Selected quad for the lemma: grace_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
grace_n	abound_v	sin_n	sin_v	2,962	5	9.1094	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A91754	Sions praises. Opened in a sermon preached before the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor, aldermen and common council of London: on the day of solemn thanksgiving unto God for his long and gracious preservation of that great city, from pestilence, fire, and other dangers. By Edward Reynolds. D.D.	Reynolds, Edward, 1599-1676.	1657 (1657)	Wing R1289; Thomason E915_4; ESTC R207479	16,805	36

Fields abundance of Men Cattel Wealth Trade Strength and all other good things Unthankfulness for that which the Apostle calleth the riches of the world and the salvation of the Gentiles Rom. 11. 11 12. for the Oracles of God the Ark of his presence the glorious light of his Gospel and powerful means of grace and salvation in abundance of which I know not whether any Countries on the earth can outvy and surpass this of ours Unthankfulness which is worse in abusing mercies waxing fat by them and then kicking against the Author of them filling our selves in our pastures and then forgetting God making them rather the fuel of our lusts against him then the arguments of our love unto him turning peace into security and plenty into excess and grace into lasciviousness and pardoning mercy into presumption of sinning multitudes making little other use of the Gospel then that which the Gospel doth abominate to continue in sin that grace may abound to drink poison the more freely because they have an Antidote by them Nay which is yet more prodigious not using nor improving mercies when we were in danger to lose them when war and desolation should have taught us to value them to weep and bleed and languish and have grey hairs upon us to be set on fire round about and even then to lay nothing to heart nor to return to the Lord nor seek him for all that to cement our souls and our lusts together with mortar tempered with our own blood and tears to be wanton and dally with mercies when they were ready to depart from us and now when there is respite and the Lord hath given us a little reviving and put the sword into the Scabbard to become thereupon like Agag proud and delicate because the bitterness of death seemeth to be past to abuse outward and inward Liberty not only with sensual excess and luxury but with prodigies of wilde and wanton errors with a civil War of Doctrines as before of Blood this is an aggravation of unthankfulness then which I know not whether there can be an higher given The not using a mercy is to be unthankful for it how much more sad account must men give of abused mercies of requiting the goodness of the Lord with forsaking of him the culture and Husbandry the rain and dew which he hath bebestowed upon them with thorns and briars Deut. 32. 6. Luk. 13. 7 Heb. 6. 7. As the greater heat of the Sun doth more speedily ripen fruit so do great mercies hasten the maturity of sin and make them as the rod of an Almond tree which blossometh before other trees Jer. i. 11. or as a Basket of summer fruit which is quickly ripe Amos 8. 1. It is a swineish thing at the same time to feed on blessings and to trample them under foot to live upon them and yet to defile and despise them Secondly We should be exhorted unto the careful practice of this excellent Duty I shall not go out of the Text for Motives hereunto 1. He hath strengthned the Bars of our Gates we are not by the power or machinations of Enemies devoured or dissolved we have yet the face of a potent Nation notwithstanding the devices of any to dissipate our Laws or to reduce us to confusion 2. He hath blessed our Children within us though the sword have devoured thousands and might justly have swallowed the blood of many more should the Lord have dealt with us according to our provocations yet our streets our fields our Cities our Churches are still full old men with their staves little children playing in the streets with as much security as before 3. He hath given peace in our Borders When Ephraim was against Manasse and Manasse against Ephraim no man spared his brother when the Land did eat the flesh of its own arms when the strength of battel was poured out in every corner as if the Lord would have consumed us all at once then was he pleased to try us once again with the keeping of so rich a Jewel as peace And when thereafter he raised up against us new Enemies and troubles by Sea whereby trade was obstructed treasure exhausted Protestant Religion in danger to be weakned and unhappy hostilities like to have continued amongst neighbour Nations which had been before confederate and in amity this evill likewise the Lord put a stop unto and made the Sea which wrought and was tempestuous quiet and calm again and thus hath confirmed peace in our borders and abated the hopes which the enemies of the Reformed Religion had entertained upon those unhappy differences 4. He hath fed us with the fat and marrow of the wheat crowned the year with his goodness the fields and the pastures sing he hath sent a plentiful rain and refreshed the earth the fields and the clouds and the Sun have been confederate and at an agreement to empty the blessings wherewith God hath filled them into our bosoms according to those gracious promises Hos. 2. 21. 22. Zach. 8 12. 5. He suffereth us yet to call him our God he is still in the midst of us we have yet the custody of his oracles and liberty of his worship he hath not yet given us a bill of Divorce nor cast us out of his sight as our sins have deserved What great reason have we to ingeminate praises when the Lord is pleased to multiply mercies Who would ever mistrust such a God who can so powerfully and so suddenly help Who would ever provoke such a God who can as easily and as speedily destroy Who would trust in bars and gates in Castles and Armies in Ships and Navies and leave him out who is the strength of them all Who would not trust in him who is a God near and a God a far off a God in the Gate in the City in the field in the border on the land on the sea whose way is in the sauctuary and his path in the great waters Who would not fear thee O King of Nations and glorifie thy name for unto thee it doth appertain who alone art glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wonders I shall conclude all with a few words unto you the Officers and Representatives of this great City into whose hearts the Lord hath put so wo thy and pious a resolution as to appoint this day in the which to recount his mercies and to speak good of his name And albeit your selves who are best acquainted with the state of the City and Gods dealings therewith can more abundantly present to your own thoughts variety of particulars of divine goodness then I who am but a stranger can yet give me leave to be your Remembrancer in these few 1. Be pleased to look back on those bloody Marian days when the streets of this City were defiled with the blood of Martyrs when the blessed members of Christ were drawn from Cole houses and Prisons to Stakes and flames and consider the indefatigable