Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
lord_n	intention_n	zeal_n	zealous_a	25	3	9.6404	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A76707	The copy of the covenant of grace With a true discovery of several false pretenders to that eternal inheritance, and of the right heir thereunto. Together with such safe instructions as will inable him to clear his title, and to make it unquestionable. Exactly evidenced by many perspicuous and unconstrained testimonies of scripture. Penned, and published upon mature deliberation, and good advise. / By Robert Bidwel, a servant, and minister of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.	Bidwell, Robert.	1657 (1657)	Wing B2886; Thomason E2117_1; ESTC R212678	175,027	429

And as we must begin our works by faith So we must labour in those works by love Not that whereby we love pleasures for that is the part of a mad man Eccles 2. 1 2. Nor that whereby we love riches for that is the property of a fool Jer. 17. 11. Not that whereby we love them that hate the Lord for that is dangerous 2 Chro. 19. 2. Nor that whereby we love lies for that is damnable Revel 22. 15. Not that whereby we love the world for that will make us Gods enemies James 4. 4. Nor that whereby we love pride for that will make God our enemy 1 Pet. 5. 5. Not that whereby we love sin for that is Satan-like 1 John 3. 8. But that whereby we love the Lord for that is Saint-like Psal 31. 23. And therefore such a love as will be proper and fit to carry on a godly work must have God for its object and Gods glorie for its end More plainly thus If we will labour in a work by love so as to bring it to a godly frame Our love must be sincere to God in Christ firm to his will and zealous of his glory And verily it must be qualified in reference both to God and man like that which Paul sets forth in his Epistles Namely in the thirteenth Chapter of his first to the Corinthians beginning at the fourth verse Love suffereth long saith he is kinde it envieth not it vaunteth not it self is not puffed up doth not behave it self unseemly seeketh not her own is not easily provoked thinketh no evil rejoyceth not in iniquity but rejoyceth in the truth it beareth all things believeth all things hopeth all things endureth all things And he that shall according to this love or to a love not much unlike to this proceed in those designes which he hath first begun by faith he may be confident that if his patience be answerable he hath attained to the power of godlinesse And therefore it remains that we consider what kinde of patience will be suteable and proper to continue our ingagements For we do finde four kindes of patience Namely a patience of falsehood A patience of folly A patience of force And a patience of hope The first I say is a patience of falsehood or a false pernitious patience And this is when a man dissembleth his anger till he can finde a fitting opportunity to do the greater mischief Thus hatefull Esau did conceal his anger that he conceiv'd against his brother Jacob. And he said in his heart the dayes of mourning for my father are at hand then will I slay my brother Jacob Gen. 27. 41. And thus proud Haman did dissemble his against good Mordecay for near twelve moneths For he thought scorn to lay hands on Mordecay alone c. Esther 3. 6 7. Untill he falls upon that cursed decree to destroy to kill and to cause to perish all Jews both young and old little Children and women in one day as verse 13. This is a false treacherous patience or a patience with a mischief The second is a patience of folly A foolish and a partial patience And this is when a man can hear or see Gods glory vilified or abused or in his name or truth or Ordinances and not to be moved or offended at it Alas how hot and furious we are in the defence of our own reputation although it scarce be worth the speaking of But in Gods case we are as calm and cool as if we had nor spleen nor spirit in us We read that Jehu the son of Nimshi was very zealous in destroying the posterity of the Kings of Israel and Judah and in removing all obstructions and impediments that might hinder or molest his possession in the Kingdom of Israel Neverthelesse he was so patient in reference to the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat who made Israel to sin that he departed not from after them To wit the golden Calves that were in Bethel and that were in Dan 2 Kings 10. 26. For these he supposed to be as supporters to establish him in his Throne According to Jeroboams first intention 1 Kings 12. 26. And may there not be some in these our dayes that are very zealous to root out Monarchy Magistracy and Ministery which zeal they Jehu like proclaim to be for the Lord. Notwithstanding they continue their Golden Calves of covetousnesse and ambition whilest un●er the colour of liberty of conscience every one that is factious may do that which is right in his own eyes We finde likewise that Eli was so zealous for the Ark of God that when he heard it was taken by the Philistines he fell down and died 1 Sam. 4. 14. But he was so patient in relation to the sins of his own sons that he thereby provoked the Lord to denounce a fearfull curse upon his whole posterity 1 Sam. 3. 13. c. And are there not amongst us that will rage and inveigh very bitterly against the least mistakes of their opposers as scandalous and therefore execrable whereas they can with much patience passe by the lewd proceedings of their friends and followers as humane frailties therefore tollerable I cannot say but this kinde of patience may be of credit with Apostates But I conceive it was not so with the Apostles I am sure it was otherwise with impartial Paul when Peter came to Antioch I withstood him to the face because he was to be blamed saith he Gal. 2. 11. Be angry but sin not saith the same Apostle Eph. 4. 26. Assuredly this purblinde patience is opposite to the right Christian zeal neither complying with the work of faith nor with the labour of a godly love And is not this a foolish patience or a patience of folly The third kinde is a patience of force And this appeareth when a man conceives that he hath just occasion of offence And no lesse will to execute his anger had he not some restraint imposed on him This we may see was verified in Laban when he pursued hotly after Jacob It is in the power of my hand to do you hurt saith he but the God of your father spake unto me yesternight saying take thou heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad Gen. 31. 29. How often would the High Priests Scribes and Pharisees have seized upon Christ before the time but that they feared the people And thus the Lord doth oftentimes suppresse the fury of his Churches adversaries either by their confusion As he dealt with Pharaoh and his Egyptians Exod. 13. 23. c. Or he restraineth them to their conversion For thus he dealt with persecuting Saul who afterwards was also called Paul Act. 13. 9. And he that was made patient by force now teacheth us the Patience of Hope This is the fourth and last kinde of patience A hopefull and a happy patience This is the right way to possesse our souls in matter of desertion or death Luke 21. 19. By

were negligent and carelesse Be sober therefore be vigilant saith St. Peter because your adversary the Devil as a roaring Lion walketh about seeking whom he may devoure 1 Peter 5. 8. And be ye doers of the Word and not hearers onely deceiving your own selves James 1. 22. Secondly take heed how ye hear deceitfully Thou son of man saith the Lord to his Prophet Ezekiel the Children of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses and speak one to another every one to his brother saying come I pray you and hear what is the Word that cometh forth from the Lord. And they come unto thee as the people cometh and they sit before thee as my people and they hear thy words but they will not do them for with their mouth they shew much love but their heart goeth after their covetousnesse Ezek. 33. 30 31. See how these Hypocrites do vilifie the Prophet of the Lord in private Neverthelesse they seem to be very zealous for the word of the Lord in publick and thereupon they come unto the Prophet and they sit before him as Gods own people and they do hear his words But here is the deceit they will not do them for they are Hypocritical and self-ended with their mouth they shew much love but their heart goeth after their covetousnesse And may there not be deceitfull hearers in these our dayes that follow the word meerly that they may be accounted good Christians or because they think this to be the onely prevailing way both to make them capable of all manner of imployment though they be never so unfit and undeserving And likewise to countenance all their proceedings though never so corrupt and unconscionable And therefore if you observe it they will seldom or never hear the word though never so sincerely plainly and powerfully delivered but when they think it may conduce to their carnal profit or preferment The cry of their heart is who will shew us any good not Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us as Psalm 4. 6. Is not this to hear the word of God deceitfully Is it not a work of the Lord to hear the word of the Lord Truely it is such a work as doth very well manifest who is our Master He that is of God heareth Gods words Ye therefore hear them not ●ecause ye are not of God saith the Son of God to the unbelieving Jews John 8. 47. And cursed is he that doth the work of the Lord deceitfully saith the Prophet Jer. 48. 10. Thirdly take heed how you hear despightfully Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed saith Salomon Prov. 13. 13. He that heareth you heareth me and he that despiseth you despiseth me and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me saith Christ to his seventy Disciples Luke 10. 16. He therefore that despiseth despiseth not Man but God saith that Apostle 1 Thessa 4. 8. But you will say that there is no man so ungracious as to despise the word of God in the mouth of his Ministers No What think you then of those factions frantick spirits that wry the mouth at every Doctrine which agreeth not with their own erronious or peradventure blasphemous opinions Or what do you think of those foul stomacks that will by no means disgest the sincere milk of the word but will rather spet it out in reproches unlesse it be sweetned with faithlesse revelations flattering Prophesies fair promises false invectives fresh intelligence or the like frivolous extravagancies which taste like Sugar to their corrupted appetites Or what do you think of those preposterous hearers that come to Gods Ordinances Not with Davids resolution To hear what God the Lord will speak as Psal 85. 8. But with an Athenian prejudice What will this babler say as Acts 17. 18. Neither shall the Son of God escape better then his servants For some said he is a good man others said Nay but he deceiveth the people John 7. 11. Whereas in truth they deceived themselves Is not this to despise both Christ and his Gospel He that despised Moses law died without mercy under two or three witnesses Of how much sorer punishment suppose ye shall he be thought worthy who hath trodden under foot the Son of God and hath counted the bloud of the Covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing and hath done despight unto the spirit of grace saith the Apostle to the Hebrews Hebr. 10. 28 29. Wherefore let the Preacher perswade you to keep your feet when you go into the house of God and be more ready to hear then to give the sacrifice of fools Eccl. 5. 1. That is keep or see to your affections which carry about the Soul as the feet do carry about the body and be more ready to hear then to give the sacrifice of fools what sacrifice is that why you know that under the Law they did use to offer beasts in sacrifice And these as natural brute beasts made to be taken and destroyed do offer themselves to speak evil of the things that they understand not and shall utterly perish in their own corruption according to that of Peter 2 Pet. 2. 12. But take heed that ye do hear the word of God attentively reverently and obediently First take heed that ye hear attentively We finde that the Lord commended Mary for attending to his Sermon when her sister Martha accused her for neglecting his service Luke 10. 39. c. Attention is the Lords own work for it was the Lord that opened the heart of Lidia that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul Acts 16. 14. And the Lord himself will reward it We are all here present before God to hear all things that are commanded thee of God saith that good Centurion to St. Peter Acts 10. 33. Here was a Testimony of their attention And the holy Ghost fell on all them that heard the word verse 44. There was the reward of their attention They received the gift of the holy Ghost A gift so precious that it is impossible for any to value it but onely such as have truely received it Secondly take heed that ye do hear reverently Receive with meeknesse the ingrafted word which is able to save your souls Ja. 1. 21. And for this cause thank we God without ceasing saith Paul because when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us ye received it not as the word of men but as it is in truth the word of God 1 Thes 2. 13. Contrary to these are they who proud of their own parts do creep into the sheepfold of Christ to put the whole flock into a confusion endeavouring not to obtain grace from Christ but to disgrace the faithfull Ministers of Christ And to that purpose where they cannot take occasions of offence they will be sure to make occasions of offence Neither can the most weighty and well-grounded arguments suffice to

common thing with many to complement us with your humble servant when really and truely they esteem it too little honour to be but our Masters unlesse they may command us as their slaves This is a treacherous humility The second is a cowardly humility And that is when a man through fear of death or bonds or damage or some such like danger humbles himself so far as to submit to the unworthy or unjust commands of men in opposition to God and a good conscience I do not say contrary to his own unhappy conscience for he that is a coward in Gods cause is commonly as great a Tyrant over his own conscience he will not suffer it so much as to minde him of any of his vile abominations He hath seared it or burnt it as a slave with a hot Iron As the Apostle speaketh 1 Tim. 4. 2. We read that the Persian Monarch Ahasuerus promoted Haman c. And all the Kings servants that were in the Kings Gate bowed and reverenced Haman for the King had so commanded Esth 3. 1 2. But Mordecay Gods true and faithfull servant he bowed not nor did him reverence He onely humbled himself to God and God preserved and rewarded him Humble your selves therefore under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in due time saith St. Peter 1 Peter 5. 6. But who art thou that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die and of the Sonne of Man which shall be made as grasse and forgettest the Lord thy maker c. saith the Lord by his Prophet Isa 51. 12 13. The third is a constrained humility Not constrained by the power or compulsion of Man or by any other outward violence But by the terrours of an accusing conscience As when a Man is humbled or dejected through the sense or apprehension or expectation of Divine Justice discharging it self of some grievous plague or punishment either temporal or eternal present or impendent And this of it self is neither absolutely hurtfull nor helpfull but according to the fellowship or society that it lighteth upon If it meeteth with self-ends then it becometh unfruitfull If it meeteth with Hypocrisie it proveth contemptible If with despair it is damnable But if it meeteth with faith then it becometh sound and effectual First I say if it lighteth upon self-ends it proveth unfruitfull This we see in the example of Ahab For Elijah having denounced most fearfull judgements against Ahab his wife and family It came to passe when Ahab heard those words that he rent his Cloaths and put sack-cloath upon his flesh and fasted and lay in sack-cloath and went softly 1 Kings 21. 27. Insomuch that the Lord himself took great notice thereof verse 29. Neverthelesse not long after Ahab set his heart upon the recovery of Ramoth Gilead 1 Kings 22. 3. And in pursuance thereof he expressed his hatred to Micaiah the true Prophet verse 8. He despised the word of the Lord verse 18. He putteth Gods Prophet into prison ver 27. And proceedeth in his designe to his own destruction Thus through his own self-ends his constrained humility became unfruitfull Secondly if this constrained humility be carried on by Hypocrisie then it proveth contemptible This appeareth in the words of the Lord by his Prophet Isaiah to the dissembling Jews Wherefore have we fasted say they and thou seest not Wherefore have we afflicted our Soul and thou takest no knowledge Behold in the day of your fast you find pleasure and exact all your labours Behold ye fast for strife and debate c. Isa 58. 3 4 5. Here are all the signs of a solemne humiliation but because it was performed in Hypocrisie the Lord poureth contempt upon it And therefore the Lord Christ in his Sermon on the Mount exhorteth his Disciples saying when ye fast be not as the Hypocrites of a sad countenance for they disfigure their faces that they may appear unto men to fast c. Math. 6. 16. c. And this fasting is a principal part of humiliation as it appeareth by that of the Prophet David I humbled my Soul with fasting saith he Psal 35. 13. And by the deportments of the Jews in the time of Esther and Mordecay Esther 4. 3. Thirdly when this constrained humility incountreth with despair it becometh deadly and damnable As in the example of Saul who in his sore distresse humbled himself even unto the Devil in the likenesse of Samuel 1 Sam. 28. 14. And of Judas the Traytour who repented confessed restored and departed and went and hanged himself Math. 27. 3 4 5. But this humilitie if it findeth out faith then it proveth sound and effectual Like that of Manasseh who when he was in affliction besought the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers and prayed unto him and he was intreated of him and heard his supplication and brought him again to Jerusalem into his Kingdom Then Manasseh knew that the Lord he was God 2 Chr. 33. 12 13. Neither was this kinde of humility lesse remarkable in Saul the persecuter afterwards Paul the Apostle who being upon the height of his tyrannical intentions Jesus whom he persecuted dismounted him and laid him on the earth untill his cruel heart was so abased and humbled that he trembling and astonished said Lord what wilt thou have me to do Acts 9. to the 7 th verse Then upon whom the mercy of God was never more freely bestowed Then by whom the free grace of God in Christ was never more excellently magnified Yet I am the least of the Apostles saith he that am not meet to be called an Apostle because I persecuted the Church of Christ But by the grace of God I am what I am 1 Cor. 15. 9. 10. This is the work of a sound humility And it well deserveth our serious consideration And therefore I shall endeavour to propound and answer these four questions First what is this sound humility Secondly by whom is it wrought Thirdly how or after what manner is it wrought And fourthly what doth it work To the first question it is answered That humility is that work of regeneration through which our connsciences being convicted and afflicted by the sense of our sins and the consideration of our own wants and unworthinesse we do unfainedly confesse the same unto God devoutly imploring his pardon for sinne together with a supply of spiritual grace That this humility is a work of regeneration and thus qualified I conceive will not be denied nor contradicted For so soon as that eternal goodnesse of God appeareth unto his otherwise lost creature In begetting him of his own will with the word of truth as Ja. 1. 18. Immediately by the light of the same word he beginneth to survey himself and to weigh all his thoughts words actions and abilities according to this ballance of the sanctuary And finding them utterly void of all grace and goodnesse and stuffed with nothing but sin and corruption