Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	worship_n	worshipper_n	zeal_n	31	3	8.8238	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A35043	Fraterna correptio, or, The saints zeale against sinful altars delivered in a sermon preached on a day of humiliation for the error, heresies, & schisms of our times and nations / by Z.C., minister of the word.	Crofton, Zachary, 1625 or 6-1672.	1655 (1655)	Wing C6994; ESTC R23793	70,876	177

worship of God is Where was Protestant religion before Luthers time this sinful frame of spirit this shameful inconstancy of the soule in its object and wearinesse of any thing though in it self never so good when a little old is clearly in Scripture dictated to be the cause or reason of building Altars against the Altars of God God expressely charged it on the Jews that being more novellous then other Nations they had changed their glory into that which would not profit Jer. 2.11 When thou didst nothing else but build other Altars unto Idol-gods which in this very regard to note this very ground of following them by forsaking God are called new gods that came newly up whom their fathers feared not As in Deut. 32.17 And when God calls them off from this sinne of Altar-building we may finde him correcting their novelty as that which led them into the sin by calling on them to enquire after the good way and the old and walk therein Jer. 6.16 and many times he pleads his antiquity as a Creator and as their Redeemer to confirm against Babylonish idolatry and curb their novelty in acting this sinne thus and to this end is God opposed to idols with expostulating tearmes Have ye not heard hath it not beene told you from the beginning have you not understood from the foundations of the earth that I as the everlasting Creator of all things am the sole and onely object of Altar-worship * Non habetis novitium Deum sed eum ipsum qui Abrahamo Mosi patribusque ab initio patefecit certe non parva hinc confirmatio accedit quod vetustas doctrinae nobis constat quae per tot secula inter fideles continuata est Calv. in loc Isa 40. from ver 18. to the end of chap. 41. at large to be seen and so also we shall finde the sin of Gospel-Altar-building in turning away from the doctrine and worship of the Gospel to be expressely grounded on and flowing from this shameful novellous property the Apostle useth no enigmatical tearmes when he makes this sinful base disposition and its effects the argument to excite faithful Ministers of Christ to approve themselves sincere worshippers of God by zealous and diligent preaching in season and out of season for the time will come when men having itching eares given wholly to novelty not to be pleased for their delicacy will turne from the Altar of God not enduring sound Doctrine but will set up new Altars according to their own lusts by the heap of teachers gotten to themselves * Causam tanti mali dum vult assignare eleganti Metaphora utitur qua significat tam delicatis auribus mundum fore tamque rerum novarum perperam cupidis ut varios sibi magistros accumulet atque ad nova identidem figmenta circumferatur Calv. in loc 2 Tim. 4.3 4. So that shameful novelty to be the ground of this grand iniquity we see clearly and positively asserted in Scripture to which we might adde the experimented disposition of such in all ages of the Church of God who declining the sincere Word and worship of the Lord and dividing from the society of sincere worshippers have by the distastes of found doctrines and inconstancy in their own opposed principles and practices embracing and with zeale advancing for truth to day that which with no lesse zeale shall be condemned for errour to morrow increasing to themselves teachers and desirous to heare every one speak though they will know none to be over them in the Lord being in a word apt to try all things but never to determine any thing to hold it fast as good approve themselves men acted by no other principle then novelty but thus much may suffice I hope to convince that Altar-buildings many times comes from this very ground shameful sinful childish novelty which as you heard is so vile as to make a people to decline their God long nay alwayes enjoyed and approved merciful and gracious to them to imbrace those novellous vanities which are but momentany and with which they were not acquainted but I must passe to the consideration of the second ground or cause of Altar-building which we shall finde no lesse sinful to the aggravation of this effect Ground 2 The second ground of Altar-building is swelling pride that diabolical disposition that put the evil Angels on an opposition of their Creator from their very beginning to build their own Kingdome that high frame of spirit which admits no peeres much lesse superiours that boundlesse property that cannot endure to be prescribed by any rules or confined within any banks which advancing its own inventions will contend with men nay as much as may be with their sovereigne Creatour for Mastery to which nothing but singularity and superiority can give satisfaction In a word that cursed principle which sucks nourishment from Gods greatest mercies and most gracious favours and when strengthened thereby manageth a resistance of his sacred pleasures and struggles to seat it self in the divine chair much more easily to prescribe the form and bounds of that obedience which it will yield this is a root so notoriously vile that none will own it but where it reignes be ready to excuse I and with seeeming zeal condemne it its evil nature is so fully known as well by the light of nature and long experience as by the law of God that to enlarge on the discovery of its vilenesse were almost lost labour yet from this odious and abominable root doth spring this cursed branch of Altar-building which must needs savour of that seed it doth extract this was the principle that put forward Corah and his company to gather a Gnedah out of a Gnedah a Congregation out of a Congregration and to build an Altar against the Altar of God by declining nay diverting the formal administration of divine worship in the hand of Aaron Num. 16. for we see not that they went about to renounce the material Altar of God who can observe their stubborn refusal to come when Moses called with a proud though unjust recrimination on Moses their puffed up spirits expressed in their plea of universal holinesse with which they being too highly affected durst argue against order and priority and think al above them to take too much upon them who can consider the severity of Gods judgement and their censers made signes and monuments of caution to humility for future generations and not be clearly convinced that pride was the root of all their evil of sinne which caused their sorrow Moses charged this sin of Altar-building in the declining of the Altar of the true God and setting up Altars to their new gods to be the overflowing effect of the Jews swelling pride when he digitates the time of this abomination to be when Jesuron was waxed fat and expressely notes to have been the cause thereof Deut. 32.15 16 17. And as this evil disposition drew strength from God

ground of suspition at the least of building Altars besides the Altar of God The fifth Character as the concomitant of building Altars besides the Altar of God is the dispensation of divine worship without the divine stamp of a due Call and Ordination God never yet appointed Altar-worship without an Altar-office which might not be common to every one nay which no man must take upon him but he which is called of God as was Aaron Heb. 5.4 If Ministery be as it cannot be denied a distinct Office under Law or Gospel it must needs have a due Inauguration thereunto for as in a State an every mans Magistracie is a no Magistracie so in the Church an every mans Ministery is no Ministery a sinful seeking of the Priests Office upon the pretence of the peoples holinesse to be witnessed against by the plates of their censers and the budding of Aarons rod is suitable to Corahs separate rebellion a Whosoever will let him bring a bullock and consecrate himself a Priest is a fit Canon of Jeroboams constituted Altar-worship at Dan and Bethel the high-way to bring the lowest of the people into the Priests Office When did false Prophets run so fast unsent by the Lord but when the Altars of Israel were increased like the streets in Jerusalem Not to multiply needles instances in this clear case let the observation of the Churches of God in al ages witnesse the usurpation of the Ministerial Function never to be found in the Church whilest the doctrine and worship of Christ was preserved pure and uncorrupted and never out of the Church when and where false doctrines and superstitious innovations did abound the promise of Christ concerning the restoring of his Altar and worship came not without a promise to vindicate this Office from the invasion of the uncalled trades-man to the shameful conviction which shall extract his owne confession I am no Prophet I am an husbandman men taught me to keep cattel from my youth Z●ch 13.5 If therefore we would finde who they are that sinfully build Altars we must consider who they are that preach and practise ministerial discharges without due Ordination who they are that countenance and contend for this usurpation counting it a glorious liberty that every man may lay his hand on his own head and speak in the Name of the Lord were the Lord as eminent and immediate in his vindicative stroaks for this sin under the Gospel 2 Sam. 6.8 as under the Law how many Vzzahs would be found dead for their uncalled setting hand to hold the Ark of Gods worship notwithstanding the pretence of necessity How many Vzziah-like leprous foreheads would be found amongst us 2 Chr. 26.17 18 19. of such that by at least eighty Ministers of the Lord have beene warned it is not for them but for the Ministers of the Gospel to offer unto the Lord. But I shall conclude this Character as a just cause to irritate our humiliation before the Lord with that observation of reverend Doctor Hall upon a case not much unlike this though something different It is a dangerous thi●● in the service of God to decline from his owne institutions we have to do with a power which is wise to prescribe his owne worship in matter and forme just to require what he hath prescribed and powerful to revenge what he hath required The sixth and last Character which I shall note to you Blow at the root Observ 8. p. 157. and I will but briefly note it is doleful contests for universal Tolerotion of all religions which a wi●e observant notes is nothing else but the putting of the true Religion out of all protection whilest therein Satan labours to exempt priviledge and for ever to secure his Agents and Brokers the Seminaries and Teachers of soul-murthering doctrines from being molested discouraged and disturbed in his work by any Government and Discipline Ecclesiastical or Civil whereby the hands of all in power are bound up or rather cut quite off that they may never be able to serve God as they ought in the protection and propagation of his Gospel and worship who seriously considers the strict Lawes the Lord left the Jewes for the keeping of them to his true Altar and sees not universal liberty leading from the same to be sinful nay who considers mans novellous nature and sees not a necessity of being kept to some one Religion by authority knowing men are naturally bent to mint Gods services in their owne braine and to go a whoring after their owne inventions to the building of Altars beside the Altar of God Was this sinne ever acted in Israel where the sword was sharp and severe against innovations The same may be demanded concerning the Christian Churches and upon the contrary was not this impiety evermore the effect of impunity and universal liberty I have done with the first part of the enquiry whether in the midest of us Altars may not be seene besides the Altar of God which we have too much cause to conclude in the affirmative I have also noted the concomitants as Characters of this sin so that the subjects of dangerous doctrine of divining predictions of dangerous separations of deadly enmity to Gospel-Altar-Ministery of dispensing divine worship without due call and of doleful contests of Toleration of all religions may justly be more then suspected abettors advancers if not actors of Altar-building and who those are I leave to the observation of the wise whose eyes are in their head and passe forward to the second matter of enquiry in order to our humiliation The second thing to be enquired for the defect of which we are to be humbled in the presence of a God of jealousie is Whether the sincere worshippers have or do according to their duty see to this sinne of Altar-building wherein we might enquire after their sensible observation of and affectation with the sin their seasonable caution and serious counsel to desistance their speedy accommodations of their brethren in matter of accidental temptation and their zealous resistance of the sin according to their places which was before noted to be acts of this duty in the religious Israelites but instead of a spirit faithfully discharging these duties it were well if to our griefe and Gods great dishonour some that have and eminently do professe to the worship of the true God in truth and whose places more eminently engage their priority in suspecting and seeing to innovation superstition Altarbuilding were not to be seene First staid by their self-interest from furious driving with a seeming zeale for the Lord of Hosts against the Altars and Priests of Baal suffering Jehu-like Jeroboams Calves at Dan and Bethel and the high places thereof to stand unremoved and unrebuked if not unobserved as to their sinful nature so soone as the house of Ahab is subverted and themselvs established in the high places of the Kingdome as if Prelatical innovations and superstitious ceremonies were to be

after purity in divine worship and not faction to have been the cause of that non-compliance which exposed you to the unjust charge of Puritanisme and separation from the Temple and Altar of God Oh be perswaded to shake hands with such as shake hands with God and his worship If any will cry the people are all holy to the decrying of Gospel-Ministery conclude them too prophane for you to joyne with Let not example or eminent professions of piety perswade you to receive principles or practices unproved Be sure to follow the counsel of God to go forth by the footsteps of the flocks and to feed their kids beside the shepherds tents when you are in danger to turne aside by the flocks of Altar-building companions for unity to and as Diodate notes imitation of the true Churches of Christ is a preservative against Apostasie to Idolatry If the ten Tribes would drive to the Altars at Dan and Bethel draw with the Levites and all that set themselves to seek the Lord to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the Lord at his own Altar though with the losse of your Cities Suburbs and sweet enjoyments though Israel play the harlot let not Judah offend come not to Gilgal to transgresss nor to Bethaven to swear by the Lord put your selves in dayes of general Apostasie to be hid amongst the thousands of the Lord that bow not the knee to Baal and under the protection of that God that can restraine the fury of the fire and rage of roaring Lions when let loose against his servants for their adherencie to his Altar and worship manifest your selves approved in the Lords Sanctuary now Heresies are abroad to a discovery of the unfound Will it not be an answer of confidence and comfort to the Lords demand in a day of general defection and dolor 1 Kings 19.10 The children of Israel have forsaken thy Covenant broken down thine Altars and slaine thy Prophets and I even I only am left alone Is not constant adherencie to the sincere worship Altar of God commended to us by a cloud of witnesses who suffered most exquisite torments for the same not only by the Jews and Pagans professed enemies to the Altar of God but also by the Donatists Navatians and Arrian Heretiques apostatized from the truth of divine worship besides Papists and Germane Anabaptists who baptized such baptismo flaminis with fire as would not be according to their fancie baptized baptismo fluminis with water so that you see the counsel of God and cloud of witnesses in the Church charging you to take heed of will-worship humane inventions Altar-building beside the Altar of God Not only are you to be exhorted to stick close to the Altar of God and take heed of declining to or turning after false Altars but also in your places according to your capacity set your selves against the sin of Altar-building sensibly observing sadly bewailing and speedily suppressing the sin in such as act or advance it Never let it be said that professed worshippers at Gods Altar shut their eyes at the increase of Altars against God and remaine silent under the sleighting of divine prescription and sinful innovating of superstitious matter or formes in the Lords service Sad is the age in which we live for that Christianity must be approved by apologizing for nay appearing in the defence of universal liberty of all or any way of divine worship and moderation made to consist in a mincing and extenuating of this sin of Altar-building nay in a positive silence as concerning it as if Moses heart might not be soft towards Israel whilest his fury is hot against their Calfe and Altar or Paul let his moderation be known to all men and yet fervently ejaculate a Would they were cut off that trouble the Churches by their Altar-building superstitious doctrines Be not deceived my brethren sins complaint of violence and bitterness must be no check to sincere zeale what if many things accompany Altar-building which are of the Lords own drawing and directing Halls Contemplations on the Calfe at Horeb. may not Moses more hate the golden Calfe wherein is engraven the Idolatry of the Israelites then honour the Tables of stone wherein God had engraven his Commandments and long more to deface the Idol then care to preserve the Tables What soul knowes the right nature of zeale and subscribes not to that unquestionable truth that every man quoad captum in their places according to their powers are bound to defend the Altar of God against all contrary Altars of humane erection considering the sword put into the hand of the Magistrate the censures into the power of the Church not only to be used against sins of the second but also of the first Table and see not sufficient reason to set it self against much lesse to countenance and indulge such as set their post by Gods post their threshold by the Lords thr●shold The general commands of God to destroy the Altars and places built against his with the exemplary zeale not only under the Law but also und●r the Gospel of Civil as well Ecclesiastical powers may be forcible inducements to the resistance and restraining of Altars against Gods as of Constantine Theodosius Valentinianus and others expressely decreeing that in all places and throughout every City the Temples be shut up and liberty be denied to wicked men to have accesse thither to commit Idolatry as also that men be restrained from making sacrifice whereby they restrained false Altars though I confesse they compelled not to the Altar of God Bulling 2. Decade 7 and 8. Ser. I shall never owne or indulge such Papal cruelty as did drive with whips the Pagan Natives in America to the font to be baptized before they were catechized in and convinced of the doctrine of Jesus Christ Ferus in Decla in Josh 22. Vtinam talis zelus in nobis esset quidem non unum ●ltare erectum videmus sed innumera divine worship yet I wish Ferus wish that men in power in republiques might imitate the Magistratical zeal of these Emperours in nor only restraining Heathenish but also Arrian Heretical Altars and contending for unanimity in divine worship among such as have laid hold on Gods Covenant are professed members of the Church and that the authoritative Assemblies of the Churches would follow the foot-steps of the Apostolical Councel at Antioch against the Altar of Circumcision the Synods in Asia at Ancyra at Antioch in France held against the Montanists Altar-building Heretiques when and where they excommunicated Montanus Synods at Rome in Anno 246. and 254. against Novatus and his Heresie at Antioch to the suppressing and condemning the Heresie of Paulus Samosatenus and of the Nicene and other Councels against the Arrian Heresie and also the authority that Jesus Christ hath left in his Church to the rejecting of Altar-building Heretiques after the first and second admonition the charge of particular Elders of the Churches is charged on the Elders of Ephesus in them on all others to look to the Churches of God committed to their charge that they follow not seducers which may arise from among themselves to draw aside disciples after them Let us take heed of adding silence or sinful indulgence of Altar-building as the more sad symptom of Gods departure to the too many eminent and too evident signes thereof extant in the midest of us what a black but of blemish was it to Asa Amaziah and other reforming Kings of Judah That the high places were not removed but the people yet did sacrifice Will it not then be registred to all succeeding ages to the infamie of our begun Reformation that Altar-building was acted by some eminent zealots therein and superstitious doctrines and practice eminently indulged by universal Toleration The late liberty of innovating superfluous and superstitious ceremonies consistent with the substance of divine worship though unfit to be annexed was reputed a posting towards Popery but I am sure suffering and not suppressing Schismes all sorts of doctrines though never so dissonant to divine dictates and liberty to embrace any religion without the establishing the Lords Altar is will be found to be the high-way to Atheism The Ministers of the Gospel generally throughout the Nation not many yeares since acted by a spirit of zeale did * Their Attestation to the solemn League Covenant against Errors Heresies Sschissmes and the toleration thereof declare against Schisme Errours Heresies and the protection thereof by universal Toleration Oh my brethren take heed you lose not your first love be intreated in the fear of the Lord to know the authority with which Christ hath invested his Churches and entrusted you to the defending of his Altar when Magistrates will not nay it may be there is no Magistrate for to do it unite you together in the fear of the Lord exhibit and exercise the Discipline of the Lord in the midest of his people Let not the bounds of Suspension and excommunication be utterly removed as if never placed by the Lord about his holy Mount Let the men of the world see that Christ can have a Church in a Nation formally no Nation but a Chaos of confused people second your attestation with a first and second exhortation to Altar-builders if they will not cease follow them with rejection and cutting off from the Sanctuary of God Consider seriously that if the having in the Church them that hold the doctrine of Baalam and of the Nicolaitans and suffering the woman Jezabel which calleth her self a Prophetesse to teach and seduce the Lords people be the few things that God hath against us we shall have cause to fear that we shall follow the seven Churches of Asia in their sad rejection for following them in sinful Toleration Let therefore the Priests and Princes nay all the people of Gods Israel say to such of their brethren as they suspect to depart from the Lord nay and according to their capacity labour to effect it that they may not rebel against the Lord and against us to build an Altar beside the Altar of the Lord. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 FINIS