Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	false_a	true_a	worship_n	4,780	5	7.8086	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A31113	A sermon preached at St. Mary-le-Bow, to the societies for reformation of manners, Octob. 2, 1699 by Samuel Barton ; published at the request of the said societies.	Barton, Samuel, 1647 or 8-1715.	1700 (1700)	Wing B994; ESTC R32551	15,537	49

A SERMON Preached at St. Mary-le-Bow TO THE SOCIETIES FOR Reformation of Manners Octob. 2. 1699. By SAMUEL BARTON D.D. Published at the Request of the said SOCIETIES LONDON Printed for Mathew Wotton at the Three Daggers near the Temple-gate in Fleet-street 1700. EPH. v. xi And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but rather reprove them BEING desired to Preach one of the Quarterly Sermons For Reformation of Manners I must own that the greatest Motive I had to induce me not to refuse was the Consideration that if I shou'd I thought I might fall under a just Reproof from this which I have read and other parallel Texts of Scripture which require us to be so far from partaking with others in Sin that we shou'd rather set our selves to oppose it all we can And tho' I cannot pretend to add any thing to what has been already said by some Right Reverend Fathers and others my Reverend and Worthy Brethren upon this Subject Yet as I take it for an Honour to appear in so excellent a Cause and amongst so good Company so I hope that tho' but the same things in substance that have been said before be repeated again and in a more homely Dress it may yet have some good effect and help in some degree to farther that excellent End which both as Men and as Christians we are all bound to seek the Promotion of even the beating down of Vice and Profaneness and the Encrease of Piety and Virtue Without farther Preface therefore I shall proceed to speak to the Words of the Text. And in so doing I shall I. Shew you what is meant by Works of Darkness II. Why they are so call'd III. Why they are said to be Vnfruitful Works of Darkness and how well that Character agrees to ' em IV. I shall explain to you what is meant by having Fellowship with such Works and what are the ordinary Ways and several Instances wherein Men are tempted to have that And V. I shall shew That Christians shou'd have a care of being drawn in by any such Temptations and instead of that shou'd upon all occasions shew their utter dislike of these Works of Darkness and be ready to reprove them and to prevent as far as possible the Commission of them Of which Doctrine I shall in the last place make some brief Application to the present Occasion I begin with the First Viz. I. To shew what is meant by Works of Darkness And here all will agree with me that by Works of Darkness Works of Sin and Wickedness are meant and that of the more gross and heinous sort Sin every one ought to know for 't is the Definition given by St. John 1 Joh. 3.4 is nothing else but A Transgression of the Law And therefore St. Paul says Rom. 4.15 Where no Law is there is no Transgression or no Sin But nevertheless all Sins are not alike or of equal guilt or heinousness in their nature And that because there is a difference in Laws a difference in the manner of their Promulgation and a difference in the manner also of our transgressing ' em There is a difference in Laws For some are concerning things of greater weight and moment than others are and upon which the Law-giver is therefore suppos'd to lay a greater stress than he does upon others And hence the Violation of such Laws is so much the worse There is a difference in the Promulgation for some Laws may not be so clearly and fully made known to all the Subjects of 'em as others are and hence the breach of 'em may be the more pardonable and excusable There is a difference also in the manner of a Man's transgressing a Law For he may do it wilfully and deliberately and after many warnings given him or upon little Temptation or he may be surpriz'd into it contrary to his general Purpose and Resolution Now tho' every Transgression of the Law of God may be truly said to be a Work of Darkness yet that name scarce uses to be given to Sins of Infirmity or Weakness to every Failing or Imperfection but rather to gross and heinous Sins When a Man may be truly said to transgress God's Law because he comes not up to the full perfection that it requires or when in some lesser Instances he unwarily and unwittingly offends as by a rash word suppose an imprudent Action a little mis-spence of time or not taking an opportunity to do all the good one might These tho' they are Faults and have the nature of Sins yet the Scripture is hardly so severe as to stile these Works of Darkness except it be in the general as belonging to that kind and partaking in a degree of that nature But that which most properly is to be understood by Works of Darkness is gross and notorious Wickedness such as are those several kinds reckon'd up by the Apostle in the beginning of this Chapter but more fully in the Fifth of the Galatians under the Name of Works of the Flesh Adultery Fornication Vncleanness Lasciviousness Idolatry Witchcraft Hatred Variance Emulations Wrath Strife Seditions Heresies Envyings Murthers Drunkenness Revelling and such like Here are Sins you see of all the three kinds that are commonly reckon'd i. e. against God our Neighbour and our selves 1. Here 's Acts of Impiety towards God such as Heresie by which is commonly understood and may be understood here False and Wicked Opinions concerning God and Religion Fundamental Errors Idolatry or the Worshiping false Gods or the true one in a false and forbidden manner a way dishonourable to him Witchcraft or hold Correspondence with Evil Spirits the Enemies of God To these we might add Blasphemies and open Profaneness in Swearing or Cursing as also gross neglects of God's Worship a general Indevotion and customary mis-spending that time which shou'd be dedicated to God's Worship and Service Again 2ly Here are Sins of Injustice or Uncharitableness towards our Neighbour such as are Adulteries Murthers Hatred Variance Emulations Wrath Strife Seditions And Lastly Here are Sins against ourselves or in the Government of our own Persons such as Fornication tho' that perhaps may be reckon'd also in the former kind Vncleanness Lasciviousness Drunkenness Revellings and all manner of Intemperance Now these and such like gross Sins are most properly to be understood by Works of Darkness II. I next proceed to give you the Reasons why they are so call'd Now 1. One and that a main reason is because they are such Works as in the general Opinion of Mankind are reckon'd vile and dishonourable and are wont therefore many of 'em to be forbidden by Humane Laws And hence Men generally are both asham'd and afraid to commit 'em in the open Day-light or in the sight and view of others But if their evil Inclinations or any Temptation prevail over 'em so as to make 'em practise such things yet so long as they have any shame left they creep into Corners and seek