Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A60350
|
The protectors protection, or, The pious prince guarded by a praying people a sermon preached at St. Edmundsbury in Suffolk, upon the 13 Octob. 1658, being a day set apart for solemn fasting and humiliation and seeking a blessing upon His Highness the Lord Protector / by Sam. Slater ...
|
Slater, Samuel, d. 1704.
|
1659
(1659)
|
Wing S3968; ESTC R22448
|
38,832
|
77
|
are of a sweet smelling savour so be it they are offered up with pure hearts and clean hands You need not fear that God will cast these petitions out of doors no no you shall be very welcome when you come upon such errands Christ our Savior is so far from opposing civil Government and earthly Princes as that your praying for them is exceeding acceptable unto him It is our duty to pray for our Rulers and such as are in Authority over us We have a proverb among us Honest men will pay their debts this is no less and though we pray for them fervently with all our hearts and our desires of their good is the common cry of all within us though we pray for them continually and in every one of our approaches to God yet we must say It was no more then our duty This is no matter of choice not left to our selves whether we will do it or no if we neglect it they may put in their Bill against us in Gods Court and recover damages Prayer is a debt which we owe unto our Governors upon a three-fold account First we owe it unto them as they are men The Apostle here would have prayers made for all men for men of all Nations Jews and Greeks Barbarians Scythians men of all sorts whether they be high or low rich or poor honorable or base good or bad yet as they are men pray for them For all men even your enemies that hate you and persecute you and speak all maner of evil of you and do all maner of mischief to you For this we before gave you Christs precept and pattern let me shew you how others of the Saints being acted by the same spirit have done the same thing Moses stood up in the gap for those that shewed little love to him The children of Israel murmured against him and Aaron Numb. 14.2 yet he prays for them verse 19. Pardon I beseech thee the iniquity of this peoâ—le according unto the greatness of thy mercy Miriam and Aaron speak against him Num. 12.1 yet if she be leprous he will desire God to work a cure verse 13. He cryed unto the Lord saying Heal her now O God I beseech thee The ungrateful Israelites reject Samuel were weary of his Government chose them another Head yet he will wish them well still if he may not exercise the power of a Prince he will not fail in doing the office of a Priest if he may not give Laws to them he will put up Prayers for them and give wholesom instructions to them he will be their Counceller if not their Commander 1 Sam. 12.23 God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you but I will teach you the good and the right way Though Davids enemies rejoyced in his adversity yet when the wheel was turned when Providence favored him and frowned upon them he was so far from trampling upon them down as that he could run to God for them so far from rejoycing in as that he had tears to shed over their calamities 35 Psal. 13 14. As for me when they were sick my clothing was sack cloth I humbled my soul with fasting and my prayer returned into mine own bosom I behaved my self as though he had been my friend or brother I bowed down heavily as one that mourneth for his mother Stephen was earnest with God for his persecutors Lord lay not this sin to their charge Thus we should pray for al men though wicked though haters of God though enemies to us yet they are men Men who were made for the enjoyment of and communion with God and if they be strangers to it the more to be pitied and prayed for Men whose hearts are in the hand of the Lord so that he can turn them as the rivers of water Men who may for ought we know belong to the election of grace and so in due time be effectually and savingly wrought upon For God hath his number among the worst and Divine Grace loves to shew it self omnipotent in conquering the greatest proudest and most stubborn enemies Thus pray for all men Princes are but men and therefore pray for them Secondly We owe it unto them as they are Magistrates Men in place of Power and Authority there is not the meanest servant in a family not the Groom in the Stable the Scullion in the Kitchin but he should be cared for provided with necessaries when well and lookt after when sick but all in the house one and other should contribute towards the good and advantage comfort and contentment of him who is the Master thereof If he be ill the whole family suffers and is out of order and therefore they do all desire his recovery and are willing to run and go thinking no pains too much for him And so it is in the natural body there is not the meanest member but it shares in the care of the other members if one member suffer saith the Apostle all the members suffer with it but they will all much more joyn together and unite their forces and act for the good and welfare of the Head So it is in a nation the Body Politick the meanest and lowest persons in it should be prayed for and their good should be studied and promoted you do or at least should look after the poor in your parishes who live upon alms whose miseries are not felt by others whose death would be no loss to others when they being sick and weak put up their Bills in our Assemblies and beg our prayers it is our duty to remember them and to set in with God for them and spread their conditions distempers and wants before the Lord how much more then ought this to be done for him who is the Head of this Body from whom the whole hath guidance direction Thirdly we owe it to them as our Benefactors whom God is graciously pleased to make instrumental for our good and advantage they are the golden pipes through which precious and comfortable mercies are conveyed to us I know this age affords those among us who will not subscribe unto me herein but overlook the mercies which they receive because they do not like the hand by which they are sent A discontented spirit possesseth the mindes of too too many which either blindes their eyes so that they will not see the blessings which they enjoy or hardens their hearts so as not to own and be thankful for what they see Very few are truly affected with Gods goodness or truly thankful for National mercies Certainly there is never a gracious and considerate person in England but will readily acknowledge that many things are out of order and for this they groan and wish it otherwise For the divisions among Brethren for the errors heresies and blasphemies that abound among us for the want of an established Government in the Church according to the minde of Christ and for other things good
not lawful to grant any man or people the liberty of their own conscience in matters of Religion permitting them to profess what Religion they will for if this be allowed how should false prophets be avoided The Governors of a Nation should in this imitate the good King Iosiah who assembled all Iudah and caused all his people to hear the word of the Lord and to stand to that Religion which by the Book of God was made known unto them as you may see in 2 Chron. 34.30 31 32 verses The King went up into the House of the Lord and all the men of Iudah and the inhabitants of Ierusalem and the Priests and the Levites and all the people great and small and he read in their ears all the words of the Book of the Covenant that was found in the House of the Lord And the King stood in his place and made a Covenant before the Lord to walk after the Lord and to keep his Commandments and his Testimonies and his Statutes with all his heart and with all his soul to perform the words of the Covenant which are written in this Book and he caused all that were present in Ierusalem and Benjamin to stand to it he did not leave them to themselves to back-slide and apostatize from God if they would but he caused them to stand to it and it is said verse 33. He made all that were present in Isrâ—el to serve even to serve the Lord their God Lastly We should pray for those that are in authority that under them we might lead an honest life That is the third thing mentioned by the Apostle in the Text That we might live as {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} in godliness so {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} in honesty What is that Chamier saith the word signifieth castitatem severitatem gravitatem morum honestatem c. a kinde of severity chastity honesty of maners gravity modesty such as is to be found in well educated youths and virgins Aretius saith it signifieth familiae decorum gravitatem in vestitu in cessu sermone factis totaque vita a comeliness and order in the family decency and gravity in habit behaviour words actions and in the whole course and conversation The word is used 1 Tim. 3.4 one that ruleth well his own house having his children in subjection {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} with all gravity and so 2 Titus 2. That the aged men be sober {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} grave In a word it signifieth a seemly and gracious Carriage opposed to all lightness vanity or viciousness in gesture speech apparel countenance deeds or conversation such a kinde of deportment as may strike a kinde of awe and dread upon by-standers So that we ought to pray that Magistrates may set themselves to suppress all abuses and exorbitancies whatsoever not onely that which is contrary to godliness and piety but also which bids defiance to morality that they may look to the keeping of the second as well as of the first Table 〈◊〉 so order things in the Common-wealth the oversight whereof is committed to them as that every one may keep the place in which he is set do the work which belongs to him keep within his due bounds and limits not debauching any by his bad example And thus much may suffice to be spoken of the second general head what we ought to desire of God for our Prince and Governors viz. That he and they might be so directed and assisted from above as that under their Rule Peace may be enjoyed which issueth in the Nations prosperity Holiness may be countenanced which tends to Gods glory and Honesty encouraged which is big with advantage both unto our selves and others We now proceed to the third thing propounded which is to lay down some Reasons why we ought to pray for Kings and all that are in authority And all that I shall say will be reduced unto these three things Gods will Our duty Their necessity calls for this at our hands God would have it we owe it to them they need it Of all which as they lie before us First It is Gods will that we should pray for those that are in Authority over us If this be but cleared up we need do no more This is and ought to be argument enough with a gracious soul who ever calls God Lord must do what ever he commands him Lord what wilt thou have me to do said Paul He did not question or deny the doing of that which God would have He that hath Gods Law written in his heart will nay cannot but delight to do Gods will if the way be shewn he hath feet to run it Now it is the will of God that we should pray for our Rulers He requires this of us There is Gods preceptive will and there is his permissive will By his permissive will many things come to pass which are against his preceptive will God forbids all sin even the least and yet there could be none in the world unless he did permit it Now a bare permission is not sufficient to warrant an action but God doth not onely permit but also requires that we should pray for our Magistrates We have leave to do it we may if we will nay it is expected and lookt for it is work that is cut out for us and unless it be done we can never look our Master in the face with boldness and comfort This is clear from the Text I exhort that prayers be made for all men for Kings c. {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} I invite or call you to it I beg it earnestly of you The word imports not a bare or naked wishing and advising of a thing but a vehement intreating an acting with great fervency and many beseechings as some Criâ—icks observe Thus Paul exhorts them to this duty and you must consider that herein he acts as an Apostle as Christs Messenger and Embassador as one appointed by God to make his will known unto his people so that God doth by him exhort us to do it This voice of Paul is as much as if there had been a voice from heaven and we are as much bound to obey this call as if there had been an Angel sent on purpose to bring this message to us He that heareth you saith Christ heareth me and he that heareth me heareth him that sent me Again as God requires this of us so he approves it in us verse 3. for this is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} it is good the word signifieth honest beautiful excellent it is a choice work full of beauty and comeliness hereby you will approve your selves honest men adorn your profession and make the excellency of your spirits to appear And acceptable very pleasing unto God that which he takes abundant delight and contentment in Such sacrifices