Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	church_n	old_a	testament_n	6,574	5	8.1314	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A53702	An humble testimony unto the goodness and severity of God in his dealing with sinful churches and nations, or, The only way to deliver a sinful nation from utter ruine by impendent judgments, in a discourse on the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, Luk. 13, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 / by John Owen.	Owen, John, 1616-1683.	1681 (1681)	Wing O762; ESTC R17781	63,319	169

promises and priviledges of it are theirs and all they do is accepted with God a principal tending directly to the vilest Atheism Again Although God in a marvellous yea a miraculous manner hath discovered and frustrated their Hellish Designs-and brought many of them into the Pit they digged for others yet they will accept of no Rebuke from God but go on in an obstinate Presumption that they are the Church and shall prevaile at last And that Church which shall prevail by these Means no doubt they are Some indeed pretend highly to be the Church but they lay claim so far as I can find to no other Advantages thereby but Dignities and Promotions And others also are apt to relieve themselves with this Confidence that they are the People of God and shall have an especial interest in Deliverance on that Account And I say far be it from me to weaken any perswasion of Gods especial Regard of those that are truly his God hath a peculiar People in the World let the World scoss at it whilst they please unto whom all the Promises of the Scripture and all the Priviledges of the Church do belong These Promises they ought to mix with Faith and plead before God continually and they shall be all accomplished towards them in the way and time of Gods appointment Nor do any sort of dissenting Professions as they are called that I know of appropriate this Right and Priviledge unto themselves unto the exclusion of others but extend it to all who are sincere Believers But this is that which I say concerning all sorts of men That if an Apprehension or Perswasion that they are the Church or People of God do keep them off from that Duty of Repentance and Reformation which God cals unto it is a Confidence which God rejecteth and in which they will not prosper I desire to ask of any Hath not the Church sinned Have not Prosessors sinned Are there not sins amongst us against the Lord our God proper unto our State and according to our Measure If it be so our being the People of God any of us if we are so unless we repent doth only as unto these Providential Dispensations expose us unto his just Severity for Judgment must begin at the House of God it must begin at us Take heed of this failing Reserve I have observed much Security to arise from hence and great Negligence of known Duties If you are the People of God you had the more need to tremble at his Judgments and at the Tokens of his displeasure Especially ought it to be so with you at this Day when God seems in a peculiar manner to be displeased with the Rivers as the Prophet speaks Hab. 3. 8. Those who should send forth streams of refeshment unto the Nation To me at present all things appear in that condition That there is no Reserve left as unto publick Judgments but only in Sovereign Grace and Mercy to be waited for in a way of Repentance and Reformation As unto our priviledges God speaks unto us as he did to the people of old concerning their Ornaments Exod. 33. 5. Put them off that I may know to do unto you We are to lay aside our pleas and pretences betaking our selves to Sovereign Grace and Mercy alone 2. Another Ground of vain confidence may be an unjust Expectation of such an Accomplishment of Scripture-Promises Prophesies and Predictions as are not applicable unto our present Condition It is undeniable that there are such Promises prophesies and predictions concerning the Deliverance of the Church the Ruine of its Adversaries the Glory and Beauty of the Kingdom of Christ as those intended For although the most of that kind in the old Testament are of a Spiritual Interpretation and have their Accomplishment in all the Elect in every Age whatever be their outward State and Condition yet that there are such also as concern the State of the Church in this World and the Ruine of all its Antichristian Enemies with Peace and Glory ensuing thereon cannot be denied And concerning them we may observe sundry things that we may not abuse them into vain groundless Confidences in such a Season this as is 1. That we ought to have a firm Faith of their Accomplishment in their proper Season The Rule of them all is that of the Prophet I the Lord will hasten it in his time Isai. 60. 22. As it is also Hab. 2. 2 3. Though they seem to be prolonged and tarry beyond their proper season yet they have their fixed and determinate time beyond which they shall not tarry And two things I would offer on this Occasion 1. That we are not only to believe their Accomplishment but to be in the Actual Exercise of Faith about it For without this we shall want a great supportment of patient long-suffering in every time of Trial. And by this Faith do we take in the Power and Comfort of things promised things not actually enjoyed For Faith is the Substance of things hoped for Heb. 11 1. that which gives a previous subsistance in the Mind and Soul as unto the benefit and comfort of them of the things hoped for And those whose Minds are exercised unto these things do know what benefit they have by such a preception of them They are carryed sometimes by a way of believing into Communion with them who lived in the Old World as they had with us in the expectation of what we enjoy and into the same kind of Communion with those who herafter shall enjoy the accomplishment of those Promises which may be yet afar off 2. This Faith ought to be most firm when all things seem to conspire in rendring the Accomplishment of such Promises not only improbable but also impossible as unto present outward Causes as in the State of things at this day in the world There are no visible or appearing means of the fulfilling any of them yet the whole World is joyned in a conspiracy to defeat them but true Faith riseth against those Oppositions and is prevalent against them all For having God alone his Power Faithfulness and Truth for its Objects it values not the Opposition that men can make against them That shall be done in this kind which God is able to do let men do what they please God laughs all their proud Attempts to scorn and so may the Virgin Daughter of Sion also 2 It is our Duty to pray for the accomplishment of all the Promises and Predictions that are on Record in the book of God concerning the Kingdom of Christ and his Church in this World God will do these things yet for all of them he will be sought unto by the house of Israel This hath been the Practice of Believers in all ages both under the Old Testament and the New Prayer for the accomplishment of Promises hath been the Life-breath of the Church in all Ages and Faith hereby brings in great refreshment unto the Soul And the greatest

Saviour see Rev. 6. 13 14. The Frame of Nature is as it were cast into a trembling disorder upon the approaches of God in his wrath and Fury and puts it self forth in extraordinary signs of its astonishment trembling for the Inhabitants of the Earth and calling on them to repent before the wrath of the terrible one do seize upon them So in the Scripture the Seas and Rivers Mountains and Hills are represented as mourning shaking trembling at the presence of God when he comes to execute his Judgments see Hab 3. 6. 7 8 10 He drove asunder the Nations and the everlasting Mountains were scattered the perpetual hils did bow Was the Lord displeased against thy Rivers Was thine Anger against thy Rivers Was thy wrath against the Sea The Mountains saw thee and they trembled the overflowing of the Water passed by the deep uttered his voice and lift up his hands on high The Mountains Hills Seas Rivers bowed trembled and lifted up their hands as crying for compassion see Psal. 97. 2 3 4 5 6. By these Signs and Tokens in Heaven and Earth doth God give Warnings of his coming to judge the Inhabitants of the Earth God doth not work these strange things in Heaven above and the Earth beneath that they should be gazed at only and made a matter of talk not that they should be Subjects of some mens Curiosity and of the Scorn of others There is a voice in them all a voice of God and it will be to their hurt by whom it is not heard and understood 3. He doth the same constantly by the Light of his VVord The general Rule of Gods ordinary Dispensations of Providence is fully laid down in the Scripture God hath magnified his VVord above all his Name so as that no VVorks of Providence shall be unsuited to the Rule of the word much less contrary to it or inconsistent with it And if we were wise to make Application of it unto present Affairs and Occasions we should in most instances know in general what God is doing Of old it was said Surely the Lord God will do nothing that is in the way of Judgments but he reveals his Secret to his Servants the Prophets Amos 3. 7. What they had by immediate Revelation we may have in a measure by the Rule of the word and the Declaration which God hath made therein how he will deal with a sinful provoking People So having threatned various sorts of Judgments the Prophets adds Search you out of the Book of the Lord and read no one of these shall fail Isai. 34. 16. That this great means of Divine VVarnings may be usefull unto us we are to consider 1. VVhat are the stable Rules given in the Scripture concerning Sin Repentance Impenitence and Judgments Such Rules abound in it And no dispensations of Providence shall interfer with them God will no give such a Temptation unto Faith that any of his works should be Contradictions unto his VVord And if we will learn our present Condition from these Rules it will be an Antidote against Security 2. Consider the Instances recorded therein of Gods dealings with sinfull provoking Nations and Churches This God himself directed the People of old unto when they boasted of their Church-Priviledges sending them to Shiloh which he had destroyed And when we find a Record in the Book of God concerning his severity towards any Nation in our Circumstances it is our duty to beleive that he will deal so with us also in his time unless we repent 3. Always bear in Mind our Infallible Guidance as unto Gods final dealing with impenitent Sinners This the whole Scripture constantly equally universally witnesses unto that it shall be eternal Destruction and this will preserve us from distracting Surprisals when we find things fall out beyond our Expectation in a way of Severity 4. Consider those Signs Marks and Tokens of Approaching Judgments which are set up in the VVorld which whoso doth wisely consider he will not fail in his Prognostication of future Events Among these abounding in Sin with Security in such Persons Nations Cities and Churches as God is pleased by the Gospel to take near unto himself in a peculiar manner is the most eminent For those Signs are Buoys fixed to shew when we shall certainly make Shipwrack if we approach unto them VVhen these Rules are observed when they are diligently attended unto and complied withal so as that we receive Instruction from them I shall say with some confidence that every Believer shall know what God is doing in a way of Judgment so far as is necessary unto his Guidance in his own Duty wherein he shall find acceptance and not provoke God in the neglect of it 5. God hath appointed the Ministry of the word unto the same end The principal End of the Ministery under the Gospel is the Dispensation of the word of Reconciliation But neither is yet this work of giving warning of approaching Judgments exempted from that Office and Duty Christ himself in his Ministry preacheth here on this Subject They are Watchmen and Overseers and their Duty herein is graphically expressed Ezek. 34. 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9. When God placeth any as a VVatchman for a People one part of his Duty is to look diligently after the approach of Dangers and Evils such I mean as come on the account of Sin and thereon to awaken and stir up the People to take care of themselves that they be not destroyed The Shepard is not only to provide good Pasture for his Sheep but to keep them from danger The Watchman hearkned diligently with much heed and he cryed a Lyon Isai. 21 7 8 Having made a discovery of approaching danger he cries out to the People to warn them of it But if the Watchmen are slothful and sleepy if they are dumb Dogs and cannot bark when Evil cometh if they are light and treacherous Persons blind Guides that have no vision if they also are under a spirit of slumber and security so as that the people are not warned by them of their danger this is one of the most severe Tokens of wrath approaching It is a great warning when God takes away the Means of warning when he says unto a People I will warn you no more by giving them such watchmen as are neither faithful nor able to warn them and by taking away those that are 6. God gives warnings hereof by bringing a people into such a Posture Condition and Circumstances as do in their own Nature tend unto Ruine Such are cross Interests among themselves incurable Divisions contrary and unsteddy Counsels weakness in Spirit and Courage mutual Distrusts Effeminacy through Luxury with one or other insuparable entanglement which are the Ways and Means whereby Nations precipate themselves into calamitous Condition In general as unto this previous warning of approaching Judgments God threatens to send among a People who are tending towards Ruine a Moth and an Hornet The Moth