Selected quad for the lemma: honour_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
honour_n	day_n	lord_n	sabbath_n	4,002	5	10.0949	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A86356	The good old vvay, Gods vvay, to sovle-refreshing rest: discovered in a sermon preached to the Right Honorable the Lord Maior and court of aldermen of the citie of London, at their anniversary meeting on Wednesday in Easter weeke at Christ-Church, Apr. 24. 1644 being the day of the monethly publike fast. By Thomas Hill B.D. Pastor of Tychmersh in Northampton shire. Imprimatur, Charles Herle.	Hill, Thomas, d. 1653.	1644 (1644)	Wing H2023; Thomason E48_4; ESTC R11496	52,548	61

this will contribute much to draw poore soules into the good way Fiftly there is another thing that must be remembred Improve your power you wh● are Magistrats and governours in families others Improve y●ur power to keepe up the honour of the Lords day our Christian Sabbath blessed bee God that put it into the hearts of the great Counsellers in the high Court of Parliament lately to set forth an Ordinance for the strict and solemne observation of the Lords day I hope you will act it and indeed if ever you would maintaine Religion in a place main●●ine the Lords day and the solemne and holy observation of it God hath given a spetiall item to that precept Remember Exod. 28. 8. he would have all other Commandements remembred no question but he knoweth we are ready to forget that and it is of much consequence to be remembred It is a day of blessing and of sanctification If you would have your peoples hearts sanctified Oh traine them to sanctifie Gods day and to attend on Gods Ordinances It may be that hee may drop the grace of sanctification into them Let the feare of God I beseech you and conscionable observance of this pious Ordinance set all the wheeles of Authority on going and moving regularly in their severall spheares that the Lords day may be more carefully observed suffer not as many governors doe buying and selling not sporting and playing on that day whereby so many are hardned in prophane and ungodly waies you will finde the comfort of it Religion have a sensible progresse God delights to shew himselfe to his people on that day And therefore doe what you can to ingage all others to attend on publique ordinances that day doubtlesse many many soules may bee reduced to the good way if this method be wisely observed Lastly remember your solemne Covenant whereby you are ingaged to such personall and publike reformation as would bring many into that way which lead● to rest wee are happily brought under the bond of it the three kingdomes were united among our selves and to our God hereby Oh be as carefull to keepe it as you were cheerefull in the taking of it Rest is the pretious fruit of the Covenant 2 Chron. 15. 15. they tooke the Covenant cheerefully and God gave them Rest let us not onely take it but keepe it and ingage others what we can thereto let us all bee Covenanters indeed according to our obligation and walke in the good way of obedience to God that so this Covenant may bee a Covenant of peace and a Covenant of rest to us a Covenant of rest to all our soules a Covenant of rest to the Church a Covenant of rest to the kingdome yea to all the three kingdomes which are united together in it I should now come to the third observation drawne from the 18. and 19. Verses from the last generall part of the Text the wofull fruit of their wretched selfe-will We will not say they we will not hearken but what saith God he calleth the nations hee calleth the earth to take notice of it what he will doe against them hee will bring evill upon this even the fruite of their thoughts because they have not hearkned unto my words nor to my Law but rejected it The wilfull rejecting of Gods gracious admonition is a most provoking evill which betrayes a people into the hands of heavy judgements The more of God there is in any admonition in any of his dispensations the more glorious they are The more of our self●-will there is in any of our carriages the more odious abominable they are in the sight of God When our proud spirits boyle up to such an height of de●iance against him as here they did the Lord seeing himselfe so much affronted is ingaged to vindicate his honour by bringing some great evill upon them God hath three Prerogatives which he will not part with judgement is his hee will not allow us to judge one another vengeance is his he will not allow us to revenge our selves his glory is so deare to him that he will not give it to another when any one through pride shall incroach upon that royall prerogative he will make it appeare that he resists the proud by bringing some breaking evill upon them as Exod. 18. 11. One word to end all is this and it is a proper worke for the day This justifieth God in all the judgements and calamities that now lie on sinfull England a day of humiliation should be a day of selfe-abasing and a day of justifying our God and when we consider how Gods gratious admonitions have been sleighted what unanswerable entertainment they have had in England how ill we have requited all the gratious offers and tenders he hath made unto us we may all goe mourning home and even bemoaning the sad fruit of our own wretched carriage that now lieth on us and still all must speake this language The Lord is most righteous it is Gods mercy that England hath not beene in Irelands condition before this day so many gratious so many loving admonitions have beene sleighted and that with so high affronts when God hath sent to us by his Prophets when God hath called upon us when God hath sent mercies Ambassadours when God hath preached from heaven by his judgements yet we have still given him a negative a proud and stubborne negative we have againe and againe answered him Wee will not mee thinkes wee may looke upon our selves if God would deale with us according to our deservings even in Jerusalems case and we might even weepe over poore England as our Saviour wept over Jerusalem that because they were not sensible of the day of their visitation they did not consider and know those things that belonged to their peace now they are bid from their eyes now thy house shall be left unto thee desolate It is a miracle of patience and goodnesse that God should beare with us all this while when hee hath had such high affronts when his own Name when his deare Son when his blessed Spirit when his Covenant when the Minister of the Covenant when the seales of the Covenant when all these dispensations of God have bin so affronted so contemned in England and when wee have so much sleighted the day of our Visitation it is a wonder that Countries that Cities that al is not left desolate before this time Yea when we consider that in Ezek. 24. 13 14. In thy filthines is lewdnes because I have purged thee and thou wast not purged thou shalt not be purged from thy filthinesse any more till I have caused my fury to rest upon thee It might sad our hearts to think Oh! if this should be unworthy sinful Englands portion in thy filthinesse is lewdnesse and because I have purged thee and thou wast not purged God hath put us into the fire to see if we will let goe our drosse but

he observes what converse his soule hath with Jesus Christ therein what God lookes from him what influence from Heaven what holy imp●●s●on upon his spirit by duty Hee knowes that in this good way God brings downe part of Heaven into his people before hee advance them unto Heaven Hee hath happily tasted that a day of Humiliation may prove a soule-melting day a day of Thankesgiving a soule-cheering day a Communion day a healing and healing day a Sabbath a day of blessing and sanctification so directly doth the good way lead unto God Thirdly the good way comming from God leads unto God and that according unto God according to the will of God tending unto his Honour and the magnifying of his Name That is undoubtedly the best way which leads to happinesse by holinesse He●r 12. 14. The soule-saving way will bee a soule-sanctifying way In 2 Thes. 2. 13. God chose the Thessal●nians to salvation through the sanctification of the spirit and ●e●e●●e of the Truth In the execution of his eternall counsels this is the Method No satisfying evidence to us that we were chosen to salvation from eternity unlesse wee have within us this undoubted pledge of his electing love and spirit of sanctification That way which is not a way of sanctification as well as of Justification is not the good Scripture way to Salvation It lies as a great disparagement upon any new way however many may ignorantly cry it up when peoples opinions marre their practises if whilst they contend for justification they weoken the power of sanctification if in their entertaining the Gospel of Christ they turne out the holy love of God from being a rule of life without question that is not the good way wherein peoples spirits grow dry and barren which opens a back-doore to Sabbath-breaking and other licenciousnesse Suspect your selves and wayes I beseech you if by any of your opinions practicall Christanity wither if therby you become formall and loose in the duties of your places and relations The good way is a soul-emproving a spirita●lizing way In the 1 Tim. 6. 3. Paul directs Timothy thus to judge of Teachers and their Doctrines and accordingly to owne or decline them as they teach and consent unto the wholsome words of Jesus Christ and the Doctrine which is according unto godlinesse clearly holding forth that Christs words are wholsome soule-saving words his doctrine purifies the heart it is according to godlines This age is very fruitfull in multiplicity of opinions If you would know how to judge of them together with your examining of them by the word of Truth observe diligently what influence peoples opinions have upon their spirits and upon their conversation Under the Tyranny of the Prelates many congregations had almost lost the power of Religion in a crowd of needles Ceremonies and now in too many places the vigour of practicall piety is much abated to say no more by multitudes of dispute about some such opinions as might well bee spared This renders the way very suspitious because it is no more according unto godlinesse I confesse if wee should judge of peoples way by their language onely good words are very frequent many mouths are full of Christ Free-grace light liberty c. God forbid that such sweet and precious words should bee abused to countenance either darknesse of error or licenciousnesse of practice Yet alasse how many speake the highest Gospell language who live farre below Gospell priviledges and below Gospel hopes The subtill Devill knowes how to hide his snares under the most speci●us even under Scripture words Try therefore over and over it much concernes you O that it might appeare that the way wherein you walke is the good way being according unto God expressing the reality of godlinesse in the course of your conversation These things being laid downe for the awakening of your vigilancy in enquiring after the good way something must be added concerning your asking for the old paths Herein you shall doe like wise travellers to consult with such as have discovered and trodden the good way before you The good way is an old way Aske then First what is the good old way of Doctrine what is the old patterne of wholsome words 2 Tim. 1. 13. Enquire what Truth Jesus Christ who is the same yesterday and to day and for ever Hebr. 13. 8. did reveale unto his servants and vers. 9. hold that fast and bee not carried about with divers and strange doctrines new and uncouth Doctrines not recommended to us by the Apostles O Timothy saith Paul 1 Tim. 6. 20. keep that which is committed to thy trust Depositum serva that which hath beene committed to thee not what thou hast invented that which thou hast received not that which thou hast found out wherein thou must not bee an Author but whereof thou art a Guardian not an ordainer but a Disciple not a guide but a follower what t●ou hast received in gold re-deliver the same in gold c. Hee had this trust for the Churches use let us diligently enquire after it that wee may bee guided by it Secondly what is the good old way of divine Worship Here you must consult not with the precepts of men but with the word of God revealed of old unto his Church The not minding of this ancient Land-marke hath brought in many superstitious Innovations into Gods service and mis-led thousands of simple soules out of the good way A Statesman of our owne could observe divers causes of superstition 1. Pleasing and sensuall Rites and Ceremonies 2. Excesse of outward and Pharisaicall holinesse 3. Over great reverence of Traditions 4. The Stratagems of the Prelates for their owne ambition and lucre 5. The favouring too much of good Intentions which opens the gate to conceits and novelties 6. The taking an aime at Divine matters by humane which breeds mixture of imaginations In all which there was a neglecting of the holy will of God the onely rule of pure Worship And all this while alasse poore hearts people taking much paines to little purpose In vaine doe they worship mee teaching for doctrines the commandements of men Matth. 15. 9. They over-looke Gods will hee over-lookes their devices so indeed the new way proves a bad and uncomfortable way you must enquire for the good old way if you desire to please God in his Worship Thirdly what is the good old way of practicall piety The beauty of Religion much appeares in the duties of our places and relations to have such a conversation as Paul expressed 2 Cor. 1. 12. in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisdome but by the grace of God would much commend the Gospel and fill us with rejoycing in the testimony of our own conscience much of this practicall godlinesse might bee learned as from Scripture precepts and practices so both from the Doctrine and examples of Ancient Worthies Amongst others there are two