Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	day_n	lord_n	sabbath_n	19,256	5	10.0267	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A68415	A sermon preached at Cern, in the county of Dorset, the 18 day of September 1623 at the visitation of the right reuerend father in God, the Lord Bishop of Bristoll by Robert Lougher pastor of Mapowder.	Lougher, Robert.	1624 (1624)	STC 16828.5; ESTC S103251	21,198	40

adorning of our Churches which are likewise domus Dei domus orationis Gods houses consecrated and dedicared to his worship and seruice as was the Temple in Ierusalem And may not I say to you touching these as the Prophet did here vnto these Iewes touching the Temple Is it time for your selues to dwell in your sieled houses and this house lye wast So is it time for your selues to dwell in your sieled curious costly houses let your Churches which are Gods houses of prayer lye waste or vndecently rude and neglected as in too many places they doe throughout the Country Villages and some better Townes What an eye-soare is it to a Christian that loueth euen the outward beauty of Gods house What an vnwelcome abatement to his deuotion to behold in the place of the best account in this world the worst outside mouldy greene walls ill-fauoured pillers ragged floores vnseemely seates battered windowes homely Carpets and Linnen for Gods Table where his holy Sacrament is administred poore and base Ornaments or none at all for the Pulpits whence Gods Oracles are deliuered and such like And is not all this true in many of your Churches throughout this Countrey And yet who sees any thing amisse as if there were nothing to be presented but Omnia bene All is well Tertullian will tell you that Pietas est pro pietate sumptus facere That it is godlinesse to be at cost with God And I am perswaded that our Churches being Gods sanctuaries and dedicated to his seruice if they had their due habite and hability would serue ought to be more decent and beautiful then the houses of the rich or Nobles in this world nay they cannot be too beautifull Math. 10.16 all superstition and idolatry set aside Christians should bee as Doues without all gall of bitternesse and Doues you know loue to resort to a sweet and a dainty house Aspicis vt veniunt ad candida tecta Columbae Oh how farre short come we of that zeale of the Israelites in the building and beautifying of Gods Tabernacle when the workmen were faine to cry out to hold the peoples hands Plus affert populus quàm necessarium est Exod. 36.5 The people bring too much and more then enough for the vse of the worke Whereas we may cry out as fast on the other side The people bring too little nay they will hardly offer any thing I say not to the adorning and beautifying of Gods house quorsum perditio haec That were wast and superfluity indeed but to the ordinary reparation and maintenance thereof were it not for feare of presentment and danger of the law Brethren these things ought not so to be Againe looke into the 20. verse of the 2. Chapter of this Prophesie Hag. 220. and you shall see how God promised to blesse these Iewes vpon their diligence zeale in building and beautifying his Temple Gods materiall house in Ierusalem Is the seed yet in the Barne as yet the Vine and the Fig-tree and the Pomegranat and the Oliue tree hath not brought forth from this day I will blesse you And will not the Lord thinke you be as ready to blesse vs vpon our diligence and zeale in repairing and adorning our Churches Gods materiall houses among vs but especially in building his spirituall house reuerencing his sanctuary sanctifying his Sabbaths hearing his Word receiuing his Sacraments fearing the Lord and walking in his wayes If thus we shall doe touching Gods spirituall and materiall houses as becommeth good Christians to doe then no doubt the Lord will heare the cry of the Heauens Hos 2.21.22 the Heauens shall heare the cry of the earth and the earth shall heare the cry of the Corne the Wine and the Oyle and the fruites of the earth shall heare the cry of the people and he will blesse vs with plenty and abundance If thus we shall doe with zeale and piety then no doubt the Lord will say to vs as he did vnto this people From this day will I blesse you loe from this day forward will I blesse you One short obseruation more so an end Though time hath wings yet houe I not much transgrest my bounds And therefore listen yet a little I beseech you and I will not ouermuch straine the strings of your attention Here it is said that Prince Priest and People came and did the worke in the House of the Lord of Hostes their God Ezra 4.3 And in the 4 of Ezra we reade that reiecting the aduersaries of Gods true Religion they went about this worke themselues and they went about it together so linckt in concord and vnitie as if they had beene but one man So that they came to this worke as the Tribes came to Dauid with a single heart with a willing heart with one heart And so the Lord of Hostes who is the God of vnitie blessed and prospered the labours of their hands In like manner If we would be blessed and prosper in the building of Gods house which is the Church of the liuing God If we would haue impietie defaced pietie practised true religion imbraced and the Gospel to flourish we must not betake our selues to this businesse like those two Tribes of Israel Manasses readie to eat vp Ephraim and Ephraim Manasses We must not goe about this worke like Sampsons Foxes back to backe one drawing one way and another an other way one building vp and another pulling downe as Iesus Syrach speaketh but rather like the Cherubins on the Mercie seat Exod. 37.9 turning face to face or like those Angels in Ezekiel Ezek. 1.9 ioyning wing to wing so we ioyning hand to hand heart to heart as if that blessing of God Ezek. 37.19 in the 37 of Ezekiel had fallen vpon vs. The wood of Iudah and the wood of Ioseph shall be ioyned in one tree and then shall we prosper in the building of Gods house when we our selues are composed ioyned together like Ierusalem Psal 122 3. which was builded as a Citie that was at vnitie in it selfe We must not then goe about this building like the builders of Babel in the confusion of tongues One speaking in the Language of Atheisme another in the Language of Papisme another in the Language of Brownisme another in the Language of Anabaptisme one speaking in the Language of this Sectary another in the Language of that deuided into companies like Labans Sheepe O no If we would haue this Spirituall building to goe on currantly we must all endeauour to speake one Language euen that which the Prophet Esay tearmeth the Language of Canaan Esay 19.18 by which may be meant the true profession of the one and onely true God and his sincere and true Religion O Lord let neuer the abhomination of desolation defile thy Temple O Lord let neuer the Arke and the Idol Dagon be set to stand vpon one Altar among vs. 2 Cor. 6.14