Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A42084
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Charity and integrity of life the pure essentials of Christian religion: or meditations on James I. 27. By T.G. M.A
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Gregory, Thomas, 1668 or 9-1706.
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1696
(1696)
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Wing G1931; ESTC R215986
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12,284
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31
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himself unspotted from the World The words will oblige me to do these twothings 1 st In general to shew that Religion which we must ever hope to please God with is pure and Spiritual without mixture of Hypocrisie or Sensuallity 2 dly That Charity to the Needy and Purity of Life are the Essential parts of this Religion which are explicitly delivered in the Text The former in these words visiting the Fatherless and Widow The latter in these keeping himself unspotted from the World First I am to shew in general that the Religion whereby we must ever hope to please God is of untainted Purity without any mixture of Hypocrisie or Sensuallity In order to which I hope I may take for granted the Being of a God which thing being pre-suppos'd as a truth it is hardly to be conceived how a man can well satisfie a bruitish and irrational Deity that will be imposed upon by his Creatures and worship'd at any rate How is it possible for a Man to believe that God should approve of Vice or any wise connive at the practice of it But admit a Man be so absurd and so offer Violence to himself the Scripture is so plain and convincing proclaiming the divine displeasure against every thing that is Evil Hypocritical and Unsincere that he that owns the former cannot deny the latter that is in words at length He that believes the truth of the Scriptures that God does not equivocate with Mankind but speaks as he means that Man must of necessity confess that nothing can be a pleasing Sacrifice to God but what is Spiritual and Holy and by strong consequence that every thing of what stamp soever that is not real and honest is an abomination in his sight and is so very plain that he that runs may read it For how often does the Almighty declare by the Mouth of his Holy Prophets that no Wickedness shall dwell with him For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in Wickedness neither shall Evil dwell with thee Psal 5.4 Whoever hath been acquainted ever so little with the Holy Scripture cannot but have observed it to be the usual Stile thereof even under the Jewish Dispensation Though the outward Worship for some reasons which I cannot now stand to repeat was different from that now required at our hands in the Christian Church God made a solemn declaration against Sacrifices Isa 1.12 When ye come before me who hath required this at your hands to tread my Courts Bring no more vain Oblations c. Which was to shew that this was not that which God required of them alone for by reason of the Jews obstinacy the gracious and merciful Lawgiver was pleased to condescend to their Capacities and to command them the Observance of those things as were most likely to keep them in a tollerable subjection the primary Institution of those Spiritual Observances was no otherwise design'd then to gratifie their Pallates for even under the Law Obedience was most suitable most acceptable to the Divine Nature and therefore we find that God calls for other things from them such as these Wash and be clean put away the evil of your doings before mine eyes Cease to do evil learn to do well seek judgment deliver the oppressed judge the Fatherless These are substantial Duties such as became the Majesty of a wise God to demand and an obedient People to perform And if the divine Wisdom exacted Internal Holiness from the stubborn unmannagable Jew much more now from us under the Gospel When our Saviour discoursed the Woman of Samaria John 4.23 he was pleased to say that the hour was come when the true Worshippers should worship the Father in Spirit and Truth whence it is natural to infer that the Religion which we ought to pay to our Heavenly Father is not born of Noise or Art but a new Nature in forming the Minds of Men whereby we are taught to know him and knowing God to love him with all our Soul and with all our Strength and to conform our selves as much as we can to that Perfection which is eminently in God the imitation of him in Living well being the best means of arriving to some likeness Beholding the Glory of God we are transformed into the same Image 'T is true indeed the Jews did expect the Messiah should have alarm'd the World with Drums and Trumpets and that he should have marched through the World as it is reported Victorious Hannibal did sometimes through the Alps making way where he found none planting his Gospel by force of Arms but judging this way to be more Military than Religious he publickly declar'd before Pilate the Governour that his Kingdom was not of this World Joh. 8.36 'T was not such a one as the Jews were afraid of a Government set up to destroy that of Herod but a Spiritual Throne to be erected in the Hearts of his chosen People to influence their Lives and make them fit Heirs for the Kingdom of Heaven That Religion which the most meek and innocent Lord planted in the minds of men obliges its Professors to pass quietly and inoffensively through this World and by the most safe and prudent the most pious and excellent Methods to steer their Course to Happiness to lay hold on Eternal Life This engages men heartily to the Obedience of their Superiors it possesses the mind with Universal Charity with the most profound Meekness and Humility it does not gratifie any impotent silly Passion in Man we are all by Nature inclined more or less to that dreadful act of Revenge we are apt for every trifling disgust to call to the Earth to swallow up our Adversaries as it did sometimes Korah Dathan and Abiram But it is the singular prerogative of the Gospel to quiet and allay even this troublesome vexing Inclination of Revenge by teaching us to overcome Evil with Good Well then suppose a Man to be Rich and mighty in the World and to be affronted by a poor Creature Let him call to mind that he is a Christian as well as a Rich Man and what his greatness as a rich man might justly abhor his Charity as a Christian might be willing to bear what his power as a great man might tempt to revenge his Charity as a Christian might teach him to forgive This is the Condescending Spirit of the Gospel different from that which by Nature we can have There is no Wickedness which is not effectually restrained by it not the least Virtue which receives not a generous encouragement from it And now does not this Religion sufficiently recommend it self to mankind Need it any thing else to court our Affections The Heathen were so very sensible of the worth of Religion that they always stil'd their denfensive War pro Aris Focis They plac'd their Altars before their Hearths their Churches before their Estates and Houses And if they so highly valu'd a false foppish Religion how shall we ever set a just