Selected quad for the lemma: city_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
city_n	part_n	young_a	youth_n	21	3	7.5649	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A86356	The good old vvay, Gods vvay, to sovle-refreshing rest: discovered in a sermon preached to the Right Honorable the Lord Maior and court of aldermen of the citie of London, at their anniversary meeting on Wednesday in Easter weeke at Christ-Church, Apr. 24. 1644 being the day of the monethly publike fast. By Thomas Hill B.D. Pastor of Tychmersh in Northampton shire. Imprimatur, Charles Herle.	Hill, Thomas, d. 1653.	1644 (1644)	Wing H2023; Thomason E48_4; ESTC R11496	52,548	61

the State what you have given to quench these sparkes ere they brake out into devouring flames And I question not but when ever the Chronicles of these times shall come to be written the zeale the fidelity the self-deniall the courage the diligence of this famous Citie will fil whole Pages with your just and due commendation Not only families but houses of Parliament not onely Countries but Kingdomes are sensible of your forwardnesse and doe daily blesse God for it Well! give mee leave now as a poore Minister of Jesus Christ to presse one thing more upon you viz. that you would erect some further monument holding a proportion with what you have done already something worthy of this religious this renowned Citie That you would lay a traine how to reduce poore soules that goe astray and how to bring them into a good way that leads to eternall rest It is my advantage that I have the opportunity to speake in such an auditory upon such an argument There is great reason that wee should take notice of what cost and charges you have beene at this last yeare in the foure Hospitalls of this Citie and in the maintenance of the great number of poore children and others I need not goe over all the particulars they have been read againe and againe to your honour many whose wounds have been healed by you are blessing God for you and many hungry bellies which you have fed are magnifying him and many children I hope are learning to blesse the name of that God that hath put it into your hearts to do so much good for them and I am confident you will heare comfortably of it hereafter at the day of Judgment Possibly all this may be done and yet some further care to bee taken for the reducing of soules into such a good way that might lead them to their eternall rest and to this purpose I will be bold to suggest some few directions First Lay a traine for the education of youth in the knowledge of this good way for the multiplying of such faithfull guides as may discover and lead others into this way It is a peece of Luthers counsell if ever you would have a good Reformation looke to the education of Children You cloath their bodies and you feed them It is mercifully done it is good Gospel fruit it is worthy of Christianity But I beseech you withall take care for their precious soules Acquaint them betimes with Gods wayes And you more especially that have the government of this famous City look to your Citie Schooles looke that there be principles of Religion as well as Learning laid and sown and scattered among these young Generations So you will lay a traine indeed to bring their soules into the good way and to this purpose provide that there may bee more faithfull guides to steere and direct them in this way That were indeed an enterprise worthy of such a Citie as this is Let us not bee ashamed to learne any thing from the Jesuites which is fit to bee learned from them who are most studious in this art they goe up and downe and observe what youths are most pregnant who are likely to bee good disputants and who are likely to bee good Statesmen and who are likely to bee good Oratours and out of each of these they will take a number whom out of the publique charge they will maintaine that their parts and abilities may bee improved to the greatest advantage both to themselves and the Common-wealth I doubt not but this City might honour God and honour themselves in some such course as this is In all your Hospitalls in all your Schooles let there bee a wise observing by those that are able to discerne what is the proper genius spirit and disposition of young Youths where is any of speciall parts that hath not onely seeds of piety but singular indowments of nature And though I would bee loath to presse upon so bountifull a City as this any thing that might adde to your vast charges which you have been already at yet I could wish with all my heart that some publique Stocks were raised in some way most suitable that such as I speake of might bee maintained and consecrated to the study of Learning and being sent to the Universities might prove in their generations faithfull guides in this good way God hath beene pleased already to shine upon us in the hopefull beginning of Reformation of Universities and every one of us in our way and place are to further that worke wherein we are all more or lesse especially concerned This will most Succesfully bee done by sending such persons thither as may bee most capable of improvement there which may not for want of parts bee discouraged from following those studies which shall there bee required of them and then for want of imployment in their studies runne-out into such vicious courses as may make them to rue the day that ever they came thither The rule which Parents have gone by formerly in making such and such Children Scholars has beene a respect to their owne education They have been Scholars it may be themselves and therefore thinke that their Sonnes however qualifed must needs be so also and others by very sinister respects Gentlemen if they have divers Children to make Scholars of those which are the youngest as a shift rather then a calling and somewhat whereby they might rather provide for their worldly subsistence then for the service of the Church Common-wealth Now that which I commend to your Wisdomes in this point of publique Education is to bee carryed by another Consideration to wit of the pregnancy of parts and capacity in Children such being cherished and promoted in Learning they may by Gods blessing prove able guides to bring others into the good way Secondly looke to your Family Religion For as your Schools have a subordination to Universities so Families to Schooles The reformation of the one will not so much availe without reformation of the other And both have a subordination to the Church To this intent let Masters let Parents Oh that Husbands and Wives likewise would love one anothers Soule so well as to bee quickning and helping forward one another in this good way I say let Masters let Parents catechise their Children and Servants and instruct them in the principles of Religion Doubtlesse this is the way to make them fit to bee usefull Church-members You expect the Minister should doe all truly there will not so much bee done unlesse you maintaine an harmony of Ordinances When a Minister shall Preach and Catechise and instruct in Publique and when a Father shall deale with his Children when hee commeth home in private and call them to an account of their profiting by the publike administrations Oh this harmony being maintained it will still lay a better traine how to reduce those that goe astray It is a most unhappy

thing that many times the Master and Mistris come to Church themselves when it may bee the servants in the mean while are in Tavernes and Ale-houses and up and downe in one corner of the Suburbs or other and possibly you never so much as question them at night where they have beene and what accompt they can give of the Sermon which has been Preached what Manna they have gathered this day if you would reduce your Servants Soules if you would have them obtaine happy rest love them so well as to bee preparing them by Religious principles to walke in this good way D●ale not with your Servants as you doe with your Horses let them work out their strength spirits when they have served you so long there is an end what becomes of their soules and eternall condition many of you care very little whereas indeed you should rather consider you are as well intrusted with their Soules as they intrusted with your Estates may bee thy Servants Sinnes stand upon thy account some of them may now bee roaring in Hell for those offences which either they learnt from thee or were borne in by thee O bee intreated to have an eye upon your Families too many of them looke too like the Devils Chappels give diligence rather that they may bee little Churches to the great God How sweet will this Rest bee if after thy praying and use of all good meanes that thy Children may bee found Gods Children thy Servants Gods Servants walking in the good way Parents and Children Masters and Servants may keep house together eternally in heaven Thirdly incourage your faithfull Ministers not onely in Preaching but in short Catechising briefe expounding the Scriptures such exercises might prove a very compendious method to lead many into the good way Let able Ministers study to Preach plainly yet ordinary hearers are not at the first capable of the series of a set Discourse unlesse they bee prepared for this by teaching them the A. B. C. of Christanity in the very principles and by giving them line upon line and precept upon precept in some easie and familiar manner If the Lord please to blesse us with this fruit of Reformation that reading of long Liturgies bee turned into short expounding of Scriptures when they are read in the publike Assemblies by some briefe hints to cleare difficult and presse most seasonable places upon the hearers doubtlesse it might reduce many and much edifie other peoples soules in the good way Many parts of England have already tasted the sweetness● of this exchange I know no place which might more easily obtaine this precious advantage then this City where you have so many able Teachers who know how to divide the word aright Why should not you have such morning Exercises in London as are lately set up in your Neighbour City wherein your good Scribes might open their Treasures bringing forth new and old to the enriching of your soules Hereby you might recover much precious time out of the hands of sleepe and sloathfullnesse and without making any great breach in your ordinary employments get a good Gospell breakefast next your heart in the morning You would trade the better all the day if you begin first to trade with Christ in the morning Yea hereby your Soule-Nurses giving you the sincere milke of Gods word drop by drop you would be better prepared for strong meat and inabled to walk actively in the good way Fourthly forget not to throw stumbling blocks out of the good way If ever you would reduce soules represent Religion as a lovely and beautifull thing that so you may commend it to the hearts and consciences of them among whom you live O this might gaine many into the good way People judge of Religion as they find you may spend many houres in your Closet and they taste it not You may spend many dayes in publike Fasts they tast not that presently but now if your Religion makes you also just and maketh you mercifull and good Neighbours and good Landlords and good in your Relations all you deale with will taste of your Religion but though such a man or woman heareth so many Sermons and such a Lord and Lady frequents so many Fasts if still as hard hearted and as proud and as censorious and as vaine as ever here you cast a stumbling blocke in the way of Religion O that this might be the varnish of every ones Religion the more you professe the Gospell labour to bee the more exact and just in your walking expressing a Gospell conversation It is a great scandall to the Gospell when every good man is not a good husband to his wife and every good woman is not a good wife to her husband nor every good man when he is called to it is not a good governour nor every good Christian in his place is not a good servant why there are graces fit for every condition there are conjugall graces a spirit of government a ministeriall spirit now I heartily commend this to you as you would commend Religion and winne reputation to it throw all stumbling blocks out of the good way expre●sing such a gracious carriage as your relation and condition requires In Col. 3. 12 13. see what a chaine of graces there the Apostle linkes together Put on as the elect of God bowels of merci●s It were an excellent thing for al good Christians to have a mercifull disposition Oh pity poore wounded men pitie poore blind soules pitie those that go astray And as you should have bowels of mercy so kindnesse have not onely a meere pitie of them but also do kindnesse to them And withall put on humblenesse of mind towards them It may bee if you are able to doe them good and kindnesse you will proudly insult over them therefore put on humblenesse of mind and if you bee kind to them and they injurious to you adde meeknesse to it and what if they bee very injurious put on long-suffering here is Christianity in that you will have bowels of mercy and kindnes and though you be able to be kind you will not bee proud of it and if they bee not so thankefull as they should yet you will bee meeke and if they goe on to adde injury to injury you will bee long-suffering And I pray forget not the rest and forbearing one another and forgiving one another if any man have a quarrell against any even as Christ forgave you you will say you will forbeare at least for a time but though you forgive you will not forget but you will watch an opportunity to revenge Oh but you must both forbeare and forgive one another thus to represent Religion that it may bee knowne In such an house there dwels such a people they are famous for Religion and blessed bee God not onely religious but just and mercifull and meek and not rash and censorious and precipitant and the like doubtlesse