Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	hear_v	receive_v	word_n	3,147	5	5.3302	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29531	Tears for Jerusalem, or, The compassionate lamentation of a tender hearted saviour over a rebellious and obdurate people a subject entered upon on the late day of solemn humiliation, December 6, 1655, afterwards prosecuted, and now published as useful at all times, but very seasonable for the present / by John Brinsley.	Brinsley, John, 1600-1665.	1656 (1656)	Wing B4731A; ESTC R210555	79,536	150

the figtree withered away Thus though God may for time spare some and seem to repent of what he hath threatened concerning them yet as he will not ever do so to any so neither will he doe so to all He that spa●ed Israel at that time yet afterwards sware in his wrath that they should not enter into his rest And he who spared Aaron at Moses request when he was angrie with him to have destroyed him as you have it Deut. 9.20 would not spare Korah and his Companie of whom you reade Numb 16. Upon their Rebellion against Moses and Aaron there was a suddain and dreadful execution done upon them The ground clave a sunder that was under them And the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up c. So as They went alive into the pit v. 31.32.33 And so for those others who at the same time usurped the Priests Office taking upon them to offer Incense presently There came out a fire from the Lord and consumed them v. 35 As it was also with the Sonnes of Aaron Nadab and Abihu they daring to offer strange fire before the Lord presently there went out a strange fire from the Lord and confounded them Lev. 10.1.2 Thus however God belong suffering towards some yet not so to all And however he doth as it were repent over some yet not over all Cain Esau and Saul could finde no place for such repentance And what knowest thou who takest up this plea but that this may be thy case thy lot whereupon mans repentance God will alwaies repent Obj. why but hath not God ingaged himselfe to doe the like to all that shall repent and turne to him This is that which Ieremie assures the Princes and all the people of Israel Ier. 26.13 Amend your waies and your doings and obey the voice of the Lord your God and the Lord will repent him of the evill which he hath pronounced against you And what he promised them he likewise assureth unto others all others in the like case Cap. 18.7 8 Where the promise is indefinite At what instant I shal speak concerning a Nation and concerning a Kingdome to pluck up and to pull down and destroy it If that Nation against whome I have pronounced turn from their evill I will repent of the evill which I thought to do unto them If they repent of the evill of sin he will repent of the evil of punishment And if it be thus with a Nation why not with particular persons Repentance not in mans power A To this I answere as before True it is so vpon mans repentance God will also repent But how knowst thou as before I sayd whether ever God will give thee that grace or space to repent How knowest thou but that in his just judgment he either already hath or suddainly may give thee up to that impenitent heart that shall not that cannot repent Not repent truely and sincerely Possibly in an hypocriticall or Legall way thou maist So did Cain so did Esau so did Saul so did Iudas being sensible of what they had brought upon themselves they bewailed their condition yet were far from true repentance Theire countenance was changed as it is said of Cain Gen. 4.5 his countenance fell but not their hearts And so may it be with thee True Repentance Repentance unto life and salvation is Gods gift which he bestoweth freely upon whome he will and when he will And being so he may justly deny it which hold it from those who have sleighted and dispised his grace when it was offered and held forth to them To all such this doctrine upon this account speakes abundance of terrour Vse 2 Take heed of receiving the grace of God in vaine by hardning the heart against it Which let it serve in the next place as a Needle to draw in a thread after it making way for and now letting in a word of Advise and Counsell and that to all that are here this day before the Lord. Take you heede that you doe not receive the grace of god in vaine This is Paules Obtestation to his Corinthians 2. Cor. 6.1 Wee then as workers together with God beseech you also that you receive not the grace of God in vaine And let it now be mine to you all and every of you who heare me this day I as a poore Minister of Christ working together with him as his unworthy Instrument exhort and beseech you that you receive not the grace of God in vain this Gospel grace the offer of grace mercy held forth ūto you in the Ministerie of the word see that you do not receive it in vaine by onely giving it the hearing and so letting it dye and perish in the eare not having any such affect in and upon you as is intended by it viz. to bring you home unto God and Jesus Christ to receive and embrace him as your Saviour and Lord to beleive on him to submit unto him This is the end of all our preaching thus to some this good seede as the doctrine of truth is called Math. 13.24 the seede of the word for the begetting of faith and obedience in the hearts of those that hear us Now see you to it that this seede doe not fall like that in the Parable which fell by the high way side Math. 13.4 where the ground being hardned by the feete of the Passengers the seede cannot enter but lyeth above ground and so is sowen in vaine being spilt and lost Take heede that the word be not so spilt upon any of you that your hearts be not hardened against it that you should not receive it into them This is that which the Apostle presseth upon his Hebrewes Heb. 3.7.8 wherefore as the Holy-ghost saith To day if ye will heare his voice harden not your hearts And let me press the same upon you To day if you will heare the voice of the Sonne of man the voice of Jesus Christ so heare it as that you may live doe not harden your hearts doe not oppose doe not resist the call of God by shutting the word out of your hearts This did the Israelites in the wildernesse When God spake unto them by his servant Moses they hardened their hearts not regarding what was sayd to them But what was the issue Hereby they exceedingly provoked God against them This was a day of Provocation as the Apostle there calleth it Harden not your hearts as in the Provocation c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 S●ch was that day of Temptation in the wilderness the time wherein the Israelites tempted their God by not hearkning to his voice it was a day of Exacerbation and Exasperation So it was not onely to Moses betwixt whome and the people there was a sharpe contention as we find it Exod. 17.2 But also unto God who by that their not harkning to his voice was exceedingly greived as it there followeth Heb. 3.10 yea so provoked and exasperated that he sware

Moab who were strangers nay enemies to God and his people O how ought Christians to be affected towards Jerusalem towards the Church and people of God Great reason why they should mourn with them for them In as much as they are members of the same body Reas Christians members of the same body Now such a sympathy we know there is betwixt the members of the natural body If one member suffer all the members suffer with it as the Apostle observes 1 Cor. 12.26 And such a sympathy there ought to be betwixt the members of the Mistical Bodie Appli That it should be so I presume it will readily be granted But then why is it not so The present times to be mourned over Let that be the first branch of the Application How is it that there are no more mourners in this our Sion Surely it is not for want of just cause of mourning I presume that among those who are most in love with the present times yet there are none that so doate upon them but they will acknowledge there is yet somewhat among us which deserveth both sighes and tears So much that Instrument which hath this day called us together hath proclaimed to the world And surely so we shall find it if we seriously consider the state of things both abroad and at home Look a broad In regard of the state of the Church abroad we may see or hear of that which deserveth to be laid to heart The sad state of our poor persecuted brethren in Piemont whose condition not long since hath been recommended to the needfull charity of this Nation As also that hand of God which hath lyen so heavy upon our neighbours on the other side where the destroying Angel hath been and yet is at work doing sad executions To which I might add the present state of our brethren in Scotland But we shall not need to go abroad The presen state of England a matter of just lamentation It was that which our Saviour said to the woman of Jerusalem whom he saw out of a feminine temper and some of them happily out of affection unto himself lamenting him going to his Passion Daughters of Jerusalem weep not for me but weep for your selves and your children Luk. 23.28 And truly the like may be said unto us at this day weep not so much for others as for your selves Such is the state of this nation that if rightly considered it may be conceived to deserve a weeping over which that you may be brought to do let me desire you to approach and take a veivv of it This it was that drew tears from your Saviours eyes viz. his approaching and beholding of Jerusalem When he was come near he beheld the City and wept over it That you may be like affected towards this your native countrey let me give you a sight of it Which I shall do in a three fold prospect Englands condition looked upon three waies desiring you to look upon it these three wayes considering what it was what it is and what unlesse God be pleased graciously to step in by a timous prevention it it is like to be What it hath been First What it was how happie under that long continued peace which for so many years together it enjoyed to the admiration if not envy of other Nations But again how unhappy under the late Civill Commotions which like a fire breaking forth in our own bowels what sad devastations did it make to the effusion of much precious bloud which is yet so fresh as that the memory of it cannot but deeply affect the hearts of all those who bear any true love to the land of their Nativity Such it hath been What it is Secondly But what is it Here I shall not go upon any private account whether my own or yours which if I should I might draw up a large Catalogue of sins and judgements under which at the present this nation lyes and groans deserving to bewept over But I have a publick one put into my hand That Declaration Set forth in the late Declaration which hath occasioned this our meeting I find it taking notice of three or four particulars Besides the late Rebukes those I suppose received on the other side of the world Iamaika where not a little English blood was shed to the no small dishonour of the Nation which hath not been acquainted with such repulses The tares of Division Abominable blasphemies Dreadful appostacies Four particulars justly to be mourned over with the Impediments of Settlement and Reformation These are held forth as the just occasions and grounds of this dayes Humiliation And truly if rightly looked upon as we see a reality in every of them so we shall find that there is never a one of them but giveth the people of God to do over this Nation what their blessed Saviour here did over Jerusalem to weep over it First The tares of Division Tares of division which vvhilest the Husbandmen slept the envious man hath sowen and that so thick as the whole field is over run with them insomuch that they threaten to eat out the heart both of Church and State Divisions of all sorts Divisions both of Heads and Hearts in jugdement and affection in Church and State So as it may novv be said of the people of England as once it vvas of Israel Hosea ● 2 Their he arts is divided God having taken away his spirit of unitie and concord from them he hath given them over to Seditions Factions Sects Schismes And is not this a just cause of mourning Such are divisions in the State In or for The divisions of Reuben there were great thoughts of heart Judg. 5.15 Much more in the Church O what means that noise of Axes and Hammers in the Temple In the building of it there were none of these heard 1 King 6.7 Surely this is for the breaking down of the carved work thereof at once Psal 74.6 Abominable blasphemies Secondly Abominable blasphemies And those not onely the suddain eruptions of prophane and impious tongs by cursing and swearing for which the Prophet saith the land of Israel mourned Jer. 23.10 But deliberate blasphemies studied and resolved blasphemies Blasphemies against Jesus Christ and against his holy Spirit divesting both of their Divinity denying the satisfaction of Christ blasphemies against Scriptures Ordinances Ministery even spitting in the face all religion And is not this a just ground of mourning The Jews of old never heard a blaspemous word but their manner was to rend their garments 2 King 18.37.19 1. Matth. 26.65 Act. 14.14 O what cause have Christians then to rend their hearts at the hearing and seeing of such blaspemies as daily fly abroad among us The like whereunto are not to be found in Rome it self though she be the mother of abominations Revel 17.5 And hath the name of blasphemy written upon her forehead Rev.

in his wrath that they should never enter into his rest v. 11. Now take you heede that it be not so with you that you doe not thus provoke God by hardning your hearts not receiving his word not imbracing his Gospel Which if you shall doe know that this will be a greater Provocation then that of theirs was So much you may learne from the Apostle Heb. 12.25 Where upon this ground he exhorteth his Hebrewes to give eare to the Gospel See saith he that ye refuse not him that speaketh viz. Christ speaketh to you his word For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth the Jsraelites who hearkened not unto Moses much more shall not we escape if we turn from him that speaketh from heaven viz from Jesus Christ who came from heaven and now speakes in and by his Gospel Ministeries And upon the same ground let me perswade you Take you heede how any of you turne away from Jesus Christ thus speaking unto you turn away your eares turn away your hearts so as not to receive not to imbrace the doctrine of the Gospel held forth unto you This if you shall do how know you but that God may justly retaliate and requite this contempt of yours by turning away his face from you for ever hiding from your eyes the things which belong unto your peace Offers of grace to be presently accepted Which that he may not do Know you these things And that Now in this your day Now whilest it is called to day as the Apostle there hath it Heb. 3.13 imbracing the present time Not putting off this work till the Morrow It is the Wisemans Councel Prov. 27.1 Boast not thy self of to morrow for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth And St. James speaking to men who lay out their businesse what they will do such a day and such a year not considering what crosse providence may happen Go too now saith he Ye that say to day and to morrow we will go into such a City and continue there a year and buy and sell and get gain whereas ye know not what shall be to morrow Nemo lam Divos habuit faventes Crastinimut possit sibi polliceri Senec. Such is the uncertainty of mans life that no man can assure unto himself the succeeding day And therefore now whilest it is called to day now harden not your hearts Novv that God is pleased to knock at the doores of your hearts to call upon you in and by the Ministerie of his word do not send him away as Foelix did Paul with a complement that you will hear him again another time What know you whether ever he will vouchsafe to speak unto you again so much as to your eares Probably here are some present before the Lord at this time who shall never hear him speak unto them again after this manner not speaking to their eares in the Ministery of his word But if he do hovv knovv you whether ever he vvill knock at the dores of your hearts by his spirit again And therefore nevv hear and hearken and set open those everlasting dores the dores of your hearts that the King of glorie the Lord Jesus may enter in and take a full possession of them henceforth to rule and reign in you and that for ever Obj. But what need such haste Some called at the eleventh hour May not old age be soon enough Do we not read of some who came into the vineyard at the eleventh hour the last hour of the day and yet received their pennie as well those that came in at the sixth or third or first houre Matthew 20.6 A. True there were so But who were they Such as had not been called before Such as had not been call●d before That is their excuse when they were questioned by the Lord of the vineyard why they stood all the day idle They say unto him because no man hath hired us v. 7. And so it may be with those who either have wanted the means of salvation or else have had no such workings upon their hearts at to awaken them and convince them Possibly God may have mercie upon them as he had upon that penitent thief upon the Crosse calling them home at the last houre of the day in their old age But let not others promise to themselves the like indulgence Those who were brought into the vineyard at the eleventh hour were none of those that had been called at the first third or sixt houre but such as had not been hired before What ever may happen to others who have not enjoyed the means of grace or have not been acquainted with the Motions of the Spirit of God It is not for you who have injoyed the former an have been acquainted with the latter and yet withstand both to promise the like unto your selves No you that have rejected the call of God again and again in your Childhood Youth Manhood you have no ground to hope that God should come unto you and bring you home to himself in your old age but you may rather fear that if he do not cut you off before he should then hide from your eyes those things which formerly you have refused to know Obj. But is there not still hope so long as there is life The day of grace and life how said to be of equal extent how not And is not the day of life and the day of grace of an equal latitude and extent Doth not the Apostle say Now is the Accepted time now is the day of salvation meaning the time of this life 2 Cor. 6.2 doth not the one last as long as the other A. Yes in some sense they may be said so to do And these two may be looked on as of an equal extent 1. Because the one is the utmost limit of the other The day of grace is bounded by the day of life not extending beyond it When the one is ended the other is ended also 2. As to others they are so to judg of it Not being of Gods counsel not acquainted with his secret decrees they are to hope well of others so long as they live Not shutting the door of mercie against any while they are here So long as private Christians both may and ought to pray for them so the Ministers of Christ are to hold forth the tenders of grace and mercie to them upon Gospell tearmes 3. And 3ly as to themselves so long as they live they stand obliged to accept of these offers which still refusing to do their sin is therby aggravated and heightned through that continued contempt 4. But yet in the 4th place If we speak of Gods secret decree and purpose questionlesse the day of grace may determine unto a man before the day of his life So it did there to Jerusalem She still liveth and flourisheth for a time Her day of prosperity was yet continued but her day of grace was