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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	abandon_v	follow_v	matthew_n	16	3	10.7669	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A02531	Contemplations, the sixth volume. By Ios. Hall D. of D.; Contemplations upon the principall passages of the Holy Storie. Vol. 6	Hall, Joseph, 1574-1656.	1622 (1622)	STC 12657A; ESTC S103671	93,503	467

Sauiour before the world was thou sawst that man sitting there thou sawst thine owne passage thou sawst his call in thy passage and now thou goest purposely that way that thou mightst see and call Nothing can be hid from that piercing eie one glance whereof hath discerned a Disciple in the clothes of a Publican That habit that shop of extortion cannot conceale from thee a vessell of election In all formes thou knowest thine owne and in thine owne time shalt fetch them out of the disguises of their foule sins or vnfit conditions What sawst thou ô Sauiour in that Publican that might either allure thine eie or not offend it What but an hatefull trade an euill eie a griple hand bloudie tables heapes of spoile yet now thou saidst Follow mee Thou that saidst once to Ierusalem Thy birth and natiuitie is of the land of Canaan Thy father was an Amorite thy mother an Hittite Thy nauell was not cut neither wert thou washed in water to supple thee thou wast not salted at all thou wast not swadled at all None eie pittied thee but thou wast cast out in the open fields to the loathing of thy person in the day that thou wast borne And when I passed by thee and saw thee polluted in thine owne bloud I said vnto thee Liue yea I said vnto thee when thou wast in thy bloud Liue Now also when thou passedst by and sawst Matthew sitting at the receit of custome saidest to him Follow mee The life of this Publican was so much worse then the birth of that forlorne Amorite as Follow mee was more then Liue What canst thou see in vs ô God but vglie deformities horrible sins despicable miseries yet doth it please thy mercie to say vnto vs both Liue and Follow mee The iust man is the first accuser of himselfe whom doe we heare to blazon the shame of Matthew but his owne mouth Matthew the Euangelist tells vs of Matthew the Publican His fellowes call him Leui as willing to lay their finger vpon the spot of his vnpleasing profession himselfe will not smother nor blanche it a whit but publishes it to all the world in a thankfull recognition of the mercie that called him as liking well that his basenesse should serue for a fit foile to set off the glorious lustre of his grace by whom he was elected What matters it how vile we are ô God so thy glorie may rise in our abasement That word was enough Follow mee spoken by the same tongue that said to the corps at Nain Young man I say to thee Arise He that said at first Let there be light saies now Follow me That power sweetly inclines which could forceably command the force is not more vnresistible then the inclination When the Sun shines vpon the Isicles can they choose but melt and fall When it lookes into a dungeon can the place choose but be inlightened Doe we see the Iet drawing vp strawes to it the Load-stone yron and doe we maruell if the omnipotent Sauiour by the influence of his grace attract the heart of a Publican He arose and followed him We are all naturally auerse from thee ô God doe thou but bid vs Follow thee draw vs by thy powerfull word and we shall run after thee Alas thou speakest and we sit still thou speakest by thine outward word to our eare and we stir not speake thou by the secret and effectuall word of thy spirit to our heart The world cannot hold vs downe Satan cannot stop our way we shall arise and follow thee It was not a more busie then gainfull trade that Matthew abandoned to follow Christ into pouertie and now he cast away his counters and strucke his tallies and crossed his books and contemned his heapes of cash in comparison of that better treasure which he fore-saw lie open in that happie attendance If any commoditie be valued of vs too deare to be parted with for Christ we are more fit to be Publicans then Disciples Our Sauiour inuites Matthew to a Disciple-ship Matthew inuites him to a feast The ioy of his call makes him to begin his abdication of the world in a banquet Here was not a more cheerefull thankfulnesse in the inuiter then a gracious humilitie in the guest The new seruant bids his master the Publican his Sauiour and is honoured with so blessed a presence I doe not finde where Iesus was euer bidden to any table and refused If a Pharisee if a Publican inuited him he made not daintie to goe Not for the pleasure of the dishes what was that to him who began his worke in a whole Lent of daies But as it was his meat and drinke to doe the will of his Father for the benefit of so winning a conuersation If he sate with sinners he conuerted them If with conuerts he confirmed and instructed them If with the poore he sed them If with the rich in substance he made them richer in grace At whose board did he euer sit and left not his host a gainer The poore Bridegroome entertaines him and hath his water-pots filled with wine Simon the Pharisee entertaines him and hath his table honoured with the publique remission of a penitent sinner with the heauenly doctrine of remission Zacheus entertaines him saluation came that day to his house with the author of it that presence made the Publican a sonne of Abraham Matthew is recompenced for his feast with an Apostle-ship Martha and Mary entertaine him and besides diuine instruction receiue their brother from the dead O Sauiour whether thou feast vs or we feast thee in both of them is blessednesse Where a Publican is the Feast-master it is no maruell if the guests be Publicans and sinners whether they came alone out of an hope of that mercie which they saw their fellow had found or whether Matthew inuited them to be partners of that plentifull grace whereof he had tasted I inquire not Publicans and sinners will flocke together the one hatefull for their trade the other for their vicious life Common contempt hath wrought them to an vnanimitie and sends them to seeke mutuall comfort in that societie which all others held loathsome and contagious Moderate correction humbleth and shameth the offender whereas a cruell seueritie makes men desperate and driues them to those courses whereby they are more dangerously infected How many haue gone into the prison faultie and returned flagitious If Publicans were not sinners they were no whit beholden to their neighbours What a table full was here The Sonne of God beset with Publicans and sinners O happie Publicans and sinners that had found out their Sauiour Oh mercifull Sauiour that disdained not Publicans and sinners What sinner can feare to kneele before thee when he sees Publicans and sinners sit with thee Who can feare to be despised of thy meeknesse and mercy which didst not abhorre to conuerse with the out-casts of men Thou didst not despise the theefe confessing vpon the crosse nor the sinner weeping

farre was the vxorious King blinded with affection that he gaue not passage only to the Idolatrie of his heathenish wiues but furtherance So did he dote vpon their persons that he humord them in their sins Their act is therefore his because his eies winkt at it his hand aduanced it He that built a Temple to the liuing God for himselfe and Israel in Sion built a Temple to Chemosh in the mount of Scandall for his mistresses of Moab in the very face of Gods house No hill about Ierusalem was free from a Chappell of Deuils Each of his dames had their Puppets their altars their incense Because Salomon feedes them in their superstition he drawes the sinne home to himselfe and is branded for what he should haue forbidden Euen our very permission appropriates crimes to vs We need no more guiltinesse of any sinne then our willing toleration Who can but yearne and feare to see the wofull wracke of so rich and goodly a vessell O Salomon wert not thou he whose younger yeeres God honoured with a message and stile of loue To whom God twice appeared and in a gracious vision renewed the couenant of his fauour Whom he singled out from all the generation of men to be the founder of that glorious Temple which was no lesse cleerely the Type of heauen then thou wert of Christ the Sonne of the euerliuing God Wert not thou that deepe Sea of wisdome which God ordained to send forth riuers and fountaines of all diuine and humane knowledge to all nations to all ages Wert not thou one of those select Secretaries whose hand it pleased the Almightie to employ in three peeces of the diuine monuments of sacred Scriptures Which of vs dares euer hope to aspire vnto thy graces Which of vs can promise to secure our selues from thy ruines We fall ô God we fall to the lowest hell if thou preuent vs not if thou sustaine vs not Vphold thou me according to thy word that I may liue and let me not be ashamed of my hope Order my steps in thy word and let not any iniquitie haue dominion ouer me All our weaknesse is in our selues all our strength is in thee O God be thou strong in our weaknesse that our weake knees may be euer steddie in thy strength But in the midst of the horror of this spectacle able to affright all the sonnes of men behold some glimpse of comfort was it of Salomon that Dauid his father prophesied Though he fall he shall not be vtterly cast downe for the Lord vpholdeth him with his hand If sensible grace yet finall mercy was not taken from that beloued of God In the hardest of this winter the sappe was gone downe to the root though it shewed not in the branches Euen whiles Salomon remoued that word stood fast He shall be my Sonne and I will be his Father He that foresaw his sinne threatned and limited his correction If he breake my statutes and keepe not my commandements then will I visit his transgression with a rodde and his iniquitie with stripes Neuerthelesse my louing kindnesse will I not vtterly take from him nor suffer my faithfulnesse to faile My Couenant will I not breake nor alter the thing that is gone out of my mouth Behold the fauour of God doth not depend vpon Salomons obedience If Salomon shall suffer his faithfulnesse to faile towards his God God will not requite him with the failing of his faithfulnesse to Salomon If Salomon breake his couenant with God God will not breake his Couenant with the father of Salomon with the Sonne of Dauid He shall smart he shall not perish Oh gracious word of the God of all mercies able to giue strength to the languishing comfort to the despairing to the dying life Whatsoeuer wee are thou wilt be still thy selfe O holy one of Israel true to thy Couenant constant to thy Decree The sinnes of thy chosen can neither frustrate thy counsell nor out-strip thy mercies Now I see Salomon of a wanton louer a graue Preacher of mortification I see him quenching those inordinate flames with the teares of his repentance Me thinkes I heare him sighing deeply betwixt euery word of that his solemne penance which he would needs inioyne himselfe before all the world I haue applied my heart to know the wickednesse of folly euen the foolishnesse of madnesse and I finde more bitter then death the woman whose heart is as nets and snares and her hands as bands Who so pleaseth God shall be deliuered from her but the sinner shall be taken by her Salomon was taken as a sinner deliuered as a penitent His soule escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers the snare was broken and he deliuered It is good for vs that he was both taken and deliuered Taken that wee might not presume and that we might not despaire deliuered He sinned that we might not sinne he recouered that we may not sinke vnder our sinne But oh the iustice of God inseparable from his mercie Salomons sinne shall not escape the rod of men Rather then so wise an offender shall want enemies God shall raise vp three aduersaries vnto Salomon Hadad the Edomite Rezon the King of Aram Ieroboam the son of Nebat whereof two were forraine one domesticall Nothing but loue and peace sounded in the name of Salomon nothing else was found in his raigne whiles he held in good termes with his God But when once he fell foule with his maker all things began to be troubled There are whips laid vp against the time of Salomons fore-seene offence which are now brought forth for his correction On purpose was Hadad the sonne of the King of Edom hid in a corner of Egypt from the sword of Dauid and Ioab that he might be reserued for a scourge to the exorbitant sonne of Dauid God would haue vs make account that our peace ends with our innocence The same sinne that sets debate betwixt God and vs armes the creatures against vs It were pittie we should be at any quiet whiles we are falne out with the God of peace Contemplations VPON THE PRINCIPALL HISTORIES OF THE NEVV TESTAMENT The third Booke Containing The Widowes sonne raised The Rulers sonne healed The dumbe Deuill eiected Matthew called Christ among the Gergesens or Legion and the Gadarene heard TO MY RIGHT WORTHY AND WORSHIPFVLL FRIEND Master IOHN GIFFORD of Lancrasse in Deuon Esquire All Grace and Peace SIR I hold it as I ought one of the rich mercies of GOD that he hath giuen me fauour in some eies which haue not seene me but none that I know hath so much demerited me vnknowne as your worthy Familie Ere therefore you see my face see my hand willingly professing my thankfull Obligations Wherewith may it please you to accept of this parcell of thoughts not vnlike those fellowes of theirs whom you haue entertained aboue their desert These shall present vnto you our bountifull Sauiour magnifying his mercies to men in a