Selected quad for the lemma: world_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
world_n	deny_v	live_v	ungodliness_n	2,303	5	11.2667	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A62593	A sermon preached before the Queen, at White-Hall, upon Friday the 26th of Febr. 1691/2 by W. Talbot ...	Talbot, William, 1658 or 9-1730.	1692 (1692)	Wing T123; ESTC R7001	16,845	34

time between sleep and pleasure and as they never call themselves to account so they as little consider that God will Or upon the more daring provocations of others who count it the greatest scandal and reproach to be thought Serious and Vertuous and are afraid of nothing so much as the imputation of Sobriety and Religion who shew their Wit as they vainly think in ridiculing every thing that is Sacred and their Courage in defying God their Consciences and the eternal flames that are prepared for them whether they believe it or not Should I undertake the melancholick and ungrateful imployment of ripping up these of laying open that general dissolution of Manners that is too visible among us to be dissembled it would easily convince us that we have little reason to value our selves above our Neighbours or to think our selves more righteous than they But were we so and were they much worse than we are as bad almost as the Devil himself and as odious in those pure eyes that cannot look upon iniquity Yet as it is no new thing for a Parent to correct his Child with that rod which he afterwards throws into the fire so neither is it strange or unjust with God to make those the instruments and executioners of his Wrath and Vengeance here whom he designs for the everlasting Objects of them hereafter and therefore whilst our own sins testifie and fight against us 't is to no purpose to hope that the greater faults of our Enemies should be any defence to us If ever then we would raise to our selves any comfortable assurances or hopes of being saved from our Enemies abroad we must first endeavour to be saved from our more dangerous ones at home labouring with all our might in our several stations and capacities to help forward that great design of a general Reformation amongst our selves 'T is a glorious and God-like Work and however those that engage in it must expect the greatest opposition from the Prince and Men of this world yet for their encouragement they may assure themselves that greater is he that will be with them than all that can be against them and though they must wrestle both against flesh and blood the lusts and corrupt affections of men and also against Principalities and Powers against the Rulers of the darkness of this world against spiritual wickednesses in high places against all the policy and forces of the Devil and his Instruments yet this ought not to discourage them for they shall have the Strength and Wisdom of Heaven on their sides and that God who has begun a good work by them will I trust in his due time bring it to perfection But till this be done by us or seriously and in good earnest endeavoured while we hate to be reformed what have we do to take this portion of God's word into our mouths or to apply ourselves to him in the language of our Prophet to tell him that he is of purer eyes than to behold evil and cannot look upon iniquity while we continue evil and our iniquities are multiplied in his sight what is it but either to mock him or tempt him to destroy us from before his Face and while we persist in our wickedness and will be unrighteous still how or with what Face can we what ever Enemies we should fall a prey to or however barbarously we should be used by them expostulate with God Why holdest thou thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he No if ever we expect comfort in Contemplating or success in Pleading before God his holiness justice and goodness we must first become holy and just and good our selves we must break off our sins by repentance and devote our selves intirely to his service and obedience and then those Attributes of his will be our security under any dispensations of his Providence That the issue shall be our good and advantage I will not presume to trespass further than only to subjoyn That this is a very proper and necessary work for this time both as it is that part of the Year which the Church has more particularly devoted to Abstinence and Mortification and I am sure all our Fastings and Austerities that do not help us to deny our sins as well as our Meats and Pleasures that do not tend to reform and make us more apt and ready for the work and service of God are very vain and to no purpose and also as it is the Season wherein we are going out to Battel against our Enemies and if God go not forth with our Hosts what success can we expect and how can we imagine that he should come into an Alliance with us till we have broke our League with Death and agreement with Hell and discarded our sins to which he is an irreconcileable Enemy Let us then turn away from all our wickedness that we have committed and do that which is lawful and right denying all ungodliness and worldly lusts and living soberly righteously and godly in this present world let us rent our hearts and not our garments and turn to the Lord with weeping and fasting and mourning let the Priests the Ministers of the Lord sanctisie themselves and weep between the Porch and the Altar and say Spare thy people O Lord and give not thy heritage to reproach that the heathen should rule over them wherefore should they say among the people Where is their God Let all Orders and Degrees of men among us repent and amend and then cry mightily unto God Look down O Lord from Heaven and behold from the habitation of thy holiness and of thy glory Where is thy zeal and thy strength the sounding of thy bowels and thy mercy towards us Are they restrained O our Redeemer suffer not our Adversaries again to tread down thy Sanctuary the people of thy holiness have possest it yet but a little while And then we may hope that God will hear and have mercy that thus sowing in Tears we shall reap in joy and that such a penitential Spring will be followed with a happy and successful Summer FINIS