Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heaven_n	day_n	lord_n	strange_a	2,103	5	9.4517	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A87212	A sermon preached at Dorchester in the county of Dorcet, at the proclaiming of His sacred Majesty Charles the II. May 15. 1660. By Gilbert Ironsyde Batchelour of Divinity, and minister of Stepleton in the said county.	Ironside, Gilbert, 1588-1671.	1660 (1660)	Wing I1048; Thomason E1034_15; ESTC R209046	21,155	36

the Fatherlesse and the Widow a man and his house to subvert right and pervert Justice and rather to Sacrifice whole kingdomes then their own Ambition and Lust and were not those others according to the Voice of the Word that the yoke of every oppressor may be broken that God would judge the world in Righteousnesse and at last require the bloud of his Servants So that put the Voice of God speaking in his Word and the Voice of Successe as we see at this day together they make a full Answer from God the Lord out of heaven and when God speaks so plainly so distinctly so with an Eccho Voice answering Voice can men or angels forbear their Hosannahs Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord When we thus hearken what God the Lord will say we need not fear for he will certainly he will speak peace unto his people the next thing in the Text. Peace in this place is the prosperous settlement of that Nation and therefore we are to understand his Pople not by way of distinction and separation but the whole visible State and Church of the Jews For that which is added and to his Saints is onely expository for what are his People but his Saints and what are his Saints but his People it is an Hebraism worth observing affirming that to be which ought to be to these he will speak Peace therefore they wanted it for the present he will speak Peace therefore they shall not ever be without it and he it is that will speak Peace and therefore it can come from no other hand and he will when it is best for them The people of God do sometimes want Peace The Moon hath her Wanes and Eclipses as well as her Light and Glory and Ecclesia habet sua tempora she is like the pole-Star Semper versatur nunqua●● mergitur she is sometimes aloft and anon you would think her falling into the Sea In me saith our Saviour you shall have Peace but in the World tribulation What Peace had Israel in Egypt for near 200. yeares together or in Babylon for 70. yeares what Peace had the Primitive Christians in their 10. Persecutions near 400. yeares and what our English Professors in those Marian dayes I am sure our Jerusalem complaines that the plowers made long furrowes upon her back more then once or twice yea many times Psal 129. and we our selves have lived to see and feel and smart under this Truth conviction strong enough against Academicks and Scepticks themselves And indeed it is Gods wisdom to have it so thereby to pluck his peoples Lips from the teats of this Earth the Nurse puts Wormwood or some sharper thing to her Nipples to wean her child and God doth imbitter our sweets and blast our blessings to take off our Affections from the things below the better to fit us to walk with him and have our converse in Heaven for the want of Peace is the Mother of holy Wisdom when we are quiet and at ease we are like the prodigall having his portion minding nothing but travelling as far as we can from our Father into strange Countries with Harlots and Riotous living but the want of Peace the sound of the Drum and Trumpet the neighing and prancings of the mighty ones make us return to our selves and think of home Outward Peace also begets a kind of Spirituall lazynesse and we say to our selves with him in the Parable Soul eat and be merry take thy ease but when Peace is gone this lazy humour is gone and we set our selves to work again In a calm at Sea the Mariners lie ilde upon the decks but when a storm is up they also are up and are doing some tend the Anchor some guide the Ship some dresse the Sailes some pull the Ropes and some stand at the pump it is so with our Graces in the time of Peace scarce one stirs but when Peace is gone every one is summon'd to his duty Faith must steer Hope must be the Anchor Charity must dresse the Sailes Patience must pull the Ropes and Repentance stand at the Pump Besides we are apt to abuse Peace when we have long had it more then any other blessing whatsoever We may truly invert the Apostles words and say where this grace doth abound there sin doth abound even Sodoms sins Pride Fullnesse of bread Idlenesse Drunkennesse Uncleanness Uncharitableness Lukewarmness Prophaseness I cannot say they are the Effects of Peace no more then the weeds in the Garden are the Effects of the Suns shining No they are the spurious brats of our own corrupt hearts yet we know they are the companions and attendants of a long Peace whereas Wars Persecutions Afflictions are Gods weeding knifes to cut off these Evils even by the Rootes thefore saith David it was good for me to be afflicted he means chiefly by the Wars made upon him by Saul and his Son Absolom the Crosse of Christ saith a Father was Currus Triumphalis his Triumphant Chariot so in its kind is the Cross of his Children even Gods fiery Chariot in which he sets them to triumph over their spirituall Enemies and so to ascend to his Throne of Glory and if so it is not onely Gods wisdom but his infinite Goodness and Mercy that his people have not alwaies Peace I remember St. Austin against Parmenion the Donatist hath this distinction Est charitas severitatis charitas mansuetudinis but is it not a distinction without a difference or is not Gods severity also many times his greatest Mercy Believe it God is often more mercifull in taking away then in giving Peace unto his people methinks Job is at a stand for which to bless him most when he saies The Lord hath given and the Lord hath taken away Blessed be the name of the Lord either he makes them equal or prefers the taking away before the giving Consider this all ye that have suffered even Jobs taking away Murmur not against it make Gods uses of it let it weane you from the world which vanisheth away let it lift you up to a more heavenly mindednesse learn holy wisdome from it for 't is Gods school shake off spiritual slothfulnesse or melancholy as Divines call it and abandon your former abusings of this mercy thus let me advise you to kisse Gods rod then who can tell whether the latter end of Job may not be more blessed then the beginning for this we know that though Gods people have not always peace yet they shall not always want it as long as they are his people till the Bill of divorce be issued out and Lo-ammi not my people be pronounced upon them which perhaps is the case of the Jews to this day Whose desolation must be untill the consummation Dan. 9. as also of these poor people in America For God loves not the rod as 't is a rod 't is opus alienum a strange work to him as Esay calls it it is mercy that

misery and therefore they adde O God of our salvation and release thine anger towards us According to which the Latine doth well render it Restitue nos restore us v. 4. Lastly they adde a most powerfull motive after a most patheticall manner Wilt thou be angry with us for ever wilt thou prolong thy wrath from one generation to another wilt thou not turn again and quicken us that thy people may rejoyce in thee These be no saucy expostulations as if they would either direct God what to doe or chide him because he doth it not but are vigorous exercises of their strong faith upon Gods nature and properties Respicit procul dubio saith a good Interpreter Questionlesse the Prophet had an eye to Gods own description of himself The Lord the Lord gracious and mercifull slow to anger abundant in goodnesse and mercy Exod. 34 6. this was done in private only to Moses yet by way of Proclamation as the Text tells us that all the world might take notice of it And having thus taught them to pray he teacheth them in the next place a farther duty which is to wait upon the Lord for a return Here he changeth the person it was us before in the plurall it is I now in the singular and the reason is because this prayer was to be their publique or Common-prayer as we call it for such the Church of God have had in all ages But this waiting on God afterwards is a personall grace by every one singly to be acted Therefore having taught them what to doe in common he now shews them what in particular first what in publique then what in private even to expect Gods answer to the publique and sure Common-prayers thus used would prove the best prayers in the world And in this our Prophets direction we have these three plain points First 1. their waiting upon God for his answer in these words I will hearken what God the Lord will say Secondly 2. the great confidence and assurance they have of a gracious return in these words for he will speak peace to his people and to his Saints Thirdly 3. what God expects from his people whom he hath thus answered in these words But let them not turn again to folly Of these very briefly plainly and in order And in this their attending on God we may observe in what manner they do it which is with a settled constant persevering watchfull patience all wrapt up in the Metaphor of hearkning I will hearken We have also their disregarding of all other sayings which doubtlesse were many upon such a case some you must think vented the bitternesse of their spirits in rayling at Antiochus some reviled his Army and instruments some even curst those that being Jews yet fell off to Antiochus and his party some lamented even to despair hopelesse to see it otherwise and some again triumphed at it So so would we have it but saith the Prophet I will hearken to none of these sayings but only to what God the Lord will say We have likewise the two strong supporters of this their attendance Faith on the one side and Hope on the other much like Aaron and Hur staying up Moses hands in the Mount Faith grounded on Gods power he is able to doe it as being God Hope upon Gods immutability never failing his people as Jehovah They expect and thus expect Should I gather up all that might fall from this plentifull Table how many baskets full might I have but neither my leisure nor yours will bear it I will therefore give you but one short rule which may perhaps take in much of all the rest That our prayers should not be ended when we have made them we should not doe when we speak unto God as we usually do when God speaks unto us when God speaks unto us as soon as the Preacher hath done the Sermon is ended with us for we never think more upon what was spoken it is so I fear with most men in their prayers when they have done speaking unto God all is ended with them And the reason is because indeed they are no better then Papists in their Prayers they make it their opus operatum their work task performance exercises to improve their fancies and expressions as if God had delegated his grace to the work of so often so long I beseech you doe not the Papists the same when they number their devotion by their beades Be not deceived it is no paradox to say our prayers are but begun when they are ended for our hearts that sent them out must follow them to hearken how they speed at the throne of grace When a Merchant hath shipped his goods for forreign parts he hearkens day and night inquires of every vessell that arrives looks for a packet by every post By our prayers we doe trade and traffique hold commerce and correspondency with heaven Have we not also a factor in those parts a skilfull carefull faithfull factor there even the Angel of the Covenant with his golden censer even our Lord Jesus to receive and improve our interests by his continuall mediation Have we not also a promise Ask and you shall have seek and you shall find knock and it shall be opened unto you We cannot therefore fail of returns if we expect and require them Some perhaps will say I have looked long but never the neer I have prayed and prayed whole hours by the Clock the whole Systeme of Divinity at a time but never had answer Consider was not the fault thine own perhaps the goods were shipt in an old rotten worm-eaten leaking vessell if so no marvell if all be lost Our hearts are the vessell are they not old made of the old man eaten through with the old Leaven of malice and wickednesse corruptions and lusts if so look for nothing Believe not me but the blind man in the Gospel We know saith he that God heareth not sinners Verbum est caeci nondum illuminati They be words of a blind man yet blind saith S. Austin true too if rightly understood for this blind man means that God heareth not impenitent sinners sinners that have so espoused their sins as never to be divorced from them This he might see by the Prophets spectacle When you spread out your hands I will hide mine eyes when you make many prayers I will not hear Here is frequency many prayers here is fervency spread out your hands God will not see the one nor hear the other the ship was rotten your hands are full of bloud injustice oppression if their hands their hearts much more Or went it not out with too much sail over-blown with pride ostentation vain-glory as the Pharisees was when in the Temple Gods immediate presence he scornfully over-lookt the poor Publican perhaps because he had but little to say but much in little God be mercifull to me a sinner We must know that it is the humble-spirited prayer that