Selected quad for the lemma: glory_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
glory_n	cloud_n	lord_n	tabernacle_n	2,365	5	10.9748	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A97126	The good-vvill of Him that dwelt in the bush: or, The extraordinary happinesse of living under an extraordinary providence. A sermon preached before the Right Honourable, the House of Lords, in the Abbey Church at Westminster, on Tuesday, Iuly 22. 1645. At their publike thanksgiving for the good successe given to the Parliaments forces, under the command of Sir Thomas Fairfax in the west. /	Ward, John, d. 1665.	1645 (1645)	Wing W774; Thomason E293_16; ESTC R200163	33,640	44

of the brest and the wombe which are the other part of the legacie of Joseph be all by the good will of God Yet it may well be denied to be the truth held forth in this Text doubtlesse something divers from all those some singular thing in the failing of them supplying their absence recompensing that want is intended by the Holy Ghost here viz deliverance in trouble and deliverance from trouble deliverance wonderfully and fearfully wrought out 1. Else there were nothing here to answer that of Gen. 49. 23 24. support and succour in times of danger and distresse The Archers sorely grieved him shot at him hated him but his bowe abode in strength and the armes of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob 2. The word rendred good will may also signifie any thing whereby God will manifest his grace and good pleasure and so the Septuagint takes it here 3. The other word also translated dwelling may import such a dwelling as when the cloud abode on the Tent of the Congregation and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle a residence in grace and power testified by some open manifestation worthy the majesty of God a neighbourhood or neernesse for protection and safeguard in a glorious way and is so interpreted by the Prophet Isa 4. 5 6. And the Lord shall create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion and upon her assemblies a cloud and smoake by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night for upon all the glory shall be a defence 4. It is a plain allusion to the miracle recorded Exod. 3. A Bramble for such was the bush God made choice of for the more apt expression of the mysterie and manifestation of the miracle A Briar a most contemptible and combustible shrub all on a light flame yet neither withering nor perishing but green and flourishing in the very fire A just embleme both of their low estate in miserable oppressions nigh unto ruine utterly unworthy to be beloved and of the wonderfull worke of God by his great wisedome and power saving them from the mischief of the Aegyptians craft and cruelty and redeeming them from under their hand by great judgements Ye know the vision Exod. 3. 2. and the interpretation thereof vers. 6 7 8 9 10. and the story that we read in the Chapters following what was then shewed what was spoken and what was afterwards done in pursuance and performance thereof Unto that gracious providence figured and promised in that apparition Moses hath an eye in this Text praying the like for Josephs posterity in like case of hazard and danger and bequeathing it to them as the best part of their portion for to strain it to the preservation of the virginity of Mary in the conception and birth of Christ the triumph of our Saviour crowned with thornes or the incorruption of his body in the grave under the dominion of death as the Popish Commentators do or to restrain it to the Prophecie of Ahijah to Jeroboam as some other expositors because he had rule over the charge of the house of Joseph is altogether unwarrantable if not absurd Having thus found the meaning of the Text I beleeve your thoughts out-runne me and take up the doctrine before me A peculiar extraordinary providence in favour of a wretched people in whom is neither might nor worth is an extraordinary peculiar blessing both the whole series and webb of such a providence and every remarkable passage of it Every overture of mercie and grace in a time of trouble every assay of deliverance though the salvation be not presently perfected nay though many crosse providences intervene that raise many difficulties and make the present state more grievous more perplexed yet if God revive his work and there be such things done by his hand as carry in them a testimony of his compassion a pledge of his faithfullnesse an evidence of his neernesse to relieve and rescue it is to be acknowledged a very great happinesse When a nation is not worthy to be beloved and the rod of Gods displeasure is put into the hands of bloudthirsty and deceitfull men and they help forward the affliction and there be little or no probability of better condition by men or means if then the Lord will make offer and tender of his good will and one may discerne in his workes in his waies a gracious propensitie and purpose to redeem though in the prosecution thereof there be such various and uneven dispensations of providence as may give occasion to the enemy to be hardned and insolent and the other side to be discouraged and dejected yet if God so temper his judgements as his own people shall feel the benigne and comfortable and the Adversary the hurtfull and destructive effects thereof he will step in to restrain or inhibit or prevent the fraud or fury of the enemy and take the advantage of their animositie and attempts to glorifie himselfe in shewing forth his wrath and making his power known upon them and the mean-while continue to protect and repeate and multiply wonders in favour of his people to the confusion of the adversary it must be confessed a very great mercy transcending the good of peace and plenty Though that may be doubted which some have affirmed that the brightnesse of the flame of the fire in the bush did darken the brightnesse of the Sunne at noon-day yet this must be believed that the blessing of adversity is better then the blessing of prosperity What ever the opinions of vain men may be concerning this thing yet all those who have stood on the same side with the Spirit and word of God have ever been of this judgement Let us hear two or three speak for all the rest 1. What else can we make of that expression of Ezra words that come from the very heart root and speak affection to admiration And hath given us such deliverance as this Why what was this deliverance that he could not finde words to expresse it 'T was but a deliverance in the shell barely disclosed deliverance in the blade not the ear in the spring not the harvest they could not then eat of the fruit of it as the light in the twilight not the noon neither light nor darke or rather both in a mixture and vicissitude The books of Ezra and Nehemiah will informe you or if it be too much to read the story the Psalme will tell us Their captivity was turned yet so as they needed to pray still turne again our captivity O Lord they were not restored to that from which they were fallen either for number of people abundance of wealth or liberty or beauty of order in the Civil or Ecclesiasticall state more persons had fallen in some one battell before the captivity then were inrolled at their returne from Babylon David alone of his own proper good had contributed more

most acceptable refreshing reviving mercies like a bright shining after rain hot gleams in uneven weather between showres the brightest beams and of strongest influence like the honey Jonathan tasted in the wood he put his hands to his mouth and his eyes were enlightned like the water Sampson dranke in his faintnesse when he had drunke his spirit came again even as life from the dead Grace hath been shewed from the Lord our God to leave us a remnant to escape that our God may lighten our eyes and give us a reviving in our bondage 3 The blessings of such a providence are mercies of the best relish as the fruits in Paradise of Gods own creating farre exceeding any at any time since produced by art or nature as the water out of the rock pleasant as honey and oyl He made them suck honey out of the rock and oyl out of the flinty rock as the wine by miracle at Cana the best wine better then the purest bloud of the grape the master of the feast being witnesse who if any was sober and able to discerne they are more immediately of Gods working and more immediately reached out of his hand and therefore the good that is in them is more pure and heavenly savouring more of his all sufficiencie and more universally answering and satisfying the desires of the soul like the Manna which fell in the wildernesse bread from Heaven Angels food The Jewish tradition saith it was able to content every mans delight and agreed to every mans taste serving the appetite of the eater and was tempered to every mans liking according to the desire of them that had need And the Canonicall Scripture seems to favour it Numb. 11. 8. The taste of it was as the taste of oyl now they that love oyl tell us that pure oyl is to the taste as clear glasse to the eye it receiveth much of its favour from that wherewith it s mingled as glasse doth its colour from that by which it s laid 4. They are the most present convincing testimonies of Gods grace such as bring along with them the clearest and fullest revelation of divine favour for they are wrought out not only in great patience and longsuffering but in tender compassion abundance of goodnesse and therefore more sweetned then other mercies The Lords portion is his people he kept them as the apple of his eye as an Eagle fluttereth over her young spreadeth abroad her wings taketh them beareth them so the Lord alone did lead them in a kinde of sympathy and fellow feeling of their miseries in all their affliction he was afflicted in his love in his pity he redeemed them and he bare them and carried them all the daies of old 5. They are blessings given in in returne of their prayers in answer of their longing desires and earnest expectations the harvest of their hepes and therefore reaped in with great joy and gladnes 6. They are sent as messengers and witnesses of Gods truth and faithfullnesse in remembrance of his ingagements by relations covenant or promise and therefore speaks comfortably to the heart of those that hope in him I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters for I know their sorrows and am come down to deliver them 7. They are intended for pledges in earnest of others to follow them good Osses or Omens of more to come as we finde in the end of the Chapter Happy art thou O Israel saved by the Lord thine enemies shall be found lyars unto thee and thou shalt tread upon their high places like the signes which Moses and Aaron wrought before the Elders of Israel Exod. 4 30. they are dispensed to beget a confident expectation and to keep life in the faith and hope of the poor of his people that wait upon him and therefore make them rejoyce in hope incouraging to look forward with confidence and chearfullnesse He hath delivered he doth deliver in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us 8. They are set off with such a foyle as render them far the more amiable and acceptable viz. the sense of misery the fear of ruine the unquietnes and perplexity of a misgiving minde held in continuall doubt and suspence a very manifold uncomfortable darkenesse which prepares the heart as the rubbing of a bladder to receive good of God with more enlarged affections and dispose the spirit to drinke in the contentment more abundantly and increase and multiply the joy and thankefullnesse in the acceptation 9. Of all blessings these come the lest look'd for and therefore the more welcome for though nothing is more desired yet nothing is more despaired then preservation or deliverance in the needfull time of trouble 10. And lastly which makes the measure heaped and running over in such a season there are multitudes of these mercies of both kindes as we say of stormy weather when the Sunne breakes out between clouds there are many fair daies in one there is a repetition and multiplication of mercies the father of mercies openeth his hands wide and filleth plenteously with good redeeming the lives of his people from destruction He crowneth them with loving kindenesse and tender mercies the God of their salvation daily loadeth them with benefits he dealeth out his blessings as Masons lay their tiles covering and binding down one with another for he sees all their afflictions and proportioneth out consolation though not according to their fond or froward wishes yet according to their infirmity and necessity which by reason of manifold tentations require frequent repeated and multiplied tokens of his dwelling amongst them in good will All these things may be seen by the light of the flame in the bush they may be all read in the story whereof the vision to which the Text refers was the praelude They fall with in the observation of those who are so wise as to consider the works and ways of the Lord and are found in the experience of them who have the happinesse to acquaint themselves with God and to wait for him in the wayes of his judgements And by all these laid together it s very evident that if the good things of prosperity may be wished● yet the excellent things of adversity are and ought to be admited and if there be any thing worth the name of a blessing to be found here below in the valley of change it is then when we are in the valley of straits under a cloud and God covereth us with his hand and sheweth his glory making his goodnesse to passe before us even in troublesome times when the providence of God worketh extraordinarily in favour of us Now what remaineth but that we make improvement of this doctrine for Gods glory and our own edification A doctrine most seasonable for this time and this day a time wherein the Lord of glory