Selected quad for the lemma: christian_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
christian_n	church_n	particular_a	visible_a	3,187	5	9.2342	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A15659	The songs of the Old Testament translated into English measures, preseruing the naturall phrase and genuine sense of the holy text: and with as little circumlocution as in most prose translations. To euery song is added a new and easie tune, and a short prologue also, deliuering the effect and vse thereof, for this profit of vnlearned readers. By George Wither. Cum priuilegio permissu superiorum.	Wither, George, 1588-1667.	1621 (1621)	STC 25923; ESTC S120880	31,876	85

to delay Lest that their Aduersaries prouder growne Should when they saw it thus presume to say This not the LORD but our high-hand hath done· For they a people are in whom No Counsell is And neuer will their dulnesse come To iudge of this Oh! would their wisedome this might comprehend And that they would consider of their end How should one make a thousand runneaway Or two men put tenne thousand to the foile Except their Rocke had sold them for a pray And that the LORD had clos'd them vp the while For with our God their God compare They neuer may And if our foes the iudges were Thus would they say But they haue Vines of those that Sodome yeelds And such as grow within Gomorrha fields The Grapes are gall that grow vpon their vine Their Clusters are extreamely bitter all Yea made of Dragons venome is their wine And of the cruell Aspes infectious gall And may I this forget to beare In minde with me Or shall it not be sealed where My treasures be Yes mine is vengeance and I will repay Their feet shall slide at the appointed day Their time of ruine neare at hand is come Those things that must befall them haste will make For sure the LORD shall giue his people doome And on his Seruants will compassion take Yea when he sees their strength is all Bereft and gone And they shut vp in prison shall Be left alone Where are their Gods become then will he say Their Rocke on whom they did affiance lay Who eate the fattest of their sacrifice Who of their drinke oblations dranke the wine Let those vnto their succour now arise And vnder their protection them enshrine Oh! therefore now consider this That I am Hee That I am Hee and that there is No God with mee I kill and make aliue I wound I cure And there is none can from my hand assure For vp to heauen I my hand doe reare And as I liue for euer this I say If once I whet my sword that sparkles cleare And shall my hand to acting vengeance lay I will not cease till I my foes With vengeance quite Nor till I haue repaid all those That beare me spite And in the bloud which I shall make to flow I 'le steepe mine arrowes till they drunken grow My sword shall feed on flesh and bloud of those That either shall be slaine or kept in thrall When I beginne to quit me of my foes Then with his people Ioy you kindreds all For he their bloud that serue him will With bloud pursue And all his foes repayeth still With vengeance due But to his land will mercy shewing be And those that are his people pitties He. THE Song of Deborah and Barak Iudges 5. The Argument and Vse IN the booke of Iudges Chapter 4. you may read that the ouerthrow giuen to Sisera by Deborah and Barak occasioned this Song of deliuerance and therefore referring you thither to be informed concerning the particular circumstances I will here shew you the generall scope of this Hymne to be a Thankesgiuing for a great ouerthrow gotten on their enemies Wherein many things are remarkable First in their Introduction attributing the glory to God and inciting all Potentates of the world to consider it they set forth with what Maiestie the LORD came to their deliuerance Secondly the excellency of the benefit receiued is illustrated by the great desolation they were formerly in the little meanes they had to protect themselues and the happie tranquillity which they should afterward enioy Thirdly they shew the cause of their former distresse to haue beene Apostacie from God Fourthly they memorize those who were forward in that iust warre and vpbraid such as drew backe in so good a cause Fiftly they declare what powerfull enemies they had and what miraculous assistance God vouchsafed Sixtly a curse is denounced against such as refuse to fight the LORDS battailes and She is blessed who was the happy Instrument of their deliuery Lastly here is a description of the manner of Siserah's death an Ironicall expression of the Aduersaries vaine hope of preuailing and a propheticall imprecation that all Gods enemies may so perish to the aduancement of his Church Jt is obserued by the Auncients that there is no Song mentioned in the Old or New Testament but it was composed vpon some extraordinary benefit or deliuerance which the Church receiued and that in all the songs of the old Testament especially there is beside the plaine literall sence some Mistery of the Christian Religion prophetically aymed at couertly or openly vnder the passages thereof And therefore this Song is not onely to be sung of vs Christians to glorifie God in memorizing his protecting our mother the Church among the Iewish Nation in her Infancie But wee are to vse it also as a thanks-giuing for euery particular deliuerance which is vouchsafed to the visible Church in these times As in memoriall of our miraculous preseruation in the yeare 1588. when our Princely Deborah the Queene of this kingdome gaue an ouerthrow to the Spanish Sisera For then the powers of heauen apparantly fought against him as it is said in this Song The Sea more terrible then their brooke Kishon swept most of them away And euen then as the mother of the Cananitish commander is here scoffed at by Deborah for her vaine expectation So the whore of Babilon who was mother to that other Sisera in vaine longed to behold him returne a conquerour till being ridiculously confident of the spoile she was by the true Church laughed to scorne for her presumption And then also this propheticall imprecacation which we finde in the Epilogue of this Song was partly fulfilled Thine enemies oh LORD shall perish but they that loue thee shall be as the Sunne when he riseth in his might For as the first Sisera was shamefully ruined by a woman so God gaue that last Sisera with his seeming inuincible forces into the hand of a woman whose honour with his shame was thereby spread through as great a part of the world as the Sunne shineth ouer at mid-day This Song as J said before would properly be sung also vpon many other deliuerances which the Church hath or may haue As for that of the powder-Treason and such like For were it not that J should be ouer-large in my Prologue to this Song J could make it very probable how the holy Ghost was so farre from making this Hymne to fit the Iewes after that victory onely as that the names therein mentioned doe well enough expresse any that are or shall be Instruments against the peace of Gods Church or for the protection thereof The Song Then sang Deborah and Barak the sonne of Abinoam on that day saying SIng praises to the Lord That Isre'l to acquite The people of their owne ac-cord Went forth vnto the fight You Kings giue eare you Princes heare I to the Lord will raise My voyce aloud and sing to God The Lord

meane Iuda and Ierusalem but euery congregation of Christians also who bearing the face of a visible Church haue heretofore abused or shall hereafter neglect the grace of God As we may assure our selues by the destruction of Antioch Laodicea Ephesus and many other particular Churches who hauing after God had a long time manured them by the husbandry of his Apostles and other ministers in stead of the sweet Clusters of pure doctrine and good life brought forth the sower grapes of heresies and vncleannesse Were depriued of their defence and had both the dewes of Gods spirit and the showers of his word with-held from them till they brought forth nothing but thornes and bryars the fruits of their owne naturall corruption The Song A Song of him whom I loue best And of his vineyard sing I will A vineyard once my loue possest Well seated on a fruitfull hill He kept i● close immured still The earth from stones he did refine An● set it with the choi-sest vine He in the mid'st a Fort did reare A Wine-presse therein also wrought But when he look't i● grapes should beare Those grapes were wilde one that it brought Ierusalem come speake thy thought And you of Iudah Iudges be Betwixt my vineyard here and me Vnto my Vineyard what could more Performed be then I haue done Yet looking it should grapes haue bore Saue wilde ones it afforded none But goe to let that now alone I am resolu'd to shew you to What with my Vineyard I will doe The hedge I will remoue from thence That what so will deuoure it may I will breake downe the walled fence And through it make a trodden way Yea all of it I waste will lay None shall to digge or dresse it care But thornes and bryars it shall beare The Clouds I also will compell That there no raine descend for this For loe the house o● Israel The LORD of Armies vineyard is And Iudah is that plant of his That pleasant one who forth hath brought Oppression when he iudgement sought He Iustice sought but found therein In stead thereof a crying sinne THE Second Song of ESAY Esay 12. The Argument and Vse THe Prophet Esay being extraordinarily enlightned with foresight of the misteries of our Redemption and hauing in the eleauenth Chapter of this Prophecie foretold many things concerning the incarnation of Christ and the excellency of his Kingdome doth in his next Chapter fore-shew the Church what Song she shall sing in that day And it is this which here followeth Wherein are these particular actions of the Church obseruable First that she doth perceiue and to the praise of her Redeemer acknowledge that although God had formerly afflicted her for sinnes yet now he turnes his wrath into consolation Secondly that without feare she vnderstands and confesseth to others how God is assuredly become her strength and saluation Thirdly she exhorteth all to come and draw the spirituall waters of life from their owne Fountaines Lastly vpon consideration of Christs extraordinary workes and miracles she earnestly stirreth vp her selfe and others ioyfully to sing the praises of him her Lord and Sauiour This Song euery Childe of God ought often to r●peate to the honour of Iesus Christ for his gratious redemption of mankinde And seeing the holy Prophet foreknowing the good cause she should haue to make vse thereof hath prophecied that this should be the Churches Hymne after the manifestation of our Sauiour in the flesh Doubtlesse it would be very properly vsed vpon those dayes which we solemnize in memory of our Sauiours Natiuitie and Epiphany and vpon all such other occasions as the Congregation may haue to giue thankes for that great worke of our Redemption The Song LOrd I will sing to thee For angry though thou wast Yet thou with-drewst thy wrath from me And sent me comfort hast Loe God 's my health on whom I fearelesse trust will ●ay For oh the LORD the LORD 's become My strength my Song my stay And you with Ioy for this Shall water fetch away Out of those wels where safetie is And thus then shall you say Oh sing vnto the LORD His Name and works proclaime Vnto the people beare record That glorious is his Name Vnto the LORD oh sing For wonders he hath done Yea many a renowned thing Which through the earth is knowne Sing forth aloud all yee That doe in Sion dwell For loe thy holy-One in thee Is great oh Israel THE Third Song of ESAY Esay 26. The Argument and Vse THe Prophet Esay before the people of Israel were led into Captiuity composed this Song thereby to comfort them that they might with the more patience beare out their affliction and become confident in the promised mercies of God First it informeth them that the protection of God being wheresoeuer they are nothing lesse auaileable then a defenced Cittie they ought for euer to trust in that firme peace which they may haue in him Secondly this Song teacheth them to confesse that the pride of Sinners must be punished how the true Church of Godwil constantly await his pleasure amid those iudgements and in their chastening flye vnto their Redeemer Thirdly seeing the wicked are so euilly disposed that they will neither repent for fauour nor punishment their confusion is here prophecied and the peace of the godly promised who are resolued not to forsake the seruice of their Lord for any persecution Fourthly they sing the vtter desolation of Tyrants and the increase of the Church whose endurance is illustrated by the pangs of a Childe-bearing woman Fiftly her deliuerance from persecution with the resurrection of the dead through Christ is foretold And lastly the fai●hfull are exhorted to attend on the LORD their Sauiour who will shortly come to iudgement and take account for the bloud of his ●aints This Song is made in the person of the whole Church And the particular members thereof may also sing the same to comfort themselues and to encourage one another to be confident in all their chastisements and persecutions vpon consideration of the shortnesse of the time and the certaintie of their Redeemers comming They may also when they please make vse of it thereby to praise God for his iudgements for his fauour to his people and for the confirmation of their owne faiths in both those The Song A Citty now haue we obtain'd Where strong defences are And God saluation hath ordai'nd For wa's and Bulwarkes there The gates thereof wide open set Those righteous people who The Truths obseruers are may get Admittance thereinto There thou in peace wilt keepe him sure Whose thoughts well grounded be In peace that euer shall endure Because he trusted thee For-euermore vpon the LORD Without distrust depend For in the LORD th' eternall LORD Is strength that hath no end He makes the lofty City yeeld And her proud dwellers bow He layes it leuell with the field And with the dust below Their feet who poore and needy are Their feet

who were disheartened through their ignorance in the iudgements and mercies of God For the Prophet in his first Chapter personated the weake members of the Church who were offended at the prosperity of the vngodly And hauing there brought them in complayning as if they feared all things would continually succeede better with their wicked oppressors then with them as it did for that present he in the next Chapter declared the LORDS answer to that ignorant complaint of theirs Shewing that vndoubtedly the pride couetousnesse cruelty drunkennesse and idolatry of the Chaldeans their tyrannizing enemies should be punished And afterward in this Song which is his third Chapter he first prayeth and prayseth God for that promised deliuerance secondly setteth forth the glorious Maiesty of the Deliuerer by excellent Allegories and Allusions to the manner of those former deliuerances which he had vouchsafed vnto the People the Iewes And lastly foretelling the miserable and horrible destruction of the Aduersary in his owne and in the person of all the Elect resolueth what euer happens to reioyce with confidence in the strength and fauour of God In briefe this Song hath foure parts In the first the Sauiour is prayed for according to the promise of God Jn the second the Maiesty of his comming is described Jn the third his victory with the ruine of Antichrist is declared And fourthly the ioy and confidence of the Church is foretold True it is that by reason of the many deepe Misteries herein contained this Song is to many very obscure Insomuch that the latter Hebrew Rabbins accounted it one of the most difficult places of holy Scripture And so shall we Christians find it yea and little pertinent to vs also if we looke thereon with their blinde eyes who could see no farther then the letter For they either thought this Prophecy had no further relation then to the temporall deliuery of the Iewes by destruction of the Chaldeans many ages past or else imagined as some a little infected with Iudaisme at this day teach that it had respect to a carnall and temporall restoring of that Nation now in these last ages of the World Whereas it hath indeede a more principall aime For though it shall not be denied that it had somewhat a respect to the Israelites deliuerance from the Babylonian seruitude yet if they should be vrged to shew vs how according to their meere litterall sence he that diliuered them may be said to come from Theman and Mount Paran how that maiesty expressed here may be applyed to him what plagues and fire went before him how he stood and measured the earth where mountaines trembled and were remoued how the Sun and Moone stood still c. I am perswaded it would trouble their best Expositor But if we will vnderstand it to haue principall respect as in truth it hath to the Churches deliuerance from the spirituall Babylon from the slauery of the Diuell and the rage of Antichrist by the first and second comming of our Sauiour Iesus Christ it will then be easie through the helpe of Gods holy Spirit to shew you that these Allegories and Aenigmaticall expressions which are so hard to the Iewes and some misbeleeuers are plainely vnridled to vs who beleeue Redemption by the Sonne of God This Song is to be sung historically in memory of our deliuerance by the first comming of Iesus Christ and prophetically for a comfortable remembrance of a perfect deliuery assured vs at 〈…〉 comming Both which commings to those who by the eyes of faith can apprehend the manner of them will appeare no lesse glorious then they are here described by way of Allusion But least Chusan and Midian being names of Nations sometime temporall enemies to the Iewes may seeme impertinent to these times you must know that all the Names of Persons or Places vsed in the old Testament were giuen for the sake of those things which they typified more then for their owne and do● therefore more properly expresse their natures So in this place Chusan signifying darke blacke or cloudy and Midian which is interpreted of condemnation or of iudgement better agrees to those spirituall Aduersaries whom they prefigured then to those people who were litterally so called For none are so fitly termed people of Darknes or Condemnation as the members of Anti-christ The Song LOrd thy answere did I heare And I grew therewith afraid When the times at fullest are Let thy worke be then declar'd When the times Lord full doe grow Then in anger mercy show The Almighty God came downe He came downe from Theman-ward The eternall holy One Selah From mount Paran forth appear'd Heau'n couering with his raies And earth filling with his praise As the Sunns is was his light From his hands there did appeare Beaming rayes that shined bright And his power is shrouded there Plagues before his face he sent At his feet hot coles there went Where he stood he measure tooke Of the earth and view'd it well Nations vanish't at his looke Auncient hils to powder fell Mountaines old cast lower were For his waies eternall are Cushan tents I saw diseas'd And the Midian Curtaines quake Haue the flouds LORD thee displeas'd Did the flouds thee angry make Was it else the sea that hath Thus prouoked thee to wrath For thou rod'st thy horses there And thy sauing Charro'ts through Thou didst make thy bowe appeare And as hath beene by a vowe To the tribes agreed vnto Thou perform'dst thy promise so Selah Thou didst cleaue the earth and make Rifts through which did riuers flow Mountaines seeing thee did shake And away the flouds did goe From the deepe a voice was heard And his hands on high he rear'd Both the Sunne and Moone did stay And remou'd not in their spheares By thine arrowes light went they By thy brightly-shining speares Thou in wrath the land did'st crush And in rage the Nations thresh For thy peoples safe reliefe With thy Christ for ayd went'st thou Thou hast also pierst the Chiefe Of the sinfull houshold through And displaid them till that bare From the foot to necke they were Selah Thou with weapons of their owne Didst their armies Leader strike For against me they came downe To disperse me whirle-winde-like And they Ioy in nothing more Then vnseene to spoile the poore Through the Sea thou mad'st a way And did'st ride thy horses where Mighty heapes of waters lay I thereof report did heare And the voice my bowels shooke Yea my lippes a quiu'ring tooke Rottennesse my bones possest And a trembling ceazed me I that troublous day might rest For when his approches be Vp vnto the people made Then his troupes will them inuade Bloomelesse shall the fig-tree be And the vine no fruit shall yeeld Fade shall then the oliue tree Meat shall none be in the field Neither in the fold nor stall Flocke or heard continue shall Yet the LORD my icy shall be And in him I will delight In my God that saueth me God the LORD who is my ought And so guides my feet that I Hinde-like walke my places high FINIS