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	speak_v	time_n	11,715	5	3.7591	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A20725	The Christian arte of thriving, whereby a man may become rich to God, or, A sermon vpon Matth.6.33 preached by the right reuerend father in God, George, Lord Bishop of Derry.	Downame, George, d. 1634.	1620 (1620)	STC 7109.3; STC 7109A; ESTC S120077	25,870	48

we shall then repent For first it is not a thing in our power to repent when we list but it is the free gift of God which ordinarily he offereth in the meanes of our saluation But if we harden our hearts against those meanes as those doe which voluntarily delay their turning vnto God what hope will there bee of our future conuersion when the meanes ordained by God for our saluation by our delay become a meanes of our obduration when the Word of God which to the faithfull is the sauour of life vnto life through our default becommeth vnto vs the sauour of death vnto death 2 Againe if we will not accept the grace of God when it is offered as daily he intreateth vs by his Ministers and Embassadours that we would be reconciled vnto him what assurance haue we that hereafter wee shall haue so much grace as truely to desire it Or if we seeme to desire and to begge it at the hands of God how can we promise to our selues that if we will not heare God when hee speaketh vnto vs hee should heare vs when we speake to him Doth not the wisdom of God protest against impenitent sinners as those are which delay their repentance that for as much as he called and they would not heare therefore when in their distresse they should call vpon him he will not answere neither will be found of them when they should seeke him And to the same purpose the Prophet Zachary concludeth Therefore it is come to passe that as he cried and they would not heare so they cried and I would not heare saith the Lord of Hosts 3 Moreouer God seemeth to deale with vs as Popilius Lenas the Romane Embassadour dealt with King Antiochus who giuing a dilatory answere to his message with his staffe he drew a circle about the King and required him in the name of the Senate and people of Rome to giue him a direct answere before he came out of that circle So the Lord hath inclosed vs in a small circle of time which is called the day of our visitation and the acceptable time which at the most is the short period of this transitory life which vanisheth like a vapour requiring vs when with Antiochus wee seeke delaies before we come out of that circle to giue him our answere For if when the Lord giueth vs a time to repent as he did to that Iezabel spoken of Apoc. 2. 10. and we doe not repent we are to feare the like iudgements that are there threatned against her or the like curse which Christ gaue to the figge tree hauing like an hypocrite leaues but no fruite as yet Let no fruite growe on thee from hence-forward for euer 4 Againe repentance by delay groweth more difficult For when repentance is delaied sinne is nourished and being nourished getteth strength within vs growing in strength as wee growe in yeeres Therefore as crooked plants whilest they be young may easily be bowed or broken at your pleasure the which if you suffer so to continue vntill they be growne trees you shall not be able to stirre so whilest our sinnes are but young as by originall sinne if it be not increased by practice and continuance they are but euill inclinations and dispositions they are more easily subdued which if by continuance they grow to bee confirmed habits they will subdue vs. For custome becommeth as it were another nature so that a man will as easily forgoe a member of his body as forsake a sinne whereunto he hath been accustomed Can the Aethiopian change his skinne or the Leopard his spots then may you also doe good that are accustomed to doe euill as the Lord saith by his Prophet Iereney 5 But suppose that thou maist seeme to repent at the last which many alas do not so much as seeme to doe dying either desperate as Iudas or sencelesse as Nabal yet what assurance hast thou that thy repentance which is wrung from thee by extremitie of affliction will bee sound Doth not the Psalmist testifie that the Israelites howsoeuer in outward semblance and profession when the Lord did slay them they sought him and enquired early after God notwithstanding they did but flatter him with their mouth and lyed vnto him with their tongues for their heart was not right with him neither were they stedfast in his couenant Doth not wofull experience shew that many whilest they are in any extremity by sicknes or otherwise will seeme very penitent and promise great matters if God would be pleased to restore them to their former estate who when they are restored returne to their former courses and perhaps become worse then euer they were before Euen as water that hath been heated when it cooleth againe is colder then before For as when a man draweth a bowe it followeth his hand but when he letteth his hand goe it returneth to his former estate so many whilest the hand of God is vpon them whereby he seeketh to draw them vnto himselfe doe seeme to follow his hand who when the Lord taketh away his hand returne to their former condition and perhaps turne aside like a deceitfull bow which is a fearefull signe that when they howled vnto the Lord vpon their beds they cried not from their heart as the Prophet Hosea speaketh and that when they seemed to turne vnto the Lord and to seeke him early their heart was not vpright as Dauid testifieth of the Iewes The which I speake not to censure those which bee gone but to admonish vs that we doe not presume For howsoeuer we are in charitie to iudge the best of them who before their departure haue seemed to repent yet we are to be iealous of our selues and to feare if we neuer haue repentance vntill by strong hand it be extorted from vs lest perhaps it will not be sound And this was the third reason manifesting the folly of them who deferre this duty of seeking Gods Kingdom from day to day 4 If we first seeke the Kingdome of God and his righteousnes we shall not onely finde them but also all the things of this life which are expedient for vs shall be added ouer and aboue them by way of aduantage as our Sauiour here promiseth But on the other side if wee first seeke the things of this life and put off the care of our saluation to our latter daies as we shall be in great danger for earthly things which are vaine and momentany to lose an eternall kingdome in Heauen so haue we no assurance that we shall obtaine our worldly desires For it is the blessing of God that maketh rich But if we belong vnto him we are to make account that he will crosse our preposterous desires and by crosses and afflictions as it were by weeping crosse bring vs to himselfe and weane vs from worldly desires that we may mind and affect the things which are aboue 5 But

which respect our Sauiour doubted not to say vnto Peter Auant Satan for thou doest 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mind sauour affect not the things which be of God but those that be of men This our losse and misery is seriously to bee acknowledged and bewailed of vs that by the acknowledgement and sense thereof we may be stirred vp studiously to seeke the Kingdome of God and the righteousnesse which wee haue lost For Christ our Sauiour came to saue those which were lost to redeeme captiues to iustifie those who by sinne were guilty of damnation to sanctifie those which were defiled polluted with sinne Wherefore if we be not lost in our selues we need not a Sauiour nor a Redeemer if we be not captiues nor a Iustifier if wee bee not guilty nor a Sanctifier if we be not polluted neither shall wee seriously seeke the Kingdome of God and his righteousnesse if wee doe not truly acknowledge that we haue lost them Now this word Seeke importeth a studious desire care and endeuour to find and to recouer that which we haue lost The studious desire must bee expressed in hearty earnest and faithfull prayer vnto God For what wee aske in prayer wee doe seeke at the hands of God Our care must shew it selfe in a studious meditation and serious purpose to vse all good meanes and to auoid the impediments Our endeuour must appeare in the carefull and diligent vsing of the means and auoiding the impediments and in doing whatsoeuer lieth in our power and not to be wanting to our selues in any thing which we are able to performe For wee are not so to cast the care of our saluation vpon God that we should neglect it our selues He that made vs without vs will not saue vs I speake of such as come to yeeres of discretion without our owne endeuours For though in respect of some mens extraordinary calling as also in regard of the first granting of the meanes of saluation to those which before sate in darknesse it be true that God is found of them who sought him not yet where the ordinary meanes of saluation are affoorded men are bound to seeke God in his ordinances and carefully to vse those meanes which God hath graciously vouchsafed Neither haue any a promise that they shal find vnlesse first they seeke Thus then wee are to seeke the Kingdome of glory and the eternall saluation of our soules First by begging this mercy at the hands of God which he hath promised to them that call vpon him Secondly by seeking the Kingdome of grace and his righteousnesse as the meanes thercto that is by an earnest desire a serious care and a true endeuour to attaine to the meanes and degrees of saluation in this life viz. our Vocation whereby wee are brought into his Kingdome our Iustification and Sanctification whereby we are made partakers of his righteousnesse Thirdly by endeuoring and giuing all diligence to make our Election Vocation and Iustification sure vnto vs by the workes of Sanctification that is of piety and righteousnesse For if we doe these things an entrance shall abundantly bee ministred vnto vs into the euerlasting Kingdome of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ. And to encourage vs carefully and diligently to seeke the Kingdome of God and his righteousnesse let vs remember that hee which hath commanded vs to seeke hath also promised that we shall finde But the chiefe thing which we are to insist vpon is the order and degree of seeking required in the word first For where we are enioyned to seek first the Kingdome of God and his righteousnes two things are implied First in order before all other things that is in the first place and first in degree aboue all other things that is chiefly and principally As touching the former It may bee obiected that in the Lords Prayer we are taught to seeke first not the Kingdome of God or his righteousnesse but the glory of God in the first Petition his Kingdome in the second and his righteousnes in the third It is true indeed that among all things whatsoeuer the glory of God is first to be sought as the supreme vniuersall end whereunto our saluation it selfe is subordinated But heere our Sauiour teacheth vs what to seeke first in bonis nostris in those good things which appertaine vnto vs and so our eternall saluation happines is first to be sought as our own chiefe good and as the Philosophers call it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Now that we are first and without any further delay to seeke the Kingdome of God and his righteousnesse it appeareth first by the commandement of God not onely in this place but elsewhere also in the Scriptures Esa. 21. 12. If you will seeke seeke returne come for this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as we call it importeth haste As if hee had said If yee will seeke the Lord indeed seeke him without delay returne by repentance come by faith Esa. 55. 6. Seeke the Lord whilest he may be found and call vpon him whilest he is neere Psalm 95. To day if yee will heare his voyce harden not your hearts as they do which delay to yeeld obedience to his Word but whilest it is called to day euen to day before to morrow turne vnto him And agreeable to the Canonicall Scriptures is that exhortation of the son of Syrach Delay not saith he to turne vnto the Lord and put not off fro day to day for suddenly shall the wrath of the Lord come forth and in thy security thou shalt be destroied perish in the day of vegeance 2 By the practice of the faithfull and namely of Dauid who professeth Psal. 63. 1. that early hee would seeke the Lord. And Psal. 27. 8. when the Lord said Seeke yee my face his heart made answere to God with this Eccho of a ready minde Thy facc Lord will I seeke 3 By other pregnant reasons whereby is manifested the absurd folly of those who put off their conuersion and care of their saluation vntill their old age or last sicknesse as if they meant to doe that last if euer they doe it which Christ requireth to be done in the first place For that which is commonly said is most of all verified in this particular Mora trahit periculum Delay breeds danger And that because of the vncertainty both of a longer life and of repentance to bee attained after delay For we haue no charter or lease of our liues but are tenants at will who must giue vp our soules into the hands of God whensoeuer it shall please him to call them hauing no assurance that we shall liue vntill to morrow And therefore it were extreme folly to deferre our conuersion vnto God or seeking of his Kingdome whereupon our saluation dependeth though it were but vntill to morrow But suppose we should liue so long as wee vainly promise to our selues what assurance haue we that