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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
hand_n	right_a	sit_v	throne_n	8,932	5	9.3737	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A64235	A sermon preached before the Right Honourable Sir John Shorter, Knight, lord mayor of the city of London at Grocers-Hall, February the 12th, 1687/8 by Nathanael Taylor.	Taylor, Nathanael, d. 1702.	1688 (1688)	Wing T549; ESTC R34647	25,151	42

now take them comparatively and if you ask Why doth God reveal Divine Mysteries to two or three wise Men only in an Age and not to the rest Acts 26.24 Why to Paul the Scholar whom tho as Festus imagined much Learning had not made mad yet Rage against the Gospel made him exceedingly so and not to Gamaliel the Master a moderate and sober Man that gave very gentle Counsel in favour of the first Preachers of Christianity and was in great Reputation among all the People Or if you ask Acts 5.34 Why should God pass by the generality of wise Men pitch his Love upon and give his saving Grace unto inferiour Persons for the most part What could he not have torn off the Veil from the Heart of the one as well as of the other Was not the refidue of the Spirit with him Yes surely Mal. 2.15 for he is Lord of Heaven and Earth and hath all Power and all Hearts in his Hands He could have made the Dews of his saving Grace as Universal as the Drops of the Morning He could have made his Ministers have blown the Gospel Trumpet with such a Breath made it give so loud a sound that like the last Trump at the Mouth of an Angel it should have awakened all that are dead in Trespasses and Sins and made them to revive Why therefore hath he not done it If you answer he shews his Power Wisdom and Justice in leaving them under spiritual Darkness it may be replied these very Attributes of Wisdom and Power besides that of his infinite Goodness he might have glorified the other way and his Justice had a large Field to display it self in the punishment of Apostate Angels Why therefore hath he not done it You must Center in this at last because his Grace is free he is debtor to no Man he doth with his own what seemeth good in his own Eyes he fashions the same Lump of filthy and untemper'd Clay into what Vessels he pleases And who art thou Rom. 9.20 21. O Man that darest to dispute or reply against thy Maker Be still O proud Dust and know that he is God and a great King over all the Earth Bowels of Mercy made the Motion at first the Eye of Wisdom directed the Management of the whole the right Hand of Power was there to assist Justice did not open its Mouth to contradict and Soveraignty as it became that Attribute sate upon a glorious high Throne far above all the Heavens and from all Eternity selected the particular Persons whom according to the Counsel of its own Will it resolved should be infallibly brought to Salvation through the knowledg and belief of the Truth III. In the last place I shall briefly apply all 1. By way of Information in six Things 1. Hence learn 't is no great wonder there are so many Follies Weaknesses and Miscarriages among the sincere followers of Christ They are a plain simple illiterate sort of People for the most part that mind the Power of Religion and but few of the prudent Ones of this World among them And therefore tho they are wise as to the main in as much as they avoid the greatest Dangers and secure their biggest Interest yet it can't be expected they should manage themselves and all their Affairs according to the exact Rules of human Policy which they generally want and 't is not strange if in many single instances of a lower nature they frequently mistake their VVay and take many a false Step. A Mariner may have so much skill in Sea Affairs as to be able to steer his Ship thro' the main Ocean and make a good Voyage even to the Indies escaping the great Rocks and mighty Sands and yet not know the way into a particular Port so well as an ordinary Pilot of the place but be apt thro' mistake to run his Vessel a-ground where it may receive great Damage and be very difficultly brought off again 2. See one reason why the ablest Ministers are seldom so successful in their Work as those that are more meanly furnish'd Like Canon mounted too high they shoot over the Heads of inferiour Persons whom generally God hath ordained to eternal Life and so they beat the Air but batter down no strong Holds and are qualified to deal with the wise and more rational part of Mankind among whom God hath not much People nor Christ many Sheep The most Soveraign Remedies prepared according to Art shall have no Success John 9.6 when Clay and Spittle if Christ will but use it shall restore Sight to those blind Creatures on whom he hath resolved the Works of God shall be made manifest v. 3. 3. See the Vanity of that Objection against serious Religion drawn from the meanness of those that sincerely embrace it when the far greatest part of the famous Men are on the other side This is an old Engine of the Devils John 7.48 Have any of the Rulers or the Pharisees believed on him The weakness of this Argument appears from what hath been said And indeed if it be of any force against a sincere embracing of Christs ways it will hold good against the practice of common Morality For 't is very evident that multitudes of the wise and prudent Ones of this World are wholly eaten up with their Lusts as the choicest Trees are devour'd by Caterpillars 4. See the reason why weak Christians more stedfastly adhere to Christ his Ways and Truths in times of danger than the wise and prudent This saving Revelation of Divine Things fixes and establishes their Hearts and keeps them faster in the Faith than others can be held by meer dry Reason and naked Arguments so that tho they are none of the great Scholars of the World nor able to answer the specious Arguments of subtil Hereticks Mat. 24.24 yet 't is not possible that all the craft and policy of Hell should finally deceive them For they that are thus taught of God have a spiritual Sense and Judgment to discern between Good and Evil they inwardly know 1 John 2.20 21 27. and have a Witness within themselves of the truth of what this Vnction hath taught them And therefore as all Creatures Plants as well as Animals have a natural instinct whereby they draw to them what is proper for their Preservation and Nourishment but avoid what is destructive to them So these Persons to whom God hath spiritually reveal'd his Truths have a supernatural Instinct whereby they turn aside from pernicious Errors and unmovably retain the great Things of the Gospel with a mighty relish and savour They can't be beaten out of that Truth which hath been so plainly discover'd they know these things to be great Realities that have made such a deep Impression on their Hearts and tho they can't learnedly dispute they can couragiously die for them rather than deny them They will not be disputed out of them no more than a Man will

Discoveries It was a Judas but not Iscariot not that vile Traytor not that Son of Perdition No it was another kind of Person a better Man than he tho one of the same Name Such Men know not the sweetness of that Wine they never tasted of and therefore admire not the goodness of the Master of the Feast in the distribution of it Christ rejoyced and gave thanks for the Revelation of these things to others and will not you do it for the discovery of them to your selves Had you the Tongue of Angels or Power over Devils you would not have so great cause of Rejoycing and singing Praises as you now have because Gods Law is written on your Hearts and your Names in Heaven 3. Envy not the excellent Gifts of others that are strangers to the grace of God in truth For you have the better part Tho the surface of the Field appear mean and barren yet the rich Mines contained in the Bowels of it render it exceeding more valuable than another Soil that is Fat and Flourishing 4. Endeavour to grow and improve in this saving Knowledge Your Minds are not yet open'd so wide as they may be to receive the highest sight and sense of these things no more than a Flower is full-blown in one day but insensibly cleaves its Hood and gradually opens it self to our view Spiritual Understanding like the natural One should come on by little and little and the Sons of God like the Children of Men be daily growing up in Wisdom and Stature 5. Long for Heaven where your Knowledge shall be compleated 'T is with us here below as with a Man that walks in a cloudy Night that makes a hard shift to perceive first one Star and by and by two or three more but still there is a vast number of them which he cannot discern Something we know and gradually make some few fresh Discoveries but how great a Portion is hid from us Whereas in Heaven all that Ignorance shall be removed that now hangs about us like the Relicks of a broken Cloud on the top of a Mountain All that Dust shall be blown out of our Eyes that at present obstructs our Sight The Sacred Volumes have many glorious things written in them which we can't yet discern because they are according to the ancient Form of Books roll'd up which tho God be gradually unfolding yet 't is in Heaven only that they shall be fully stretched out lye all plain and open before us There shall not be a greater and more glorious Change of the dull Matter of these vile Bodies than in our dark Souls when we reach Heaven both shall shine clear as the Light at Noon-day Our Notions here are broken confused and imperfect like the rude Images in the Fancies of them that dream Ps 73.20 which we our selves shall despise upon our awakning in that Morning Ps 17.15 when we shall behold Gods Face and be satisfied with the Vision of him as well as with our likeness to him 6. Follow the Example of Christ in an humble Adoration of the good Pleasure of God as to those things which may seem very strange to you I might press this as to his Laws Ordinances and Providences When you meet with many hard Chapters in the Book of Nature Scripture and Providence which you are not able to read and understand don't cavil and wrangle lay your Hands on your Mouths or if you do open them say no more than thus with the greatest lowliness of Mind Even so Father for so it pleaseth thee Rom. 11.33 O the depth of the Riches both of the Wisdom and Knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his Judgments and his Ways past finding out Lastly Lay out your selves to the utmost for the advancing of Gods Honour and Interest This is the Duty of all Men and in a peculiar manner of Christian Magistrates that have been taught of God. And the fewer of the great Ones of this World are on Christs side so much the more zealous and active should those few be You cannot indeed give of your Oyl unto the foolish Virgins yet you may reflect the Light of it in good Works shining before Men and induce them to glorify your heavenly Father And if you do not do this it had been better for you you had still continued under the Bushel remained in your former Obscurity Luke 11.33 than to be thus advanced on a high Hill. 'T is a serious Question that will e're long be put to all of you by one that hath Authority to ask it and will have an Answer seeing I have done so much for you more than for others what have you done for me more than others And I hope you will betimes bethink your selves what Reply to make and labour to be ready furnished with a very good one If you behave your selves like wise and faithful Magistrates the Power you have now in your Hands and the Grace of God ruling in your Hearts and Lives while you rule over Men will exceedingly recommend Religion to others and set it off with great Advantage Divine Wisdom and Knowledge in an Assembly of Men in Authority are like flaming Tapers in a Branch of burnished Gold whose glittering and sparkling Substance returns Light as well as receives it sheds a Glory on the Room where it hangs and at once draws and dazzles the Eyes of all both far and near I have said ye are Gods Ps 82.6 but be not like the useless Idols of the Heathens that are empty and hollow within that only fill up the void Places where they stand and tho worshipped by the People have neither Eyes to see and discern between Good and Evil nor Hands to work Righteousness Tho you are a sort of inferiour Deities v. 7. yet remember you must die like Men so live therefore in your present Stations as the Children of the most High that you may not die in a civil or a natural Sense as a Fool dieth Encourage Religion punish and suppress that Profanation of Gods Name and Sabbaths that Debauchery and Immorality which to this day walks too open and bare-faced in the midst of us Steadily own the Truths of God wherein you have been instructed Plead his Cause in your Places maintain promote encourage his Interest not that of any single Party among us This is the Duty of Magistrates as well as Divines Rom. 13.4 For you also are the Ministers of God. In our Saviours glorious Transfiguration on the Mount not only Elias the Prophet but Moses also the Ruler of the People appeared and waited on him Christ and his Interest will never be lifted up on high nor shine in their Lustre and Glory in the World till both these are with him If you resolve to be so you must expect Reproaches and despise them Let all the Revilings which Men pour out against you be to you as Snow to the Ground Ps 147.16 that comes down upon the Earth like Wool soft and easie making no noise nor disturbance where it falls Whatever a few Fools may say against you this will be your Wisdom and Honour in the sight of the whole Nation and redound to your eternal Advantage For if you do these things then you to whom it is given to know the Mysteries of his Kingdom to you also shall it be given to behold the Glory and enjoy the Rewards of it When not only yours and all other Civil Power shall be at an end but the Mediatorial Kingdom of God-Redeemer too shall cease and the Father be all in all you shall be advanced to Thrones of Glory near his right Hand where there are Rivers of Joy for you to drink of and Pleasures that flow for evermore FINIS