Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	christian_a	church_n	profess_v	3,448	5	8.0722	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A13019	The righteous mans plea to true happinesse In ten sermons, on Psal. 4 ver. 6. Preached by Iohn Stoughton Doctor in Divinity, sometimes fellow of Emanuell Colledge in Cambridge, late preacher of Aldermanbury, London.	Stoughton, John, d. 1639.	1640 (1640)	STC 23310; ESTC S117842	148,853	302

with Object 1 Knowledge in 1 Generall 2 Speciall of 1 God in his 1 Excellent Nature shining in his 1 Attributes 2 Workes 2 Revealed Will. Covenant which he 1 Commands in the 1 Law Obedience 1 Holinesse 2 Righteousnesse 2 Gospell 1 Faith 2 Repentance 2 Commends by 1 Menaces 2 Promises 2 Divine things 2 Faith Assent 1 To Gods truth 2 On Gods Word 2 Manner Sound for 1 Matter Extension Sufficient of Necessaries 1 Respectively 2 Absolutely 2 Manner 1 Substantiall Penetrative 2 Effectuall Operative 2 Soveraigne feare and love 1 Act. 1 Feare 2 Love 2 Manner 1 Sonne-like 2 Soveraigne 3 Sincere Obedience repentance 1 Act. 1 Repentance 1 Morall Legall 2 Evangelicall 2 Obedience 2 Manner sincere 1 Characters 1 Rise 2 Rule 3 Race 2 Cognizances 1 Vniversality Currant Adequate to the 1 Act eschewing all evill doing all good 2 Rule Decalogue first second Table 3 State in generall Particular Calling 2 Perpetuity constant 2 Generall All these 1 Are required both 1 Absolutely 2 Comparatively 1 Knowledge and Faith 2 Feare and Love 3 Repentance and Obedience 2 Must be regulated by the light and line of the true Religion 1 None but that can teach these 2 These are all that that teacheth 2 These are the way to all happinesse 1 What way 1 Sufficient 1 Effectually 2 Onely 2 Necessary 2 To what happinesse 1 True 1 Inchoate 2 Consummate 2 All. 2 Probation 1 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Scripture 1 Knowledge Faith Joh. 17.3 2 Feare Love Prov. ● 7 Rom. 8. 3 Repentance Obedience Psal 15. 1 Distinctly 2 Conjunctly 1 Knowledge and faith Ioh. 13.17 2 Knowledge and feare Prov. 9.10 3 Feare and obedience Deut. 3.29 4 Knowledge love obedience 1 Chron. 28.9 2 Conscience 2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Happinesse in Gods Favour 2 Gods favour by these 2 Application 1 Confutation 2 Conviction 3 Examination 4 Reprehension 5 Exhortation 1 Particular Get 1 Knowledge 1 What for the 1 Object divine 2 Act. 1 Apprehension 2 Assent 3 Degree 1 Extensively 2 Intensively 3 Proportionally 2 How 1 Preparatives 1 Humility 2 Ingenuity 1 Freedome from 1 Partiality 2 Prejudice 2 Full 1 Estimation 2 Affection 2 Perfectives 1 Conscience 2 Diligence to allow time 1 Imploy parts 2 Improve meanes 1 Publike 2 Private 3 Prudence 3 Wherefore Consider the 1 Thing which is a 1 Speciall ornament 2 Initiall Lineament 3 Perpetuall Regiment 4 Effectuall Instrument 2 Times of 1 Gospell 2 Reforamation 2 Get feare love 1 What for the 1 Object placed on God 2 Act tempered together 3 Degree Soveraigne 2 How in 1 Generall by taking 1 Heed to chase away other 1 Feare 2 Love 2 Care to chafe in these 2 Particular by 1 Constant Application 2 Vigilant Caution 3 Frequent Excitation 4 Pregnant Meditation of 1 Vanity of world 2 Excellency of God 3 Nobility of Man 1 Immortall soule 2 Mortall body 3 Wherefore these 1 Best fruit of knowledge 2 Next root of obedience 3 Only grace of either without which neither 1 Knowledge saving 2 Obedience pleasing 3 Get repentance obedience 1 What for the 1 Act in all parts 1 Thought 2 Word 3 Deed. 2 Manner sincere 1 Intrinsecally in the true 1 Rise from 1 Knowledge Faith 2 Feare Love 2 Rule 3 Race 2 Extrinsecally 1 Vniversall in 1 2 Negative Affirmative 3 Thought Word Deed. 2 Perpetuall 2 How in 1 Particular by 1 Increasing forme 2 Excercising these 1 Knowledge 2 Faith 3 Feare 4 Love 2 Generall 1 Serious consideration whereto take 1 Heed of 1 Carnall 1 Reasonings 2 Feare 3 Sloth 2 Worldly distractions 2 Hint of 1 Outward occasions 2 Inward motions 2 Strong resolution 3 Speedy execution 3 Wherefore these are the 1 Scope of Both. 2 Seale of Truth 3 Scale of all our 1 Owne consolation 2 Neighbours edification 3 Gods glorification 2 Generall Seeke 1 All these 1 How in the due 1 Order 2 Temper 3 Manner 2 Wherefore 1 Each of them in conjunction 1 Beautifies 2 Fortifies 3 Beatifies 2 Neither of them in separation can 1 Subsist in sincerity 2 Support in anxiety 3 Suffice in felicity 2 True Religion 1 Magnifie 2 Certifie 3 Satisfie 3 Happinesse in these 1 What happinesse which is 1 Desirable attaineable 2 Miserable in world 3 Incomparable in God 4 Indubitable in this way 2 Why. 1 Necessity of thing 2 Mortality of man 3 Mutability of times 4 Excellency of gaine 5 Oppurtunity of grace THE RIGHTEOVS MANS PLEA TO TRVE HAPPINESSE SER. 1. Preached in Ten Sermons PSAL. 4.6 There be many that say who will shew us any good Lord life thou up the light of thy countenance upon us WEe have treated formely of the use and benefit of a forme of sound and wholsome words The last time I gave you that forme which I did in a prudentiall way The summe of which consisted of 52. Heads or Particulars partly belonging to the Porch and Frontispice and partly to the Pile and Edifice it selfe There were foure things that I desire to premise in the Frontispice Concerning Happinesse Concerning Religion Concerning the Church Concerning the Scriptures And they are all of generall importance in the first gate and entrance as being the first grand inquiries that will be made as it were in the entry How shall a man attaine to true happinesse That is the very first thought the very first desire of the soule and the very scope and summe of all a mans labours and endeavours and the very scope and summe of Religon And the resolution of that brings in the second That the onely happinesse is how ever men mistake I say the onely way to attaine true happinesse is by the Knowledge Feare and Service of God according to the true Religion And that as I said leads to the second Inquirie which is There be many Religions in the world How shall a man know which is the true Religion Which of all the rest is that that the soule may rest upon And the answer will be That neither the Pagan and Heathenish nor the Iewish nor the Mahumetane but in a word the Christian Religion which is professed in the Church of God that is the true Religion And that brings us to the third which is But there be many pretenders to the Church and a man knowes not which of them is the true Church The resolution will be the Protestant Church That Church that submits its selfe to be regulated by the Scriptures is the true Church and then the fourth will be concerning the Scriptures I am now to beginne and therefore have chosen this portion of Scripture for that purpose concerning the first of these foure viz. Concerning Happinesse Now I will but briefely acquaint you with one thing which I did not doe the last time and so goe on There be as I have said 52. Heads in the whole for I framed it so at the first that if it might be possible I might goe thorough it in the compasse of one yeare There be these

and still know it is Gods speciall grace to lift up the light of his countenance upon us even when wee have sought it and therefore that I adde here Thou saidest seeke my face thy face Lord will I seeke Lord hide not thy face from mee Men should still bee begging of God that hee would not hide himselfe from us nor withdraw himselfe but cause himselfe to shine upon us and the only way after all is this that wee shew our selves humble and vigorous in the performance of our dutie for the more vigorously we call on God and the more humbly we walke with God in a sweet manner the more wee shall perceive God to be delighted with us and reveale himselfe unto us Is God our happinesse and our all in all unto it then as those in the first place that want God should make out after him and seeke to enjoy him and as those in the second place that doe enjoy him should make it their greatest care to keepe close to God and to hold him and to maintaine communion with him that they cause him not to withdraw his face from them and depart from them and so withdraw all comfort for when the King is gone all the hanging is taken downe so all joy and comfort and happinesse is gone and taken away when God is gone whereas in the middest of miseries if God be with us we are happie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 where God is there is Heaven where the King is there the Court is if a man be in a prison yet if God be with him he is in state of happinesse Esteeme God so must 3 In the last place let every man esteem and prise God as the only thing of his happinesse and let us shew that we doe esteeme him so if we doe professe that our happinesse dependeth upon God then let us shew that we doe thus thinke and thus believe and thus esteeme of God I might draw this into divers particulars As for example Rich men 1 Rich men let them take heed when they have riches let not their hearts runne too much upon them nor after them but in the middest of them they can scorne them and spit on them and think it is not in them to make them happie but God that gave them and with adherence cleave to God and say I had rather have my part in God a thousand times than all this wealth and it would be a greater evill to me to want him then to want all these for though I had all these and wanted him I should be in a miserable condition 2 If a man be in a meaner condition Poore men in the losse of friends and estate let us learne to set a prise upon God as our only happinesse by delighting our selves in him when all is gone and when wee are stript naked of all other things Doe wee prise God to be our happinesse and doe wee believe hee is able to make us happie alone then let us shew it when there is nothing else but God It is a dishonour to God to relie otherwise You know what Elkanah said to Hannah when she was cast down and overwhelmed with a conceit of her barrennesse Am not I better to thee than many children Should wee not count God so great a happinesse that wee should be able to raise our spirits and possesse our souls with patience though all other things frown on us and though all things else forsake us that were an honour to God indeed and an honour to Religion 3 All Christians should thus prise God above all All Christians if Christians will bee like other men mourne as other men be cast downe as other men it is dishonourable to their profession and exceeding derogatorie from that faith which they have professed namely that God alone is able to make a man happie for how can it be said wee speake truth in saying God is our happinesse when as we let others see how unable wee are to delight our selves in him as in our happinesse Motives 2 Consider the motives to this dutie There be two things in this Psalme which may serve as effectuall arguments to stirre us up to this Possession of God brings truly to set our whole care to seeke to possesse our selves of God as of our only happinesse By this meanes we shall attaine the 1. Greatest Ioy. 2. Greatest Peace The greatest joy First the greatest joy Thou hast put more joy into my heart then when their corne and wine increased this will bring a man more joy then all worldly things can when wee can thus bee possessed of God and esteeme of him and that in many respects More noble joy 1 It is a more noble joy a more high and transcendent joy that raiseth the soule to God which no worldly thing can doe More cordiall joy 2 As it the more noble and the highest joy and more transcendent and excellent for God is infinitely above all those things as being causally all and eminently all and therefore the joy from him as it is a more noble joy so it is besides that a more intimate joy a more cordiall joy all these outward things can but come to the outside they cannot pierce into the heart to affect that but now the light of Gods countenance can God being a spirit hee can penetrate the spirit of a man and raise the spirit and soule of a man and set it above himselfe 3 It is a more permanent joy whereas all other joy is transient More permanent joy all the joy that we have in other things is as the things themselves are but transient they may all nay will all passe away and all bee turned into unhappinesse A man may have these outward things they may make an ornament of joy but they will not hold long All these things being momentary and transient a man may have them to day but they will betake themselvs to their wings to morrow they cannot last long at most not longer than this life but the joy that is setled upon the favour of God is eternall joy and brings to eternall joy 2 As it will bring the greatest joy The sweetest peace the most excellent intimate and permanent joy so it brings the only peace I say the possession of God brings the only peace I will lay me downe and rest in peace A man may bee secure and at rest if hee hath God in possession if he hath God for his friend although all the world be his enemies this may secure him and quiet him God is his and what can all the world do to him whereas if God be his enemie how can all the world keepe him from the wrath of God cannot God finde him out I say although he hath all the world to guard him yet if God be his enemie he cannot rest in security I say though he be compassed with all the world and have it as a guard