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

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96522	A sermon against lukwarmenesse in religion. Preached at Saint Maries in Oxford, the sixt of September, 1640. / By Henry Wilkinson, Batchelour in Divinity of Magdalen Hall. Printed by order from the House of Commons.	Wilkinson, Henry, 1616-1690.	1641 (1641)	Wing W2238B; Thomason E204_7; ESTC R15190	18,781	50

nor providence enough to prevent the hatred of both Reas 4 Fourthly this middle lukewarme constitution is the worse in regard they lose the honour of their actions and the reward of all their labours What the Comaedian saith of one in love is true also here veram si incipias neque gnaviter perficias nihilo plus agas 〈…〉 quam si operam des uteum ratione insantas He that begins and doth not finish he doth little better than discover a reasonable madnes As for him that is quite cold in his Religion as he takes no paines in the service of God so he scarce lookes for any reward We shall have many lukewarme Professours that goe very farre in the profession of Religion and are very strict in the outward performance of holy duties so that it may bee said of some of them as it was of him in the Gospel they are not farre from the Kingdome of Heaven and yet for want of going further and aduancing forward and pressing toward the marke of the high calling they fall short of the goale for when the righteous turneth away from his righteousnesse and committeth iniquity and doth according to all the abhominations of the wicked shall hee live in his trespasse that he hath trespassed and in his sinne that he hath sinned in them shall he dye Ezek. 18. 24. As enterprises especially if weighty should never be rashly attempted so if they be once began they should bee prosecuted with diligence that so they may be dispatched with successe These lukewarme men are like miserable Chapmen that have a good mind to buy a bargaine but are loth to goe to the price of it now he that bids five hundred pound for that which is worth a thousand pound shall goe without it as well as hee that bids nothing In this businesse wee should be like the Merchant in the Gospel that sold all that be had to buy the Jewell of rich price Christ is a jewell infinitely beyond all that we can give and therefore we cannot offer lesse then our whole selves all our services and performances all our labours and endeavours These lukewarme Men can be content to afford Christ a cap and a knee but they will not give him their heart nay they are very scrupulous in mint and rue and very exact in the Ceremony and as if Religion were a Comedy they will in voyce and gesture act divine duties though in their heares they renounce and in their lives deny the parts they play Give me leave to interrogate Why have these men gone so farre as to get a forme of godlinesse but will not goe one step further as to shew the power of it Why will they take so much paines to personate and act a Christian and not to be one Why did they taste of heavenly mysteries and not digest them Why doe they take on them the title of Christs souldiers and goe into the field and endure some skirmishes and yet resolve not to march on and to fight the good fight and finish their course This is to take a great deale of paines to no purpose Yee did run well saith the Apostle who did hinder you that you should not obey the truth Gal. 15. 7. Have yee suffered so many things in vaine Gal. 3. 4. Were it nor farre better to bee either hot that is having enflamed affections and ardent zeale to the truth by which a man goes on with courage and resolution continues with patience and constancy and ends with honour and so receives the crowne of his labours and guerdon of his patience or else to be cold securely pursuing irreligious affections without denying ones selfe the pleasure of any sinne by the interruption of holy duties But these tepid men who make some kind of conscience of praying but pray fainly they take paines to be denyed Qui timidè rogat docet negare He that prayes fainly begs a denyall those that doe the worke of God but doe it negligently labour for a curse for cursed is every one that doth the work of the Lord negligently He that serves God with a ceremony and complement only his service shall bee recompenced with that answer Isay 1. 12. Who hath required this at your hand to tread my Court The truth is these men take paines to aggrauate their owne condemnation For if Religion be a good cause why doe these men goe so coldly about it and if it be a bad why doe not they wholy disclaime it For better it were either to be cold and such a one who as he hath no piety so he makes no shew of any or else to be hot that is zealous truly such as hee professeth himselfe to be farre better it is to be one of the former then to counterfeit a person which he is not and so as Diogenes said to Antipater who being a vitious man yet did use to weare a white cloake the ensigne of innocency virtutis stragulam pudefacere to put honesty to an open shame In the next place I will make a further discovery of the greatnesse of this sinne by comparing it with its contrary vertue which is included in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Text which is rendred hot and is interpreted in the 19. vers by zealous I will now shew what true zeale is by which lukewarmenesse will appeare in its proper colours Zeale is a mixt Affection of love an anger What zeale is by which a man is stirred up to the profession of true Religion by doing what good he can to promote it and opposing any ill that may hinder it It hath respect both to good and its contrary and produceth effects both of love and hatred of love to the former and hatred to the contrary now this hatred against sinne if it cannot conquer it yet it begets an inward griefe and vexation of heart for evils cannot reforme Thus David did not onely keepe gods law himselfe but he shed abundance of teares because others did not keepe Gods Law Psal 119. 136. Jeremiah wished his head was a fountaine of teares that he might weep for the sinnes of the people Jer. 9. 1. Thus Nehemiah was most zealous in the reforming of the abuses of Gods worship Chap. 13. Thus did the zeale of Phineas appeare in executing the judgement speedily Numb 25. I might instance in Moses our Saviour and in Paul who were in a manner transported with sacred zeale Object But why so zealous some will say What needs all this heate A man may come to Heaven without marching furiously like Jehu Doe we not see many by their too much heate have become Phaeton's and Incendiaries to Church and State and set al in combustion It is not for every one to be carried to Heaven in a fiery Chariot with Elijah Methinks a moderation might serve there may very well be an abatement of this heate it may remit of its degrees and bee brought to an equall temper for doe wee not see in