Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
lord_n	bishop_n	john_n	king_n	11,073	5	3.7166	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17683	The lectures or daily sermons, of that reuerend diuine, D. Iohn Caluine, pastor of the Church of God in Geneua, vpon the prophet Ionas, by N.B. student in Diuinitie. Whereunto is annexed an excellent exposition of the two last epistles of S. Iohn, done in Latin by that worthy doctor, August. Marlorate, and englished by the same N.B.	Calvin, Jean, 1509-1564.; Baxter, Nathaniel, fl. 1606.; Marlorat, Augustin, 1506-1562. Novi testament Catholici expositio ecclesiastica. aut	1578 (1578)	STC 4432; ESTC S109621	135,321	202

in the doctrine deliuered vnto them he consequentlie affirmeth him to be Antichriste which denyeth Christ to become in the fleshe V. and with a verie notable sentence also he admonisheth them that sinne is to be flied least a man be depriued of the offered rewarde Lastly he exhorteth them to beware of the false Prophets Oe. and commaundeth that no man take suche to house neither bid them God speede but rather shun them as the most pernicious enemyes of Christ In the ende he rendereth a reason why in this Epistle he studied to be briefe euen because he hopeth shortlie to speake the rest face to face Oe. and so with a Christian salutation enterlaced he concludeth or finisheth his Epistle Vers 1 ¶ The Elder to the Elect Lady and her Childrē whom I loue in the truth and not I alone but also all that haue knowne the truth THe Elder to the Elect Ladye This is the inscription or tytle of the Epistle which sheweth fyrst the office of the wryter and secondly conteyneth the name or dignitie of her to whome the Epistle was written The word Elder in this place is not referred to age but rather first to integritie of minde secondly honestie of manners and thirdly excellencie of erudition For all these thinges that Name Presbyteros Senior Elder doth comprehende Of the which reade more Acts. 20.17 and .1 Tim. 5.17 They which thinke this Epistle to be wrytten by the Apostle Iohn affirme that he vsed this name for modestie sake against the hartinesse of our Elders in expressing their tytles whome the name of a Minister and Bishoppe doth so displease that they must be called Popes high Priests chiefe Monarches of Christian pietie When as yet Christ the Lorde of all sayde to his Disciples The kings of the Gentiles raigne ouer them and they that beare rule ouer them are called bountifull But ye shall not be so but let the greatest among you be as the least and he which is chiefe as he which ministreth Iohn also might be called Elder by a figure called Antonomasia among the Apostles Of wome as some thinke none remained alyue beside this Elect beloued disciple of Christ And then also the Seniors or Elders gouerned the Congregation being famous men of an approued faith honorable perfection full of the holie ghost which by word examples ruled the Churche But this is the opinion of those men which affyrme Iohn the Euangelist to be the wryter of this present Epistle They which thinke otherwise referre the name Elder to the office of teaching as it is already fayde He calleth her also to whome he wryteth Elect. Oec Eyther by reason of her name or of her great emulation or study about vertue To this also he séemeth to adde the tytle of Ladie that he might shewe the profite of this Woman in the worde of God who nowe through the victorie of our Lorde Iesus Christ beganne to be a Lady ouer death sinne the Diuell and hell and might saye with Saint Paul Death is swalowed vp in the victorie O death where is thy styng O hell where is thy victorie The stinge of death is sinne the strength of sinne is the law but thanks be to God which hath geuen vs victorie through our Lord Iesus Christ 1. Cor. 15. .57 The beginning of this victory doeth that word which he vseth euen the Elect Ladie also declared vnto vs if the word Elect be taken in the proper signification thereof to the entent to admonish vs of that eternall election of the sonnes of God as if the wryters of the Epistle shoulde saye God almightie woulde haue thée receyued into the number of his predestinated and Elected chyldren Of the which thing Paul verie notablie preacheth saying But we ought to geue thankes to God alway for you brethren beloued of the Lord because that God hath chosen you to saluation from the beginning through the sanctification of the spirit and the faith of trueth whervnto he called you by our Gospell to obtaine the glorie of our Lorde Iesus Christ And her children There be some which by this Ladye wyll haue the Church vnderstanded and by her Sonnes or Chyldren the lytle ones or those which are weake and which are in the Churche begotten by the fayth of Iesus Christe but this exposition is racked For to what ende shoulde the Author of the Epistle saye that he woulde shortlie speake in the presence of the Ladie to whome he wryteth vnleast he meant some certaine person Nowe he addeth VVhome I loue in the trueth By which wordes he signifieth what maner of thing true Christian loue is euen that truelie which is most voyde of all hypocrisie For to loue with mouth faynedlie oftentimes commeth to passe euen as it is noted in the fiirst Epistle of Iohn where he saide Litle children let vs not loue in worde neither in tongue onelie but in deede and trueth And Paul sayde Let loue be without dissimulation Peter also speaketh of it thus You which haue purified your soules in obeying the trueth through the spirite to loue brotherlie without fayning Loue one another with a pure harte feruently being borne anew not of mortal seede but of immortal by the word of God who liueth and remaineth for euer It foloweth And not I alone Great is the concorde and friendshippe among the sonnes of god For seeing they all are dyrected by one spirit euen of Christ it is not possible but that they holde mutuall amitie betwéene them selues and embrace all those which according to the measure of the grace geuen vnto them doo studie to further the glorie of Christ alone The distaunce therefore of place or diuersitie of tongues or their diuers estates nothing at all let but that this most excellent loue among them maye florish Christian profession and fame of name alone hath most surelie ioyned them together in such sort that oftentymes one of them reioyce of another whome yet they neuer sawe So Paul hearing of the fayth of the Romanes desyred ardentlie to sée them Vnto whome also he commendeth Prisca and Aquila after this sorte Gréete Priscila and Aquila my felow helpers in Christ Iesus which for my lyfe haue layde downe their owne necke vnto whom not I onelie geue thankes but also all the Churches of the Gentiles It foloweth But also al that haue knowne the trueth It is a Periphrasis or Circumlocution of the Christians For properly they are sayde to knowe the truth vnto whom Christ which is the truth is reuealed moreouer this knowledge in the faythfull is not ydell but liuely and occupied For they doo not onely hould that which is true but they both loue it and followe it And for certainty sythe the knowledge of God and the knowledge of the truth is one it cannot be that they which are indued with the knowledge of the truth doo not conforme themselues to the

them Caluin ONe thing escaped me in the thirde verse Ionas sayde that the Citie Nineueh was a great Citie vnto god This manner of speaking is sufficientlie vsed in the Scriptures For the Hebrewes call that Diuine or of God what soeuer excelleth so the Ceders are called the Ceders of God and Mountaines of God and Fieldes of God if eyther in heigth or in any other gyfte they doo excell This Citie therefore is sayde to be Diuine for that in comparison of others it was most famous For this cause I woulde brieflie touch this because certaine men verie subtilly but verie chyldishly almost cal it the Citie of God because God tooke care for it in the which he would shew such an example of conuersion But this kind of speaking is taken of the common manner of speaking But now I returne to the text Ionas saith that the Citizens of Nineueh beléeued the Lorde and hereby we gather that the Preaching of Ionas was not so short but that first he foretold that he was the true Prophet of God that he dyd not rashly vtter those things commaunded And then againe we gather that Ionas so denounced destruction vnto them that with all he shewed that God was the reuenger of al offences rebuked the Nineuit● and as it were cyted them vnto the iudgement seate of God shewing vnto them theyr gyiltinesse For if he had simply spokē of punishmēt this certainly could not preuaile but euen to make the Nineuits 〈…〉 a rise vp against god But when as their 〈◊〉 ●●ults guiltinesse is set before thē but his meanes they acknowledge the worthelie they suffer punishment and this is a preparation to humilitie repentance ●●ch of these things is easily gathered out of this word when as Ionas sayth that the Nineuits beloued God ▪ For vnlesse the● had bene perswaded that this commaundement procéeded from heauen what manner of fayth had theirs bene Let vs knowe therefore that Ionas so much foretolde of his calling that the Nineuits helde for certaintie that he was a celestiall Preacher and from hence came their fayth Againe the Nineuits had neuer so beléeued God to put vpon them selues Sackcloath but that they were admonished of their sinnes Therefore there is no doubt but that Ionas whyle he cryed out against Nineueh layde open and set also euidentlie before all men howe wickedlie those men had lyued and how heynous and gréeuous their offences were against god And hereby it came that they put on Sackcloth humbly fledde for succor vnto the mercie of God because they vnderstand that they were worthelie called to iudgement for their lyfe wickedly ledde But it may be demaunded how the Nineuits beléeued God sith to the● no hope was geuen of saluation for there can be no fayth without the taste of the fatherlie beneuolence of god Who so conceyueth that God is displeased and angrie with him it must néedes be that he must altogether dispayre When as therfore Ionas gaue them no ●ast of the goodnes of God he might rather an hūdred times terrify the Nineuits then once call thē to the fayth but the speach may be Synechdochiall that is put part for the whole For it is not whole fayth when as men being called to repentaunce doo submissiuelie humble them selues before God but yet it is a parte of fayth as the Apostle sayth in the 1● to the Hebre. that Noah by fayth feared Where he bringing the feare which Noah conceyued by the Oracle of God out of fayth he teacheth that it is a parte of fayth and that it proceedeth from thence And yet the minde of the holy Patriarche must be by some other meane raysed vp then by the threatninges to builde the Arke to be for him a sanctuarie of safegarde So also by Synechdoche maye this place be expounded that the Nineuits beléeued the Lord euen because when they vnderstand that God was to geue them their deserued punishment they submytte themselues to him yet in the meane tyme flée vnto him to craue pardon But there is no doubte but that the Nineuits conceyued more by the wordes of Ionas then a naked terror and feare because if they had onely apprehended that parte euen that they were guiltie before God and worthely were called to paine punishment they had bene confused dismayed with terror neuer had aspired to the desyre of pardon When as therfore they do humbly prostrate them selues before God certainlie they conceyue some hope of grace and fauour at Gods hande Therefore they were not so touched with repentaunce and the feare of God but that there was mingled with al soule ta●● of grace ▪ so they beléeued God because although they vnderstoode that they were most worthy of death they yet dispayred not but had recourse vnto prayers When as therefore we sée that the Nineuits sought that remedie we maye certainly thinke that they profited more by the preaching of Ionas then that they should onelie vnderstand that they were culpable in the sight of god And this thing is certainly to be helde But we wyl speake more in the next Lecture ❧ The Prayer GRaunt O almighty God that seeing there is so much fearfulnesse in vs that none of vs are fytte to folowe thee whether thou callest vs that we being instructed by the example of thy seruaunt Ionas maye prepare our selues vnto perfect obedience and whatsoeuer terrors Sathan the world obiecteth against vs that yet we being confyrmed with the confidence of thy power and ayde which thou hast promised vnto vs maye goe forwarde in the course of our vocation and at no time decline therefro but that we maye so skyrmish against al stumbling blockes lettes of this world tyl we may come to that heauēly kingdom where we maye enioye both thee and Christ shine onelie begotten sonne which is our strength saluation and let thy spirite cherishe vs and confirme all our senses vnto thine obedience ▪ so that at that length thy name maye be glorified in vs and we once may be made partakers of that glorye to the which thou inuitest vs by the same Christ our lord Amen vers 6 The text ¶ And worde came to the king of Nineueh and he rose from his Throne and cast awaye his Robe from him and put on sackcloath and sate vpon the duste or in the ashes vers 7 And he proclaymed and sayde thorough Nineueh by the Counsayle of the King and his Nobles saying Let neither man nor cattell or beast bullocke nor sheepe taste any thing neither feede nor drinke water vers 8 And let man and beast put on Sackcloath and crye mightilie vnto God and let euerie man returne from his wicked wayes and from the rapine which is in their handes Caluin IT is doubtfull whether Ionas certaine dayes preached before it was knowne to the King this is truely the more receiued opinion For the Interpreters do so expounde this verse where it is sayd that

in Frenche we saye A force or forte or terme with force stronglie or firmely Ionas therefore expresseth a thing rare singular when as he recyteth that this was comprised in the Kings Edict that men should crie strongly vnto god And it is as much as if he should say Let al men now awake to the shaking off their deadly sléepe For to much hytherto hath euerie one of vs kotcheled himself in his sins Nowe time it is that feare begynne to possesse our hartes and driue vs forwarde to craue the fauour and loue of God. And this also is worthy to be noted that the king inuenteth not any other remedy but that the people should flye vnto prayer And it may well be that Ionas exhorted the Nineuits vnto it but we may easily gather that this perceiueraunce is ingrafted in vs by nature that when we are vrged with aduersity then doo we implore and craue the fauour grace of god Well then To praye vnto God is the onely remedy in all afflictions and miseries If we therefore being taught both in the lawe and the Gospell doo not vse this remedy when God doth admonishe and exhort vs to repentaunce what shew of excuse shal we haue seing that prophane men which helde not one syllable of true piety yet in miserye besought the Lord God the King him selfe commaunded the same by the consent of al his Nobility More careful modesty therfore ought this Edict of the king to strike into vs then if a man shoulde but euen simply vtter this doctrine out of the word of god For although the kings authoritie be not equal vnto the aucthority of God yet when that miserable blind prince acknowledged by the instinct of nature that God was to be pacified with prayer what excusation as I haue saide remayneth for vs But Ionas sheweth more playnely that that the repentance of the people was not counterfeit when he declareth that the Nineuits put on sackecloth and kept themselues from meate drinke Well it followeth more in the edict of the king And let euerie man turne from his wicked way from the Rapine which is in their hands This prophane king nowe declareth to what ende and with what determination he gaue commaundement of fasting and the other exercises euen that by this means the Nineuits might stirre vp themselues the better vnto the feare of god For here he exhorteth that they shoulde conuert from their wicked way By the worde waye the scripture is accustomed to vnderstand the whole course or order of mans life It is as much therefore as it he sayde Let each of you chaunge his disposition and manners let vs al be new creaturs For this is true repentaunce The conuersion of a man vnto God. And thus much vnderstood this prophane king Wherby it followeth that their blockishnesse is the more filthie whiche endeuour to pacifie and please God with their friuolous inuentions as doo the Papists which wyll néedes thri●t vppon God I know not what tryfles and toyes and thinke eache of them a sacrifice good inough and therefore obstinatly doo they contende They néede not therefore anye other iudge then this prophane king which declared that there was another maner of true repentaunce euen that men should be chaunged in minde and soule and turne the whole manner of their life into better And therefore he sayth Let euery man be conuerted from his wicked way and from the rapine which is in their hands In this last clause is set downe the kindes of wickednesse by Synechdoche by parte for the whole For the Rapines were not onely to be amended in the Nineuits for it is probable that they were infected with other vices also In that so populous a Citie Dronkennesse did also raigne and also Royot Pride and Ambition and Lecherie There is no doubt therfore but that Nineueh was stuffed with innumerable sinnes but the king by part noteth here the principall vice wel Let euery man conuert from his wicked way and from his Rapine It is as much as if he shoulde shewe that the thiefe and principal vertue consisteth in Equitie Iustice that is when men lyue among them selues mutuallie without any wrong or iniurie And I woulde to God that the same doctrine were of force at this day amongst al those which vsurpe and falselie take vpon them the name of a Christian For the Papistes whyle they heape Sacrifice vpon Sacrifice they passe ouer Loue and Charitie and in al their perfection of lyfe almost Equitie hath no place Let them learne therefore at the mouth of a prophane King what God chiefly requireth of men and approueth in their whole lyfe euen that they abstaine from Rapines and from euerie wicked acte Nowe therefore we knowe why from Rapine was added Nowe we know that this King being yet a Nouice and scarce euen lyghtly touched with the rudimentes of pietie after the preaching of Ionas according to the smal measure of his vnderstanding fayth gaue yet commaundement to his subiectes to repent of their olde lyfe to leade a new But if in so small a place he so greatlie profited wée séeing that our eares haue bene beaten with continuall Sermons this twentie or thyrtie yeares what excuse may we I saye shew for our selues if we be farre behinde euen the smal knowledge of this king These cyrcumstaunces therefore are dilygently of vs to be noted Wel Nowe let vs procéede vers 9 The text ¶ Who can tell whether God wyll turne and repent and turne awaye from the fiercenesse of his wrath that we perish not Caluin HEre also more plainely is the minde intent of the King expressed euen that by this meanes he studied to reconcyle both him selfe and his people vnto god Some turne this verse a ●yttle otherwise thus He which knoweth wil conuert and repent They reade not this place interrogatiuelie but that reading cannot stande In the minde of the Prophet therfore there is nothing doubtfull that might make the King doubte at all VVho knoweth whether God will be fauourable to ●s But here we sée that the King was not ouerwhelmed with desperation but that he yet thought vpon a remedy for to that ende tendeth this verse But this maye séeme contrarie to the nature of Faith and then if it be contrarie to fayth it is also farre from repentaunce For Repentaunce and Faith are thinges coupled together as we haue sayde in other places For no man can of his owne accorde submytte him selfe vnto God vnlesse first he hath tasted of his goodnesse and secondly haue conceyued hope of saluation For he that is onely stroken with terror wyll flée the presence and sight of God and so on euery side of him raygneth desperation and then followeth Can●●macie and rebellion Question Now then how could it be that the king of Nineueh indéede and without counterfait or did repent and yet doubtingly entreateth of the grace of God I aunswere ther is a

kind of doubting Aunswer which may be ioyned together with fayth euen that doubting which doth not directly reiect the promise of God but yet hath many lettes For example If a man be cast downe with terrour and afterwards taketh hart to him hauing set before him the hope of pardon and saluation yet by and by he shall not be voyde of al feare because as long as he beholdeth his sinne and is also enwrapped in other thoughts and cogitations he shal wauer and be diuersely tossed in mynde There is no doubt therefore but that the king of Nineueh conceyued hope of saluation safegard but in the meane time was perplexed in mind as wel for the preaching of Ionas as for the guiltinesse of his owne sinnes Two le ts therfore there were which might cal backe the mynde of the king from assuraunce and certainty of his safegard or at the least might staye him that sodainly he should not apprehend the mercy of God and with a quiet mynde might thinke that God would be propitiouse vnto him The first let was that terrible Sermon of Ionas being this After fortie daies Nineueh shall perish For although Ionas might adde some thing as we haue sayde yet so precise was that threatning that it might dismaye the mindes of all men It behoued the king therefore mightely to striue that he might ouercome so great a let and repell dryue from him that terrible preaching of Ionas so farre forth as it was voyde of all comfort and consolation Secondlie the king when he pondered and weyghed his sinnes might some what wauer But we sée howe he endeuoreth to escape although he had these two impedimentes and hynderaunces before his eyes Because when he sayth VVho can tell whether God will turne awaye from the fiercenesse of his wrath and repent When he sayth so I saye we sée that he was in a strong conflict because howsoeuer Ionas séemed to shutte vp from him the gate of mercie and to forbyd deny him all hope of saluation and safegarde howsoeuer also his owne conscience kept him downe and oppressed him he yet procéedeth and pricketh him selfe forwarde and so finally aspyreth vnto hope of forgeuenesse Againe it is to be noted that this manner of speaking VVho can tel c. noteth rather difficultie then diffidencie For the king as it were doubtingly enquyreth VVho can tell whether God will turne him selfe Because it was a harde matter that God after so long sufferaunce shoulde yet spare that so wicked a Citie The king therfore expresseth a difficultie For this is not a signe of diffidencie or distrust when he so demaundeth And when in Ioel it is sayde VVho knoweth c. It is altogether the lyke saying and therefore sayde more when he expounded that place But let this brieflie suffice vs that the king doth not bewraye his distrust but rather expresseth the difficulty and hardnesse of the matter And this is a signe of humility that he vnderstandeth that he is as it were drowned in the déepe gulfe of hell with the people yet ceaseth not to hope the best For this is a signe of Hope when as a matter seemeth to be contrary to nature yea though it séeme to be contrarie to all naturall reason yet we hope styl wel Well we sée now what is the vnderstanding of these wordes Of the repentaunce of God we wyl speake of it another tyme eyther to morrow or the next daye It foloweth That we perish not We sée howe a King prophane séeketh to redéeme him selfe from destruction euen by the pacifying of god Therefore as soone as any daunger hangeth ouer vs and is at hande let this come into our minde that no escaping from the same may be founde vnlesse the Lorde receyueth vs into fauour euen as the king of Nineueh on the contrarie parte séemeth to reason after this sort As soone as the Lord shal be propitious and pacified all things shall fall out well We sée therefore howe much this rude and newe Nouice or youngling profited when as he vnderstandeth that men can not escape out of myseries vntyll the Lords wrath shal be appeased towards them And as soone as men come into fauour with him although an hundred tymes before they shoulde haue perished yet shall they be safe and sounde euen because the grace and fauour of God is the fountayne of saluation and of lyfe and of all other good thinges Afterwardes it followeth vers 10. The text ¶ And the Lorde sawe their workes that they turned from their euyll wayes And God repented him of the euyll that he had pronounced that he woulde do vnto them and he dyd it not Caluin NOw Ionas sayth that the Nineuits obtayned pardon by their repentaunce And truely this example is worthy to be noted for by this we gather to what ende the Lorde doth solicite vs to repentaunce which is euen because he wyll be reconciled vnto vs and also reconciled vs vnto him And this is the reason why he soūdeth in our eares so many chydings threatnings when we come to heare the worde of God Euen because he wyll call vs backe from destruciō therefore I saye doth he talke angerlie with vs Finally whatsoeuer the Scripture conteyneth concerning Repentance the iudgement of God ought wholy to be applyed to this vse euen that we maye come into fauor with God because he is easie to be appeased and is ready alwayes to imbrace those which vnfaynedlie turne them selues vnto him Therefore in this example we vnderstande that God respecteth nothing else as often as he dealeth hardlie with vs but that he maye be at one with vs and appeased towarde vs if we our selues wyll be iudges of our selues and so preuent his yre with a wylling desire of harte which is done when as we craue pardon for our sinne guiltinesse secondly and are displeased with our selues thirdly and also confesse that we are worthy of destruction But Ionas seemeth here to place here the cause of saluation in Repentaunce Workes for he sayth that the Nineuits obtained pardon because God respected their workes Well fyrst it is to be noted what workes he meaneth least any man shoulde sodainly snatche vp this one worde as the Hipocrites are accustomed and this is to cōmon in the Papacie as we haue sayde Then God respected their workes but what Workes Not Sackcloath not Ashes not Fasting for Ionas maketh no mencion nowe of these thinges but he respected these works euen that they conuerted from their wicked waies We sée therfore that God was not pleased appeased with Ceremonies onely that is with that outwarde profession of repentaunce but rather that he respected the true and serious alteration in the Nineuits euen that they were new mē These therefore were their workes euen the fruites of repentaunce But such an alteration of lyfe coulde neuer haue come vnto them vnlesse they had bene truely touched with the perceyueraunce and féeling of the yre of