Selected quad for the lemma: nature_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
nature_n	way_n	zeal_n	zealous_a	25	3	9.1832	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B02982	Holy zeal against sin, shewn to be an acceptable and seasonable duty : in a sermon preached at Lyme Regis, in the County of Dorset, Sept. 4th. 1700. At a quarterly lecture appointed for the promoting the Reformation of Manners. / By J. E. Minister of the Gospel.	J. E.	1700 (1700)	Wing E14B; ESTC R174804	21,249	41

Sin And was it in the Sinner's power as it is in his will Psal 14.1 there should be no God to punish him for his sin Now this being the nature and tendency of Sin who that hath any concern for God's glory who that hath any true zeal for God can chuse but have an abhorrence of it By Sin God's glory is eclipsed and sullied his very being and government are opposed and slighted those persons therefore that are zealous for God must needs have a holy indignation against Sin 3. It imports a diligent endeavour to suppress Sin Activity and Zeal go always together The active Christian and the zealous Christian are never separated Zeal in Scripture is opposed to laziness indifferency lukewarmness Rev. 3.16 20. It is of the nature of Zeal to be fervent and to make persons vigorous and active wherever it is Jehu being zealous was very active in his way And so was Phinehas the Instance of my Text he was very active in suppressing vice and executing ●●…dgment upon the Sinners And where the is true zeal for God against Sin it will make persons in their respective places to appear against it and endeavour to suppress it This briefly for the first general what it is to be zealous for God and what it imports I come Secondly to prove that it is a duty very pleasing unto God That it is a duty is plain from Scripture Precept and Precedent both lay an obligation on 〈◊〉 to be zealous for God 1. Scripture-Precept Unless we break God●●… bands asunder and cast away his cords from us and so act like those wicked ones Psal 2.3 we must resolve to comply with this duty because by Precept we are injoyned to be zealous for God against Sin The Scripture requires us to be zealously affected in a good thing Gal. 4.18 And what better thing can a person be imployed in than i●… endeavouring to suppress vice whereby God i●… dishonoured in the world Without compliant with this duty we cannot answer one great end 〈◊〉 Christ's Redemption who gave himself for us the he might redeem us from all iniquity and purifie 〈◊〉 himself a peculiar people zealous of good works T●●… 2.14 It is one end of Christ's Redemption th●… we might be zealous of good works and amo●●… good works this of Reformation the reforming of Sinners is none of the least It is a foul blot in Laodicea's character that 〈◊〉 had no heart to restrain evil-doers 'T is mentioned to the praise of the Church of Ephesus th●… he could not bear with them that were evil Rev. 2. ●… But as for Laodicea she was lukewarm neither not nor cold very indifferent as to this matter and therefore God threatens to spue her out of his mouth Rev. 3.15 16. and to prevent this judgment calls on her to be zealous and repent v. 19. If therefore God's call his command and injunction have any weight with us it is our duty to shew our selves zealous against sin We are obliged thereto by Precept 2. Scripture-Precedent does oblige to it We are bid to follow the footsteps of the flock Can. 1.8 And to be followers of the Saints wherein they are followers of God Phil. 3.17 Eph. 5.1 Now 't is recorded to the everlasting praise and commendation of the Saints many of them how eminently zealous they were in their days for God against vice This was the commendation of David Jehoshaphat Hezekiah and Josiah Kings of Judah that they set themselves against vice and zealously promoted a Reformation This was that which good Nehemiah took such comfort in when he had been reforming and cleansing the people and manifesting his zeal against the prophanation of the Sabbath said he Remember me O my God concerning this also and spare me according to the great●…ess of thy mercy Neh. 13.15 22. Elijah also pleased his zeal before God 1 Kin. 19.10 14. I have ●…een very jealous or zealous for the Lord God of ●…osts for the children of Israel have forsaken thy Covenant c. And to mention no more it was this ●…hat made Phinehas so famous to posterity and ●…ained him the Covenant of an everlasting Priesthood because he was zealous for his God because ●…e appeared boldly for God against sin and executed judgment on those presumptuous sinners ●…imri and Cosbi without having respect to their ●…ality and greatness notwithstanding Zimri was 〈◊〉 Son of a Prince and Cosbi was the Daughter of a chief House in Midian Num. 25.8 14 15. Thus if we look back to the Saints of old w●… find many instances recorded in Scripture of pesons zealous for God against vice It is therefo●●… our duty to be so too that we may be like th●… people of God in old time That it is a duty very pleasing unto God m●… be demonstrated from divers particulars but 〈◊〉 present I shall keep to the instance of my Tex●… and thence make it appear to be an acceptable ●●…ty That Phinehas his zeal was very pleasing 〈◊〉 to God will evidently appear from the consider●… on of these two particulars both mentioned in 〈◊〉 Text and Context One is God's removing 〈◊〉 Plague from the Israelites thereupon The oth●●… his bestowing an everlasting Priesthood on Phin●… 1. God's removing the Plague from the Israel●●… upon Phinehas his performing this duty is a pl●●… indication how acceptable his zeal was unto G●… The Israelites having greatly corrupted themsel●… by whoredom and idolatry God sent amo●… them a sweeping Plague which took away no●… than twenty four thousand Num. 25.9 Times of general debauchery are usually 〈◊〉 forerunners of some sore judgment Whate●… pretences men make to Loyalty to the Templ●… the Lord to the Church and the like yet if th●… are debaucht persons they are some of the N●…on's worst enemies These were the persons 〈◊〉 brought wrath upon Israel and caused God●… send the Plague among them Now when God's judgments are abroad in 〈◊〉 earth the Inhabitants thereof should learn Rig●…teousness It should be so but what shall we say The wicked will do wickedly still Mercies 〈◊〉 Judgments they are all one to them they w●… be reclaimed Thus 't is in our days and 〈◊〉 't was in the days of old An instance whereof 〈◊〉 have in Zimri and Cosbi who notwithstand●●●… that dreadful judgment God sent on the pe●… for their great wickedness went on still boldly●… the same debaucht practices not being afraid●… commit lewdness in the face of the Sun But ●…nehas on the other hand was no less bold in G●… cause in executing judgment for in a holy z●… he went forthwith to them and thrust them b●… through Which action of his was so pleasing 〈◊〉 to God that hereupon he stayed the Plague 〈◊〉 And he went to the man of Israel into the tent 〈◊〉 thrust them both through the man of Israel and 〈◊〉 woman through her belly and the plague was stay●… And if any should doubt whether 't was on the 〈◊〉 count of Phinehas his zeal that the