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	manner_n	zion_n	33	3	9.5372	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A44765	A discourse on persecution, or, Suffering for Christ's sake clearing the notion of it, and making a discrimination of just from vnjust pretensions to it : and passionately recommending true Christian suffering to all those who shall be call'd thereto : occasionally representing the folly and sinfulness of illegal, arbitrary courses for the prevention of it, and the security of our church / by John Howell ...	Howell, John, b. 1658?	1672 (1672)	Wing H3130; ESTC R9661	29,187	50

labour under them of Publick Prayer of the Publick and Solemn Administration of the Word and Sacraments and of other outward Exercises of Religion But these are but Means to promote and encourage to signifie and declare to the World our Faith and Obedience which two are the onely Substantials of Religion But now no Tyranny no Rage of Persecutors can force us to quit These To Believe and to Obey it is the Gift of God and thro his Grace lies in our own power so that Religion may be maintain'd amidst the worst and most bloody Persecutions abound and flourish under a Nero or Diocletian 'T is true indeed a Publick Solemn Profession of Faith and the several outward Acts of Religion are very highly convenient yea and necessary too when Men are at liberty for the one and the other But where this Liberty is perfectly denied their Necessity is ceas'd and a Dispensation follows of course God accepts here we need not doubt it the Will for the Deed. He knows when and how far we believe He knows the Measures of our Obedience and from what Principle it flows and where he finds us sound at the Heart he easily dispenses with the rest He is infinitely Wise and sees what we would do He is infinitely Just and requires not Impossibilities Thus may our Religion live and stand out maugre all the Enemy's Batteries against it maugre all the Powers and Stratagems of Hell call'd out for its Destruction And indeed if That must have suffered according as its Professors did it had been in every Mans power to rob us of it nay what thro the Malice and the Wiles of the Devil and what thro the Power and Wickedness of Men it had been lost undoubtedly lost stifled in its Infancy and we had scarce heard of the very Name of a Christian But thanks be to God the Case is quite otherwise For Christianity flourish'd most under its heaviest Pressures The Sufferings of some made others in love with such a Suffering Religion and for one Martyr there were gain'd several Converts to Christianity for there was a kind of Seminal Principle in the Martyrs Blood and out of their Graves sprung Christians And truly I cannot see why Religion may not thrive in the most Troublesom Times A sound Belief and a suitable Practice Piety and an entire Resignation of Mind Meekness and Sobriety Justice and Charity with the rest of the Principal Duties of Religion may be as religiously exercis'd and therefore as well accepted in Evil as in Prosperous Times Nay some eminent Vertues there are which must be reserv'd for Foul weather for a day of Adversity for indeed they can't be exerted at any other time For instance To be Patient presupposes Sufferings under which we may be so How can we take up the Cross unless there be one How can we forgive Injuries unless they have been offer'd us How can we do Good to our Enemies if we have none There must be some that Despitefully use us and Persecute us or how can we Pray for them that do so So that Persecution does Promote the Exercise and consequently Heighten the Glory of Christianity and does rather prune than root out its Professors which is agreeable to that of the Apostle to the Philippians c. 1 v. 12 13 14. But I would you should understand brethren that the Things which hapned unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the Gospel so that my Bonds in Christ are manifest in the Palace and in all other places and many of the brethren in the Lord waxing confident by my Bonds are much more bold to speak the Word without fear Then what if we should suppose our Church to be in danger of Popery We may not we must not endeavour to preserve it by any Vnlawful means and with the loss of our Innocence No Religion needs not our help or our defence at least it requires not any Irregular course to support it If the Lord please he can and will defend it against all the Oppositions all the Machinations of its Adversaries If on the other side it be his pleasure to let it fall as indeed our Provocations many and great give us reason to fear it is fall it must notwithstanding all the Vnjustifiable Proceedings and Endeavours of Men. Except the Lord keep the City the Watchman waketh but in vain And do we think that the ready way to engage him to keep it is to offend him or that he will take care of us and our Religion when we neither care for him nor his Laws Or do we entertain a Fancy altogether as idle That he must assist us whether he will or no that he is under a fatal necessity of giving us his encouraging his helping Hand No certainly As he is in no wise forc'd to assist us so our Presumption and our other Sins are in no wise likely to invite him to it He sees nothing in our Irreligious Practices so pleasing as to oblige him to look upon us He sees nothing so inviting as our Resignation and our Obedience If we Resign up our selves wholly to him and Obey him in all his Commands he can and he will protect us for he that putteth his trust in the Lord shall want no manner of thing that is good The holy Lives and the effectual fervent Prayers of the Righteous avail much but and if those few who mourn in Sion should not will our Sins be able to preserve us If Obedience cannot will Treason and Rebellion secure us Good God! that ever any who pretend to Reason yea and Conscience too should go about to secure Religion by the Violation of it that ever any should fancy they may be safe in their Sins yea and made so by them Certainly there is somewhat of Witchcraft in Rebellion and more than a bare Resemblance betwixt them or Men could never take up such Devilish Resolutions against all Law Reason and Religion and that too with a private self-flattery with the leave and with the applause of Conscience Then let us not bow to the sly Insinuations to the inchanting Delusions of the grand Deceiver If the Lord be God follow him and depend upon him This is Wisdom's Advice Commit thy Works unto the Lord says she and thy thoughts shall be establish'd that is thou shalt see the Accomplishment of all thy Laudable of all thy Innocent Designs and Desires Then why should we place our Hopes in our Armies and an uncertain Multitude for the Security of our Church when we may and ought to look up unto him who is the Author and Giver of all good things It is better to trust in the Lord than to put any Confidence in Man It is better to Trust in the Lord than to put any Confidence in Princes If the Lord be on our side we need not fear what Man doth unto us Tho all Nations compass'd us round about yet in the Name of the Lord we should destroy them He