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
A94766	Four sermons, preach'd by the right reverend father in God, John Towers, D.D. L. Bishop of Peterburgh. 1. At the funerall of the right honorable, William Earl of Northampton. 2. At the baptism of the right honorable, James Earl of Northampton. 3. Before K. Charles at White-Hall in time of Lent.	Towers, John, d. 1649.	1660 (1660)	Wing T1958; Thomason E1861_2; ESTC R210178	89,836	224

was not afraid to say nor need we scruple to learn of him I have surely built thee an House to dwell in a setled place for thee to abide in for ever 1 Kings 8.13 Let them take and stand to Calvins exposition of their misunderstood Text that indeed God is not lockt up in these Temples nor fastned to the Pillars of them as those whom they made their gods in the Church of Rome his presence is not bounded here nor his favour so cemented within these walls that it no where else shines upon his people but yet here he is in a more extraordinary manner in a larger and fuller manifestation of his presence than elsewhere Our blessed Redeemer is every where but where a few are gathered together in his name and this is the place for that He will be in the midst of them Mat. 18.20 more near to them by the special gifts and graces of his Holy Spirit which he will pour out amongst them Jacob was not such a Novice in Religion at seventy yeares of age but that he knew God was present every where notwithstanding when God vouchsafed him the Vision of himselfe and his holy Angels and that he had a more speciall enjoying of his presence in that place than elsewhere O then How dreadfull is this place this is Bethel this is none other but the House of God and the Gate of Heaven surely the Lord is in this place and I was not aware Gen. 28.17 And we are not aware oft times that the Lord is in this place if we were we would come into it as into his presence we would demean our selves in it as before God Solomon should not lose the labour of his good Councel we would take heed to our feet those of our body too and especially to our affections the feet of our soul when we entered into the House of God Eccles 5.1 Ecclesiam ut Coelum Nilus ade I have much esteemed that direction of an Ancient and wish it ingraven upon the Porch that when we bring our bodies into the Church we would by the remembrance of the Church whose House it is of the very Doore the very Porch of it send our Souls our couversations up to Heaven 't is the Gate of Heaven Jacob tels us the very Door of it is so and 't is holy ground God tels us where he shews himselfe Exod. 3 5. and they who put off the shooes from their feet who lay aside all earthly respects and cogitations and have their souls fitted for the entertaining the tender of of his gracious presence which he makes unto them in this place they feele themselves for the time in Heaven and the heavenly joy that thereby they conceive does thenceforth fasten such an impression in their mindes as bre●ds an awfull respect in them and nourishes a reverent affection towards 〈◊〉 very place wherein they were par●aker of so great a benefit O how the Priests of Dagon and all t●● men of A●●ded shame us in their z●●●● Their false Idol-God fell in his ●o●●e before the Ark of the Lord with his 〈◊〉 and hands upon the Threshold and a●●er that so religious are their thoug●●● to the place once touch'd by any part of him of It so far from a God it was that it was not a He They never tread on the Threshold of Dagon in Ashdod unto this day 1 Sam. 5.5 How far●esse effect ●oes a far greater and better cause work with us in the Houses of our true God we are so afraid to prophane them o●●● one side with superstition and Idolatry and false worship that we dash upon that other impious prophanation of neglecting contemning them giving occasion to men that make a mock at Religion men as false as Dagon was a false god to account no more of them than as of an Out-room about their house Dum vitant stulti vitia Horat. in contraria currunt Is this the Holiness which becommeth Gods House for ever Psa 93.5 I have seene and my soule has grieved to see it a pissing-Channel built up against a Church-wall Jer. 5.30 A wonderfull and horrible thing is committed in the land posuerunt offendicula Jer. 7.30 they have set their abominations in my House which is called by my Name to pollute it If we dare tell Rome of their too much superstition in this kinde to stop our mouth they hit us in the teeth with our cold and carelesse regard when they tell us of Pater Noster's building many Churches and how much a do we have to mend up one notwithstanding the great charge and devout care of one of our Fathers we shame and sorrow to hear Et doci potuisse Horat. non potuisse refelli Sure God sees we use it not well not this and other his Houses as we should else he would warm all our hearts with King David's affection Quam dilecta Tabernacula O how amiable how beloved are thy dwellings Psal 84.1 The zeal of Gods House would if not eat us yet so affect us that we would love the habitatation of it decorem Domus tuae in the Latine the beauty the comelinesse the decency of thine House and the place where thine honour dwelleth Psal 26.8 I am too long in this first part I hope I am and that verbum sapienti one word to the wisest in this Auditory in this Nation in this World would be enough nor dare I now spend time in bootlesse complaint that so many Houses of God in our Land are dis-inherited like those of decay'd Gentry without Revenues that his servants in them being defrauded of their Masters allowance do live on Alms small grudg'd Alms that especially in the most populous places where the Tradesman abounds the Minister suffers want Arise O God maintain thine own cause Ps 74.23 Maintaine those thy poore painfull Servants who lack maintenance Mat. 5.14 as thou hast call'd them the light of the World so do thou pour Oyle into their Lamps pour thy grace into the hearts of thy people to give earthly Oyle to those from whom they expect heavenly light not to account it a great thing if they who sow unto them spirituall things reap their carnall things 1 Cor. 9.11 thus to buy the Gospel is a lawfull a charitable a holy Simony holy though a Heathen hath said it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 One word more from Domus mea That this is Gods House I would fain have you tell them who will not come into Gods House to hear it from me that they wrong the right Owner of it by giving his possession to so many other Deities for no lesse than Deities they make their Saints Martial when they invoke them Deos qui colit ille facit and they do no lesse than give them possession when they inshrine them in so many Temples built for and dedicated to God alone I cry them mercy perhaps the blessed Virgin amongst them and the