Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	allow_v	zeal_n	zealous_a	41	3	9.2942	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A39669	The method of grace, in bringing home the eternal redemption contrived by the Father, and accomplished by the Son through the effectual application of the spirit unto God's elect, being the second part of Gospel redemption : wherein the great mysterie of our union and communion with Christ is opened and applied, unbelievers invited, false pretenders convicted, every mans claim to Christ examined, and the misery of Christless persons discovered and bewailed / by John Flavell ...	Flavel, John, 1630?-1691.	1681 (1681)	Wing F1169; ESTC R20432	474,959	654

art a guide to the blind c. And this is the temptation and delusion of knowing persons who are so far from being blind in their own account that they account themselves the guides of the blind yet who blinder than such men Fourthly External reformation is improved by the policy of Satan against true Spiritual reformation and passes current up and down the world For conversion though it serves only to strengthen Satans interest in the soul Mat. 12. 44. and for want of a real change of heart doth but increase their sin and misery 2 Pet. 2. 20. This is the generation that is pure in their own eyes and yet are not washed from their filthiness The cleanness of their hands blinds them in discovering the foulness of their hearts Fifthly The policy of Satan improves diligence in some duties against the convictions of other duties The external duties of Religion as hearing praying fasting against the great duties of repenting and believing This was their case Isa 58. 2 3. Yet they seek me daily and delight to know my ways as a nation that did righteousness and forsook not the Ordinances of their God They ask of me the Ordinances of Justice they take delight in approching to God Wherefore have we fasted say they and thou seest not wherefore have we afflicted our souls and thou takest no knowledge Thus duty is improved against duty the externals against the internals of Religion and multitudes are blinded this way Sixthly The policy of Satan improves zeal against zeal and thereby blinds a great part of the world he allows men to be zealous against a false religion if thereby he may prevent them from being zealous in the true Religion He diverts their zeal against their own sins by spending it against other mens Thus Paul was once blinded by his own zeal for the law Act. 22. 3. And many men at this day satisfie themselves in their own zeal against the corruptions of Gods worship and the superstitions of others who never felt the power of true Religion upon their own hearts a dangerous blind of Satan Seventhly The policy of Satan improves the esteem and respect men have from the people of God against their great duty and interest to become such themselves Rev. 3. 1. Thou hast a name that thou livest but thou art dead It is enough to many men that they obtain acceptation among the Saints though they be none of that number the good opinion of others begets and confirms their good opinion of themselves Eighthly The policy of Satan improves soundness of Judgment against soundness of heart An Orthodox head against an Orthodox heart and life Dogmatical faith against justifying saith This was the case of them before mentioned Rom. 2. 18 19. Men satisfie themselves that they have a sound understanding though mean while they have a very rotten heart 'T is enough for them that their heads are regular though their hearts and lives be very irre●…gular Ninthly The policy of Satan improves the blessings of God against the blessings of God blinding us by the blessings of providence so as not to discern the want of spiritual blessings perswading men that the smiles of providence in their prosperity succe●…s and thriving designs in the world are good evidences of the love of God to their souls not at all discerning how the prosperity of fools deceives them and that riches are often given to the hurt of the owners thereof Tenthly The policy of Satan improves comforts against comfort false and ungrounded comforts under the word against the real grounds of comfort lying in the souls interest in Christ. Thus many men finding a great deal of comfort in the promises are so blinded thereby as never to look after Union with Christ the only solid ground of all true comfort Heb. 6. 5 9. And thus you see how the God of this world blindeth the minds of them that believe not and how the Gospel is hid to them that are lost The Thirty fifth SERMON Sermon 35. 2 COR. 4. 3 4. Text. But if our Gospel be hid it is hid to them that are lost in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ who is the image of God should shine unto them THe words have been opened and this point observed DOCT. That the understandings of all unbelievers are blinded by Satans Doct. policies in order to their everlasting perdition We have shewn already what the blinding of the mind or hiding of the Gospel from it is it hath also been demonstrated that the Gospel is hid and the minds of many blinded under it you have also seen what policies Satan uses to blind the minds of men even in the clearest light of the Gospel It remains now that I open to you the dreadful nature of this judgement of God upon the souls of men and then make application of the whole There are many Judgements of God inflicted upon the souls and bodies of men in this world but none of them are so dreadful as those Spiritual Judgements are which God inflicts immediately upon the soul and among Spiritual Judgements few or none are of more dreadful nature and consequence than this of spiritual blindness which will appear by considering First The Subject of this Judgement which is the soul and the principal power of the soul which is the mind and understanding faculty the soul is the most precious and invaluable part of man and the mind is the superiour and most noble power of the soul it is to the soul what the eye is to the body the directive faculty The bodily eye is a curious tender and most precious part of the body When we would express the value of a thing we say we prize it as our eyes The loss of the eyes is a sore loss we lose a great part of the comfort of this world by it Yet such an affliction speaking comparatively is but a trifle to this If our bodily eyes be blinded we cannot see the sun but if our spiritual eye be blinded we cannot see God we wander in the paths of sin 1 John 2. 11. we are led blindfold to hell by Satan as the Syrians were into Samaria 2 Kings 6. 19 20. and then our eyes like theirs will be opened to see our misery when it is too late The light of the body is the eye saith Christ If therefore thine eye be single thy whole body shall be full of light but if thine eye be evil thy whole body shall be full of darkness If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness how great is that darkness Mat. 6. 22 23. By the eye he means the practical judgment the understanding faculty which is the seat of principles the common treasury of rules for practice according unto which a mans life is formed and his way directed If therefore this power of the soul be darkened how