Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	principle_n	prove_v	true_a	3,492	5	6.0076	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A02672	[A sermon preached at Hitchin in ...] 1587. the 17.day of Nouember [...]	Harris, Edward, fl. 1587-1590.	1590 (1590)	STC 12804; ESTC S112492	25,711	84

that they make it a principle of their religion how wee must feare and not be bolde of Gods fauor This detecteth their feare of God not to be the true holy feare commanded by Saint Peter in this place For the true feare of God is accompanied and joyned with a trust cōfidence in him as may be proued cuidentlie in the hundreth and fifteenth Psalm the 1. verse Esa 50.10 Besides the manifolde examples of Gods scruants endued with a right feare of him who albeit wrestling with the multitude of their sinnes seemed to shut the doore of their harts against assured trust in the Lorde for a season yet euermore gaue it intertainment in the end By these things then my brethren ludge of your lelues if yee feare God so that yee hate him or cannot abide him that ye wil not be persuaded to haue boldnes and assured trust in him to saluation because your consciences tel you how many how grieuous your sinnes are then haue yee not that feare which Saint Peter speaketh of abiding in you but if your feare of God bee ioyned with an heartie loue of him and ye so feare his punishing iustice that notwithstanding ye trust in his forgiuing mercie then is the feare of God in you an holie plant which I beseech him for Christs sake to raine vppon more and more with the sweet dew of the word and to blovv vpon with the quickning breath of his spirite that it may florish and bring foorth fruite in you to the end Thus yee see brethren by vvhat meanes yee may haue vnderstanding vvhether ye ansvvere to this commandement of Saint Peter that is to saie whether ye feare God truelie or no hereby also ye may knovv vvhat it is to feare God trulie and aright namely not to be a fearde of the fansies of our ovvne braine for then fooles and mad men should feare God truelie not to tremble onelie at his judgementes for then the verie vnsensible mountaines and hils should feare God truelie because they are readie to tremble at the angrie presence of the Lord. Psal 18.7 not to haue a minde desperatlie tormented and grieued with the horrour of his ovvne sinnes for then Iudas and manie of the reprobate shoulde haue feared God truelie not to stande in avve so of Gods vengeance onelie that there vpon vve dare not follovve those abhominations vvhich othervvise our hearts are vvell pleased vvith for then the hypocrites should feare God truelie but vpon a due and deep consideration of Gods povver vvisdome prouidence iustice c to stande in such godlie avve of him that by meanes therof we are brought from the liking and following of vngodlines to deale faithfullie in all things to dehort other from those corruptions vvhich our selues haue forsaken and in all this to be so affectioned that vvee delight in the Lord and loue him at no time vtterlie despairing though vve fulfill not our duties so fullie as wee ought but yeelding to that comfort of Gods spirite vvhereby we are put in hope that God vvil accept our endeuors though ioyned vvith manie imperfections as the indeuours not of slaues but of his faithfull and obedient children This is now the true feare of God whereof Saint Peter speaketh these are some meanes whereby yee may know and discerne whether the same bee in your selues or other And foras much as there is nothing more to bee desired at the hands of almightie God then that all men may atraine to this feare retaine it also cuen to the end it is needfull for vs to consider what those things are which may serue as the ordinatie meanes to draw men vnto and continue men in this true feare of God There are then two especial things which are of great force both to make men feare God trulie and also to keep and preserue in them that grace and gift of God wherof the first is the excellencie and peerelesse dignitie and worthinesse of this grace The second is the incomparable blessings of God which foolowe the same and art promised to as manie as abide in the it The worthines of this feare of God the Scripture fetteth foorth in that it spoiling the men of this worlde of those gracious titles wherein they make all true honour and commendation to stand and consist it attributeth them notwithstanding to those that feare the Lord. It is a thing which men most desire of all other things to be truly wise insomuch that for the bare name therof infinite persons of all ages and degrees haue thought neither any cost il bestowed nor anie labour ill taken so they might be reputed of the worlde for wise men naithles the world could neuer attaine to this in deed For when the iudgment is brough to the throne of God they are all condemed of folly as Saint Paul declareth 1. Corinth 1. wher he saith hovv the vvisdome of this vvorld is foolishnes vvith God In the meane season such as feare God truly are by the holy Ghost himselfe pronounced to be rightly and truly wise For the patient Iob saieth The feare of the Lord is wisedome in deede chap. 28 Whereunto agreeth Salomon who Prouerbs 1. auoucheth the feare of the Lord to be Reshith dagnath the beginning of knovvledge or rather as vvee saie in our common speech the chiefe point of knovvledge or head knovvledge and again in his fifteenth chapter he saith The feare of the Lord is the instruction of vvisedome Whereby we may perceiue howe they onelie are wise in deede which feare the Lorde al other the children of follie and madnesse so excellent and surpassing a thing is the feare of God Besides that the Scripture calling vpon men to sanctifie the Lord that is to worship him with such a kinde of worship as wherby he may be declared and knowen to be holie doth require this true feare of God for performance thereof For so the Prophet Esaie chapter 8 commandeth men to sanctfre the Lorde of hostes and to shew how that should be done he addeth immediatlie by wale of exposition Let him bee your feare by that meanes adorning the true feare of God with that most honorable name and title of sanctifying the Lorde of hosts Adde hereunto that the prophet Esay chap. 33.6 maketh account how The feare of God is a treasure to the godly enriching them aboundantly which haue it in the sight of God whereuppon it must needes ensue that they which are destitute of this grace are starke beggers before God howsoeuer they flow swimme in outward wealth and prosperitie Thus ye see of what great dignitie the true feare of God is which ought to rauish you with a desire both to subject your selues to this commandement of S. Peter that the holy Ghost mare worke this true feare in your heartes and also to take heed that the manifolde entisementes of the worlde and flesh which are laid as baites to beguile sillie soules eueric where bereaue you not of it

of mans braine Here is then the first point whereby yee may know whether yee feare God truely as saint Peter commandeth Haue ye exercised your wits in this meditation haue yee taken a diligent view of these things out of the most faithfull assertions and examples of the word of God and hath that feare of God which is in you proceeded and risen hereof then is there hope that the feare of God in you is not counterfait But now my brethren if the most men be vtterly ignorant of these points in a manner all men remisse negligent and cold in taking such view of the nature of God how may we not iustly feare that the most men now a dayes are vtterly destitute of this grace and gift of the true feare of God 2 The second meanes whereby yee may know and discerne whether your hearts be possessed with a true feare of the Almightie is by the effects which are diuerse the chiefe and principall whereof are these that follow First the true feare of God is of such force and working that it maketh him in whom it is to hate and decline that which is euill and vngodly in the sight of the Lord I say not how they which haue this feare do not sinne at all but that the faithfull are by this feare as by a most fit instrumēt of the holy ghost kept backe from following the lusts of vngodlinesse and haue such a watch-word giuen them continually in their hearts that they are not easily drawne to any notorious breach and transgression of Gods commandements This effect of this true feare of God is noted by Abraham the father of the faith full Gen. 20. For when Abimelech the king of Gerar who had taken away his wife being brought to the knowledge of his iniquitie demanded of Abraham what he saw in the land that he manifested not that she was his wife Abraham answered saying I thought saith he surely the feare of God is not in this plase therefore they vvill slay me for my vvines sake As if he had said how there was no hope in him that he should finde any honest dealing there where the vnfained and true feare of God was wanting To this agreeth a most notable example which we finde written Exod. 1. 17. where it is shewed how that when Pharao had commanded-the midwines to make away the men children of the Israelites that which restrained them from committing so horrible a fact was the true feare of God which they had before their eyes for so Moses testifieth of them saying But the midvvines feared God and did not according to the commandement of the king but saued the men children Yea Salomon maketh it a generall rule that the feare of God causeth a man not onely to decline euill Pron 13. but more ouer to hate the euill Pron 8. 13. And for the more plainenesse he maketh mention of foure points of iniquitie which cannot dwell with the feare of God to wit arrogancie pride the euill way and a double tongue and sheweth by example in himselfe how if a man haue the vpright feare of God abiding and working in him he will auoid and abhor these enormities The first enormity is arrogancie which is Alying perswasion and boasting that one hath those graces and that abilitie which he hath not and this iniquitie raigneth in the greatest part of men Yee that are of the ministerie looke into them of our owne calling There are infinite in a manner which being vnable for want of gifts to fulfill any the least part of the ministers office and charge truely notwithstanding presume and boost themselues to be sufficient men for that calling when it is nothing so and hereupon breake in and come within the listes of the holy mount of God thrust themselues into the sanctuarie of the most holy one These are monstrously arrogant and therefore out of all question destitute of the true feare of the Lord. Of this sort are many professors now adayes which hauing not as yet profited so farre as that they know the word of the beginning of Christ Iesu or first principles of religion yet boast themselues to be rich in the knowledge of God of Christ Iesu Of the same stampe generally are Papists who arro gating to themselues by nature freewil to forsake cuill to do good which they haue not power to merit heauen by their works which all men lacke shew the true feare of God not to be in them The second enormitie is Pride which is achalenging of glorie praise and dignitie to ones selfe in respect of those graces and giftes which are in him They that are carried away with this vngodlynesse they are also void of the true feare of God Such are in the ministrie those now a dayes who knowing themselues to haue those good graces and giftes which their betters in ecclesiasticall place and calling do want thinke much that their place is none higher their liuings no larger their estimation no greater and thereupon make it their chiefe studie how they may come and attaine to better promotion Such are among the gentrie those that for the abundance of their outward blessings cannot content thèselues vnlesse they may haue some higher title than whereby they are yet called Briefely such are all those who of a glory that they haue in their owne gifts aspire to an higher place in the common welth after the manner of Abshalom or hunt after and striue for the preheminence in the church after the manner of Diotrephes for thus to do is pride which sinne cannot raigne in any person and the man feare God aright too The third enormitie abhorred of such as feare God truelie is the euil may that is to say all course and trade of life and liuing which sauoureth of vngodlinesse as liuing by vsurie cosinage theeuerie extortion leading of ones life in filthinesse adulterie wantonnesse idlenesse or any other crime that the church of God is offended withall This course whosoeuer taketh as the world is full of such now adaies they can by no coulourable meanes be shewed to fear God aright whatsoeuer they outwardly pretend The fourth enormitie which cannot stand nor dwell togither with the true feare of God is adouble tongue with which sinne there are specially two kinds of people infected one is of thè who will speake as faire as Angels to a mans face but will straight way or whensoeuer occasion is ministred slander them most beastly behind their backes Another sort is of them who in the company of such as professe the truth sincerely will make a great shew of godlinesse but when they come in companie of others which are leudly disposed wil say as they say These are double tonged whosoeuer are such in them the true feare of God is not remaining 2 A second effect and naturall property of the true feare of God is it causeth a man to deale not with eyeseruice but faithfully in al that with knowledge he