Selected quad for the lemma: city_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
city_n	great_a	king_n	kingdom_n	9,660	5	5.5175	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A61477	The way of God with his people in these nations opened in a thanksgiving sermon, preached on the 5th of November, 1656, before the Right Honorable the High Court of Parliament / by Peter Sterry.	Sterry, Peter, 1613-1672.	1657 (1657)	Wing S5487; ESTC R14198	34,785	58

THE WAY of GOD WITH HIS PEOPLE IN THESE NATIONS Opened in A Thanksgiving Sermon preached on the 5th of November 1656. before the Right Honorable the High Court of Parliament By PETER STERRY LONDON Printed by Peter Cole Book-seller and Printer and are to be sold at his Shop at the sign of the Printing-Press in Cornhil neer the Royal Exchange 1657. FOR THE RIGHT HONORABLE The High Court of Parliament The Epistle Dedicatory Right Honorable I Have obeyed your Commands in Printing this Sermon as I did in Preaching it O that in both the Sermon may prove an Alablaster Box and the Name of Jesus Christ as an Oyntment powred forth from it We are in a Wilderness Clouds of Darkness and Doubt Fires of Danger Dissention and Wrath are in the midst of us round about us That the Presence of Christ may be the Pillar of a Cloud and of Fire to go before you as a Light in Difficulties to stand behind you as a Defence in Dangers is the continual Prayer of Your Honors most humble Servant in Christ PETER STERRY Fryday the 7th of Novemb. 1656. ORdered by the Parliament That Mr. Sterry have the Thanks of this House for his great Pains taken in his Sermon preached before this House at Margarets Westminster on the 5th of Novemb. Being a day set apart for Publick Thanksgiving and that he be desired to Print his Sermon and that he have the like Priviledg in Printing as hath been formerly allowed to others in like Cases And that Col. John Jones do give him the Thanks of this House accordingly Henry Scobell Clerk of the Parliament A SERMON preached before the Right Honorable House of Parliament on the 5. of November 1656. Being a Thanksgiving Day for the Victory over the Spaniards West-Indie Fleet Isaiah 9. 5. For every battel of the warriour is with confused noise and Garments rolled in Blood but this shal be with burning and Fuel of fire THis verse is a Prophecy of the deliverance of Jerusalem from the siege by Sennacherib of which you have the compleat Hystory afterwards in this Book Chap. 36. Chap. 37. In the first verse of this Chapter mention is made of Two dark seasons which affected the Kingdom of Israel One was when Tiglath Pilezer invaded part of the Land and carryed part of the people into Captivity of which you may read 2. Kings 15. 29. The other was when Salmanaser over-run the whol Land carryed captive the generality of the people and set an end to that Kingdom The Lord comforteth his people of the Kingdom of Judah that the trouble which was to come upon them by Sennacherib should not be so grievous as either of these For saith he Nevertheles the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the Land of Naphtali and afterwards did more grievously affict her by the way of the Sea Jordan in Galile of the Nations The second verse is a great Promise of Deliverance The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light they that dwel in the Land of the shadow of death upon them hath the light shined The Prophet speaks of al the Jews in both Kingdoms as one Body When the Kingdome of Israel was laid wast it is probable that many of those ten Tribes fled into the land of Judah When Sennacherib invaded Judah ruining the Countreys as he passed with his army the multitude of the people retyred before him into Jerusalem The King of Assyria besiegeth that great City and with his mighty Army over shadows it as with Darkness and the shadow of Death Now in the thickness of this darkness a light ariseth and shines forth upon the people by the prayer of Hezekiah the prophecy of Esaiah the descent of the Lord from Heaven by a mighty Angel Behold the difference which God makes between the Kingdom of Israel and of Judah those who set up Calves to themselves who worship the maker of Heaven and Earth after the Imaginations of their own heart in the Images and works of their own hands and those who worship him in his own Temple at Jerusalem which is a figure of Jesus Christ the only Image of the Invisible God as he makes himself known to us by his own Spirit You have three sences of the first part of the 3. verse Thou hast meltiplyed the Nation and hast not increased the joy Some apply this to Sennacheribs Army which was so numerous and a Collection of so many Nations The Heathen were gathered together agaiust Jerusalem in vast numbers but they had no joy in it proportionable to their Combinations and their Confidence Others interpret it of the Jews shut up in Jerusalem during the siege You may read the words as the Margin points it out to you in stead of Thou hast not increased the joy thou hast increased the joy to hi● that is to Hezekiah who was then King of Judah as if he should say Thou hast by occasion of this siege multiplied the people round about Hezekiah in Jerusalem and now in the Eyes of them al thou settest him up on high and increas●st his joy by that Miracle which thou workest to deliver them for his sake Or else there is a sweet Antithesis or Opposition in the words On Sennacheribs part thou multipliest the Nation his Army and outward strengths but thou increasest the joy to Hezekiah They joy before thee according to the joy of harvest and as men rejoyce when they divide the Spoile This was the joy of the people of God when they came forth from the City and found the dead bodys of their enemies lying in the fields like Corn newly cut down and their treasures like ful Ears of Corn We may observe two things from this verse First The end of affliction frequently is to gather up beleevers close to Jesus Christ in his own person or in the Anoyntings of his spirit upon some chosen ones that he may increase the honor and joy of these in the sight of al the people by that Salvation which he works thorow them and for their sakes Secondly The joy of the Saints in their deliverances is a Double joy a Harvest of spiritual glories and consolations in the appearances of God to them the spoil of the enemy whose Power and wealth becomes theirs while they are cut off by the appearances of God for his beloved Thus Jesus Christ at the same time ascended into Heaven to the Father and spoyled the powers and Principalities of this world carrying Captivity Captive Thus our Savior tels the Saints that what ever they lose that is dear to them in this world they shal have it again an hundred-fold and everlasting Life There is the harvest of Spiritual joyes everlasting Life There is the spoil of the enemy and Captivity Captivated when they recover al the Beautys joyes sweetnesses of this world out of the hand of the enemy and have them an

and peculiar piece of work in which he is to be served he fils men with a strange unwonted vigor in his business to contrive attempt and execute wonderful things To this end as a man puts fire under a pot so he sends forth his Spirit after a new manner into their Hearts that they boyl and run over they are no more in their own power they can no longer contain themselves Such a Description as this David makes of himself Psal. 39. 1. I said I will take heed to my wayes that I sin not with my tongue I will keep my mouth as with a Bridle while the wicked are in presence I was dumb with silence I held my peace from good my sorrow was stirred My heart was hot within me while I was musing the fire burned then spake I with my tongue David and Christ in him were opprest by wicked men He resolves to suffer in silence and to suppress all Motions towards the outward advancement of Goodness At length the Word of the Lord comes to him first it warms his heart by degrees it grows hotter while he museth upon it is irresolute unwilling to come forth openly upon the Stage it becomes a fire it breaks forth burns out like a mighty and irresistable flame You have an Example like to this in St. Paul Acts 20. 22. And behold now I go bound in the Spirit unto Jerusalem c. God had a new and great work for St Paul to do to testifie to the Gospel of Christ by preaching and by sufferings at Jerusalem the chief City of the Jews at Rome the Head City of the World before Rulers and Princes And now though afflictions and death were Manifestly before his Eyes in this journey though friends Saints Prophets his own heart lay Weeping Bleeding Breaking in his way to stop him from going on in that course from whence he should returne no more as ye may see verse 23. 25. 27 28. Chapter 21. verse 4. 11 12 13. Yet he shuts his Ears and his Eyes to al these treads them under his feet goes over them al Would you know the reason He was bound in Spirit An extraordinary power of the Spirit came upon him bound up al his facultys in its heavenly chaines and carryed him Captive to its Divin Force and Wil. There are many witnesses that the like unto this hath been heard known and felt often in our daies and affaires Supernatural Impressions Divine and Irresistible Impulsions as gales of wind from Heavem have filled the Spirits affections counsels and actions of men like sails by which the ship of this Common-wealth hath bin carryed on from port to port from change to change When the two disciples wer going to Emaus Jesus Christ in the midst of them they said did not our hearts burn within us while he talked with us but their Eyes were held that they could not know him If Jesus Christ have been in the midst of us as a fire if he have made the hearts of his Servants to burn within them yea to flame forth to lick up all the water of opposition to consume all the Damps of Discouragement that have been cast upon this fire from their own reason reputation affections purposes former principles within from difficulties dangers disswasions of friends combinations of of Enemies without Shal our Eyes stil be held that we should not know him who is thus a burning and shining Light among us or shal our spirits be held from rejoycing and dancing in this Light while its season lasteth Fiftly The Inward Principle of Life being the Seal upon our Outward Changes 2 Tim. 2. 16. Nevertheless the Foundation of the Lord standeth sure having this Seal the Lord knoweth who are his And let every one that nameth the Name of Christ depart from iniquity This word Nevertheless implies a tacite Objection arising from the foregoing words of the Apostle verse 17 18. Hymeneus and Philetus of eminent Beleevers and Preachers of the Gospel were become Hereticks whose words did spread and kil like a Gangrene insomuch that they had overthrown the saith of some Now might a poor Saint say Good God! what way is there to attain to a sound and saving Faith which cannot be overthrown or when shal I know that my Faith is thus sound and saving Who can be sure of their Faith that it shal not fail them when it hath failed these The Apostle gives two Answers to this Objection First The Foundation of the Lord standeth sure God the Father of our Lord Jesus makes himself in the hearts of his Children to be a sure Foundation unto their Faith so that it can never be shaken This Foundation he layeth in the fair colors of his own Spirit of a mystical and peculiar Union in the Spirit of an especial work of Grace flowing from this Union Secondly This sure Foundation at the bottom of our hearts and faith is also the Seal of Assurance upon them both Having this Seal the Lord knoweth who are his In Spiritual things that which is the Life is the only Light which is therefore so called in the Gospel the Light of Life the Principle is the Seal Ye mere sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise faith St. Paul Ephes. 1. That Light of Knowledg which is Originally the Knowledg of the Lord in us that Communicatively by Vertue of the Union is our Knowledg and this Knowledg is our Seal As in Natural things the Eye sees not alone neither doth the Soul but both concur in every act of sight So is it in every act of Spiritual Sence The Spirit of the Lord witnesseth together with our Spirits saith St. Paul Rom. 8. The Spirit of the Lord and our Spirit like the Soul and the Eye joyntly concur in every act of Spiritual Knowledg The Lord knoweth in us we know in the Lord that we are his Thus this Union which is the Principle of Life in us is in like manner the Seal of Light Object The world hath often objected to the servants of the Lord in the great Works of our times You plead inward Principles Power and Light for your Justification in extraordinary waies that it is from the fervency of your spirit in the Service of the Lord and of the publick welfare How shal we know this that you do not Cloath contrary designes and corrupt interests with these pretences how can we or you tel that your impressions are not delusions Answ. What hath the answer been Hath it not been that of Jesus Christ to the Jews when they refused to mourne to his weeping or to dance to his Musick Wisdom is justified of her Children Matth. The Lord Jesus as he is by his spirit the Power of God in us from which we act and on which we stand as on a sure Foundation So is he in like manner the Wisdom of God in us by which we know him and his out-goings by which we are also known of him and owned by him This