Selected quad for the lemma: land_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
land_n	egypt_n	lord_n	stretch_v	1,524	5	11.0626	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A11627	The course of conformitie as it hath proceeded, is concluded, should be refused.	Scott, William, ca. 1566-1642.; Calderwood, David, 1575-1650, attributed name.; Melville, James, 1556-1614, attributed name.	1622 (1622)	STC 21874; ESTC S120840	184,517	202

T●● Course of Conformitie As it 〈◊〉 proceeded Is concluded Should be refused PSALM 94.20 Shall the throne of iniquitie haue fellowship with me which frameth mischiefe by a law Printed in the yeare 1622. THE PREFACE TO THE READER IN the restlesse revolution of this troublesome 〈◊〉 driving everie person and purpose to their app● 〈…〉 all being under vanitie one generation passe● 〈…〉 other succeedeth with as many grievous novelti● 〈◊〉 ●ge alterations Mutation the inseparable companion of ●●●●on like a Princesse presuming upon the kingdome kirks and families of the earth But by the soveraigne providence of that unchangeable God who directeth the steps of man and ●●th put in his own power the time to plant and the time to pluck up that which is planted is so oversweyed in the most variable and different humors of men so limited that some as the scoffers of the last dayes laughing at mutation say Where is the promise of his comming Others to wit the wicked man in his prosperitie persecuteth the poore saying he shall never be moved A third sort viz. the slavish time-server like soft waxe flexible to every n●w forme boweth to mutation making her variant colours his crowne and contentment And the best sort the wise Christian hating change and loving constancie striveth to walk circumspectly redeeming the time from the dangerous currant All these and others whatsoever whether by sinne irregular or by grace sincere and straight by supreme wisedome are so disposed that they must needs serve the holy proiects of Iustice and Mercie for the honour of God and salvation of his chosen In this continuall course Mutation so prevaileth upon succeeding generations that as they are distant from the first times they decline from primitiue innocencie and as they approach to the later dayes they participate of their evils Yea so forcible is Defection the daughter of this Mutation in the congregations of the faithfull that the vacant places of the righteous departed are seldome or never filled againe their labours followeth them and they are forgotten If the kirk bee in Aegypt Ioseph dieth and there ariseth a new king there who knew not Ioseph When the people enters into the land Iosua and that generation is gathered to their fathers and another generation ariseth up after them which neither knoweth the Lord nor the works which he had done for Israel by Moses and Iosua in Aegypt at the red sea in the wildernesse and at the entrance into the promised land And in the land it selfe after Athaliahs troubles Ioash whose life was saved by Iehoiada and in whose dayes he did that which was righteous in the sight of the Lord after his death h●arkneth to the Princes who make obeysance to the King and leaving the house of the Lord God of their fathers serve idols but Ioash remembreth not the kindnesse done by Iehoiada but slayeth his sonne As by these strange alterations fearfull eclipses were brought upon the face of common honesty likely to banish religion out of the earth so under the ends of the world surpassing the preceeding generations in loue decayed and iniquitie multitiplied if it were not the rich mercy and undeserved loue of the Lord not to suffer the rod of the wicked to rest upō the lot of the righteous but now and then in the middest of confusions brought on by Mutation to refresh them under the sweet shadowes of peace and prosperitie the very elect could hardly escape If adversitie beare the sway the people of God are in hazard to put out their hands to evill and if prosperitie prevaile then the kingdome of heaven is likened unto a man who sowed good seed in his field but while men slept his enemie came and sowed tares among the wheat which may not be gathered up till the harvest lest the wheat also be rooted up with them When the Lord his field shall be once infected with such venemous mixture of false teachers their foolish disciples renouncing their own libertie slavishly submitting themselues without triall to follow their seducers in lasciviousnes and avarice for atchieving their own vitious hopes if Israel were not poured from vessel to vessel they should freeze upon their dreggs like Moab so loose not only their comely countenance but the health and life of their substantiall estate the deceitful colours of these supervenient weeds so dazling the eyes of the common sort for the most part more naturall then spirituall and either vailed with black ignorance or blind hypocrisie that religiō in her natiue simplicitie purity seemeth to them an handmaid rather then a mistres if she bee not busked with some new guise of one alteration or other In this change if a Priest or a Levit or any of the ancient shall happen to weep for the first Temple by the meanes of mutation thus d●faced or enquire for the old way by ignorance in the reasonlesse multitude by pride in high places and perversitie of reputed learning he maketh himselfe a prey a troubler of Israel and not meet to liue There ariseth no small stirre about that way whole cities are filled with confusion and the cry goeth up for the Diana of the time If Paul himselfe were gotten he would not passe with pestilent fellow but stone him to the death before he be heard yea when the furie of Mutation inflameth the minds of Barbarians if they see a viper of adversity on a mans hand they say surely he is a murtherer and if no inconvenience follow he is a God So madly are the hearts of men set in them privily to blind themselues with the beams of their own particulars and the world with open shew of seeming zeale for justice and religion The toyles tossings of these Circaean changes are ever so unsavourie to a man of a quiet spirit that if the wronged innocencie of a just cause shamelesse violence done to the rights priviledges of religion and the intolerable pride practised against famous kirks vnheard could be closed up in any tolerable silence honest men knowing very well that the railings of reprochers never woundeth a good conscience could rather choose to sustaine a legion of bitter aspersions for peace to preach the Gospell then either to interrupt their owne tranquilitie or giue the least cause of suspition to any that they were brought from the sweet course of their pure peaceable and simple wisedome to contend for their impured fame and reputation and so to hinder the preaching of Christ For what matter is it though men be despised disgraced and scorned so long as the Lord may bee honoured thereby But when the night of securitie shall bee so dark and shamelesse pride ascend to such a height that not onely the lower sort but men of great spirits and places can with a deafe eare passe by the wrongs done to sincere professours faithfull ministers and martyrs of good memorie but by a sort of brutish patience suffer a substantiall truth to be borne down

he neither can finde out the cause nor make any good use of the particulars Archip. Ye know both the truth of the generall and the true cause thereof and therefore let me know the particular Epaph. Vpon that last day of the Parliament before foure houres after noone vvhen all the Actes vvere now concluded and mens hearts vvere insulting upon the Defenders glorying in their own vvittie counsels rejoycing in their great success● gaping for great thankes and reward and wishing every one he vvere the first reporter that he might be carver of his own praise as if he had recovered the Kingdom of Bohemia and the Palatinat The Lord Commissioner rising from his throne for ratifying all that vvas done by touch of the Scepter vvas trysted by the God of heaven For at the verie moment of that ratification the heavens send in through the vvhole vvindowes of the house an extraordinarie great lightning after the first a second more glancing and then a third most terrible of all Immediately after the lightnings an un●outh and extraordinarie darkenes for the suddennesse and greatnesse therof astonishing all and couching the insolent joyes of some The lightning vvere seconded vvith three lou● blasts of thunder in sound and short continuance of every blast like the shot of some Cannon extraordinary great and were taken by many vvithin the house of Parliament to be shotts from the Castle It appeared to all that dwelt within ten or twelue miles that the clowdes stood right aboue the town and that the darkenesse overshadowed that part onely By one of the blasts the Beacon standing in the entry of Leith haven vvas beaten down After the lightnings darknes and thundering their fell down a shoure of haile stones extraordinary great and last of all a strange raine making the streetes to runne like rivers imprisoning the Lords about the space of an houre and a halfe and straitly forbidding to honour these fiue Articles vvith ordinarie pompe and solemnity So that the servants rode home on the footmantles and the Masters vvith drew themselues some by coach and some on foot through the neerest privie wayes Next as if the heavens had resolved never to countenance these ill-gotten creatures upon Munday the 20 of August vvhen the Act●s vvere proclaimed the same m●●g●ation vvas renewed by thunder si● 〈◊〉 and great raine co●●●●ing all the time of the riding at the Crosse And thirdly vvhat hath followed since yee can vvitnesse your selfe The tempests of vvind and raine b●g●n at that time haue so continued through the u●●outh unseasona●●●nesse of the ●●e harvest in many places S Luke gat not a st●w●k and the ●●●ne universally are shaken and rotten in such measure that never was there in this Country such it equality of ●ri●es in 〈◊〉 short time never greater feare of famine vvant of ●●ed to s●● the ground for the next crop It is pittifull to remember if it could be forgotten so long as there is a Kirk in Scotland the impetuous inundations of vvater carrying away vvith their violen●e not onely cornes cattle and bridges but houses plenishing people and all Perth hath good reason to call to mind the month of May the yeare 1591 vvherein by certaine commissioners they confessed to the Generall Assembly their rash and suddain receiving of the apostat Lords troublers of Kirk and Kingdome and promised never to giue su●h occasion in time comming but to assist and maintaine the Kirk of God and the true Religion presently professed vvithin th●● Realme as at more length is contained i● the●● own confes●ion From the months of March 1●●6 and August 1618 vvherein r●s●e●●● vvas both begun and c●ncluded that unhappie cha●ge wh● i● hath been and is a cursed mother of many miseries to this Kirk and Kingdome unto vvhich howsoever they were disposed it vvas openly spoken in the publi●k meeting that they were inclinable And if it were so they 〈…〉 as farre from their first prom●s● as th●y inclined to that alt●●ation Item Item the moneth of Octob. 1621 vvherein the 〈◊〉 and rumbling of vvaters and fear and danger vvithin their 〈◊〉 sends them to seek their safety by the losse of their fa●● ●●●ly bridge vvith such affection as the merchant casts his goods in the sea or the owner runnes his ship on ground for safety of mens l●ues The Lord had an eye to the teares of their sorrow and h●ard their cryes from the depths he releeved and saved them and they stand his debters of thems●lues for their great redemption and that wonderfull deliverance And likewise the town of Berwick did see the unresistable rage of Tweed by whose violence was hurled away not onely their ancient vvodden bridge but that new and strong one sinely builded of stone no lesse destinate to beare that honourable remembrance Hoc uno ponte duo regna conjunxi Deus diu conjuncta cons●rvet then to be a common servant to the North and South parts of this Iland It is moreover pittifull to heare the lamentation of vvidowes children and friends at home for the l●sse of their deere husbands loving fathers and trustie and tender friends by sea and specially in those townes that are most z●alous to follow novelties in religion and also pittiful to remember the great regrat of Borgh and Land for vvant of fewel to prepare their meat and drinke and refresh their persons against the injuries of the vehement cold And yet few strikes upon the thigh and askes why are all these things come upon us But for further humiliation the Lords hands is yet stretched out to see if any vvill repent and returne For before the vvearisome end of this unseasonable harvest and the vvheat seed which farre by the ordinarie custome of this Country vvas not begun in December there is come on a heavie Winter vvith great hunger and cold striking all that haue fore sight vvith feare and care to ease themselues of such persons as they may spare and to liue as retired as possible they can and daily increasing pittifull cryes not onely of vagabond beggars but of many honest persons who if they had employment as before were able to succour themselues by the fruit of their labours What the spring and summer following may bring forth of such beginnings it is hard for us to inquire 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Read Euseb l. 9. cap. 7. after him Niceph. l. 7 cap. 28. Rules for reducing the iudgements of God to their own proper causes and best for all To watch and pray to be zealous and amend and to resolue to exercise their patience and charitie as the Lord hath measured unto them Archip. I know that the providence of God ruleth and the fin of man procureth all judgements and afflictions And I thank my God I haue learned against the Atheisme of the times some rules to direct me how to reduce particular judgements to particular causes and to father them right upon their owne deserving sinnes As 1 by denunciation in the word

the Iesuits of late haue shaken a Minerva out of their braines for maintaining multitudes of monsters I referre to your selfe and vvill giue but two instances of our purpose one of heresie under the Gospell another of idolatry under the Law Archip. That vvere sufficient vvhat heresie meane you Epaph Never was there an heretick that defended a more pestilent opinion with more plausible pretexts Pretexts for Arrianisme and subtil evasions then Arrius and his sectaries for vvhen they were desired to acknowledge Christ to be the son of God as he is called in the Creed they accepted of that word because the Apostle sayth We are all the sonns of God When they vvere assayed vvith the word onely begotten they received it meaning of that dignitie singular glory in him aboue all the creatures beside And to this end alledged the known place Prov. 8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thirdly there was added Before the world was made This they exponed of the creation of Christ and all the Angels before the vvorld vvas made The fourth addition God of God they escaped by acknowledging all the Angells also to bee Gods of God And the fift light of light they esteemed to be common to all the godly Ye are the light of the world once darknes but now light When sixtly they excluded adoption by adding True God of the true God that they admitted also because the true uncreated God cannot be the author nor maker of false Gods When seventhly for stopping of this starting hole it was added Begotten not made they escaped by the place of Deuteronomie Thou hast forsaken the God who begat thee Never could this monster of heresie be catched by cōfessiō of faith til at last the kirk was led by the spirit to the vvord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vvhich in end proved to be the Shibboleth As the other three words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vvere used by other three councels against the other three kinds of heresies concerning the person of Christ God-man Archip. I perceiue that Heretickes and Polititians vvere not shepheards of Colliers of old more then the learned seducers in out dayes that it is hard to frame a confession of faith vvhich they vvill refuse to subscribe and yet for any contrarie errour or practise can soone find some evasion and that no heresie nor errour ever wanted the owne probabilitie and pretext Come now to the second instance Epaph. It is the Idolatry of Ieroboam which might haue been defended or excused by the kirk and state of that time as well as the Idolatry of this age by the authoritie and Clergie now Archip. Idolatry aboue all other sinnes is the service of the Divells Idolatry is that to the all seeing iealous God vvhich adulterie is to a loving and iealous husband committed in his owne sight Idolls are things of naught dung excrements sorrowes abhominations vanities lies Idolaters of all sinners haue the threatning and execution of the greatest iudgements in this life diseases of all kindes Levit. 26. vvithout respect of persons 2. Chron. 21.18.19 famine for many yeares 1. King 17. the sword Levit. 26.26 the desolation of Cities and scattering of the inhabitants among other nations All vvhich came to passe in particular upon Israell In the vvorld to come they shall not inherite the Kingdome of God And all that are of their fellowship shall be confounded Es 44 11. Ieroboam could tell this full well he heard himselfe rebuked by the Prophet he felt his arme miraculously first dryed up and then cured againe he saw vvith his eyes the Altar rent he lost in one battell fiue hundreth thousand chosen men 2 Chron. 13 17 and the children of Iudah prevailed because they relyed upon the Lord God of their fathers ver 18 his sonne Abijah was taken from him and Gods hand was still against that house till it vvas sweeped out from the ground I am sure he could haue no excuse for his sinn Epaph. Idolatry hath this evill beside other evils and aboue the evill of other sinnes that no man confesseth himselfe to be an idolater or his vvorship to be idolatry but ostinately defends disputes preacheth writeth persecuteth for it closeth his heart against whatsoever can be said from the word of the Lord against it and sets his ●it on edge to devise pretences and find out shifts to excuse it Archip. What could Ieroboams Priests or Polititians say for him and his worship Epaph. The truth is Pretexts 〈◊〉 Ieroboams idolatry that his desire to confirme the Kingdome to himselfe feare of the alienation of the peoples hearts in case they were suffered to resort to Ierusalem want of faith to beleeue the promise of God and to seek counsell of him prevailed so far with him and with the estates of the Kingdome that they resolved to set up a worship of their own not like that of Iudab And vvhen the Priests and Levits according to their duety resisted the novation as liking better of their better warranted old profession both they and some of all the Tribes of Israel following the voyce of God in their mouthes were hardly intreated vvhereupon there arose a great schisme The men of Iudah and some of Israel objected that they had forsaken God but the most part of Israel judged them to be renters of the unity of the Kirk rebells against the King who was advanced by the Lord beside all expectation vvas their lawfull Prince peaceably disposed contenting himselfe with his own Kingdome providing for the good estate of his own people and using all meanes that they follow not other gods and esteemed them to be superstitious Precisians in standing out against so gracious a King commanding nothing against any article of faith against any fundamentall point of salvation detesting the Gods of the Nations and all kinde of idolatry The matters he urged were but circumstantiall rituall and variable and such as the best Kings having the Lords approbation had changed before They could say that the worship vvas the same in substance that they served the same God who brought them out of Egypt with the sacrifices and observation of all the statutes kept by all the fathers since the beginning of the world That their Bullockes which Precisians called idols were similitudes representing the onely sacrifice of the Messiah in whom they looked for salvation Were there not Cherubines in the Tabernacle and Temple and twelu Oxen or Buls of brasse appointed by the wisest King The Lord forbiddeth such images onely as haue divine worship done unto thē like the Calfe in the wildernes turning the glory of God into the similitude of a bullock that eateth grasse But they could say that they worshipped not these Calues more then the images of the Cherubines Are we so grosse when we say Behold our Gods as to think that they brought us out of Egypt We speake figuratiuely as the Arke vvas called the King of Glorie and the holy Lord God

Wee vvill rather giue our liues lands libertie and all then commit Idolatry for the pleasure of any Prince and doe abhorre the abuse of Images vvhich is to bow down and serue them albeit we be not of that mind but we may haue them and worship God by them because we know no place of Scripture to the contrary The place of worship is but a circumstance and to tie Gods presence to any place who is neere in all times and places to them that call upon him is superstition The Arke was not ever in one place but often removed In Salomons own time there was two publick places of Gods worship and Salomon sacrificed in them both Is not the whole land holy The promise made to Salomon of a speciall presence at Ierusalem was tyed to the condition of keeping his Statutes and Iudgements wherein he hath failed And therefore as his Throne is thrown down which the Lord at the same time promised to establish so hath the place lossed the priviledge of holinesse We may plead from Antiquity for heere is Bethel so famous for that glorious testimony of his presence given to Iacob from whom we this day haue the name of Israel Rehoboam is no wiser then his father he may fall into his Idolatry and so Israel by resorting to Ierusalem may be snared All danger of Idolatry would be prevented the poore people eased of their tedious journies and both Prince and people saved from Rhehoboams conspiracy All this dinne and division proceedeth of the humours of some contentious and avaritious Levits seducing the simple people making them to thinke that God cannot be served but in Ierusalem after their fashion in every circumstance and particular ceremony and of the doting of some persons of the weakest wit and sex delighting to goe abroad to be talked of for zeale and more pleased with any worship then that which they haue at home The observation of the Feast of Tabernacles upon the 15 day of the 8 month is but the change of a circumstance of time The day was made for man and not man for the day It was lawfull by Gods own warrant to keep the Passeover on the 14 day of the second month he careth not for the month so the day be kept It is presumption to alter things substantiall in matters of faith or doctrine but superstition to stand upon circumstances and variable ceremonies What can be done the Lords worship cannot be neglected If the Priests of Levi make it nice will still proue contentious and lead a faction with them for strengthning the Kingdome of Iudah upon warrant of Antiquity before the distinction of Levi was made for orders sake others of other Tribes as vvell qualified as themselues must be put in their places and they put away as Abiathar was by Salomon because he had his hand with Adoniiah It may be vvhen they see their places well filled and the charity of profuse people which cannot last long to decay that their giddiness goe away and they returne to their right wits The Prophet that came to the King when his hand dryed up might haue beene a Witch comming vvith lying vvonders for he vvas slaine by a Lyon and howsoever he threatned destruction he condescended upon no time left he should haue been convinced of a lye Abijah dealt not with the King in meeknesse and sincerity as became a Prophet but by his bitternesse and passion declared that that he vvas partially inclyned to Iudah Abijah dyed not before his day All things come alike to the godly and to the vvicked to him that sacrificeth and him that sacrificeth not Or if his death vvas untimous it was rather for his secret intentions crossing his fathers courses then for any good that was in him towards the God of Israel as the Prophet would haue it Archip. You need to goe no further I haue often thought upon the Idolatrie of Ieroboam but never could know what pretexts he could devise to make all Israel to sinne And upon the contrary we are blinded and consider never the pretexts of the idolaters of our times but are miscarryed with their Idolatrie albeit it equall if it exceed not that of Jeroboam All men are more equall Iudges of other times then of their own They can admire the vertues and condemne the sinnes of old or in other places at this time but can neither discerne the one nor the other in the present time amongst themselues It is easie to finde out a Since or a Forasmuch c. to begin an Article with when so much may be said for the greatest abominations Shall I never by Gods grace suffer my eyes to be dazeled with the beauty of colours as I haue done For all pretences vvil proue but fig tree leaues when the Lord vvho vvill not be mocked cryeth to the fugitiue conscience where art thou And I thinke as little now of my third difficulty of promise that no more shall be urged upon the Kirk heereafter Epaph. It were good to examine the particular pretences expressed in the actes concluding the fiue Articles but that is done already And ye may guesse by the first and greatest what stuffe is to be found in the rest 1 The place of the 95 Psalm which is alledged commandeth not when we come to worship God that we fall c. for so kneeling vvere commanded in every exercise of Gods vvorship and it vvere against Gods commandement to vvorship him vvithout falling down and kneeling 2 Our Kirk used not sitting since the Reformation of Religion because kneeling vvas abused but because it vvas most convenient to the Institution of Christ as is declared before 3 Whither the memory of by past or the sense and multiplication of present superstition may not be a better pretence for the contrary conclusion I feare the times shall giue reply to your third Argument and I vvish that the answer of the third difficultie vvere more difficill than 〈◊〉 The third difficultie answered It is the prerogatiue of the promises of God to be beleeved aboue experience sense and reason vve ought to judge of their verity by the judgment of infallibility of mens persons by the judgment of charity and of mens speeches and promises by the judgement of prudence Iudicium Veritatis Cha●●atis Prudentiae Christian prudence looketh back upon this course to the very beginning considereth how it is still working and seeth the future effects alreadie present in the causes As there is great difference bewixt one broken linck and the whole golden chaine of Gods providence so one ceremony is but a small part of the mysterie of iniquity I would know vvhat it is to resist the beginning of evill and vvhether the posterity may justly blame the predecessors for giving vvay to mischievous practises Prastate ero nos ut ea que pueri suscepimus senes posteris reliuquamus ne quid futura aetas inveniat corrigendum It was well said by Symmachus