Selected quad for the lemma: power_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
power_n	deny_v	form_n	godliness_n	5,889	5	9.5542	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A93436	The conspiracie of the wicked against the just. Laid open in a sermon preached at Eyke in Suffolk, Jan. 23. anno Dom. 1647. / By Zeph. Smyth. Preached and published, to set forth the grounds why the wicked lay such crimes to the charge of Gods people, as they are cleare of.	Smyth, Zeph. (Zephaniah), fl. 1646-1648.	1648 (1648)	Wing S4361; Thomason E467_8	33,776	32

Majestrates instead of punishing sinne and standing up for sinne neglect to reforme themselves and neglect to reforme in their Families but suffer their children and servants to lie oft and slander and abuse the people of God yea it may bee to scoffe at them behinde the doore Doe we see them instead of setting good examples fet bad examples instead of standing up for the furtherance or the Gospell hinder it what they can by opposing godly Ministers and pleading for ignorant sottish scandalous Ministers swearers pot companions drawers on of others to sinne with greedinesse Whatsoever their pretext is if according to the words of our Saviour Christ we may judge of the tree by the fruit it is evident such Magistrates are not sincere Converts So such Ministers as daube people with untempered morter flatter them in their sinnes sad the hearts of the righteous and strengthen the hands of the wicked teach not the people the difference betwixt the holy and prophane according to Ezekiel 44.23 Persecute the faithfull Manisters of the word and instead of exhorting people to pray in their Families and to read the word scoffe and deride at them that doe sure such Ministers are not sincere Converts for if they were converted themselves they would endeavour the Conversion of others So such private persons as neglect prayer in their Family reading of the word instructing the soules committed to their charge in the wayes of God are content to venture their owne soules their Childrens soules and servants soules under a soule-starving Minister It is evident these are not sincere Converts for if they were truly converted themselves they would set up the worship of God in their Families they would desire the Ordinances of God in the purity As new borne babes they would desire the sincere milke of the word that they might grow thereby 1 Pet. 2.2 They would inquire where Christ feeds his flocks at noone time Cant. 1.7 They would crie with David How amiable are thy Tabernacles oh Lord God of Hosts my soule longeth yea and fainteth for the Courts of the Lord my heart and my flesh cryeth our for the living God And I had rather bee a doore keepes in the house of God then to dwell in the tents of the wicked Psal 84. They would bee carefull of their owns soules and the soules of their Family 2. Use If converted persons will endeavour the Conversion of others it informes us that there is very few converted now adayes Where shall wee find them that indeavour the Conversion of others Looke amongst great men such as are in eminent places Doe not the Scripture say Not many high not many mighty not many noble are called And doth not our Saviour say The Mysteries of the Gospel are hid from the wise and understanding in the world Matth. 11.25 And is it not written that builders laid aside Christ the corner stone Acts 4.11 How few men in eminent places stand up for God Where shall we find converted Magistrates and converted Gentlemen now adayes If this bee their Character to seeke the Conversion of others So how few Converts shall wee find amongst Ministers now adayes Where are they that pray and study and preach and sweat to convert soules And that mourne for the obstinacy of the people when they see their Ministery convere not soules to God as Ierem●ah did Ier. 13.17 It for all this yee will not heare my soule shall weep in secret for your pride And my eyes shall run downe teares because the Lords flock is carried away captive Whether they would heare or no the Prophet will mourne for their obstinacie and hardnesse of heart So when a faithfull Minister is diligent to preach the word in season and out of season dividing the word of truth aright with a desire to bring home soules to God And yet the word proves a hardning letter It makes them goe up and downe mourning with the Prophet I have laboured in vaine I have spent my strength in vaine the bellowes are burnt and the lead is consumed in the fire and the Founder melteth in vaine for the wicked are not taken away reprobate silver shall men call them because the Lord hath rejected them But where shall we finde such Ministers Now wee may find many pervert people Some with their corrupt Doctrine some with their flatteries and prophanenesse but where shall wee find such as goe about the worke in good earnest to indeavour to convert soules to God Truly when wee looke abroad amongst the watchmen of our time I feare wee shall finde but few such Some few there are I am perswaded make it their indeavour to convert soules that studie to approve themselves to God workmen that needeth not to bee ashamed These are so farre I am confident from taking offence at what I say now that they rather groane under their burden and mourne for the lukewarmenesse and prophanenesse of many of the watchmen of our time for if this be a Character of a sincere Convert to indeavour the Conversion of others How few of the watchmen of our time are sincere Converts So amongst the ordinary sort of people where shall wee find sincere Converts As for the most part of people they scarce have a forme of godlinesse but are such as lye in grosse prophanenesse or such as are but meere grosse Civilians And to come to professours the Scripture saith many of them have a forme of godlinesse and deny the power Me thinks my heart hath laine like a stone in me many times when I have tooke notice of such as have been glorious Professours yea eminent bright starres to the view of the World When I have taken notice how little Religion they have had in their Families how little reading the word or praying in their Families at any time Some neglecting morning duties some neglecting morning and evening both and done no more for their Children and servants then they have done for their beasts provides for their bodies for the day and let their soules sinke or swimme It hath often made mee thinke of the Prophet David how he hath cryed out in Psal 12. Help Lord for there is not a godly man left A faithfull man who can find saith the wise man How few are there set up the worship of God in their Families Where shall wee find Husbands mourning over their unconverted Wives and wives mourning over their unconverted husbands and parents mourning over their Children and servants that miscarrie as David did for Absolon when he cried out Oh! my sonne Absolon my sonne my son Absolon Would God I had died for thee my sonne my sonne Where there is true Conversion there will bee an indeavour to convert others and therefore it is to be feared there is but a few sincere Converts now a dayes 3. Vse is for examination Let us trie our selves whether or no woe be converted our selves Doe wee indeavour the conversion of others How does it concerne all sorts of people

1648. BY ZEPH. SMITH 2 TIMOTHY 2.15 Study to shew thy selfe approved of God a worke-man that needeth not to be ashamed dividing the word of truth aright LUKE 22.32 When thou art Converted strgenthen thy Brethren LONDON Printed by THO FORCET for John Rothwell living in Pauls-Church-yard and are to be sold at his Shop at the signe of the Sun and the Fountaine in the yeare 1648. THE Skilfull Teacher PSAL. 51.13 Then shall I teach thy wayes unto the wicked THis Psalme is Davids penitentiall Psalme in which after Nathan came to him and reproved him for his sinne of murther and adultery he confesses his sinne and petitions to God for mercy for himselfe and the Church for himselfe to verse 18. And for the Church to the end of the Psalme In the first part of the Psalme wee have his confession of his sinne and his Petition for pardon to the 8th verse In which wee may take notice of the Prophets disease viz. A wounded spirit for sinne Secondly that he seeke for as a speciall remedie to cure this disease Is sinne pardoning mercy loving kindnesse and multitude of mercies The Prophet knew his sinne was great and acknowledged it to be so and therefore hee calls for much sin-pardoning mercy intreating the Lord to wash him throughly from all his sinnes and especially from these foule sinnes of murther and adulterie God doth not onely wound the Spirits of his people for sinne at their first Conversion but also if afterward they fall into sinne as did David he brings them back againe through a wildernesse of sorrow to comfort Peter denied his Master after Conversion God brings him to his comfort through the rivers of bitter teares hee wept bitterly and doe wee not see the like in David I doe not say their sinnes after Conversion seperates them from the Love of God for nothing can separate true belcevers from the love of God Rom 8.38 But though their sinnes cannot seperate them from Gods love yet they may deprive them of the comfortable injoyment of the light of Gods countenance and God ordinarily brings them through a wildernesse of sorrow to the sight of it againe it cost them many a prayer and teare many a sigh out of bitternesse of Spirit As David who pleads for pardon of sinne and earnestly desires God would assure him of his pardon of his sinne before he had the comfort of it for though Nathan said to him when hee tried out I have sinned thy sinne as pur away from thee thou shalt not die yet the Prophet cried out of the bitternesse of his soule and went up and downe with a heavie heart a long time before hee had the comfort of it as appeares by his prayer verse the 8th Make mee to heare of joy and gladnesse that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoyce Davids sinfull carnall joy proved the breaking of his bones at last though sinne be sweet at the committing yet the lash that followes will be as bitter as gall and wormewood Well might the Prophet have said Oh! accursed be that pleasure that ends in such paine that procures such sorrow and hinders me of such joy as now a drop of it would be better to mee then a whole World though sin hath broke my bones yet a drop of that Ioy would cause them to rejoyce and in the 10th verse The Prophet prayes for sanctifying grace hee doth not onely pray for pardoning grace but purging grace Create in mee a cleane heart a sincere Convert will not onely desire to be justified but to be sanctified to be holy as well as happy to have the power of godlinesse as well as the forme As if the Prophet should have said Lord I doe not onely desire to have my sinnes pardoned but my heart purged my heart is filthy and polluted Oh create in mee a cleane heart In the 11th verse He petitions for deliverance from that Iudgement that fell upon Saul viz. Rejection Cast me not away from thy presence as if hee should have said Lord my predecessour Saul hee sinned against thee and thou didst reject him for a King and if thou shouldst reject mee and say because that David hath done this I will reject him he shall be King no longer hee shall rule the people no longer thou wort just and righteous but oh-cast mee not away from thy presence then in the 12th verse He prayes for that ancient comfort he once injoyed Restore to mee the joy of thy Salvation the word Restore to mee doth implie that the Prophet once had it and now had lost it whence we may observe that though sinne doe not deprive the godly of Heaven yet it will deprive them of their joy for a time Sinne will bring a child of light to walke in darknesse and to see no light of comfort as the soule shall bee constrained to say What have I to doe any more with Idols Hosea 14.9 If these sorrowe● and afflictions and horrours be the effects of sinnefull joy What have I to doe with sinne I will returne to my first husband for at that time was I better then now Oh restore to mee the joy of thy salvation and establish mee with thy free Spirit Secondly hence wee may observe that when a soule is sensible of the absence of the light of Gods countenance it is restlesse untill God speake peace how restlesse was the Spouse in seeking after Christ Cant. 3. How restlesse was the man Psal 88. How restlesse was David in the absence of the light of Gods Countenance hee washes his couch with his teares his moysture was turned into the drought of Summer he roared all the day he bewailes his sinne hee cries out Make mee to heare of joy and gladnesse restore to mee the joy of thy Salvation Hee sets a high price upon it and accounts it better then life Psal 63.3 Hee promises that if ever God will speake peace to him hee will walke more exactly for the future as in the text Then will I teach transgressours thy wayes as much as if hee should have said Lord if ever thou wilt speake peace to my soule if ever thou wilt bring mee out of these straites my sinnes have brought mee into Lord if ever thou wilt pardon my sinne and receive mee into favour then I shall be able to teach and instruct others experimentally I shall bee a faire warning to others to avoyd the like sinnes I have committed and I should be able to comfort others in the like distresse I am in Then shall I teach The Scripture makes mention of the teaching of God the teaching of Christ and the teachings of the Spirit both ordinary and extraordinary so of the teachings of men such as are good or bad such as teach the word of the Lord faithfully and such as teach fantasies of their owne braine and lyes and delusions Amongst men there are two sorts of Teachers such as are publich Teachers and Private that is such as instruct their Families