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	trust_v	zion_n	100	3	8.5865	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A44568	The safety of Jerusalem exprest in a sermon to the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor, with the Aldermen and Common-Councill of London in the parish-church of Laurence Jury, on Tuesday the XXIV of March, MDCLVI, being the day of their solemne thanks-giving for the health and safety of the city, in its preservation from pestilence, fire, and other calamities / by Thomas Horton ...	Horton, Thomas, d. 1673.	1657 (1657)	Wing H2880; ESTC R8361	28,531	47

but especially understanding it of those which were Gods people in decree to be converted and wrought upon by Paul in his Ministry which could not consist with the taking away of the Apostles life before that work was done by him This is the great advantage of those which are the servants of God that their Imployment is their security and the more businesse they have to doe for him the more defence they shall receive from him And this for the Defended This City in the full acception and consideration of it Now as for the Defendant The Defendant that is here exprest to be God himselfe It hath been intimated and implyed hitherto in that which we have spoken all this while of the Defence and Protection it self But we may here now take a more particular view and notice of it It is not said only This City shall be defended which had been enough as to the safety of the place but I will defend this City as pointing out the Principall Author and Actor in the defence of it It is God and he alone that is to any purpose the Defender of the City I the Lord doe keep it I will water it every moment least any hurt it I will keep it night and day as he speaks concerning his Vineyard Isa 27.3 It is true indeed God does commonly make use of others to this purpose both Angells and men which are Creatures Magistrates they are in their places 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and ex officio the Defenders of the City and therefore called in Scripture the Shields of the Earth Psal 47.9 Because as a Shield does defend the Person that bears it and by taking the blow it self does ward it off from him that uses it even so also Governours in the execution of their places are Persons of great Security to the People that partake of them So also Counsellours and men of advice they are in like manner men of Protection Wisdome Eccles 7.12 sayes Solomon is a Defence and money is a Defence but the Excellency of knowledge is that wisdome giveth life to them that have it which money without wisdome cannot doe though wisedome can sometimes without that The poore wise man by his wisdome delivered the City Eccles 9.15 And in the multitude of Counsellours is safety Prov. 11.14 and Prov. 24.6 Watchmen and inferiour officers they have a share also in this defence But yet these and all others with them they fetch their strength and assistance from God Except the LORD build the house they labour in vaine that build it except the LORD keep the the City the watchman watcheth but in vaine It is God must help the Builders and it is God must keep the Keepers and it is God must watch the Watchers If we desire to have an House it is he that must raise it and if we desire to keep an House it is He that must watch it It can neither goe up without him nor yet stand without him neither an House nor whole City it selfe We finde as I said in the Psalme before alledged that Magistrates are call'd the shields of the Earth but yet in the same place these shields are said to belong to God They belong to God to make them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and they belong to God to keep them and they belong to God to use them and to manage them and to defend with them A shield in a weak hand is to little purpose but is easily struck out and remooved yea but therefore doe these hold upon God without which they are all in vaine And as all defence is in vain without God so none is in vaine with him whensoever he undertakes it there is safety and security enough even from his undertaking This is also hinted to us in the Scope and drift of the Text where this I is to be taken not onely simply but emphatically The Lord here for the comfort of his people who were now insulted over by their enemyes and apt to be daunted by them sets Himselfe in a way of opposition to all contrary attempts as a sufficient bulwark against them What 's Sennacherib to me And what 's Rabshakeh to me Or what 's all Assyria to me as long as I have taken upon me this City for the defence and protection of it what evill can now happen unto it or what Enemy in the assaulting of it can prevaile against it If God be for it who can be against it Or if he be to what purpose This is further observable from the Cansall FOR in the beginning of the verse which joynes this and the foregoing together It was said there that Ashur should not come into this City nor shoot an arrow there nor come before it c. Now it might be demanded what might be the ground of so much considence in the consideration of so much danger This is here answer'd in the Text. For I will defend this City c. It is no matter what may be the Danger so long as God is the Defender and undertaker for deliverance from it which holds as in case of Enemyes so also of all other evills besides whether sicknesses or famins or desolations or what ever we can name Forafmuch as the Lord hath all these in his own hand and they are at his disposing therefore may the people of God in an holy manner triumph over them and assure themselves so farr forth as is fitting of preservation from them This is that which the Psalmist bottoms on and teaches us to bottom on to Psal 115.9 O Israell trust in the Lord he is their help and their shield O house of Aaron trust in the Lord he is their help and their shield Te that feare the Lord trust in the Lord he is their help and their shield It is thrice repeated for the better carrying of our minds thereunto And thus much of the mercy signified as considerable in the Specification or simple Proposition of it For I will defend this City The second is in the Amplification or Extent 2. The Amplification in these words To save it This is added to the former by way of further in largement and explanation of it And there are two things considerable in it First The Efficacy of this Defence what it is whereunto it attaines And Secondly The end of this Defence what it is whereunto it drives and which is propounded in it and it is salvation in either of them First For the Efficacy or effect of it 1. The Efficacy the thing whereunto it reaches or attaines and that is to save This is more then can be said of all defendings in the world they doe not all end in saving there 's many a Person and Place and City which is held up for a while which yet at last is not preserv'd because there is not so much Power or strength or ability as will amount to the preserving of it yea but where God undertakes it

we have done all we can we must needs say we are unprofitable servants we have done no more then was our Duty to doe nor so much as that Esay 64.6 All our righteousnesse but as a menstruous cloth and as filthy ragges Secondly There 's much also of Provocation and contrary behaviour as no merit 2. Much demerit so a great deale of demerit We are so far from deserving from God that we are obnoxious to him and give him dayly occasion if he would take occasion against us utterly to consume and destroy us Thus it was with this people of Jsrael It is noted of them that they provoked him to anger from day to day by their continuall abominations and yet notwithstanding he followed them with his mercies He suffered them with a great deale of Patience and bore with their manners in their mildernesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as a Nurse beareth or feedeth her children Acts 13.41 Doing acts of courtesy for them even whiles they were full of frowardnesse and rebellion against him This is Gods way and manner of dispensation From whence we may therefore learne occasionally how to deale with him Direction and to addresse our selves to him for any thing which we stand in need of Alas when we look upon our selves and our own deservings there is nothing at all which may incourage us 1. How to deal-with God nay there is much rather which may dishearten us and keep us off yea but here 's now an argument which will take and prevaile with him from his mercy and free grace and accordingly we should use it to him Lord if thou wilt not doe it for our sakes yet do it at least for thine own There 's nothing in us to move thee but there 's a great deale in thy self Our deserts are none our provocations are many but thy grace is above them all And therefore according to the multitude of thy tender mercies be gracious to us seeing God will do for it himself let us not loose such an argument as this is for prevailing with him Thus we shall find the church to doe Jer. 14.7 O Lord though our iniquities testifie against us doe thou it for thy Names sake for our bachslidings are many wee have stnned against thee And so David in his own particular For thine Names sake O Lord pardon mine iniquity for it is great As knowing that this would work upon him where nothing else would And here as we have an argument to prevaile with God 2. How with Satan so an answer to returne upon Satan when he labours to discourage us from the suggestion of our own unworthinesse 2 Tim. 2.13 we may here tell him that it is not upon such termes that we deale with God but upon the account of his own mercy and grace Let us be what we will be yet he still abides the same and cannot deny himself Againe For his mercies sake that is for his bowells and out of regard to his own compassions which never faile God will save his people as being himself interested in their sufferings and afflicted in all their afflictions From whence he is ready to say with Esther Esay 63.9 How can I indure to see the destruction of my people Esther 8.6 And that 's the first explication For mine own sake i. e. for my mercies sake For the honour of my Free Grace Secondly For mine owne sake that is 2 For my Glory for my Gloryes sake For the honour of my great Name The preservation of Gods people is for the glory of God himselfe which therefore carryes him to it And that in two respects First For his Glory which would be otherwise neglected He would have else none to serve him Secondly For his Glory which would be otherwise polluted He would have else many to blaspheme him First God preserves his people for his glory 1. Lest it be neglected which would be otherwise neglected He would have else none to serve him Take away the Church of God and ye take away the Service of God destroy his People and ye consequently destroy his Worship and his Name which is advanced by them and by them alone As for the rest of the World which are altogether strangers to him they care not what becomes of him nor of any honour which is done unto him It is the Church which is called by his Name by whom his Name is called upon Now therefore as they are tender of him even so is he also of them upon the same consideration As Samuell tells the Israelites 2 Sam. 12.22 The Lord will not for sake his people for his great Names sake because it hath pleased the Lord to make you his people And so Psal 132.13 The Lord hath chosen Zion he hath desired it for his habitation This is my rest for ever here will I dwell c. It is spoken in reference to the Arke and to the Temple in the dedication of it The Arke of God it hath a Blessing of preservation with it which belongs unto it 2. Sam. 6.12 The Lord hath blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all that pertaine unto him because of the Arke of God The same Priviledge also hath the Gospell and Evangellicall Administrations in the right use and improvement of them to wit a preserving Efficacy to the Contryes and Cityes wherein they are so farr forth as God is zealous for his Glory and the continuance of his worship in the world so far forth will he defend his people where his true worship and fear is maintain'd in the power and purity of it Secondly 2. Lest it be polluted For his Glory as who would else have many to blaspheme him If God should not defend his people his enemies would be ready to reproach him This is that which they have been ready still to doe upon the least advantage we need to goe no further for an instance then the occasion of the Text it selfe in Senacherib and Rabshakeh Isa 36.15 Let not Hezekiah make you to trust in the LORD saying The Lord will surely deliver us This City shall not be delivered c. Where are they amongst all the Gods that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of mine hand here now were provokeing speeches Improvement even to the dishonour of God himself and therefore it concern'd him to bestir himselfe and to deliver his people for his Names sake Thus have the servants of God sometimes made it an argument to him As Moses interceding for the Israelites 3. By the Church Numb 14 15. Now if thou shalt kill all this people as one man then the NATIONS which have heard the fame of thee will speake saying Because the Lord was not able to bring this people into the Land which he sweare unto them therefore hath he slain them c. And so Exod. 32.12 Wherefore should the Aegyptians say for mischiefe did he bring them