Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	day_n	lord_n	sabbath_n	1,964	5	9.6405	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A51980	The vanity, mischief and danger of continuing ceremonies in the worship of God humbly proposed to the present convocation / by P.M., a minister of the Church of England.	P. M.	1690 (1690)	Wing M68; ESTC R19138	38,859	48

as much instruction as ever and so much the more in that they are apt to think now the name of Christians will carry them to Heaven c. Men must be beat off from more things which they are apt to trust to for Salvation now than in those times men could not think so much then that diligence in Publick Assemblies and attendance at Publick Prayers was the main Religion Few would profess Christianity in those times but such as were resolved beforehand rather to let go their lives than their Profession but the more Profess it now without understanding the terms of Salvation by it pag. 335. the greater necessity of Preaching to instruct men in it The Lords day hath met with many and great Enemies among the Ritualists This is a gracious injunction and gift of infinite Wisdom and Goodness necessary for us to rescue our Souls from Levity of mind carnal affections and worldly cares and to feed nourish and strengthen them with Spiritual Meditations and Heavenly Joys They that seriously endeavour to converse with God and their own Souls know the truth hereof But Formalists are ignorant of the Divine life to them the Sabbath is a burden Amo. 8.5 they say When will it be gone Pleading some years since with a grave Ceremonious Don of our Church for the sanctifying of the Lords day by spending it in Religious exercises he was so far from understanding me that his return was Shall a man be a whole day on the rack Such a mystery is the Spiritual life to a man that spends his Zeal on Rites and Ceremonies To ease such animal men from the rack a book for sports on the Lords day was injoined Ministers to read in the time of Divine Service Here we may wonder at the Fantastical humour of a sort of men they persecuted the people for working in their lawful callings on the Festival days and silenced conscientious Ministers for not reading a book for sports on Gods Day It was pretended in that sportful book that the superstitious observation of the Lords day did render his Majesties Subjects unfit for his Service in the Wars But what kind of Fighters those sportmongers on Gods day were the event shewed not long after Jer. 44.21 Did not the Lord remember them and came it not into his mind The Lords day duly observed is a mighty instrument for the promoting the Life of Godliness in the Souls of Christians The serious observation of this begets in people another Spirit than is in Christians of other Reformed Churches They are much more above the carnal World than most of them and than any that slight that day in our own The Scripture hath its share of contempt from Ceremonialists of the truth hereof the Impositions of Rome are a full proof We need not go so far For other Imposers are guilty of the same in a lower degree while they injoyn on Ministers and People terms of Communion not warranted by the Word of God And this is the worse because when Scripture is urged foolish preciseness and impertinency hath been charged on them that have pleaded against such unscriptural Impositions Our holy Religion hath been mightily exposed to the scorn of evil men when they see pretenders to it spend all their zeal on little things Force and Rigorous Impositions make men suspect the weight of the thing it self Dr. Stilling Iren. Pref. pag. 11. when such force is used to make it enter When people are very earnest for trifles as if the whole weight of Religion depended on them some may be tempted to suspect that all is but a cheat a trick of cunning Churchmen to form people to serve their purposes especially when one that hath written books for Conformity shall say that is the best Body of Divinity that enables a man to keep a Coach and six Horses Our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ who hath suffered so much for sinners suffers again by the mockery of Ceremonies without the heart All the pomp of them is to him a Crown of Thorns if persecutors for them wound the weak consciences of his members One may conform to the use of the transient sign of the Cross and Scoff at the knowledge of Christ a book so called Parker of Religion and Loyalty Par. I. Pag. 28 29. Lon. 1684. ridicules the Title it bears Another is much more bold takes upon him to dethrone the King of Kings and set him at the footstool of Crowned dust It is but a crude expression not to call it prophane because it is so common by customary mistake to affirm that Kings are Supream Governours under Christ They are and ever were so under God but so as to be Superiour to Christ as Christ is head of his Church within their Dominions II. Mischiefs in promoting an increase of all kind of wickedness The most immoral men if they did pretend zeal for Ceremonies and were furious against Dissenters did pass for good Christians and true sons of the Church This false measure hath hardened abundance in their evil ways mightily cherished and increased vice in the Land Conformity to Ceremonies hath been a Cloak that hath covered the most filthy abominations The continuance of them in the Worship of God will be a gratification of the worst Christians and a grief to the best A Ceremonious service is apt to corrupt people with sensuality It is easy to the flesh not crossing any of its interests Holiness requires the subjection of the thoughts and imaginations of the heart unto Christ that we should be pure in thought word and deed But a ceremonial worship is only a bodily exercise which tho it profiteth little as the Apostle saith yet it serves to silence natural conscience and to represent men to imposing Governours as good members of the Church This is all that sensual men look for and if they obtain this they let loose the reins to all excess of riot How much did sensuality increase when it was connived at if not incouraged and tender conscience as the only bug-bear was every where hunted with a full cry People are regardless of the power of Christianity when they find that their Superiors are contented with a conformity to the externals of it The most vicious people cry The Temple of the Lord the Church of England to cover their Immoralities Away then with these mighty Engines of mischief Let us all chiefly mind and pursue those things which tend most to the promoting the work of Regeneration in the world If this course be taken Hypocrites will lose their advantages of seeming religious by zeal for those things wherein Religion doth not consist Corbets Kingdom of God Pa. 74. and carnal designs and interests that now rend the Churches and trouble all things would be defeated and abandoned Of all things that should most be regarded which qualifieth for heaven Mat. 5.8 that is holiness Without it there is no entring into that glorious Kingdom