Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	lord_n	people_n	write_v	3,185	5	5.5489	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A89583	A sermon preached to the Honorable House of Commons assembled in Parliament: at their late solemne fast, Januar. 26. 1647. at Margarets Westminster. / By Steven Marshall, B.D.	Marshall, Stephen, 1594?-1655.	1648 (1648)	Wing M780; Thomason E423_27; ESTC R204300	29,725	48

their love to these things is hatred if compared with the love that they beare to the Kingdome of Heaven and this Chrysostome expresses very elegantly when he saith in his pursuit of banishment or martyrdome for Christ if his father should meet him and stand in his way he would throw his father upon the ground if his mother lay in his way he would tread upon his mothers belly meaning whatever it was that should be an obstacle to him they should be all scorn'd and hated by him if their interest in him should offer to stand in competition with the affection hee bore to the Kingdome of Heaven It is ordinary with Christ to expresse it thus that whoever mindes the Kingdome of Heaven and embraces it aright will forsake all for it they sell all for it in the 13. of Matthew the man that found the Treasure sold all with joy the man that found the pearle of great price sold all and the Disciples were able to speak it Master we have forsaken all to follow thee How is that how doe they sell all the meaning is they forsake all First In their judgments and estimation of all other things they are nothing in their thoughts when compared with this I account all losse and dung for Christ Secondly fell and forsake all In their affections that they care not for them they doe not love them nor delight in them when compar'd with this Thirdly sell all In their resolution and purpose of their spirit they being prepar'd to part with all either by degrees or all at a clap according as their interest in the Kingdome of Heaven doth call for any of them And as the Scripture is plain that it must be so so if you look but into the examples of all that have imbrac'd it you shall see de facto that it hath been so look upon the examples read those Holy men of God of old that saw not the Kingdome of Heaven so cleerly as now it is discover'd Abraham assoon as ever this City and Kingdome was discover'd to him left Mesopotamia left his Father his kindred the Land of his Nativity his estate went hee knew not whither onely to follow a word that directed him to this Kingdome Moses whose practice is epitomized in the 11. of the Heb. 24. that he did count the honour of being Pharaohs daughters Son hee counted the pleasures of the Court of Egypt hee esteemed the wealth of Egypt the treasures of it he counted them all as nothing in comparison of this there is the Worlds Trinity honour pleasure wealth troden under foot by a man that had but set his heart to the Kingdom of Heaven The time would fail me to relate unto you what all the Worthies have done But look a little into Christs time that wch my Text doth more immediately intimate what violence they used how the people trod one upon another to attend upon the Ordinances how they would tarry sometimes 3. dayes together without eating a bit of bread or drinking any thing but a cup of water only that they might get some acquaintance with Christ and the way to life how his Disciples forsook their Callings and Nets to follow Christ and doe what hee would have them doe how Paul made shipwracke of whatsoever was dear unto him and pressed forward onely that this might bee made good to their soules that Heaven was theirs how the Virgin company who follow Christs loved not their lives to the death huge clouds of witnesses there are whose examples prove clearly that who ever are rightly affected to the Kingdome of Heaven will doe what ever they can in this worke with all their hearts and all their might and all their strength Furthermore this violence and eagernesse of affection towards the Kingdome of Heaven in all into whose hearts the knowledg of the Kingdom of Heaven doth come Expresses it self in two things First In labouring by all meanes possible to make it sure to their own soules to work out their salvation with seare and with trembling to make their interest in the Kingdome of God the unum necessarium the one thing that is necessary to part with all other things that this may be their absolute portion that is one and the other Wherein they are equally set with eagernesse of spirit in endeavouring within their power and calling is that all Mountains may be made plain al obstacles removed al furtherances added which may advance the Kingdome of Heaven that other Flesh as well as their selves may see the Salvation of God Read your Bibles I affirme it confidently you shall finde that all that have been eager for themselves so far as it hath lien in their lot and way have express'd at least the same eagernesse to advance it and set it up for others Abraham that all his children might know the Lord Moses though hee minded his own interest in Heaven far beyond all the world as I shew'd you yet preferd the salvation of Israel before it Lord rather rase me out of the Book thou hast written then for sake thy people hee was more for Israel then for himself And so all those other Worthies David never did that for himself nor for all his children in providing for them as hee did for advancing Religion the zeal of Gods house eat him up and so did Asa Iehosophat Hezekiah Iosiah Ezra Nehemiah and many others of the old and those of the New Testament with what violence did the Disciples of Iesus Christ all of them goe up and downe that they might gaine others to the Lord Christ to winne them to him how did they goe about preaching and doing good every where being contented to be thought vile to be in their wits or out of their wits to bee made a gazing stock to men and Angels to be made the refuse and offscowring of the world to bee anything so they might promote and advance the Kingdome of Heaven I know you are able to prove these things yourselves and therefore I doe not insist upon them the ground of all this is Because the Kingdome of Heaven to all who are rightly informed in it doth appeare not onely to bee a matter of absolute necessity but so absolute good such superlative excellency in such ravishing sweetnesse such in expressible consolation that the soule that hath but once discover'd it cannot forbeare but fly upon it as the Eagle flyes to the prey and if with Sampson they find this Hony combe they must eate themselves and give to their Father or their Mother or their children and all that are about them If you would know what they are truely a little time will not so much as name them but they are such as these to bee delivered out of the power of darknesse and dominion of the Devill to be reconciled to God to have the pardon of their sinnes and the imputation of Christs righteousnesse to bee made Gods adopted sonnes and daughters

it as all those Worthies have done whom God hath thought fit to register in his Book as men accepted with him Beloved if you please to open your eyes and look abroad into the Kingdome into every corner of it you 'l see lamentable objects every where afflicted creatures of all kindes crying to you that you would reach out a helping and healing hand to them but in nothing so much is the Kingdome desolate this day as in the things that doe properly belong to the Kingdome of Heaven the Faith of Gods people I mean the doctrinall part is woefully overthrowne in many places by blasphemous and hereticall doctrines which are got in and sown through the cunning craftinesse of them that have lien in wait to beguil unstable s●●les the Worship of God is woefully neglected and troden under foot Fast Dayes and Sabbath Dayes in most places not one whit regarded the Ministery not more contemned nor so much under reproach in the hottest persecutions that they have lien under heretofore the Glory of the Lord marvellously abused in point of Religion England is this day an amazement to the Nations round about it to the insulting and rejoycing of all the enemies of it and the mourning and sadding of heart unto all that love it Could you but as in a glasse behold the unsetled case of the Kingdome of Heaven in this Land you would quickly grant there is a great deal of work to be done by those that have any vigorous spirits any bowels in them to rowle towards the helping forward of this great work Now that you may administer a healing hand I shall endeavor to say somewhat that may quicken you up and I beseech you give me leave to lay before you these following considerations eight things I would have you all seriously to think upon to provoke you to be vigorous and violent in advancing the Kingdome of Christ First Certainly there is not onely such a thing as zeal for God but it is a grace of absolute necessity in all the services of God and so lovely that it is the lustre and the varnish the glosle and beauty of all performances unto God that which sets them off with glory in the eyes of God man Gods work requires it every cause which concernes the Kingdome of Heaven must either be done with zeal or meddle not at al with it a lukewarme spirit in the service of God is worse to God then a spirit that will doe nothing hee will spue it out of his Mouth as abominable meate Now then because Religion is a work for God the proper cause of God the cause wherein his glory is most interessed associated with God you must needs doe it with zeale with all vigor and best intention of your spirit Secondly Consider further you all have lifted up your hands to the most high God and that in the day of your distresle you have bound your selves by an Oath of God and you have brought the Kingdome into an Oath of God with you you have sworne that you will willingly cheerfully constantly to the utmost of your power within your callings beat down what is contrary to Religion that you will study the advancement of Reformation according to the Word of God and the pattern of the best reformed Churches this in the day of your distresse you have sworn you have since told the Kingdome you forget it not you have order'd the Ministers oftentimes to read it upon the Fast dayes that it might be in the eyes of all Now I beseech you know that the keeping Covenant with God is a matter of a high concernment and the breaking of your Covenant with man uses not to goe unrevenged but the breaking Covenant with God is a thing will never escape the wrath of God Thirdly Consider that this work of advancing the Kingdome of Heaven is a work that belongs to you I told you before you have sworn to doe it within the compasse of your calling now it is a work within the compasse of your calling it belongs to you the Lord hath not trusted you onely with Civill liberties and to beat down oppression and injustice and outward wickednesse against the second Table in which the Lord make you more zealous but besides this the things of Gods Kingdome are committed to you You shall read if you look into Gods Book all the Worrhies whom God hath taken notice of their Crown glory hath been that they did beat downe Idolatry opposed and suppressed what ever was contrary to Religion built up Gods house set up his Ordinances encouraged his Ministers and for the doing of these things they were approved commended rewarded and such as neglected them were by God blamed branded punished so many examples are extant in the Scripture of the Old Testament that I need not name them and the same is prophesied to be done by Magistrates under the New Testament Kings shall be Nursing Fathers to it and Queenes shall be Nursing Mothers to the Church they shall give it bread milk and provide for it and nourish it and for punishing the oppressors of it there is a Gospell Prophesie in the 13. of Zechariah When any shall prophesie falsly his Father and Mother that begat him shall thrust him through and say Thou shalt not live for thou speakest lies in the name of God Now then since this belongs to your place and work I beseech you for the Lords sake be zealous in it and Fourthly consider As it is for Christ and for his Kingdome so Iesus Christ hath very well deserved at your hands to have you vigorous in his cause hee hath earned it hee is before hand with every soule of you look upon the zeal hee shewed when hee came to doe your work for you how did he bow the heavens and come downe upon the earth and from the throne of glory came and lay first in the wombe of a Virgin and then in swadling bands in a Manger and afterwards lived a poore life and then pray'd and preached and wrought Miracles with indefatigable paines with burning zeal yea gave his life a ransome he gave his soule to the death that hee might be a ransome for you and thereby purchase you to be a people to himself zealous of good warkes hath he not deserved it I and he hath deserved it at your hands in this great work hee hath set you about in this great concussion and earth quake of the Kingdome wherein you have been so farre imployed What mischiefs hath he discover'd which have been contrived against you What seasonable Mercies hath he sent you What unexpected victories hath he given you How hath the Lord made Mountains plain before you and brought you into the condition wherein you are and made you enjoy that which many times I dare say you were past all hope of seeing the Lord then deserves his cause should be thought upon by you Fifthly consider That the setting up of