Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	fear_v	lord_n	remembrance_n	1,962	5	9.9520	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A25827	Sermons preached upon several occasions by Timothy Armitage.	Armitage, Timothy, d. 1655.	1678 (1678)	Wing A3702; ESTC R25891	316,267	489

exceeding precious Such was the time of Noah in the time in which Noah lived the whole world was corrupt and the whole earth was filled with violence Ay but then Noah walked with God in his Generation and that was exceeding acceptable And so again we have other Instances of the like in Hos 11. 12. It was the great commendation of Judah that when the people of Israel had corrupted themselves when Israel had gone astray from God from his worship and from his truth then Judah was found faithful with God Ephraim has compassed me about with lies and the house of Israel with deceit but Judah yet ruleth with God and is faithful with the Saints Judah still holds fast or Judah leaves a witness to his God bears witness to the truth of God and is faithful to the Saints faithful to the Prophets and that was the great commendation of Judah to be faithful at that time in a time of general corruption And so again in Mal. 3. 14. It was a very evil a very corrupt time and God took it exceeding kindly that his people did hold up for him Ye have said it is in vain to serve the Lord and what profit is it that we have kept his Ordinances and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord and now we call the proud happy yea they that work wickedness are set up and they that tempt God are even delivered but what follows mark the 16 Verse Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another c. The people were wofully corrupt God had a few names there that he kept faithful to himself they that feared the Lord even then when the time was so evil they spake often one to another and a Book of remembrance was written 2. Secondly Times of sore persecution times of persecution are evil times and then to walk with God is exceeding acceptable such was the time in which Elijah lived it was a time of great persecution Jezebel had slain all the Lords Prophets there was none in all the Land durst appear for God and therefore he thought he had been left alone Lord they have slain thy Prophets and left me alone and yet Elijah stands up for God there was none in all the Land durst appear for God and therefore Elijah thought he had been left alone 1 King 19. 14. And yet Elijah stood up for God and with an undaunted spirit bare witness and stood up for God this the Lord took exceeding kindly at Elijah's hand What a gracious promise is made to the Church of Philadelphia because she stood it out in evil times Because thou hast kept the Word of my patience Thou hast kept my Word with patience thou hast kept my truth notwithstanding all the opposition thou hast met with that truth which was most opposed that truth which was most persecuted that which was the truth of the times thou hast kept and thou hast kept it with patience notwithstanding all thy suffering notwithstanding all opposition Therefore I will keep thee in the hour of temptation that is coming upon the World 3. Thirdly Times of Temptation are evil times and then to walk closely with God is acceptable when Satan himself or by his Instruments shall endeavour to beat souls from their standing when he shall endeavour to turn them aside from God then to hold fast is taken exceeding well It is the great design of the Devil by himself or wicked men thus to strike at Gods people what do you get by your close walking with God Why you get nothing but blows nothing but stripes and you are afflicted more than any it was never worse with you than since you began to follow hard after God this is Satans temptation and now to hold fast is very acceptable thus it was with Job Job 2. 9. the Devil tempted him by his wife saies she to him Dost thou still retain thine Integrity Curse God and die Dost thou still retain thy Integrity what wilt thou still walk with God What hast thou got by walking with him Thou seest how sad a condition thou art brought into I would never follow that God any longer I would curse him and die it 's a sore temptation but Job still stands in his Integrity Thou speakest like one of the foolish women shall we receive good at the hand of the Lord and shall not we receive evil Thou speakest like one of the foolish women But again 4. Fourthly Times of Affliction are times of trial and then it 's most acceptable for Saints to walk with God Times of Affliction when God seems to frown and God stretches his hand out against his own people for them yet to pursue after God in their spirits this is very acceptable to run to God when God seems to smite them to run into his arms when they see he is angry to run under his shadow when God seems to beat them sore Why this is very pleasing unto God Thus it was with Job though God stretcht out his hand against him yet he would not stretch out his hand to iniquity but still he kept his integrity he was in a sad condition he was stript naked of all he had in the world as you read in Job 1. 21. and though God make him naked he 'll walk with God though God lay him naked destitute of all comforts he blesses the name of God when all was taken from him and it 's said in all this Job sinned not nor charged God foolishly That 's the fourth evil time in which walking with God is acceptable But I shall speak most to the first of these because that concerns Enoch most viz. Times of General corruption times of declining times of Apostasie then to walk with God is exceeding acceptable Quest Then what is it to walk with God in corrupt times or when do the servants of God walk with him in corrupt times Answ 1. I Answer First of all when they embrace the truth of the times those truths that are most opposed when they shall countenance those truths that are most discountenanced when they will not shut out the light the truth that God holds forth in their Generation though the truth cost them dear though they must buy it though they suffer the loss of all for the truth though it cost them the loss of their comforts the loss of their good names the loss of their Friends the loss of Estate yet it 's the truth of Christ and it 's the truth of the times When God shall thus cause his servants to embrace those scorned persecuted and opposed truths of the times in which they live as every Age hath its special truth wherein they are to walk with God in a corrupt Generation But again 2. Secondly To walk with God in a corrupt Generation is to practise those waies of holiness and righteousness and to shew forth those graces which are most contrary to the wickedness of the times this is walking with God

in a corrupt time I say to practise those waies of holiness and righteousness and hold forth those graces which are contrary to the wickedness of the times and therefore it was Job's great commendation that he was upright that he was an upright man in a crooked Generation he lived amongst a crooked people And it was the great commendation of Noah that he practised righteousness it 's said he was a just man when the world was most unjust it 's said The earth was filled with violence there was no righteousness in Noah's daies and then Noah was a just man he was a lover of justice and righteousness he was a follower of it a pattern at that time when there was nothing but unjustness and violence in those times and thus to walk with God in a corrupt time is very pleasing and acceptable But again 3. Thirdly To walk with God in a corrupt time is then when the Servants of God shall stir up others to cleave close to God at that time this is part of their service at such time to endeavour to strengthen and to hold up the hands and the hearts of one another in declining and sinful times you may remember the place before Mal. 3. 16. Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another when the time was woefully corrupt this was the service of that Generation then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another they spake words of encouragement to strengthen one another that they might not be dismayed that they might go on with boldness in professing the name and truth of Jesus Christ notwithstanding all opposition 4. Again Fourthly When the Saints shall Rest upon the promises of God which seem to be far off this is part of their walking with God in an evil time I say then to act faith in the promises which seem to be far off when you see nothing but corruption nothing but darkness yet even then to look to the promises of life and holiness and grace which shall be given out and shall be fulfilled when there is little or no knowledge of God then to close with the promise that the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the Sea so the promise that God hath made to roul away the reproach of his servants when they meet with nothing but reproaches from men then to look upon the promise that he 'll roul away their reproach and cause their righteousness to break forth as the Sun at noon-day That 's another Again 5. Fifthly When they shall Vindicate the Providences of God though never so seemingly cross unto promises and so clear all dispensations of God both to the righteous and the wicked and though he suffer the righteous to be trodden under-foot yet they shall then vindicate God in his dispensations and say That the Lord is good and righteous and just and there 's no iniquity in him there 's a time a coming when he shall clear up this truth and they shall discern between the righteous and the wicked there 's a time a coming when it shall be said Verily there is a reward for the righteous there 's a reward for the just of the earth they shall vindicate the Providences of God in the face of the wicked Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his Saints to execute Judgement upon all there 's a day of reckoning coming when the wicked shall pay for all this he resolves on and this is a second part of that service viz. what it is to walk with God in evil times But 3. Thirdly It 's exceeding pleasing to God that his Servants thus should walk and stick close to him in evil times I shall look no further than that of the Prophet Malachi Mal. 4. 16. which we before spake of Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another and the Lord hearkened and heard and then a Book of remembrance is set before them for them that feared the Lord and thought upon his Name You may see the Lord is exceeding intent upon his servants that walk close with him in evil times he doth eye them and his ear is towards them he listens to every word they speak They that feared the Lord spake often one to another and it 's said there The Lord hearkened and heard the Lord hearkened he did as if a man should listen to hear what his servants should say one unto another they had other listners it's like in that evil time the wicked hearkened and listned that they might trap them Ay but God listens for another end he hearkened and heard and a book of remembrance was written before them There 's another particular which doth declare how acceptable it is to God that they walk before him in evil times a book of remembrance is set before them while they speak God writes and takes notice of what they say A book of remembrance he writes a book of Chronicles that it may not be forgotten what they spake of God and one to another An allusion to the custom of Princes that they had their books in which they writ what any man did for them what good service they had done for the State as Mordecai's good service was written in a Book the King calls for the book in which the services of Mordecai were writ so the Lord looks in his Book a Book of remembrance was written But again Further A Book was written for them that feared the Lord and thought upon his name nothing that they did for God and spake of God and thought of God there 's nothing shall be lost it was an evil time and it may be they durst not speak all their thoughts yet all their good thoughts were taken notice of by the Lord they were not let go but set down in his book even their thoughts were written down God will write them that they shall not be forgotten Oh I remember the kindness of thy youth Jer. 2. 2. and the love of thy espousal when thou followedst me in the Wilderness to follow God alone in a Wilderness when there 's little or no company God takes this as a special respect and kindness But why does God take notice of his people in special who walk most close with him in evil times 1. First of all I Answer briefly It discovers that the very Life of God and Christ is in that soul God rejoices in the Image of his Life which he beholds in his Children it 's an argument that the Fish hath life when it swimms against the stream the dead Fish that 's carried down the stream it cannot make any resistance It 's an Argument the life of Christ is in that soul that is enabled to walk with God in evil times to go against the stream of corruption and looseness 2. Secondly Again As it is an Argument of Life so it 's an Argument of Strength that soul hath got much strength from God