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	know_v	let_v	10,191	5	4.1835	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A95723	Two assize sermons preached at Bridgnorth for the county of Salop in the year 1657. The first, upon Psalm 58. verse 1. Doe you indeed speak righteousnesse, o congregation? Doe ye judge uprightly, o ye sonnes of men? The second, upon Psalm 37. verse 37. Marke the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace? / By Mich. Thomas; rector of Stockton in the same county.	Thomas, Michael, rector of Stockton.	1659 (1659)	Wing T970; Thomason E1790_1; ESTC R209682	31,232	144

happen yet sometimes it doth And then those that are in power and authority in any State cannot better improve their greatnesse than by countenancing and supporting oppressed Innocence Holy Job in his own just vindication relates this as one evidence of his righteousnesse I delivered the poor that cryed and the Fatherlesse and him that had none to help him The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me and I made the Widdows heart to sing for joy I brake the jaws of the Wicked and pluckt the spoyle out of his teeth Chap. 29. Even the heathens by the light of nature did discern this to be the duty of a Magistrate Sudandum est his qui Magistratum gerunt pro communibus commodis sayes Cicero Such as undertake the office of Magistracy must sweat and lay out themselves for the common good must endure storms and emnityes and contest not only with unjust and audacious but even with potent adversaries in the defence of Innocence And Seneca reports it in the commendation of Caesar Omnium domos illius vigilia defendit He was a man of such a publicke Spirit that his watchfullnesse defended all mens houses his labour and industry secured all men in their ease and pleasures and vocations A precedent not unworthy of the knowledge and imitation of those who shine as Starrs of the first magnitude in the Orbe of Honour and let them know that they are then truly glorious when their Goodnesse sends forth as bright a beame as their Greatnesse when they use their power as well to defend the oppressed as to punish the transgressour But I must not restraine the worke of righteousness to this case only the duty is of a greater latitude and yet St. Augustine in his Enarration of this fifty eighth Psalme hath reduced that great variety of cases to that one Head which our blessed Saviour in his Sermon layes down before us Whatsoever yee would that men should doe unto you even so doe ye unto them This is the grand rule of Equity He that observes this rule shall thinke and speak and do righteously and be of an holy and blamelesse conversation This sayes that Father was the first law which God wrote in the heart of Mankind In matters of civill righteousnesse and morality in all those dutyes which we owe to our Neighbour a man need but knock at his own heart and ask What shall I do in such or such a temptation and he shall hear this answer Ecchoing and sounding thence Do as thou would'st be done by Would'st thou not have thy Children or thy Servants disobedient or undutifull to thee Honour thy Parents Would'st thou prolong thy Life to a good old Age Do no Murder Would'st thou have thine owne Marriage-bed honourable and undefiled Do not commit Adultery Wouldst thou possesse thy goods and estate in peace and safety Do not Steal Would'st thou not be overborn in thy righteous cause by indirect proceedings Do not bear false witnesse against thy neighbour Would'st thou enjoy thy own house and vvife and servants and cattle entire and without dammage to thy self Covet nothing of thy Neighbours Do as thou wouldst be done by This rule sayes St Hierom is Compendiosum commonitorium A breviate of the whole duty of man to his neighbour If he would neither do evill to nor suffer evill from his neighbour let him remember This. Lorinus tells us and Beza affirmes as much that in some Antient Greek Copyes This rule of our blessed Saviour was inserted by the Apostles into their canons in their first Councell at Antioch Having decreed that they should abstaine from meats offered to Idolls and from bloud and from things strangled and from fornication then it was added And whatsoever yee would that men should doe unto you doe so unto them As if this were the most perfect rule for a Christian to walk by Lampridius tells us also that the Emperour Alexander Severus did so highly prize this Rule that He caused it to be written in his Palace and in many publike places and that in his Military discipline he was wont to punish his Souldiers in this manner If upon their march they had plundered any thing and were taken with it they were brought back to the owner and there in his fight and presence were beaten either with clubs or with rods and upbrayded in this manner Would you be content that that should have been done to you which you have done to him You have robbed and spoyled this man of his goods would you be robbed and spoyl'd of your own And being thus upbrayded for transgressing this evident law of nature he was dismiss'd with shame and sorrow And my Christian Brethren let us all with shame and sorrow consider our delinquency in this case How contrary we have walked to this rule of Equity either in an utter contempt or forgetfullnesse of it How many poore Soules are there now in the Jayle and to be tryed for their lives who with a deep sorrow and remorse of conscience wish they had alwayes walked according to this rule Such as are to be arraigned for Murder or Felony how passionately do they wish they could gather up that bloud which they have spilt and that they had kept their hands cleer from all acts of Violence and Robbery But alass it is too late and 't is to be feared that some of them must yield up their lives to satisfie those righteous and equall lawes which they have transgressed And although our piety and our prayers are in a great measure due to Them let us not forget Our selves Let us look into and examine our owne hearts whether we stand not guilty before the Judge of all the World of many acts of unrighteousnesse Alass it is but little that our finns are not written on our foreheads as theirs are that they are not legible to the World in a publike inditement The time will come when we shall be arraign'd in the Court of Conscience and groan under the gnawings of that greedy worm which nothing can satisfie but a broken heart Oh my Bretheren le ts think upon it We know not how neer the day of the Lord is 'T is 1600 years ago and upward since St. James told us The judge standeth at the doore 'T is his infinite patience and long-suffering that he doth not enter into Judgement with us 'T were wise and safe by a speedy and unfeigned repentance to prepare to meet Him and by faith to get on the Brest-plate of Righteousnesse by which only we shall be able to stand in that evill day But although we must make mention of the righteousnesse of CHRIST onely in the point of justification yet there is a stock of morall righteousnesse we must lay in too to declare the truth and life of our faith of which we have a pregnant intimation in the Text. And having shewn you the Quid what this duty is that David enquires after It followes now that I shew

sinne though they projected and design'd another namely their private gain and advantage Let us remember then what the prophet Isay hath taught us The worke of righteousnesse shall be peace and the effect of righteousnesse quietnesse and assurance for ever Isa 32. 17. But we must not understand this word Peace in that latitude as it was usually taken among the Jewes for a confluence of all temporall blessings as it happened in the case of Job whose latter end the Lord made better then his beginning that is in respect of temporall abundances having his estate doubled to him We must take it in that sense as it means peace of conscience and an assurance of the favour of God in Christ that however matters goe with him in respect of his person or estate or his life or his posterity he rests secure as for the state of his Soul and can with cheerfulnesse commend it into the hands of his faithfull Creatour Whereas the same prophet Isaiah tells us There is no peace to the wicked Isa 57. 21. Such as do not walke in the wayes of peace shall never find peace at their End I deny not but a Wicked man may dye possess'd of all the comforts this world can afford him he may dye as it was said of David full of dayes riches and honour and yet his death-bed pillow may be uneasie to him when it shall come to that of the Poet Linquenda domus tellus c. when he shall look upon those things which we call worldly comforts but find no comfort in them When he shall look upon his estate and not only grieve that he must part from it himselfe but he must leave it to a Son whom as Solomon speaks he doth not know whether he shall be a fool When he shall look upon his Wife and Children and take his last farewell and out of the horrour of his conscience shall be forced to declare himselfe thus I leave a great Estate amongst you but I fear you will finde it encumbred with the curse and vengeance of God When he shall look upon his friends that stand weeping and mourning over him and shall breathe out Socrates complaint in that sense 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Oh Friends ye cannot help me your counsel nor your power cannot enlarge the terme of my life a minute nor give a ransome unto God for mee When he shall look upon his body wasted and confumed by his Luxuries and it may be so diseased as to be loathsome to himselfe and his attendants and from a sad reflection upon the vanities of his life past shall sigh and groan out this as his own Epitaph I have lived in sinne and now I lye down in sorrow But above all when he shall consider the state of his poor Soul whose immortall nature delivers him up to an Eternity either of bliss or misery When this poor Soul poor I say as not being rich in faith or any other spirituall grace shall sit upon his lips as the Emperour Adrian's did with a Quò nunc ibo whither shall I go what shall become of me How shall I appear before God whose Name and Sabbaths I have blasphem'd and prophan'd How shall I stand before Christ whose Ministers and Ordinances I have persecuted and despised What comfort can I expect or hope for from the holy Ghost whose private motions and workings in my heart I have sleighted and resisted I never look'd upon nor examin'd my heart or wayes by saying What have I done And now miserable man that I am I know not what to do Oh my Christian brethren let us think upon these things this will be the certaine Fate of a dying wicked man The Lord will be just and righteous though we are not and every secure sinner shall feel in his conscience Futuri Judicii praejudicium as Tertullian expresses it a taste of that eternal Judgment and Horrour which he must endure irremediably and everlastingly Think upon the sad state of Cain We cannot tell by the Hebrew whether he said My iniquity or my punishment is greater then I can bear Think upon the sad state of Antiochus when he lay dying he calls to his friends and sayes My heart faileth me into what floods of misery am I fallen and now I remember the evills that I have done at Jerusalem Think upon the sad state of Saul when he was discomfited by the Philistines he calls to his servant Stand upon me I pray thee and kill me for anguish is come upon me And let these terrours of the Lord convince us that this perfection and uprightnesse in our hearts and words and actions is a considerable quality Let us with all possible speed and care provide for our death-bed comfort and purge our consciences by Confession and Faith and Repentance and Restitution that we may stop their Mouths and still their Clamour and not become as Job complained a burden to our selves Job 7. 20. It was a good Caution that Bernard gave Eugenius Nullus molestior oculus suo cujusque Through the guilt of sinne it will so come to passe that no eye will be so dreadfull and terrible to us as our owne there will not be a face either in Heaven or Earth which a troubled conscience would rather fly from than his owne and can lesse do it The Lawes of God are the rules of that perfection and uprightnesse which in St. Pauls phrase we should follow and presse after And Holy David tells us that their peace will be great that love and are not offended at the lawes of God This peace in our last sicknesse will prove our best Cordiall It was so to King Hezekiah when the Prophet Isaiah brought to him that sad message Thou shalt dye and not live He betakes himselfe to prayer Remember now Oh Lord I beseech thee how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart Isa 38. 3. It was not his Crown or his Kingdome nor those vast Treasures he stood possess'd of that then administred any comfort to him onely the testimony of a good conscience that he had walked before the Lord in truth and uprightnesse Wherefore it is a sad thing so many men should seek after Science so few after Conscience that men should hunger and thirst after Riches and not after Righteousnesse whereas did we bestow as much paines in seeking Morall and Theologicall Vertues and Graces as we do for Arts and Sciences we might attaine them sooner and retaine them longer Longer did I say I need not recall the word Spirituall graces are truly called a treasure because as they supply to all purposes so they continue to all times Grace carries us through all duties and through all tryalls It makes the yoak of Christ easie and his burden light it weakens the strength of sinne and takes out the sting of death it stusses our pillows with the Feathers of a Dove and fills us with those joyes that are so unspeakeable and

glorious St. Augustine speaking of the primitive Christians Quidam patienter vivunt delectabiliter moriuntur They live with patience and they dye with joy Their Life it seemes was a trouble Death an advantage they endured the one and desired the other That blessed Martyr Vincentius had doubtlesse a great measure of this blessed peace in his end when he could say to his executioner Dacianus Nunquam aliquis adeò benè servivit mihi ut tu No man ever did me so good service as you are about to do your torments will hasten me to my triumphs your sword will but let out that corruption of flesh and blood which cannot inherit the Kingdome of God I shall conclude and dismisse you in the comfort of that promise recorded by Holy David in the 64. Psalme All the upright in heart shall glory at the 10 verse The subject of the promise you see is Glory and the persons to whom it is due are the Upright in heart And we may admire the wisdome and goodnesse of the Holy Ghost in that expression upright in heart A man may be upright in the desires of his heart when through the suddainesse or violence of a temptation he may be over-borne into a sinne The Lord help us we cannot maintaine a perfect rectitude in the wayes of this world In every calling there are some in-evitable temptations but yet let us strive and beare up though the stream of corruption runne strong against us let us put off all disguises in religion and lay down the love of craft and false-hood and circumvention in Civill actions and then we shall secure our title to the promise Of what Of glory So we read it but translations differ some have it Laudabuntur they shall be praised Uprightnesse is such a grace as creates an Holy and Reverentiall admiration in all that behold it Even wicked Balaam could wish Let me dye the death of the righteous and let my last end be like the Israel of God But I rest not in that Take the word in another translation Laetabuntur they shall rejoyce If we could crowd Heaven into a Map we might find two Hemi-sphears the one would be Joy the other would be Glory And as of those two Hemisphears of the world the first hath been known long before The other that of America which is the richer in treasure God reserved for latter discoveries so though he reserve that Hemisphear of heaven which is the Glory thereof to the resurrection yet the other Hemisphear the Joy of heaven God opens to our discovery and delivers for our habitation even whilst we dwell in this world That which Christ shall say to our souls at the last Judgment Enter into your Master's joy He sayes to our Conscience now Enter in your Master's joy The everlastingnesse of the Joy is the blessednesse of the next Life but the entring the inchoation is afforded to the upright in this Those words of Christ Come ye blessed are words intended to them that are comming to Him that are upon their way And as here he bids us Come herafter he will bid us Welcome Let it not trouble you then what I told you out of Solomon that the upright is an abhomination to the wicked and so tribulations are to be expected But you know as a man must have some land or he cannot be in wardship so a man must have some of the love of God or else he could not fall under Gods correction And when the hand of God lies upon him either in a disease or in a persecution and presses him so that even life it selfe is expiring then he shall feel the comfort of this promise Laetabitur he shall Rejoyce And as the Lord said concerning the reducing of his people Israel out of Babylon Sibilabo populum meum I will hisse for them Zech. 10. 8. so when the upright man shall lye panting and languishing upon his bed of sicknesse The Lord shal then come to his bed-side and hisse for him and whisper gently to his departing soul Feare not Sin I am thy Righteousnesse Feare not Death I am the Resurrection Feare not the day of Judgment I am thy Advocate now and shall be thy Judge then And by these flashes of joy shall so inlighten his soul as to overcome all the cares and the feares of Nature all the Horrour of the passing Bell all the cryes and teares of a distracted and scattering family Like blessed Stephen he shall by the eye of Faith see Heaven open and his Saviour standing at the right hand of God And his joy then shall be so strong as that it shall no more extinguish or evaporate than his soul shall And it shall become a Joy that shall passe up and put on a more glorious garment above and be a Joy super-invested in Glory FINIS