Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
lord_n	abide_v	choose_v	zion_n	32	3	9.2670	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09990	The nevv covenant, or the saints portion A treatise vnfolding the all-sufficiencie of God, and mans uprightnes, and the covenant of grace. delivered in fourteene sermons vpon Gen. 17. 1. 2. Wherevnto are adioyned foure sermons vpon Eccles. 9.1. 2. 11. 12. By the late faithfull and worthie minister of Iesus Christ Iohn Preston. Dr. in Divinitie, chaplaine in ordinary to his Maiestie, maister of Emmanuel Colledge in Cambridge, and sometimes preacher of Lincolnes Inne.	Preston, John, 1587-1628.; Sibbes, Richard, 1577-1635.; Davenport, John, 1597-1670.	1629 (1629)	STC 20241; ESTC S101919	353,487	626

though he be hindered many times and often in his life vnruly lusts come and make a separation betweene the LORD and him yet he cannot abide to bee long from him it is the Lord that hee loues he cannot for his heart choose another Master hee cannot choose another Husband another Lord another friend but it is hee with whom he will dwell liue and dye if this be thy case know that thy continuall failings make not a breach of the Couenant for thou knowest that thy heart hath not chosen another Husband for though thou be forced sometimes through the violence of temptation to serue another yet thy heart cleaues to thy right Master it cleaues to him it inclines to him it bends that way this is one way to finde it looke to thy heart immediately If thou canst not doe it by this if this be too obscure a rule for thee I will adde but this for the making of it plain Looke to the effects Thou pretendest I haue not chosen another husband I haue chosen the Lord for my God and him will I serue It is very well it is a good profession but take heede you bee on a sure ground Now saith our Sauiour Ioh. 8. You pretend that you are the children of Abraham that you haue him for your Father and not the Deuill but I say vnto you hee that committeth sinne is the seruant of sinne and so likewise Know you not that to whomsoeuer you obey his ser●ants you are to whom you obey Rom. 6. And againe 2 Pet. 2. Of whomsoeuer a man is ouercome to that he is in bondage Looke to it now art thou ouercome with sinne dost thou obey sinne when it comes with a command vpon thee dost thou commit sinne Certainely thou hast chosen another husband thou dost but deceiue t●y selfe Alas you will say is it euery committing of sinne No beloued that is not the meaning of it but take heed of this when a sinne is drawne out as a thread in the course of thy life now intruth thou obeyest it now thou art ouercome of it now it hath dominion whensoeuer it commands thee when there is I say a tract of sinne when a man is still giuen to such a way to such an infirmity I cannot properly call it an infirmity that you may say it is such a mans trade he walkes in it now a man obeyes sinne he is ouercome of it it hath gotten the victorie ouer him as we vse to say of men he is a worldly-minded man goe to him when you will you shall finde him so disposed you shall finde him in all his carriage to shew himselfe to bee such a man this sinne it runnes as a thread through his whole life still he mindes earthly things he is taken vp about them he disrelisheth the Word he doth not minde it hee doth not delight to reade it or to heare it hee doth not loue the company of the Saints and the like and so for any other sinne If this will not serue the turne thou maist iudge it by one sinne but that is somewhat more difficult I will giue you 3. examples you shall see Adam and Balaam and Saul you shall see euery one of them in one sinne breake the Couenant and if you can finde yours the same case you shall know whether you haue broken it by one miscarriage Take Saul first he was commanded to goe and kill the Amalekits and God would haue him destroy them vtterly Saul goes about his Commandement he seemes to keepe it exceeding well and where he failed in it he seemed to haue a faire excuse saith he I did but saue the King the whole body of the people was destroied again he saued but a few of the fattest of the cattell and for what purpose not for his owne profit to make him rich but to offer sacrifice to the Lord and he hoped there was no fayling in this Well saith Samuel thou hast cast away the Lord thou hast chosen another God Samuel charged him with no lesse for saith hee thy sinne is as witchcraft it is as Idolatry that is thou hast now cast God quite away thou hast chosen to thy selfe another Lord another Husband to obey How shall this be made good The meaning is this when a man receiues a Commandement from God marke it when a man knowes it is the Lords will that I should walke thus and thus before him that I should abstaine from such and such sinnes I cannot deny but this is his Commandement well when a man comes to the keeping of it his heart finds out excuses and saith in such and such a case I hope I may be somewhat excused from a strict performance of it I say when the heart at any time deliberates and yet that word is not sufficient to expresse it but when the heart workes according to its owne proper inclination and then disobeyes the Lord in any Commandement certainely then it casts God away Beloued it is not such disobedience as when a man is transported with a strong affection a strong temptation when he is not himselfe for a time and his sinne be discouered he easily returnes and will be the same man he was but I say when a man deliberately commits sinne when a man considers himselfe well and hee is not transported with the strength of temptation but his heart workes at liberty so that hee acts himselfe in this case he doth as Saul did hee casts God away and God sent him word that he had cast him away The like was the case of Balaam hee carried it exceeding fairely I will not if Balaac will giue me his house full of gold curse the people I cannot doe that which God hath not said to me yet Balaam desired much to doe it hee thought hee would make tryall he would goe as farre as he could God saw it and found it out and you see what iudgement was giuen vpon him and this was presently discouered he gaue aduice to Balaac to put a stumbling blocke before the children of Isra●l that is by offering with the Moabites and committing fornication with their women and so saith he I shall be able to curse them when they haue committed sinne once then I may curse them to purpose I say there was the naturall the proper inclination of Balaams heart it was not a thing that he was drawne to but when his heart was left to it selfe to goe which way it would that way it went it is not so with a man that is in the Couenant for grace it still preuailes and hath power ouer him it is that which hath dominion and possession it is that which is the Lord of the house and whensoeuer he is lest simply to himselfe that his heart workes which way it would certainely then he pleaseth God he cannot he doth not sin against him I cannot stay to presse this further but rather come to make some vse of it but this remember so

as there is a length in this way and a straightnesse in it so there is a breadth in this way there is a latitude or breadth a certaine proportionall breadth The way to some man is broader then to others and to the same man the way in some places is broader in some narrower The Iewes way was narrower then ours there is a Christian liberty that hath inlarged this way and made it somewhat broader to walke in for as the Christian libertie is more so likewise is the way broader We haue more libertie then the Iewes had in many things we are freed from that yoke of bondage that strict observation of Mosaicall Ceremonies And so againe I say one Christian hath a narrower way then another that is as a man is subiect to more temptations to more occasions of sinne so must he make his way narrower he may not walke in so broad a path as another Againe the same man in some part of his way must choose a narrower way in some he needs not As for example a man that is subiect to run out in such a recreation another man may walke in a broader path in the vse of that recreation then he may for to him it is an occasion he is readie to be snared and to be transported with it one man is apt to be carried to drunkennesse if he see but the Wine if he come but neere it he must not looke on the Wine in the Cup one man is quickly set on fire with incentiues of lust with an object he may not come so neere nor be so bold with them as another man may one man is apt if he come to such a company to receiue some hurt to be intangled with them he is apt to learne their wayes to goe along with them such a man may not be so bold to come neere that company as another may that is not subiect to that temptation so that there is a breadth and a narrownes in these wayes Now our care must be not to goe beyond this breadth for it is a narrow way there are few that finde it Math. 7. Therefore I say we had more need looke to it that we step not aside that we loose not our way Beloved it concernes vs much to looke to it because when we goe out of Gods paths we are still exposed to some hazard and to some danger we should looke to it not onely for obedience to God but for our owne sakes let a man be found out of the breadth of this way that is let him take more libertie then he may for it is profitable for vs to know both our libertie and our restraint and he shall finde still some misery or other shall come vpon him take heede therefore least God meete thee out of the way at any time as he said to Eliah What dost thou here What makest thou here Eliah indeed it was his fault when God had beene with him so mightily and had given him rayne at his desire to worke such miracles againe to send fire from heaven to consume the sacrifices and after to slay so many Prophets of Baal for a word of Iezabell that was but a weake Woman to run from her so many miles as farre as his feete could carry him it proceeded from timorousnesse and feare God meetes with him and saith What dost thou here Eliah What makest thou here As if he should say thou art out of the way Though the Lord dealt mercifully with him yet it was his fault he was out of the way as sometimes feare puts vs out of our way and sometimes againe other passions as Hagar went out of her way from he mistris as we see in the Chapter before the text Hagar Sarahs maid whence commest thou And whither goest thou Gen. 16. 18. Where he puts her in minde of that dutie she did owe to Sarah of that particular calling she was in As if he should say Hagar dost thou remember what thou art dost thou remember what particular calling thou art in Art thou not Sarahs maid Thou shouldst be about Sarahs businesse what dost thou here in the Wildernes running from thy mistris If thou be Sarahs maid whence commest thou And whither goest thou As if he should say thou art out of thy calling thou art out of thy way So you must thinke with your selues when any man goes out of his calling when he goes out of his duties of either of his callings if God should meete him if an Angell should meete him and should say What dost thou here thou that art a Minister what dost thou doing the thing that belongs not to such a one to doe Thou that art a Tradesman a Lawyer a Student whatsoever the calling and busines be that God hath set a man in when he is stepping out to by-wayes that are not suteable to such a calling God may say to thee and thou maist say to thy selfe What dost thou here Hagar Sarahs maid He puts her in minde of her calling so must we and so much the rather because we are never out of our way but at that time we are from vnder Gods protection we are from within the pale we haue no promise of safetie it makes vs exposed to some hazard or other and therefore Beloved be carefull of this As the Israelites in the Wildernes went not a step but as farre as they saw the Cloud going before them so I say goe not a steppe but as farre as you haue a warrant as farre as you see God going before you and this shall be for your comfort But you will say it may be God will lead me by these straite rules to prison to losses to crosses to disgrace to losse of preferment to losse of friends Beloved know this that the Cloud as it was a direction to them so it was a protection likewise they never followed the Cloud but they were safe the Cloud was a defence to them wheresoever they went As we see Esay 45. The Lord will create vpon every place of Mount Sion and vpon the assemblies thereof a Cloud of smoke by day and a shining flame of fire by night for vpon all the glory there shall be a defence Before he had said he would lead them by the spirit this leading of the spirit he compares to the leading of Israell in the Wildernes as they were led with the Cloud so shall you and if you follow the Cloud it shall be a defence to you so I say walke with God and he will be a defence to you it is no matter what the wayes are he is able to beare you out for safetie is a part of your wages therefore that belongs to him your businesse is nothing but to finde out what your way is and to walke in it the care of the worke belongs to you and the other is not your care therefore to shut vp this exhortation learne to doe this to pray that God would shew