Selected quad for the lemma: city_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
city_n	esquire_n	sir_n	thomas_n	19,213	5	10.5501	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A55741	Christ's revvard of a Christians watch and ward, or, A sermon preached at the burial of Mr. John Berry of Thorverton in the countie of Devon, Aug. 23, 1654 by John Preston ...	Preston, John, b. 1598 or 9.	1655 (1655)	Wing P3297B; ESTC R1152	15,552	24

CHRIST'S REVVARD OF A CHRISTIANS WATCH and WARD OR A Sermon preached at the Burial of Mr. JOHN BERRY of Thorverton in the Countie of Devon Aug. 23. 1654. By JOHN PRESTON Minister of the Gospel there Upon these words of our Saviour LUKE 12. 37. Blessed are those servants whom the Lord when he cometh shall find watching LONDON Printed by W. Bentley for F. Eaglesfield at the Marygold in S. Pauls Church-yard Anno Dom. 1655. To the Worshipfull THOMAS BROWN Esquire Alderman of LONDON Grace and Truth by JESUS CHRIST SIR IT may be said of your famous City as sometimes of Tyre She is the Crowning City whose Merchants are Princes whose Traffiquers are the honourable of the Earth Isa. 23. 8. But what became of Tyre that noble and ennobling City her Crown was laid in the dust and her Honourable in the streets And why They were haughty and knew not the Lord neither regarded they the God of Jacob They did not know in their affairs they eyed not the Crown of Righteousness neither were Traffiquers with Heaven therefore they perished from off the Earth Your City as a stately Princess wears a goodly rich Crowns on her head Crowns her Merchants and inhabitants with wealth and honour and you confess that it is not for your Righteousness that the Lord hath spared you but that It is of the Lords mercies that ye are not consumed because his compassions fail not Lam. 3. 22. I will not accuse you for Pride and haughtiness for trampling under foot the glory of England the Preaching of the Gosple of Righteousness nor for Blasphemy Heresie Apostasie Oppression self-love and self-seeking serving your selves upon Christ and upon his Gosple for I have often heard you upon your publick fasting-daies and daies of humiliation to accuse and condemn your selves for these and the like City sins onely I grieve to see these Rebels and Traitors against God to get a Reprieve and I heartily wish that the day of their Execution were come for the putting of these to death will be your life For the Prophet Micah tells you how you shall be still renowned the Crowned and the Crowning City To do justly to love mercy and to humble thy self to walk with thy God Micah 6. 8. You must meet God every day upon the Royal Exchange Here you must barter Nature for Grace Error for Truth your own Righteousness for Christ and who will not part with dross for Gold Pibbles for Pearls Rags for Robes you must put off saith the blessed Apostle concerning the former conversation the Old Man corrupt through the deceitfull lusts and be renewed in the spirit of your minde and put on the New Man which after God is created in Righteousness and true holiness Ephes. 5. 22 23 24. Your main case must be for your religious Factorage and to keep up your noble Trade with Heaven Your Merchandize must be for them that dwell before the Lord to eat sufficiently and for durable cloathing Isa. 23. 18. Let Prayer continually go forth with your loaden vessels and the Spirit of God will Pilot ye Then shall ye have good Markets indeed and Oh the rich returns that will flow in unto you Blessed are the Merchants that walk and talk with God daily upon the Exchange When God and the Soul are Partners Oh the sweetness and fullness of that Communion and entercourse See how our Saviour loveth such a soul as is busied in heavenly negotiations when he likens the Kingdom of Heaven to such a Merchant who seeking goodly Pearls when he had found one Pearl of great Price he went and sold all that he had and bought it Matth. 13. 45 c. The true Christian is this Merchant a Merchant adventurer he ventures riches honours pleasures life and all he trades for Pearls that is he seeks with labour cost and danger for heavenly knowledge the Pearl of great Price or the peerless Pearl is Christ Iesus A Pearl is bred of a caelestial humour or dew in shell-fishes Christ by heavenly Influence was formed in the womb of the Virgin Emanuel God with us or God-man is this Pearl The value and worth of this Pearl no Arithmetician can sum up it is infinite of wonderfull virtue most precious A Pearl that makes Pearls it makes vile sinners to be Pearls and costly Jewels Malac. 3. 17. and turns every evil thing into Good for us Rom. 8. 28. as the Philosophers stone turns every thing it toucheth into Gold This Pearl Christ Iesus with all his gifts graces virtues merits and Priveledges is derived to us by the means of his ordinances These are the Cabinets and Caskets of this Pearl God offers Christ in his word he is willing to barter with us Come buy Isa. 55. 1. I Counsel thee to buy Rev. 3. 18. In it God desires us to be good to our own souls to receive the soul-saving soul-enriching Pearl thus offered as these Texts 2 Cor. 5. 20. Deut. 5. 29. Luke 13. 34. do testifie As there the Merchant went and sold all so doth the true Christian sell all That is first he parts with the estimation of all in comparison of Christ Secondly he hath a heart prepared actually to part with all if he cannot enjoy it and Christ too Thirdly and especially he parts with his sins all not reserving a Zoar or a Rimmon not keeping any one beloved lust or forbidden pleasure Yea Fourthly he parts with his Affections with all their Branches and Objects if they will not stand with Christ Whatsoever comes into competition with Christ whether honours riches pleasures yea his own life he declineth it and looseth all for Christs sake And the gain of this Merchandize no tongue is able to express Thus do wise Merchants traffique whilst they live here on earth a Countrey that is not theirs venting their Commodities and transmitting all they can into Heaven their own Countrey against their Arrival and Receit there with joyfull acclamations of Saints and Angels and most rich and most honourable dwelling with their blessed Redeemer soul-solacing and hearts-satisfying friends in perfect joy compleat comfort and fullness of all good things for evermore The Lord remove and take out of the way whatsoever letteth you in this blessed Merchandize which is better than the Merchandize of Silver and the gain thereof than fine Gold Prov. 3. 14. Let your Merchandize be HOLINESS TO THE LORD Isa. 23. 18. here so in the ballancing of your Accompt at the last day you shall be clear out of debt with your heavenly Creditor and receive a full and final discharge together with a full remuneration of eternal happiness to you and all carefull Accomptants with him wayters and Preparers for him Which negotiation and traffiquing with Heaven O sedulous and rich Merchant is set forth under many other Notions in Scripture Amongst which is that of Watching for the Masters coming What it is How this watch is to be set and kept Motives to it and the Reward of it is