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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
earth_n	lord_n	praise_n	praise_v	6,480	5	9.5678	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A81219	The saints thankfull acclamation at Christs resumption of his great power and the initials of his kingdome. Delivered in a sermon at Westminster, before the Honourable House of Commons, upon the day of their solemne thanksgiving unto God, for the great victory given our armie, under the command of the noble Lord Fairfax, at Selby in Yorke-shire and to other the Parliaments forces in Pembrock-shire, April 23d, 1644. By Joseph Caryl preacher to the Honourable Society of Lincolnes-Inne.	Caryl, Joseph, 1602-1673.	1644 (1644)	Wing C787; Thomason E48_1; ESTC R7648	36,302	59

man abuses God everytime he gives him thanks at the best he doth but bungle and make uncomely worke of it The beautifull garment of praise put upon such is as beauty upon a woman without discretion a jewell of gold in a Swines snout Prov. 11. 22. A second consideration importing the fitnesse of the Elders for this duty is their ability for the duty They are most able yea they only are able to performe this duty Without Christ we can doe nothing Beasts and stones can praise God analogically in a manner Hypocrites and prophane men can praise God formally after their manner Elders and Saints only can praise God properly after his manner Praise is worship and worship is the sole worke of Saints yea praise is the most spirituall part of worship it is the spirit of worship the highest and noblest act of worship 't is Heaven-worship Heaven-worke all the worke and worship that is reserved for Heaven It requires more then a state of regeneration even a state of perfection Grace is not sufficient it cals for the strength of glory to praise the Lord. Here we can complaine over our wants and blubber over our sinnes and sufficiently cry over our troubles But how short and low-hearted are we at best in rejoycing over our mercies in singing the loving kindnesse and crying up the glory of our God God will be above our praises when we are above how much is he then above them while we are below And if the Lord be above the praises of the holiest who are below in the state of grace how infinitely is he above their praises who are below in the state of nature Thirdly The Elders are fittest in respect of the Lords acceptation Praise doth not please God brought by every hand The Sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to Prov. 15. ● the Lord Prayer is sacrifice and so is praise this is so abominable that it is abomination when presented by the wicked From them though never so curiously flourisht in words it is but like the offering of Swines flesh and the Isa 66. 3. cutting off of a doggs necke Some great Princes have forbid all to draw their pictures in colours or cut their statues in stone but some speciall Artists of their own appointment they would not accept this service from any others Grace only hath art enough to limbe out to the life the excellencies of God no creature can do God right but others do him wrong His Saints cannot reach him yet they please him Others doe not only come short of but blot the name of God with the pensil of their most studied praises These things laid together clear the first Reason why praise is the Elders duty they are fittest for this service it becomes them best they are best enabled for it and accepted in it Againe the Elders have most cause to praise the Lord. Second Reason For first their mercies are greater then the mercies of others All creatures have cause to praise the Lord for their being Psal 148. All men have cause to praise the Lord for the excellencie of their being The worst of men have cause to praise God that they are no worse and the most miserable men on earth because they are not more miserable even arrested with the miseries of hell yea some affirm that the most miserable in hel have reason to praise God because their hell is not more miserable All these have cause to blesse God but the Saints have more they have right-handed mercies full-handed mercies greater mercies and better mercies both qualitie and quantitie commends them they have choice mercies and a Benjamins messe Now as where God sows there he looks to reap so where he sows much he looks to reap much and where he sows most he looks to reape most None receive so much mercy as the Elders and none bound to pay so much praise as they Secondly the Elders have prayed and dealt with God most for the obtaining of publike mercies They have often gone forth weeping in daies of humiliation bearing precious seed of prayer and therefore they shall as a priviledge and they ought as a duty come againe with rejoycing bringing their sheaves of praise with them Psal 126. 6. They that sow in teares shall reape in joy that 's the promise of God and they ought to rejoyce when they reape that 's the duty of man The Elders falling upon their faces in praier had wrestled for obtained these mercies and now they fall upon their faces to praise the Lord for these mercies Further the Elders have bin active in their severall stations to serve the providence of God for the procuring of these mercies Prayer makes them industrious They pray as if God were to doe all and they endeavour as if themselves were to doe all They pray as knowing they can doe nothing without God and they labour as knowing that usually God will doe nothing without them This engages them to praise God when they see through his concurrent blessing the fruits of their counsels and watchings when they eate the labours of their hands Lastly none have such cause as they for the vowes of God are upon them Praise is the paiment of vowes Thy Psal 56. 12. vowes are upon me O Lord saith David I will render praises Psal 65. 1. unto thee And againe when he had said Praise waiteth for thee O God in Sion presently followes and unto thee shall the vow be performed Praying daies are vowing-daies and praising-daies are vow-performing-daies Vowes are the dedication of our mercies to God before we receive them and praise is the dedication of our mercies to God after we have received them When Hannah was in bitternesse Sem 1. 10 11 of soule and prayed unto the Lord for a child she vowed a vow and said O Lord of Hosts if thou wilt indeed looke upon the affliction of thy hand-maid and remember me and not forget thine hand-maid but wilt give unto thine hand-maid a man child then I will give him unto the Lord all the dayes of his life Her prayer was heard she hath a sonne In the same Chapter her praise-offering is upon record and the paiment of her vow She brings her child to the High-Priest 1 Sam. 1. 26 27 28. and said O my Lord as thy soule liveth my Lord I am the woman that stood by thee here prayeng unto the Lord For this child I prayed and the Lord hath given me my Petition which I asked of him therefore also I have lent him to the Lord as long as he liveth The holy Elders may name most of their mercies Samuels that is asked of God yea and vowed to God This causeth them to come with praise-offerings and say in the great Congregation for this mercie we prayed unto the Lord and the Lord hath given us our petition therefore also we have lent this and our selves to the Lord as long as we live Whatsoever good

that fals upon his face to the ground will find the ground his advantage to lift up either a prayer or a praise We besides this example of the Elders and our owne advantage have yet a further reason to fall upon our faces while we give thanks for this victorie Many of our valiant ones men as Davids helpers are described whose faces were like Lions Men who with a due temper'd courage dared death and danger to the face fell upon their faces and died to gaine this victorie Our mercies cost us bloud therefore give thanks humbly yea rejoyce tremblingly And be not afraid to tremble in rejoycing it will not weaken much lesse destroy your joyes To rejoyce with trembling makes the most steddy joy Secondly The praises of these Elders were explicit and vocall They worshipped saying we give thee thankes c. Loud speaking-mercies are ill answered with silent or whispering praises Most of the solemne Thanksgivings recorded in Scripture are composed in Songs We often reade of singing praise sometime of loud-singing and which is more of shouting-praises we must at the lowest say our praises The Elders worshipped saying we thanke thee Heart-praise is best but tongue-praise is necessary Internall worship pleases God most but externall worship honours God most For by this onely God is knowne in the world and his glorie shines forth Outward worship is Gods name Hence God is said to put his name in the Temple because he was there publikely worship'd It is as dangerous to conceale the praise of God as to conceale our owne sins My sonne saith Joshua to Achan Josh 7. 19. give I pray thee glorie to God and make confession unto him he meanes not a confession betweene God and his owne soule in secret therefore he adds and tell me now what thou hast done hide it not from me If we also would give glory to God we must make open confession of his mercies tell abroad what he hath done and not hide it Why should not we speake out audibly when God works out so visibly When God doth us good in the sight of all shall not we speake good of God in the hearing of all David makes a narrative of invisible mercies mercies which could not be seen shall be heard Come saith he and heare all ye that feare God and I will declare what he hath done for my soule Psal 66. 26. Shall not we make a narrative of visible mercies Shall not those mercies be heard which cannot but be seen Shall we not say come and heare all ye that feare God we will declare what God hath done for our land for England I may say to silent ones as those lepers did one to another You doe not well this is 2 Kin. 7. 9. a day of good tidings and you hold your peace Some I feare hold their peace about any prosperities of our warre least hereafter they should loose their peace as having been observed to owne the warre Let me say to such as Christ did to those in the Gospel but in the sense last used If these hold their peace the stones will speake It will be as much a miracle for any to hold in this sense their peace by silencing the praise of God as for stones to speak It is sinfull and dangerous to silence others but it is more sinfull and dangerous to silence our selves and suspend our owne abilities from preaching or publishing with thankfulnesse our late temporall Salvations We can never with confidence looke for the mercies of God either spirituall or corporall hereafter if we wilfully hide them now Such policie will yeeld us little protection in an evill day David bottomes his hope of future deliverance upon his joyfull publication of what was past I have not Psal 40. 9 10. refrained my lips O Lord thou knowest He was not actively or politickly silent I have not hid thy righteousnesse within my heart it lay there but it was not imprison'd or stifled there I have declared thy faithfulnesse and thy salvation I have not concealed thy loving kindnesse and thy truth from the great Congregation Upon this he fals a praying with a mighty spirit of beleeving that he shall have preservations from future evils With-hold not thou thy tender mercies from vers 11. me O Lord let thy loving kindnesse and thy truth continually preserve me for innumerable evils have compassed me about c. While we are praising God for his goodnesse alreadie shewed us we have need to be praying against evils and enemies still encompassing us And if any may be confident of preservation against evils stil encompaising them they may who thankfully publish the goodnesse of God already shewed them The Elders said We give thee thanks O Lord God Almighty which art and wast and art to come Which words lead us to A third Rule of Direction from the practise of these Elders in our praising God which is this In the duty of thankesgiving for any mercie wee are to lift-up and magnifie the name of God most in those Attributes which he himselfe hath most lifted-up and magnified in bestowing the mercie As in confessing sinne we should chiefly weepe over that Attribute which in committing that sinne we have chiefly wronged So in confession of mercies we should cry up and glorie over that Attribute chiefly which God in giving the mercie hath chiefly honoured Why do these Elders praise God under those Notions of his Omnipotencie and eternitie Surely because God had made these Attributes in those acts most glorious Though the mercy of God be the fountaine from whence all good things flow unto us yet the power of God is the hand which acts executes good by every hand for us Enemies are not much troubled to heare that God is gracious and pitifull and compassionate They could carrie it they thinke by fine force against all these Attributes But the report of his power and omnipotencie makes the stoutest heart to tremble The love and goodnesse and mercie of God are Attributes written in so spirituall a character that nature can hardly reade them but the print of his power is so plaine that they are forced to acknowledg This is the finger of God The ruine of Babylon is prophesied and Revel 18. 8. described with this conclusion For strong is the Lord God who judgeth her Babylon thinkes her selfe impregnable and her mountaines too strong for all the batteries of earth or heaven For she saith in her heart I sit a Queen and am no widdow and shall see no sorrow Therefore when God shall pull her downe and levell all her Forts the Attribute of his power shall be magnified Strong is the Lord who judgeth her When the Church prayes for deliverance against potent enemies she passionately stirs up the omnipotencie of God Awake awake put on strength O arme Isa 51. 9. of the Lord awake as in the ancient daies Unlesse the love of God awake and he cloath himselfe with mercie we cannot

it that when we have a God who can easily doe great things we should be a people that can hardly beleeve small things How doth it misbecome that Christ should be invested with great power and Christians should give cause to be rebuk'd with O ye Mat. 8. 26. of little faith Doct. 3 Thirdly from these words observe in briefe That Sometime Christ seemes to put his power out of his owne hand Thou hast taken to thee thy great power Christ cals it in surely then it was abroad Christ goes in the opinion of the world for weake when his Church is weake as he takes himself for persecuted when any member of his Church is smitten Christ gives power not only into the hands of his friends but into the hands of his enemies to try what Dic mibi tu fueris si leo qualis cris they will doe with it to see what worke they will make with it Men know not what they would be nor what they would doe till they have opportunity Much wickednesse lies hid in the heart till there be strength in the hand to draw it forth Little did Hazael thinke that so much cruelty lodg'd in his breast till he had a throne to act upon Nature vex'd and Nature arm'd discovers it selfe 2 King 8. 13. And because Christ will have the thoughts of mens hearts discern'd and their spirits turn'd outwards therefore he lets men rule and carry it in the world while himselfe as it were stands by and looks on Doct. 4 Fourthly note hence Christ can resume his power when he pleases and will resume it when his owne promise and the Churches profit call him to it The appearing weakenesse of Christ is voluntary and elected He is weake only upon consultation and designe and therefore upon consultation and designe at his owne will and election he can be strong againe Men sometime are put to feare those whom they trust with their power They trust out more power in the hands of others then they see is well-used and yet they know not how to recall or take it backe into their owne hands Christ can recall all his Commissions and take to himselfe his great power without asking any mans leave or fearing any mans displeasure He can recrew't his as the world accounts them broken Troops and scattered Armies without the counsell or contributions of any creature Doct. 5 Observe fiftly As soone as ever Christ takes his power he raignes presently Thou hast taken to thee thy great power and hast raigned This was the very beginning and commencement of Christs kingdome in the glorie of it and yet it is spoken of as if he had fully accomplish'd it If he will worke none can let him Man may quickly overweene Isa 43. 23. 1 Kin. 20. 11. his owne power but Christ cannot Let not him that girdeth on his harnesse boast himselfe as he that putteth it off saith Ahab to Benhadad But as soone as Christ begins to gird on his harnesse he may boast as if he were putting it off There is nothing left to hazard there is no fortune in his Deut. 32. 41. warre He may sing victoria before the battell If he doth but whet his glittering sword whetting is but preparatory to smiting and his hand take hold on judgment he wil render vengeance 1 Sam. 3. 12. to his enemies and will reward them that hate him When he begins he will also make an end whether in wrath upon his adversaries or in loving kindnes to his people Thou hast raigned I have but toucht at these points because though they lie plainly in the words as they are a Proposition yet they are not the scope of propounding them which in this place is only to give a reason or ground of the Elders joy thankfulnes expressed in the former parts of the Text. As taken strictly under this consideration they teach us three points First That it is a ground of abundant praise and comfort to Three Doctrines from the words as they hold forth the reason why the Elders gave thankes all the Saints when Christ appeares resuming his power and setting up his kingdome It is well for all the world that Christ raignes How soone would the frame of every kingdome dissolve or be out of course if he did not beare up their pillars and over-rule all their rulers Men could not live by men if the world were left meerly to the power of man Hence the Psalmist cals all to rejoyce in Christ the King The Lord raigneth let the earth rejoyce let the multitude of Psal 97. 1. Isles many and great Isles be glad thereof yet the Saints who have an interest in Christ above others are glad of the raigne of Christ above others he is a King over others but he is a King for them therefore it followes v. 8th Sion heard thereof and was glad The rest are called to rejoyce but Sion doth rejoyce her eare affects her heart Sion heard therof Isa 52. 7. and was glad This is news enough to be told in Sion how beautifull are his feet that brings this good tidings that saith unto Sion thy God raigneth In this one report all her mercies are reported at once And she reades the history of all her hopes in her first experiencies of that ancient prophecie Q. But what matter of joy or thankfulnes is it for Saints that Christ raigneth A. We use to say A friend at Court is better then a pennie in our purse we count it matter of joy if we have a friend about the King What is it then to have the King our Friend or to hear that Our Friend is King But the qualification of a King is better to us then his relation All kingly qualifications meet in the person of Christ First he is so wise that he is called Wisdom so wise that in him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom so wise that he needs none to counsell him he is the Counsellour and feares none who counsell against him for there is no counsell against the Lord. It hath beene said That Common-wealths should then be happie when either Philosophers were Kings or Kings were Philosophers How happy then must Sion be in her King who is not only a lover of wisdome but wisdome Secondly he is a just King The true Melchizedec King of Iustice When Christ takes his great power and raignes we know power is then in a good hand and the Crowne upon a righteous head Christ never did nor ever will doe wrong to any no not to the devill with his power Though his will be his law and the breast of this Commander the reason of his commands yet no man no not the worst of men his greatest and most professed studied enemies shall ever have cause to complaine of rigour or injustice He will indeed punish all wicked men but he will not oppresse or injure any one Now if his power shall never wrong his enemies what

Thou art worthy O Lord to receive glorie ver 10 11. and honour and power for thou hast created all things and for thy pleasure they are and were created Observe they do not praise God for creating a world wherein they had received so much pleasure so many conveniences such comforts and refreshings but as if it had not been worth the while to reflect upon themselves or any concernement of theirs in the world as if God had made a world only for himselfe to dwell in They blesse him for creating all things purely and precisely under this notion because for his pleasure they are and were created In this one point lies the very spirit of all the spiritualnesse of this great duty When we can so praise God for blessings received as if not we but he himselfe had received them It is the very heaven of heavenly mindednesse when we can rejoyce that all things are done for the pleasure of God Armies are created of God warre is created of God victorie is created of God as much and as truly as ever the world was created of God Say therefore yee who have the honour of our civill Eldership and all who are here assembled to joyne in this great duty say Thou art worthy O Lord to receive glorie and honor and power for thou hast created al these things and for thy pleasure they are and were created For thy pleasure our Armies are and were raised for thy pleasure our warre is and hath bin continued for thy pleasure our enemies are and have bin opposed for thy pleasure this victorie is and was obtained We then feed most sweetly upon mercies when the pleasure of God swallows up all And from this principle we may aboundantly answer that Objection which some seemingly-compassionate spirits raise against this dutie What! give thankes when men are slaine What! Rejoyce when so many of our owne blood and Nation lie weltring in their bloud Is not this not only not Christian but inhumane Let such objectors know we are I am sure we ought to be and we are now taught to be so farre from rejoycing because men though our enemies are slaine and their blood spilt that we doe not rejoyce because we our selves are safe and our blood not spilt We are not giving thankes because men are ruin'd but because Christ raignes Joy in such a duty as this below the throne of Christ is too low for the spirit of an Elder And if Christ will set up his Throne upon millions of carkasses of the slaine it well becomes an Elder all the Elders to rejoyce and give thanks I shall now onely leave some few briefe counsels with you Honourable and Beloved as results from all that hath been spoken and so conclude First labour to walk worthy of this victory It is good to give thankes with our lips but it is best to give thanks with our lives Thankes acted is better then thankes said Let this mercie make you holy They get little good by victories who are not better by victories Secondly let this experience worke hope Hope is the most naturall and proper effect of experience Your work Rom. 5. 4. is not all done nor your dangers all blowne over get confidence of future successes from past successes A daring Goliah should be lookt upon as vanquish't when we can remember a vanquish't Lion and a Beare Argue downe all unbeliefe as the Apostle doth God who hath delivered us from so great a death and doth deliver in him wee 2 Cor. 1. 20. trust that he will yet deliver us Let there never be found in any Historie to be written of your actions such a record against you as stands to this day against the Israelites who Exod. 15. 1. 23. 24. sung a Psalme of praise for drowning Pharaoh and his host in the Sea at the beginning of the Chapter and fell a murmuring being but a little stress't for sweet water at the end of the Chapter Thirdly gather strength in prayer from these praises As prayer engages unto praise so praise encourages unto prayer The joy of the Lord is our strength to aske And when God is giving it is seasonable to aske more The Jewes in Babylon had great things done for them so great that they thought themselves in a dreame and the newes too good to be true so great that yet it overcame their unbeliefe and their mouthes were filled with Psal 126. 1 2 3 4. laughter and their tongues with singing so great that they among the Heathen said the Lord hath done great things for them and then it was time for them to take up the ditty from the Heathens lips and say The Lord hath done great things for us wherof we are glad yet as it were with the same breath they fall a praying as hard as if God had done nothing for them Turne againe our captivitie O Lord as the rivers in the South The providence of God hath now made an immediate succession from your Thanksgiving-day to your Fasting-day some have thought them too farre distant in nature to be so neare in time but I beleeve the former will prove a very fit Parascue or day of preparation for the latter The higher we can get our hearts spiritually lifted up and the more joyfully affected in a day of praise the deeper we may get our hearts humbled and the more beleevingly enlarged in a day of prayer Fourthly let these mercies raise your hearts yet to more activitie of endeavours When we see God working shall we stand still Should we not worke harder then before When God goes forward shall we goe back-ward Should we not move faster then before In the journey from Egypt to Canaan through the wildernesse the Israelites were bound to follow the motions or stations of the cloud when that went forward they were to goe forward and when that stood still they stood still Divine providence is a leading Cloud to this day it is ill to out-run providence and it is as bad not to follow it Let not successes flat upon your hands It is better to use a victorie then to get it Lastly seeing yee have given thanks to Christ for help against your enemies be ye a helpe to all the friends of Christ Christ hath made your hearts glad let it be your studie it will be your honour to glad the hearts of those who love Christ Christ himselfe needs no favour from you but some who are neare to him may He will take it very kindly if some of your debts to him may be paid over into their bosomes Old Barzillai modestly refused the royall Favours of King David because age had disabled him to make use of them But saith he behold 2 Sam. 19. 37. thy servant Chimham let him goe over with my Lord the King and doe to him what shall seeme good unto thee Should yee as Kings offer to the King our Lord Jesus Christ the greatest bounties imaginable he must refuse them because his fulnesse sets him above the use of them Or if he were hungrie he would not tell it you for the world is his and Psal 50. 12. the fulnesse thereof But he hath many Chimhams Beloved sonnes and deare children take them and their condition into your counsels and doe to them as shall seeme good unto you And all that you doe for them Christ will take upon his own account and as done unto himself Yea in their enjoyment of their due priviledges Christ raignes and Rev. 11. 15. the kingdom becomes the kingdom of the Lord and of his Christs Then a Kingdom is Christs when all who approve themselves members of Christ may have free and in-offensive communion with him in all the Ordinances of his worship Which how to compasse is the highest and noblest designe of any councell upon the earth and I beleeve hath hitherto been I am sure it ought to be the utmost aime of all your counsels especially considering how solemnly you have witnessed your owne and the Nations engagement unto Christ How sad would it be so sad that the remotest suspition of it is more then enough to make any heart sad how sad would it be if Christ should ever have the occasion offer'd to expostulate with the great Councell of England Thus Your daies of Thanksgiving to me for victories testifie that I have subdued your enemies by my power and shall not your authoritie protect my friends your thanksgivings to me for victories testifie that I have asserted your civill liberties through the bloud of your opposers and will not yee assert their spirituall liberties purchased by my bloud Your Thanksgivings to me for victories testifie that I have suffered no man to doe you wrong but have even reproved a King And O that such reproofe may be as a precious ointment which might not breake but heale both his head and heart for your sakes and will ye suffer any to doe my servants wrong will yee not reprove either high or low for their sakes Or shall I goe on to gain the kingdom into a quiet habitation for you and shall any who are truly mine and faithfully yours have ground to complaine in mine eares that they cannot find a place in it freely to set their feet and rest their heads Honourable and Beloved I know your goodnesse will beare it if I thus freely represent what cannot be hid that such fears are scatter'd And I doubt not but your great wisdome and tendernes through the help of Christ will scatter them indeed so that they shall never improve into sorrows and prevent not only that terrible chiding of Christ which you shall never heare without infinite reason for it but also the complaints of any of his people which sometime you may possible heare yet vouchsafe to weigh them upon lighter reason In this sense to be weake with them that are weake is I humbly conceive as sutable to a Parliamentary spirit as it was to an Apostolicall The desire and praier of all that fear God is that every one of you may shew the same diligence to the full assurance of this hope unto the end FINIS