Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
lord_n	day_n	ghost_n	holy_a	10,874	5	5.1853	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26337	A sermon preach'd at White-Hall on Sunday, September 8, 1695 being the day of thanksgiving for the taking of Namur, and the safety of His Majesty's person / by J. Adams ...	Adams, John, 1662-1720.	1695 (1695)	Wing A485; ESTC R20047	10,228	27

can it be thought any Hindrance to His Happiness or Detraction from His Glory to Support and Govern what He first Created and therefore the Psalmist says Excellently 13 15. ver of this Psalm The Lord looketh from Heaven and beholdeth all the Sons of Men. He fashioneth their Hearts alike and Considereth all their Works Alas How vain without him are all the Undertakings of Wretched Man We poor Creatures hurry'd about by our Lusts and Passions are Striving and Contending together perpetually and yet are not able to do the least good to our selves or hurt to others without His Permission Let us fancy to our selves in one place a Company of People met together Enrag'd with Malice and Revenge Binding themselves with dreadful Oaths and Solemnities to Execute some Conspiracy Let us imagine another Number debating anxiously concerning Peace or War Let us suppose again two Fleets or Armies hotly Engag'd What is all this but the incertain Motion of so much Dust and Ashes incertain till Determin'd by Divine Wisdom Whatever cautious Age advises or Eager Youth undertakes How busie or vain-glorious soever we are we only Execute the Orders of our Great Master and are the Instruments of His Providence How greatly then should we Rejoyce when we discover plainly this Wisdom to be working in our Behalf With what pleasure ought we to look Back and Consider the several Steps by which His Providence has proceeded and acknowledge with Humility and Shame the Folly of our former Doubts and Fears How Rash is Man in his Wishes and how ingrateful in his Impatience We can scarce be perswaded to wait even for our Safety from the Slow Motion of second Causes but like the Israelites heretofore are always for a Miracle any little want in our Necessities any small disappointment in our Undertakings makes us immediately at a Stand mistrust Heaven and repine against God while all the while His Wisdom is acting in such a manner as may make the Effects of His Goodness more sure and lasting to Us and the Effects of His Power towards others more Remarkable Great and Publick Evils are seldom cur'd in a moment yet that Health which Returns slowly when once settled is most lasting Thro how many Difficulties were the Israelites led to their Canaan and how many defeats and delays did their own murmurs Cost them and yet at length how many Victories did they Gain in a Short Time when the Iniquity of the Amorites was full God often makes use of the Ambition and Pride of ill men as Malefactors are frequently chosen for Executioners to punish those that are better in order to their fuller Repentance and when they have done so and their own Iniquities are grown Ripe for Punishment they become the more Remarkable Examples of His Justice Calamities may happen to Private Men or to Small Governments without being much Regarded But when a Nation has long Insulted over the Rest of Her Neighbours when a Prince has Us'd His own Subjects with the Utmost Cruelty and is lifted up far above the ordinary Condition of Humane Greatness When after all Such a one is cast Down the Noise of His ruin draws all Mens Eyes upon it and forces the Inhabitants of the Earth to Learn Righteousness 3. Rejoyce in the Lord in Regard of his Power Tho this Attribute must be very terrible to those whose Guilt may make 'em fear it should be turn'd against them notwithstanding this the Righteous shall be glad and trust in the Lord and all the Upright in Heart shall Glory That very Power which is so dreadful to His Enemies at which the Whole Creation Trembles at which the Everlasting Mountains are scatter'd the perpetual Hills do Bow when He marches Thro a Land in Indignation and threshes the Heathen in his Anger as the Prophet That very Power can do as much for the Righteous So that this Attribute cannot be dreadful to good men but on the contrary must be most pleasant and delightful to them For tho He is the Lord of Hosts the God to Whom Vengeance belongeth He is also the Lord Mighty to Save Mighty to Save His Faithful Servants and those Who put their Trust in Him How much then ought we to Rejoyce in Him at all Times upon this Consideration What a Comfort in Affliction what a Support to our Faith must it be when we Remember that whatever His Goodness moves Him to do His Power is ready to Put in Execution whatever He promises as an Indulgent Father He is able to perform as an Almighty God But more Especially How should We Rejoyce in Him when We find this Power acting in our Behalf in so glorious a manner Men are apt indeed to attribute their Success in War to Themselves and impute much to Their Own Strength and Wisdom But since there are so many instances of the Weaker sides prevailing since so many Victories have depended upon Strange and Unexpected Accidents this must proceed from a Superiour Power And Indeed if God's Providence is allow'd to be Engag'd at any time about things on Earth it must be so certainly When the Lives of so many Thousands of His Noblest Creatures of those for Whom the World it self Was made are Concern'd Therefore the Psalmist again in this same Psalm 16.18 There is no King sav'd by the multitude of an Host a mighty Man is not deliver'd by much strength Behold the Eye of the Lord is upon them that fear Him upon them that Hope in His mercy to deliver their Soul from Death If this then is so we ought to Praise God for the Watchfulness of His Providence and the Assistance of His Almighty Power and that Particularly because the Evils That are Avoided by Success in War are really greater and more Universal than we Escape by being freed from any other Calamity For Plagues or Famine spare at least the Liberties the Laws the Religion of Countries but Conquest Conquest tramples insolently upon all Especially when Whetted by Superstition and Revenge And Thus have I Endeavoured to show what persons are properly Qualify'd for Praise the Object of it and upon what Considerations chiefly it ought to be Paid namely the Goodness Wisdom and Power of God And how Conspicuous have all these Appear'd together in the Blessings that We Celebrate this day And therefore what Sacrifices of Praise and Thanksgiving ought Every grateful Heart to Offer At length We find that Torrent which has over-run Europe for so many Years with so much Noise and Devastation Shrinking back again into its own Channel At length we have Asserted our Ancient Dominion over the Seas and Every Element has Contributed to our Glory while both our Fleets and Armies especially the latter have been Successful in Spight of the greatest Advantages of Nature Art or Humane Power And to add to all These Mercies That Great Prince Whose Life is Sought for not only by all open Attempts but treacherous Practises And yet Who Exposes it Continually by so many Journies and Voyages nay in so many Battles Is still preserv'd by Divine Providence Remains still untouch'd by the Arrow that flyeth by day and secure from the Malice that walketh in Darkness Let others boast of Victories which they never saw make Luxurious Persian Campaigns be skillful in Corrupting others Faith and always Ready to break their own and after such glorious Atchievements Raise Triumphal Arches dawb their City Gates with Trophies and Inscriptions Pick and Bribe their own Historians No Place can be ignorant of our Conquerours Great Actions and He may trust His Greatest Enemies to Record His Virtues How Unshaken in Resolution How unwearied in Labour and How Undaunted in Danger But I forbear Next to the Performing great Actions 't is the Hardest Thing to Commend them Worthily and tho There may not perhaps be so much danger of Flattery upon this Subject as any other yet this Holy Place ought to be free from the least Suspicion of it To Conclude then let us Endeavour to Continue these Blessings to Us by the Sincerity of our Praise and Thanksgiving and let the Consideration of God's Goodness prevail upon Us by the Sweet Motives of Gratitude and Love to a Union and Constancy in our Obedience That we may with one Mind and with one Mouth Glorifie God Even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ To Whom with the Holy Ghost be ascrib'd all Honour and Glory Praise Power Dominion and Thanksgiving This Day and for Evermore FINIS

A SERMON Preach'd at WHITE-HALL ON Sunday September 8. 1695. BEING The Day of Thanksgiving for the taking of Namur and the Safety of His MAJESTY'S Person BY J. Adams A. M. Rector of St. Alban Woodstreet Published by Order of the Lords Iustices London Printed for Thomas Bennet at the Half Moon in St. Paul's Church-Yard 1695. A SERMON Preach'd at WHITE-HALL c. ON PSALM xxxiii 1. Rejoyce in the Lord O ye Righteous for Praise is Comely for the Vpright PRaise is so easy so pleasant and so profitable a Duty so readily acknowledg'd by Reason and-so justly claim'd by Revelation that there has never been much pains requir'd to persuade men to the performance of it But as all the Passions are difficultly govern'd when they rise to Excess so Joy which is the ground of this Duty is not only unruly in its own Nature but men are apt to Encourage it so much and give it such a loose upon any Publick Occasion that they seldom stay to consider the great Object of their Praise or what are the proper Qualifications to make it Acceptable But the Psalmist leads us to both these in this Excellent Psalm and whoever peruses it with attention will find that He had Consider'd well the adorable perfections of God before He presum'd to Rejoyce in Him and that He could never have been so Great a Master of Thanksgiving had not His Piety qualify'd Him for being a Prophet and the uprightness of His Heart made it worthy of Inspiration and from hence it is that He breaks out into this Holy Rapture Rejoyce in the Lord O ye Righteous for Praise is Comely for the Upright The Persons which the Psalmist calls upon here in particular are the Righteous and accordingly I shall endeavour to show 1. That Good and Righteous Men are most Oblig'd to the Duty of Praise and most fit to perform it 2. What is the True and Proper Object of Praise and the Reasonableness of it Applying Each particular to the present Occasion 1. That Good and Righteous Men are most Oblig'd to the Duty of Praise c. There are many of God's Blessings that are Universal in Regard to these the Duty of Thanksgiving should be of as large Extent But since some Men partake more particularly of His Favour since 't is with regard to the Righteous and sometimes for their sakes only that Whole Kingdoms and Nations Enjoy Publick Benefits They are in a more particular manner oblig'd to Gratitude and Thanksgiving They ought to be the most Early and most Active in their Praise and that too in Order to the spreading and promoting of God's Glory The Example of Good Men will always have an Influence upon the Worst part of Mankind for those Who deride Piety and Virtue in Private are Glad to imitate them in Publick There is such a Natural Beauty in Goodness as Commands Esteem and Veneration therefore People Readily joyn with those who are Righteous and out of an Opinion of their understanding and integrity take their Actions upon trust without farther Examination Whatever then can any ways Contribute to God's Glory What outward respect soever ought to be paid to Him in any part of Devotion This should be undertaken Chiefly by the Righteous not only in Consideration of What they owe to Their God but also of what they owe to their Neighbour Especially in matters of Praise and Thanksgiving Which are so pleasing and delightful in themselves that Every Body will readily joyn in the Offering of them But the Righteous are not only more Oblig'd to this Excellent Duty upon these Accounts but they are also most fit to Perform it and that for these Reasons 1. Because such Men are always Humble and Ready to Acknowledge their Unworthiness of God's Gooodness 2. Because They have a Quick and Lively Sense of it and are apt to be tenderly and passionately affected with it 3. Because They have always a Solid Foundation of True Joy in a Good Conscience 4. Because of that fitness and Congruity which there is between Praise and other Vertues I. The Righteous are most fit to perform the Duty of Praise because they are always Humble and ready to acknowledge their unworthiness of God's Goodness Humility is the chief ground of Gratitude and Praise and Nothing makes men wanting in these Virtues so much as Pride But where is Humility to be found to that Degree as in the Righteous The Sum of All Religion is the Knowledge of God and the Knowledge of our selves The more We know of God the more perfect and Excellent we find Him the more we Know of our selves we discover the more Weakness and Misery But no one can be so sensible How Wide these Extreams are as the Righteous man and Therefore no one can be so Humble so ready to acknowledge His Unworthiness of God's Goodness whenever it is manifested towards Him There are too many men that look upon Gods Benefits as their Due there are others that think the designs they have Compass'd the Estates they have Rais'd their Success in Peace or War is all thro their Own Prudence and Industry and therefore are more ready to Sacrifice to their Net as the Prophet speaks to themselves than to their God This kind of Pride Moses foresaw in the Israelites and therefore he warns them Deut. viii 14.17 That after God had shown such Great Wonders for them they should beware least they should forget the Lord and say in their Hearts my Power and the might of my Hands hath done this How much more Reasonable is that of Holy Jacob when he reflected from how many Dangers God had delivered him I am not worthy of the least of all thy mercies nor of all the truth which thou hast shewed unto me Alas If we Consider what God has done for us and yet the Stubborness and Ingratitude of a great part of this sinful Nation That neither the long Experience of God's Goodness nor the terrours of his Justice have been able to move us to Repentance but that old Heresies in our Faith are again reviv'd with the greatest Confidence that instead of mending in our Practice we have plainly grown worse and added the Vices of War to those of Peace If we Consider this how much more justly ought we to acknowledge that we are not worthy of the least of God's temporal mercies nor of that truth that saving Truth of the Gospel which He has show'd unto Us in a more Excellent manner than to any other Nation and Humble our selves into Praise and thanksgiving accordingly II. The Righteous have a quick and lively sense of God's Goodness and are apt to be Tenderly and Passionately affected with it and therefore are most fit to praise Him Good men are Acquainted with the Ways of God their thoughts are always taken up and Possest By Him nor are their Understandings Corrupted by prejudice or Weakned By intemperance so that they perceive Him immediately in His Works of mercy and