Selected quad for the lemma: kingdom_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
kingdom_n	king_n	lord_n	sceptre_n	2,040	5	10.9794	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A13823	The revvard of religion Deliuered in sundrie lectures vpon the booke of Ruth, wherein the godly may see their daily and outwarde tryals, with the presence of God to assist them, and his mercies to recompence them: verie profitable for this present time of dearth, wherein manye are most pittifully tormented with want; and also worthie to bee considered in this golden age of the preaching of the word, when some vomit vp the loathsomnes therof, and others fall away to damnable securitie.	Topsell, Edward, 1572-1625?	1596 (1596)	STC 24127; ESTC S105980	250,925	363

their tedious iourney was eased by their mutuall conference but what things happened to them by the way the scripture mentioneth not onely their intertainment is heere set downe how their comming being noysed about the citie they came vnto them and saluted their old acquaintaunce Naomi by name For this question is not this Naomi after the manner of the Hebrues is a vsuall manner of affirmation as we may see in these places of scripture Where first of all we see the wonderfull mercy of God toward Naomi which in so many yeares absent suffered not her memory vtterly to perish but at her first arriuing did publish her name and comfort her sorrowes Thus God hath many blessings in store for the relieuing of his poore afflicted saintes and surely hee is carefull that the candle of the righteous be not put out for euer But as in one day after many yeares sorrow for Ioseph famine for bread Iacob receiued tidings of the welfarre of his sonne and prouision for his familie euen so the Lord compasseth about the faithfull with songs of deliueraunce that though heauines endure for a night yet ioy commeth in the morning Let vs therfore with the losse and laying downe of our owne liues confesse the goodnes of the Lord for as he draue the king of Babilon for seuen yeares from the throne of maiestie to the wildernes of wild beasts so he called him aganie and restored to him his scepter and seate established his kingdome all the dayes of his life Therefore feare not feare not my beloued haue wee now famine we shall plenty againe Do we cary foorth our seed weeping We shal come againe with plentyfull sheaues Haue we sowed in teares wee shall reap in ioy Haue we bin strangers in other lands we are come home with Naomi to the citie of God his people finally those that feare the Lorde shall bee as mount Sion which can neuer be moued for as there is a time to mourne so there is a time to reioyse and as the wicked shall haue measure for measure so the godly shall receiue reward for reward Secondly by these wordes wee obserue the frui●te of charitie or duetie of neighbours and acquaintance for as these cityzens of Bethlehem came to see and to comfort Naomi so must euery one beare some part of his brothers or sisters sorrow in relieuing their troubled minds by their presence and speeches We reade that Mary went to her cosin Elizabeth being with child that they might commune comfort thēselues in the promises of the Lord. We read how the Iewes accompanyed Mary and Martha weepping for Lazarus and the same also we reade was done at the death of Dorcas What shal I say of the four men which brought the sicke of the palsie vnto Christ and most excellent is the felowship of the saintes in the primitiue church which are said to continue abide together with one accord in praier breaking of bread so that their spirituall comfort of praying and temporall refreshing of corporall foode were priuate to any but also for their comfort as a young child is wrapped in his swadling clothes so was the infancie of Christs church maintained by the company of their faythfull fellowship Oh that wee could loue and liue thus together in the bond of vnitye and christian concord that as we are members of one body so we shuld not be so strange one to another as if the eye had neuer seen the foote or the head neuer knowne the legges such is the scornefulnes of our age wherein men are ashamed of Christ in his members if they be a litle falen into decay how hardly will they comfort them as these Ephrathits do Naomi a poore widow now though once a noble woman They will rather curse thē with Shemei than blesse thē with Tziba but let the faithfull like feeling members of their brethrens affliction looke vppon the Naomies in our dayes some are poore and frendles other sicke and harborles some sorrowfull some hungry many destitute let vs gather to vs these members of Christ our company will more refresh them then our contribution our talke more then our almes our feelling and fellow prayers more then the distribution of our money let vs lay hold on that and yet forget not this for as God hath giuen both to vs so he looketh wee should giue both to other Thirdly by this we obserue how the world is wont to comfort one another for these Bethlemits say vnto her Is not this Naomi that is they comfort her with the consideration of her name which in hebrewe signifieth bewtifull or pleasant as if they had sayd vnto her Although thou art old yet thou art beautifull for thou remainest Naomi still thy name is a prophet vnto thee to forewarn thee of thy welfare and if thou be now like the stubble after the crop yet thou shalt shortly be as the green hearb or plesant plāt comfort thy self Iacob always preuailed with God because his name was alwayes Israel the doue shall bee chast because it is a doue the eie shalbe bright because it is the eie Naomi shalbe blessed because she is Naomi Thus worldly persons wish worldly things the best they desire most is outward prosperitie Neither is this simplie vnlawfull for such as is the sore such must bee the salue and where the wound is the medicine must be ministred if in the world they be oppressed in the same they may not onely wish but praie for release yet alwayes remember that friendes and parties must so desire and request it as may bee most for the glory of God Therfore this is our dutie that in praying for earthly benefites we aime at God his will but in desiring spirituā blessings we must regard our saluations And more also wee must not so rauish the mindes of the worldly afflicted as if they had no other hope but this temporal welfare but so promise the blessings of God as they may haue a spirituall signification for worldly miserie is abated but with euerlasting felicity And Naomi said In these words Naomi answereth to the comforts of her frends telleth thē she rather deserueth to be called Mara then Naomi that is bitter then beautifull whereby shee teacheth vs howe vaine are outward and worldly titles for which cause Iames wisheth vs not to bee called many maisters knowing we shal receiue the greater damnation as if he had said worldly honor bringeth death but desire or loue of carnall comforts cause damnation When the arke of God was taken by the Philistines and the sons of Heli both slain the wife of Phinehas the son of Heli died after her trauaile and named her son Ichabod which is by interpretation wher is the glory although there a man child was borne yet the woman forgate not her sorrowe because the arke of God was taken by the heathen for if shee were the daughter to the chiefest in

Lorde were not able to releeue vs or else were vniust in punishing our sinnes howe can that bee seeing hee calleth for repentaunce and amendement and then promiseth plentye and abundaunce These saintes endured some three some seuen and other tenne yeeres famine and yet wee saye was there euer such a people thus afflicted like to vs with one yeres dearth They were driuen to wander abroade in their enemies Countrie for manie yeeres together shall wee then thinke it such a miserye to goe two or three miles for our corne They aduentured the losse of their liues and wee are afraide of the lessening or diminishing of our goods And shall wee yet saye there was neuer anye people tormented like vnto vs Yea I adde this that euen at this daye there are people in the worlde which s●ant in all their liues doe eate anye bread but onely the barke of trees with some other vnseasonable fish others liue on the rootes of the earth some on the fruites of trees And what shall I saye more our wickednesse is greater then our want our sore is smaller then our sinne our transgressions haue deserued to bee punished with the scourge and yet wee are scarce corrected with the rodde our complaintes are greater then our hu●te and our murmuring exceedeth our misery therefore wee haue greater cause to tremble at that which hangeth ouer our heades then to feare or crye for this which wee already suffer for it is hardly the beginning of sorrow So Mahlon and Chilson Now when they were compassed about vvith the friendes of their vviues vvhich did promise securitie then after a fevve yeeres spent in safetie the Lorde called them avvay after their father Where vvee see our former doctrine iustified that the end of one sorrovve vvas the beginning of another When they were most like to continue then they gaue ouer as it were in the armes of theyr wiues and the sight of their aged mother to whome no doubte this was the greatest griefe of all other that now beeing lefte destitute both of husbande and children she should without comfort liue with the Moabites and without ioye returne agayne vnto her owne Countrey as a bird robbed of her young ones Yet seeing this is our worldly lot still to endure misery let vs set both our shoulders vnder the burthen if it be too heauy let vs flee to the finisher of our faith with zealous and earnest prayers desiring him eyther to ease or to remooue his hande But seeing wee haue spoken of this before this shall suffise at this time to serue for a remembrance Then shee arose When her friends were departed and her selfe lefte comfortles yet the Lord remembred her for euen then came the rumor vnto her that the famine was ceased in Iewry that the Lord had visited the sicknes of his people and restored the plenty of the earth againe and therefore it is time for her to bee hasting home againe for here the holy Ghost setting downe her returne and the cause of the same sheweth that it was euen then when her children were dead for what should a godly woman liue there where were non that could strengthen hir in the wayes of the Lord but rather prouoke her to imbrace infidelity And againe euen at that time when shee was most comfortlesse for the losse of her children came this rumor vnto her of the restoring of her Countrey so that now Naomi thou art here in Moab a sorrowfull pilgrime go home to thy Countrey and bee a ioyfull inhabitant indeede thy children are dead but thou shall haue greater comfort of thy ancient acquaintaince What knowest thou but now the Lord hath called thee to consolation whereas of late thou mightest thinke hee had wrought thy confusion By this wee note that the Lord deferreth to helpe till greatest necessity euen as hee stayed the stroke of Abraham when hee was at the verie instant to cut of little Isaks necke So wee read that when the king of Assiria had inuaded the kingdome of Ezechia wonne his cities subdued his Country conquered his people and had not lefte him two thousand horsmen being destitute of all helpe then the Lord raised vp the king of Ethiop who called the Assyrians from the siege of Ierusalem What shall I saie of Lazarus raised from death Of the deliuerance of Peter out of the handes of Herod the daie before he should haue bene martyred Of the shipwracke wherein Paul was and yet not one of them were lost And excellent is that of Christ sleeping in the shippe on a pillowe suffered his disciples to bee so long tossed with the violence of the sea till they cryed out Lord saue we perish and then hee awaked rebuked the rage of the windes and stilled the stormes of the sea and a peaceable calme followed This is that preseruatiue agaynst desperation which must staie our mindes on the leasure of the Lorde wee must not at the first look for our desires but as Abraham and Zacharia were old before they had any children and yet in the end the Lord promised and also perfourmed euen so when wee haue least hope for obtaining of our desires wee most often receiue them For the Lord desireth our requests for the triall of our fayth and pacience that like as the wheate corne groweth not till it bee dead euen so his works doe not answere our expectation till they seeme to vs impossible that as the most precious pearles are farthest brought and longest in comming when wee haue them we keepe them more carefully euen so his excellent mercies being with difficulty obtained should be esteemed more thankfully Therefore be of good comfort you that now sorrow for you shall bee comforted you that now hunger for you shal be satisfied you that nowe weepe for you shall laugh the Lord will shortly come beare but a litle and he will wipe away all teares from your eies then oh how happy shal they be which haue trusted in him That the Lorde had visited This is the last parte of this scripture being the reason that moued her to returne into her Countrey O it is as if the holy ghost had sayd The Lord looked vpon the afflicted estate of his people supplied their want of food To visit in the scriptures is taken two wayes first to punishe as when God sayth in the second commaundement that he will visite the sinne of the fathers vppon the children vnto the third fourth generation secondly it signifieth some times to pardon or to show mercy as that of Zachary The Lord hath visited and redeemed his people that is hee hath shewed mercy in redeming his people In this later sense it must be taken in this place Now the word properly signifieth to goe to see and is referred to them that are sicke which by a metaphor is applied to sinne for sinne is the sicknes of the soule and is very fitly applied to punishments sent

baser they will enuie them this mischiefe had godly Ioseph noted when hee commanded his seruants to vse his brethren so kindly and Dauid by a seruant was whetted on to bee reuenged vppon Saul Therefore right worshipfull and yet our brethren in Christ as you are careful in your owne persons to do good to the godly euen so followe this Boaz in commanding your seruants to deale friendly also I knowe you shall neuer choose all your seruants of your owne disposition yet if you often warne them you maye chance to winne them for the beginning of religion is the loue of them that professe it euen as hunger in a sicke person is a token of recouerie Then shall you cheerefully receiue Christ into our houses in his poore members and ioyfully assure your consciences you haue vnfainedly loued him for hee which hath giuen his Angels charge ouer vs willeth also that we should giue our seruantes charge ouer our brethren the vnkindnesse which many poore soules haue receiued at the handes of your churlish and stubborne seruantes hath discomforted them more than all your liberalitie hath comforted them What accesse coulde the little children haue to Christ whē the disciples forbad them euen so how shal we repaire to your dwellings when your owne seruants so much as in them lyeth diswarn vs of your houses keepe vs from your presence enuie our meetings and deride our profession Wherefore she fell This verse concerneth Ruth and her answere to those wordes of Boaz first her gesture is described that she fel vpon the earth bowed hir selfe to the ground that is with all shewe of humilitie secondly she commendeth this his kind curtesie because she was a stranger so that by outward behauiour shee gratifieth his gentlenes and exalteth his liberality toward hir by the consideration of her own person which was a stranger therefore vnworthy of so great kindnes Out of the which we chiefely obserue first that it is a dutye of the poorer sort not onely to acknowledge their thankfulnes by woordes but also to testifie it by outward submission for Abraham himselfe vsed it euen to the idolatrous Hithits whē they gaue him leaue to bury his dead twise together This noteth a greater thankfulnes then all the wordes of the worlde in somuch as it is accounted a speciall duetye belonging to superiors as wee may see in Bathshebah to her husband when shee came to tell him how Adoniah raigned and likewise in king Salomon towarde her when she came to aske Abisag Now if these stately persons bowed themselues but in curtesie much more ought wee of duety Then is heere condemned the vnciuill behauiour of many stout personnes which are so farre from bowing that they will hardly thanke theyr brethren for their liberalityes accounting it their duty as they say to giue as if also it were not their dutie to bee thanfull The knowne example of the ten leapers doeth much commend this kind of thankfull behauiour and also condemne the ingratefull affection Other there bee that are in such loue with this cap and knee that it doth them more good to see the poore people bende vnto them then they reioyse that they haue giuen for Christes sake insomuch as they giue that themselues and not the Lord might bee honoured This lacke of reuerence in the one and loue of honour in the other are both vnlawfull because they both proceed from one roote which is the pride of our owne heartes and the conceit of our owne persons But some will say wee do but as that godly Mordecai did which refused to honour the wicked Haman so wee abstaine from doing reuerence to the proud and vaineglorious because wee will not feede their disposition Vnto whom I answere that there were manye causes for which Mordecai refused to bend vnto Haman which they can neuer alledge for themselues the first because he was a wicked Amalekite of a nation whom the Lord commanded the Iewes vtterly to destroy neyther to spare man woman or child as appeareth in the historye of Saule who because he transgressed this commandement of God in sauing Agag their king and certaine oxen to sacrifise it cost him his kingdome and displeasure of God Because of this lawe of the Lorde Mordecai woulde do no honour to this childe of destruction and was blameles Secondly it is thought that the honour which Haman obtained was proper onely to God because hee was aduanced aboue all other and such kind of reuerence we must alway beware of for Shedrach Meshach and Abednego had rather dye then fall downe before the image of the king of Babylon euen so wee must not giue more to man then is his owne but vnto Caesar the thinges which are Caesars and vnto God the things which are Gods And if any for these causes defend their stately behauiour let them consider that the Lord bids vs not to destroy but rather to loue our enemyes And though they require such worship as is due onely to God yet we must not refuse to giue them that which belongeth to man Other can be content to honour them whom they knowe to be godly but the wicked they thinke vnworthy of reuerence because our sauiour would do none to Herod or Pilate Paule to the high Priest when hee called him painted wall To whom I answere that Christ though he called Herode a foxe and woulde do no miracle before him because hee desired but to wonder and not to gloryfie God by it Yet gaue to Herod that duety which pertained vnto him Likewise vnto Pilate when hee tolde him his power came of the Lorde so Paule did reuerence not onely the high priest but also Felix Festus Agrippa who were heathen men though magistrates and therefore were honourable by the lawe of God So then this must remaine for a grounded truth that our betters must bee honoured as men not worshipped as God wee must with Abraham bende as well to the idolatrous Hebron as with Bathshebah to godly Dauid if they receiue more then they are worthy it is not our default but their danger let vs giue to the prophanest person his right and vngodliest caytife that which is his owne Secondly by this wee note that the godlye in giuing must haue no respect of persons countrey or kindred strangers or neyghbours children as Boaz did heere to Ruth who by her owne confession was a stranger and therefore vnworthy but wee shewed you this in the first chapter by the example of the Moabites to Elimelech and his family to bee a thing incident to very naturall men and by them condemned that vse it not much more in them that haue known the truth The which Abraham did to angelles wherevppon the Apostle wisheth to keepe hospitalitie for so some haue receyued angelles in steede of men The Lorde commaunded verie sharplye that no violence bee done to strangers neither yet that any should oppresse

said euen as a man striueth to be deliuered in the pangs of death so he from his tribulation Iob that mirrour of patiēce did so delight in his suffrings that in one place he seemeth to accuse God himselfe to adde to his transgressions that is to make his sins seem greather then they were and how doth hee desire to plead with God about his affliction cursed the day and houre of his death Our sauiour would neuer haue warned vs that in the world we should haue sorrowe and lamentation had he not knowne that the smart of our sufferings would thrust foorth abundance of teares through the vehemency of the paynes and presently hee addeth a secret comparison between a woman in trauail a christian in persecution so that as the one hath most vehement sorrowes and pitifull lamentations so also may the other infinite testimonyes might bee brought for the proofe of this to teach vs that God his children are made of fleshe as well as of spirite and the fleshe is weake though the spirite bee willing therefore wee may feare and cry vnder the burthen of our paines that our afflictions are bitter vnto vs and that the hand of the Lord is grieuous vppon vs. Againe for the comfort of the godly I speake this that if any haue grieuously complained of their sufferings let them impute it to the sharpnes of their paines and the weaknes of their natures wee see this Naomi calleth bitternes vnto her such as shee woulde not willinglye take except it were for the phisicke of her soule and nowe almost ten yeares space this griefe hath growen vppon her so that it may seeme of all others shee was most grieued for now she vttereth her minde as freshlye as if the potion were yet vndigested in the stomacke Be comforted therefore my sorrowfull brethren and sisters you see you are not alone in this miserie for Dauid Iob Naomi Annah Nehemiah and many other are as farre indebted to the Lord in this pointe as euer was any striue to suppresse it by prayer and quench it by singing of psalms neither let vs iudge but charitably of those which in this case are troubled bee it for the losse of their children the death of their husbands the decay of their wealth or the lacke and want of their health If they seme impatient and weaker then our selues let vs beare parte of their burthens vppon our christian comforts that they with vs we with thē like seling members of the same infirmities may sustaine our crosses by our mutuall supplications and obtaine our deliuerance by the bloud of Christ I went out ful In these words she amplifieth her former complaint by this comparison of a full vessell and an empty shewing that as the fullest vessell is the soundest the emptiest good for nothing so it fareth with her when she looketh vpon her former life when shee went foorth shee had plenty but now shee returneth in want then she was found but now broken then ioyfull but now sorrowful why should she be called pleasant or beautiful or by her old name seeing God hath humbled her whereas in times past hee vpheld her in prosperity but now hee hath cast her downe into aduersity Where wee first of all obserue the nature of worldly prosperity which to day is like a ful vessell but to morrowe like an emptye now it is greene anone it is withered now it groweth anone it is cut downe now like Nabuchadnezzar sitting vppon his throane with his counsellors and courtyers of estate about him but anone both Court and Countrey driue him to the companie of wilde beastes for as a little breache emptyeth the barrell so a lyttle trouble bringeth worldly welfare to wallow in the mire Therfore we read of none either king or country which had such a prosperous estate but it had one enimy or other to worke his woe if wee consider the raigne of Salomon where gold was innumerable and siluer as plentifull as stones yet it wanted not his miseries the people were punished by paiments to their prince the king was threatened which the losse of ten parts of his kingdome God stirred Hadud the Edomite against him where ended their peace Where is then y e roialty of Salomon was it not cast downe in one day his riches consumed his buildings burned his children captiuated his wisedome turned to idolatrie his posperitie decayed and al his honour ouerturned Oh that worldlings would consider their sickle estate and bee admonished of their iminent dangers the Lord putteth them into his balance finding them to light casteth them out Ieremy sayth they are but fatted sheepe kept for the day of slaughter now in the pasture and presently it the fire they are but aduanced to bee cast downe againe as the vessel is filled to bee emptied in due time the eares which are now full of corne in the field anon shall ly without on the dunghyll Babilon the queene of the world which ruled as yet was troden downe made a seruant Tyrus that crowned men with her wealth was consumed by warre for the Lord of hosts decreeth al this to staine the pride of glory to bring to contempt all that be mighty vpon the earth Weep weep O daughters of honor the days will come whē y e tēder shal not be regarded for your welth shal not al. ways endure the crowne abideth not from generation to generation your houses shall bee ouerturned your names forgotten your children impouerished your glory defaced your inheritance changed your welfare powred on the earth like water and your worship shall bee neuer repayred This haue God his dearest children felt and the greenest trees haue bene scorched which the fire of God his wrath for hee is not delighted in worldly brauery but hath buried great treasure in the sea which shall neuer bee found to keepe mankind kind from the ende of his purpose for this is their honour they get nothing but with much trauaile and in one houre loose labour life and wealth Secondly that which in our texte is the Lord hath humbled me in the hebrew is The Lord hath testified or witnessed against mee for by his iudgments hee humbleth vs as it ● were producing witnesses to accuse vs of ous iniquityes as wee see in common iudgments all things passe by euidence if they be antient by witnes if it be late so the Lord when hee hath a quarrell against vs he first prooueth vs guilty by witnes of our sins and then punisheth vs for committing transgressions For this cause Moses commaundeth the book of the law to be laid vp in the side of the ark of the couenant for a witnes against the people so the Lord speaketh by Dauid Heare O my people and I will speake heare O Israel I will testifie vnto thee for I am thy God and after this hee reporteth his witnes against them first y t their sacrifices were corrupted