Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
lord_n	aaron_n	abraham_n	moses_n	206	3	6.6820	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29117	Elijah's epitaph and the motto of all mortalls in the other reason in the text, perswading him into a willingness to dye, in these words, I am no better then [sic] my fathers, I Kin. 19, 4 / by Thomas Bradley, D.D. one of His Late Majesties chaplains and præbendary of York, and preach't in the minster there, and in his rectory of Ackworth, 1669, Ætatis suæ, 72.	Bradley, Thomas, 1597-1670.	1670 (1670)	Wing B4131; ESTC R34264	17,583	51

in Jesurum yet in his temper the meekest man in all the Earth Saint Paul an Arch-Apostle the great Doctor of the Gentiles yet speaking of himself see how he lessens himself If he speak of Saints I am saith he the least Ephes 3.8 If of sinners I am the greatest 1 Tim. 1.15 The truth is they that have Grace know they want more then they have they are enlightened and so see their wants their corruptions their infirmities and are sensible of them Those that are voyd of Grace as they have it not so they doe not feel the want of it nor hunger and thirst after it for it is an Act of Grace to be sensible of the want of Grace And a further Act of Grace to hunger and thirst after it in spirituall things None think better of themselves then they that have least cause Empty Vessels make the greatest noyse and sound those that are full doe not so They are the light Eares of Corne that stand staring up in the field over-looking and over-topping the rest those that are weighty with Corne hang down their heads In the Pharisee and the Publican in the Gospel you have them both Luke 18. ver 10.11 c. I thank God I am not as other Men nor as this Publican I fast twice a week I pay Tythes of all that I have c. An empty Vessell see what a sound he makes and all this while but as sounding brass and a thinkling Cymball The other with a penitent heart and a submissive Voyce makes his humble Confession and Petition to Almighty God Lord be mercifull to me a sinner He goes away justified rather then the other The Voyce of humble Saints in the estimate of themselves was wont to be that of David 1 Chron. 29. Lord who or what am I that thou hast dealt thus bountifully with me that thou hast brought me hitherto But now the Voyce of empty and conceited Christians hypocrites rather is clean contrary What am I not am I not knowing am I not wise am I not holy had such a conceited Christian all that he pretends to have and pride himselfe in it that very humour would marr all the rest and take away from it all the thanks acceptance and reward in that he prides himselfe in that which is not his own and robs God of his glory For what hast thou which thou hast not received And if thou have received it to whom is the prayse of it due to the Receiver or to the Giver to the Owner or to the Donor David apprehended rightly of this when he confesseth That in all the largeness which he and the people had given towards the building of the Temple to the Honour and Worship of God they had given him nothing but what was his own 1 Chron. 29.14 Of thine own have we given thee Of his own every way For first 'T was he that gave them the substance which they contributed to that pious use Secondly 'T was he that gave them the heart to doe so so it was his own every way Of thine own have we given thee If there be any good in us whether Naturall Morall or Spirituall it is his own If any evills that 's our own and this is so much in comparison of that good which is sound in the best of us that it doth so over ballance it that it is no more then a drop of water in a bucketfull in comparison To keep us humble therefore and to make us so look not upon that little good that is in us which is none of our own but look upon that evill which is in us and is truely our own our sinnes our corruptions our infirmities our inordinate affections sinfull lusts unruly passions and if in this examen we will deale impartially with our selves I beleeve there is no man knows so much evill by another as he doth by himselfe and therefore shall doe himselfe no wrong if he confess as in the Text He is no better then others If so worthy a Prophet as Elijah doth acknowledge He is no better then his Fathers well may we the best of us confess we are much worse This of the first Observation The Prophet's humble Confession The second now follows and that is His ingenious Concession That he was no better then he should be For though there was singular modesty and humility in this testimony he gives of himselfe That he was no better then his Fathers yet withall he speaks it as sensible of his infirmities and that he was not free from those Passions and corruptions which humane frailty is subject unto Saint James making Honourable mention of him James 5.17 yet baukes not that Elias was a man subject to like passions with us And this very request of his in the Text That the Lord would now take away his Soule was not altogether free from blame it discovered some infirmity in him in not being willing to stay the Lords time for taking of him out of the World the Lord had more worke for him to doe before he took him away as it appears afterward in his Story But God doth not take the advantage of his servants infirmities against them though we doe so one against another but where he sees an honest heart an upright mind truth in the affections sincerity in the desires seriousness the endeavours and the bent of the will to be towards him and to the feare of his Name he will pass by many infirmities and failings in his servants and lay his hand upon them that he may not see them to be displeased with them for it and take notice of that which is good in them to approve it to commend them for it and to reward it such is the indulgence of our Heavenly Father Lord have mercy upon us if he should strictly marke what is done amiss and deale extreamly with us in this matter the best of us yea the best that ever were we or our Fathers Noah Abraham Lot Levi Moses Aaron David Solomon Peter c. saints of the first List famous for their faith and ●iety holiness and obedience yet had their ●aylings and those foule ones too in sinnes of high nature scandalous and fearfull up●n Record all Written for our instruction ●ot for our imitation But First For caution that we may walk warily ●nd circumspectly and at every step we tread ●ook to our footing Secondly For humiliation that we should not be high-minded but feare considering what weaklings what nothings we are if God leave us to our selves Thirdly For admonition that we may judge charitably of others in case of offence And Fourthly For consolation in case it may be our own case that we may not therefore give our selves for lost or forsaken of God but lay hold on Christ by Faith and recover our selves by Repentance assuring our selves that the Lord will accept us to grace and mercy as he did these our Fathers notwithstanding all these breaches in their obedience

ELIJAH'S EPITAPH AND THE MOTTO OF ALL MORTALLS IN THE Other Reason in the Text perswading him into a willingness to Dye in these words I am no better then my Fathers 1 Kin. 19.4 By Thomas Bradley D.D. one of his late Majesties Chaplains and Praebendary of York and Preach't in the Minster there and in his Rectory of Ackworth 1669. Aetatis suae 72. YORK Printed by Stephen Bulkley and are to be sold by Francis Mawbarne 1670. Elijah 's EPITAPH AND The MOTTO of all Mortalls in the other Reason of the Text perswading him into a willingness to Dye in these Words I am no better then my Fathers AND now after this long Parenthesis I fall upon the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Text the other Motive perswading the Prophet to make this his Suite to Almighty God to take away his Soule as it lyes in these words Nam non sum melior Majoribus meis For I am no better then my Fathers In which words note these four things clearly offered to our consideration 1. An humble Confession 2. An ingenious Concession 3. A serious Observation 4. A contented Submission to the common Condition of Mortalls namely To Dye and to be gathered unto his Fathers all comprised in these words For I am no better then my Fathers First An humble Confession wherein he doth not preferr himself before others but others rather before himself Secondly An ingenious Concession wherein he acknowledges of himself He was no better then he should be Thirdly A serious Observation most generally true in all successions That seldome comes the better Fourthly A contented Resolution to submit to the common condition of Mortalls To Dye and to follow the Generation of his Fathers All these foure you may Reade plainly in these words For I am no better then my Fathers Of all which I shall speak something briefly if first by the way you will give me leave to take notice of the expression It is usuall with the Antients especially in the Old Testament frequently upon occasion to make Honourable mention of their Fathers So old Jacob telling Pharaoh of his Age numbers his Dayes and Years by comparing them to the Dayes and Years of his fore-fathers Gen. 47.9 Few and evill are the Dayes of the Years of the Life of thy servant and I have not attained to the Dayes of the Years of the Life of my Fathers So Joseph's brethren asking him forgiveness for the wrong they had done him and fearing now he would revenge himself upon them Gen. 50.17 Forgive we pray thee the trespass of the servants of the God of thy Fathers So David upon his Death-bed giving ghostly counsell to Solomon his Sonne in the like termes doth even adjure him 1 Chron. 28.9 And thou Solomon my Sonne know thou the God of the Fathers c. So frequently especially in the Scriptures of the Old Testament and so here Reasons First It is a grave expression and well-becoming the gravity of holy and wise men to use it strikes reverence into the minds both of the speaker and the hearer Secondly It adds Authority to that which is spoken and commands heedfull Attention to what is spoke with respect and reverence Thirdly 'T is for the honour of the Ancestors to have honourable mention made of them upon occasion The Righteous shall be had in everlasting remembrance but the name of the wicked shall rot Fourthly 'T is for the honour of Posterity too to be descended of such Ancestors The Jews bare themselves high upon this That they had Abraham to their Father though they were removed from him by the distance of many Generations Fifthly 'T is much for the benefit and advantage of Posterity many wayes that they can derive themselves from such Religious and gracious Auncestors By this means they come to be partakers of many great blessings and to have an interest in the Promises of many good things both temporall and spirituall both concerning this life and the life to come Blessings and good things oft times become haereditary Pretious Promises made to Abraham and his Seed To David and his Seed The Promise is made to you and to your Seed Acts 2.39 Saint Paul commends the faith that was in Timothy but withall takes notice It was not onely in him but also in his Mother Eunica and in his Grand-mother Lois Sixthly 'T is an advantage to Posterity in respect of imitation an invitation and encouragement to tread in their steps and to imitate them in the best things It is a shame to Posterity and a great reproach to be descended of worthy Ancestours famous for their faith grace and holiness and to degenerate from them and to become lewd and loose vitious and graceless whereby they become a reproach and a dishonour to their Relations and the Stock they come of The Vertues of their Ancestors are the great aggravation of their vitiousness and will be their great condemnation another day Let us so walk in the steps of our fore-fathers that if they were living they need not be ashamed of us nor our Posterity after us to derive themselves from such Fathers Thus of the expression We now come to the Observations raysed out of it Of which The first is His humility in thinking and speaking meanly of himself in comparison of others He doth not exalt himself above them but makes himself equall to them that were of a lower sort I am no better then my Fathers It was his modesty to say so for he was better then his Fathers in more respects then one For First He was a Prophet and we doe not Reade of any of his Race that they were so It was an Honour and an Office that was not haereditary it went not by descent as the Priesthood did in the Tribe of Levie Secondly He was no ordinary Prophet he was a Prophet extraordinary mighty in word and deed that wrought such Miracles as none of the Prophets did besides not Moses excepted By his Prayer he shut up the Heavens for three years and six moneths that it should not Raine And by his Prayers opened them again that they sent down Raine in abundance James 5.17 18. Thirdly In respect of his miraculous Assumption into Heaven in a fiery Chariot wherein he exceeded Enoch He was taken up into Heaven also but not with that State that Elijah was Elijah was taken up in a fiery Chariot And in many other things this Prophet was singular The Lord did honour him exceedingly and made him as it were his Deputy on Earth and gave him power to doe great and marvellous things yet see when speaking of himself he lessons himself in his own estimate comparing himself with others farr below him Non sum melior I am no better then they Humility is the badge of Christianity Heare the Voyce of it in the great Patriarke Jacob Gen. 32. Lord I am less then the least of all thy mercies Moses a great Prophet of the Lord that was a King