Selected quad for the lemma: evil_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
evil_n	evil_a	heart_n	thought_n	2,080	5	8.0009	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A87056	Gods judgements upon drunkards, swearers, and sabbath-breakers. In a collection of the most remarkable examples of Gods revealed wrath upon these sins with their aggravations, as well from scripture, as reason. And a caution to authority, lest the impunity of these evils bring a scourge upon the whole nation. By W. L.	Hammond, Samuel, d. 1665.	1659 (1659)	Wing H623bA; ESTC R230554	59,944	204

know that what is lawful on other dayes are sins on this day and such of you as need not by Gods blessings in a full estate toil all the week whereby you cannot plead a wearinesse to waite on God upon his own day you turn his blessings into a curse if you prophane it you play all the six dayes it s a sin with a witnesse if you play away the seventh also You that cannot close this Holy Day without an evening sacrifice to Bacchus instead of prayers to the Lord that made Heaven and Earth Gods Judgements sleep not you are preparing your selves as fuell for the fire of Gods vengeance and displeasure Nextly to you that sit idly at home never dreaming how to escape that wrath to come methinks I read your sad conditions in your conversations That never think of God all the week you cannot for your callings you will not for your pleasures on the Lords Day if there be any difference betwixt you and Heathens it is that you know your condemnation before it come you will be at the Great Day witnesses for God against your selves To see so many idly sit at home and never mind to hear the Word methinks I am amongst the Indians It s a very heavy thing to consider in some places half the Parish at home in idlenesse or walking abroad in Sermon-time nay I have heard it credibly affirmed from the mouth of a Minister in this County that of some thousands in a Parish there hath not been sometimes a hundred at a Sermon nay not fifty nay not twenty shall I say not ten Is not this a sad case to be in a Christian Common-wealth Nay it s the sad experience of this place where I live and I may speak it to my own knowledge that three quarters of the people able to come of this populous place do idly stay at home or walk abroad not a family of ten but the most of them are at home in idlenesse if not at play or drinking Upon this account I would conclude with one word Good people let me perswade you to serve God rather than gratifie the Devil with your own damnation Is your labour lesse to sit at home than in the Congregation Do you think you have no souls to save nor to lose you had better be working than idle for that is a sin in it self and is made greater on this day You live more like the brute beasts that are fed by the senses onely How can you be saved if you will not come unto him that you may have life Are you Christians or Infidels Do you professe to worship God or Mahomet How shall you believe on him of whom you have not heard how can you hear without a Preacher not to hear that Blessed Gospel which Christ hath sent into our Coasts our Houses is to do as the Gadereans did drive Christ from our Habitations Such as followed Christ and his Apostles were converted I read of few else and such onely as lay at the Pool were healed To see people flocking to hear the Word like Doves to the windows it is a blessed sight But instead hereof we have some that entertain Quakers meetings in their houses on the Lords Day They have a sad account to give I hear some excusing their staying at home sometimes by their going other times these are common excuses But thou knowest not but that day thou stayest from the Ministery of the Word God may have intended thy eternal salvation and that with Zacheus God might have said This day salvation is come into thy house But I read good books That thou mayest do when thou canst not hear good Sermons and though it be good to read yet here its a sin and a temptation because thou neglect'sta greater good The Word stirs the soul under it and commonly cometh with power and demonstration of the Spirit and I know ther 's great difference between hearing and reading and the later is no lesse an evil thus used than the ejection of different thoughts in prayer from the subject and nature of the duty is an evil by consequence But I do no body hurt I am not playing nor drinking nor swearing so that I need not fear Gods judgements What judgement dost thou think a hard heart is which commonly is the fruit of the neglect of Gods Ordinances is it not the worst of judgements for thou mayst be destroyed with bodily punishment as Eli and others were and yet thy soul be saved but thou canst not have a judicial hardnesse of heart upon thee and be saved therefore take heed of this sin and fear lest a worse judgement befal thee than an outward destruction for how canst thou escape if thou neglect so great salvation My design is not to direct others to the keeping this day so much as to keep from prophaning it yet if any be perswaded to look to the keeping of it by way of sanctifying it I refer them to such Learned Divines as have spent their labour in it To those that are not moved by reason nor perswaded by their own advantages from polluting this Holy day by their wickednesse debauchednesse idlenesse or playing at Cards c. Read Gods threatnings that his judgements may appear to be more just by his forewarning us from the sin as well as the punishment If you will not hearken to me to hallow the Sabbath then will I kindle a fire in the gates of Jerusalem and it shall devour the Palaces thereof and shall not be quenched Fire in the Palace sayes a Divine is ment fire in the seats of Justice and the ornaments of a City fire in the Palace no going in fire in the Gates no going out because Justice was not executed upon Sabbath-breakes therefore the place of Justice shall be destroyed those gates that suffered any co come in to profane the Lords day must be now on fire that none shall escape his Judgements If we should see our Towns flaming with the wrath of God and the fire of his indignation taking hold of our habitations it is then in vain to offer to quench it it hath been thus in our Nation as in the examples following If such a judgment be threatned against such as keep not this day what must be the fearful looking for of Judgment by the profaners of it Did not God bring all this upon us in this City yet bring you more wrath upon Judah by profaning the Sabbath sayes the Prophet Ezekiel mentions the sin of the Sabbath and therefore have I powred my indignation upon them I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath and in the 23. Chapter is threatned Plagues and Judgements and v. 18. the Reason for they have profaned my Sabbaths If these serve not the end intended take a prospect of Gods terrible examples which stand as Beacons to warn us from the like sins The poor man that did but gather sticks on the Sabbath day may