Selected quad for the lemma: judgement_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
judgement_n	according_a	church_n	scripture_n	1,819	5	5.8931	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A90384	The fear of God: vvhat it is, and exhorted to as one of the great lessons God calls upon men to learn by his great dispensations in the last days. In a sermon preached unto the Church of Christ meeting in Petty France London, the tenth day of the sixth month. Anno 1656. By the faithful servant of Christ John Pendarves a little before his death.	Pendarves, John, 1622-1656.	1657 (1657)	Wing P1137; Thomason E907_3; ESTC R3183	20,112	38

must know it is not without infinite wisdome in God which dispenseth his Truths in such an order to the Sons of men And though I would not hold you long in the Preface yet I would speak a little further to this because I see many in this day at a great loss for want of observing the order of truth that God hath layed down in his Word some are very much troubled about Baptisme before they are really setled upon Jesus Christ and some are very much busying themselves about the matters of Worship before they close with Christ the foundation and so having not closed with Jesus Christ they build as men without a foundation Others againe when they come to be instructed in matters of Faith are apt to minde other Ordinances that are further off as Breaking of Bread whereas the order of Jesus Christ in the Gospel is that the very next thing after beleeving is to be Baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus which persons not observing but missing the true way of God they are tossed to and fro and know not where to fix not taking notice of the due order wherein the Lord lays down truth in his blessed Word And possibly some also may be under the temptation of neglecting those truthes which concerne the foundation in matters of Faith and Order nay it is frequently so seen of many of whom I desire to speak tenderly supposing they do it weakly that they are busying themselves in the understanding of the highest discoveries of God in this Book of the Revelations and yet are not setled upon the foundation of the Gospel nor brought into the order of it and therefore as to many that are soaring high in these things I desire they would consider whether they have not unadvisedly leaped over those foundation truthes which they should have minded in their going on to those glorious Truths revealed in the Revelation I will not say God is tied up to this order but yet I say this is the way God would have his people waite upon him in and God bringing his people out of Babylon will I doubt not lead them to observe truth in that order wherein it was laid down in the first dispensation of the Gospel And therefore I being now to speak unto a Church of Christ already planted in the Faith and order of the Gospel I hope none will bee offended at my making choyce of a portion of Scripture in this Book of the Revelations if any be I may make my Apology from the eleventh verse of the first Chapter which holds forth unto us that this Book with the things therein revealed is sent unto the Churches I Jesus have sent mine Angel to testifie these things in the Churches and hee that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the Churches which you have severall times repeated in the second and third Chapters of this Book so that you see the things held forth in this Book are such as the Churches of Christ are specially to hearken unto because Christ hath in a special manner commended these things to the Churches And let me adde that this Book hath a glorious blessing annexed to the reading and hearing of it and the keeping those things which are written therein you have not such a Blessing annexed to every Book as to this and oh that it were not the Sin of many Churches that they are so backward in looking into the things written in this Book of the Revelations when as God sends it especially and particularly unto them And indeed I judge it is a matter of duty especially for the Angels Messengers and Pastors of Churches to be diligently searching into in order to the finding out of those Truths that are written therein and according to the measure of the gift of Christ to hold them forth to the Churches for truly I grieve to think how much Church-members are unacquainted with many things written therein as what the Beast is what is his Mark and the Number of his Name when as such dreadful Judgements are pronounced against such as worship the Beast or his Image or receive his Mark in their fore-heads or in their hands yet alas how few Members in Churches are there that labour to bee informed in these things surely hee that knows not of a danger where it is and how it lies is in danger of falling into it unawares But to come to my Text in this fifteenth Chapter you read of a Victory obtained over the Beast and not only so but over his Image Mark and the number of his Name by a Party standing on the Sea of Glass having the Harps of God vers 2. their Song follows and they sang the Song of Moses the Servant of God and the Song of the Lamb saying Great and marvellous are thy Works Lord God Almighty just and true are thy ways thou King of Saints who shall not fear thee O Lord and glorifie thy name Before I come to the words themselves I would in a general way lay down something for your information from the Context that which I suppose will bee the great inquiry upon the view of this Scripture is what the Beast is and who they are that get the victory over him his Mark and Image and therefore I shall briefly hint something concerning this Beast and the conquering Party that shall prevail over him That which to me is the best help to discover the Beast his Mark and Image especially the Beast what he is are the several qualifications of those which get the victory over him you may partly know the Beast by his opposites those which rejoyce at the overcoming of him now who they are that have had and maintained a controversie with this Beast you may see described in the second third and fourth verses of this Chapter and their frames and qualifications may be judged by several Characters given to them 1 They are a People attained to some measure of purity therefore set forth standing upon a Sea of Glass 2 They are a People bent to praise God for his great Works they have the Harps of God and they sing c. They are a people that dare not slight Gods great Works if God bring them out of Egypt they have it much upon their hearts and they sing the Song of Moses and the Song of the Lamb like those in Exod. 15. and you know upon what account it was that Moses sang that Song it was when Gods Israel was brought out of Egypts bondage and the Egyptians destroyed whence it appears 3 That these are a people seriously minding of and much affected with Gods wonderful Works in their deliverance from Spiritual Egyptian bondage and therefore they cry out Great and marvellous are thy Works Lord God Almighty 4 They are a People that ascribe all to God and give him the praise of all his Works I suppose all will grant that the great Works God is to doe in the

consider That this glorious qualification of the fear of God fitted Christ for the great work of his Mediatorship Mal. 2.5 My Covenant was with him of life and peace for the fear wherewith he feared mee and was afraid before my Name And in Isaiah 11.2 3. which is a Prophesie of Christ it is said The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him the Spirit of wisdome and understanding the Spirit of counsel and might the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord And doubtless this is a most blessed qualification to fit a man for any work for God hee that hath the fear of God in his heart dares not take the gain of oppression nor do any thing that is evill and unrighteous See it in good Nehemiah Chap. 5. vers 15. speaking of the former Governors how they oppressed and tyrannized over the people but saith he So did not I because of the Fear of God That man that truly fears God trembles before him and stands in awe of the Great God continually And thus you see how this Fear of God fits men to serve Gods designs in their generation and therefore this is one lesson that God would have men to learn by his great works in these last dayes But Secondly The other is like to this viZ. To have respect to the glory of Gods Name God hath alwayes laid aside a people that were selfish and did not minde the advancement of his Name See Mal. 1.10 11. saith God Who is there even among you that would shut the door for nought neither do you kindle a fire on my Altar for nought What follows I have no pleasure in you saith the Lord of Hoasts neither will I accept an offering at your hand Why so For from the rising of the Sun to the going down of the same my NAME shall bee great among the Gentiles c. as if God should say These are not a people which will bee seeking my Name and my glory and will do nothing in my service without a present reward therefore I will shake them off and will not accept an offering from their hand A narrow hearted self-seeking man is unfit to follow God in his great works for those which will honour God and give glory to his Name they must trust God for their daily bread and above all things minde the hallowing and advancing of Gods Name and if they will make it good in earnest that they are followers of Christ they must be ready to follow the Lord to the loss of ALL. For saith Christ He that hates not father and mother wife and children brethren and sisters yea and his own life also he cannot be my disciple Luke 14.26 And this is made by God the distinguishing difference between those that fear God and those that fear him not Mal. 3.14 15 16. you may there read of a people that though they gave God some outward service yet they looked not at the glory of God but their own advantage and therefore they cry out It is in vain to serve God and what profit is it that wee have kept his Ordinances c. And this is that which a hypocrite looks at in his serving God even his own profit and advantage And here I would a little note to you the practise of this Nation especially their Ministry that Ordinances which brings no profit to the Ministers as namely the great Ordinance of Excommunication which tends to vindicate the Name of God in the earth and to distinguish the precious from the vile yet because this Ordinance of casting out brings them no profit how have they cast it out from among them whiles other things that bring them in profit they appear zealous for And are there not many that seem ready to serve God and his cause but if wee look thoroughly upon them is not their Eye rather upon their own profit than Gods glory But to return to Malachy you have also mention there made of a people that Feared the Lord and what they did in that day verse 17. of which one thing is That they thought upon Gods Name And you may see what notice God takes of it and how hee will reward them for it and this is the distinguishing difference between the righteous and the wicked between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not vers last And thus you may see how these blessed qualifications of the Fear of God and Respect to his Name will fit persons to bee used in the great works God hath to do in the last dayes and therefore they are the two great Lessons he requireth of them I might for further demonstration of the truth of the point adde a 2 Reason Grounded upon Gods severity against persons for the neglect of these things Gods great controversie with men all along hath been upon this score for not fearing him and giving glory to his Name because they did not fear God before all and honour God above all See Jeremiah 5.24 c. Neither say they in their heart Let us now fear the Lord our God c. And at the 29. verse see what God saith Shall I not visit for these things saith the Lord and shall not my soul bee avenged on such a Nation as this So Mal. 3.5 I will be a swift witness against Sorcerers and Adulterers and false swearers and those that turn aside the stranger from their right and Fear not mee saith the LORD of Hosts And that the judgements of God in the latter dayes shall come upon men for this see that forecited text Rev. 14.7 Fear God and give glory to him for the Hour of his Judgement is come and therefore the way to escape the just Judgements of God that are coming forth Is to fear God and give glory to his Name Quest But some may ask as to the first thing God requires What this fear of God is which is so often spoken of in the Scriptures as that which God doth so much delight in Answ I shall at present tender you with some description of it according to that light and experience which I hope I may truly say the Lord hath communicated to me and you may take it as followeth Description It is a precious effect of the Spirit of Christ in the heart of a Beleever whereby through the discovery of the glory of God in his word and works by Christ and in consideration of the vast disproportion between God and the creature he is made to think highly of God in all his Attributes and to have respect unto all his Commandements The definition is something long but I shall prove the particulars to you and 1 I say It is a precious effect of the Spirit of Christ in the heart of a Beleever hee is the subject of it and there is none else that hath this fear of God in him the Apostle speaking of the wicked Rom. 3.18 saith There is no fear of God before their eyes And