Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
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B09543
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The great sin of formality in God's worship: or, The formal worshipper proved a lyar and deceiver. Being the subject of a sermon preacht on the weekly lecture in Boston. / By Joshua Moodey ...
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Moodey, Joshua, 1633?-1697.
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1691
(1691)
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Wing M2522; ESTC W24941
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19,180
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of it among Gods visible people yea too much among those that may have the Root of the matter in them and also because it 's very provoking to God and mischievous to them that use it Now I call that Formal Worship which is opposed to that which is in reality Paul opposes a Form of Godliness to the power of it 2 Tim. 3. 5. Such Pretenders make Perilous Times He intends such Persons as used an appearance without any reality a shew without any substance They made a profession of Godliness and used much Pretensive Devotion in Worship but there was nothing in it save an appearance and shadow only Vox preterea nihil an empty Form no powerful sincerity in their heart nor good fruit in their life And this Vizard men put on to deceive that they may walk incoginto in the World Formal Worship is Hypocritical Worship like a painted Tomb without but Corruption Rottenness within Fire without and Frost within A flame in the mouth but Ice in the Heart A perfect piece of Pageantry a Play where he that is in shew a King is in Reallity a Beggar Such lying Worship is thus Described by Christ Mat. 15 8 9. Drawing near to God with the Lip when the Heart is far from him near in look and gestures but far in heart and spirit this is the spirit of an Hypocrite When out of any low base inferiour end men are drawn or driven to those duties which indeed they have no Heart to this the Lord accounts lying in his Worship And the more external Preparations the more Cost and Grandeur there is in it the bigger the lye Christ reduceth all our Obedience whether in point of Worship or otherwise unto that one word Love now if not loving Worship its lying Worship there is an Idol in the Heart which has their Love while God has their Lips only they pretend Devotion to God but the Idol in the Heart has the Heart all the while When the Heart and Body do not go together in the Service of God the Body shews much love but the Heart is otherwise imployed Ezek 33 31. This lying worship is opposed to worshipping God in Spirit and Truth John 4. 24. Paul served God with his spirit Rom. 1. 9. But their Spirits Soul and Hearts are not concerned or engaged and so there is no Truth in their services because no Spirit in them they are not spiritual and so cannot be true for it is Truth in the inward parts that God requires Psal 51 6. Ephraim was called a silly Dove without an Heart Hos 7 11. And that is a silly sorry Sacrifice that has no heart in it nor can it be acceptable to God Who chiefly minds the Heart Jer. 30. 21. 22. And as the heart is to go with it so the Conversation is to be consonant thereto Want of either makes the worship a lye As a man thinks in his heart so is he Prov. 23. 7. But that is known to God only and himself But when the Conversation contradicts the Devotion his deceitfulness is Obvious to men also Tit. 1. 16. and here Christ gives this Direction for the knowing of men by their fruits Mat. 7. 16. And if the Heart be false the Conversation will not be right for the Heart governs the Conversation If the Heart go not with the tongue the Walk will to the Prudent observer at least often give the Tongue the lye but if heart and tongue joyns the Conversation among men will evidence 〈…〉 the sincerity toward God Now such Worship is called Lying deceiving 1. Lying which is either Verbal or Practical Verbal lying when he speaks not the Truth in his Heart Psal 15 2. Affirming that to be Truth which he knows to be untruth or doth not know to be Truth or denying that to be Truth which he knows at least thinks to be Truth or knows not but that it may be Truth Practical Lying is when a man pretends and professes what he neither intends nor performs when his works deny what his words Profess this is practical lying he lies in his way though he speaks right in his words â—it 1. 6. He assumes the Name of Religion but he practically denies the thing which consists not in words but in Power in Love in Righteousness Holiness Self-denial Mortification c. to which he is a stranger And this is the Lying which the Lord blames them for here and threatens else where Isa 1. 10. 16. Isa 58. 1 7. with Psal 50. 7. 22. 2. It 's called Deceit also They compass me with Deceit Thus Mal. 1. 14. He that has a Male in his Flock and offers a corrupt thing to the Lord is called a Deceiver and such an oblation is a piece of meer deceit A Deceiver is a sly subtil under hand Dealer one that plays Leger-de-main that cogs and cheats and designs to put a sham upon another and this is the aim and spirit of a Formatist in Gods Worship he contrives to put a cheat upon God indeed to mock him Gal. 6 7. And such a Worshipper is called a Deceiver 1. Because he defrauds the glorious God of his just due and of the true Homage and Service which belongs to him from his Creatures It 's true God cannot properly be deceived but he offers at it does what he may towards it and like a foolish ignorant Atheist imagines he may do it thinks God will not see when he turns him off with a bad Sacrifice for a good one a corrupt and lame one for a sound one Job 22. 12 14. Thus he robs God of his Right sends away the Heart about other business and complements God with a little Bodily Exercise or Tongue-Devotion The worm of his Lust doth eat the Kernel and then with some seeming solemnity he makes the Heart-searching and Heart-demanding God a Present of the empty shell A very shameful and affronting Cheat. 2. It may be called a piece of Deceit because it does really deceive others men that can only judge by the outward appearance are utterly deceived by him Samuel was deceived by Eliahs look and Philip by Simon Magus's Profession Come see my zeal for the Lord was enough to have Blinded a Jonadab save that the load Trumpeting his own commendation was too much like an Hypocrite Oh thinks a good and charitable Christian this is certainly an Excellent Man see his Parts Zeal Affection c. and his aim being to seem Religious before men he puts himself in his finest dress when he appears upon the Stage in open view turns the best side outward when he has a great many Spectators while a sincere Soul whose business is to approve himself to God is most engaged and enlarged in his Closet where none but he that sees in Secret can observe him 3. But finally he is called a Deceiver because he doth most miserably and fatally deceive himself Jam. 1. 22 26. He puts a Paralogism or Fallacy upon himself argues falsly
endure to come to it ask to have sin pardoned when they cannot part with it purged while they hold fast their deceit and refuse to let it go this is downright lying before God Jer. 8. 5. Thus we pray for the Sanctifying of his Name Coming of his Kingdom doing of his Will but in heart we are for neither of them Of such kind of addressing God in a Time of Affliction the Lord pronounces that it is but flattering and lying and that because the Heart is not right with God Psa 78. 34. 37. And so of our Thanksgiving which is also a part of Prayer when we say in words Lord we bless and praise thy Name but our hearts are not fixed to that work nor do we take due care to order our whole Conversation so as may be most for his Service and Glory Verbal praising of God with practical dishonouring of him is plain lying So when we promise to him what we never intend to perform at least never duly care to perform they that make solemn vows in the days of their distress but forget to pay them in the days of their enlargement are but lyars and deceivers 2. Of the Lying and Deceit in Hearing the Word When men hear but bare hearing is all they do Hear with the ear but never set the heart to all those things that are testified which Moses advises them unto Deut. 32. 46. Hear but not as the Word of God Acts 10. 33. Hear but do not take care and heed how they hear Hear but the heart goes after their Covetousness Ezek. 33. 31. Hear but gaze and wander the while and it may be fall fast asleep too And by the way sleeping at Meeting is visible and palpable lying especially if allowed and not to the utmost resisted and striven against Eutychus was taken in the manner Acts 20. 9. and made a solemn Monitor to waken all sleepers Hear but come with an Idol in their heart hear and go forth immediately and all they hear is lost the Word choakt and so their labour proves in vain To hear without an unfeigned Resolution to no as well as hear together with a sincere endeavour to perform what they resolve is lying and deceitful Hearing 3. At a Sacrâ—ment men lye to God When they do not discern the Lords Body do not make it their business to see and converse with a Crucified Christ that is there held forth When they come to a Feast but come not with an appetite to a Wedding Feast but not with a Wedding Garment come to receive a Gift but either bring or put forth no hand of Faith to take it When at the beholding of a Crucified Christ there is no mourning over him nor for their sins that Crucified him no activity of Faith though the Lord Jesus be evidently set forth as Crucified for the drawing forth of their Faith on him no inflaming of their Love by the dying Love of a dear Saviour which they are then called to a fixed meditation on the failure here speaks the neglect of what is the principal end of a Sacrament and therefore is no less than lying and deceit in Gods account however the external Deportment may appear fair and commendable before men that can only judge by the seeing of the eye and hearing of the ear 4. So we may say of the Sabbath Which is a special season for the attending on Instituted Worship If it be not kept according to the Law of the Sabbath if we do not Sanctifie the Sabbath that God may Sanctifie us on and by the Sabbath Ezek. 20. 12. If the Sabbath be not remembred and prepared for and sanctified as an Holy Rest with and unto God we do but mock God and deceive our selves If our Sabbath keeping be not a Delight it is a cheaâ— If we only cease from servile labour but not from speaking our own words and following our carnal and sinful pleasures or if we account only that part of the day to be Sabbath which we spend in the Publick Worship and the residue of the time both before after and in the intervals of Worship be spent as common time the whole of our Sabbath keeping is Sabbath breaking and our pretences fallacious and deceitful These are some hints which the serious Hearer may easily enlarge in his Meditations I should have added here something 1. Of the greatness of this sin 2. Of the soreness of its punishment But that I chuse to bring them in either as Motives to incline us to a true and right performance of the Duties of Worship Or as Disswasives from this sin of Lying therein By way of Application First I shall draw some Inferences from the Doctrine 1. If there be such a thing as Lying and Deceitful Dealing in Gods Worship Then we have the less cause to wonder that there is so much Lying and Deceit among men in their converse with each other It 's a very lying Age that we live in Men lye one to another in falsifying their words breaking their promises yea and more solemn Obligations Men lye one of another by scandalous Reports which they raise and broach very much to the detriment of their Neighbours and reproach of Religion Yea there are that make it no small part of their business to invent frame Lies and seatter them abroad to amuse the World withal and to draw forth mens sentiments of which they make their Remarks and of which they make matter of Accusation There is also much Deceiving and Over-reaching one another in Dealing the weakest though the honeâ—â—est goes to the wall I say there is much of this among men Think it not strange while there is so much dissembling with God himself you may look to meet with the like among men And it arises from the same principle the Atheism that is in all Mankind that which makes them dare to lie to God will not let them stick at lying to men Look for nothing but falshood and mischief from him that makes no Conscience of essaying to put his cheats upon the Great God He that will adventure to lye to God directly will not stick more remotely to lye to him as all lying to men is all sin being finally against God 2. See what little cause we have to boast of any merit in any of our Services where there is so much deceit there can be no Merit Outward Performances if they be only such are meer lies and therefore rather provocations unto God than obligations upon him Hence when they trusted to the Temple of the Lord and to their Services and Sacrifices there the Lord tells them they trusted in lying words Jer. 7. 4 8 But suppose they be sincere performances worship done in spirit and truth there will be no room for trusting in or boasting of them for the sincerity of the heart is Grace that Grace tho inherent â—et is infused Grace the exercise of that sincerity in Worship is exciting Grace