holiness and charity, and no further.	N. N., Protestant and declared dissenter from the Church of England.	1683 (1683)	Wing N63; ESTC R5934	64,696	84

great Author of it and his intent and design in it hath this main and principal purpose to be carried on First The amendment and betterment of men in their Souls and Spirits that they may be regenerate inwardly and really changed from evil or a state and condition of evil unto good have the Divine Nature wrought in them which is diversly described and set forth in the Scriptures of the New Testament You may take it in Paul's Commission in which he gives account of what he was to do by vertue of it Acts 26. v. 18. i. e. To turn men from darkness to light from the power of Satan unto God that they might receive forgiveness of sins and Inheritance among them that are sanctified by the Faith of Christ Or we may take it in short as our Lord expresses it viz. To make the tree good i. e. The man the Christian man to have a Divine living principle of goodness in himself The next part of this blessed design follows upon the other i. e. the bringing forth good fruits that the goodness or soundness of the Tree or Christian man signified by it may be known to himself and others by his fruits Now the fruits by which alone we or others can rightly judge are not of that sort of duties that consist in outward profession and performance of outward Ordinances Praying Hearing Preaching or doing such kind of works but in the doing of others better than those and demonstrating our true Faith in Christ So Christ our great Prophet teaches Mat. 7. v. 21. Not every one that saith Lord Lord i. e. That calls on the Name of Christ and makes Profession of him yea that doth this with great zeal for that 's the meaning as appears in the doubling of his Title Lord Lord. All that do thus seem they or be they never so zealous in it shall not therefore enter into the Kingdom of Heaven But saith our Lord He that doth the will of my Father which is in Heaven i. e. He that actually and really does it in the most substantial parts of it which is not done by only calling upon his Name but in other more excellent works and fruits beyond this of a Profession of and calling upon him And in the 22. v. To enforce this he tells us of a sort of men owning this way and Religion and doing many great and wonderful works upon the account of it who were confident in themselves of being right and accepted Yea it seems they lived and died and rose again in this confidence because they had Prayed Prophesied Preached in the Name of Christ were great doers in and frequenters of Religious exercises and moreover wrought great works cast out Devils in Christs Name c. Yet all this would not do In the 29. v. They must depart into everlasting fire Mat 25. Christ knows them not they were workers of Iniquity and it is not likely that they were open sinners openly prophane or like the Publicans c. For then they could not have had such confidence But thus it was they either had reserved to themselves some secret sin indulged themselves in some corruption or particular evil or else they had not done that good nor brought forth those fruits which they ought to have done for the glory of God and to answer those great obligations of holiness righteousness and Divine purity and rectitude which the Gospel and blessed Religion of Christ Jesus had laid upon them And now this matter being weighty and considerable and seeing men are like to deceive themselves by a zealous Profession without real goodness and good fruits to demonstrate it Therefore our Lord further presseth and enforceth this matter from v. 24. to the end by a Parable of two men that built Houses upon different foundations one upon the Rock and the other upon the Sand the one was wise the other foolish The application shews that let men pretend what they will nothing else but the doing of the real indisputable will of God will stand them in stead and make them able to stand and weather it out to the last Read the place and consider it well Now according to this blessed design of the holy Gospel of Christ Jesus which is we see to make men good And next to manifest this by good works and abounding in them in such good works and fruits that both good and bad men can judge of which they can't do by all your great professions and outward Religious performances According to this I say consider and judge of your selves First As to the temper of your Spirits to see if the Tree be good You seperate from common sins and corrupt worship then ye ought in all things else to be uniform in your Lives and Spirits First Are ye more patient meek humble than others Secondly Are ye more mortified to this present World or do ye make it evident that ye are more moderate in the things of it than others and doth your moderation in this appear unto all men c. Thirdly Have you mortified your corruptions and inordinate affections such as anger wrath pride hatred malice evil-speaking Fourthly Are ye more courteous condescentious kind affable gentle c. Read that of the Apostle Gal. 5. ver 22. what the true fruits of the Spirit are you shall find them there specified viz. Long-suffering goodness gentleness faith meekness temperance And if you mind the place you shall find the fruits called the fruits of the Spirit here mentioned to be such that are shewed towards and made manifest to others And for the good and benefit of others E. G. the Love there spoken of is not love to our selves but to others or the loving of others So Joy there mentioned is joy or rejoycing in the good of others for it is no great vertue to joy in our selves or to rejoyce because of our own happiness c. So Peace another fruit is to be peaceable with all men long-suffering i. e. suffering long or bearing with other men though never so great enemies to us or long-suffering in bearing all the injuries men can heap upon us And also long-suffering in bearing with and waiting long upon men with much patience for their good and to do them good and to take them off from their evil ways To this is added Gentlenenss and to all Goodness i. e. Beneficialness or a being beneficial and profitable to men The Apostle Rom. 5. will give us a full account of a good man what he is and how distinguished from a righteous or a just man by which we may know what goodness is here and what he means there Another fruit is Faith i. e. Fidelity or faithfulness for so sometimes the word is used and must be here so taken We are to be true and trusty in all things faithful to our words and promises and in things committed to our charge c. Then follows meekness temperance and vertues of that kind against which

there is no Law nor exception but they are approved commended by all both good and bad These fruits thus expressed are the most proper fruits of the Spirit and are of the true Spirit and temper of our Lord Jesus who shewed himself thus towards all men These will make us most like our Heavenly Father and are most evidently demonstrative of the truth and reality of our faith in Christ by these we glorify God such a temper of Spirit as this we must design and must be growing in it for we are not like to be compleat at first And so it is v. 24. They that are Christ's have crucified or mortified the Deeds of the flesh with the affections lusts or passions of it i. e. They have done it or at least must be in a way of doing it growing in it and getting the victory over those lusts This is to be so done and proceeded in that the power of Christs death may be seen in the death of our sins and carnal affections And the power and force of his resurrection in our rising daily to newness of life and works suitable And ver 25. If we live i. e. If we profess and pretend to live in the Spirit or according to the power of the Divine life Then let us also walk in or according to the Spirit as it is here described in the fruits of it And let us judge our selves and let others judge of us no otherwise but according as they see us thus walk c. But on the contrary are ye not often charged and do ye not give too much occasion for it with divers things contrary to this E. G. with anger and wrath with being subject too much to humour and fancy rather then led by the sober principles of Reason and Religion c. according to the most excellent calm and meek Spirit of Christ Jesus Secondly With being too much guilty of Covetousness Earthly-mindedness and of too much following of this present World and so not shewing forth such freeness such a liberal Spirit as the Christian Gospel teaches and gives example of This being in the nature of it most opposite to a narrow contracted stingy mind and spirit this teaches to be free liberal bountiful all which much grace Religion and the profession of it Consider how greatly this excellent spirit and bountiful temper in all ways of Charitable dealing and Hospitality credits all Religion even a false one And it is so natural to the Spirit and Principles of the Christian Religion that if the practice of it were more it would infinitely promote and propogate it Thirdly You are suspected and charged with being too much conformed to this World and some of you as much as any viz. In pride vanity gallantry in your Selves Clothes Habits and in the Education and bringing up of your Children in scandalous ways and breeding according to the Pride Pomps and Vanities of this World Some that have looked into your Ways and Garbs yea into your Meetings Congregations have seen as much of this as any where else And if they have a mind to see more they may go from thence to the Dancing Schools to the most pompous and vicious parts of them your Balls Masques c. By occasion of all which some scoff others take offence others are grieved and some take occasion to go into the contrary extreams seeing so much pride and vanity in and among Professors Fourthly That you are often found Oppressors Hard if not sometimes Cruel will take the utmost advantage you can will not relieve when need and equity requires but will like other men or the worst of men tye up all to their Bargains Contracts though there be never so great reason to consider them You as well as others have been cryed out upon on this account one instance was in the Letting of Houses and Leases at and since the late Dreadful Fire and Rebuilding of the City Some have wrought upon mens Necessities taken advantage of their weakness want of skill and cunning to look well to themselves and when any have found it and complained of it not the least help and relief in it This dealing hath been charged upon some great Professors and pretenders to Religion and seemingly devout You would do well to mind and consider how far you may have been guilty of this and take the judgment of others and of indifferent persons in the Case Some are complained of as being of an Oppressive Spirit in Trading Dealings Bargains Payments especially by the poor Tradesmen and the Labourers that Work and Sell to you and perhaps dare not complain to you nor contradict you for fear of offending you you never learned this of Christianity nor of Christ Jesus the Author of it Fifthly That when you are Injured and Angered you can't freely forgive nor bear much but are too apt to envy hate take the rigour of the Law these and such like matters are objected against you or divers of you and none can deny but many have given too much occasion for it The truth is that an excellent Bountiful Charitable Religion together with the great work of Self denyal and of Patience Humility and the Mortifying of the lusts passions and evil affections of the flesh is a Religion quite out of fashion and by many disgraced and disparaged as only a piece of dull morality Christian men make no work nor design to excel in these Vertues though it be the only excellent way to glorify God our Heavenly Father as our Lord teaches Let your Light saith he i. e. your good works so shine before men that they may see them and thereby glorify God your Heavenly Father No other way without this no other way but this will do it Nothing but the doing and abounding in such works and in such an excellent temper of Spirit as we learn from Christ Jesus and a principle in our selves from which such works flow Such fruits and works by which we can glorify God are those and of that kind which the most Loose Carnal Atheistical men can judge of as well as others they can tell as well as any who is most Meek Humble Patient Innocent Harmless who is most Charitable Bountiful Beneficial who most Courteous Affable Gentle Condescentious who is most Faithful Careful Diligent useful in the Places Callings Relations God hath set them in They can tell who most abounds in Pity Mercy Compassion and Clemency and who are most free from Pride and Passion who are Ill-natur'd Ill-humour'd who most Sweet and Obliging In word who it is that carryes on a design of Religion and Godliness These things they are at least to some good degree capable to discern distinguish and judge of But for mens Opinions Sects and Parties differences in Religion and things of that kind these they understand not neither do they value nor esteem them nor think any great matter of the zeal of men of different Parties about such things They understand

Those three thousand converted to Christ in so short a time could know little of Christianity or the Laws and designs thereof they did only acknowledge that Jesus was the Christ whom they received and accepted of for their Lord and Saviour Yet this was a sure way to put all not only into a savable state but into all the rights and priviledges belonging thereunto So moreover when Peter Mat. 16. made such a frank Confession of his Faith this very Faith we speak of That Jesus was the Christ the Son of the living God Immediately a blessing or a blessed priviledge was conferred upon him as it follows there and accordingly all Christians are indued with the same upon their believing and open confession and profession of the Name of Jesus Therefore all those little conditions and qualifications that men now make and require of Christians before they will admit them into the Christian Church and Fellowship or Communion of Saints are Conditions and Orders their of own devising and serve only to form a Party for their own purpose as all Sects have commonly somewhat peculiar more than to advance Religion or Godliness and of this kind are all other Impositions laid upon men as the condition of their admission into the Church Some have of late days devised and practised that men must make a confession of their Faith in a great many Articles or according to such and such Creeds that be in fashion among them and must believe just as they do which a man may do or however may profess to do and yet be as bad as unregenerate carnal and hypocritical as the worst Some others before they will admit any into their Church and Communion will exact a Formal Narration or Declaration not only of their Faith but of their Conversion and the work of Grace upon them with the manner of their Conversion and Conviction at their first turning from their sins to God but there 's no certainty in this First For oftentimes those that are most consident and bold can do this when others of better Spirits and better in the main can't nay it is to be feared many may strain here to say more than is true or more than they have had the experience of Secondly Others sometimes have related such passages and circumstances in reference to this matter which were but trivial absurd if not ridiculous Thirdly Suppose some to have had real Convictions and trouble of mind at such a time Have not many had Convictions that yet have not proceeded to a real and through Conversion and a change of heart and spirit And have not some been changed or converted rather from one sin to another from sins more carnal to sins more spiritual than from sin it self wholly unto righteousness I say not of any that they are so but 't is possible in such a way men may deceive themselves and others so no certainty of knowledge by such a Confession Fourthly But however it is they to whom this Confession or Declaration is made are as wise as they were before and can pass but little better judgment than they could at first because proceeding by no certain rules but those of fancy and conceit and the opinion they have of the present capacity and honesty of the person speaking or declaring if he be either ignorant strongly conceited or hypocritical he may deceive them all Much more might be said against this new way and these new devised conditions and qualifications and to shew that all are to be received who profess Faith in Christ and promise to walk holily and obediently according to his Laws to the best of their knowledge and ability if afterwards they appear to be or walk otherwise they are to be looked unto watch'd over admonished reproved and in case of non-repentance or not amendment to be separated cut off and withdrawn from Fifthly And finally as to this to add this word more The case may be that many that are of upright hearts and truly fearing God who have from the heart turned unto him and hate all sin as such and are truly humbled for it yet are able to tell neither time nor circumstances in particular when or how this change was made and wrought in them Such a work may grow by degrees by vertuous Education or otherwise The beginning of the power of the Kingdom of God in the heart may be like that as to its progress which our Lord speaks of of the Kingdom of God The good seed of the word according to the similitude of the Corn sown in the earth the blade first appears then the ear then the full Corn in the ear no man presently perceives himself much less another to grow yet he may see that he hath grown and is growing in the power of the Divine Life and in good time it may become manifest in him by the fruits of it both within and without He may be born of the Spirit that knows not the time nor particular way how this did operate in him But to conclude what if it be real that such persons do declare and acknowledge and that they were really changed from evil to good yet there is no reason necessarily to conclude that therefore they must be so still Secondly Another Argument as to this is taken from the nature of the Christian Religion which being the last and so the most liberal and extensive of all the revelations and dispensations of the counsels of God unto the World for the better progress and propogation of it it is in the nature of it made fit for the whole World and the state of all mankind And therefore according to the nature of it and intendment of God in it must needs allow a great Latitude to the several ways customs usages of men in their several Nations and States Every Nation and People has somewhat peculiar and particular and differing one from another according to which the Christian Law and Gospel of Christ Jesus will suit in a good degree so they be not sinful in themselves nor contrary to the main holy end and purposes of this Religion yea so free and large is this Christian dispensation in the nature and intent of it that as it will yield much to the several ways so to the weaknesses radicated opinions customs humours of several particular persons at least for a time until they have learned or grown to better knowledge and maturity Thus it is in its self and thus it was at first when first preached to men and propagated c. Insomuch that that excellent generous spirited person the Apostle Paul in conformity to the free nature of the Gospel did become all things to all men in the 1 Cor. 9.19 20 23. verses Vnto the Jews saith he I became as a Jew i. e. In many things complyed with the Jews in their Laws Customs Ceremonies the better to win them off from those things again As without Law to them that are without the Law i.

different apprehensions in opinion and practices it must be for some opinions and practices in special such as some men will call great and fundamental Errors or as others call them intolerable for it seems they will make a difference between tolerable and intolerable but it is manifest every Party of men be there never so many will have something they call fundamental proper to themselves and to their Party and any that hold any thing in opposition to them therein must be accounted intolerable not to be born and suffered in the Church though otherwise never so good and useful E. G. The Papists will account the Churches Infallibility and some peculiar Doctrines as Transubstantiation c. Fundamentals And so again among the Protestants some called Lutherans will it's probable account their Consubstantiation a Fundamental And those called Calvinists will account the decree of absolute Election and Reprobation a Fundamental And on the contrary part some Remonstrants or Arminians of the more rigid perswasion may make their Opinion so fundamental that they will not have Communion nor such Charity to those differing from them as Christian men should have one to another though erring and perhaps sometimes greatly but yet as is to be hoped meaning well The rigid Northern Presbyters will reckon their Model of Classical Church Government by Presbytery as good as a Fundamental and all that will not submit to it are by them accounted persons intolerable nay perhaps they will for some such like thing has been rise in Arms kill and destroy for the sake and maintenance of their Model of Government presuming it of Divine right and therefore not suffering any other Form or Model to stand with it or by it Once more Those called Anabaptists have not much come short of making the Baptism they practise a Fundamental For First They have asserted and maintained it as of necessity to Church Communion and to be sure whoever were not Baptized according to their way and mode were not accounted capable of Christian and Church Communion and so by a near-hand inference not of salvation which some of the more rigid sort have not been afraid to assert All those and a thousand more may thuspretend to make fundamentals and the errors contrary to them intolerable And surely many of them have absolutely denyed Christian Communion to all that could not come up to their way But thanks be to God many of those are commendably enlarged as to this matter and will now allow a Latitude that before they would not I pray God to enlarge them and all good Christians besides still more and more But you see here are many fundamentals and none knows how many more men may make according to the humour ignorance or Interest of their Party and what one sort calls fundamental Verities another will be as forward to call fundamental Errors Heresies and Wickednesses What course can we now take but to love and receive all Christians as such as Christians that believe in and love Christ Jesus and do not contradict this by any wicked works or ill living contrary to it But you will say What is there nothing fundamental in the Christian Religion no rule to proceed by in judging who is fit for Christian and Church Communion and who not must any one that calls himself a Christian be allowed to be so and admitted to all Christian Communion and Church Priviledges c. I answer First There is no Sect or Party of Christians can assign a rule to judge by as they are such a Sect and Party nor can tell us of any Fundamental which another Party or Sect will not contradict and assign some other perhaps contrary to it and hold that for fundamental or a matter of necessity according to which only they will take and receive men into their Communion So in the first place we must not look to any one Sect or Party for a Fundamental or fundamental rule to judge of the capacity of persons for Christian and Church Communion Secondly There is a Fundamental proper to Christianity as such that all Christians do acknowledge And what is this but the owning and professing of this one thing which is both a fundamental and first principle in Christianity that Jesus is the Christ or the Christ of God take it in the words of the Apostle Rom. 10. where he faith The word is nigh thee verse the 8th what word even this That Jesus is the Christ owned of God approved by him and that in special manner testified by the Resurrection from the Dead whom God would never have raised if he had not been the Lord Christ the place runs thus The word is nigh thee even in thy mouth and in thy heart i. e. The word which we preach which is If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thy heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved In short the confession and open owning of Christ Jesus is a Fundamental and necessary to salvation and whoever doth this shall be saved and therefore should be received and accepted as a Disciple of Christ being thereby made capable of Church Communion and Priviledges of that kind This is the Fundamental no other foundation can any man lay or make but this 1 Cor. 3.11 ver And as it is a great fundamental verity that whosoever believes shall be saved so that he that confesses or professes this ought to be by all accepted and received as a Christian and treated accordingly is so plainly laid down in the Scriptures that it is a wonder that either Ignorance Interest Partiality or Uncharitableness should ever have the confidence to rise up against it Thirdly The Scriptures are many and so plain and perspicuous that they are every where to be found so many that it is a tedious labour to cite them all see but a few First When Christ himself and his Apostles first Preached there was no more required to make a Disciple than this Faith when the Apostles Preached after his resurrection it was the same and no more was required but to believe and profess or confess that Jesus was the Christ and then in those first times as a present sign that this was their Faith and to oblige themselves to this Jesus and his Doctrine and Laws they were Baptized and so admitted into the nearest and closest fellowship Acts 2.38 and verse 41 42. Then they that gladly received his word were Baptized And the same day there were added about three thousand souls And they continued stedfastly in the Apostles Doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of Bread and in Prayers Nothing more was required of them to instate them into all the Christian Rights and Priviledges and being admitted into the Church they were to be further educated and instructed by the converse and society they had there that they might grow up to perfect men in Christ Jesus and be made fit for every good work Secondly