Selected quad for the lemma: honour_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
honour_n	due_n	fear_n	tribute_n	1,274	5	10.2822	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B08803	Several discourses concerning the actual Providence of God. Divided into three parts. The first, treating concerning the notion of it, establshing the doctrine of it, opening the principal acts of it, preservation and government of created beings. With the particular acts, by which it so preserveth and governeth them. The second, concerning the specialities of it, the unseachable things of it, and several observable things in its motions. The third, concerning the dysnoēta, or hard chapters of it, in which an attempt is made to solve several appearances of difficulty in the motions of Providence, and to vindicate the justice, wisdom, and holiness of God, with the reasonableness of his dealing in such motions. / By John Collinges ...	Collinges, John, 1623-1690.	1678 (1678)	Wing C5335; ESTC R233164	689,844	860

Countrey and had it not been for the King of Egypt's oppressing them would never have been willing to have left the flesh-pots and onions and garlick of Egypt but for this dealing of Pharaoh with them making them to serve with rigour slaying their male-children c. This quite tyred them and made them willing to go out of Egypt towards Canaan But let me a little shew you what a variety of lusts in wicked mens hearts God hath from time to time made use of to accomplish the great designs of his Providence with reference to his people and indeed it is hard to say what lust in sinners hearts God hath not made use of at one time or other and made it to serve the holy and wise designs of his Providence 1. The lusts of the eye and flesh are of all other the most unmanlike brutish passions yet the Providence of God hath sometimes taken advantage of these for the glory of God You all know what a strange influence Esther's being advanced to be Queen of Persia had upon Gods design for the building of the second Temple in Ezra's time she was the great instrument to save the whole Church of the Jews the only Church God had upon the Earth at that time from utter ruin God made use of the lust of Ahasuerus to bring this about he takes a Teach to Vasthi for refusing to come to him to be shown to his Princes and turns her away and then must look for the greatest beauty could be found Esther proveth to be she What a strange instance of this had we of this in King Henry the Eighth of that name in this Nation Those who know any thing of the story of those times know that it was no abhorrence of the Idolatry and Superstition of the Popish-Religion that set him upon the work of Reformation After some beginnings of it the six Articles came out Papists were burnt on one side of Smithfield Protestants on the other but the King was weary of his Wife and had a mind to another His wife indeed was one whom Protestant-Divines judged he could not keep having been his brothers wife without a continual living in incest the Pope who thinks he can dispense with any thing he thinks or decrees she was his wife and would give no dispensation for a divorce the Popish-Universities and Divines who never fail to be on their holy Fathers side all oppose the King in his desire of change This angers the King and was the first motive to his business of Reformation and casting off the Pope's Supremacy Nor is this any reproach at all to the Lords work of Reformation amongst us there 's nothing more ordinary than for God to make the wrath of man to praise him and make use of the lusts of men to bring about his own designs 2. Ambition is another lust which fireth the heart of wicked men especially great men It is an excessive desire of Honour and Dominion Poor wretches born to and brought up in little circumstances and low stations in the world are ordinarily not so much infected with this it is the great mans lust God makes an eminent use of this See it in the case of Jehu a proud ambitious man that had in him a great lust and desire of rule and honour God had a quarrel against the house of Ahab by his Providence he ordereth Jehu to the Kingdom makes use of him to destroy Joram the Son of Ahab and Ahaziah the King of Judah the Son-in law of Ahab and Jezebel Ahab's wife whom God had threatned for the blood of Naboth and his whole Family until none remained 2 Kings 8. vers 23 24 25. chap. 9. vers 9 10 24 27 35 chap. 10. vers 7 11 17. And thus he delivered his seven thousand in Israel that had not bowed knee to Baal from the idolatry cruelty and oppression of a vile and wicked Prince Jehu indeed in all this pretended a great zeal for God and did destroy Baal from Israel 2 King 10.28 but yet ver 9. 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. Vers 31. But Jehu took no heed to walk in the way of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart for he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam who made Israel to sin Hence it was that though the Lord tells him 2 King 10.30 That he had done well in executing that which was right in the eyes of God and had done according to all that was in Gods heart as to the house of Ahab and therefore promised him a reward for it viz. that for it his children of the fourth generation should sit on the throne of Israel yet God by the Prophet Hosea told them Hos 1.4 Yet a little while and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu The business was no more than this Jehu was an ambitious Prince that loved honour and dominion the Providence of God maketh use of this lust of his to bring about his holy and righteous designs upon that wicked family of Ahab and for the delivery of his people from their oppressions This was the case of Haman a proud ambitious Courtier in the Court of Persia he had a mind to be great this made him malice Mordecay he would not bow his knee to him this made him propose such great things to be done to the man whom the King should please to shew favour and honour to the Text tells you he said To whom will the King delight to do honour more than to my self Est 6.6 God maketh use of his ambition to bring Mordecay into honour and to save the whole people of the Jews and thus it ordinarily falls out in lesser spheres the humble disposition of Gods People inclining them to give honour to whom honour belongeth and not to deny civil respects to the worst of men doth often commend them to those that are ambitious of honour and respect and maketh them their friends God making use of his Enemies ambition for their sake which by the way commendeth to all that fear God that Precept of the Apostle Rom. 13.7 Render therefore to every one their dues tribute to whom tribute custom to whom custom fear to whom fear honour to whom honour 3. Another lust of men which you shall find Gods Providence hath made great use of is curiosity A curiosity to know secrets What shall come to pass in after-times or a curiosity to delight in rare workmanship of any sort c This is a great vanity of the heart of man but the Providence of God hath made great use of it Of the first sort there are in holy Writ the instances of Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar both of them dreamed dreams wherein God revealed to them things that were to come to pass in the world Then God inspireth

meek of the earth it may be you shall be hid in the day of the Lords anger Ten righteous persons would have saved Sodom Besides evil times being usually times of suffering as to the people of God it is unquestionably their great concern to take heed that they suffer not as evil doers 1 Pet. 3.14 If you be reproached for the name of Christ saith the Apostle happy are you for the Spirit of God and of glory resteth upon you On their parts he is evil spoken of but on your parts he is glorified but let none of you suffer as a murtherer or as an evil doer c. We ordinarily call suffering-times evil times now it is the great wisdom of a Christian to make the best of the worst of times that they may suffer with comfort and not lose their Crown in suffering there is no such way to secure this as to suffer in and for doing of our duty Again there is no such way as this to convince or condemn Adversaries who are the Instruments of evil towards you It is our duty as much as may be so to live as to reconcile the world to the ways of God at least so to live as if we cannot win and gain them yet we may shame and condemn them This you shall find the Apostle did who lived in the first and most furious times 1 Pet. 2.13 Having your conversation honest amongst the Gentiles that whereas they speak evil of you as evil doers they may behold your good works and glorifie God in the day of their visitation As there is an error of Opinion and an error of Practice so there is a double way of conviction The first is by Argument as Paul convinced the Jews Acts 18.28 The second is by a contrary Practice The first reacheth the Judgment the second the Conscience Joh. 8.9 They who heard Christ were convicted by their Consciences If by doing good thou doest not convince sinners and reform them thou wilt most certainly condemn them Heb. 11.7 Noah condemned the old world Further yet by this means thou shalt have peace within In the world saith Christ to his Disciples Joh. 16. you shall have trouble but in me you shall have peace we are sure enough in and from the world to meet with trouble it is our great concern to secure our peace within now there is no other way to secure this but to keep a Conscience void of offence both towards God and towards men If a man hath a troublesome Neighbour if yet he hath a quiet Wife he will do well enough he hath peace at home If he lives in wicked and disturbed times yet if he hath a quiet indisturbed Conscience this is something and he will the better graple with his other troubles I say this is the way for a man to keep a quiet Conscience to depart from evil and to do that which is good Finally thus a Christian shall evidence his Faith in God's rewarding him for that man who in an evil day doth evil or neglecteth to do good cannot be said regularly to trust in God because he useth not the means in the use of which he may expect Gods fulfilling his Promise Take heed saith the Apostle that there be not in any of you an evil heart of unbelief to depart from the living God All departing from the living God in an evil day is a certain sign of unbelief or distrust in God as to the issues of his Providence Let me therefore beseech you that fear God and are brought under such a dispensation of this to take care as to this Let not the evil of others be a temptation to you to omit doing good I will yet further open it in a few particulars 1. Be sure you keep close with God in the duties of his Worship It is a sad thing for a state of affliction to drive a man from God God chasteneth his people to make them better In their affliction they will seek me early Hos 5.13 'T is very sad when affliction hath a quite contrary effect upon us when as the Scripture speaks of Ahaz when he was afflicted he did more wickedly So God hath reason to say of any person This is that person who when he was in affliction left prayer reading hearing left his closet-walking with God c. It is a mark of an ill Servant not dutiful Son when he is beaten for his faults not to ask his Fathers blessing but to run out of his doors 2. Be not ashamed nor afraid to appear for the interest of God in evil times St. Paul in the worst of times was not ashamed of the Gospel Our Lord speaketh dreadfully in this case when he telleth us that he who is ashamed of him before men of him he will be ashamed when he cometh with his Angels This is a particular Service every good Christian oweth unto God not to be ashamed of the cause and interest of God in an evil time own thy self a Servant of God when his Name is most blasphemed his truths and ways most disparaged his people most exposed 3. Perform all that duty which thou owest to the worst of men It is a woful error for any Christian to think that he can do no wrong to wicked and ungodly men as if they had no civil rights doubtless the Apostle spake chiefly with relation to Heathens when he commanded the Romans that were Christians to give unto all their dues honour to whom honour c. 4. Do good to them that hate and persecute thee bless them that curse thee It is our Saviours lesson Mat. 5.44 I remember God gave his people a charge Jer. 29.7 To seek the peace of that City whither they were carried captive and to pray unto the Lord for it It was an evil time when they were in Captivity and the Babylonians were very evil persons yet God commandeth his people to pray for them and to seek their peace Let them curse but bless you let them persecute but do you pray Thus David did for his Enemies when they were sick he humbled himself with fasting and with mourning as for his Brother he tells you he lost nothing by it his prayer returned into his own bosom 5. Take heed finally of using any unlawful means to be rid of the evil that is upon you This is a temptation will much molest us in an evil time and to which all our hearts are too too prone this is a pecular evil which a child of God in such a time should study and make it his business to depart from but I shall have occasion to speak more to this under the next head of Duty upon which I shall enlarge as it is contrary to the duty of Patience and the fruit of a Soul making too much haste But I know this is an hard saying we have many temptations to the contrary for a man to do good to others when they are doing evil to and against him this