Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
lord_n	able_a	grace_n	zion_n	22	3	8.4594	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A75616	Armilla catechetica. A chain of principles; or, An orderly concatenation of theological aphorismes and exercitations; wherein, the chief heads of Christian religion are asserted and improved: by John Arrowsmith, D.D. late master both of St Johns and Trinity-Colledge successively, and Regius professor of Divinity in the University of Cambridge. Published since his death according to his own manuscript allowed by himself in his life time under his own hand.	Arrowsmith, John, 1602-1659.	1659 (1659)	Wing A3772; Thomason E1007_1; ESTC R207935	193,137	525

Micah 7. 18. mercy mercy pleaseth him as much as ever any sin did thee What though thy rebellion hath been long continued The Psalm 103. 17. mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him Yea what though to former guilt thou hast added back-sliding and relapses to rebellion yet remember that in Jeremiah Return Jerem. 〈◊〉 22. ye back-sliding children and I will heal your back-slidings together with that in the last of Hosea where Israel had no sooner said In thee the fatherless findeth mercy but it followeth immediately I will heal Hos 14. 3 4. their back-slidings I will love them freely But lest any should surfet on these sweet meats take we heed § 5. Secondly Of abusing mercy by presumption Mercie improved openeth to us the surest refuge Mercy abused brings upon us the sorest vengeance It would be considered that there is one kinde of presumers whom mercy it self is resolved to have no mercy on so long as they continue such to wit those that dare expect it notwithstanding their resolution to go on in their impenitence and ignorance of God For thus saith the God of heaven concerning him Who blesseth himself in his heart saying I Deut. 29. 19 20 21. shall have peace though I walk in the imagination of my heart to add drunkenness to thirst The Lord will not spare him but the anger of the Lord and his jealousie shall smoke against that man and the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him and the Lord shall blot out his name from under heaven and shall separate him unto evil And again It is a people of no Isa 27. 11. understanding therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them and he that formed them will shew them no favour Such shall at length finde to their costs that the Justice of God as well as his Mercy endures for ever And that as nothing is more calm then a smooth more raging then a tempestuous sea nothing more cold then lead when it is taken out of the mine nor more scalding when it is heated nothing blunter then iron yet when it is whetted nothing more sharp So none more mercifull then God but if his patience be turned to fury by our provocations none more terrible Because I have purged thee saith the Lord and thou wast not purged thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more till I have caused my fury to rest upon thee I the Lord have spoken Ez●k 24. 13 14. it and I will do it I will not go back neither will I spare neither will I repent c. Wo and again wo to them all against whom mercy it self shall rise up in judgement Look as the power of God though infinite receives limitations from his will He could have made millions of worlds would make but one In like manner his infinite mercy is also limited by his will and his word the interpreter of his will plainly telleth us that as Physicians begin with preparatives so he begets fear in their hearts whom he intendeth mercy to Look as a father pittieth his his children so the Lord pittieth them that Psal 103. 13 17 18. fear him The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him to such as keep his Covenant and to those that remember his commandments to do them Not they that presume but that fear not such as break but as keep his Covenant not those that forget but that remember his Commandments to do them or at least whose earnest desires and endeavours are that way bent may expect and shall Exerc. 2. receive mercy from him They shall finde by sweet experience the infallible truth of what Mr Peacock once said Mr R. Boltons Instructions pag. 87. upon his recovery out of a deep and long desertion viz. That the sea is not more full of water nor the sun of light then the Lord is of mercy EXERCITATION 2. Grace what From it spring Election Redemption Vocation Sanctification and Salvation A Caveat not to receive it in vain It purgeth and cheereth Glosses upon Titus 2. 11 12. and 2 Thess 2. 26 17. The exaltation of free grace exhorted to Long-suffering not exercised towards evil Angels but towards men of all sorts It leadeth to repentance is valued by God and must not be sleighted by us A dreadfull example of goodness despised § 1. A Second branch of Gods goodness is Grace which relates to unworthiness as the former did to misery God is mercifull to the ill-deserving Gratious to the undeserving So far are we from being able to merit so much as the crumbs which fall from his table that even temporal favours are all from grace Noah was preserved in the deluge Why because He found Gen. 6. 8. grace in the eyes of the Lord. Jacob was enriched and had enough How came it to pass Because God said he to Esau Gen. 33. 11. hath dealt graciously with me But beside that common favour which all share in more or less there is a more special grace which the Psalmist prayeth for Remember me O Lord with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people O visit me with Psal 106. 5. thy salvation § 2. This third is drawn throughout the whole web of salvation and there is not a round in the ladder to heaven which doth not give every one that steppeth upon it just occasion of crying Grace Grace Did the Lord elect thee to life and glory when so many were passed by What reason can be given of this but free grace Paul styleth it the election of grace in his Rom. 11. 5. epistle to the Romanes and telleth his Ephesians that God had chosen them in Ephes 1. 4 5 6. Christ before the foundation of the world according to the good pleasure of his will to the praise of the glorie of his Ibid. vers 7. grace Hast thou obtained redemption through the bloud of Jesus That also saith he there flows from the riches of his grace Hath the Lord effectually called thee Bow down thine head and adore free grace as the cause thereof For he saveth and calleth us 2 Tim. 1. 9. saith the same holy Apostle with an holy calling not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace So in the Acts when a great number beleeved and were turned to Christianity Barnabas saw the grace of Act. 11. 21. 23. God shining forth in their conversion Hast thou received any abilities tending either to thine own sanctification or to the edification of others Do the like upon this occasion too as Paul did saying By the grace of God I am what 1 Cor. 15. 10 I am and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain but I laboured more abundantly then they all yet not I but the grace of God which was with me In a word dost

faithfull and true witness when speaking of those whom the Father had given him he uttered that remarkable assertion This John 17. 3. is life eternall that they may know thee and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent Also when he made his followers that promise of rest Come unto me all ye that labour Matth. 11. 28 29. and are heavy laden and I will give you rest Take my yoke upon you c. and ye shall finde rest to your souls God would not rest from his works of creation till man was framed Man cannot rest from his longing desires of indigence till God be enjoyed Now since the fall God is not to be enjoyed but in and through a Mediatour Therefore when any man closeth with Christ and not till then he may say with the Psalmist Return unto thy rest O my soul for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee That which the King of Saints testified will be most readily attested by all his loyall subjects Enquire of such as are yet militant upon earth wherein their happiness consists the answer will be in their having fellowship with 1 John 1. 3. the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ Let those who are triumphant be asked what it is that renders their heaven so glorious their glory so incomprehensible ye shall have no other account but this it is because they have now attained a complete fruition of that alsufficient alsatisfying ever-blessed and ever-blessing object God in Christ § 4. Nor can it easily be denied by such as consider that in this object there is found a threefold fulness opposite to the threefold vanity in the creatures which I discoursed of before First a fulness of utility opposite to their unprofitableness Infinite goodness extends it self to all cases and exigents without being limited to particulars as created bonity is Hence in the Scripture God and Christ are compared to things most extensive in their use and of most universall concernment Philosophers look at the Sun as an universal cause Christ is called the Sun of Malac. 4. 2. righteousness by the Prophet and The Psal 84. 11. Lord God saith the Psalmist is a Sun and shield In a Tree the root beareth the branches and the branches fruit Christ is both root and branch A root in Isaiah In that day shall there be a root of Jesse which shall stand for an ensign of Isa 11. 10. the people to it shall the Gentiles seek and his rest shall be glorious A branch in Zechariah Behold I will bring forth my servant the Branch In a building the Zech. 3. 8. foundation and corner-stone are most considerable in point of use Christ is both Thus saith the Lord God behold I Isa 28. 16. lay in Sion for a foundation a stone a tried stone a pretious corner-stone a sure foundation In military affairs what more usefull for offence then the sword for defence then the shield The Lord is both Happy art thou O Israel who is like Deut. 33. 29. unto thee O people saved by the Lord the shield of thy help and who is the sword of thine excellency In civill commerce money is of most generall use for the acquiring of what men need of which Solomon therefore saith It answereth all Eccles. 10. 19. Quicquid nummis prasentibus opta veniet clausum possidet arca Jovem Petron. Arbit things whence it is that worldlings look at a full chest as having a kinde of Deity in it able to grant them whatsoever their hearts desire of God in Christ it is most true He onely can answer all the desires all the necessities of his people and is accordingly said to be their silver and gold as Junius renders the place in Job To him a soul may not onely say as Thomas did My Job 22. 25. Erit Omnipotens lectissimum aurum tuum argentum viré●que tibi Lord and my God but as another Deus meus omnia My God and my all § 5. Secondly a fulness of truth and faithfulness opposite to their deceit The creatures do not cannot perform whatsoever they promise but are like deceitfull brooks frustrating the thirsty travellers expectation We reade of Semiramis that she caused this Motto to be engraven upon her tomb If any King stand in need of money let him break open this monument Darius having perused the inscription ransacks the sepulchre finds nothing within but another writing to this effect Hadst thou not been unsatiably covetous thou wouldest never have invaded a monument of the dead Such are all the things of this world They delude us with many a promising Motto as if they would give us hearts ease but when we come to look within instead of contentment afford us nothing but conviction of our folly in expecting satisfaction from them With God it is otherwise He is faithfull that promised saith the Apostle Heb. 10. 23. And again Faithfull is he that 1 Thess 5. 24. calleth you who also will do it I am the way saith Christ of himself the truth John 14. 6. and the life In him beleevers finde not less but more then ever they looked for and when they come to enjoy him completely are enforced to cry out as the Queen of Sheba did The half was 1 Kings 10. 7. not told me § 6. Thirdly a fulness of unchangeableness opposite to their inconstancy This God challengeth to himself I am Malac. 3. 6. the Lord I change not And Jesus Christ is said to be the same yesterday and to day Heb. 13. 8. and for ever Another Apostle speaking of the father of lights from whom descends James 1. 17. every good and perfect gift therein alluding as Heinsius conceives to the Heinsius in locum High Preist his Urim and Thummim that is lights and perfections to Urim in these words father of lights to Thummim in these Perfect gift tells us that with him is no variableness neither Exerc. 3. shadow of turning The metaphor is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pareus in loc thought by some to be borrowed from the art of painting wherein pictures are first rudely shadowed then drawn to the life In the creatures we finde a full draught and lively pourtraiture of mutability but not so much as the rudiments of a draught as the least line or shadow of it in God and Christ EXERCITATION 3. Two conclusions from Psalm 73. 25 26. The Psalmists case stated The frequent complication of corporal and spiritual troubles How God strengtheneth his peoples hearts against their bodily distempers how under discouragements of spirit The secret supports of saving grace What kinde of portion God is to the Saints A congratulation of their happiness herein § 1. FRom that patheticall passage in one of the Psalms Whom have Psalm 73. 25 26. I in heaven but thee and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee My flesh and my heart faileth but God is

preaching suffering so ripened the sins of this people who began again to degenerate after their return as hot weather doth the corn that ere long they and their Temple became a prey to the Romane Eagle § 3. III. From the experiments and acknowledgements of godly persons in several ages The Blessed virgin Mary after her journey to Bethlehem and lying in of her childe there may be probably thought to have been straitned in her means as being but poor and not to have sufficient for the maintenance of her childe her self and Joseph in the journey they were to take presently after into Egypt See Chemnit harmon how God provideth hard before that he sendeth the wise men from the east and they bring costly presents with them gold among others which was certainly of no small use for defraying their ensuing charges In the year 1573 when the Protestants were besieged in Rochel by the French kings forces God Collection of French massacres p. 288. sent them in daily with the tide an infinite number of small fishes such as before that time were never seen within that haven and presently upon the end of the siege retired again We reade of Wolfangus Musculus a late Germane Divine that having received by Luthers books the light and sence of the Gospel he forsook his Monastery and married that after this he was so poor as to let his wife go out to service and betake himself to work with a weaver who proved an Anabaptist That during his abode there he solaced himself with this distich Est Deus in coelo qui providus omnia curat Credentes nusquam deseruisse potest Melch. Adam in vit Theol. Germ. p. 373. That is There is a God in heaven who such as cleave T' his providence on earth can never leave That the Anabaptist within a while turned him off and he being then to seek for maintainance was hired to work at Strasborough about the town ditch which was then to be new cast and enlarged and to have begun the next morning That Bucer having notice hereof and of his parts prevailed over night with the Consul to give him a call to the work of the Ministry which he gladly embraced Suitable to these and the like experiments are the following acknowledgements Jacob I am not worthy of the Ge● 32. 10. least of all thy mereies and of all the truth which thou hast shewed unto thy servant for with my staff I passed over this Jordan and now I am become two bands David Thou hast been my help leave me not neither Psal 27. 9 10. forsake me O God of my salvation When my father and my mother forsake me then the Lord will take me up Another Psalmist Psalm 71. 5 6 7. Thou art my hope O Lord God thou art my trust from my youth By thee have I been holden up from the womb Thou art he that took me out of my mothers womb my praise shall be continually of thee I am a wonder unto many but thou art my strong refuge Sic gressus meos considerans c. veluti si totius creaturae oblitus tantùm me solum consideres August solilo● c. 14. Austin again and again to this purpose The Lord hath so looked after me as if he had in a manner forgot the whole creation to consider me and my ways He so careth for every Saint as if he cared for none besides Deus ità curat unumquemque nostrûm tanquam solum curaret ità universos ut singulo Id. confess l. 3. c. 11. so for all as if he had but one to care for And Piscator in Ursins life reports that he to wit Zacharius Ursinus was wont to say I had often lyen in the streets had not the Providence of God been mine hostess and afforded me a lodging Nisi hospita fuisset divina providentia § 4. IV. From the effects of care ascribed to God when Scripture speaks of him after the manner of men For example we men are by our cares made sollicitous and thoughtfull about the person or the thing cared for So the Psalmist saith of God I Psalm 40. ult am poor and needy and the Lord thinketh upon me Thou art my help and my deliverer make no tarrying O my God We are rendred inquisitive what to do for them So the Scripture brings in God saying How shall I do for the daughter Jerem. 9. 7. of my people O Ephraim What shall I do Hosea 6. 4. unto thee We are grieved if they miscarry Of God it is said His soul was Judges 10. 16. grieved for the misery of Israel We are not content till we have taken a particular survey of whatever concerns them So of God it is said That he Matt. 10. 30. numbreth their hairs bottleth their tears Psal 56. 8. hath a book of life for their names Luke 10. 20. Psalm 139. 16. a book of providence for their members and a book of remembrance for Mal. 3. 16. their discourses Lastly as men endeavour the good of such as they receive into their special care and do what they can to make things operate to that end so we know saith S. Paul that all things work together for good to them that love God to them who are the called according Rom. 8. 28. to his purpose Make me this assertion good and the abundance of his care will be presently visible to any man Now this may be done by shewing how God makes use of things and of acts of all sorts to this end § 5. I. Of all sorts of things whether Natural or Artificial Necessary or Contingent Real or Imaginary The reflexion of the Sun-beams upon water is a natural thing If Providence orders so as the Moabites taking 2 Kings 3. 22 23 24. it for bloud conjecture a mutiny in the armies of the king of Israel and Judah come up disorderly and perish So this deceptio visus in them wrought for the Churches deliverance Those Trumpets Pitchers and Lamps in the seventh of Judges were things artificial no way able of themselves to produce such an effect as the defeat of an huge hoste yet the Lord so disposeth of the sound of the Trumpets breaking of the Pitchers and burning of the Lamps as by them to strike a terrour into the great army of Midian and make them flie That the fire should burn and the sea keep it's channel according to the order of nature were necessary things yet did providence so over-rule in the case of those three Worthies in Daniel that the fire though it burnt up their accusers should not so much as scortch them and semblably in the Israelites case that the sea though it swallowed up the Egyptians their enemies should afford a safe passage to the Hebrews What more contingent then that Pharoah's daughter should go with her maids to wash in the river at that very place where Moses was exposed that