Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n
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A36314
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A sermon occasioned by the late earthquake which happen'd in London and other places on the eighth of September, 1692 / Preached to a congregation in Reading by Samuel Doolittle.
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Doolittle, Samuel.
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1692
(1692)
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Wing D1880; ESTC R32821
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22,758
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36
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that shakes the Earth lay thee on a bed of sickness throw thee into a cold dark and frightful grave and hurl thee into an hot flaming and eternal hell Dost thou dis-believe the power of God Do you even you oh ye Worms of the Earth think you are fit Match for God Do you think he is not able to destroy a whole World of such weak Creatures as you are Oh think how Mountains shake the Earth trembles when he doth but look upon them and believe he can do this and more than this You have heard that power belongs to God let this late Visit perswade you to believe it to give a more firm assent to the first Article of your Creed I believe in God the Father Almighty 2. Would you improve this Visit Then let it excite and maintain in you an holy aw and fear of God This naturally follows from what hath been said of Gods power and from this very Topick our Saviour perswadeth men to fear God fear him who is able to cast both body and soul into Hell And the observation and memory of Gods Judgments should cherish this fear This made Holy David cry out my fresh trembleth for fear of thee and I am afraid of thy Judgments Shall the Earth tremble and shall not Sinners much more Such Visits as these should fill us with a filial Fear and an awful dread of the great God When God shook the Earth methinks he said as to them of old Fear ye not me saith the Lord will ye not tremble at my presence God shook the Foundations of London and said Will ye not fear me O ye Citizens of London will ye not tremble at my presence God hath visited the World with one Earthquake after another and cry'd O ye Children of Men will ye not fear me Such amazing and awfull Providences as these should excite and cherish a regular Fear of God Good God! how sad is it That the Earth Mountains Hills and Rocks and every thing else should tremble at the Presence of the Lord and Men should not Oh Fear God and Sin more than ever Fear God for he is able to destroy fear Sin for that and only that provokes him to do so 3. Would you improve this late Visit of the Lord of Hosts Then visit your selves in order to your Repentance and Amendment of Life At such a time we should Visit our own Hearts search and try our ways and this should be in order to our turning to God The Repentance and Reformation of a sinful People is God's design in punishing this is his end in thus visiting particular Persons or whole Societies What was the Language of the late Earthquake but this Repent Repent O England Repent Lord give us Ears to hear and Hearts to obey these loud solemn and repeated calls to Repentance Sin is a Burden alas it is a very heavy burden God himself is prest with and weary to bear it It maketh the whole Creation groan it hath lately made the Earth to tremble and won't you cast it off Do for the Lords sake do or this burden will sink you not only into the Belly of the Earth but into the Bowels of Hell too The Earthquake prepared the Gaoler for Conversion it made him come trembling to the Apostles crying out Sirs What must I Do to be Saved Oh! that this late Earthquake might put you and many more upon considering with your selves and enquiring of others what you must do to be saved and in order to this let it put you upon a speedy Repentance for God's visit is not answered without the Sinners amendment Inf. V. Doth the Lord of Hosts sometimes Visit with an Earthquake and hath he of late done so Then how heartily should we bless God he hath done so no oftner Oh! what thanks and praise is due to the God of Heaven there hath not been a more frequent repetition of this Calamity We might have had one Earthquake upon the heels of another shake after shake till God had shook us and our dwellings too into the Dust But though God hath visited England with an Earthquake we are bound and O Sirs call up your Drowsie Souls and awaken all within you to praise God this Judgment hath been executed no oftner An Earthquake is a very grievous and sore Evil an astonishing and amazing Calamity an Evil against which no Resistance can be made If a Fire take hold on our Houses we may use means to quench the devouring Flame If a Pestilence be among us we may do something to prevent the Infection But if an Earthquake come we wholly ly at the Mercy of it and can do nothing to help our selves An Earthquake is a Judgment that carries all the Ensigns of Horror and beareth all the frightful Characters of dread and Terror Oh what a Mercy is it they have been so rare and what a Tribute of Thanks is due to Heaven O England England What a Sacrifice of Praise shouldst thou lay on Gods Altar How heartily should we bless God he hath not again and again often and frequently visited us with this Judgment at the thoughts of which we may justly tremble as the Earth did when God shook it Inf. VI. How Affectionately should we praise God this late Visit of his was so favourable and had such a mixture of Mercy in it Though the Foundations of London shook they were not overturn'd though the Earth quak'd and trembled she did not open her Mouth to swallow up living Men and Women Though the Houses reeled they did not tumble though the Walls parted and gaped they did not fall Surely our God in the midst of Judgment remembred mercy and we in the midst of our Fears and dangers should not forget to give Thanks In this late Dispensation of Providence you may see both the Severity and Goodness of God London quak'd and trembled behold the Severity London was not swallowed up behold the Goodness of God In this Angry and Terrible Visit God hath shewn much Mercy and Goodness ay the Riches of his Goodness and for this do you bless the Lord and let all breath praise his holy Name Now to quicken you to and in this seasonable Duty I shall briefly suggest these three Considerations 1. Consider What God had lately done in another place I mean in Jamaica He Visited them in a terrible manner indeed His Anger was hot it burnt like Coals of Fire his Arm was strong and threw down all before him What Desolations did the Earthquake there make Suppose you could with safety have stood by and seen the Earth moving and shaking the Houses first reeling to and fro and then sinking And the frighted Inhabitants almost at their Wits end The distracted Wife hanging about the Neck of her dear Husband the tender Infants hanging on the Breasts of their Mothers and both ready to drop into the Pit together Had you seen poor scared Children running up and down seeking
their Parents one Friend with their last breath crying to another help help for the Lords sake help and all at last after many fruitless attempts and vain wishes tumbling alive into the common Grave If you had heard their miserable Cries their doleful groans and piercing Shrieks being half buried and half unburied would you not have thought Englands Mercy a very great Mercy I am perswaded you would have returned with your Mouths filled with Songs of Praise Let a Melancholy Phansie represent some of the Terrours of that Visitation and let a thought of this fill you with thankfulness and give a sprightful accent to all your Hallelujahs Oh how should a sober thought of this cause your Sacrifices of Praise to ascend to Heaven in a purer and brighter Flame 2. Consider our sins have deserved as great an overthrow as theirs When I consider those words of my Saviour being told by some of the Galileans whose Blood Pilate had mingled with their Sacrifices Luke 13. 2. Suppose ye that those Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans because they suffered such things I can hardly perswade my self they of Jamaica were greater Sinners than we in England because they drank deeper of the Cup of trembling than we did If our Sins are not of the same kind I am sure they admit of more aggravating Circumstances than theirs Londons Englands Sins are of a more Crimson Colour and Scarlet Die than Jamaica's If ours should be laid in the ballance of the Sanctuary with theirs I am afraid the former would weigh down the latter Oh what a Mercy was it God should shake such a People and not destroy them Oh what an instance of Divine goodness was it that the Earth should tremble under a Company of Atheists and Scoffers at Religion Men that question the very being and deny the Providence of God Under a Company of Drunkards and Swearers Adulterers and filthy Harlots Sabbath-breakers and Hypocritical Worshippers and not swallow them up Mercy that is so constant a Friend to the miserable Creature And so powerful an Advocate in Gods bosom mitigated the stroke and therefore Mercy ought to have the praise 3. Consider the easiness of a total destruction All things are alike easie to Almighty Power What is it omnipotence cannot effect This God can amaze the whole Creation unhinge the World shake the Heavens and rend the Rocks put universal Nature into a fright with one turn of his hand one word of his mouth one frown of his brow one glance of his angry Eye yea with the smallest breath of his Nostrils that angry that mighty God that shook could with the same touch have overturned the City By what was done God gave an evident proof of what he could further have done There is no Mountain stands so strong but God can shake it No Foundation fo firmly laid but God can tare it up no City so well built but God can even with the breath of his Nostrils overturn it It is not Brick and Lime Walls of Stone no nor of Brass neither can either blunt or turn back those sharp-pointed Arrows God shooteth against a sinful people With one shake God could have levelled all with the Dust Could God easily and suddenly have destroyed us and did he not Could he have inlarged the Commission granted to the Earthquake and did he not Were we on the very brink of destruction and are we not destroyed Were we intangled in the Snare and are we yet escaped and should not a warm thought of this should not such a deliverance as this increase our thankfulness Let all who have survived this Visitation bless the Lord and may all praise this good God not only with their Lips but in their Lives Inf. VII Doth the Lord of hosts sometimes visit with an Earthquake and hath he of late done so Then how loudly doth this visit call upon men upon the citizens of London upon you and all the inhabitants of England to be more frequent in visiting God! When God is visiting us it is time time alas It is high time for us to visit him Had the Inhabitants of England the Citizens of London been more frequent in visiting God They might not have had such a day of Visitation as this was my meaning is had they prayed more they might have been punisht less But oh what a shame and reproach are we to the Christian Name Prayer hath been cast out of many of our Families and would to God there were not reason to say out of many of our Closets too And this among other things called upon God to visit in that terrible and unthought of manner he hath lately done And now when God visits us with afflictions We should visit him with Prayer Isa 26. 16 Lord in trouble have they visited thee they poured out a prayer when thy chastning was upon them The Rod drove them to a Throne of Grace and affliction made them pray ay and it made them pray errnestly too Afflictions fears and dangers drive many to the Gates of Heaven who would never come thither before they are like some moross and ill-natur'd People who will never visit their friends but when they stand in need of them I make no doubt but during the time of Gods visiting the terrours of the Earthquake forc't from many and perhaps from such as were wont to restrain Prayer that short and usual Petition LORD HAVE MERCY ON US The shaking and trembling Earth caused many to lift up their Eyes to Heaven and implore the Mercy of that God that dwelleth there But now God hath done visiting them I am afraid they have done visiting him Now the Earth hath done trembling they have done praying but my brethren these things ought not so to be Our visits should be frequent and oft repeated Three things are very wonderful 1. It is very wonderful That the great God will visit us God is King of the Universe sways the Scepter in both Worlds and exerciseth an unlimited and uncontroulable Authority not only over the meaner works of his hands below but over all the bright and Coelestial Orders above too He sits upon a Throne that is encircled with myriads of Holy Mighty and Glorious Angels who minister unto him and stand before him in the quality and humility of his Servants ready to receive his Commands and fly upon Wings to execute them And doth he visit Man who is but breathing Dust a lump of Clay moistned and coloured with Blood Astonishing kindness It is to be admired he will vouchsafe a look a short glance of his Eye But that he should make stated visits and so many of them accents the kindness and increaseth the wonder The Royal Psalmist David though a King though he swayed a Scepter managed a Kingdom and wore a Crown could not think of Gods visiting Man without Extasie and Rapture Though he sate among the Gods upon earth yet he is swallowed up with amazement at the