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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	good_a	love_n	love_v	4,903	5	6.7044	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A97361	Seaven sermons. [sermons 1 and 2 only] preached vpon severall occasions. Viz. 1 The Christians prayer for the Churches peace. One sermon on Psal. 122.6. 2 One sermon on 1 Sam. 2.30 3 Baruchs sore gently opened; Gods salve skilfully applyed. In two sermons on Jeremy 45.5. 4 The araignement of coveteousnesse. In three sermons on Luke 12.15. By John Stoughton, Doctor in Divinitie, late of Aldermanburie, London.; Sermons. Selected sermons	Stoughton, John, d. 1639.	1640 (1640)	STC 23311_PARTIAL; ESTC S117838	33,512	94

of Iob 14. 8. 9. the waters as Iob speakes and breaking forth into this extacy of divine affections in the beginning of the Psalme I was glad when they said unto mee let vs goe into the house of the Lord our feete shall stand within thy gates O Ierusalem Now the spring of reason that fed this strong affection in him are those Two that the Philosophers give as the just cause of all good affections There are two things that make us loue any thing 1. The beauty of it 2. The propriety of it The beauty of the Church set his heart so much in love with it that is expressed in the 3. verse Ierusalem is built as a City compact together How ever other mens eyes looked scornefully vpon Ierusalem as haveing no beauty nor comlines in it yet the godly man seeth of all the societies in the world no such beauty as in the Church of God Secondly his propriety hee hath in it or the relation in which he standeth to it which is Double 1. Jerusalem in the fourth verse is the place of Gods worship whether the Tribes goe up the Tribes of the Lord to the testimony to praise the Name of the Lord. There was the beauty because there was the worship of God the fountaine of all beauty And there is his second relation and propriety in that there was the company of all the Saints of God there hee set thrones for the house of David And then he commeth to his second affection which is answerable to the other and but a counter-pane of it his loue expressing it selfe in both and that is his ardent desire for the good of Jerusalem beginning in the verse that I haue read And this ardent desire breaketh forth and expresseth it selfe in a double streame We haue First a precept for prayer in the verse read Pray for the peace of Ierusalem And then a prescript forme of prayer for peace in the next verse Peace be within thy walls and prosperity within thy palluces And then the springs of reason that feed this loving affection of desire and maketh it in continuall motion are answerable to the former He lookes upon Ierusalem in the double relation mentioned before 1 For my Brethren and companions sake I will now say Peace bee unto thee There is the first relation And the second is For the house of our God I will procure thy good in the last verse And so I have given you in briefe the whole summe of the Psalme But to returne to the verse There be two things observable in it A Mandate and A Motive The Mandate Pray for the peace of Ierusalem The Motiue to put us upon it They shall prosper that loue thee In either of these there may be 3. things observable First There cannot be a better imployment for Christians then Prayer Pray for the peace of Ierusalem Secondly wee cannot aime at a better blessing in Prayer then Peace Pray for the peace of Ierusalem Thirdly There is not a nearer relation wee haue to any for whom we should wish all good then to Ierusalem pray for the peace of Ierusalem This is the direct gradation of the verse but I shall handle it in a retrogradation beginning at the last First The nearest relation a Christian hath to any for whom he should wish all good is to Jerusalem pray for Ierusalem Secondly The greatest blessing is Peace pray for the peace Thirdly The most effectuall meanes to gaine peace is Prayer Pray for the peace of Ierusalem There bee as many things observable in the second branch of the text The motiue that is used Let them prosper that love thee First wee cannot but pray for Ierusalem if we love her it is an argument wee loue not the Church of God and the honour of God if we will not doe so much as set forward her peace by prayer There is a second thing too implied in the other translation Let them prosper that love thee Our praying for the Church giveth us a share in all the Churches prayers we haue a venture in every ship of prayer that maketh a voyage for heaven if our hearts bee willing to pray for the Church and if not we haue no share in it Lastly All our prosperity depends upon the prosperity of the Church and our desires for the prosperity of it They shall prosper It is a certaine thing all that loue the Church of God shall prosper and prosperity only belongs to them and there cannot be more effectuall inducements to perswade men to this duty then these are I know there be so many sands in the Text that should I observe them all the glasse would out-run me I shall therefore contract all into one observation and so prosecute it in many particulars briefly that so I may comprehend the maine of the text and shall propound it thus Doct. It is the duty of all Christians to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and to provoke others to doe the like and all their owne good depends vpon it For the opening of the point to bee very briefe in it there bee two things concerning the Object that I shall giue a little inlargement to to take the full meaning of the point And also two branches concerning the act which is to be performed There is a double Object 1. For whom wee must pray for peace that is Ierusalem 2. And what wee must pray for for Ierusalem that is Peace I must expresse briefly what is meant within the compasse of Ierusalem And what is meant by Peace which are the objects of our prayer I. Ierusalem to expresse it in a word there may be a double signification of it which may come within the compasse of the meaning of the text First of all Ierusalem Mysticall Secondly Ierusalem Literall I. Ierusalem Mysticall is the Church of God or in Generall the common and publike good and welfare which every one should preferre before his owne private and not mind so much his owne cabbin as the ship in which all prosper or perish together But more particularly to expresse it you may take it in these three rankes or degrees First in the vtmost generallity the true Church of God is the object of our prayers and the whole Church of God every part and po●tion of it every branch and member of it throughout the world a Christian should haue an inlarged affection to reach and comprehend the good of all in his prayers Secondly and more specially Those members of the Church that are ●mminent the naturall members and the noble members The naturall members that are the living stones of the building of God not onely in the outward profession of religion pleasing to God Christians in name but those that are really such And especially such as are more noble members that are more instrumentall and organicall the good of the Church depends more vpon them Such as are Eminent in power in place in worth and in service our prayers must

nothing can make the ballance euen and cast the scale to the Church but Prayer And so much the more because God seemes to bee asleepe in all their stormes we should say therefore as they to Jonah Arise and pray wee should goe and awaken every Christian to Prayer that so wee may awaken God that seemes to sleepe and neglect and let his Churches bee plunged in misery Againe we may bee invited with the consideration of the issue of it the ship of the Church may bee still tossed and tumbled but because Christ is in it it can never perish The Romans lost many a battell and yet were conquerours in all their Warres So it is with the Church of God they have and may loose many a battell but in the conclusion the Church will conquer vnlesse man could wrastle with God and beat him out of heaven they shall never overcome his Church or his truth-upon earth Now hee is a madde man that will side with a badde cause when hee is sure the good cause will prevaile Lastly to close all doe but consider some Circumstances in the bowels of the nature of prayer to invite us to it It is almost the onely thing left that we can doe for them when we see them in compassed round about with dangers and there is no way to make an escape Let us doe as Dedalus that when he could not escape by a way upon earth went by a way of Heaven Let us goe by the way of heaven and that is by prayer that is the onely way that is left and it is so easie a thing and of so little cost that no man should sticke at it to give a subsidie of prayers and sighes this way Yea every man should doe this in his private closet and family Pray that God would looke upon his Churches to restore peace where it is not and to establish it where it is this is of so easie a cost mee-thinkes no man should sticke at it As a story hath it there were a great many bookes of the Sybills brought by a man to a King of the Romans and hee proffered them to the King at such a rate at a very great price and the King would not give it then the man burnt the one halfe of his bookes and asked double the price that he did for the whole the King refused againe and he did the like with halfe of them and doubled the price of all again and then the King considering the value of them gave him the price I am afraid if wee forbeare to bid prayers for the peace of Ierusalem the time may come wee may be content to bid blood and our estates and yet not doe them one halfe quarrel so much good as we may now by prayer Againe consider what a soule blot it will bee and what a brand it will set vpon vs if we be defectiue in this kind It is a perfidious thing to betray the Church and will leaue a great staine and a shame vpon us for ever It is high time to pray and therefore in my apprehension you should thinke it high treason not to pray he is a desperate deadly traytou● to the state of Ierusalem that is not a daily and devout Oratour for the peace and welfare of Ierusalem and it will leaue such a slaine and ignomony behind that will not easily be recompenced It is an observation of one that wrote the History of the Grecians relating what worthy acts many nations had done the Lacedemonians did this valiant act the Athenians did other noble acts and many other countries other worthy acts and when it was demanded of him what his owne country-men of Cumin had done he had nothing to say of them but that they had done just nothing Consider that if when wee have heard that others have done so much for the Church and that in the Story it should bee said wee have done just nothing wee have not so much as prayed throughly for them what a staine would this bee it will bee as great a staine and brand to vs and as little honour to be registred in Stories if wee should doe nothing in this kind as it is for Pilate to have his name written in the Creed FINIS A SERMON VPON 1 Sam. 2. 30. By JOHN STOUGHTON Doctor in Divinity late of Aldermanbury London Quanto major Honor datur Tanto majus Periculum comparatur August Ser. 62. ad frat in Eremo LONDON Printed by John Dawson for Iohn Bellamie and Ralph Smith and are to be sold at their shop at the three golden Lions in Cornehill neere the Royall Exchange 1640. A Methodicall Analysis of the principall things treated of in this Sermon as it was perfected by the Author 1 SAM 2. 30. 1. Jntroduction 1 Context The Judiciall Processe of God against Eli 1 The sinne of Eli. 1 Of his Sonnes 2 Of himselfe 2 The sentence of God against him wherein 1 Gods gracious exaltation of him 2 His just Degradation 2 Text. Wherein observe 1 Elies Pattent for Honour 2 The Revocation of that Pattent 3 The reason of that Revocation 1 Elies Sinne 2 Gods Iustice Observations of his Honour 1. From 1 The severall postures of it 1 The toppe of Honour 2 The fall of Honour 3 The rise of Honour 2 The Charactaristicall nature of it The State of Honour Rule of Honour 2. Tractation 1 Doct. The service of God in the Ministerie is a very honourable function 1 Explication 1 What Ministry 1 Legall 2 Evangelicall 2 How is it honourable In respect of the qualitie of it there is a Double 1 Honour 1 Civill 2 Spirituall 2 Title to it from the 1 Person 2 Office 2 Probation 1 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by Scripture 2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Reason All things in their function are honourable 1 They serve an Honourable Lord the King of Heaven 2 They serve in an Honourable ●mployment 1 As Gods Legats 2 As Christs Colleagues 3 Their gifts are Honourable 1 Of Knowledge 2 Of Eloquence 3 Of Conscience 4 Their reward is Honourable 3 Application 1 Consolation 2 Instruction 1 Of the Church 2 Of the Magistrates 3 Of Ministers 4 Of Candidates 5 Of the People 1 The Peoples Duty 1 Acknowledge their Honour 2 Carry themselves accordingly 1 Jn a due respect 2 Jn a noble Stipend 3 Jn a facile obedience 2 Motives 1 Equity of the Duty 2 Greatnesse of the Sinne 1 Against God 2 Against themselues 3 Sharpnes of the punishment A SERMON VPON 1 SAM 2. 30. Wherefore the Lord God of Israell saith I said indeed that thy house and the house of thy father should walke before me for ever but now the Lord saith bee it farre from me for them that honour me J will honour and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed BEsides other things this is one maine part of the Chapter The Iudiciall processe of God against Eli in which wee may obserue these two steps or degrees First wee have

is the saying of the Father the greatest worke of the Divinity is in taking care for our humanity to save our soules now that God would make his Ministers fellow labourers with himselfe it is a very honourable conjunction Then gifts are honourable whether they be gifts of knowledge learning eloquence or conscience Lastly as their master they servers honourable and then service honourable and gifts honourable So their reward is also honourable 4. I cannot speake of the reward they have here in their way nor is it to be expected that they should have great matters here the lesse they have here the more remaines for them in heaven the Papists have a conceit that besides the crowne of glory and immortallity that shall be given to every faithfull Christian there is a Coronate also of glory which shall give a lustre to the former and shall be given to 3. sorts of persons to Martyrs to Virgins and to Doctors and they give the reason because there is 3grand-enemies viz. the world the flesh and the Devill and these 3. sorts of persons encounter them The Martyrs they shall have a Crowne because they are imployed in the front of the battell against the world they are set as it were at Cannons mouth against all the oppositions of the world and they make their station good and maintaine Gods cause and bidde defiance to all the world they defie the world and dare it to doe them hurt The virgins that live and continue always so they bidde defiance to the flesh and therefore they must have their crowne And the Doctors also they must have a crowne because they have the greatest enemy to encounter with and stand in the greatest opposition to bid defiance to the devill himselfe and all his policies by which he doth seduce men and they are most exposed to perill because they are Gods particular instruments which God vseth to reduce men from the jawes of the Devill and therefore because they goe away conquerors in this there is a particular Coronet for them I mention not this to justifie every notion in it but sure I am the reward of the Ministers shall be a heavenly reward It is true there is but little preferment or incouragement nothing sutable to the honour we have spoken of that Ministers have here As you know Ambassadours have not preferment while they are abroad but when they come home in their owne countrey their King will preferre them and so God doth he lets it till they come home and then Those that convert Da● 1● 3. many to righteousnesse shall shine as the sunne in the firmament shewing that there is a peculiar honour belongs to the Ministery To come then to the Application of the 2. Applicatio point 1. This may be matter of comfort to the faithfull 1. Cons●●atio Ministers of God against those that condemne their persons and ministery and this is matter of consolation to beare them up against all scornes and indignities that are put upon them in regard of their ministery As the Poet reports a story of a certaine rich man that when hee went abroad the people that met him would curse him and call him bite ●igge he being a very niggard yet saith hee very wittily Populus me sibilat at mihi met ipse plaudo domi When I come home to my counting house and seeing the angells smiling vpon mee I comfort my selfe against all those scornefull speeches So may not the faithfull ministers of Christ doe in the like case when the world scoffes at them that when as it is said unto them as it was said vnto Elisha Come vp thou bald pate Come up thou bald pate may not they counterpoize this when as they goe home and come into their closets and looke upon the charter and the commission that they have from God that they have a commission from the God of heaven to be his servants in choise imployments may not they say to themselves did not God appoint us to walke in this way did hee not set us in this place and office and he it is that saith I will honour thee it is enough that he saith I will doe it he hath not promised that the ●ascallity of the world shall honour them but that hee himselfe will doe it and laudar●● laudato viro ea demum est vera ●aus i. e. they shall receive honour from one which is honourable indeed and that is true honour To passe the vse of reproofe This point may be of good Vse for instruction to instruct all sorts and conditions 2. First it may be a good Item to those that shall sit at the sterne of the Church to take care 1. whom they doe give admittance and way to in the entrance into the ministery It is a memorable story of Constantius the father of Constantine the great that when he was advanced to honour there were about him many Pagans and many Christians and he to discover who were Christians and who were not made an edict that all those that were Christians and would not worship the heathen Gods should immediately depart from the Court upon this all the Pagans slockt about him and many false hearted Christians also presented their service to him to whom he made this answer nay saies he ●f you will bee false to your God I will never trust you to bee a servant to me It behooveth the governours of the Church to prevent this that no vnworthy persons be admitted to the office of the ministery to bee a servant of God in so choise an imployment It was 〈◊〉 sinne that he made Priests of 〈◊〉 of the people and it is a soule shame and sinne that God should be served with base and vnworthy persons that such should goe for his Ambassadours that cast a disgrace and dishonour vpon the office it selfe the saying is of old every blocke is not fit to build in Gods house at least to be a builder a principall builder to bee a Minister and dispencer of the mysteries of the Gospell Therefore this may be a good Item to the Church to take heed who they admit into this office But humbly by way of instruction I shall need say but this There is two things required to make any office warrantable and authentike in this case 1 There must be an Externall Calling and 2 There must be an Internall Calling Without the Externall Calling of the Church who can take vpon him and vsurpe such an office as this is And without an internall calling what right hath the Church to put any into such an honourable office therefore it is the Churches part to examine whether they whom they admit into this office have a commission from God or no and the seales of it must be Ability and Integrity Ability for matter of Doctrine and Integrity for matter of Conversation and they that doe not bring with them their commission from God with these seales should