Selected quad for the lemma: city_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
city_n	according_a	lord_n	zion_n	154	3	9.0090	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85833	An exhortation to peace: with an intimation of the prime enemies thereof, lately delivered in a sermon, and newly published with some small addition, by Lionell Gatford, B.D. rector of Dinnington in Suffolke, now a prisoner in Ely-house in Holborne.	Gatford, Lionel, d. 1665.	1643 (1643)	Wing G333; Thomason E94_1; ESTC R2004	27,384	44

the people being a rebellious people lying children children that will not heare the law of the Lord Isa 30.9 have said to the Seers see not and to the Prophets prophesie not unto us right things v. 10. Or else they have shewn themselves too well pleased with them when they have so prophesied but not a word more now either of Prophets or people in that way I am to present you with an Exhortation to Peace and therfore I shall avoid as much as I can whatsoever may exasperate any that are peaceably inclined The Prophets Priests Princes and people of Jerusalem had all of them sinned highly against God and so provoked him that he had made a breach amongst them which threatned utter destruction unto them as you may read at large Ezek. 22. And yet God of his infinite mercy was pleased to seek and to seek but for one man amongst them all to make up the hedge and stand in the gap before him for the Land that he should not destroy it v. 30. How then should we of this Nation notwithstanding all our sins of Prophets Priests Princes and people so resembling Judah's as if coppied out by them our rebellion onely excepted wherein we exceed both them and the most of other Nations how should we be encouraged to seeke to God to have our breaches made up and to approach boldly unto the Throne of his grace Heb. 3.1 that we may obtaine mercy and sinde grace to help in time of need How should we be quickned in our prayers and best endeavours for the peace of our Jerusalem when the prayers and endeavours of one man is so prevalent with God for the making peace for a whole Nation and for the averting destruction from it Whether our prayers prevaile with God for the peace of our Jerusalem or not we our selves that so love Jerusalem as to pray for the peace thereof are sure to prosper we have Gods Word for it in our Text. To our prayers then to our prayers with all possible constancy and fervency and so to the Sermon with all due reverence and submission humbly beseeching our most gracious God whose Word is here tendred us to make this his Word so effectuall to us all that it may help to make us to pray more and more effectually for Jerusalems peace on which depends all our prosperity Amen Amen So prayes A prisoner of the Lord and your daily Orator Lionell Gatford Ely-house Feb. 1642. Text. PSAL. 122. vers 6. Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem they shall prosper that love thee THE Scriptures saith Saint Paul are able to make a man wise unto salvation 2 Tim. 3.15 Liber psalmorum c. The Booke of Psalmes saith Saint Augustine comprehends in it as in an epitomie or abstract whatsoever necessary things all other books of Scripture contain at large Now amongst the Psalmes the Psalmes of degrees are by many accounted Psalms of some degrees of excellency above other Psames and amongst the Psames of degrees if there may be comparatio gradus ad gradum a comparing of a degree with a degree where each Psalme is in its degree so admirable this Psalme of degrees out of which my Text is taken is none of the lowest degree The text it selfe I am sure is one of the sweetest and pleasantest straines in all the Psames For what more delightfull and pleasing to God then prayer the prayer of the upright saith Salomon is Gods delight Pro. 15.8 and let my prayer saith David be set forth before thee as incense Psal 141.2 that is let it ascend as a sweet perfume and pleasant smell into thy nostrils it being the peculiar honour of prayer as Dionisius Carthusianus hath observed to have the stile of incense attributed to it for nulla justatia saith he thumiamits comparatur nisi sola oratio No other theologicall vertue is compared to incense but onely prayer at least not so properly And this we finde incited unto in the first word of my text pray pray c. Againe as nothing is more delightfull and pleasing to God then Prayer so nothing is more sweet and acceptable to men except they be men of Belial then Peace Pax non re duntaxat amica sed nomine quoque ipso jucunda saith Nazianzen Peace is not onely lovely in the thing but pleasant also in the very name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Basil the absolutest of Blessings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Chrysostome there is no Blessing equall to Peace and the Scriptures make good what they all say by putting Peace so often for all Blessings as comprehending all other Blessings in the bosome of it as amongst other places Psal 125.5 But peace shall be upon Israel and Psal 29.11 The Lord will blesse his people with peace or as the ordinary translation reads it The Lord shall give his people the Blessing of peace In both which places the word translated Peace as expositors have observed non tantum pacem sed reliqua bona omnia complectatur et corpori et animo necessaria doth not only comprehend peace within it's signification but all other good things whatsoever necessary both for body and soule as it doth also in sundry other places of Scripture And this we are called upon here in my Text to pray for pray for the peace c. The peace what peace not the peace of Babylon though when the Jews were delivered into the hands of the King of Babylon and carried away captive thither they were commanded both to seek the peace of that City and to pray for it Jerem. 29.7 but the Peace that our text exhorts to pray for is the Peace of Jerusalem that is according to the literall sense the Peace of that City which the Lord hath chosen among all the tribes of Israel to place his name there 2 Chr. 6. as also to place the throne of David and so of justice and judgement there 2 Sam. 5.5 both expressed in the three immediate verses before my Text as arguments to make way for the praying for the peace thereof Jerusalem is builded as a City that is compact together whither the tribes go up the tribes of the Lord unto the testimony of Israel to give thanks unto the Name of the Lord for there are set thrones of judgement the thrones of the house of David then followes pray for the peace of Jerusalem c. Or els by the peace of Jerusalem we may understand here according to the misticall sense of the words the peace of Gods Church in what Cities or Nations soever it be planted called Jerusalem which is above and the mother of us all Gal. 4.26 the City of the living God the heavenly Ierusalem Heb. 12.22 and that not without allusion to that and the like prophesie of preaching the Gospell Esay 2.3 Out of Sion shall goe forth the Law and the Word of the Lord from Ierusalem that is the Gospell shall first be preached and so the Church first planted