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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	king_n	prophet_n	write_v	2,853	5	6.3212	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A12706	A sermon preached at Whaddon in Buckinghamshyre the 22. of Nouember 1593. at the buriall of the Right Honorable, Arthur Lorde Grey of Wilton, Knight of the most Honorable order of the Garter, by Thomas Sparke pastor of Blechley	Sparke, Thomas, 1548-1616.	1593 (1593)	STC 23024; ESTC S102431	51,655	100

to haue beene as their watchmen to tell them of their sinnes and to forewarne them of the iudgementes of God therefore to come vppon them were such as either for lacke of skill or will in that respect were no better then dumbe dogs delighting in sleeping and that yet they were so covetous and ambitious that they coulde neuer be satisfied withall giuing themselues most securely to all delicacy and volu●tuousnes of liuing Whereby by the way we may see that when in any kingdome it may iustly and truely be thus saide of such that then euen thereby that people haue a most certaine cause giuen them to feare some grievous iudgement not to be far off For how can it be but when it is thus with these kinde of men it must bee as bad if not worse with them whom these both for life and doctrine shoulde go before and guide For if 〈…〉 darkenes what else cā we looked for in the whole body And if the sunne haue giuen ouer shining and be as it were quite set vppon the toppe of the mountaines what shew can it make in the valleyes God of his mercy therfore grāt that we may be every day more and more vnlike the kingdome of Iudah in this point Well the Prophet hauing thus drawen one argument from the corrupt estate of the watchmen in his time that such a heavy iudgement as I haue shewed he denounced was comming apace on against the people of the kingdome of Iudah hauing a desire fully to perswade them that it was so the better to awaken them and to draw them to repentance if it were possible to preuent the same in these wordes of my text he giues them another most sure and certaine signe and token thereof And it is this that in so bad times as those were wherin sinne had so ouerflowed al estates the Lordes taking away by death so many of their best and godliest men whereof the number was before but small was a plaine demonstration that such an euel was shortly to come vpō those whom they left behind thē And the rather because notwithstāding this was a heauy iudgment of it selfe thus to haue their most worthy men taken away and clerely shewed that yet there was a heauier comming the people continued and went on 〈◊〉 in ther olde lewd course in all security neither feeling the present blow that hereby the Lorde g●●e them nor yet thereby taking any occasion to thinke that a further was threatned Other argumentes he could haue vsed to this purpose but with these two as though these two were insteede of all the rest and were of themselues most sufficent to perswade this matter he contents himselfe Wherefore looking now into the daies and times wherein we liue if it be so that we cannot deny but that the manners of men and the falling out of things amongst vs geue ground for these two arguments to be vrged and vsed against vs we may and ought to learne hereby vnlesse we be disposed to showe our selues to be a people that nothing can feare or drawe from security to true repentance that it standes vs vppon speedily euen hereby to take warning to looke better to our selues and to our waies then hitherto wee haue done As for the former of these argumentes whether there haue not bin and yet are two many such in the place of watchmen amongst vs as the Prophet hath described to grounde that vppon I referre to your owne iudgement who perhaps knowe it better then my selfe but touching the other laide downe here in my text I dare boldly affirme that Isaiah had neuer iuster cause to vrge that in his time then we haue euen nowe Wherefore now vnderstanding as we doe vppon what occasion and to what ende these wordes were vttered by him let vs according to the order and methode before therein obserued go on in the further weighing considering thereof The righteous man perisheth saith he speaking in the singuler number for the plurall as it is euident in the next Clause where speaking still of the same he termes them in the plurall number mercifull men Whereby it is cleare that this was spoken by hint in respect of such a time of his prophesying wherein many such as here he speaks of by one kinde of death or other were taken hence But whereas by the first verse of this booke of his prophesies it appeares that he prophesyed in the daies of Vzziah Iothan Ahaz and Ezechiah kinges of Iudah and some of the ancient Rabbins and other Christian ancient fathers haue thought that he himselfe was sawn to death in the first yeare of Manasses the consideration whereof hath made many to vnderstand that Hebr. 11. verse 37. where the Apostle speaking of the deaths of sundry of the godly in the time of the olde testament saith some were hewn a sunder or as some rather translate it sawn a sunder as spoken properly of the death of Isaiah vnder this idolatrous tyrant amōgst the interpreters of this place they al are not of one minde touching the time in respect wherof these wordes were set downe For some refer them to some time of the 16. yeares that Ahaz reigned some to the first yeare of the raigne of Manasses others thinke they were spoken in regard of some time of the reigne of Ezechiah They that refer them to Ahaz or Manasses times think that the Prophet here speaketh not onely of such righteous and mercifull men as in those times died ordinary deaths by sicknesses vpon their beds but especially of such as were put to death by those idolatrous and wicked Kings And indeede likely inough it is that in their times many such for misliking their proceedings and not conforming themselues thereūto came to their ends For Ahaz was so grosse an idolater that he burnt incense in the valley of Benhinnom and burnt his sonnes with fire or made them passe through the fire after the abomination of the heathen 2. Cron. 25. vers 3. and he had Vriah the priest one ready to follow his idolatrous wicked commandements in any thing 2. Kings 16. vers 11. 16. and of the other the holy story 2. Kings 21. vers 1. c. 2. Cron. 33. vers 1. c reports as much ill as may be and Iosephus for his part in the 10. booke of the antiquities of the Iews chapter the 4. writes most plainly that he kild all that he could come by both of the prophets and people that were godly And they that refer thē to Ezechias time either refer them to the time when he was sicke vnto death and yet recouered as we reade Isaiah 35. or to the time when he died indeede 2. Kinges the 20. vers 21. For the sicknes that he was so sicke of and yet recouered is thought of sundry learned men to haue bin the very plague wherof about that time many such as Isaiah here speaketh of by all likelihood died though he escaped when he

drunkennes to thirst as it pleaseth God by Moyses to speake to his people of Israell in that time Deu. 29. ver 19. For if wee shoulde doe so in the woordes there immediately following the Lorde telleth vs what we shall surely trust vnto namely that he will not be mercifull to any such But his wrath and ielousie shall smoke against such and euery curse written in the booke of the lawe shall light vppon them and hee will put out their name from vnder heauen Wherefore to conclude this part let eve●● of ●s learne to doe as Ieremi hath councelled vs Lam. 3. vers 40. that is search and trye our waies and turne vnto the Lorde lifting vp our handes and heartes vnto him in the heauens for mercy to vs and out Lande for as he faith in the twenty two verse of that Chapter our manifolde and great sin● considered so we haue cause to say also it is the Lordes mercies that we bee not consumed And further let Ezechiel teach vs this one lesson more that not onelye ●ee our selues euerie one for his owne particuler must thus turne to God from all our sinnes but that wee must cause others so to turne or else he will not once promise vs that iniquitie shall not be our destruction Cap. 18 vers 30. For euery man is bound to do what lyeth in him to draw on those that any way by his vocation in Church or common weal he hath a charge of And but that I hasten to the consolation I shoulde here teach you that this conuersion of ours to God must bee speedy without procrastination constant without interruption harty without dissimulation vniuersal without exception hūble without ostentation and yet faithful without all distrust or doubting For thus hath the word taught it ought to be if we would haue it to be acceptable before the Lorde to put of his iudgementes from vs that otherwise by our sinnes we haue deserued But let thus much suffise touching the Prophets complaint and the vse that wee are to make of it and nowe let vs proceede to the comforte or consolation that hee giues in these wordes of his Wherin as I haue said we are to consider whom be comfortes and therefore how he describes them then how he comforts them and therefore what the comforts be that he sets down for such He describes them in general to be every one that walketh before God in the latter verse and in the former more particularly to be righteous or mercifull men of these thinges therefore now orderly as they are preposed let vs consider By walking by an vsuall Metaphore in the scriptures we are to vnderstande liuing and hauing our conuersation in which sence saith God to Abraham Gen. 17. ve 1. walke before mee and be thou vpright that is ●ot and haue thy conuersation And 1. Corint 9. by a like metaphore the life of a Christian is compared to the running of a race the consideration of which metaphors may and ought to teach vs that as it is our dutie according to Christes counsail Luk. 13.24 to striue to get into this way wherein wee must walke and run and that betime ●e cause it is written Eccl. 12. vers 1. remember th● creator in the daies of thy youth whiles the euill daies comes not nor the yeares approach wherein thou shalt say I haue no pleasure in them so likewise when wee are got in that wee maie neither stande still nor goe backe but that we are to walke and runne right forwarde taking heede that neither we run round about nor ●ow of this side now o● that And therefore we haue a r●●t giuen vs. Heb. 12. vers 13. to make straight steps vnto our feere and there also we are ●arned to take heede of al halting in this way lest so we beturned out of the way Thus therefore to walke or to runne this race importes that therein there is some difficultie and that there had neede bee good paynes taken thereabout Whereuppon the Apostle Paule in the foresaide place to the Corint 9. hauing saide so run that ye may obtaine to prouoke vs not to think it much though so to do cost vs some paines he first tels vs that they that striue for ●asteries though they do it to obtain a corruptible crowne yet abstayne from all thinges that might hinder them and then hee layes before vs to the same ende his owne example howe that hee the better to runne this race bett downe his own bodie and brought it into subiection verse 25.27 And Hebrewes 12. verse 1. most plainelye hee calles vppon vs to cast awaye euery thinge that presseth downe and the sinne that hangeth so fast on and so then saith let vs runne with patience the race that is set before vs c. Wherefore the difficultie hereof considered we had need euery one to runne vnto God for helpe in this case saying with Dauid Oh that my wayes were directed to keepe thy statutes teach me O Lorde the way of thy statutes direct mee in the path of thy commandementes Psal 119. vers 5.33.35 Nowe touching this our walking seeing it must hee as I haue saide or else it is not that that heere the Prophet requires in those whome hee woulde comforte sure wee maye bee that there is prescribed vs by GOD who would haue vs to walke before him that is so that he may take pleasure and delyte in our walking some perfect rule from which wee maye not decline either to the right hande or left and this surely is his owne reuealed will and ●oorde For that is an ancient rule of God in matter of his seruice ye shall put nothing vnto the woorde which I commaunde you neither shall yee take ought there from as wee reade Deuteronomie 4. vers 2. and therefore saith he Esay 8. To the Lawe and to the testimonie if they speake not according to this woorde it is because there is no light in them ver 20. And therfore euen kings are commaunded by the Lorde to reade in the booke of the Lorde all dayes of their life Deuteronomie 17.19 And Iosua particularly to meditate therein daye and night that it might neuer depart out of his mouth that he might obserue and doe according to all thinges written therein neuer turning from the rule thereof either to the right hande or lefte Iosua the first verse 7. and 8. And wee may bee sure God is at the same point still and euer will bee and therefore both Isaiah the 29. verse 13. and Matthew 15. verse 9. as Christ hath alleadged it wee may see that both in the old testament and newe God hath counted them but vaine worshippers howe neare so euer they drawe vnto him in woordes whose feare is taughte by the preceptes of menne teaching for doctrine mens preceptes all which kinde of worshipping or seruing of God Paule condemne vnder the name of will worshippe or voluntarie religion though otherwise it carrie neuer such shew of humblenesse