Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heaven_n	earth_n	zeal_n	zealous_a	21	3	8.0817	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

are many voices in the world we may soon be deceived It 's a special character of Christ's sheep That they now his own voice from a strangers voice and a stranger they will not follow Christ is raising his voice and calls aloud to his people to prepare for his coming and gives many signes of his nigh ●pproach And the devil raises his voice too and transforms himself into a glorious angel of light If Moses do strange and wonderful things the Magicians will do so too The cry and voice of the kingdom of Christ is up and begins to rise high and Satan raises many confused voices to stifle that cry that through the noise and din that he makes about the ears of mens souls they may not hear and believe and be saved Therefore now it behoves us to have a great care lest we be deceived to search and try every thing ere we receive it as truth but above all take heed of being offended lest we prove offended at the Truth and so perish for that is that at which we are most apt to be offended If there be one Truth incumbred about with through Antichristian fogs and mists a hundred Errours a thousand to one if we take not great heed we shall pass all those errours with a favourable construction at least and be offended at that one Truth and so stumble and fall foul on it and what follows then PERISHING Wo. As for this Treatise I shall onely say thus much It might have been enlarged and many things further proved and illustrated but I desired brevity for thy accommodation and knowing how well thou lovest thy money I was loth to intrench too much upon thy purse Read it over considerately and compare one thing with another and I suppose thou wilt see a line of truth going thorow it and something that may deserve laying up in our hearts and pondering If we do hearken to the truth in it we may possibly finde the way to get such a frame of heart as may free us from the bitterness of that Cup which the Author of this book fears may be the porton of this generation to drink the dregs of Onely I intreat thee again beware of offences they are the ready way to destruction there 's no hope in that path but that which is perishing And let me adde this That he that takes offence not given is both the giver and the taker of the offence and then what MILL-STONES OF WRATH may he expect to grinde him to powder Now the good Lord teach thee and me to know the voice of Christ the true Shepherd from a strangers voice and follow him alone and fully Farewel An Image of part of our Reforming Times OR JEHV in his proper colours displayed In some EXERCITATIONS on 2 Kings 9 and 10 Chapters 2 Kings 10.29 31. Howbeit from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat who made Israel to sin Jehu departed not from after them to wit the golden calves that were in Bethel and that were in Dan. But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart for he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam which made Israel to sin SOlomon the wisest of men upon his great experience tells us that there is no new thing under the sun Indeed every generation of men are but as new Editions of their forefathers one differs from the other onely in circumstantials Perhaps other faces and shapes but the same flesh and blood the same humours of the body the same faculties and passions of the soul Now there being such sameness and likeness in the fountain there must needs follow the like in the streams Mens actions and ways are as their hearts and affections are Likeness in sin and wickedness brings likeness in afflictions and publishments Times past seem to be a type or figure of the present and the present to be a re-acting or doing over again those things either more clearly or more obscurely that the former times brought forth Vicissitudes and changes are sutable to the mutable nature of Man What one Age doth or builds up another undoes or pulls down a third comes and would reform all if they could tell how yet still it 's but like the hand of a Dyal that goes from One to Twelve and then to One again There is no new thing under the sun Nothing can properly be said to be new but the new creature the works of God and of the Spirit of God are new but the works and ways of men are old at best but new images of old things and all old things must pass away nothing will be durable till all things become new new heavens new earth These three parts of time past present and to come are very nigh of kin they are so like each other that they may well be taken for brethren An indifferent Judgement studying the times past may cast the waters and give a true Judgement of the present and a prudent eye may by the same rule be able to give a shrewd ghess at the times to come especially times nigh or next at hand Those who make Cornelius Tacitus Titus Livius or other Romane Stories their Gospel will tell us that Julius Augustus and Tiberius Caesar's parts are acting over again in the world by other persons and under another Vizard and I could heartily wish that they had not so much ground as they have for their conjecture But the Saints and people of God have a more sure Word of prophecie The good and unerring Word of God and the promise of the Spirit to interpret it It was not for nought that our Lord so sharply reprehended the Scribes and Sadduces for not observing the signes of the times And the men of Issachar are characterized by the holy Ghost for their wisdom having understanding in the times What though they be counted the half-witted men the asses of the times it's no matter seeing they have the holy Spirit to stand by them and encourage them Christ our Lord rode to Hierusalem on an ass and he will again make use of the worlds asses the foolish things of this world when he goes up to his kingdom to the shaking of the earth and the heavens also I say yet not I but Solomon the wise-man saith That the present times are but an Image of times past there is nothing new under the sun Is there any thing whereof it may be said See this is new Eccles 1.9 10. It hath been already of old time which was before us and there is nothing new under the sun Ponder these things in your hearts and you will not wonder nor be prejudiced in your thoughts if I tell you that this story of Jehu is An exact description of part of our Reforming times or of a great part of our times Reformers Howbeit from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat who made Israel to sin Iehu departed not from after

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

after him go up the mount towards him he will lead us to his Father and make us partake of the same glory he possesses at his right hand Who would not follow such a leader and venture a little to seek him out if at any time we lose sight of him through the terrible and uncouth shakings of earth-quakes 3. We have set before us the sins and iniquities of Iehu with their aggravations and it 's evident how neer these our times are allied to them It 's worthy our serious consideration whether the differences between the times and the dispensations of God in the times or any other circumstance accompanying our deviations may give us any good and sound ground to hope that Iehu's punishment the consuming wrath of that age will not be the portion of this generation seeing they have so notoriously espoused his adulterous deviations and apostacy We finde what sudden sad effects Iehu's apostacy brought forth In those dayes in the dayes of Iehu's apostacy the Lord began to cut Israel short and Hazael smote them in all the coasts of Israel We finde already how our liberties begin to be cut short witness the persecution of the Lords people in Wales and other places In the margin it 's rendered to cut off the ends if the ends of the body the head and the feet be cut off what is the trunk able to do but roll in its own blood Come my people enter thou into thy chambers and shut thy doors about thee ●hide thy self as it were for a little moment Isa 26.20 and 63.4 until the indignation be overpast For the day of veangeance is in mine heart and the yeer of my redeemed is come 4 Again We here see the portion of those that joyn themselves to comply with Iehu in his abominable deviations RV●NE as soon as ever Iehu had accomplished his purposes and through Iehonadab's help kept the people within the ancient bounds and limits of the Idolatrous kingdom sad effects follow The Lord cuts Israel short Hazael smites Israel in all their coasts eastward and by that time there came to be a general compliance of the people and God had given them a little time to fill up the cup of their iniquity full then comes VTTER RVINE and behold they are not Is it not a great dispute among the learned what is become of them where the ten Tribes are the place of their abode is hid from the whole earth This is most certain That all those that cleave to comply with Iehu in his apostacies shall be partakers of that great wrath that God in due time will pour down from heaven upon the head of Jehu and all his companions in inquity Rev. 18.4 Come out of her my people that ye be not partakers of her sins and that ye receive not of her plagues 5. It 's worthy our observation That Jehu never afterward made use as we read of those Prophets of the Lord that anointed him that first did his work for him and help'd him to his power by which he got the throne When they had done so much as he could expect from them knowing their principles were not suitable to his design farewel then he had no more to say to them their hearts were too honest and brains too shallow for his deep politick designs they would walk answerable to their professions the glory of which affected the peoples hearts perform all their promises and engagements but these things stood not with Jehu's interest therefore no more of them adieu those half-witted fellows whose conscience cannot swallow a lye sealed with the highest asseverations that by such fine slights of State-wisdom we may clime the steps of honor But come thou Jehonadab thou art a righteous person and hast more wisdom then Myriads of those Idiots And indeed what can you expect more from a Jehu who sets up an interest contrary to God's never expect friendship or friendly dealing from him till God hath changed his heart and of a Jehu made him a David of a Saul a Paul Consider Jehonadab a little further then judge He was one that came to meet Jehu when he had made a sure progress in his work he was not at the beginning among the Prophets of the Lord to strengthen Jehu's hand in the work no but when he had slain the King and Jezebel and by a wile destroyed the Kings seventy sons and was going with power sufficient to make a full end of all his enemies Then comes good Iehonadab to congratulate Iehu to have a finger i' the pye before it 's put i' the oven And Iehu he strikes in with this holy man and engages him easily enough poor soul to be on his side Iehu knew full well that this wary wise man that knew the way to sleep in a whole skin till Iehu had almost made sure work and then comes and proffers his congratulatory service to his greatness would be a fitter instrument for his turn then those hardy simple-hearted fellows the Prophets of the Lord that to fulfil the minde of God would run through such hazards and dangers as they did to lift up Iehu into a capacity to do the will of God It 's this Iehonadab that Iehu is so eager to engage The text saith he lighted on him like a bird of prey and with his tallons he hoisted him up into the chariot a high place that diz'd poor Jehonadab's brains so as they could never get into their right posture again And what sweet complements past between them his whole discourse was about sincerity and uprightness of heart when God knows it was that he least cared for but Jehonadab understood him well enough and knew what counsel would please as appears in the matter of Baals Priests It 's this Jehonadab that Jehu loves and hugs in his bosome for you the Lords people who have not a Jehonadab's wisdom farewel he will have no more to do with you such fanatick silly fellows that are good for nothing but to ruine a State As we cannot finde it in the story that Jehu took any friendly notice of the Lords people to whom he was so much engaged after he came to the Throne so we shall never finde it in experience that a Jehu will be a friend indeed to those who in sincerity of heart look Sion-ward 6. From hence the Saints and people of God may see what their work is To bear the cross of Christ in bearing witness against those deviations and apostacies that are too too likely to over-run this generation of men to seek after the Lamb the Lord Jesus Christ for their Leader and follow him whithersoever he will lead them there 's no doubt nor Question to be made but his designes are right and adequate to the will of his Father who hath promised him the throne of his father David Much might be said to you the children of the most High of that full redemption and great glory