Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	word_n	zeal_n	zealous_a	12	3	9.3767	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A88628	An image of our reforming times: or, Jehu in his proper colours; displayed in some exercitations on 2 Kings 9 and 10 chapters: setting forth the opportunity was given him to do his work in. cause he had committed to him to manage. Also, his policie, zeal, profession, hypocrisie: with his sins, and their aggravations. reason for all this. In all which he is proved to be a particular character of our times: by which, as in a glass, we may see the state and condition we have brought our selves into, by our deviations. Concluding with a word to Jehu, Jehonadah his counsellor, and the despised persecuted people of God. /	[Lane, Edward, Col.].	1654 (1654)	Wing L335; Thomason E808_11; ESTC R207527	55,583	61

and people of the Lord that mourned for the sins of the Land Yea so exemplary they were in their outward holiness and obedience This piece of ●olicie is one of ●he chief recre●tions of our ●ehu's that the Prophet takes up a parable from them to condemn the house of Israel in vers 14. Now Iehu engages these holy men and of what advantage is it to him Verily it 's of exceeding great advantage to him How acceptable is it to the people when the good men of their times are countenanced nourished and exalted Yea doth it not savour of much piety that he will have the good and holy men for his Counsellors Yea they must be the men that must plead for him in case he slip or discover his nakedneses they with the credit of their words with the people must cover all they must trumpet out his excellencies and pray for him and speak of him as if he were the onely Protector and Deliverer of the Lord's people from their great oppressions Yea he is not contented to have the Lords Prophets on his side from whom he had his Commission but good man he must have all good men satisfied or he will not be satisfied not so much as a Iehonadab shall be dissatisfied if he may have his will Iehu was a good and sweet-temper'd man now it 's true he was hot and furious in the field like a Lion in God's work there but is like a Lamb in his Chamber and Palace his words are smoothe as butter and oil he will maintain all good mens liberties though of different opinions and profession they are all alike dear to him O heavenly Iehu that hast such a large heart to hold all good men in it wherewithal shall we honour thee what service sh●●l we do thee We will joyn our selves to thee and make thy hands st●ong to do whatsoever thou de●●est But stay good soule Iehu will turn separatist shortly and let you know when you proceed to the taking away his golden Calves his sins ●ounded on State-pol●cy that he can tell how to separate and divide y●u and keep only those in his favour that will serve his turn although he turn from God 6. And lastly Iehu's policie appears in the matter of the worshippers of Baal Jehu was now at a stand he knew not what to do to root out all the Priests and worshippers of Baal he knew well enough that he could not be secure in his Throne if they continued in the Land and he forsake Baal they would remember their old friend Ahab and avenge his death if by any means they could accomplish it and he might think too that if he performed not the chief ends of God God would remove him himself and some sparks of light of conscience might tell him it was his duty and one chief end why God had anointed him King that he might destroy Baal out of Israel But it was his corrupt and deceitful heart that drew him to play the hypocrite and dissemble Now Jehu's chief motive that carried him on in all his work being his own outward glory and security in it he thought himself not safe unless Baal and his worshippers were destroyed To take courage to himself That this is an exact embleme of this present season a little time will discover and do it openly according to the command of the Lord by the voice of his Prophets his wisdom would not suffer him no that was too dangerous a course that would ruine all but he must deal wisely forsooth use policie and beat the devil with his own staff And what was this good piece of policie but to play the hypocritical dissembler In vers 18. Ahab served Baal a little but Iehu shall serve him much Jehu was acquainted with that Princely Maxime Qui nescit dissimulare nescit regnare He that knows not how to dissemble knows not how to reign Ahab served Baal a little he gave a little encouragement to his worship priests and worshippers small gifts and riches it may be to a favourite or here and there some eminent man he would give largely But I will serve him much I will have all to taste of my fatness and feel of my warmth enjoy the benefit of my good-will to Baal they shall all be the better for me those that could not live on the short commons of their Tythes and Oblations shall now have more In this shameful business Iehu had his Jehonadabs his outwardly-holy men to assist and counsel him but not one Prophet of the Lord appeared in it they were mourning I 'll warrant you for the sins of the Land for that black cloud that was coming over them which at best did foretel no likelihood of going up to Jerusalem to worship without more earthquakes first And now he proclaims a solemn assembly of all those idolatrous worshippers of Baal and he sends thorow all Israel that none might be wanting for he would make a great feast for Baal So that by this he set them on such work as fitted them for slaughter and destruction they must offer sacrifices to Baal put on their vestments be in all their gallantry They must take to themselves their full power not suffer one of the Lords people not one against their op●nion to be among them Oh how zealous a King have we Ahab was not to be compared to him for zeal for our God we shall have happie days we shall see no sorrow we shall never be removed long live Jehu let thy days be as the sand of the sea for number But stay Sir Priest make not your selves drunk in the conceit of your Elysian joys your joy shall be turned into mourning there 's death in the pot though the broth seem never so pleasant your sacrifices shall be dyed in your blood and your Baal shall be bu●ied in your ruines But Jehu did it in subtilty to the intent that he might destroy the worshippers of Baal And thus he destroyed Baal out of Israel Good God! what vicissitudes and changes are here how mutable and uncertain is the heart of man This little world man ruling over the greater makes false deceitful reeling work Come Lord Iesus come quickly and take away this sinful wicked mouldering tottering world and give us new heavens and new earth that thy people may live to sing Hallelujahs to thee for evermore But in the Jehu's Zeal Fourth place Let us view Iehu this mighty man in his zeal O how gloriously zealous is he full of zeal and good works his heart seems on fire for God and his glory not one tittle of the word of the Lord shall fall to the ground he will slay all that belongs to the house of Ahab not leave a man to pass against the wall and as hath been before observed he will deliver the people of God fully from their oppressions and take off every heavie yoke But let us view the particulars wherein his zeal shews it self so

he made Solomons prayer he should have had Solomons return and had been a ruler after Gods own heart as David was and so have been made partaker of Davids full enjoyments of God in his Ordinances But 2. To be a ruler over the Lords people it 's of great advantage for what was he not able to do by their mighty power and force in faith and prayer If we look into the Scripture and see what wonderful things have been done by the faith and prayers of the Lords people we cannot but say of a truth Iehu had as great an advantage to become a second Solomon for wisdom not State-policy a second David for valour and might in conquering enemies as ever man had It 's more to be ruler over the Lords people then to be Emperor of the whole world besides to be ruler over the Lords people that have the mighty and faithful God so neerly and strongly tied and bound to them by so many great irrevocable and infallible promises as he hath made to them in his word and hath so often sworn the certainty and truth of them with the highest and greatest oath a people that have done and are still able to do such mighty and wonderful things by faith and prayer yea had done such great wonders before this Iehu's eyes witness the acts of Elijah Elisha and many other of the Lords Prophets in those dayes to be ruler over such a people what greater thing could be done for a man on earth what greater advantage over the world could be given to him Yet against all this Jehu sins though God made him ruler over his people to these and these ends and purposes and thereby gives him so many and great advantages yet he steers a contrary course in stead of leading the people to Jerusalem to worship he leads them to his calves at Dan and Bethel instead of pulling down all those inventions of their own which provoked God to so great wrath he pulls down onely those new more gross inventions which he could with no credit nor any the least shadow of conscience keep up but the old ancient fundamental bounds and limits of an Idolatrous kingdom Jeroboam's sins they must stand still and keep the people of God from going up to Jerusalem to worship from behaving themselves like the Lords people when God had carried himself so like a gracious God towards them they must stand still for the same reason and upon the same account they were first invented All that God had done for Jehu did not convince his dark minde nor his hard Idolatrous heart of the folly of those things and the reason on which they were founded nor of the equity safety happiness honour and glory that there was in and to be found in obeying the will of the Lord in leading his people up to Jerusalem to worship in Gods own appointments Now truely we need not Diogenes lantern and candle to finde out that man whom God hath made taller by the head and shoulders then the rest of his brethren and made leader of his people in this our day who hath led the people of the Lord on prosperously to the destruction of our Ahabs c. on whom the eyes of the Lords people have been fixed even to high and great expectations of the performance of many vows and promises and when we have found him shall we not see him taking up his station among the calves those antient inventions that our fore-Fathers found out to maintain an Idolatrous-kingdom and making them his own and if so will he not make that great wrath and punishment God hath so often entail'd upon them his own too shall we not behold him leading the people back again into those wayes to redeem his people out of which God hath made bare such a mighty arm of power and providence and it 's my prayer that our eager marching back towards Egypt may not hurry us to the brink of the red-sea ere we make a stand A sixth aggravation of Jehu's sin was His deceiving Gods expectations But Jehu took no heed to walk in the way of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart Saith God I have done thus and thus for Jehu anointed him King over Israel honoured him in executing my judgements upon mine enemies by him and because he hath done all that was in my heart against the house of Ahab mine and my peoples enemies I have given him the kingdom and now I expected he should have brought forth fruit answerable to my kindness with all his heart But Jehu took no heed to that Will not the loving kindness of thy God work upon thee O Jehu what will then Love in its effects is like the Sun it either softens or hardens one of these two are the inseparable effects of its influences Whether wilt thou be hardened with Pharaoh and drowned in the Red-sea or softened with Hezekiah and have thy dayes prolonged canst thou remember the goodness of God to thee and bring forth no hearty fruit answerable to his expectations but deceive him totally Well Jehu thou wilt repent of this when it is too late I fear How have we in our dayes been guilty of this deceiving the expectations of our God in not in any measure answering the mercies of our God What returnes have we made to him for his mercy at Naseby Dunbar Worcester and many other places Yea such is the deceit and hypocrisie of our hearts that we cannot tell how to perform those LITTLE VOWES that the glory of those mercies extorted from us in the present ravishment of our hearts with their glorious beauty The Seventh and last aggravation of Jehu's sin is necessarily implied in the words that it was against all the faith and prayers of the people of God Can it be supposed that such a man as Jehu was so full of holy profession so outwardly zealous for God and the performance of his word who would not have one tittle of it fall to the ground should not such a man as this have a large-share in the hearts of Gods people and so in their faith and prayer and yet to deceive them and sin against these What mighty sins were these sins of Jehu's guilty of such aggravations surely the sins of Corah Dathan and Abiram were but Pigmies to these Giants if their sins opened the earth to the swallowing them up alive certainly the head of these reach heaven it self and cry aloud for veangeance and wrath And may not our Jehu's cry guilty here too what faith what confidence of Gods performing his promises now to the latter ages of the world what a spirit of prayer hath been amongst the people of God in these dayes by beholding the glorious out-goings of God in his providences and his beginning to execute his wrath upon Babylon the kingdom of the Beast and have not you sinned against these consider it have not you frustated and deceived the expectations of the people of