Linguistic DNA - Concept Modelling Demonstrator

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	hear_v	speak_v	word_n	7,138	5	4.4441	4	true

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A35043	Fraterna correptio, or, The saints zeale against sinful altars delivered in a sermon preached on a day of humiliation for the error, heresies, & schisms of our times and nations / by Z.C., minister of the word.	Crofton, Zachary, 1625 or 6-1672.	1655 (1655)	Wing C6994; ESTC R23793	70,876	177

worship of God is Where was Protestant religion before Luthers time this sinful frame of spirit this shameful inconstancy of the soule in its object and wearinesse of any thing though in it self never so good when a little old is clearly in Scripture dictated to be the cause or reason of building Altars against the Altars of God God expressely charged it on the Jews that being more novellous then other Nations they had changed their glory into that which would not profit Jer. 2.11 When thou didst nothing else but build other Altars unto Idol-gods which in this very regard to note this very ground of following them by forsaking God are called new gods that came newly up whom their fathers feared not As in Deut. 32.17 And when God calls them off from this sinne of Altar-building we may finde him correcting their novelty as that which led them into the sin by calling on them to enquire after the good way and the old and walk therein Jer. 6.16 and many times he pleads his antiquity as a Creator and as their Redeemer to confirm against Babylonish idolatry and curb their novelty in acting this sinne thus and to this end is God opposed to idols with expostulating tearmes Have ye not heard hath it not beene told you from the beginning have you not understood from the foundations of the earth that I as the everlasting Creator of all things am the sole and onely object of Altar-worship * Non habetis novitium Deum sed eum ipsum qui Abrahamo Mosi patribusque ab initio patefecit certe non parva hinc confirmatio accedit quod vetustas doctrinae nobis constat quae per tot secula inter fideles continuata est Calv. in loc Isa 40. from ver 18. to the end of chap. 41. at large to be seen and so also we shall finde the sin of Gospel-Altar-building in turning away from the doctrine and worship of the Gospel to be expressely grounded on and flowing from this shameful novellous property the Apostle useth no enigmatical tearmes when he makes this sinful base disposition and its effects the argument to excite faithful Ministers of Christ to approve themselves sincere worshippers of God by zealous and diligent preaching in season and out of season for the time will come when men having itching eares given wholly to novelty not to be pleased for their delicacy will turne from the Altar of God not enduring sound Doctrine but will set up new Altars according to their own lusts by the heap of teachers gotten to themselves * Causam tanti mali dum vult assignare eleganti Metaphora utitur qua significat tam delicatis auribus mundum fore tamque rerum novarum perperam cupidis ut varios sibi magistros accumulet atque ad nova identidem figmenta circumferatur Calv. in loc 2 Tim. 4.3 4. So that shameful novelty to be the ground of this grand iniquity we see clearly and positively asserted in Scripture to which we might adde the experimented disposition of such in all ages of the Church of God who declining the sincere Word and worship of the Lord and dividing from the society of sincere worshippers have by the distastes of found doctrines and inconstancy in their own opposed principles and practices embracing and with zeale advancing for truth to day that which with no lesse zeale shall be condemned for errour to morrow increasing to themselves teachers and desirous to heare every one speak though they will know none to be over them in the Lord being in a word apt to try all things but never to determine any thing to hold it fast as good approve themselves men acted by no other principle then novelty but thus much may suffice I hope to convince that Altar-buildings many times comes from this very ground shameful sinful childish novelty which as you heard is so vile as to make a people to decline their God long nay alwayes enjoyed and approved merciful and gracious to them to imbrace those novellous vanities which are but momentany and with which they were not acquainted but I must passe to the consideration of the second ground or cause of Altar-building which we shall finde no lesse sinful to the aggravation of this effect Ground 2 The second ground of Altar-building is swelling pride that diabolical disposition that put the evil Angels on an opposition of their Creator from their very beginning to build their own Kingdome that high frame of spirit which admits no peeres much lesse superiours that boundlesse property that cannot endure to be prescribed by any rules or confined within any banks which advancing its own inventions will contend with men nay as much as may be with their sovereigne Creatour for Mastery to which nothing but singularity and superiority can give satisfaction In a word that cursed principle which sucks nourishment from Gods greatest mercies and most gracious favours and when strengthened thereby manageth a resistance of his sacred pleasures and struggles to seat it self in the divine chair much more easily to prescribe the form and bounds of that obedience which it will yield this is a root so notoriously vile that none will own it but where it reignes be ready to excuse I and with seeeming zeal condemne it its evil nature is so fully known as well by the light of nature and long experience as by the law of God that to enlarge on the discovery of its vilenesse were almost lost labour yet from this odious and abominable root doth spring this cursed branch of Altar-building which must needs savour of that seed it doth extract this was the principle that put forward Corah and his company to gather a Gnedah out of a Gnedah a Congregation out of a Congregration and to build an Altar against the Altar of God by declining nay diverting the formal administration of divine worship in the hand of Aaron Num. 16. for we see not that they went about to renounce the material Altar of God who can observe their stubborn refusal to come when Moses called with a proud though unjust recrimination on Moses their puffed up spirits expressed in their plea of universal holinesse with which they being too highly affected durst argue against order and priority and think al above them to take too much upon them who can consider the severity of Gods judgement and their censers made signes and monuments of caution to humility for future generations and not be clearly convinced that pride was the root of all their evil of sinne which caused their sorrow Moses charged this sin of Altar-building in the declining of the Altar of the true God and setting up Altars to their new gods to be the overflowing effect of the Jews swelling pride when he digitates the time of this abomination to be when Jesuron was waxed fat and expressely notes to have been the cause thereof Deut. 32.15 16 17. And as this evil disposition drew strength from God

destroyed as obstructors of their honour and high enjoyments not as of a sinful nature of humane invention and against divine prescription alas how many may we fear are so blinded with golden thrones and great revenues rhat they cannot see or rather will not and so deasned that they cannot hear the reports of Apostasie backsliding error heresie and erected innovations whereby they depart from the Lord to build Altars besides his Altar Secondly if they be seene and heard are not some that should be covered with shame and sit in sorrow for so grievous a guilt and greatly provoking sin rejoycing and readily solacing themselves and with Altar-building Israel Exâ— 32.18 shouting not for grief but great joy counting and calling it a glorious liberty of conscience reputing the time of the Toleration thereof the glory of Gospel-dayes rebuking the rebukers of so grosse profanenesse nay and what is worst of all with brazen faces and as given up to strong delusions think they do God good service that so do pressing into the presence of God with solemne praises as if God were an object of confused administrations Contemplation on the golden Calfe and direct opposite worships May we not with sorrow consider with Doctor Hall that it is a miserable thing for Governours to humour people in their sins and instead of mak ng up the breach to enlarge it Do we not know that sin will take heart by the approbation of the meanest looker on but if authority once second it it growes impudent Thirdly some seeing the sinne and saying in their hearts would it might not be remaine sinfully silent not considering that the wicked are apt to interpret the silence of God himself as an argument of allowance Psa 50.22 and that he that sees the wickednesse of the wicked when duly called to speak and warnes not from the same Ezek. 3.18 Acts 2.26 is chargeable with the guilt of the sin and responsible for the blood of the sinner How farre is this from an Apostolical spirit who will speak though by speaking they create enemies Fourthly and lastly see we not some speaking against the sin yet slack in their rebukes much below the zealous resistance of the Jewes in the text who mince not the matter but in down-right termes discover the nature of the sin and denominate it a rebellion against God and us and dictate the aggravations therof to render it vile and not only so but with sword in hand and resolution in heart to reduce them to obedience warne their desistance but how many Superiours are l ke old Eli in their rebukes It is an evil report that I heare of you my sons do not so evil against the Lord. Is it not sad to see in very many families wives children servants sinfully following innovations and humane inventions against the truth and worship of God with the silence or at the best but slack rebukes of their husbands parents and masters whose sovereignty exercising its just severity might be an instrument of keeping them more close to the Altar that is of divine prescription It will be no excuse in the day of the Lord for our neglect or coole luke-warme discharge of our duty to say we looked for God to reduce them into obedience to his owne will when God hath invested us with authority as instruments to this end since God himselfe expects this from man why should man expect it from God We might remember though God could as easily have prevented and redressed the Altar at Horeb by an immediate hand yet he sends Moses downe the Mount to do it by shewing his severity severe expressions of anger against Altar-building do very well become and suit with the meekest Moâ—es I have done with the enquiry I shall leave to your serious and second thoughts how to finde out the guilt and subjects thereof only if such guilt be found in the Churches of God in the midest of us that Altars be built or in building against the Altar of God and not regarded or seene unto it is to us matter of mourning and to the exciting your humiliation give me leave to suggest to you two or three considerations as so many aggravations of this evil so vile in its nature as hath beene evidenced but as to us will be found thereby much more vile and grievous The first thing that may excite our sorrow is such a motive as is in the story under consideration viz. It is a sinne committed whilest â—od is striking for late iniquity Is the iniquity of Peor too little for us from which we are not cleansed to this day although there was a plague in the Congregation of the Lord Josh 22.17 What a vile nature have we that whilest our wounds are greene for a past to run upon a new rebellion did not our late dayes abound with superstious innovations giving cause to the Papâ—sts insultingly to say we were posting towards Rome were not many pious people burdened in themselves to see Surplice-service Altar-bowing Eastern-worship and the like introduced to and imposed on the Church as absolute parts of divine worship Were not many faithful Ministers for their non-observance of such will worship suspended silenced and for their zealous resistance many wayes afflicted Was not the Lord provoked did not his displeasure arise have we not felt the weight of his stroke and smart of his rod are our wounds yet healed our desolations repaired and our glory restored O then may it not be grief and heavinesse of spirit to see some so soone to be turned from innovations of ceremonies to the bringing in of innovated doctrâ—nes from such as were but circumstantial and conserved the substance of divine worship to those that are fundamental in danger to subvert the whole frame of the divine Altar of Gospel-worship O how sad is the echo that methinks I hear uttered from heaven against England Why should you be smitten any more ye revolt more and more The second thing that may affect our hearts and engage our hearty humiliation before God for the sin of Altar-building may be this that if it be found in the midest of us unresisted it is a sinne committed under a solemne Covenant wherein we stand obliged to the Lord and with chearful hearrs and hands lifted up to the most high God have sworne That we shall sincerely really and constantly through the grace of God endeavour in our places c. the preservation of the Reformed Religion in the Church of Scotland c. And to bring the Churches of God in the three Kingdomes to the nearest conjunction and unifermity in Religion in Confession of Faith Forme of Church-government Directory for worship and Catehizing c. Artic. 1. Secondly We shall in like manner without respect of persons endeavour the extirpation of Popery Prelacy c. Superstition Heresie Schisme and Prophanenesse and whatsoâ—ver shall be found contrary to sound doctrine and the power of godlinesse c. that the Lord

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