Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
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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
in a low Condition Yet we are all plac'd within the reach of God's Power he that may humble the most proud and lofty It may be one Day or other our own Case to be in want and therefore it is an Act of Common Prudence and Policy to Relieve a Brother And this is not a thing spoken at a venture but upon sound deliberation and from the Nature and Circumstances of our state here below Heb. 13.3 Remember them that suffer Adversity as being your selves also in that Body This is so reasonable a duty as to neglect it is to sink below Nature and to be inconsistent with our selves as we are Men. And if so then it will be unnecessary to heap up Scriptures to prove it our Duty as we are Christians for from the beginning it was not so though the Gospel hath much enlarg'd and improved it Abraham Lot Job these were very eminent Examples of this Duty under the Law in entertaining the Fatherless into their Houses and inviting the Poor to their own Tables But if any pretend that this is of Jewish concernment and not so much relating to the time of the Gospel which is not a Law of Works Our Saviour will reply That he came not to destroy the Law and the Prophets but to fulfil not to banish Charity out of the World but to improve it to enlarge its Empire among the Sons of Men. So that to exercise Charity is to follow the very Steps of our Saviour and to obey the dictates of our Supream Master Of so great worth and truth was this Fundamental Truth in his account that he seems to assign Men's Portion in the next Life according to their Charitable Acts in this Matth. 25.35 For I was an hungred c. The Pharisees those devout Hypocrites were seemingly exact dividing the Hair in Religion but our Saviour was pleas'd to give them a more Compendious as well as a more safe way to be Religious Luke 11.41 Give Alms of such things as you have and behold all things are clean to you They are efficacious to press and exhort us as it is possible for Words to be or Men to conceive How comes it to pass then that considering the frequent Inculcations of the Gospel to this in every page Men are generally so Uncharitable Chiefly from these two Reasons First Because Men entertain a false notion of Charity placing of it purely in bare Wishes and Compassionate Affections Secondly Because Men are pleas'd to pass by Charity as no part of Religion Both are absurd and very prejudicial to the growth of Piety amongst us Some Men are apt to stile themselves Charitable when they do no harm by a meer abstinence from Evil but let no Man deceive himself When we are commanded to love our Brother 't is not only forbidden us to hate him but we are commanded to omit no opportunity of expressing our Love by our Actions to love in Deed and in Truth Certainly you would judge that Man Unchristian who seeing his Neighbours House on Fire would not assist and contribute his Endeavours to the quenching of it It is preposterous for us to hug our selves with the thoughts of being Righteous when really we are not not to relief the Poor is to oppress him not to heal his Sores in a Scripture dialect is in effect the same as to wound and lash him You know the Parable Luke 10.30 He that went down from Jericho and fell among Thieves stript of his Garments and half dead the Priest went that way saw him and passed by on the other side the Levite also came and looked on and that was all These men the Priest and Levite added nothing to his Miseries they left the Poor Man as they found him And were they Charitable They were so far from being Charitable that to my apprehension they were little better then the Thieves that robb'd him This I mentioned on purpose to let you see that Religion does not consist in pure Negatives 'T is not enough to shake our Heads at the Calamities of our Neighbour and to please our selves that we were not accessary to his Ruine we are to behold the good Samaritan that took Compassion on him that bound up his Wounds brought him to his Inn and took care of him We are commanded by the great Exemplar of Charity To go and do likewise Some are pleas'd to pass by that Duty counting it an undervaluing of the Blood of Christ and a beggarly way of going to Heaven But I think it is very sad if we can find in our Hearts to part with nothing for his sake that parted with his Life for ours Prayers alone cannot attone his Displeasure though we are not to look upon them as fruitless and unnecessary however I speak this to stir up your minds by way of Remembrance that we are not to expect the favour of a holy and wise God by the meer importunity of our Devotion without Conscience of Obeying his Commands These two have a Reciprocal influence upon each other The Worship of God without Obedience is vain So Obedience without Worship is impossible Tho' we break our Hearts in Prayer all our most zealous passionate Addresses without Charity and Purity of Desires will infallibly perish in the Air So true is that of the Psalmist If I regard Iniquity in my Heart God will not hear me To do good therefore and communicate forget not for with such Sacrifices God is well pleased And so I am come to the Second Essential Part of Religion To keep himself Vnspotted from the World which consists in Purity of Life This is a precept which seems at first sight to stagger the best Christian for considering all the inviting allurements of this world the Pleasures and the Profits of it Who among the Sons of Men can believe himself able to renounce all Is it possible for Flesh and Blood to forego Houses and Estates is it seen to attempt it This seems to cut off the Sinews of our Endeavours and to lay asleep the Powers of the Mind With Men this is impossible but if we look up with God all things are possible To prevent misapplications therefore two things are necessary to be considered First That there is no absolute state on this side Heaven no 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Religion I mean a Hitherto thou shalt go in Holiness and no further The Apostle saith Grow in Grace But how long not a word of that we are to be still doing till we come to Heaven whose happiness consists in Vision We are not to pretend to Apostles purity as the Blessed Angels are called Pure While we are in the Body corruption will be found in us It was the peculiar of Christ who was God as well as Man to say The Prince of this World hath nothing in me John 14.30 2 dly We need not employ our Care to keep our selves from all the things of this World for 't is not the property of every thing