Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	work_n	world_n	wrath_n	116	3	7.4188	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A35541	The nature and principles of love, as the end of the commandment declared in some of the last sermons of Mr. Joseph Caryl ; with an epistle prefixed by John Owen ...	Caryl, Joseph, 1602-1673.	1673 (1673)	Wing C781; ESTC R4133	44,437	144

bad man doing good things 1 Sam. 10. And thus did Ahab when he humbled himself a wicked man doing a very good thing 1 Kings 21. Thus did Jehu when he destroyed Idolatry A very good work but a very bad man 2 Kings 10. 28. Thus did Judas when he preacht the Gospel a very good work but himself a Traytor And thus did Demas when he profest the Gospel and followed the Apostles A very good work but himself an hypocrite and a lover of the world And thus indeed do all hypocrites and meer formalists in their performing of Gospel worship And thus Christ will tell them at the last day as he saith Matth. 7. 22 23. when they came upon him so to upbraid him as it were with the good things which they had done We have prophesied in thy name we have cast out Devils in thy Name we have done many good and mighty works in thy Name Saith Christ to them Depart from me ye workers of iniquity Though you did these good things yet you never did them from a sound principle from a principle of Grace No you your selves were secret workers or lovers of iniquity while you did all these good things Now is not this a sad sight I confess it is a sad sight to see a bad man do that which is bad or a wicked man to do that which is wicked yet I say it is a sadder sight to see a bad man continuing in his state having no spiritual principles to go on doing good For what is this but the just contrary to what I spake before This is the acting of the new Creatures part in the old Creatures state and what will that avail And I would say these two things further God often declares himself very highly against such as do good themselves continuing evil He declares himself weary of their services especially when there is hypocrisie in them Isa 1. 14. Prov. 21. 27. The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination how much more when he bringeth it with a wicked mind That is when he brings it for base ends hoping by his sacrifice to satisfie God for his sin Some hope by their good works to turn away the wrath of God and they hope to get Heaven by their good prayers and by their alms and the like I say when a man doth a good thing with such an evil mind as this hoping to satisfie the Justice of God and turn away his wrath by his doings this is now abomination to God Or when he hopes that God will be well pleased with him in that he brings him a sacrifice doth him some outward service though he goes on in his sin These are those the Lord doth so often protest against And I would say to them further The good you do in that state not having a spiritual Principle the good that you do will not profit you 't will not advantage you 't will be no plea in the great day All the profit you can have by it at most when you have had the utmost that it comes to it is but some external or outward mercy As Ahab he humbled himself why he had somewhat for it he had his penny and therefore saith the Lord Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself The Judgement shall not come in his dayes A deliverance from an outward Judgement but here was no deliverance from wrath and from eternal Judgement And so Jehu for the good works that he did he had somewhat but alas what was it Indeed a great thing in the eyes of the world a Kingdom and a Kingdom for several Generations But the truth is A poor thing for that was all indeed he had for his zeal in destroying Idolatry He had the Kingdom for four Genenerations but he abiding a wicked man while he did that good thing himself was cut off for ever And you see the Ruler in Mark 10. 21. who came to Christ and told him how he had done almost all the matters of the Law why Jesus Christ saw indeed he had done them but he knew he had not done them from a right principle and therefore what was it that Christ gave him Saith he he beheld him and loved him A love of pity as some expound the place O it 's a pity that such a person as thou art that thou hast been a keeper of the Law yet hast not done it upon a right principle And that he did not it is plain for when Christ put him home he went away sorrowful Now all that he had for it Christ gave him some approbation and as he did to that other in Mark 12. 34. Thou art not far from the Kingdom of God I but he was so far as he should never come there unless he changed his state So that I say The Condition of those that do good things not out of a good principle is indeed very lamentable upon these and many other accounts But possibly you will say If it be so That they who do good not out of a right principle their work will not turn to their profit and therefore their case is to be lamented If it be so Were it not best to advise those who yet remain unconverted to forbear doing good till themselves are better I answer No by no means We give no such advice in the matter but let all men do all the good they can And I would exhort the worst of men to do good To hear the Word preacht to pray to give alms Daniel gave that counsel to Nebuchadnezzar a Heathen King Dan. 4. 27. The Apostle Peter gave that counsel to Simon Magus whom he saw to be in the gaul of bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity And that the good that he had done his receiving Baptism and outward profession of faith it was so far from coming from a good principle that he was in the very gall of bitterness yet saith he pray if it may be thy sins may be forgiven thee Though men are evil yet let them do good as far as they can and I would say these three things about it First They are under an obligation to do good For mans inability to perform a duty rightly doth not take off the obligation which is upon him to perform it And though a bad man sins in his manner of doing it yet his refusing to do it would be more sinful And I would say further Though he please not God in doing it yet he displeases God in not doing it So that indeed man naturally considered or in his fallen state is fallen into a very sad Dilemma If he neglect to do good he sins If he doth good he spoils it in the doing of it But notwithstanding all this I say I am far from discouraging the worst of men to do good or to advise any to forbear to do good No I would convince all that their present state is bad and exhort all to apply themselves to all means whereby themselves may be made better

's the conclusion so then they that are in the flesh they cannot please God every action which comes up to the fulfilling of the Commandment is pleasing to God but saith he they that are in the flesh they cannot please God they that are in the flesh what 's that surely not that which two Popes as Infallible as they Judge themselves to be thought to be the meaning they thought that by being in the flesh was meant being in a marriage State But by being in the flesh the Apostle means being in a natural that is being in an unregenerate State they cannot please God and such do not only not please God when they do that which is evil but they do not please God when they do that which is good for the very Sacrifices of the wicked are an abomination to him Prov. 15. 8. and therefore the Apople says of all men in their natural capacity or State there is none that doth good no not one in Rom. 3. 12. Why none do good because none of them have a principle they have not a spring though the matter they do may be good and though possibly they have some good end in doing it yet they not having a principle there is none of them that doth good that is a compleat good no not one there 's no exceptions I need not labour further in the proof of the point but I would make some use of it and I would make a threefold use out Use The first may be for our Information If those good works both to God and Man which are the fulfilling of the Commandment must flow from a Gratious principle then we are Instructed by this truth how to Judge of their best works who still abide in the State of nature having neither a pure heart nor a good Conscience nor Faith unfeigned Why what Judgement are we to make of their works why surely they are not the end of the Commandment they are not the fulfilling of the Commandment the works of such even their works of charity of love of temperance Patience of Justice were call'd by some of the godly learned Antients shining sins and why we may not call them so now I know no reason That 's the Judgement they give of such mens good actions for as Christ tells the Pharisees Luke 16. 15. that which is highly esteemed among men is an Abomination unto God Why because it wants this principle And to be sure though their box of ointment I mean the good things done by Persons who have not these principles I say though their box of ointment may have a fragrant smell among many men yet there are many dead flies in it especially one great one call'd unbelief which makes their whole box of ointment very unsavory in the nostrils of God for so saith the Apostle Heb. 11. 6. without faith it is Impossible to please God And that 's one of the springs expresly spoken of in the text Gospel charity is of a nobler extract than to be found in the whole compass of nature and Godliness moves in a higher sphere than the best dress that the gayest Moralist ever reacht unto In Matth. 5. 20. Except your Righteousness exceed the Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees ye shall in no wise enter into the Kingdom of God That 's a word for Information Use 2. Now upon that let me take up a second use by way of Lamentation If this be a truth then 't is to be Lamented that the Religious duties and charitable Acts of many who bear the name of Christ flow meerly from a natural principle and doing so they are not the fulfilling of the Commandment The most of men Love one another with affection no more spiritual than Damon and Pithius and Pilades and Orestes or any other who are most memorised or admired among the Heathens for Love Yea I may say they worship God and Jesus Christ with a devotion no more raised and spiritual than the old Romans did worship their Jupiter or the Ephesians their great Godess Diana And surely this is to be Lamented that Christian Acts should be done and not from a principle spiritual or not from a Christian principle It is very possible and very ordinary to follow Christ yea to call upon Christ meerly with human affections with Carnal affections Jesus Christ did find it so In John 6. 26. Ye seek me saith he not because ye saw the Miracles but because ye did eat of the loves and were filled To follow Christ was an excellent work but they did it meerly upon a humane principle Yea that prayer of theirs in Verse 34. may well be Judged to come meerly from a carnal spirit When Christ had discourse of the bread that came down from Heaven and giveth life into the World say they Lord evermore give us of this bread and yet this was but from a Carnal desire not knowing what that bread meant spiritually And it appears clearly to be so for in the close of the Chapter many of his Hearers went quite away they forsook him Now certainly to do these excellent things and to do them but with Carnal principles this is a thing to be Lamented Solomon doth report it as a thing to be lamented that often in this world it is done to good men according to the works of the wicked and it 's done to wicked men according to the works of the righteous Eccles 8. 14. This is a thing to be lamented but I now shall shew you two sights more much more to be lamented First 'T is a very lamentable thing to see good men do according to the works of the wicked Thus did David in the matter of Uriah 2 Sam. 11. Thus did Solomon when his heart went after strange Gods and he built High Places to their Abominations 1 Kings 11. 4 5. Thus did Asa a good King when he imprisoned the Prophet and in his disease sought to the Physitians and not to God 2 Chron. 16. 10 12. Yea thus did St. Peter that holy Apostle when he denyed yea forswore his Master in Matth. 26. 72 74. And thus have many other godly men done under the pressures of Temptation and Corruption And is not this a sad sight to see one professing Godliliness yea one that is really godly act thus like a wicked man This is to act as I have sometimes exprest it the old Creatures part in the new Creatures state This is a very sad thing I but now I have another sight to shew you according to the Tenure of this Text and Doctrine which is very sad also And what 's that Why to see bad men do according to the works of good men still continuing in their bad state They plod on and go on doing good things but never mind to become good themselves And so bad men do according to the works of the righteous I say This is a sad sight And thus did Saul when he was among the Prophets There was a