Selected quad for the lemma: earth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
earth_n	bless_v	heaven_n	lord_n	10,376	5	4.8290	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A95851	Mercies memorial: or, Israel's thankful remembrance of God in their high estate, for his mercifull remembring of them in their low estate. In a sermon before the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor, the Right Worshipful the Aldermen, and the Companies of the city London, on the 5th. of November, 1656. / By Ralph Venning.	Venning, Ralph, 1621?-1674.	1656 (1656)	Wing V204; Thomason E899_1; ESTC R5095	21,499	40

which of the Saints shall we turn who can say of all the Sons of Jacob that God hath forgotten them did not God remember Joseph in his low estate did not God remember Israel in their low estate and did not God remember David in his low estate Nay to speak of all at once did not God remember Christ in his low estate and this day speaks for us that God hath remembred us in our low estate And indeed my beloved we may take up that Song and sing it in the 124 Psalm If it had not been the Lord who was on our side now may England say If it had not been the Lord who was on our side when men rose up against us then they had swallowed us up quick when their wrath was kindled against us then the waters had overwhelmed us the stream had gone over our Soul then the proud waters had gone over our soul Blessed be the Lord who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers the snare is broken and we are escaped our help is in the Name of the Lord who made heaven and earth This may we say thus may we sing Is it not so is there a contradiction to be made against this truth Nay my beloved the case was this that if God had not been on our side we had been swallowed up quick and our not being so shews God on our side that God remembred us in our low estate I shall therefore proceed to the third thing which is the reason why God remembreth his people in their low estate that is as in the Text for his mercy endures for ever he harps only on this string he reckons up a long Catalogue of many mercies and the reason of all these is mercy only mercy the reason of one is the reason of all as I told you before there is no reason for mercy but mercy no reason for grace but grace who is gracious why because he will and to whom he will be gracious so that you see that mercy in God is all the reason of mercy from God to man in his low estate it is not mans merit but Gods mercy it is not mans due but Gods gift it is not mans demand nor was it in this case mans desire but Gods grant who many times answers before they call and when they are yet speaking he is hearing it was not mans measure but Gods allowance it was not after the manner of men who use to go over where the stile is low this was not because man could make God a requitall but because God would act like himself it was not Gods profit but mans necessity it was not that God needed man but man needed God therefore grace still is as free after it is received as it was before it was given it was not deserved and cannot be requited God therefore gave as looking for nothing again that is nothing that can requite it and you shall have for this a double witness God speaks it and Saints speak it that God shews not mercy to man because man pleaseth him but because mercy pleaseth him indeed one end that God hath in shewing mercy is that man should please him but that is not the main motive for in truth to put mans will before Gods is such an hysteron proteron that if I may use so homely an expression in so solemn a case I say it is to put the cart before the horse You shall finde God speaking Ezek. 36.21 22 23. But I had pity for my holy Name which the house of Israel had profaned among the Heathen whither they went Therefore say unto the House of Israel Thus saith the Lord God I do not this for your sakes O house of Israel but for mine holy names sake which ye have profaned among the Heathen whither ye went And I will sanctifie my great Name which was profaned among the Heathen which ye have profaned in the midst of them and the Heathen shall know that I am the Lord saith the Lord God when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes It is a fulsom Doctrine to flesh and blood to think it must be beholding for all to grace shame and confusion belongs to man mercy belongs to God man makes work for shame and for sorrow God works mercy as never obliged to it but for his holy Names sake and Jeremiah in his Lamentations makes this acknowledgement and so confirms the witness of God in Lam. 3.21 22. This I recall to my minde therefore have I hope it is of the Lords mercies that we are not consumed because his compassions fail not If it be of the Lords mercies that we are not consumed and brought to utter desolation surely then that we are remembred and delivered is for no other reason but because his compassions fail not but his mercy endureth for ever Thus I have given you the Doctrinall part with what brevity I could I come now to the Application First then it will afford us an information Secondly Some exhortations The Information is this Doth God remember his people in their low estate O happy how happy are they then that are the People of this God! that have the Lord for their God it is not every man in generall that is thus remembred no God hath his peculiars for whom he hath his peculiar favours indeed his mercy is over all his works he is good and doth good to all but there is a specialty to the houshold of faith and God that doth command us to do good to all but especially to the houshold of faith he doth but command us that which he patterns us therefore David makes his Prayer in Psal 106.4 5. Remember me O Lord with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people O visit me with thy salvation that I may see the good of thy chosen that I may rejoyce in the gladness of thy Nation that I may glory with thine inheritance O Lord favour me with the favours c. The good of Gods chosen is a choice good and so he goes on O remember me with the favours wherewith thou remembrest thy people It is an expression in Psal 146.5 Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help whose hope is in the Lord his God Why the God of Jacob because God though he be every bodies God and God of the whole Earth yet he is Jacobs God in a more peculiar manner he is the God of all the World by the opening of his hands and filling them with such blessings and he is Jacobs God by opening his heart and filling him with those blessings and so far as heart is above hand so far are heartmercies above hand-mercies and so far are Gods people more happy then other people David hath a saying in Psal 144. ver ult Happy are the people that are in such a case yea happy is that people whose God

MERCIES MEMORIAL OR Israel's thankful Remembrance of God in their high estate for his mercifull remembring of them in their low estate In a Sermon before the Right Honourable the LORD MAYOR the Right Worshipful the ALDERMEN and the COMPANIES of the City LONDON on the 5th of November 1656. BY RALPH VENNING Psal 107.8 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodnesse and for his wonderful works to the children of men LONDON Printed for John Rothwell at the Fountain in Goldsmiths-row in Cheapside 1657. TICHBORN Mayor Tuesday the 11th of November 1656. IT is ordered that Mr. Venning be desired from this Court to Print his late Sermon at Pauls Sadler To the Right Honourable Sir ROBERT TICHBORN LORD MAYOR And the Right Worshipful The ALDERMEN of the City of LONDON Honourable and Honoured WHen I had received your Order for the Printing of this Sermon I procured the best Copy I could by which and the best memory I had of what I delivered I have endeavoured to present it to your view not without a little addition to some heads which then I could not enlarge The rest of this addresse My Lord and Gentlemen is not to complement and flatter you but earnestly yet humbly to beseech you that you would as Mordecai said to Hester seriously and studiously consider wherefore God hath brought you to this high estate hear the place and as the Prophet said of the rod him that hath appointed it Be pleased to Know and account that the doing your duty in your Place is the greatest honour of your place whereas else it will be said that your Places honoured you but you honoured not your Places Indeed 't is the fashion of this World to seek great things for themselves 't is their devotion to sacrifice to their own nets 't is their ambition to Lord it they are passionately enamoured with the Delights and Delicacies of this life which the heavenly St. John calls the lust of the eye the lust of the flesh and the pride of life 'T is all but lust and the lust of the World which World and which lust saith he passeth away and which the Wise Solomon on sad and dear bought experience calls vanity of vanities and vexation of spirit yet after all these things do the Gentiles seek But saith our blessed Lord and Saviour it shall not be so with you you are not your own and therefore shall not seek your own but are Christ's and therefore seek the things of Christ and endeavour to doe great things for God Oh be not led away with the error and example of this World's admirers to be fond of a poor and miserable because but temporary and perishing greatness 'T is a meer Pageant which is but a shew and a shew that passeth away as you know 'T was David's praise and 't will be yours if you tread in his steps that he served not onely his generation but the will of God in his generation or his generation according to the will of God Consider then what is the good and perfect and acceptable will of God that you may be in readinesse to every good word and work walking worthy of God to all well-pleasing Indeed to speak as the thing is you have none to please none to serve but God you may not be the servants of Men and you must not be the servants of Sin onely sanctifie the Lord in your hearts love him serve him let him be your fear and your dread Fear to displease the God you love and love to please the God you fear lest you be found which God forbid among them that had a name to live but were dead that had been professors of Christ but practitioners for selfe and for the World If the World frown and accuse you for non-conformity let it be to you a small thing as it was to the good as well as great Apostle to be judged by mans day seeing your judgement is with the Lord and give me leave to tell you let the World look as big and as sowre as it can you may safely and honourably avow it that the best way to please all or displease any with least danger is to please him who is all in all Remember with all that you must one day give an account of your Stewardship to the great God of Heaven and Earth who will not judge according to appearance but he searching hearts will judge righteous judgement and give to every man according to his works Now I wish with my soul that you may doe so well in this your day as that in that great and terrible day of the Lord you may hear the joyful sound of Well done good and faithful servants enter ye into your masters joy I shall add no more but my desire to God for a blessing on this Sermon that as your ears by what you heard so your eyes by what you see may affect your heart to live for that is to give thanks to God in your high estate who remembred us in our low estate So prayes Right Honourable And Right Worshipful Your humble Servant in the service of Christ Jesus RALPH VENNING Decemb. 1656. MERCIES MEMORIAL OR Israels thankfull remembrance of God in their high estate for his mercifull remembring of them in their low estate From PSAL. 136.23 Who remembred us in our low estate for his mercy endureth for ever FOr the compleating of the sense you are to reade it thus O give thanks unto the Lord who remembred us in our low estate for his mercy endureth for ever I presume it cannot I am sure it ought not to be said of us this day as it was said of them in Acts 19. ver 32. Some therefore cried one thing and some another for the assembly was confused and the more part knew not wherefore they were come together Who is such a stranger in this our English Israel as not to have heard of the Gunpowder Treason is there either Popish enemy or Protestant friend that knows not what a just Right and lawfull Title the fifth of November hath to this Observation and Solemnity If David would not have his soul forget all that is not any of all the benefits of God much less such as have a remark upon them for being signall and transcendent If Personall mercies deserve their memoriall surely Nationall mercies deserve a memorable celebration Of this then I may say as in the twelfth of Exod. ver 42. only turning night into day and Israel into England It is a day much to be observed unto the Lord for bringing them out of the Land of Egypt this is that day of the Lord to be observed of all the children of England in their generations But not to Preface away any more of your time in a case so cleer as this is not only known by us but acknowledged by our enemies we need not ask Is there any cause for they themselves have confest the cause This Psalm may be intitled