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	let_v	zion_n	63	3	8.9606	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A67550	The pious mans practice in Parliament time. Or A seasonable and necessary tractate concerning the presages, and causes of a common-wealths ruine, and the wayes, and meanes to preserve a church, and state, in prosperity, plenty, purity, and peace. By R. Ward, utriusque regni in Artibus Magister; and preacher of Gods holy word at Stansteed Mount-Fitchet in Essex.	Ward, Richard, 1601 or 2-1684.	1641 (1641)	Wing W804; ESTC R218413	102,562	298

consultations Let us looke upon God as the alone Author and gracious Giver of all good and beseech him so to direct instruct assist those his servants and instruments that hee may doe much good unto us by their meanes For if we shall looke no further than the assembly or persons assembled and expect a blessing upon their endeavours without having an eye to the blessing and assistance of God wee should then a scribe too much to the meanes used And thus much for the Cautions Fourthly The means to be used is Prayer consider we now what meanes must be used by us for the obtaining of the end of our desires and wishes The meanes which our Text teacheth us to use for the removall of evils and the obtaning of the promises is Prayer Here therefore therein observe onely two things and that very briefly viz. 1 What prayer is And 2. How it must be so qualified that it may be a meanes to procure unto us our desires and Gods promises Prayer may be thus defined Definition of Prayer It is the colloquie or discourse of the soule with God or it is the spirituall assent of the soule unto God begging at his hands those things which concerne his glory the salvation of our soules the preservation of our bodies lives and estates according to his will in by and through the merits of Christ If it be demanded Question how may we be certaine that our prayers which we powre out before and offer up unto the Lord shall bee heard and granted I answer briefly from the Text. First Answer 1. pray unto one who is able to helpe us as poore men begge of rich and not of the poore so let us direct our supplications and send up our requests unto the Lord our God who is omnipotent able to do whatsoever he will in heaven and earth and above all that we are able to aske or thinke For thus doth our holy Prophet in the Text O God save us with thy right hand And Secondly let us be such Answer 2. as God hath promised to helpe The person here praying unto the Lord Psal 119. is David who served him with a perfect heart and kept his Commandements with his whole heart and therefore the Lord did preserve him Ioh. 9.31 according to his promise made unto him This was a truth so cleare that a blind man could see it that God heares not finners but if any man be righteous him he will heare And therefore let us heare God if we desire that he should heare us Let us purge our selves from sinne as hee commands and then he will preserve us as he hath promised Let us sincerely serve him and he will surely save us And Thirdly Answer 3. let us aske such things as he hath promised to give and grant or which are agreeable unto his will and pleasing unto his Majestie Matt. 6.13 The Psalmist prayes here for preservation from evill and our Saviour teacheth us to pray Deliver us from evill and therefore it is agreeable to the will of God that wee should pray for protection against evils and for the removeall of them when they lye upon us And Fourthly Answer 4. let us pray unto God in that manner that himselfe hath prescribed that is 1 Let us pray for others not for our selves onely as David here doth And 2 For generall blessings let us pray generally when two consent together Mat. 18.19 and offer up their prayers with one accord their voyce is heard And 3 Let us pray fervently That bird is held best that sits upmost in the neast and drawes in most spirits and those are the best petitioners who are still gaping up to heaven fervently by prayer It was said of Luther Quod voluit potuit Hee was so fervent and zealously earnest in his prayers unto God that he could obtaine any thing at his hands Luk. 18.11 And 4 Let us continue and persevere in prayer untill our suit be heard and supplication granted or the will of God revealed concerning the thing which we pray for To summe up all this in few words let us all labour that our persons may be pleasing and acceptable unto God and our hearts and lives purged from all pollution of sinne and beautified and adorned with purity and sanctitie and then let us all cry mightily unto God because vis unita fortior many faithfull persons joyning together in fervent prayers do quickly prevaile with God Let us all I say pray yea let us all pray fervently unto our God who is able to helpe us for the good successe of this present Christian assembly and let us continue these our prayers for the continuance thereof and a blessing thereupon untill the Lords will be revealed concerning the event fruit and effect thereof Thus we have done with the former branch of this last Use to wit That meanes must be used the second and last onely remaines namely that wee having used these meanes which God hath commanded and as hee commanded we may then confidently expect the blessings and mercies promised and desired which was the second generall What hath God promised Question Answer Mat. 18. Ioh. 14.13 15.16 16.23 Iam. 1.5 That where two or three are gathered together in his Name hee will be in the midst of them and that whatsoever we aske of him in the Name and for the sake of Christ our Lord wee shall receive And therefore let us with one tongue one voyce one minde one heart from the heart and with the utmost intention of the heart pray unto God in the name of his deare Sonne and our sweete Saviour Jesus Christ to blesse prosper assist aide direct and sanctifie all those who are assembled both for Church and commonwealth and to make the Assemblies successefull according to our desires and necessities and so to instruct and enable them that such wholsome lawes may be enacted and established by them that wee may enjoy the blessings of peace unity concord prosperity and the preaching of the Gospell in purity and sincerity Amen Amen Proposition 2. The first Proposition being thus finished I proceed unto the second viz. That the Lord exerciseth sometimes his most beloved people and Nations or his chosen Nationall Churches and dearest common-wealths with great afflictions calamities and miseries Or those Churches commonwealths which have beene sometime or for a long time the people of God and above all other people most beloved of him are sometimes brought by him into great distresse and most gievous desertion Or the Lord doth sometimes severely punish sometimes wholly desert sometimes for a long while forsake a people that hath been deere unto him How naturally this note ariseth from the Text How the point ariseth from the text will easily appeare if wee doe but observe these two things in the Psalmists supplication viz. First for whom he prayes namely for the people of Israel the Lords chosen

text that the truths deducible from thence would be many and the time taken up in the explicating and unfolding of those truthes would be long And therefore I will neither trace the Logicall steps nor tread the Theologicall path but with what brevity and succinctnesse I can possibly I will first breake the bones of my Text and secondly labour so to pick out the marrow thereof that both you and my selfe may bee comforted and corroborated thereby For the orderly dissecting or breaking up of the Text wee must observe as at first we observed that in the words two things offer themselves to our view to wit 1. The Prophets petition A third Analysis of the text 2. The repetition thereof 1. In his petition are two things cleerely expressed to wit First Materia the substance or matter thereof and that is salvation Save Secondly Modus the manner how he desires to be saved and that is by the Lords right hand 2. We have the Repetition of his request in these words and heare me From the whole words wee have three particulars diligently to observe or three words to explicate and expound if we desire to attaine to a true sight of the sense and meaning of the text The sense and meaing of the Text. namely What is meant by saving by Gods right hand and by hearing and we must note that each of these hath a double acception and signification in Scripture First Salvation twofold there is a twofold salvation mentioned in the word viz. 1. Spirituall or eternall of the soule as Iames 1.21 and in diverse places He is able to save your soules And 2. Corporall or temporall of the bodie as Ioshua 10.6 and in many more texts Save thou us oh Lord and helpe us and of this salvation the text speakes Save i. e. Preserve succour relieve and helpe us with thy right hand Secondly Gods right hand taken two wayes the right hand of the Lord hath a double acception also For 1. Sometime it signifies his authoritie and power as Psalme 110.1 1. King 2.29 The Lord said unto my Lord sit thou on my right hand untill I make thine enemies thy foots-stoole And thus Salomon set his Mother on his right hand that being the chiesest place next unto himselfe And 2. Sometimes it signifies the might strength force and fortitude of the Lord as Exodus 15.6 Thy right hand oh Lord is glorious in power thy right hand oh Lord hath bruised the enemie i. e. As men bruise and break a thing with the strength of their hands even so doth God his enemies by his power And in this sense is right hand taken in this place Save with thy right hand i. e. Preserve and deliver us by thy strengh might and mightie power Thirdly Hearing taken two wayes hearing likewise hath a double sound and significations in sacred Scripture For 1. Sometimes it is taken 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 properly and literally and so it signifies to take up or perceive something with the sense of hearing and thus sounds noyses and words are heard And 2. Sometimes it is taken 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 after an humane manner for our better understanding and thus it signifies to attend marke or listen When wee declare any thing to negligent and heedlesse cares we usually say you heare not what I say i. e. you doe not attend unto or marke the things declared So the Prophet here desires that the Lord would not lend a negligent eare unto his prayers or sleight his requests but that hee would bee pleased mercifully to heare and graciously to grant his suite and supplication Heare me i. e. that is attend oh Lord and listen unto me and to my prayers Thus in your hearing The Propositions arising from the text and to your understanding with a three-fold hammer I have sufficiently broken and bruised the bones of the text set us now sucke the marrow which lyes before us and seriously ponder these points which are obvious and conspicuous unto us from the words thus expounded explicated and unfolded viz. Proposition 1. First although the godly have promises from God of protection yet they must not idely expect it but wrastle and tugge with God by prayer for it Proposition 2. Secondly God sometimes brings his best and chosen people into great distresses and dangers exercising them with great calamities and miseries Proposition 3. Thirdly all changes chances mutations and maladies which fall upon any Church or State Kingdome or Common-wealth comes from God Proposition 4. Fourthly it is the Lord and hee alone who protects Princes and people Countries and Common-wealths Proposition 5. Fifthly and lastly when any calamitie or miserie is either seared or felt either inflicted upon the backes or hanging over the heads of any Common-wealth Church State or Nation or when any speciall blessings are desired in the behalfe thereof that it is then the dutie of all the pious and zealous members of that Church and State both to desire and endeavour both to labor and pray for the obtaining of the blessings desired How naturally all these points arise from this present portion of holy writ wee shall see God willing when we come to the particular handling of them I will beginne first with the first which is this That although all the faithfull flock Doctrine 1. Psal 91.10.11.12 125.1.2 121.1.2.3 c. and peculiar people of God have many great and gracious promises made them in his word by himselfe of protection and preservation from and in evils yet they must not idely expect the performance of those promises but earnestly pray that they may bee made good unto them How naturally this note ariseth from the text will easily appeare How the point is deduced from the Text. if we doe but observe that the Lord had made speciall and particular promises unto this his beloved Prophet which were not hid from him but made knowne unto him and understood by him and yet notwithstanding hee wrastles and warres with God for the blessings promised doubling and redoubling as it were his blowes upon him in the text Save Lord with by right hand and heare me Yea it is further worth observing to this purpose that our Princely Prophet maketh mention of Gods promises made unto him in the 4. and 6. verses and makes his prayer unto God in the 5. folding up as it were the petition which he puts up unto God in the midst of the promises made by God unto him The Lord makes promises of mercie unto David and David prayes the Lord according to his promises to be mercifull unto his servant The Lord promiseth to protect and preserve his annointed and his servant beseecheth him to performe his promises made unto him God is faithfull in his promises and David doubts it not God remembers what he hath promised and to whom and David questions it not yea although hee confidently beleeve that the

of weake persons as women and children Thirdly of strangers Fourthly of beasts and cattell so in the Church of God or in any true visible Church there are First such as are strong in faith Secondly the weake and fraile Thirdly hypocrites which in outward shew joyne themselves to the Church as those strangers did Fourthly carnall and worldly men prophane persons yea Devils incarnate which may be compared unto beasts And therefore let neither ther all of us in this land in generall nor any of us in particular trust unto this that we are members of the Church of England which is a true Church and professeth the truth and true Religion It may here now bee demanded Question 2. Doth no prerogative belong to a true outward visible Church or are wee never a whit the better for being within a true Church which purely professeth the truth There is an externall prerogative of a true externall Church Answer which is not to bee contemned or despised The Prophet David had rather bee a doore-keeper in the house of God Psal 8.4 Rom. 13 1.2 c. and 9.4 then to dwell in the tents of wicked men because the Christian every way as the Apostle saith hath great priviledges above Heathens who are without the Church For in the Church are the meanes of grace and salvation offered Psal 79.6 Ier. 10.25 and there or by those within the Church the Lord is more easily entreated and is more difficultly provoked unto anger against them Yea in a true Church wee see many burning and shining lights which animate attract and encourage us to the practice of pietie and therefore it is no small prerogative to be made a member of a true Church neither should our care be small in learning and labouring so to live that wee doe not provoke the Lord to deprive us of this great blessing and blessed priviledge by taking away the Candle or removing the Candlesticke out of his place or letting out his Vineyard to other Husband-men who will bee more thankfull profitable and obedient unto him then we have beene And thus much for the second answer to the first Question Thirdly Answer 1 sometimes wee trust to precedent mercies and deliverances some in this land dow often say The Lord hath not dealt so with any Nation as with ours in giving us pious prudent and religious Princes who zealously and couragiously maintaine and defend the true Faith and in continuing his Gospel among us and peace prosperity and plenty unto us so long a time and in preserving us from the Spanish Armado or Bravado in 88. and that unparallelled Powder-plot and all the plots counsels and consultations of the Jesuits and all the Whoores brood who inendtd mischiefe against our Estate And therefore we may be secure in this land because the Lord we know will bee unto us one and the same to day and to morrow and for ever I answer hereunto 1. That this is most true that the Lord hath long dealt most graciously with England in all the particulars instanced upon And 2. That the mercie of the Lord is above all his workes and greater then all our sinnes And 3. That if we would live sincerely as Ammi the Lords people hee would never then so long as we so continued pronounce against us Lo-ammi that we should be no longer his people If we were ready to embrace the Lords offers or carefull to walke worthie of his love he would never then denounce against us Lonuchama that hee would no more be mercifull unto us For the Lord is immutable in himselfe and these changes are in us and if wee doe not fall from truth unto error from sanctitie unto sinne from profession unto profanenesse from religion to rebellion from God unto Sathan the Lord will never faile nor forsake us but continue to be our God and continue us to be his people But 4. If wee abuse his mercie Rom. 11 2● and long-suffering and prove like those evill Husband-men or that wicked servant we must then expect that mercie will give way to justice and judgement and wee through the Lords just anger shall become as miserable a Nation as ever we were happie by his free mercie and goodnesse And therefore let us adorne that profession which we have undertaken Let us make religion our Sparta 1. Pet. 2.12 and labour to beautifie it by righteousnesse holinesse sobrietie and temperance that those without the Church may bee wone unto her by our holie lives and godly conversations coupled with feare and then we may be confidently and comfortably assured that the Lord will be as a wall of brasse about us and hedge us about with a guard of angels and protect defend and preserve us from all our enemies and all who have evill wil at this our Sion whether forraign or domesticall establish Religion peace in our Borders and continue his Gospell in purity and sincerity amongst us even untill the second comming of Christ unto judgement Amen Fourthly Answer 4. some particular persons presume of their communicating of the Sacraments some will say they were baptized and have beene at the Lords table and therefore they conclude Tush 1 Pet. 2.21 no evill will come unto them But we must know that there is an outward washing in Baptisme as Saint Peter saith as well as an inward and many are washed by water who were never purged from all their fins by the blood of Christ And S. Paul tels us that all the Israelites were baptized in the Cloud in the Sea and were all made partakers of the same spirituall me ate 1 Corinth 10. 5.8 and drinke and yet many of them perished The Evangelists tell us that Iudas ate with his Master the Paschall Lambe and received a sop from him and yet died in damnable desperation and the Apostle saith that many communicate the outward elements in the Eucharist to their owne damnation And therefore let not us trust to the outword worke 1 Cor. 11.20 or to the partaking of the outward elements only for these alone profit nothing but let us labour for the baptisme of the spirit and true regeneration and endeavour to eate Christ by a faith unfained Luk. 10.20 and then wee shall have greater cause of joy and rejoycing than if wee had power to cast out devils to cure the sicke to raise the dead and to remove mountaines Secondly Quest 2. it may further bee demanded why wee in England may not presume of those many and great priviledges which wee have above many yea the most if not all other Nations First no outward thing will profit or advantage us at all Answer 1. as was shewed before rom 2.2.6 and therefore wee must not trust to any such thing And Secondly Answer 2. our Church and State hath long continued without any desolation or alteration and therefore we have the more cause not to be high minded but

a Kingdomes ruine For according to diverse there are diverse sinnes which hasten the downe-fall of a Common-wealth instance but in one or two First 1. The oppression of Superiours Bons Postoris est pecus tondere non deglubere sometimes by the oppression of Superiours the Common-wealth is impoverished and therefore when Tiberius Caesar was solicited by the Governours of the Provinces to lay heavier tributes and levie larger Subsidies from his people made though a Painim this Noble and notable answer That a good Shepheard ought to sheare his Sheepe and not to flea them And thus also Queene Elizabeth said to the President of Ireland And Secondly 2 Gifts or Bribes Exod. 23.8 The Scripture saith plainely that gifts and bribes overthrow a Common-wealth Prov. 29. 4. Exod. 23.8 Deut. 16.19 Esa 1.23 5.23 Now according to some there are three sorts of rewards viz 1. In the Common-wealth namely when gifts are given for the procuring of some publike offices or places And 2. In the Church which is called Simony when spirituall dignities are bought And 3. In private matters for the corrapting of judgement and this is called Bribery Now there are none of these but they are in some regard hurtfull to a Church and State And therefore if we desire the good of ours wee should pray unto God to worke in us a generall repentance for our generall sinnes and to seale unto us a generall pardon of all our transgressions and to turne from us all those evils which wee have deserved for our many and great provocations and so to sanctifie and direct all our Superiours and Governours that they may truely wish well unto us and seeke our good and set such over us as may doe the like and place in place and office such as are good and able to doe good both in Church and Common-wealth that justice may bee distributed without partiality And Thirdly 3. Toomuch liberty too much licence and liberty and remisse lenity in Superiours and Governours is another enemie unto a State For it cannot chuse but breede a great mischiese in a Common-wealth when justice sleepeth and the shamelesse boldnesse of evill dooers is not curbed in with a birdle but runneth its owne swinge and therefore a Consul of Rome could say That is was an evill thing to have a Prince under whom liconce and liberty is given unto every man to doe what him listeth And therefore wee should pray that all good Lawes may be executed and that the Magistrate may not hold the sword of justice for nought Fourthly and lastly 4. The contempt of the word the contempt of the word of God is another maine cause of the desolation of a State I will for the cleere proofe of this beause it necrely concernes us alleadge and urge onely one place of Scripture namely Esay 5.24 where wee have these words As the fire devoureth the stubble and the flame consumeth the chaffe so their roote shall be rottennesse and their bleslome shall goe up as dust because they have cast away the Law of the Lord of Hosts and despised the word of the holy one of Israel Three things are here worthie of observation for our present purpose viz. 1. What is threatned 2. Who are threatned 3. Why they are threatned Observe 1. That the Lord doth not say that his anger towards them for the contempt of his word shall bee like fire in a house but like fire amongst stubble and straw That is 1. Their destruction shall be totall Prov. 30.16 Ier. 4.4 there shall be nothing left neither shall any bee able to free them from the Lords just wrath If a house be one fire it may be put out yea though it be not all is not burnt for all materials in a house are not combustible but there is no quenching of stubble being once on fire neither is any thing thereof left unburnt and such is the wrath of God against the centemners of his word And 2 Their destruction shall bee sudden and come upon them like a whirle-winde If a house be on fire it is a long time on burning but stubble and straw being once kindled are consumed in a moment and as it were in the twinkling of an eye And thus the wrath of God will come suddenly and violently and like an armed man upon all the contemners and despisers of his word without repentance And therefore let us kisse the Sonne Esa 29.5 Psal 2.11 and labour to be reconciled unto the Father for if his wrath bee kindled yea but a little blessed are all they that are at peace with him And thus wee see what is threatned viz. totall and sudden destruction Now II. Observe here who they are who are threatned viz. roote and blossome what is meant by this Metaphore is not generally agreed upon by Interpreters For. 1 Some by roote understand evill thoughts and by branch evill workes 2 Some by roote understand men Hebr. 12.15 Hier. s and by branch the glory of his beauty riches honour and the like Malac. 4.1 Hier. s 3 Some by roote and branch understand a totall and finall destruction Esa 14.29 30. 37.31 4 Some by roote understand themselves and by branch their children Wee may thus profitably and truly conjoyne all these together that if wee continue in our hearts to contemne the Word and in our lives to disobey it God will then in his fury destroy with a finall fearfull and totall destruction both our bodies estates and children And III. Observe wee why they are thus fearfully threatned viz. because they contemne and despise the Word and Law of God Now if wee would know who they are who contemne the Word they are 1 Those who contemne the threatnings of the Word being altogether fearelesse of them and say Tush let him come And 2 Those who despise the primises of the Word not beleeving them at all And 3 Those who sleight the admonitions of the Word not obeying them at all And 4 Those who lightly regard the authority of the Word saying I will do what the Word forbids in despight thereof And Those who do not much prize and value the Word are contemners of it And 6 Those who despise reprehension or are angry when they are reproed by the Word are also justly said to contemne it Now it will easily appeare by the particulars how nearly this belongs unto us in this Land For how many have wee amongst us that notwithstanding all the comminations and threatnings of the Word daily sounded in their eares runne on to sinne as a horse unto the battle with all wicked violence and impetuousnesse being altogether fearlesse of the wrath or judgements of God How many have wee amongst us that neither question the truth of the divine promises of the Word or at least wil not be allured by them unto obedience How many have wee that with the Cocke had rather have a barly corne than a pretious orient jewell and