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	abundance_n	moses_n	36	3	7.0566	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77480	Satan the leader in chief to all who resist the reparation of Sion. As it was cleared in a sermon to the Honourable House of Commons at their late solemn fast, Febr. 28. 1643. By Robert Baylie, minister at Glasgow. Published by order of the House of Commons.	Baillie, Robert, 1599-1662.	1643 (1643)	Wing B468; Thomason E35_17; ESTC R209954	47,169	63

in Fasting and Praying with Faith and Sanctification one of these is more precious then a thousand others who notwithstanding all their fighting and disputing for the common Cause do continue to grieve the good Spirit of God to strengthen the hand of Satan against us going on after all these publike Humiliations in their wonted course of security neglecting the mortification of their secret lusts and all carefull walking with God in the Spirit of their minde to any true pleasing A second Observation might be made on this passage A second Doctrine Satan opposeth most our prayers for Sion That Satan his invasion of the godly is most in their Worship and specially in their prayers for the publike as here he resisteth Joshua when he is standing before God to petition for the ruined estate of Sion No wonder the people of God at these solemn times of publike Supplications The godly most distracted with temptations in time of publike humiliation Gen. 15.11 Matth. 13.4 fall short of their intended services That their hearts come not up to their desires in the acts of Worship That vageing of minde hardnesse of heart fruitlesnesse of hearing lie hardest then upon them The reason is Satans speciall attendance at these occasions above any The ravenous birds wait upon Abraham onely at his Sacrifices the fowls go out with the sower to pick up the good Seed to make the Word and the Worship unprofitable Our heart of it self is very earthly carnall dead and vain yet besides all its inward Malignitie Satan by his tentations strives to inspire it at these holy times with so much of his supernaturall wickednesse as he is able It should adde to our grief when our sensible miscarriage in so holy an exercise demonstrateth not onely the presence of a devill with us but also his prevalence over us for our great hurt Also it is a matter of singular comfort when we get grace to discharge ourselves of these solemn services in some measure acceptably When with a Spirit enlightned enlivened enflamed melted from above we get our souls poured out before God for the publike sins and publike distresses When with an holy an honest and vigorous bent-sail of spirit we have begged mercy and what else we conceive needfull for our selves and others When in an attentive and faithfull heart we receive the heavenly Seed of the Word and feel our selves thereby strengthned to walk in the wayes of God to mourn for and fight against the corruptions of our heart and life This is a matter of joy for this cause among others that hereby we obtain a sensible victory over that strong spirit who hath not been able as oft at other times to deprive us of the comfort and fruit of the Worship Christ who at such a time maketh thee clearly victorious over Satan shall shortly make thee to triumph and tread him under thy feet A third Observation might here also be pointed at A third Doctrine Satan resisteth most the Ministers of Gods house if time did not strait Satan his speciall malice is against Joshua the high Priest his speciall enmitie is against the servants of Gods House the Messenger of Satan buffeteth Paul it was Peter and the Apostles that Satan sought to winnow 2 Co. 12.7 Lu6e 22.31 and sift as Wheat The Reason is They are the Pastors of Gods flock The Reason when the Shepheard is stricken the flock will be scattered They are the Stewards of Gods House If the Steward become unfaithfull the children of the family will be in danger of starving They are the Officers of Gods Army if the Leaders and Standard-Bearers fall the Souldiers will soon be put to the flight They are the light of the World if the Lamps be extinguished the House sitteth in darknesse and the shadow of death They are the Salt of the Earth if they become unsavoury the people are in danger to become a polluted and unsavoury Sacrifice Great care would be had for the assistance and comfort of the servants of Gods House The Use the people would bear them in their hearts before God and pray for the abundance of the Spirit of grace upon them the grace of God on the Pastors turneth to the benefit of the people the oyntment poured on the head of Aaron dropped down to his feet and drenched the lowest borders of his garment When the Lord clothes his Priests with Righteousnesse and Salvation then do all the Saints shout aloud for joy the people not onely by their prayers to God would assist and hold up the weary hands of their Pastors as Aaron and Hur did the hands of Moses but also by their loving countenance their liberall maintenance their ready obedience would give them all encouragement Heb. 13.17 They watch for your soul obey them therefore that they may do their work with joy and not with grief for that is unprofitable for you When most of the day and much of the night they have been with God on the Mount for your welfare when much of their time hath been spent in combating with Satan for the safety of your soul Is it meet that they should be grieved The honourable Houses would see to the encouragement of Gods servants or their hands weakned by your neglect of them or miscarriage towards them Doubtlesse it will be the speciall care of this religious and wise Senate to establish such Orders in all this Land for the House of God that his Ministers shall be encouraged to set themselves with all cheerfulnesse about the salvation of the peoples souls Your Honors wil so provide it that the Pastors shall have nothing to do but with God and with souls and with devils to hold off by their Spirituall weapons these roaing Lions from their flocks questionles your Pieties will procure so much due respect and so honorable a maintenance for every servant of God in this land that without disquietnes of minde or solicitude for the things of this world they may wait wholly on their Spirituall Charges The Pagan Princes of old the Turkish this day the ancient Popish Parliaments and the late Prelaticall have demonstrate their care for that which they esteemed the service of their God it will be very far from this most hopefull of all Parliaments for which the Lord hath already done so many and so great things which also for time to come hath so much need of the speciall assistance and singular help of God that they should in this so naturall so reasonable so Christian a Duty towards the servants of God be any ways lacking Most wisely and with all reason have they procured the Lamps of the House of God to be set in such posture as their light may best shine to the use of men Starres though otherwise great and full of light if they move in too high a Sphear become either invisible or of an obscure and bad light for little use to men below upon earth The

according to his pleasure in the new Testament he hath appointed all his Ministers to be brethren and equall none to be high or a Prince above these of his order but in the old Testament the policie is diverse for there by the expresse command of God twenty four Princes the heads of the families of Aaron are set over the rest of the Priests to rule and govern them and over them all one great and high Priest the chiefe of the house of Aaron was a type of Christ This Angel of the Lord is Christ the Son of God How Christ an Angel the Patrone of the Church against Satan he who in the first chapter sends out a number of Angels as his servants Michael the Prince who stands for the children of Israel that Prince of Angels Dan. 10.21 Revel 12.7 Inde 9. who with his Angels fights against the Dragon and his Angels stiled by Jude the Archangel Christ is called an angel not for his nature for he took not upon him the nature of Angels Hebr. 2.16 but the seed of Abraham but for his office the Father sent him as a messenger to be a mediator of the new Covenant Mala. 3.1 The Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come into his temple even the Angel of the Covenant Exod. 33.14 Exod. 23.21 called by Moses the Angel of the Lords presence the face of God the Angel in whom Gods name did dwell he it was who wrestled with Iacob who dwelt in the Bush he that appeared to Ioshua with a drawn sword this great Angel is the Creator of all the Angels and he in whom they have their subsistence Col. 1.16 he is the Prince and head of the Angels even as Mediator not for redeeming them from any sinne which they never had but for confirming them in grace which they might have lost as their companions did who left their first habitation for to confirme them in their created happinesse he has put them in that body whereof he is head and set them in one society with the Saints making them fellow-citizens of the same Jerusalem with faithfull men Heb. 12.22 for wee come to the company of innumerable angels to the spirits of righteous men made perfect This Angel in the first Chapter appears as a man riding upon a horse and oft times elsewhere in a humane shape Prov. 8.31 for his delight was alwayes with the children of men And for his more familiar conversing with men often he put on the likenesse of that nature which in the fulnesse of time he was to take on never more to be laid downe the body wherein he appeared before the Incarnation sometimes was reall created for the performance of such an humane action and annihilate at that actions end sometimes onely apparent as here where all is but a vision in the night time which yet doth nothing hinder the truth of the prophesie Joshua his standing was the gesture of his worship and prayer What is the standing before the Angel The Priests and Levites when they offered their sacrifices at the Altar or prayed publikely for the people commonly they stood Deut. 18.5 The Lord hath chosen the Priest to stand to minister before the Lord Psal 135.2 Ye that stand in the house of the Lord Nehem. 9.2 They stood and confessed their sinnes and 5. verse Stand up and blesse the Lord. Hence Elijah 1 Kings 17.1 and others elsewhere who did most frequently worship the Lord use this phrase The Lord before whom I stand We take then this standing of Ioshua for the gesture of his worship prayer and sacrifice for himselfe and the people in these times of desolation Some take it of his standing as a Criminall before the Tribunall of God where Satan did accuse him of his sinnes this is not incongruous though it be needfull to take it first of his worship for that was his end to approach unto God and being in this action Satan comes on him to oppose and accuse At this time the Temple was not built the Altar of Incense was not erected the Arke of God before which the high Priest wont to stand was no more to be found yet Joshua had set up the Altar of burnt offerings before it he might stand as also in all other his publicke or private devotions His standing before the Angel was not Idolatry for this Angel was Michael One like God ever equall to the Father the Angel of Gods face and presence the object of adoration as well as the Father and Holy Ghost this is the Angel of whom it is said Hebr. 1.6 Let all the Angels of God worship him From this Portion thus exponed we observe for Doctrine The first doctrine In time of publike calamities the children of God are in a praying posture First the posture of Gods children in the time of publick dangers and miseries they stand before the Lord supplicating for Sions welfare as Joshua does in this place The Temple was lying desolate Ierusalem was an heape of rubbish their faire hopes of Reformation were blasted the Enemies of their Church and State were so potent with the great King that by all worldly appearance they could never be able to wrastle through their present miseries In this case good Ioshua will not despaire he betakes himself to his God and stands before him praying and waiting from his omnipotent hand for helpe and assistance to carry on against the opposition of men and devils that work which at Gods direction they had begun but incontinent had found to exceed by much their strength to perfect For this duty there are many reasons The first reason first it has alwayes bin the practise of the Saints Daniel Chap. 9 for the desolations of Sion lies in sackcloth and ashes crying in the 16.17 verses O Lord I beseech thee that thy anger and fury may be turned away from this City Ierusalem and cause thy face to shine on thy Sanctuary that is desolate for the Lords sake Ezek. 9.8 While they were slaying them and I was left I fell on my face and cryed Ah Lord God wilt thou destroy all the residue of Israel in thy pouring out of thy fury on Ierusalem Ier. 18.20 Remember I stood before thee to speake good for them and to turn away thy wrath from them David in the midst of his private agonies Psal 51. forgets not the publick Do good in thy good pleasure unto Sion Expd. 32.11 Exod. 17.11 build up the wals of Ierusalem Mosos lies at the feet of God and wrastles by prayer to divert wrath from the Camp of Israel he holds up his hands on the mount unto God for the people when they were in fight with Amalek Isa 62.1 For Sions sake will I not hold my peace and for Ierusalems sake I will not rest till the righteousnesse thereof go forth as brightnesse and the salvation thereof as a Lamp that burneth When Sion is under a cloud of trouble