Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	wonderful_a	work_n	world_n	19	3	3.5549	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A89578	A sacred record to be made of Gods mercies to Zion: a thanksgiving sermon preached to the two Houses of Parliament, the Lord Major, Court of Aldermen, and Common-Councell of the city of London, at Christ-Church, June 19. 1645. Being the day of their publike thanksgiving to almighty God for the great and glorious victory obtained by the Parliaments army under the conduct of Sir Thomas Fairfax in Naseby-field. /	Marshall, Stephen, 1594?-1655.	1645 (1645)	Wing M773; Thomason E288_36; ESTC R200112	25,316	41

Leicester taken in againe and other tydings are come out of other parts of the Kingdome some mercies about Taunton others about Chester hath our God cast them in that this day might be as a day of Jubilee to us Shall not God have glory for all this shall not our hearts bee lifted up to give him praise Would God have a Chronicle written that the ages to come may stand amazed at it and shall we that see these things and enjoy them thus unexpectedly confine and pen up our praises to one day of Thanksgiving and not have our whole heart and our whole life filled with studies and endeavours to exalt him let this be our first Use if we should write them in a Book to provoke others then surely we should write them in our hearts to provoke our selves to praise him The other Use I would make of it is this That seeing the Lord would have his wonderfull Works written for the Generations to come Let the Honourable Houses of Parliament looke upon it as a duty they owe unto God and to the present and future age to provide that these glorious and admirable works which God hath done for England and Scotland since the beginning of our troubles may faithfully bee transmitted to posterity you hear God hath appointed it for a law and an Ordinance that the generations to come should know his wonderfull Workes and it 's both due and expected by one age from another it hath been the received Opinion of wise men that the World is more beholding to them who write Histories then to any men living except onely those that did the excellent Works which the others writ Tully tells you that History is the witnesse of time the light of truth the life of memory the school-Mistris of ourlife c. When yet alasse all their Histories were written with ignorance vanity passion partiality and gave very little help to our main businesse to teach us the administrations of God and the way hee hath taken in carrying on his Church which is the Kingdome of our Lord Jesus Christ But now by the true and faithfull setting forth to the World what the Lord hath done for us you should honour God and advantage his Church as much as in any thing that you can possibly doe unlesse it be the building of the Church it self Never could more excellent things tending to advance the goodnesse wisdome power and mercy of God bee manifested to the world then this story of our times would afford The Jews have a saying That when God destroyed all the World there was a Copy of all kept in the Arke with Noah and after the Floud was gone this Copy was re-printed and spread over all the world The meaning was that the Creatures that were kept there did fill all the world with Creatures of the same nature that the World had before Truly I have often thought that were all the Copies in the world lost of Gods admirable dealing with an unworthy people except only those mentioned in the Scripture there might be a re-impression of them out of the admirable things that God hath done for us since these publike caelamities came upon us and all the world might learn sufficient out of our Story what a God our God is and learn to know and trust and fear him forever give me leave onely to name some Capita rerum some heads of things which is fit the World should read and know They should read of a Parliament called together by a strange providence and when they were called God dealt with them as hee commanded Ezekiel to deale with his own haire Ezekiel 5. one third part of it to be thrown away into the wind another to be burnt in the City and another to be againe purged and refined and kept in the skirt of his garment They should read of 4 or 500 Commons and multitude of Peeres some of them passing through the fire some scattered into all the corners of the land seeking to destroy the Nation that had entrusted them and a remnant left behind fined and refined and humbled again and again and kept to do wonderfull things for the Lords glory and his peoples good They should likewise read of Army after Army and fight after fight which wee have had with our Enemies of every one whereof they should be able to say what my Noble Lord said immediately after Kynton fight That there was never any thing wherein there was lesse of man and more of God They should acknowledge in all wee have done there was little of man and much of God There they should likewise read how this famous City and all the Countries where the Gospel had prevailed have faithfully stood to God and his cause even to their owne exhausting in the midst of infinite discouragements and how the rest that were nursed up under Popery and superstition both Lords and Commons and Gentlemen and whole Counties did endeavour to fight themselves into slavery and labour to destroy the Parliament that is themselves and all that is theirs There they should read how God broke all our crutches we leaned upon our Counsels our Treasuries our Armies and never prospered us really till he had deeply humbled and made us to look to himself onely for help how he brought the two Nations into a Covenant with him and set them upon a work of Reformation of Religion and carryed on that work in a troublesome time in a time of Warre better then in likelihood it would have been in a time of Peace There they should read the fruits and effects of Prayer how he suffered his Almighty hand to be as it were directed by it They should see what strange Plots were discovered prevented detected how God made some of our strong Holds to be easily delivered and others of no strength little lesse then miraculously preserved against all the Force of the enemy how usually God made our losses to bee our gaine and did us most good by undoing us compelling us often to say Perissemus nisi perissemus wee had been undone if we had not been undone and how our enemies that rose against us evermore found their gaine to prove their losse and that which raised them up highest instantly laid them lowest What shall I say they shall in a thousand particulars read in this Story our folly and Gods wisdome our weaknes and Gods strength our divisions and confusions and Gods ordering them all to serve his holy ends They should read such things as I am confident no History in the world is able to hold out the like Now I beseech you is it not pity that these things should be lost shall we deprive the world posterity of these things Serimus arbores we plant Trees which may beare fruit to after ages and shall we not doe this which like Nebuchadnezzars tree would beare fruit to all the world or shall wee hazard them to bee written by a lying or unskilfull

not for a long time had a more reall rejoycing heart then you now feele for the mercy which this day wee meet to celebrate and commemorate Now would you know what you should doe what you should render unto the Lord what would bee the comeliest and most excellent sacrifice in this day of your praise and rejoycing before God Surely there is nothing comparable to this That you provide that of all those great things which the Lord hath wrought for us all possible praise and glory may bee set upon the head of our Lord Jesus and abide unto succeeding Generations Some such work as might preserve his honour in the present and succeeding ages were worthy such a great assembly worthy of the name of a day of their Thankesgiving I am perswaded your hearts are so warmed with the unexpected Victory that you would readily swear with David to take no rest untill you were doing that very Work if once you knew what it were I shall tel you Even in doing that where in his glory is most concerned in all ages and that is the setting up of his Kingdome the purgation reformation of Religion setting up his Ordinances in purity providing that his Church may bee governed and ruled by his own laws according to his owne Word This would indeed bee a lasting Monument of your thankfulnesse This wee should all study and to this every thankfull heart may contribute something but none so much as you Right Honourable Lords and Commons Assembled in Parliament by whose appointment and for whole furtherance in this work I stand here this day God hath put into your hands the greatest opportunity and meanes of providing for all the glory that he expects from England while the world stands that he did put ever into the hands of any The measuring line and plummet of his house is put into your hands as once it was in the hand of Zerubbabel From you he seems to expect what portion himselfe shall have in England for time to come what kind of Subjects hee shall have what Worship shall bee offered to him what kind of Guests shall sit with him at his Table by what lawes his house and people shall be governed hee seems now to put into your hands what unto the end of the world hee may expect from the Kingdome of England in the way of his Ordinances not onely the managing of a Kingdome of men but of the Kingdome of our Lord and Saviour Christ Jesus seemes now to bee in the hands of the two honourable Houses of Parliament Now when such opportunities as these are in your hands to doe such great things for God how silent should all slesh be till this worke be done how hush't and laid aside should all your other businesses bee your own estates and priviledges and private interests or any thing that concernes your selves names or families how should they all be waved and set aside till all that bee done from which Jesus Christ shall receive glory in all ages If then Right Honourable and Beloved any of you should after all the mercy God hath bestowed upon you make it your worke to feather your own nests build your owne Houses and let the House of God lie waste or hinder the setting up of this Work in purity and perfection if you should make a slight businesse of the Worke of Religion and cause the authority of the Gospel and Kingdome and Ordinances of Christ to vaile bonnet to the lusts and liberties of poore sinfull Men and decline the setting up of the authority of his Scepter lest the corruptions of Men should be brought under the yoake more then they are willing you will provide ill for Christs honour ill for the Church worst of all for your owne souls in betraying the cause of Religion and spoyling the most glorious opportunity of advancing the honour of Christ that ever men were betrusted with these thousand yeares But if you shall resolve so to goe through with it that there shall not need a reformation to come the second time I meane in stablishing the rule for Faith VVorship and Government as neere as can be found out by the VVord all carnall considerations set aside should you but doe this that it may bee set up in the Kingdome and transmitted to posterity God will then acknowledge you really thankfull and that you have done as much for his honour as hee expects from any mortall men and posterity shall confesse that as you are the most remarkable Parliament for Gods owning you protecting and saving you so God received more glory from you then from any former Parliament Josiahs praise should be verified of you ●ever the like went before you or followed after you I therefore humbly beseech you Right Honourable Lords and noble Gentlemen whilst now your hearts are warm with this mercy all of you are ready to say with David what shall I tender to the Lord what shall I give the Lord for all his mercies towards us take this cup of salvation resolve to pay your vowes the vow you made that you would endeavour the reformation of Religion according to the word of God and to the nearest conformity with the best reformed Churches Goe on zealously and impartially with it let the successe bee what it will work belongs to us successe belongs to God therein shall you in truth give unto God and our Lord Jesus Christ that glory and prase which a Parliament should give him other people must come short though wee all are interessed in this Mercy and are equally bound to provide for his honour yet our meanes are shorter wee move in a narrower spheare Some of our endeavours must bee in our own Families to make them better Others in a Pulpit to make our Congregations better few of us though raised to our highest are able to do any great things for his glory but if the Lord enlarge your hearts to doe your worke aright the whole Christian world in her severall ages shall be able to give glory unto him by your improvement of these mercies which our God hath given us And a little further to provoke you unto it consider seriously of these three things First in all our great conflicts these huge shakings of the Nations and combustions the Lord hath no designe in any of them but onely the building up of his Church and answering his peoples prayers his heart is set upon nothing else You indeed contend for Liberties and Laws and justly you may doe so and the rather because the liberty of your Religion stands and falls with your laws but God can looke upon England as well if it were in slavery as in freedome he regards neither of them further then slavery and freedome hath relation to his Church and the welfare of it if all other his works were buryed as one day they shall resolve into the Chaos out of which they were taken God cares not one whit sobeit that