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
A93436	The conspiracie of the wicked against the just. Laid open in a sermon preached at Eyke in Suffolk, Jan. 23. anno Dom. 1647. / By Zeph. Smyth. Preached and published, to set forth the grounds why the wicked lay such crimes to the charge of Gods people, as they are cleare of.	Smyth, Zeph. (Zephaniah), fl. 1646-1648.	1648 (1648)	Wing S4361; Thomason E467_8	33,776	32

hath not lived five thousand and odde yeares for nothing but that by this time nay long agoe he taught his schollers some of his cunning and they through the corruption of their hearts are so tractable to learne the Devils art that they are very exact in this piece of service to accuse the godly and charge them with things that they knew not A eighth ground from whence it arises is rash judgement the wicked judge all to be as bad as some and hence it comes to passe if a professor fall into a sinne they are ready to say of all that professe Christ they are all alike when David fell the enemies of God blasphemed not that wicked people hate the sinne for they can allow the same sinne in themselves they condemne in others but they are enemies to true Religion and are glad of any occasion to speake against Religion saying this is your Religion and this is your profession but let mee tell such thus much that religion that teach men to be wicked is naught and to bee cryed downe and in some causes a man may justly charge the failings of people upon their religion as to instance if I see a Antinomian that denies the morall Law to be a rule of life to a believer sweare lye slander neglect holy duties I may justly say to such this is your Religion for if they take away that Law that forbids swearing and lying false witnesse bearing and command the true worship of God then by what Rule shall such people lead their lives for it is true the Law is ended to a believer as a Covenant of workes to seeke righteousnesse and salvation by the doing of it but it is not endad as a rule of direction for the well ordering of our lives so that when such as deny the Law to be a Rule of life live contrary to the Law I may justly say such a religion such actions and thus I might instance concerning divers other Religions but when a mans religion teaches him nothing but holinesse to give himselfe onely to God and crie downe all appearance whatsoever if such a one fall into sinne take heed of charging it upon his religion for God will not put it up at thy hands Ezek. 36.23 I will sanctifie my great name amongst the heathen whom yee have polluted The heathen charged all the wickednesse they see amongst the Iewes upon their God and religion as if they should have said I warrant they have a good God and a good religion that they are so wicked well saith the Lord are yee so ready to charge all upon mee and upon religion I will be even with you I will before I have done with you make you to know I am the Lord and that religion teach my people no such things so say I you that charge all the falles of professors upon God and upon religion God will be even with you and hee will make you know before he have done with you that the fault is to be charged upon the wickednesse in their hearts and not upon religion Suppose God doth now or then discover a hypocrite or now and then let a deare child of his fall into a sinne this is not a sufficient argument to fall upon religion and say who would be of such a religion except their religion doe allow them in such actions then wee must know that all that professe religion are not truely religious for there are many that preach Christ and professe Christ that Iesus Christ will not owne at the last day Matth. 7. ●1 The stony ground made glorious shewes and yet came to nothing Math. 13. And many saith Christ shall seeke to enter in and shall not be able Luke 13.24 therefore the backslidings of some and falls of some is no argument to prove all are such for there are some God will keep by his power through faith to salvation 1 Pet. 1.5 Objection But you will say why does God permit wicked people to lay to the charge of the godly such things as they are cleere of God if hee pleased he could prevent it and stop the mouthes of the wicked that they should not be able to speake against his children Answer As all things worke for the best to them that love God so this works for the good of Gods people God doth permit it for the good of his people and thus he frustrates the hopes of the wicked they intend evill against the godly and God disposes of it for good as Ioseph said to his brethren you intended evill against mee and God disposed of it for good So may wee say to such as falsly slander Gods people you intended evill against the people of God but God disposes of it for good there is a five fold good that God brings out of it to his people First God doth by this meanes humble them and brings them to examine what is amisse so that though they be cleare of that crime laid to their charge yet they will then examine whether there be nothing else amisse betwixt God and them they will search their hearts and walke more humble and cleave more close to the Lord. Secondly God doth by this meanes bring tthem the oftner upon their knees to seeke unto him to plead their cause and to cleare their innocency how oft did the Prophet seeke unto God when the wicked did falsly accuse him how doe hee make his moane at the throne of grace unto God beseeching him to plead his cause and to keep him close in his way that the wicked might not rejoyce at his downefall so when Gods people sees that it is that which the wicked would have that which is their joy to see the godly fall into such and such a sinne then the godly will pray more earnestly with David Lord lead mee in a right path because of my observers then they will be earnest with God to keep them from falsing into that sinne that the wicked desire they might fall into and this is a second good that comes of it Thirdly God doth use the teproach of the wicked as a preventing medicine against that crime which the wicked lay to their charge the godly have unrenued nature as well as renued and if God should leave them never so little to themselves they are not their owne keepers they might fall into that sinne which the wicked layes to their charge and every godly man and woman may say when they are falsly accused it is Gods mercy that I did not fall into that sinne they lay to their charge had God left me to my selfe I might have beene guilty of that crime they lay to my charge and God doth use wicked peoples tongues as a warning against such a sinne that when they see how the wicked joy at a brat of their owne hatching then they consider if the wicked thus joy without a cause what would they doe if they had just cause well by the help of God this shall bee