Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	good_a	king_n	true_a	3,432	5	4.3675	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A57545	The good Samaritan; or an exposition on that parable Luke X. ver. XXX----XXXVIII. A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell amongst theeves, &c. By Nehemiah Rogers, preacher of the gospel.; Mirrour of mercy, and that on Gods part and mans. Part II	Rogers, Nehemiah, 1593-1660.	1658 (1658)	Wing R1823A; ESTC R222130	165,186	261

found more favour from Achish King of the Philistines then from Saul That Philistin King welcomes him supplies his wants likes his conversation and presence so well as that he professeth himselfe pleased with him as with an Angell of God 1 Sam. 27.3 28.2 29.9 Saul hunts after him seeks to take his life from him and expels him notwithstanding the teares vowes and promises he made to David The promise of a Pagan may be sometimes taken before the Fidelity of a professed Christian Fidelity may be without the Church and falshood within it And thus S. Paul found more kindnesse amongst Barbarians then his own Country men Heare what he saies of the entertainment he had amongst the Iewes Five times received I fourty stripes save one thrice was I beaten with rods once was I stoned In perills often in perils by robbers in perills by mine owne Country-men in perills amongst false Brethren c. 1 Cor. 11.24 25 26. Heare now what entertainement amongst Barbarians when he escaped Shipwracke The Barbarous people shewed us no little kindnesse they kindled a fire and received every one because of the raine and cold Act. 28.2 Ioseph you know was advanced in Aegypt Gen. 41.40 when his brethren would have killed him in Israell Eliah could not be fed in Israell 1 King 17.15 yet is cherished by a poore widdow of Sarepta in Sy●on a heathenish Country in divers other instances this conclusion might be made good Fourthly and lastly Tit. 1.12 Though this thus sometimes falls out yet it is not the fault of true Profession nor Religion But of the Professor who abuseth his Profession which comes to passe 1. Through Gods permission and that in infinite vvisdom to provoke his people to greater care and circumspection of their wayes Reason Rom. 2.23 2. Through the Divells instigation Ireneus advers Haer. l. 1 c. 24. that the Gospell may be blemished and the Profession scandalized and others kept off from it 3. Through mans owne corruption who naturally loves to dissemble and nothing more And thus much for Explanation and Confirmation A word now for Application Vse 1 First thinke it not strange when you find it thus cry not out of all Professors because it is thus Some Kings have proved tyrants wil you say that al are so Some Angels are now turned Divells will you condemne the rest A Noble-man condemn'd for treason of whom Camden speakes spake thus of himselfe It is not the Baron but the Barronry that is the traitor So on the other side thinke you it is not the Profession but the Professor that is faulty And as William the first Apologizing for himselfe unto the Pope for that he had censured one who was both a Bishop and an Earle that it was not the Bishop he did meddle with but the Earle only Do ye the like fault the party let Profession be spared Vse 2 And it would do well if Professors were more carefull of their actions and dealings As Saint Paul spake in another case so I in this There is verily a fault amongst you and that most horrid while you use your Profession for a cloake to cover your oppression as the Pharisees under colour of long Prayers devoured widows houses Mat. 23.10 To amend this consider First what a pretious thing the Gospell and profession is Heb. 2.1 Christ being the High-Priest of it Woe then to such whose dead Flies cause that box of pretious Ointment to stinke even in the Nostrils of the wicked Ezek. 36.15 20. Secondly do but think how neare you come to God in your Profession you dip with him in the same dish will you betray him Rom 2.22 Thirdly what a wound you have given to divers of Gods children while they suffer for your faults Iosephs Coat is still held up See is not this thy Sonnes Are not these your Professors Hence is that Prayer of David Psalme 69.6 Let none be ashamed because of mee Fourthly and how many have bin kept from profession by your ill living This was the practise of the Divell in ancient times as witnesseth Eusebius Eccl. Hist lib. 4.7 5.1 And how uncomfortable must this be unto thee in the day of Gods visitation Imagine if thou canst See then that your religious life commend your Religion Having your conversation honest in the sight of all men that you may silence evill doers Rom. 12.17 1 Pet. 2.12 We are set upon a Stage the eyes of every one of Angels and Divels are upon us to observe us and a little black upon a white ground is soone espied As Nehemiah in another case say thou in this Nehe. 6.11 12 13. Shall such a one as I flie Shall I couzen deceive lye c. What come short of a Turke Iew Henthen Shall Perjury Usury Deceit be odious to them savoury to me c. It shall not be I will not do thus now therfore O Lord strengthen my hands Thirdly in that this Samaritane shewed mercy to this poore distressed man who was a Jew notwithstanding the inveterate hatred that was betwixt them we are taught Doct. Not so much to respect the Person as the necessity of the Person in the workes of mercy Be he friend or foe known or unknown Gal. 6.10 Mat. 5.42 if he fall into misery and calamity mercy is to be extended to him Pro. 25.21 22. Rom. 13.8 12.20 Exo. 23.4 You have a memorable example of this in Elisha 2 King 6.22 And in God himself whose example is without exception Mat. 5.44 Rom. 5.10 This Truth is not without the suffrage of Antiquity Atticus the Bishop of Constantinople when hee sent money to Calliopius the Nicene Priest to be distributed amongst the poore Niceph lib. 14 cap 24. willed him in the distribution thereof not to regard so much as Religion in them but onely to have an eye to this that the needy might be sustained Saint Chrysostome Ad Olympiad Chrys de Lazaro con 2. Tom. 2. prescribing a forme of giving Alms saith amongst other things that Bountifullnesse is to be measured by the neede of those that crave And in his second Homily of the beggar Lazarus he hath these words If it be the worst Person that lives and wants necessary sustenance let us supply his need it is enough he is in misery Saint Hierom in his Epistles tells us Hier. in Epist that whether the distressed be a Priest a Cozen or Acquaintance Nihil in illo aliud consideres quam paupertatem No notice should be taken of any thing in him saving of his poverty Saint Ambrose saith Amb. lib. de Nab 5.2 that mercy useth not to judge of deserts but to help necessity not to examine the righteousnes of a man but to relieve his need and he witnesseth of the Emperour Theodosius that he never denied mercy unto any that craved it Reason For misery is the proper object of Mercy And therfore Saint Austine defines it to be Misericordia est

coller but see he makes conscience of this duty Especially those who are rich and have ability and outward sufficiency enough Remembring what S. Iames tels us Iam. 1. ult This is pure Religion and undefiled because true Religion is ever accompanied with true mercy Question But of what are we to give and how much Resp Saint Chrysostome saith that whatsoever is above our necessary maintenance is not ours Chryshom 34. adpop. Antioch but the poores and to retaine this from them cryeth into the Eares of the Lord for vengeance as doth the wages of the labourer deteined Now that may be accompted needfull or necessary 1. Which Nature requireth as meat drink cloathing without which the body cannot but pine away and perish Lam. 4.45 2. Which our Estate wherin God hath set us requires As Bookes for Schollers Instruments and Tooles for Artificers And so for publike persons and men of great place and birth such sufficiency as is meet and fit for the maintenance of the same For what is Superfluous for a private Person may yet be but necessary for a publike 1 Tim. 3 2 4.16 3. Which the Charge committed to us requires and that for present Provision 1 Tim. 5.8 As also for future 2 Cor. Deus nusqua●● su am vn prefigit unusqu sque est si●● propriae beneficentiae arbiter 12.14 Certain it is that Scripture hath not determined the quantity or measure of what we give but left that to the discretion of the prudent Christian to order 2 Cor. 8.7 8. 9.7 only in the generall it is required that we must give largely and liberally respect alwaies being had to our owne estates and abilities and the necessity of our Brother Keeping as we are counselled our own wells full that our selves and ours may drinke letting the over plus or wast as it were to run abroad in the Streets Prov. 5.16 Act. 11.29 Notwithstanding in cases of urgent necessity and great extremity we are to straine our selves above our Abilities of this we have an example in the Primitive Church Act. 2.45 4.34.35 Thus much in Generall Now to the Particulars And went to him Text. Observe here Doct. A Compassionate heart will carry us to them who are disabled from comming unto us and yet want our helpe See Matthew 25.36 43. Iames 1.27 2 Tim. 1.17 Vse 1 In this particular of visiting the sicke and such as are in misery let our compassion be manifested as well as in any other particular whatsoever it being a Christian duty and one of the chief points our blessed Saviour will examine us about at the last day Mat. 25. You know the Scholler that must passe under a strict examination before he take his degree in Schooles Amb. or otherwise will study well the Question in which he is to be examined and tried Our Saviour hath before hand told us what it is that we are to be examined about at the Judgement day It is our wisdome to be aboundant therin that we may yeeld a comfortable answer therunto As this concerns all so some in speciall Over-seers of the poore whose duty it is to go from house to house from family to family and take speciall notice of the earnings and expences of the poore and needy A●d to encourage both them and others to this duty It may not be forgot that First we shall hereby the better know whom to relieve and how to proportion out our Charity according to the kind of want and necessity of the poore What the Queene of Sheba spake of Salomons wisdome It was a true word which I heard of thy sayings and of thy wisdome in my owne land 1 King 10.6 7 howbeit I beleeeved not this report till I came and saw it with mine eyes but loe the one halfe was not told me for thou hast more wisdome and prosperity then I have heard by report c. So shall we be forced to say of the condition of m●ny poore and needy we heare much yet the tenth part of their poverty and misery is not known except we go and see it Secondly much good we shal do unto our selves hereby we should not be so often visited nor have so many at our doors if we visited oftner Yea we should learn Temperance and Sobriety and just occasion would hereby be administred unto us of thankfulnes seeing God hath dealt so bountifully with us above many of our Brethren Lastly it would not be forgotten how in visiting the poore we visit Christ himselfe in them who hath done the like for us that were in a far baser and meaner estate as the next point shews In the Mystery is set forth unto us Christs further love in that he came not only where we were Myst Expos but Doct. He came unto us as a visitour not to see the world but 〈◊〉 save the world Ezek. 16.6 7. Luk. 1.68 78. More particularly you know a visitour comes before he be sent for freely of his own accord and mind Thus did our Saviour we sought not after him before we sought him he was found True it is now and then we might heare some holy man or other cry Make haste O Lord and let thy tender mercy prevent us Ps 12.1.84.9 Gen. 49.18 for we are in misery and brought very low Helpe us O God of our Salvation for the glory of thy name and deliver us and purge away our sins for the names sake Psal 79.8 9. O that thou wouldest bow the Heavens and come down Isa 64.1 But these very groanes and cries came from his Spirit of our selves none could ask nor seek for help 2. A Visitour comes with some reliefe and comfort to the dis●ressed he will speak comfort and do something that may added unto it Thus did Christ how lovingly and gently did he speak unto us easing the anguish and sorrow of our languishing and distressed spirits Math. 11.29 5.2 9.2 22. Marke 6.50 Iohn 16.33 Nor was he wanting in praying for us Luke 22.32 Heb. 5.7 Like a good Visitour his hand seconded his tongue He felt the pulse and touched the soare taking poore infants in his armes Putting his hands upon them and blessing them Mark 10.4 he laid a plaister to the eyes of the blind Ioh. 9.6 touched the stammering tongue and put his finger in the deafe mans eare Mark 7.33 All of us might truly say My wounds stinke and are corrupt Ps 30.5 yet that hindred not Yea like a gratious Visitor he comes with his salves and oyles to heale our wounds who were at point of death and in no one point of a gratious visitor was hee wanting as wee shall after see Vse Should not this then put us on as to break forth into the acknowledgment of his mercy so by way of thankfulnesse to visit those who are in distresse and misery How can we say the love of Christ dwelleth in us when this duty is neglected To urge then what was before exhorted

c. which is like the first part of the cloud that was towards the Israelites themselves to guide them herein we must follow and imitate them Their Indifferent Actions are those which in themselves considered without circumstances were neither commanded nor forbidden In Actions of this nature we may or may not follow them For this is an undeniable rule an example doth no farther bind then it is backt with a precept In it selfe it hath but the power of illustration of what is in the precept and it doth conteine in it the force of the rule So that an example of some good man in such Actions as are not contradictory to precepts onely warrant the same Action in an other as Abrahams making a feast at his childes weaning Christs closing the booke after hee had read the Text c. but doth not charge conscience with the doing of it For where is no Law can be no transgression In this case we are not to esteeme of any above what is written so as to clog our consciences with duties onely upon bare examples Vse 3 In the third place it may be a spurre to put us on to give good examples seeing in so doing we shall have the honour to become presidents and patternes for future ages the greatest honour that can be given to the Saints in this life This doth not onely make Religion to be well spoken of but it profits many even a world of people 1 Thes 1.7 Rom. 16. A good example is like fire many candles are lighted at it and it selfe neither the worse nor the lesse Or like a stone throwne into the water which though of it selfe it makes but one circle yet it begets a 100. Ioh 5.50 When Christ told that noble petitioner thy sonne liveth at the first hearing hee beleeved but when he came home and waighed the m●tter not onely himselfe but his whole house beleeved Yea many that we know not may receive good from our good example given Vibis ad exemplum and left 1 Pet. 5.5 It will not onely like Aarons oyntment run downe to the skirts of our owne garments but it will run like Nilus over all the Country Yea the vertue of good Examples shall last when we are dead and rotten and doe good for a long time after in some cases to the worlds end keeping the sent so long as no other perfume can as you see here this example of the Samaritane did It shall be upon record while the world stands You may remember what Ioab said of Rabba It will be called after my name So it is true of many exemplary sins as Ieroboams Onans Balaams Corahs Sodoms c. They are called by the Founders owne names and though few men will confesse their sins yet many mens sins will confesse their master To be a president of vice is like the setting ones house on fire which burnes many of the neighbours and so he that doth it is to answer for all their ruines Such a bitter root must answer for it selfe and for all the corrupt branches On the other side in virtuous Actions both wayes a man lives when he is dead and is working to the worlds end so that those deeds we have done while wee were living on the earth wee shall not onely receive for but those also done through our example in future ages Great need then have wee to be good presidents seeing it is a thing of so great consequence Vse 4 And let such as shine by good example be much made of in every place Good examples are like Common Schooles and they are the better because they are Free Such a priviledge how well do we to like off for our childrens good Then highly regard this which so much concernes thy soules good And as you will spread abroad the fame of one so by the humble acknowledgement of the praises of others spread abroad the light of good Example so farre as may be 1 Thes 1.7 8. As for those who by slanders and calumnies do indeavour to blemish the good conversation of the godly and so rob the world of the profit of their examples they shall beare their sin Further observe in that we are willed to do as this Samaritane whom we heard before was hated as an enemy Doct. No matter who it is that gives examples the example being good must be followed Some will not doe good works because Papists do them some not heare Sermons because Precisians do so but doe thou likewise looke on the worke no matter for the person Againe in that we are willed to doe likewise as he did Observe Doct. Works of charity must be so done as this Samaritane did them Now then as the Traveller having got up the hill lookes backe on the Towne hee hath left behind him so doe you Consider well what hath beene said and the Lord give us understanding in all things FINIS AN ALPHABETICALL DIRECTION TO SOME OF THE CHIEFE THINGS IN THE FORE-GOING EXPOSITION A ABilities must be improved Pag 46. In case of necessity we are to go beyond our Ability pag 123. Abrogation it is a plausible doctrine p. 79. Adam what power he had by Creation p. 16. Advocate Christ is ours and practiseth for us in the Court of Heaven p. 156. Affections Christ had pag. 115. They are lawfull 116. The inordinatenesse of them blamed Ibid. They should be in Heaven pa. 161. Afflictions of others should affect us p. 111. Affliction may not be added to Affliction p. 61. Afflicted should be visited pag. 60. Alehouse friendship is unsound p. 162. Ale-houses may afford Heaven some soules 146. Almes not to be given at doors p. 92. Wherin the truth of Alms-giving consists p 113. What order is to be observed in Giving See Giving Answer how many waies made p. 9. Christ will Answer us how and when page 10 12. What must bee done that hee may Answer us page 11. We should be ready to make Answer p. 12. An Answer is not alwaies necessary p. 13. Why Christ Answered not the Priests p. 12. Antinomians their errour p. 77. Appeale to conscience is safe p. 205. Arke of Noah a figure of the Church p. 148. B Beast man is worse through his fall p. 33. Beggars if common not to be relieved at doores but in case of Necessity page 92. Bowells of mercy put on page 114. C Calling we are to keepe within the compasse of it pag. 25. God blesseth us in them p. 99. Care two fold p. 151. It must be had of what we undertake p. 151. We may not be Carelesse under pretence of Religion pa. 151. Great Care Christ took for our good p. 154. Catechising of great importance p. 197. More profitable if duely performed than preaching p. 198. Ceremonies of divers sorts pa. 75. Those of order not abolished ibid. Romish Ceremonies become not CHRISTS Spouse page 76. Chance what it is and how taken p. 48. There is Chance ibid. Charity is the breath of a