Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	according_a	confess_v	great_a	92	3	2.1261	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A40658	Two sermons the first, Comfort in calamitie, teaching to live well, the other, The grand assizes, minding to dye well / by Thomas Fuller ...	Fuller, Thomas, 1608-1661.	1654 (1654)	Wing F2420; Wing F2476; ESTC R210330	100,765	342

the Country of Moab THese words containe a Journey or Removall wherein observe Who went a certai● Man Whence from Bethlehem-Iudah Whether to sojourn● in Moab We shall have a fitter occasion to speak of the party removing hereafter I begin with the place from whence he went Bethlehem-Iudah This w●● the place nigh to which ●●chel as she was travelling fell into Travail and ended her journey to Heaven in the midst of her journey on Earth there was another of the same name in Z●bulo● 〈◊〉 19. 15. and therefore Iu●●h is added for difference and distinction Observ. The Holy spirit descends to our capacity and in S●ripture doth multiply words to make th● matter the plainer let thi● teach the Sons of Levi when they deliver one doubtfull and ambiguous Doctrine which may admit of severall constructions so that there is danger 〈◊〉 that peopl● may mistake their meaning to de●ur a while on such a point and not to be niggardly of their words till they hav● blotted all doubt and difficulty out of it Herein they shall follow God for their pattern who least Bet●lehem i● my T●●● should be confounded with Bethlehem in Zab●lon addeth for distinction BethlehemI●dah Went to Sojourne in Moab The Prodig●ll Child complained Lu● 15. How many hired Servants of my Father have bread enough and I die for hunger So here we see that the uncircumcised Moabites Gods slaves and vassalls had store of plenty whilest Israel Gods Children but his prodigal Children which by their sinnes had displeased their heavenly Father were pinched with penurie Observ. Hence we gather God oftentimes denyes outward blessings to his Children when as he vouchsafeth them to the wicked the wicked mans eyes start out with fatnesse Davids bones scarce cleave to his flesh Ahab hath an Ivory House th● Godly wander in Dens and Caves of the Earth the Rich Glutton fareth deliciously every day whilest the Godly Psal. 107 ●ere hungry and thirsty their s●ul fainted in them H● was clothed in purple and fine linnen whilest the Godly wander up and down in sheep skins and well may they wear their skins without them that carry their innocency within them and the reason thereof is Because judgement begins at the house of the Lord whilst the wicked have their portion in this world Vse Let us not judge according to outward appe●rance but judge righteous judgement least otherwise we condemn the Generation of Gods Children if we account outward blessings the signs of Gods favour or calamities the arguments of his displeasure neither let the afflicted Christian faint under Gods heavy hand but let him know to his comfort God therefore is angry in this world that he may not be angry in the world to come and mercifully inflicteth temporall punishment that he may not justly confound with eternall torment But here ariseth a question Whether Elimelech did well to go from Bethlehem-Judah into the Land of Moab for the better satisfaction whereof we will suppose a plain and honest Neighbour thus disswading him from his departure Dissw●sion Give me leave Neighbour Elimelech to say unto thee as the Angel did to Hagar whence commest thou and whether goest thou wilt thou leave that place wher● Gods worship is truly professed and go● into an Idol●trous Country Woe is the● that must dwell in Moab and be an inhabitant amongst the w●rshippers of Melchom Indeed our Father Abraham came out of Vr of the Chaldees an idolatrous Country to come into the Land of C●n●an but why shouldst thou go out of the Land of Canaan into an idolatrous Country where thou shalt have neither Priest nor Pr●phet nor Passeover Yea what most is to be feared your frequent conversing with the People of the Country will at length bring you into a love and liking of their Superstitions and so draw Gods anger against you wherefore reverse your intent of removing least while thou seek ' st to store thy Body thou starve●t thy Soul rather venter the breaking of the Casket then the loosing of the Iewel and go not from Bethlehem-Iudah unto the Land of Moab Answer To this Elimelech might answer your disswasion doth somewhat move me but not remove my resolution I do not forsake my Country but am forced from it God hath with-holden the Wine and the Winepresse and if I stay I am likely to starve I conceive it therefore to be my bounden duty to provide the best means for my Family and following the examples of Isaac's going into Gerah and Iacobs going down into Egypt in the time of Famine I intend to remove to Moab And though I shall be divided from the visible Congregation of Israel yet shall I with my Family still remain the lively Members of Gods true Church For first I intend to carry with me the ●ive books of Moses they will be no great burthen being comprised in so small a Volum and according to my poor ability out of them will I instruct my Family whilst my deare wife Naomi and dutifull children Maclon and Chilion will be diligent to heare and practise what I propound unto them I confesse we shall have no outward sacrifices because I am not of the Tribe of Levi yet may we offer unto God prayers and praises which God no doubt will as graciously accept as of a Bullock that hath Hornes and Hoofes thus hope I to have a little Church in mine own House and I know where two or three are met together in th● name of God there he will be in the midst of them Whereas you object I should be in danger of being defiled with their Idolatry I will be by Gods grace so much the more warie watchfull and vigilant over my wayes we see the flesh of fishes remaineth fresh though they alwaies swim in the brackish waters and I hope that the same God who preserved righteous Lot in the wicked City of Sodome who protected faithfull Ioseph in the vicious Court of Pharaoh will also keep me unspotted in the midst of Moab whether I intend speedily to go not to live but to lodge not to dwell but to soj●urne not to make it my habitation for ever but my harbour for a season till God shall visit his people with plenty when I purpose to return with the speediest conve●iency Thus we see Elimelech putting the dangers of his removall in one scale the benefits thereof in another the beam of his judgement is ju●●ly weighed down to go from Bethlehem-Iudah into the Land of Moab Observ. It is lawfull for Men to leave their Native Soyle and to travell into a forraign Country as for Merchants provided alwaies that while they seek to make gainfull Adventures for their Estates they make not sheepwrack of a good Co●science 2ly For Embassadors that are sent to see the Practises and Negoci●tions in forraigne Courts 3ly For private persons that travell with an intent to accomplish themselve● with a better sufficiency to serve their King and Country but unlawfull it is for such to travell

as much Consolation as the scantling of so few words can receive Verse 4. The Lord is in his holy Temple The Lord. Notwithstanding all these Distempers and Disasters God is not un-Lorded He is not degraded from his Dignitie but remaineth still in full Possession and Power what he was before The Lord is Say not he was which all must confesse or will be which the godly doe hope but the Lord IS in actuall being But where is He say some Surely in some meane and obscure place where he maintaineth no Majestie or Magnificence O no He is in his Temple the eminent place of his Residence But this his Temple is prophaned and unhallowed levelled in the Dignitie thereof to ordinarie places Indeed if some men might have their will it should be so but He is in his holy Temple In a word God is not un-Lorded this Lord is not un-Templed this his Temple is not unhallowed and notwithstanding all wicked mens endeavours to destroy the Foundations the Lord is in his holy Temple FINIS THE GRAND ASSIZES A Sermon preached at Saint Maries in Cambridge REVEL 20. 12. And the Bookes were opened THere is not in all the Scripture a more lively representation of the last Judgement then in this and the paralel Chapter of the Prophesie of Daniel Foure grand Observables present themselves therein First Verse 11. I saw a great white Throne Throne there is Majestie Great there is Magnificence White there is Integritie no spot of Injustice no sparke of Partialitie shall staine the Puritie of that Dayes Proceedings God grant that this Throne White in it selfe and White in relation to him that sitteth thereon may prove White to us that our innocencie thereat in Christ may be cleared and our soules with joy comforted and compleated Otherwise though the Throne be White the Day will prove to guiltie Offenders as it is described Ioel 2. 2. A Day of Darknesse and of Gloominesse a D●y of Clouds and of thick Darknesse Secondly The Earth and the Heaven fled away from his face that sat on the Throne Wherein had the harmlesse Heaven and innocent Earth offended that should cause the flight What if the Heathen had superstitiously worshipped the Hoast of Heaven the Heavens purely passive therein had never consented thereunto What if the Earth had brought forth Thornes and Thistles she did it not willingly but cursed and commanded by God Gen. 3. 18. so to doe Alas both Heaven and Earth were conscious to themselves of comparative impuritie and fled like Dross from his Face who is a consuming fire See here how poorely the wicked are helped when they Petition the Mountaines to fall upon them and cover them Fall upon them that is Improbable Cover them that is Impossible Ill are the Mountaines able to protect them when the whole Earth cannot defend it selfe cannot make good it 's own Station but flyeth away Thirdly Iohn saw the Dea● Small and Great stand before God Here the extreames Small and Great are expressed whilest those of middle seized condition betwixt them are implyed Mens Nets commonly are so cast the great Fishes break through the Threads and little Fishes creep through the holes whilest Gods Drag-net is so large so strong so advantagiously cast neither Great nor Small can escape it I saw the Dead Small an● Great But why is there here no mention of the Living our Creed according the Analogie of Faith teaching us that God shall judge the Quick and the Dead I Answer S. Iohn onely took notice of them who were most numerous and that which was most miraculous Most numerous the living at the last day being inconsiderable in number to the dead as being onely the product of one Generation Most Miraculous It is usuall and ordinary to see the living arraigned everie Assizes and Sessions but for the Dead to appeare before the Judges is most strange and therefore onely noted by the Apostle The Fourth Observable in the words of my Text And the Bookes were opened We read of King William called the Couqueror that he caused a Survey-Booke to be made of all the Demesne Lands in England which he no l●sse proudly and prophanely then falsly termed D●omesday-Booke yet was not the same unparti●lly performed some Lands being rated above and others beneath the true value thereof Behold here the true Dooms-day Bookes done without feare or favour wherein all mens actions were unpartially recorded And the Bookes were opened The words are a Metaphor borrowed say some from Mercatorie transactions betwixt Buyer and Seller where the Debt● are Booked taken say others from Iudiciall Proceedings where the Indictments of Malefactors are written and read before the Iudge and this beares best proportion with the Context Take notice herein of the low condescention of the high God of Heaven speaking after the manner of men Should God speake of himselfe as he is his expressions would be as incomprehensible as his Essence What then is to be done in this case to make man capable of Gods discourse Either man must be mounted up to Heaven a perfection in this Life unattainable or God of his goodnesse may be pleased to stoope unto Earth which by him is graciously performed Let us not therefore thinke the lower of his Greatnesse but the higher of his Goodnesse Let no Preachers count it a diminution to their Learning a degrading to their Language to humble themselves to the Capacities of their Auditories having so good a Precedent God the Father as I may say incar●ating himselfe in his humane expressions And let people listen the more attentively to Gods language herein When the Iewes heard Acts 22. 2. that S. Paul spake in the Hebrew that is in their owne Tongue unto them they kept the more silence Seeing God descends to our Dialect let us attend with the more earnestnesse to what is spoken And the Bookes were opened All Metaphors in Scriptures must tenderly be toucht lest as the wringing of the Nose bringeth forth blood they ●e ●ortured to speake beyond and against their true intention But Metaphors from Gods mouth speaking 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 must be handled with much moderation lest in the prosecution thereof we come into the suburbs of Blasphemie Where Discretion adviseth us to be cautious in others Devotion c●mmands us to be timorous in following such Metaphors How-ever we may safely tread in the steps of the Scrip●ure and use such phrases as we find● therein In the words we may observe five Doctrines all which like the Linkes in a Chayne depend one upon another First God writes downe and records 〈◊〉 actions of me● on Earth Secondly Actions thus written are not trusted in loose Papers but bound up Thirdly Actions thus bo●nd up 〈◊〉 not onely to one but make many Bookes Fourthly Bookes thus made are not prese●tly opened but for a time kept secret and concealed Fifthly Bookes thus concealed shall not be concealed for ever but in due time shall be opened I intend not a particular prosecution of