Selected quad for the lemma: heart_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heart_n	ear_n	eye_n	fat_a	2,377	5	10.2276	5	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

house of JEHU and cause his kingdom to cease From the mount of the Lord in my Prison for my Christ at Lambeth-house 2 day 6 month J. Rogers The Author to the Reader IT is as common as ancient a Custom for Authors to beg a Boon of their Readers on behalf of the births of their Understanding the Press midwifes into the world All that I shall intreat of thee courteous Reader is That thou wouldst take heed of Offences beware of being offended We are too too apt to stumble at Christ his Truth and the Dispensers of it if they be not such as are sutable to and the Truth be not drest up according to our fancies therefore saith our Lord Jesus * Matth. 18.7 Wo to the world because of offences There is a time wherein the Lord will lay stumbling-blocks before a people * Jer. 6.21 Thus saith the Lord Behold I will lay stumbling-blocks before this people and the fathers and the sons together shall fall upon them the neighbour and his friend shall perish Offences and stumbling-blocks are perishing Judgements Vials full of wrath that bring WO upon the world It concerns us to enquire whether the Age we live in be not one of those times wherein God is provoked to such great wrath as to lay stumbling-blocks before our feet that we may fall upon them and perish If so then how extraordinary wary ought we to be in all our ways lest we take offence at Christ and his Truth Many times the Truth is not dispens'd in such away nor maner nor by such persons as we expect and then how ready are we to cast it aside and trample on it and embrace a Lye because it 's sutable to us in stead of Truth Because when Christ first came the maner of his coming was so contrary to their expectations when they expected he should fill the Palaces of this world with his glory behold he is born in a Stable they are offended at him they stumble and fall to the perishing of their souls Yea how few were there that at first saw the glory of his swadling-clouts a Simeon and an Anna two or three old doating people in the worlds account and a company of shepherds he came in a way they least dream'd on And if we search the Scriptures we shall finde that God hath dispens'd his Truth mostly in such ways and by such instruments as were most despicable in the eye of man's wisdom a stumbling-block to the Jew foolishness to the Greek God hath two great Ends in dispensing his Truth in such a way and maner as men will stumble at Judgement upon the World and Glory to himself 1. Judgement upon the World An Isaiah must go naked an Ezekiel must pourtray a city on a tyle raise forts against it lay siege to it lie on his side and eat dung a Hosea must take a common harlot to wife an Amos must be call'd from among the herds-men gathering sycomore-fruit others must be taken from their Publicanes seat in the Custom-house and fishing trade And the Truth must be delivered in a dark uncouth maner in such terms and phrases under such similitudes and figures as are very hard to be understood ridiculous to the world and sometimes in such a stammering weak maner as gives seeming-just occasion of stumbling and offence and all to this end that having eyes they may not see Isai 6.9 10. ears and hear not and having hearts they may not understand lest they convert and be healed God taking occasion hereby to pour down the dregs of his wrath upon the sons of men Saith God Make the hearts of this people fat c. And how long Why until the cities be wasted without inhabitant c. And Christ himself carries on this designe of God in his ministery speaking to the people in Parables altogether fulfilling this Prophecie of Isaiah in them A just and sore Judgement of God upon a rebellious people for rejecting the Word and Truth of God 2. The end of all is The glory of God that God may have great glory out of this confusion How doth it tend to the glory and honour of God that such mean despised men as herds-men gatherers of sycomore-fruit fisher-men and Publicanes should be enabled by the Spirit of God to demonstrate and lay open to men the invisible things of God the deep mysteries and secrets of his love and rich grace The less of man the more of God appears When once God works upon a man to the giving of him a true knowledge of things how glorious is it in his eye That God should condescend so lowe to such mean creatures and do such great things by so unlikely means wonderful doth God then appear in the glory of all his attributes If so how much doth it concern me and thee to lie continually at the throne of Grace that not the First of these but the Second may be wrought in us O then let us take heed of Offences both of giving and taking offences Wo to the world because of offences it must needs be that offences come but wo to him by whom offences come it were better for him that a milstone were hanged about his neck and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea And what great offence is it both to the world and to the lambs of Christ for any who have profest the Truth to betray it and flinch back from it when they see the sun likely to burn hot loss and persecution in this world like to come But this is a digression my Work is to intreat of my Reader to beware of TAKING offence Offences may be soon taken but they are not so soon gotten away It 's a hard and difficult thing to close with a Truth when once we have declared our offence at it God will do Wonders in the world such as never were known nor heard of before as will make mens ears to tingle when we see such things a doing let us have a care of being offended lest we stumble and fall and perish upon our own stumbling-blocks which by our offences we lay before our own feet If God should totally withdraw himself from and lay aside the present self-seeking apostatizing Clergie as at Christ's first coming he cast off the Clergie of the Jewish Church that were grown depraved and hypocritically wicked that generation of men which he hath used so long a time to dispense his Word and Will by and go once more among the Publicanes Fishermen and Mechanicks to seek out and take from among them fit instruments for his glory the more contemptible and vile they are in themselvs the fitter for his use let us not be offended Judge nothing before we have try'd it Try the spirits whether they be of God or no To the Law and to the Testimony if they prove not according to that Rule then we may safely excommunicate them our hearts But have a care take heed there

too he puts the Levites away from performing that service God had appointed them to in his worship and having instituted a new worship of his own devising he constitutes new Ministers and Priests to serve in that worship Quest If it be asked How I can say this is a resemblance of our times surely we have learned and high-minded Ministers that minde high things Answ If ever there were a time wherein the lowest of the people were made Ministers in the worship of God it 's now I confess it and that with joy there are many considered by themselves precious holy servants of the Lord true Ministers of the Gospel in this our Nation of England but by that time these great Kings whoredome drunkenness swearing lying covetousness eating the poors bread ignorance and pride have ranged their subjects under their banners from among the Ministers of England the remaining number will be so few that I fear God will hardly have his Tythe duely set out and if these be not of the lowest of the people I know not who are The truth of these things is so obvious to every man that I suppose it 's not required of me to prove this great charge Thirdly Another of Jeroboams sins that Iehu would not depart from was his devising new wayes of worship and that as like the true worship of God as his received worldly principles and interest would permit him whereby to take the hearts of the people and draw them after him the more Though he would have a worship as like Gods worship as possible might be yet Gods worship he would not have because he thought it contrary to his worldly interest O saith he now shall the kingdom return to the house of David if this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the Lord at Ierusalem then shall the hearts of this people return again unto their King even unto Rehoboam and they shall kill me But saith Ieroboam I will prevent that by my wisdom and policie I will have new Gods and new Worship and new Priests and suffer not the people to go up to Ierusalem to worship If the peoples worshipping the true God according to his own appointments will in his apprehension hinder his enjoyment of his outward worldly interest then farewel Priests worship and God too I will finde out new wayes of my own devising that shall be as bulwarks to secure my state and compel the people to walk in them and if any dare rebuke my doings I 'll venture the withering of mine arm by stretching it out against them But stay for all your hasty fury you may be glad to beg the Prophets prayers on your behalf for mercy Something appeares like this now in our dayes and it 's to be feared more will follow this I am sure of the people of God had gone a great way further then they have in destroying the remainders of Babylon and Antichrist among us and had ere this time taken away the antient political bounds that hindred the people from going up to Ierusalem to worship had not something hindered Cursed be those Achitophels whose pernicious counsels have hindered the Son of David from raigning but this is our comfort that whosoever they be they shall but hinder for a season when the appointed time comes will they nill they they shall be removed and Christ will take to himself his great power and raign in the midst of his people But Aggravations of Jehu's sin Secondly consider the aggravations of this mans Iehu's sin beyond those that went before him they are great and many 1. Iehu had the example of the wrath of God upon three Kings before him for the same sins Ieroboam first committed this sin but had no presidents of the warth of God to scare him it 's true he had presidents good and many of the wrath of God upon Idolaters but the temptation under which he lay the fear of losing his Kingdom made him to think that good and righteous end of securing his Kingdom and making good the word of the Lord in establishing it to himself would bear him out But Iehu had no excuse at all but the perverse unbelief of his own hard heart and the wicked tendency of his soul for he saw that notwithstanding the plausible and in some measure righteous pretence of Ieroboam the wrath of God consumed him and his house he had the presidents of the wrath of God upon Ieroboam the inventer and Baasha the follower of these sins in such a terrible manner as to cut them off from the face of the earth and he executes the severe vengeance of God upon the head of a third transgressor of the same kinde and yet to provoke this jealous God to more and greater wrath who but a Iehu a heart hardened by love and mercy could or durst do it Alas how little doth the by-past judgements of God move our hard and flinty hearts in these our dayes although the generation before us fresh in memory God hath made them as dung upon the face of the earth and scattered them that they are not found and brought them to nothing yet we will not be warned but we have made that which was but as a mote in their eye a beam in our own we have gotten into their places and are fallen to commit adultery with their sins and we will not depart from those sins that have made God so terrible to them and to do such wonders in our dayes to the dying his garments red in blood Who durst do thus but those whose hearts are made fat eyes blinde and ears deaf and that by mercy as if indeed we were a people fatted for slaughter and prepared for utter destruction 2. Another aggravation of this sin was this he had an enlightned conscience so much light as that he could bring the word of God to confirm every action of his And certainly he knew much of the minde of God he was much acquainted both with the promises and prophesies of God to and concerning his people as the story throughout sufficiently evidences he had so much light and knowledge that God did justly expect he should walk in his law with all his heart vers 31. but his heart his heart was faulty O that little thing within us hath more deceit in it then a whole world of other creatures have his light enabled him to make the most glorious profession that ever any King of Israel did that we read of since Solomons daies his light made him bold couragious and full of outward zeal yet against all this he sins when so much of the work was done as that he could sit down and taste the sweetness of present enjoyments though mutable and earthly his heart waxes fat presently and could go no further his light goes out and he becomes blinde at noon-day the sight of the glory of an earthly kingdom though none had more experience of the uncertainty vanity and vexation

counsels that I should make thee a disolation and the inhabitants thereof an l●ssing therefore ye shall hear the reproach of my people Jer. 11 10 11. They are turned back to the iniquities of their fore-Fathers which refused to hear my words c. therefore thus saith the Lord Behold I will bring evil upon them which they shall not be able to escape and though they shall cry unto me I will not hearken unto them Isai 3.14 15. The Lord will enter into judgement with the ancients of his people and the Princes thereof for ye have eaten up 〈◊〉 vineyard the spoile of the poor is in your ●ou●●s What mean ye tha● ye beat my people to peices and grinde the faces of the poor saith the Lo●d God of hosts Mic. 1.2 ●o to th●m that devise iniquity and work evil upon their beds when the morning is light they practice it because it is in the power of their hand Behold I am against thee Jer. 50.31 32. O thou most proud saith the Lord God of hosts for thy day is come the time that I will visit thee and the most proud shall stumble and fall and none shall raise him up and I will k●nale a fire in his cities and it shall devour all round about him For he bringeth down them that dwell on high Isa 26.5 6. the lofty city he layeth it low he layeth it low even to the ground he bringeth it even to the dust the foot shall tread it down even the feet of the poor and the steps of the needy And I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease ch 13.11 12. and will lay low the haugheiness of the terrible I will make a man more precious then fine gold even a man then the golden wedge of Ophir How is the faithful city become an harlot it was full of judgement ch 1.21 22 23 24. and 3.25 26. and 4 1. righteousness lodged in it but now murderers thy silver is become ●hoss thy wine mixt with water thy Princes are rebellious and companions of thieves every one loveth gifts and followeth after rewards ●●●y judge not the fatherless neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them Therefore thus saith the Lord the Lord of hosts Beware the mighty one of Israel Ah! I will case me of mine adversaries and avenge me of mine ●nemies Thy men shall fall by the sword and thy mighty in the war and her gates shall lament and mourn and she being de●olate London shall sit upon the ground and in that day seven women shall take hold of one man saying we will eat our own bread and wear our own apparel onely let us be called by thy name to take away our reproach ●o unto them that joyne house to house that lay field to field ch 5 8 9. till there be no place that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth In mine ears said the Lord of hosts Of a truth many houses shall be desolate even great and fair without inhabitant ch 30.1.9 10 12 13 27. Wo to the rebellious children saith the Lord that take counsel his not of me and that cover with a covering but not of my Spirit that they may adde sin to sin lying children children that will not hear the law of the Lord which say to the seers See not and to the Prophets Prophesie not unto us right things speak unto us smooth things prophesie deceits Wherefore thus saith the holy one of Israel Because ye dispise this word and trust in oppression and perversness and stay thereon Therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall swelling out in a high wall whose breaking cometh suddenly at an instant Behold the name of the Lord cometh from far burning with his anger and the burthen thereof is heavy his lips are full of indignation and his tongue as a devouring fire ch 6.9 10 11. And he said Go and tell this people Hear ye indeed but understand not and see ye indeed but perceive not make the heart of this people fat and make their ears heavy and shut their eyes lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and convert and be healed Then said I Lord How long and he answered Vntil the cities be wasted without inhabitant and the houses without man and the land be utterly desolate I will send him against in hypocritical na●ion ch 10.6 and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge to take the spoile and to take the prey and to tread them down like the mire of the streets And when you spread forth your hands ch 1.15 I will hide mine eyes from you yea when you make many prayers I wll not hear your hands are full of blood Then said the Lord unto me Jer. 15.1 Though Moses and Samuel stood before me yet my minde could not be towards this people cast them out of my sight and let them go forth Behold Isa 59.1 2 3. the Lords hand is not shortned that it cannot save neither his ear heavy that it cannot hear but your iniquities have separated between you and your God and your sins have hid his face from you that he will not hear for your hands are defiled with blood and your fingers with iniquity your lips have spoken lyes your tongue hath muttered perversness Now therefore be ye not mockers Isa 28.22 lest your bands be made strong for I have heard from the Lord of hosts a consumption even determined upon the whole earth I shall close up this discourse with a word to these three parties so neerly concerned in it Jehu Jehonadab and the people of God A word to Prince Jehu First to thou O thou mighty man have I somwhat to say thou hast been curious and lovely in thy apparel and thy face hath shin'd as if thou hadst been on the mount with Christ thy profession hath been so excellent that we have been ravished with thee we never had such hope of the satisfaction of our souls in the free service of our God in the enjoyment of the promised land in going up to Jerusalem to worship in the highest of Gods appointments as we have had in thee and wilt thou now deceive us whither shall we go to complain but to our God who anointed thee whose messenger we took thee to be yea and we are sure thou wast so long as thou didst keep in his way Thou ô Jehu didst run well who hath hindred thee who hath bewitched thee But blessed be God for anointing Jehu to do his work and blessed be God for giving Jehu a heart to do so much of the work as he hath done but what reason can be given why Jehu should play the hypocrite at the lattet end of the day Is this the reason Jehonadab counselled him so to do to take that wise course truely