Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	day_n	lord_n	sabbath_n	2,881	5	9.6080	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85664	Axinē pros tēn rhizan. = The axe at the root, a sermon preached before the Honourable House of Commons, at their publike fast, April 26. 1643. By William Greenhill.	Greenhill, William, 1591-1671.	1643 (1643)	Wing G1848; Thomason E103_2; ESTC R17567	41,085	62

in Travell I will destroy and devoure at once saith GOD I will stay no longer I will lay wast Mountaines and hills I will dry no Rivers and ●ooles Great and small should now feele the stroake of Gods hand where Gods long suffering ends there his fury begins and hee will deale severely with Kingdomes and with particular Persons This severity appeares in three particulars First in that it is an Axe is used Secondly it is the Root it 's laid too Thirdly in the impartialnesse the root of every Tree First it is an Axe not Culter putatorius a pruning knife that will cut down some little Branches and no more it is not Falx a Bill or Hooke to chop off some Armes or Bowes but securis an Axe some sharp strong hewing destroying Judgement Secondly It 's layd to the Root not to the branches bowes not to the great Armes not to the toppe not to the Trunck but to the Root of the Tree is the Axe laid God will deale roundly with them Now the Lord would un-covenant them un-church them unpower them and un-saint them Here it 's inquirable What makes God to lay the Axe to the Root of a Tree or Kingdome There are 4 things make the Gardener and so God to lay the Axe to the Root of a Tree First Deadnesse Secondly Rottennesse Thirdly Barrennesse Fourthly Evill fruitfulnesse First Deadnesse When the Tree is dying or dead the Gardener layes his Axe to the Root of it and God when a State is dying or dead layes his Judgements to the root of it 13 Hosea 1. When Ephraim sinned in Baal then he died Ephraims death being pronounc'd Gods Axe was presently prepared v. 3. Therefore they shall be as the morning Cloud c. God would scatter them as Clouds Chaffe Smoake and dry them up as dewe Sardis one of the 7 Churches in Asia had a name to live but was dead Rev. 3. 1. What saith the Lord to Sardis Remember what thou hast received and heard hold fast repent watch else I will come on thee as a thiefe in the night v. 3. that is suddenly and cut thee downe and you know that God did lay wast that and the other Churches not long after when Churches or Kingdomes are dying or dead the Axe is not far from the Root of them Hath not our Kingdom bin languishing and dying many yeares together you know what was said at a Commencement some yeares since our Church and State liberties lay a dying some reviving through the meanes blessed be the Lord we have had but our fainting and feares are not over England is in a consuming dying condition and the Axe is at our root Secondly Rottennesse or corruption that makes the Axe to be laid to the Root of the Tree the Gardner cannot endure to see a Tree rotten at the heart though the bowes be greene and it beare some small fruit yet if rotten he will down with it 6. Gen. 12 All flesh hath corrupted their way and the end of all is come before me I have looked upon all flesh and finde that great and small have corrupted their way and therefore the end of all is come before me I am resolved to send a Flood to drowne the World and its corruptions together It was not some particular corruption among them but an universall one There was corruption in faith and life in their Religion Worship and manners and when a State is generally corrupt in those the Heavens grow black and either a flood or fire comes a flood to the old world a fire to Sodom Trees naturall or politicall being rotten call for the Axe and God hastens it to the Root Thirdly Barrennesse makes the Axe to be laid to the Root of a Kingdome 13 Luk 7. I came and found no fruit cut it down why cumbreth it the ground a barren Tree cumbers the ground Some observe that if the Fig-tree beare not fruit in three yeares it will never beare fruit and therefore it 's said this 3. yeeres I come seeking fruit and finde none cut it downe A Barren Tree must be cut down God waited long on them when under the Judges under the Kings when under the High Priests after their captivity in Moses dayes in the Prophets in Christs and still they were barren therefore downe they must Fourthly Fruitfulnesse but its an ill fruitfulnesse Hos. 10. 1. Israelis an empty vine he brings forth fruit to himselfe Emptie and yet fruitfull it seemes to be a contradiction but God accounts that no fruit is fruit to our selves Barrennesse and basenesse is all one with God when our fruit is not for God and the publique it 's selvish and tends to ruine Such fruit Israels Tree was full of and if a barren tree cumber the ground what doth a tree loaden with cursed fruit It s demanded What fruit was it which brought the Axe to the Root of the tree 1. It was prophanation of the Sabbath Ierem. 17. 24 25. 27. If they made conscience of Gods Sabbath hee would take care of their City If they would hollow that day with pious duties he would honour them with choice Princes but if they would defile his day hee would fire their Citie and that with unquenchable fire This made Nehemiah so zealous for the Sabbath after the returne from Babylon Neh. 13. 17 10. hee contended with the Nobles and said What evillthing is this that ye doe and prophane the Sabbath day did not your Fathers thus and did not our God bring all his evills upon us and upon this City yet yee bring more wrath upon Israell by prophaning the Sabbath day He knew that sin had formerly laid them wast and would therefore stand for the Sabbath that the Lord of Sabbaths might stand for and by them England is not innocent in this thing The Booke of Sports a Monster that Heathen and Idolatrous Kingdomes never produced that opened a wide doore to prophane the Lords day hath kindled a fire in our Land which is not like to be extinct till that Booke be burnt by publique Authority 2. Idolatry that is a Kingdome destroying sinne Jeroboams two Calves eat up the 10. Tribes and Manasses Idols devoured Juda Hos. 13 1. When Ephraim sinned in Baall then he died Idolatry is the death of a Land it divides betweene God and Kingdomes it breakes the Covenant and causes God to give a Bill of Divorce and that is not all it calls forth Gods furie upon a Land Ezek. 36. 18. 19. and that is a destructive thing 3 Neglect of justice when sinne abounds execution of justice saves Kingdomes and want of it hastens their ruine Ierem. 5. 1. ●un●e yee too and froe saith God through the streets of Ierusalem and see now and know and seeke in the broad places thereof if you can find a man if there be any that executeth judgement that seeketh the truth and I will pardon it Doubtlesse there was some godly man in Jerusalem but