Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	prayer_n	zeal_n	zealous_a	24	3	9.0891	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65716	Three sermons preach'd at Salisbury the first, A.D. 1680, and again before the militia, at their going against the late Duke of Monmouth ... the second preach'd before the Right Reverend Father in God, Seth, Lord Bishop of Sarum, A.D. 1681 ... the third, preach'd A.D. 1683, at the election of the mayor ... / by Daniel Whitby.	Whitby, Daniel, 1638-1726.	1685 (1685)	Wing W1737; ESTC R28389	88,809	79

Our Saviour also seems to intimate that they did frequently repeat the same Expressions using Battology after the manner of the Heathens to signifie the Vehemence and Ardour of their Prayers They fasted often saith St. Matthew They fasted twice a Week saith Luke and they continued their Fastings * Leightf in locum till the Sun went down and in these days of Fasting they employed themselves in publick † Leightf in 9. Matt. 14. reading of the Law And lastly they were somewhat costly and expensive in their Service for they would beautifie and garnish the Sepulchres of the Prophets Mat. 23.29 to testifie their great Respect to him who sent them and yet these Pharisees are charged by our Lord with gross Hytocrisie he plainly tells them Luke 18.14 That all their Fastings would not justifie them and their long Prayers would only add to their Damnation 2. Men may be frequently possess'd with a great Zeal for God for the Concernments of his Glory the Purity of his Worship the Observation of his Day and of his Ordinances they may be zealous and stiff Contenders for what they call the Truth and by so doing may demonstrate that they have a form of Godliness that in appearance they are great Promoters of his Glory and strict Observers of his Will and yet these very Men may want the Power of Godliness and be the greatest Violaters of those Laws they seem so zealous to maintain St. Paul professeth That it was Zeal which moved him to persecute the Church of Christ Philip. 3.6 and that he was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Zealot for his God when he bound imprisoned and persecuted to the Death his dearest Servants Acts 22.3.9.1 and breath'd forth Threatnings and Slaughters against the Disciples of the Lord. When above measure he did persecute the Church and waste it Gal. 1.14 Act. 26.9 10 11. then was he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 superlatively zealous when he shut Christians up in Prison compell'd them to blaspheme persecuted them to strange Cities and by his Testimony against them did procure their Death he only did what he conceived himself in Conscience bound to do against the Name of Jesus and yet on the account of this his Zeal he stiles himself the chiefest of Sinners 1 Tim. 1.15 1 Cor. 15.9 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Acts 26.11 Rom. 10.2 Acts 22.3 and the least of the Apostles He calls his Zeal excess of Madness and saith that he obtained Pardon of so great a Crime only because he did it ignorantly And of the unbelieving Jews in general the same Apostle testifieth that they had a Zeal for God that they were all zealous for God as he was that they were zealous for the Law and stiffly did contend for Moses and could not hear with Patience that any one should teach 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Acts 21.21 Apostacy from Moses and yet these Zealots as he himself declares Rom. 11.8 were given up by God unto the Spirit of Slumber and though they boasted of the Law yet they blasphem'd the Name of God by frequent Violations of it they Rom. 2.23 notwithstanding all their Zeal for God were by himself rejected from being any more his People and Wrath came upon them to the uttermost and though they did profess the greatest Reverence for Moses John 5.45 yet did they not believe his Words Their Zeal against the Christian Faith caus'd them to send some chosen Men throughout the World to blaspheme Justin Mar. p. 234 335. Idem Dial. cum Tryph. p. 235. Ibid. p. 234 323 335. and represent Christianity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as a wicked Atheistick Sect and from these Men saith Justin Martyr all those vile Stories took their rise which Heathens did object against the Christians Their Zeal provok'd them in their Synagogues to curse all that believed in Jesus and add unto their other Prayers one for the * Leight Harm part 3. p. 217. destruction of the Hereticks for so after the Romish Mode they called Christians They had a Sect of Zealots who in their Writings are stiled good Men possess'd with a Zeal for God who took upon them Leightf in Joh. 16.2 in imitation of the Zeal of Phinehas to kill all such as they esteem'd Transgressors who deserved Death without judicial Sencence pass'd upon them and these Men did employ their Zeal in killing Christians as often as they had opportunity to do it Just Mar. 16. p. 234. 363. Apol. p. 72. John 16.2 and in so doing they conceived that they offer'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the most acceptable Service to God The Pharisees were of all Jews the greatest Zealots they were possess'd with this Opinion That no Man could be saved who owned not their Religion and therefore to promote their Faith Matt. 23.15 and make one Proselyte unto it they compass'd Sea and Land Pocock Not. Miscel p. 354. Among the seven kinds of Pharisees they had one stiled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Pharisee who serv'd God purely out of Love as they pretended but then this Love was only Rashi ibid. saith another 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Love of Reward or Reputation among others So careful were they to have God's Laws observ'd that they by their Traditions made 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an Hedge unto the Law Leightf Harm part 3. p. 216. i. e. They would do more that so they might be sure to do as much as God required Mark 7.2 They were so zealous for the Observation of the Sabbath-day that they would not permit our Saviour to do the greatest Works of Charity or Mercy Matt. 12.2 or his Disciples to satisfie their Hunger on that day and yet our Lord declares that notwithstanding all this Zeal they were but gilded Hypocrites Matt. 23.33 a Generation of Vipers who could not possibly escape Damnation Sciant omnes socii speciali voto se adstringi ita ut quicquid Modernus alii R. Pontifices pro tempore existentes jusserint ad profectum animarum fidei propagationem pertinens sine ulla tergiversatione aut excusatione illico quantum in nobis fuerit exequl teneamur sive nos miserit ad Turcas sive ad quoscunque alios Infideles sive ad quoscunque Haereticos Paul 3. const 25. § 6. Bullar R. to 1. p. 739. Voveant singuli se in omnibus quae ad Regulae hujus nostrae observationem faciunt obedientes fore societatis praeposito § 8. ed. A. D. 1540. vid. Jul. tertium const 9. ed. A. D. 1550. § 5 7 8. Greg. 13. const 89. ed. A. D. 1584. § 12. to 2. p. 472. I could proceed to tell you of some Men amongst us whose Circumcellian Zeal hath prompted them to murther Bishops and of some Scotish Zealots Scots Declaration put upon the Market Cross at Rugland who in their printed Declarations profess to have turn'd Rebels out of pure Zeal for

his eternal Wrath hereafter provide things honest in the sight of all men Now that true Godliness consists not in the outward Acts of Worship or any of those things in which I placed the Form of Godliness but in the Regulation of our Passions the Resignation of our Wills unto the Will of God in Purity of Heart and a prevailing Love to God and in the Acts of Charity and Justice to our Brother will be farther evident 1. From our Lord's Sermon in the Mount which doth most fully press upon us the Performance of the highest Acts of Charity and Justice Mercy and Doing unto others as we would be dealt with but is not so sollicitous in pressing outward Acts of Worship which it doth only teach us to perform in a due manner and so as to prevent that great Hypocrisie which was committed by the Jewish Rabbies in their Prayers and Fastings Moreover among all the Blessings with which our Lord begins that Sermon we find not one pronounced upon the Man that prays or hears or fasts or offers a large Sacrifice or that is nice and zealous but only on the pure in Heart Mat. 7.21 24. the merciful and the Peace-maker the man that thirsteth after Righteousness that hearing doth the Will of God The Precepts of the Moral Law which in that Sermon Christ interprets and rescues from the false Glosses of the Scribes and Pharisees are chiefly those which do concern the Duties of the second Table and do prescribe the Offices of Love and Justice to our Neighbour the things which he there cautions us against and chiefly labours to prevent are causless Anger fleshly Lusts Vain-glory and Revenge censorious Judging worldly Cares and covetous Desires And lastly in that very Sermon he informs us That he will certainly renounce at the last day some eminent Professors Mat. 7.22 who did often call him Lord preach often in his Name and perform'd many Miracles for the Advancement of his Glory as being Workers of Iniquity 2. When any Man consulted him touching the things required to the obtainment of eternal Life he never did direct them to make long Prayers to offer costly Sacrifices or to be much in fasting but to be diligent in the performance of Love to God and of the Duties of the second Table Luke 10.38 This do saith he and thou shalt live and when a Scribe had made this frank Acknowledge that to love God with all our Hearts and love our Neighbour as our selves Mark 12.34 was more than all burnt Offerings and Sacrifices our Saviour represents him as a Person of good Understanding who was not far from the Kingdom of God 3. If we consider all those things in which we are in Scripture call'd to imitate our Lord's Example and to learn of him we do not in the Scripture find any express Command to imitate him in his fasting forty days his praying a whole Night or in his Zeal shew'd to his Fathers House But we expresly are required to imitate his Meekness and Humility Mat. 11. ult his Self-denial and Contempt of worldly things his Love Kindness and Tender-heartedness his Bowels of Mercy and readiness to forgive Eph. 4.32.5.2 1 Pet. 2.21 1 Joh. 3.3 his Patience under Sufferings his Purity and Righteousness and his Submission to the Will of God 4. If we enquire into the Fruits of the good Spirit who is the Spring of all true Godliness we shall not find that Prayer or Fasting Preaching or Hearing or any other Acts of outward Worship are mentioned among them tho by this Spirit alone we are enabled to perform them acceptably but they are Love Joy Peace Long-suffering Gentleness Goodness Faith Meekness Temperance Gal. 5.22 Truth Goodness Righteousness Eph. 5.9 Nor doth the Scripture promise the Blessings of a better Life unto our praying hearing reading fasting but to our doing of the Will of God to the humble meek righteous charitable Person It is the adding to our Faith Virtue Godliness Knowledge Temperance Patience brotherly Kindness Charity 2 Pet. 1.6 11 which will administer to us an abundant Entrance into the heavenly Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour In a word what are these outward Duties at the best but means of Grace for what were they appointed but to be Helps Assistances and Motives unto Piety to what end do we pray and read and hear but to obtain Grace to serve God acceptably and that by the Assistance of it we may be enabled to mortifie the Flesh and purifie the Heart Now means are all inferiour to and only good as they conduce unto the end When we once come to Heaven we shall pray fast and attend upon the outward Ordinances no more but then our Passions will be all regular our Charity and our Obedience will be perfect and therefore by St. 1 Cor. 13.8.13 Paul's way of reasoning touching the Grace of Charity these must be Duties of an higher nature Lastly could we advance to those Perfections in which I place the Power of Godliness without these outward means they would be both accepted and rewarded by God whereas without these Dispositions all our praying hearing reading fasting are an Abomination to God and only tend to aggravate our future doom 'T will be the Aggravation of our future Misery that having been so well acquainted by hearing and by reading with our Master's Will we have not done it our Prayers and Fastings will be sad Indications of our great Hypocrisie they will accuse us of mocking the Almighty when by them we profess'd our great desire to have strength for the performance of his Will our willingness to be revenged upon our selves for the Omission of it and yet when Grace sufficient was vouchsafed did not improve it This will convince us of our insincerity in our pretended Zeal for the promotion of God's Glory and fear in lesser matters to offend him that we had no true Zeal against those Sins which reigned in us nor did make Conscience of observing the more essential and weighty matters of the Law To conclude We have seen the Exactness of the Scribes and Pharisees in the performance of these outward things and how exceeding confident they were on these Accounts of Favour and Acceptance with God and we have also seen with what great sharpness our Lord rebukes their Confidence still representing these renowned Rabbies as the vilest Hypocrites the Children of the Devil a Generation of Vipers that could not escape the Damnation of Hell and that the thing which so incensed this Lamb of God against them and made him almost to forget his Meekness was their want of Charity and Justice purity of Heart and Life whilst they preserved a fair out-side towards men whence he so vehemently exhorts them to purisie the inward Man In the Records of the Holy Prophets we have found that this was the Disease of God's own People they had the Temple of the Lord the place of his peculiar Residence among them thither