Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	work_n	world_n	worship_n	17	3	5.9826	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A13827	Times lamentation: or An exposition on the prophet Ioel, in sundry sermons or meditations	Topsell, Edward, 1572-1625?	1599 (1599)	STC 24131; ESTC S118486	347,352	464

hearers The reasons of this doctrine are these bicause in that time the Lorde sheweth himselfe to be an enimie Lamen 2. 5 8. And who is he that will not sorrow knowing that the Lorde is his enimie would he euer fall out so farre with his owne people as to suffer his owne glorie to bee darkened were it not bicause he hath kindled his wrath against them euen as a Lorde in this worlde taketh from his seruant his office his cognisance and in the end turneth him out of his dores bicause he hath displeased him so dealeth the Lorde with vs when he maketh men colde in his seruice and wearie of his Gospell O my beloued nowe I feare is the Lord an enimie vnto vs when hee suffereth such abuses and abusers of his goodnes to liue among vs. Poperie beginneth againe to growe ioyfully out of the earth in the Lordes fieldes Atheisme priuily stretcheth his selfe as the Iuie doth about the Oke the ministerie groweth careles the people waxeth wanton the rich men are idle and the poore men are ignorant of the Lords seruice Are not these sufficient tokens that the Lord beginneth to be an enimie vnto England O mourne therefore as a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husbande of her youth See we not how the worlde winneth vpon the possessions of the church if we haue a vnitie then bringeth he in securitie if there be diuisions then brocheth hee manie blasphemous heresies if we agree among our selues he maketh the world to hate vs if we please the worlde our own brethren suspect vs if we haue great gifts then are we enuied if we haue but smal gifts then are we despised and thus with nothing are all men pleased the Lords busines is still deferred Surely this will make the Lord fall out with vs be our enimie for euerie one thinketh that his owne dislike is reason enough to be absent from the Lords presence And if there be anie that loue the Lorde Iesus let them before hande sorrow that his second comming shall finde no faith on the earth Let vs therefore cast downe our selues as the Apostle wisheth vs Iam. 4. 9. Endure afflictions and weepe and sorrow let your laughter be turned into heauines and your ioy into mourning nowe is the time as Ieremie said that we giue glorie to the Lorde before he bring darknes or euer our feete stumble in the darke mountaines Let vs beholde as in a watch towre this enimie of the church marching neere at hande readie to fight against our saluation to poison our faith to abolish the Scriptures to silence the preachers to distract the people and to roote vp againe that foundation which the Lorde hath builded This let both princes and people clergie and temporaltie lament with all speede and without all ceasing that the bane of Religion is alreadie receiued and the foundation of darkenes is alreadie laide the workemen of iniquitie are building vpon it we cannot hinder but we will pray against it we cannot roote it vp but we wil set the fire of the Lords word to burne it we cannot deface it yet we will lament it Mourne O yee elders that your posteritie shall be thus endangered that in your daies you haue seene the Lorde a friende and an enimie to vs that you haue suffered the decay of that which all the worlde can neuer builde that you haue so laboured to builde your owne houses and names and haue rooted vp the walles of the church Weepe O yoong men for your selues and for your soules for your liues shall smart for your pleasures and I am afraide that the bloude of your harts must clense the wickednes of your times Crie out O children that you are deputed to haue but the reuersions of the truth which your elders deuoured and leaue you nothing but pay those debtes which they owe for their iniquities The meate offeringe All the offerings which were sacrificed in the olde lawe did betoken Christ to be sacrificed for vs vnto the which there was to be added as the Lorde commanded Numb 15. 4 5 6. a meate offering of fine meale and oyle and a drinke offering of wine without which there was no offering no sacrifice so that in this place when he saith the meat offering and drinke offering are cut off from the house of God he meaneth by one part the whole worship of God to be intermitted Frō whence we may note this that God hath so great regard to punish sinne that rather then it shall escape scot free he will discontinue his owne worship More plainly men know that so long as they keepe the worship of God and the pure outward profession of true religion no great nor generall change of state or iudgement of God shal ouerturne them therefore the Lorde will take away his worde his worship his truth from among them which are the charets of Israel and the garde of the church that he may more freely take vengeance of our sinnes Thus may we read he dealt with Israell Psal 78. 60. Lam. 2. 16. Now consider I beseech you what refuge can we haue against the Lorde or what shield to couer our sinnes why you will saie the Lords mercie but how if mercie haue beene offered and be refused and so the date thereof for our good be expired Yet you will saie his mercie endureth for euer but I may answere you that hee so little regardeth mercy to men and seruice to himselfe at sometimes that he taketh away all signe of his fauour all tokens of his presence all comfort of his word and commoditie by his worship and so let vs feare in England least we be so serued and rather ruled and least the time come that we may say heere stood a church there was the Gospell preached once we might safely professe the word of God but now we are excluded The reasons of this may be these first because the people so long as they say the temple of the Lord the Gospell of the Lorde so long they are obstinate in their sinnes and wilfull in all manner of wickednesse Iere. 7. 4 3. And for this cause to take away their shroude that they might cast away their vaine confidence the Lorde spareth not his owne worship to shew vnto vs that he also will not spare our liues This might be vrged to the vttermost for these our times wherein there are few that will crie the temple or the Gospell but amongst those few which vrge the bare name of religion and reformation how many are there that liue riotously and walke licentiously pitifully tronbling the world with their lustes and the church of God with their workes but let vs beware least both they and others cannot say the temple but that we had religion in England Secondly another reason may be this because we take not the true course and lawfull way to keepe the worship of God among vs. Rom. 9. 32. The Iewes saith the Apostle

lamentable is our case when we shall not feare God as a father but dread him as a Iudge wee cannot pray vnto him as a Sauiour but behaue our selues like bondslaues in his presence When it shall be said you haue had no pleasure in his workes therefore I will haue no delight in your soules The vses which arisefrom this doctrine are these first the same which Moses once did after he had brought Israell out of Aegypt and afterward the whole company of Martirs are said to make Apoc. 15. 3 Great are thy works say they O Lord almighty iust right are thy waies O king of Saints That is with the consideration of God his mighty power ioine also the confession of his euer blessed iustice You O fathers of our times teach vs this doctrine by your seueral obseruatiōs during al the life of your pilgrimage that you may say the Lord is iust in all his waies holy in al his works Euen this fruit reape take of this florishng tree that you also may be able to tell vs in this we foūd the Lord to be merciful in that work we receiued a due triall of his iustice And freely my beloued in this point of doctrine I might profitably spēd many words to shew teach you with what maner recital of his doings the Lord is pleased it is no more auaileable for vs to confesse that hughe armies of souldiers were discomfited by the Lord except we also know and acknowledge the ende wherefore the Lord did the same then in old time it was for Pharaoh to sigh vnder the burden of God his workes being therewith oppressed and not considering the due ende of the same his hand doth not warne vs nor his power amend vs when either we see or heare it without holy consideration of the end of the iudgement And this selfe same vse must we make when we heare or read of the woonders of auncient time that we can say behold the punishment of sinne the reward of godlines the power of the almightie and the iustice of the euerliuing God In the scriptures the holy Ghost in euery historie sheweth this vse although not in plaine words yet in easie manner to be obserued That Caine was cursed being the heire apparant of all the world and notwithstanding his large birthright he should be a vagabond on the earth was not this a great woonder But why came this to passe First because he was loose in the seruice of God and afterward murdered his innocent brother marke you then the fals of many princes such as be recorded in scripture and out of scripture and you shall see for their vnsufferable wickednes and intollerable tyranny they were destroyed That Sampson killed himselfe and so many thousand Philistines was not this a wonderfull work of God But why was this effected I graunt that by this he was a figúre of Christ which by his owne death ouercame his enimies but the Philistines might learne hereby that the Lord wil be reuenged for the wrongs done to his saints In like manner read and runne ouer the volumes of T. Liuius the writings of Tacitus the bookes of Arrianus the histories of Italy Fraunce Germany England and al Chronicles wherein any worthie or memorable thing may be noted yea the very fables of Poets and you shall therein obserue the variable punishment of sin for the seuerall transgressions of princes and people And if we may come neerer to our owne times consider how much blood hath beene spilt in Fraunce and the lowe-Countries we cannot onely say it was the Lords doings it is maruellous in our eies but we may say this came to passe for the crueltie of the one if not for the drunkennes of the other But why should I trauell ouer the seas for strange things when our owne countrey yeeldeth more worthie workes of God then all christendome besides What is more woonderfull that so great a people so noble personages so large dominions and so many forraine nations should be gouerned preserued defended by one woman Prince Let me now aske you O Elders was there euer the like in your daies or in the daies of your fathers before you Was there euer such peace in this land since it was a land till we flocked to the preaching of the Gospell at the call of one glorious and godly Prince aske your fathers of this and tell vs if euer there were the like Was there euer so hughe a nauie so easily dispersed as the Spanish fleete was comming with purpose to inuade vs and yet neuer could set foote on our land till they were brought prisoners and yet with smaller forces they haue made France to bleed and Flanders to ake Was there euer so many wicked attempts confounded so many treasons reuealed so many wicked persons executed and so many good men preserued as hath beene in her maiesties happie raigne Aske your fathers if euer they knew the like and we will tell our children and they shall tell their children and their children shall shew another generation that our times were happie our liues were blessed our professions were godly and our countrey was glorious witnessed and prooued by thus many workes of God Our Prince raigneth our people obeyeth our forces are increased our enimies are confounded our afflictions are ended our peace is continued our religion is magnified our land is fruitfull our lawes are equall our quarrell is lawfull and therefore hearken al ages what the Lord hath done for England Secondly another vse we must obserue in the narration of the Lords iudgements is this which Dauid maketh Psal 119. 46. I will declare thy iudgements before kings and will not bee ashamed That is the deedes and wordes of the almightie must worke so powerfully in the preachers thereof that no rebukes no scornes no mockes nor any shame be taken for the vtterance of them We liue in a contrarie time to Dauids affection for many are so modest in any good actions that all godly companions and holy exercises doe shame their estates and abase their callings but in euill enterprises they are as immodest as brute beastes thinking it no scorne nor disparagement to them to brag of their blasphemies to tell of their whooredoms to sport themselues with their drunkennesse and to play with the diuell himselfe And this is too too common in our times wherein gentlemen and rich men are ashamed to haue so much as a bible in their houses or at any time to shew a good and friendly face to a preacher of the worde or to minister any occasion to talke of religion least say they we be accounted fooles yea they make fooles of them in the world that follow not euery fashion of apparell vse not euery inuention of idlenesse and conforme not themselues to the maners of the most although they be most wicked This rauening and greedy appetite to sinne must also kindle the fire of our zeale that the wicked be not