Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	commonwealth_n	zeal_n	zealous_a	29	3	9.2136	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10010	The saints qualification: or A treatise I. Of humiliation, in tenne sermons. II. Of sanctification, in nine sermons whereunto is added a treatise of communion with Christ in the sacrament, in three sermons. Preached, by the late faithfull and worthy minister of Iesus Christ, Iohn Preston, Doctor in Divinitie, chaplaine in ordinary to his Majestie, Master of Emmanuel Colledge in Cambridge, and sometime preacher of Lincolnes Inne.	Preston, John, 1587-1628.; Sibbes, Richard, 1577-1635.; Davenport, John, 1597-1670.	1633 (1633)	STC 20262; ESTC S115180	353,805	720

is fallen into sinne continues in it the guilt and power of it remaines upon his soule and he excuses himselfe with the smalnesse of it This is a common fault and therefore I will presse it the more Consider that which Christ saith Heaven and earth shall passe but the least jot of this Law shall not passe What is the meaning of that It is as if he had said somethings in the Law of God you may thinke small which are but ïotas though other things be greater but take you heed that you keepe every particular for there is not a jot of it but the Lord will have all his servants regard it exactly they shall have respect to every Commandement and to every part of that Commandement the least particular in his Law shall not passe away For consider if it were not so it would bee a prejudice to the Lords wisdome for there would bee something that hee commands which wee might slight But the Lord that hath commanded all both great and small knowes that it is best that all shall bee kept and therefore though heaven and earth shall passe yet the least jot of that Law shall not passe that this is the meaning of the place you may see by Christs exposition of the Law The Pharisies said Adultery must not be committed but I say saith CHRIST He that lusts hath committed adultery in his heart They said You must not sweare by the Temple but I say Sweare ●ot at all they said An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth but I say You must forgive your brethren Thus we must labour to resist sin in every even the least particular and reforme our selves in the omission of the least particle of the Law And so much likewise for the second point Thirdly we come now to consider what it is that turnes away his wrath and that is Zeale Phineas hath turned away my wrath while hee was zealous for my sake so that Zeale turnes away the Lords wrath You shall see it exemplefied in Elijah's answer to the Lords demand 1 Kings 19.4 What dost thou here Elijah As if he had said what hast thou done abroad in the world Sayes hee I have beene zealous for the Lord of Hosts because the children of Israel have broke thy covenants throwne downe thine Altars and killed thy Prophets and I onely am escaped As if he had said I have done the most I could for the safety of the Church I have beene zealous for the Lord and therefore hee prevailed with God for his owne deliverance You may see it likewise in Iehu who being zealous not in word onely but in deed also turned away the wrath of the Lord. And you may know it by the contrary that it is zeale that turnes away the Lords wrath because it is coldnesse and luke-warmenesse that brings on his wrath Rev. 3.16 consider there what is the reason why the Lord will spue out the Church of Laodicea and cast it away Because it was luke-warme and therefore the meanes to continue or procure his favour is it not heate and zeale Againe Rev. 2.4 The Church of Ephesus fell from her first love what then Therefore I will come against thee shortly and remove thy Candlestick Then to abound in love so that our workes may be more at last than at first to bee zealous for the LORD is the way to stay the Lord among us and to continue his Gospell of peace Therefore by the way it is not only the great sinnes of the Land that are causes of Gods wrath but the coldnesse of them that are otherwise good that causeth the Lord to remove the Candlesticke The very coldnesse of the Church of Ephesus in falling from her first love the luke-warmenesse of the Laodiceans the LORD would not endure in them Let every man consider this is his zeale now as much as it hath beene if not let us know that it is reckoned coldnesse and luke-warmenesse the falling from our first love is the cause of bringing Gods judgements on a Nation But what is this zeale Zeale is nothing else but the intention of all holy affections and actions I will goe no further than this Text to shew the nature of it Phineas was zealous that is he not onely did the thing but his heart burned within him with zeale for GOD. So as First there must be a stirring up of affection Secondly it must be holy it must bee for the Lord and this is it that discovers true zeale to looke onely to the Lord to have no by-respects as there may be zeale that makes a great deale of hea●e and yet it comes from the earth although it makes as great a show as the best Againe there must bee intention not only of affections but also of action Therefore it is said while hee was zealous for my sake among them as if he had said this zeale of Phineas was not kept smothered in his owne brest but it brak● forth into action hee did something for the Lord. And indeed it is action that glorifies GOD and that benefits men onely actions stand on our reckoning for you know God judgeth every man according to his workes It is action that doth our selves good that makes us usefull and serviceable to men and the Church that makes us instruments of Gods glory Therefore adde action to affection and know that zeale stands in both for it is the intention of holy actions and affections I will adde no more in the explication but will briefly apply it And first if it bee zeale that turnes away the Lords wrath then why should wee discourage zeale by it I dare bee bold to say the Citie stands Why doe wicked men cry downe all religion and zeale under the name of precisenesse and overmuch strictnesse of life walking bouldly in the streets and reckoning it their glory to wound God through the sides of men So that they make those that beare the name of Christ ready to reckon that their shame which is their glory to hang downe the wing and to seeke corners to hide their heads in whence it is that the servants of Christ follow their Master a far off as if they were halfe ashamed of his service when as they should weare his Livery in open view as accounting that their greatest honour It were well if some meanes were used to prevent this If it be zeale that turnes away the wrath of God wee should doe well then to nourish and cherish them that are zealous Are not religion and zeale the two which hold all up Are they not the pillars that beare up the Church and Common-wealth Are not they the rescues that deliver the Citie Yet doe not wicked men with them as those that to lop the Tree are still hacking at the boughes But the Lord still holds them up and the world for their sakes For why is this heape

the more mettle the worse but under the bridle and in the way there cannot be too much keepe the streame within the bankes and let it runne in a right Channell and then the stronger the better It is good therefore in this case to come to a disjunction which is the thing that Elijah advised If Baal be God follow him but if God be God follow him and follow him to purpose And as Luther wrote to Melancthon when he began to faint Why Melancthon if this be the Cause of God why should we be discouraged why should we goe coldly about it If it be not the Cause of God why doe not wee desist altogether This Disjunction put life into him I but discretion and moderation must bee used It is true but doth this crosse your zeale Doth one Grace crosse another Prudence doth not abate diligence but guides it in its worke It teaches not to do lesse but to doe better Therefore as for Moderation you must know it stands in avoiding the Rock in declining the extreme but Moderation in a right course is not moderation but lukewarmenesse and coldnesse Last of all to conclude this point and only to name the rest If Zeale turne away the wrath of God then where is our zeale for the Church of God Why doe not we take its case to heart why have not we the bowels of compassion to lament over its condition as if it were our own It was a most commendable thing in old Ely when he heard the newes that the battell was lost that his sons were slaine that moved him not so much but when he heard that the Arke of God was taken that amazed him so that hee fell from his seat and brake his necke Consider this and know that it is required that you be zealous for the Church Let our Gallants consider this that care not how things goe And those that will have the Church negligently regarded let them cōsider that a curse abides him Who doth the worke of the Lord negligen●ly And know that though the Lord be angry with his Church as many times he is yet your zeal● on its behalfe your prayers for it your cost upon it your labour about if yea whatsoever you doe for it is acceptable to God even then when he is angry with it when he afflicts i. David was angry with Absolom Ioab makes a suit to ●i● to call home his banished though David was angry with Absolom yet Ioabs suite to David was very acceptable he could not have come of a better message So you cannot doe a more acceptable worke than to seeke for the Churches good and to pray for its prosperity It is true indeed the Lord will take care of his Church and they that be enemies to it shall not be gainers as Zach. 12.6 They that seeke to hurt the Church of God shall be as a company of sheaves that goe about to suppresse a cole of fire which shall consume them all And they that goe about to devoure the Church shal be like a man that thinks to devoure a cup of poison but by it is killed himselfe or like a man that goes about to throw up a stone that is too heavie for him which fals backe and crushes him to powder All these expressions there be in that Chapter It is true he will not cast away the care of his Church he will defend it against them that oppose it but in the meane time if you doe not your part you shall lose your glory nay you shall be guilty of Negligence which will bring a Curse with it upon you But you will say What would you have us to doe for it I answer Wee must consider the Church abroad and at home For the Churches abroad we will not prescribe unto you any particular direction only wee will commend to you this generall That you seeke their safety and preservation and the propagation of Religion among them with all care and intention as you shall see occasions and circumstances to require But for the Church at home you see the Lord hath begunne to make a breach upon us And as it is in Ezek. 22.30 Hee seekes for a man among us that may stand in the Gappe It is well done that you have gone so farre as you have but remember that it is a thing that the Lord desires And know withall that the Lord markes what every man doth for his Church he observes who is zealous and who sits still hee takes notice who doth nothing who doth somthing and how much every man doth As in Malach. 3.16 The Lord harkened and heard and a Booke of Remembrance was written The Lord harkens and heares what every man speakes what every man doth yea to what end with what heart how his Church is thought upon Consider this therefore that you may be stirred up to doe more You will say What would you have us to doe more I will commend these three things unto you and so conclude this point First doe as Phineas is in the Text said to doe the thing he did to turne away the wrath of the Lord was executing of judgement in the punishment of Z●mri and Cosby that had committed that grea● si●ne And marke this when Phineas began to stirre the Lord ceased to strive And know that the Lord regards not so much what the particular sins of a Nation or Church are as what the action the behaviour the cariage of the S●ate tow●●●s them is Doubtlesse the action of both th● Houses of Parliament declaring th●ir zeal both ●●w and heretofore hath ●●●ne a great mea●es of turning away the Lords wrath and will ●e more and more if you doe so more and more This is a thing I cannot b●●lke seeing the Text casts me on it that this zeale of Phineas this act of his in punishing sinne turnd away the Lords wrath You will say what things should we punish Three things First Whoredome you see here ●he people committed whoredome as it is plainely mentioned by the Apostle Be not yee fornicators as some of them were and fell in one day so many thousands Another sin was Idolatry they joynd themselves with Baal-peor And there is a third sinne not mentioned here but is as frequently mentioned by the Prophets to have a hand in common judgements as any other and that is Injustice when righteousness● is turned into Hemlocke and judgement into worme-wood that is a thing that must bee remembred among the rest Indeed there may be mistakes in the administration of Iustice which through ignorance and the not perfect knowledge of a cause may be fallen into but the Injustice that turnes righteousnesse into wormewood as I said before must be remembred and that is either Briberie or that respecting of persons in Iudgement which is equivalent thereunto and will come in among the rest These bee sinnes the punishment whereof