Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	worship_n	worship_v	worshipper_n	161	3	11.1629	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A93740	The great, useful and blessed duty of a contentment, willingness and desire to die set forth upon true and assured grounds, in several discourses on these following scriptures. By Richard Stafford, A servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. Recommended as more proper and beneficial to be given at funerals than gloves or rings.	Stafford, Richard, 1663-1703.	1700 (1700)	Wing S5119A; ESTC R223444	53,707	69

that perish go on blindly a●… ignorantly for twenty forty or sixty years yea throug●out all their life long in this deceit of being Worshi●…pers of God and yet not doing his will of hearing 〈◊〉 word and not obeying it nor yet doing thereafter whe●… as the Blessedness is to them that hear the word of God a●… keep it Saith David by the Spirit if I regard iniqui●… in my heart the Lord will not hear me Now iniqui●… signifies the thing that is not equal But too many outwa●… Worshippers do not only regard iniquity in their hea●… but also practice it with their hand Nevertheless li●… the Adulterous Woman Who eateth and wipeth her mou●… and saith I have done no wickedness they will not cea●…nor desist to offer up their many and customary Pray●…s unto God as aforetime and as if they had never ●…one any such thing Such may be found amongst the ●umber of those of whom it is written Not every one ●…at saith unto me Lord Lord shall enter into the king●…m of Heaven but he that doth the will of my Father which 〈◊〉 in Heaven Many will say to me in that day Lord Lord ●ave we not prophesied in thy name and in thy name cast out ●evils And then will I profess unto them I never knew 〈◊〉 depart from me ye that work iniquity All will not be ●…ved that go to Church or Meetings and then where shall ●…e ungodly and sinner appear for of four sorts of hearers 〈◊〉 the word there is but one that bringeth forth fruit ●…to everlasting life Herein also God is glorified when ●…ey bring forth fruit but he is not glorified when they 〈◊〉 not bring forth fruit or when instead of Bringing ●…rth grapes they bring forth wild grapes ●o ye think that the Papists do glorifie God by their Mass 〈◊〉 Idolatrous Worship or by their ignorant mumbling ●…er their Beads when it is the revealed will of God that ●eople should pray with the Spirit and with the under●…nding also 1 Cor 14. 15. That whole Chapter is a●…inst praying in an unknown Tongue God is a ●…irit and they that worship him must worship him in Spi●…t and in truth This is opposite unto and shuts out all ●…eir pompous outside Worship and carnal ordinances ●…ter the institutions and Commandments of Men. For ●…eir Worship stands in divers Washings and Bowings ●…d carnal ordinances imposed on them who would wil●…gly always remain in their corruption and errour ●…d never let Reformation come among them although ●… Blessed be God many have reformed from their ●…ays Again May it be thought that the Mahometans by going ●…nstantly to their mosque and by their making a great ●…y and howling in their Prayers unto the God of Hea●…n although they are never so earnest in Prayer as they ●…em to be in tone and voice and also by their Wa●…ings before Prayer as the manner of them is where●… common reason would shew them that the inward ●…urifying and cleansing of the heart of the Worshippers is more required by God and more pleasing and acceptable in his sight then the outward washing of the●… Bodies with water And so with all their other rites an● ceremonies customs and manners do they glorifie God ●… when all the mean while they know not nor believ●… on Jesus Christ by whom there is access unto the Fathe● he being the alone mediator between God and Man And so we may run over and conceive in our min●… as to all the Religions Superstitions and ways of Wo●ship used in the World together with that manifo●… Errour and Absurdity that is joyn'd therewith Do tho●… Worshippers glorifie God It would be hard to say so●… For the Father seeketh such to worship him as worship him 〈◊〉 Spirit and in Truth And seeing that so much Errour a●… Folly Ignorance and Vanity is crept in and intermin●led with the several Worships of the World especial●… among those of the Roman-Church and that vast mult●tude of others who do not at all name the name of Chr●… it may be thought as to them that in God's Sight and 〈◊〉 to his Acceptation He that Sacrificeth a Lamb is as if ●…●ut off a Dogs neck He that offereth an Oblation as if he ●…fer'd Swines blood He that burneth Incense as if he bless●… an Idol Which last is the highest degree of provoki●… God that can be So that such Worshippers do rath●… displease than please God they do rather dishonour th●… glorifie him They make God more angry and furth●… off then bring him near or reconcile him unto the W●…shippers But to come home and nearer to our selves even 〈◊〉 us who are called Protestants of the pure Reform'd Chur●… who come yet nearer to the Pattern shew'd to us in 〈◊〉 Gospel than they aforementioned Altho' our Worship 〈◊〉 in some measure Spiritual and True Yet here agai●… a right Faith and a wrong Conversation a good Na●… but evil Doings will not save any of us Nor yet is G●… glorified by the work done or only in the outward co●…ing to the Places of Worship for if People do therein dr●…near to God with their Lips but their Hearts are far fr●… him if they bring only their Bodies to the place but the●… in their Souls do mind other Objects besides the Invisib●… ●od then as the Body without the Spirit is dead so such may be ●ore truly called carca●e Worship than Spiritual Wor●…ip for it is the Worship of a dead Body only or of a ●arcase without the Spirit Acting or being concern'd there●… Saith God Now let them put away their Whoredom ●nd the Carcases of their Kings from me and I will dwell in ●he midst of them for ever Ezek. 43. 9 Lip labour in Pray●r or Worship is properly Whordom for it takes away ●he heart from God the right beloved and places it ●n another wrong beloved and so it is a carkase of Wor●hip for the reason aforeassigned Both which God requires ●o be put away before he will dwell in the midst of us Having abundantly and at large discoursed by what kind of Worship God is not glorified it will easily ●ppear by what Worship he is indeed glorified For if ●…e is not glorified by meer outside Worship as indeed he ●s not it follows that he is glorified by such Worship as is spiritual which denotes inward Worship for if it is performed by the Spirit it must be inward because the Spirit is within and true God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in Spirit and in truth For the Father seeketh such to worship him and consequently he is glorified thereby so that to Worship God in Spirit and in truth is a part of our glorifying God here on Earth Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the Salvation of God Pal 50. 23. Seeing that they who order their conversation aright will have the Salvation of God shewn unto them it follows hence also that

and his Commandments are express against ●… Hear what the answer of God saith to such To what ●…rpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me saith the ●…ord I am full of the burnt offerings of rams and the fat ●… fed beasts and I delight not in the blood of bullocks or ●… lambs or of he goats When ye come to appear before me ●…ho hath required this at your hand to tread my courts ●…ing no more vain oblations incense is an abomination to me ●…e new moons and sabbaths and the calling of the assemblies cannot away with It is iniquity even the solemn meeting ●…d when ye spread forth your hands I will hide mine eyes ●…om you yea when ye make many prayers I will not hear your hands are full of blood Wash ye make you clea●… put away the evil of your doings from before mine eye● cease to do evil learn to do well Intimating hereby th●… until people did actually put away the evil of their doing and cease to do evil all their acts of outward Worship all their going to Church or Meeting on the Lor'ds da●… how constant soever they are therein all their ma●… prayers offered up unto him every morning and eveni●… nay if it be at noon each week day are not pleas●… and acceptable in the sight of the Lord and consequent they do not at all glorifie him thereby for himself he saith that he will not receive them that he doth ●… require it at their hands who are sinners and works of iniquity to tread his courts but this he requireth his saints and servants so to do that he cannot aw●… with their calling of the assemblies when such come i● to the congregation their appointed times of Wor●… his soul hateth they are a trouble to me I cannot be them all these sayings do import they do not please G●… and conscequently they do not glorifie him By the way there is no doctrine more necessary a●… useful to be continually made known and preached th●… this for it is the common and uniuersal deceit which ●… people of this generation and Country yea of all c 〈…〉 stendom go upon If they go constantly to Church Meeting upon the first day of the week and those the richer sort have Worship in their respective fami●… every morning and evening they think and say to t●… souls all is well enough As the fool said in the gos●… Thou hast much goods laid up for many years take thine ea● drink and be merry so these foolish and deceived pe●… who serve divers lusts and pleasures do say to themse●… Soul that course of Worship and Religion aforeme●… oned will carry thee to Heaven be quiet as to ●… further thoughts or doubts concerning futurity only sure to go on therein eat drink and be merry take g●… and enjoy as much of the world and worldly comfort● ever thou canst But in the mean while and all along t● not do ●rame their doings to turn unto God They do not fra●… or square all their doings according to the great Rul●… ●…ghteousness in Scripture They do not put away the evil ●… their doings For many of their ways are contrary unto ●… different from the Word and Law of God Until peo●…e do actually put away the evil of their doings ●…d doth not accept of their several acts of Worship ●… We are of them that believe to the saving of the soul Heb. ●… 39. And so there is a sort of People who Serve and ●orship God to the saving of their Souls that is such ●…o do it inwardly and who obey constantly from the ●…art all the Words of God's Law and Gospel ' Again ●…ere is another sort whereof are the greater number Broad ●…he way and wide is the gate which leadeth to destruction ●…d many there be who go in thereat who do not serve and ●orship God to the saving of their Souls for these wor●…ip him outwardly and they do not confirm all the ●ords of God's Gospel to do them and so now they are ●ble unto and will at length fall under that everla●ng destruction which will be unto them that obey not ●…e Gospel For he is not a Jew which is one outwardly and it may be truly Reasoned He is not a Christian or ●…vant of God who is one outwardly neither is that Cir●…mcision which is outward in the flesh but he is a Jew who one inwardly and so he is a Christian who is one in●ardly and Circumcision is that of the heart in the Spirit and ●… in the Letter whose praise is not of Men but of God Rom. ●… 28 29. For I say unto you that except your Righteousness ●…all exceed the Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees ye shall ●… no case enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Mat. 5 20. And ●… it may be truly Reasoned and Applyed to the Peo●…e of this Generation Except your Religion shall exceed ●…e Religion which is according to the Standard and ●…urse of this World it will be in no wise a Religion ●… the saving of your Souls Let that kind of outward Worshippers aforementioned ●…editate throughly upon the significancy of these follow●…g Scriptures But unto the Wicked God saith What hast ●…ou to do to declare my Statutes or that thou shouldst take my ●…venant into thy Mouth Seeing thou hatest Instruction and ●…stest my Words behind thee Psal 50. 16 17. And so this ●…nd of outward worshippers do hate him that Rebuketh in the Gate they abhor him that speaketh uprightly Saith t●… Apostle The time will come but I who live nearer un●… the ends of the World do Testifie that what he the●… foretold of is now fulfilled for at this day the time 〈◊〉 come that they will not endure sound Doctrine but after the●… own lusts shall they heap to themselves Teachers having Itchi●… Ears 2 Tim. 4. 3. Which say to the Seers see not and to 〈◊〉 Prophets Prophesie not unto us right things speak unto 〈◊〉 smooth things Prophesie Deceits Isa 30. 10. This day 〈◊〉 this Scripture fulfilled in our Ears for they go constan●ly to them who speak smooth things and Preach Deceit●… And they will not come to hear him that Preacheth rig●… things which is verified as to the People of this Genera●…on and Country And as to him who Writeth these thing●… for they do not receive his Testimony John 3. 32. But ●…ject his Words John 12. 48. Because he speaketh and pu●…lisheth unto them right things Nevertheless such wor●… as I have truly alledged from the Scriptures will jud●… them at the last day But whether they will hear or forbear whether they w●… Read or not these Scriptures of Truth are again laid b●fore them Now we know that God heareth not sinners but any man be a worshipper of God and doth his will him 〈◊〉 heareth John 9. 31. Notwithstanding this is writt●… so plainly that every capacity may understand it y●… nevertheless many Men and Women Satan acting wi●… all deceivableness in them

the Commandments of God or according to the decree and appointment of God this is a glorifying God and God is Glorifyed thereby When Christ his only begotten Son came to taste of that bitter Cup he saith Now is my Father glorified but for this hour came I into the World In the divers kinds of Death some are more shameful and painful then others as to be hanged on a Gallows or Gibbet or to be nailed on the Cross is more shameful and painful than to dye of a common Disease in our Bed yet from hence it follows that as Jesus Christ our Lord and forerunner was made a curse of God for us as cursed is every one that hangeth on a Tree And as himself who suffered for us leaving us an example that we should follow his steps did herein undergo both the pain and the shame therefore the more painful and shameful the Death is provided always that it be in a way of duty and in obedience unto or keeping the Commandments of God So much the more God is glorified thereby Which consideration if it be throughly weighed in our minds should make us earnestly desire Martyrdom and not to be afraid of or decline from it Hence it follows that to take up the Cross yea to take up the Cross dai●y saith Christ He that taketh not up the Cross daily ●annot be my Disciple Which is to cross and do con●rary to our Natural Inclinations this also is a glori●ying God and God is so much the more glorified According as so much the more the Cross is taken up From hence again it follows on the contrary that where a thing is easie and customary God is not al●ogether so much glorified thereby To go on in a course of outward and perfunctory Worship when the Worshippers at the same time commit Sin Iniquity Trans●ression and Hypocrisy God is not at all glorified ●hereby yea he is rather dishonoured according to ●hat is written Thou that makest thy boast of the law ●hrough breaking of the law dishonourest thou God For the ●ame of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you ●s it is written Rom. 2 23. 24 And when they entred ●nto the heathen whither they went they prophaned my holy ●ame when they said to them these are the people of the ●ord and are gone forth out of his land Ezek. 36. 20. And so Hypocritical Worshippers give great occasion as Nathan told David he did by his Sins of Adultery and ●urther to the Enemies of the Lord to Blaspheme By givi●g occasion to the lewd and prophane sort or to the ●eople of the World to cry out and say these be your ●eligions who do such abominable and evil things ●nd it gives occasion to think as if the God whom ●hey pretend and outwardly seem to Worship and serve ●ere altogether such as themselves Psal 50. 21. Or as 〈◊〉 his Commandments which are Holy just and good ●nd Religion did teach and allow them to do such evil ●nd shameful things And many shall follow their perni●ous ways by Reason of whom the way of truth shall be Evil ●oken of 2 Pet. 2. 2. In verse 14. They are called cur●d Children as indeed cursed are all they that err from ●is Commandments Instead of bringing glory unto God ●s they would seem by their outward Worship like ●em that bended the knee and cryed hail Master and yet crucified him so do these Crucifie the Lord of Glo● afresh and put him to an open shame Of such it is said What judgment of a long tim● lingreth not and their damna●… on slumbreth not Hypocrites are ranked in their co●demnation before unbelievers Said Jesus Christ who to be judge of all the Earth and therefore knows ho●… it will go at the last day Give him his Portion with H●… pocrites and unbelievers Now an Hypocrite is one who outwardly Worshi●… God whereby he seems to be Religious and yet at ●… same time lives in the continued breach of his Co●… mandments Like as a stage Player acts the Person another then really himself is Even so the Hypoc●… acts the Person of another for he seems Religious his constant outward Worship and to be an obedi●… Servant of God when in truth he is neither If Man among you seemeth to be Religious and bridleth his Tongue but deceiveth his own Heart A true scription of an Hypocrite for none deceives his o●… Heart so much as he For such take up the outw●… Profession out of some hope to go to Heaven when t●… will not as well as to get credit and Reputation amo●… Men That Mans Religion is vain James 1. 26 S●… may be applied and reasoned as to the neglect or ●… ure in any other duty For all their seeming to be ●…ligious this or that Mans Religion is vain And for his seeming to be an obedient Servant of the L●… God when he despiseth his Word and Commandm●… and when he doth according to his own will and ●…mour any Law or Ordinance of God to the cont●… notwithstanding when he transgresseth this or that ●…cept according as his pleasure or profit swayes and ●…clines him Even knowing and understanding Men ●… plainly see and discern his Hypocrisy and Dissimula●… herein much more will the alwise God who is a Go● knowledge and by him actions are weighed Who sear●… the Heart and tryes the Reins to render unto every ●… according to his ways and according to the fruit o●…doings Men may yea they do deceive their own s●… and others also But they can never deceive God ●… ●…o the alwise God will never be imposed upon as if ●…ch did serve and Honour him notwithstanding all ●…eir outward Pretences who do in truth dishonour him ●nd make his name polluted and evil thought of and ●…il spoken of among the Heathen or ungodly sort of ●ankind I have heard it related concerning the Turks that then they have promised a thing if they are asked to ●…nfirm it further by writing they will answer with ●…dignation Do ye think that I am a Christian to falsify ●… word that I must be forced to perform it by giving somewhat ●…derhand For they observe more truth and just dealing between Man and Man when it is only by word of mouth ●…en many called Christians but worse then heathen and ●…fidels in practice for many who name the name of ●rist will falsify their word and bond also when it ●… in their power so to do Which seems to be to the utter ●ame and reproach of Christianity it self but rather it is ●… the utter shame and reproach of such false preten●ers to Christianity Such who wrongfully take upon ●…emselves the name of Christians do make the name ●… Christ the Lord of Glory evil spoken of amongst 〈…〉 e Turks and unbelievers and it carries a suspicion ●… if the God and Christ whom they seem outwardly ●… serve and worship did teach and allow them in ●…ch falshood and unjust dealing which the soul of ●od hates

most people apprehend and practice concern●…g it yet that Man who will be saved by his Reli●…on must make a work of it yea and hard work it is 〈◊〉 climb up the Holy Hill and to get to Heaven In●…ed too many do not take more Labour and Pains in ●…eir Religion than in putting on their Cloaths and 〈◊〉 dressing and undressing themselves which is a custom 〈…〉 usual thing but there is no toil or sweat therein 〈◊〉 more do they make of their outward Worship But ●…s alone is not sufficient to obtain the benefit and ●…sired end of Religion that is the Salvation of their ●…uls For the Scripture which makes wise to Salvation and ●…aches the way to Heaven doth assure us that we must ●…ive if we would enter in at the strait gate Luke 13. 24. The ●ord in the original signifies Putting forth the utmost ●…rength which meer outward Worshippers do not God is a ●…warder of them that diligently seek him Heb. 11. 6. Which ●…plyes on the other hand that he is not a Rewarder 〈◊〉 them who seek him carelesly or who do it only accor●ing to custom and outward fashion as the manner of ●any is Be ye stedfast unmoveable always abounding in the ●ork of the Lord forasmuch as ye know that your labour is ●…t in vain in the Lord 1 Cor. 15. 48. In this Scripture it is ●…lled both a Work and a Labour and it imports thus ●uch that they who make a Labour and work of it 〈◊〉 them it will not be labour in vain As again on the ●ther hand to such who make no work nor labour there●f it will be labour in vain I mean that little which ●uch people do in Religion for almost all people do some●hat or other therein will be in vain because it will ●ot be sufficient to obtain the desired end which is the ●aving of their Souls There is no going to Heaven by ●afe and sloth by custom or fashion Son Go and ●ork in my Vineyard But thou endure hardship as a good Souldier of Jesus Christ And not to multiply more Scriptures to confirm the point in hand take it for a certain ●ruth and affirmation as the end of things will more clearly shew and manifest That it is a hard work and Labour to serve God accceptably with reverence and Godly fear and to be Religious indeed that it may become a Religion to the saving of the Soul as people do really work and labour when in the sweat of their face they eat their Bread or as it is in any hard labour of the hands and this must be a continued work and labour in Religion extending and running throughout all our Life long The labour and work of the mind is as toilsome and difficult as that of the Body Now the work of Righteousness for so the Holy Ghost calleth it Isa 32. 17. Or the labour of Religion or the service of God is purely and chiefly of the mind it is heart work and Soul work and so it is labour of the Heart and labour of the Soul And here Bodily exercise profiteth nothing but the Soul execise that is the lifting up her self towards God and that most earnest desire which she hath to please him and find acceptance with him hath the promise of that life which is to come And here must be labour and care that thi●… may be accepted with God In Bodily exercise pertaining to Religion there is but little labour or work but in the Soul exercise thereof which is the principal part and the only thing required by God My Son give me thy Heart There must be labour and work to render it acceptable and pleasing in the sight of the Lord. A for instance when we go to Worship to bring our Bodies to the place or after we are come there to sit still and sleep or to have our thoughts a Wandering and Roving or to have our eyes staring and fixed on the several outward objects there is not much work and labour in all this For in the bare going to the place of Worship there is no more labour than in Going or Walking to a place for our Recreation or Pleasure and then it is no● more labour and work in sitting still there then in the Houses of our several Habitations But herein consists the labour and work of the Soul to keep it always lifted up and fixed on the invisible God and to keep it close and attentive to the word preached or when the Law and the Prophets Acts 13. 15. The Gospel and Apostles art● Read than to mind only the things which are therein spoken of and nothing else And when the vanity and inclination of our corrupt Nature this being also one device of Satan that the word preached becomes as seed sown in ●…ony ground for it hath not entrance into and takes ●o root in the heart would turn us aside to stare upon ●…tward objects Here again to deny our selves and ●ith Hezekiah to Turn our face towards the wall that we ●ay be the more attentive and earnest in our Prayer un●… God and in hearing his word there is some work and ●…bour in this before we can bring our corrupt and de●…tfull heart throughly unto it O turn away mine eyes ●…at they behold not Vanity And when the Worship of ●od and the hearing his word is Irksome and Weari●…me to our corrupt Nature which is the great tempta●…on to ungodliness and prevails upon people of un●…dly minds And we could spend the same tune in car●…l Perambulation in the fields In finding our own ●leasure or speaking our own words at the doors or in the ●…oms of our Houses both which the Spirit of God finds ●…ult with in Isa 58. 13. Ezek 33. 30. Yet here again 〈◊〉 deny our selves of this kind of pleasure and agreeable●ess to our Nature as it is corrupt and willingly submit ●…r selves at the same time to the Tediousness and Irksom●…ss of Religious duties there is some labour and work ●…erein for it is of the same Nature as labour is to be Toil●…me and Irksome for no Labour which was inflicted 〈◊〉 us as a chastening and punishment after the fall for the ●resent seemeth to be joyous but grievous nevertheless ●…terward it Yieldeth the peaceable fruit of Righteousness 〈◊〉 them who are exercised thereby For afterwards the Crea●ure is inwardly satisfied because he hath herein complied ●ith the ordinance of God and also herein he hath sub●itted to some part of the punishment of God which 〈◊〉 now sweetned unto us in Christ In the sweat of thy ●…ce shalt thou eat thy Bread By the sweetness and comfort ●hich both is intermixed with and amidst honest labour ●nd chiefly it may be perceived after it is over for there 〈◊〉 no such satisfaction in the world like unto the review 〈◊〉 looking back upon well spent time the reasonable Creature may cry out Righteous art thou O Lord 〈◊〉 thou hast punished us less than our iniquities