Selected quad for the lemma: kingdom_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
kingdom_n	key_n	open_v	shut_v	2,164	5	9.3630	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A13528	The beavvties of Beth-el Containing: sundry reasons why euery Christian ought to account one day in the courtes of God, better then a thousand besides. Preached in Cambridge, and now published especially for the benefite of those that were the hearers.	Taylor, Thomas, 1576-1632.	1609 (1609)	STC 23820; ESTC S107524	54,350	140

tender mother accounts it not enough to bring forth her child except shee also nursse and cherish it vp vnto mans estate So hath the Lord in these sacraments to shew the aboundant sweetnesse of his loue in Christ after hee hath in the word preached made the couenant of grace knowne vnto men hee also doth most surely seale it vp vnto their soules by those seales of the righteousnesse of faith The former sealing vp their vnion ingrafting and fellowship with Christ from whom as from a roote they draw and sucke the moysture of grace without which they are but dead and withered branches The latter assuring their continuall grouth and encrease in him till they become tall trees of righteousnesse and both of them further helping both our vnderstandings as glasses by which we see clearer into the mistery of our redemption as also our memories as monuments before our eyes with which sence of learning our God would haue vs taught as well as by the other of hearing as in the third place both of them not onely spurring vp euery beleeuer to the performing of the couenant but also strengthening him to euery good duty whereby hee may magnifie this grace of God Thirdly for prayer how vnspeakable is the glory of GOD rendred by the Church gathered together and how wonderfull are the blessings which are vouchsafed the Church from God in and by meanes of this holy dutie especially when they are assembled in the house of prayer In the former regarde is it sayd by the Prophet Praise waiteth for thee in Sion For what greater honour can befall the Lord then first in petition to bee acknowledged the giuer of euery good and perfect gift to bee depended vpon for all comfort instruction and euery good grace to bee acknowledged the author and finisher of our faith the beginner and accomplisher of all our workes in vs and for vs and in the confession of our indignity and misery euen the best to haue his free grace amplified and his prerogatiue yeelded him whose priuiledge it is to say I will forgiue Secondly in prayses to be magnified by his whole Church for the fruites of his free loue manifestlie shining in his workes of creation redemption preseruation and saluation of his Church yea and when his people haue done all they can in way of thankfulnesse for them yet euen the best of them shall acknowledge that they cannot finde what to render vnto him for his vndeserued loue Thus the Tribes goe vppe to Ierusalem to praise the name of the Lord. In the second respect what a singular priuiledge is it that wee haue leaue giuen vs by our requests to speake and commune with our God and where-as the riche treasures of grace and good things are with him surely kept as vnder locke and key how happily may wee by this meanes vnlocke and open them all vnto our selues Yea that when wee cannot by any thing in vs or from vs demerite the least blessing wee beeing lesse then the least mercy yet if wee can but lift vppe one request of faith wee haue preuayled and ouer-come God himselfe in the greatest And if the prayer of one righteous man can preuaile so much as the scriptures testifie of Moyses Iacob Elias how much more when two or three consent togither in priuat prayer But when publike prayer is presented vp by many yea the whole church how can that but exceed in strength For as in experience we see many flowers bound together yeeld the stronger sent and compound water is sweeter thē simple many sticks make a great fire and vnited force more forceable so euery christian alone and a part in this duty is acceptable vnto God but when many ioyne in holy society they are much more pleasing vnto him much more ioyfull among them-selues and much more mutually incouraged to the practises of piety loue one towards another Publike breaches are soone made vp if many Moysesses stand vp in the gap Publike peace if it be wanting is speedily and happily procured when many Eliases lift vp requests vnto the Lord euery one of which are as strong as the Horsemen and Chariots of Israel Publike blessings are easily obteyned when many Iacobs wrastle together with the Lord Fully resolued not to lette him goe vntill hee haue giuen them a blessing The publike ministry is successefully both setled and exercised when the Saints striue with their Ministers by prayers to God for them and when the faithfull labour together in praier for the same purpose The priuate necessities also of any one priuate member of the Church are sooner supplied by the instance and importunity of the whole and such as cannot come vpon their owne feet as the man sicke of the palsie are lette downe by the cordes of the churches prayer and sette before Christ. A powerfull and preuayling thing is it with the Lord when a number of beleeuers are in one place and one accord of one heart and one soule as it were in many bodies to whom hee hath giuen one heart and one way yea one pure language to cal on his name and serue him with one shoulder Fourthly if vnto the three former we shal ad the last part of the ministry performed in our holy meetings we shall see both the glory of God further inlarged the benefit of the church amplified For here we haue also to our vnspeakable good the Keyes of the Kingdome opening and shutting heauen the power of binding or loosing of sinners The authority of deliuering to Satan the obstinate sinners and releasing the penitent Now what glory is it to the almighty when his iust sentence is before hand denounced against the vngodly of the earth Where by him-selfe is cleared in his iudgement and the sinner more iustlie wrapped vp in the bandes of death which he had no care to preuent And on the other side no lesse comfort it is for the humble soule in the same Ministerie of the Word preached to bee fully released from sinne and absolued from all his vnrighteousnesse and assured that whatsoeuer such sentence is rightly pronounced in Earth is ratified also in Heauen These thinges beeing of such an high nature as in which the publicke worshippe of GOD is performed to his so great glorie and our own so great good no marueil if Dauip be so instant in his desire yet these things were after a sort vailed and but shadowed in that ministry of the sanctuary For the Arke it selfe was with curtaines and there lay no high way vnto it no not for Dauid him-self only men must look towards it in their prayers And within that Arke were hidde and chested vppe the tables of the couering representing the VVord read and preached In the Tabernacle also was the golden potte of Mannah a speciall type of our Sacraments and the rod of Aaron shadowing the rod of the church Discipline How much more should wee were wee not so

is the Mother of vs all And of Sion is it sayd that many are borne in her And this last was not the least motiue which stirred in our holy Prophet these instant desires The Lord is grace and glory not onely because the Lord is the glory of his people here and hereafter Nor that onely in the Church the Lord reueileth his glorie but also because he leadeth his children vnto it by the meanes there by his wisdome appointed Now considering the places whereon our feete stand are holy ground the persons present holy and glorious the duties performed holy and spirituall the priuiledges of Gods people so preacious and aboundant in all these regardes can we doe lesse then wish our portions and shares in them and doth it not now seeme a most reasonable and religious wish to spend if it were but one day here rather then a thousand else-where or shall wee still neede many goads to prouoke vs to loue or rejoyce in Ierusalem where wee may thus suck and bee satisfied with the brest of her consolation where wee may milke out and bee delighted with the brightnesse of her glory If wee would haue our hearts iustifie vs in this holy reioysing our labour must bee to see dayly further into these beauties of Gods house which may rauish our hearts with the loue of it aboue all other places in the earth The Scriptures not in a few places aduanceth and highly extolleth such assemblies as wherein God and his people are mette together to the former purposes and all that our hearts and affections might bee mooued to enquire and finde out such excellencies here as the mouth of the Lord himselfe hath so frequently recommended vnto vs. The Prophet Isay saith that the house of the Lord is prepared in the top of the mountaines and exalted aboue the hills Which place may receiue some light by that comparison which the Prophet Dauid maketh betweene Mount Sion and mount Basan and many other great hills Why hoppe yee so yee hills this is Gods hill By Mountaines are meant the greatest Empires and most flourishing Kingdomes of the earth abounding with wealth and power which all in Basan are made inferiour to Sion not that either in spaciousnesse of ground or multitude or goodnesse of people or strength or riches or outward pompe and glory Sion was comparable to any of them for the kingdome of Israell was the least and fewest and as badde and wicked as any people vnder heauen It was bounded and shutte vppe in a small modell and compasse of ground and for strength and power came farre short of the great kingdomes of Assyria Aegipt c. How then was it so aduanced and exalted aboue the mountaines surely herein This is Gods hill and so made high aboue all nations in praise name and glory Gods dwelling in it was the wealth strength and beauty yea I adde the blessednesse of it for blessed is that land whose God is the Lord. Thus also was Capernaum said to be lifted vp vnto heauen onely in regarde of the presence doctrine and miracles of Christ. So in our Bethels God himselfe is the beauty and glory of euery of them his administration here farre excelling Salomon in all wisdome the owner of it being the true Salomon the God of Israel who as a great housholder out of his goodnesse fostereth out of his wisdome teacheth out of his power ruleth and out of his rich mercy tendreth the complaints and requests of euery one within his gates In this house all the houshould seruants haue one liuery and garment the righteousnesse of Christ to cloath them all feed at the selfe same table and eate childrens bread all haue one elder brother Iesus Christ the first borne of many brethren all haue one sort of seruants the Angels who not onely goe before them and at their heeles but as a guard are pitched about them all haue one inheritance and become heyres and fellow heyres with Christ himselfe The wisdome glory of which whole administration if we could as well behold as the Queene of Seba did the orders in Salomons Court we could not but account them blessed that might here be admitted into place of seruice to heare the wisdome of the King of glory and Prince of peace who dwelleth within these euerlasting doores Which heauenly delights while men know not no maruaile if they affect them not But on the contrary one comming to behold them in any euidence as little maruaile is it if with Dauid they would enioy them with exchange of all earthly pleasures For who is it which hath neuer so little tasted of the goodnesse of God that loues not the Lords habitation and the place where his honor dwelleth yee that thirsteth not after God and his presence as the Hart brayeth after the riuers of water Secondly if our hearts bee sound in this reioysing then can wee not but in heart and affection ioyne our selues vpon all good occasions vnto the Church of God in her meetings as such as would pertake of her priuiledges for this is a note of a conuerted person The beleeuers continued in the Apostles doctrine and fellowship and breaking of bread and prayers And if such multitudes of sundrie sortes of people and such as could not finde their names in the genealogie came out of Aegipt and out of Babilon with the Israelites onely because they saw GODS blessing following that people How much more should wee bee prouoked to ioyne our selues to such societies as are assembled to worshippe him in spirit and truth seeing it is not any temporall blessing which runnes into our eye but spirituall and eternall neither any out-warde priuiledge which wee alone may make account of as they but such as is inwarde and heauenly yea such as rayseth vs vnto the condition of the sonnes of the liuing God But those mens hearts are not right within them that neede but the wagging of a strawe to keepe them from Church much lesse of those who place their felicitie in turning away from GOD from his ordinances and the place of his true worshippe what-so-euer their pretences may bee And heere it shall not bee amisse to meete with some of them especially such as are scarcely to be mette with-all euen there where some writers haue to verye fruitefull purpose set them-selues to answere the most obiections of this kinde 1. And first to admonish such as neede no other thing then theyr owne wilfulnesse to excommunicate and banish them-selues from the house of God and assemblies of the faithfull Of these the first sorte professe themselues touched with zeale of the glory of GOD they haue obserued the wilde beast of the Forrest to haue broken downe our hedge throwne our pale to the ground and with a prophane foote troden downe and rooted vp all our holy things they see no beauty but all deformity and nakednesse in our Churches which yet they