Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
lord_n	word_n	work_n	write_v	1,255	4	5.1353	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29096	The good old way, or, An excellent and profitable treatise of repentance made by John Bradford in the yeare 1553. Now published with two prefaces relating the life of the author, and the excellencey of the worke.	Bradford, John, 1510?-1555.; Harris, Robert, 1581-1658.; Wilkinson, Henry, 1616-1690.	1652 (1652)	Wing B4106; ESTC R25287	35,398	95

or idle talkers jesters bribers covetous persons drunkards gluttons whoremongers theeves murtherers slanderers idle livers negligent in their vocations c. All such and all other as lament not their sinnes as hope not in Gods mercy for pardon and purpose not heartily to amend to leave their swearing drunkennesse whoredome covetousnesse idlenesse c. All such I say shall not or cannot enter into God's Kingdome but hell fire is prepared for them weeping and gnashing of teeth whereunto alas I feare mee very many will needs goe in that very many will be as they have beene let us even to the wearing of the tongue to the stumpes Preach and Pray never so much to the contrary and that even in the bowels of Jesus Christ as now I beseech you all all and every Mothers Child to repent and lament your sinne to trust in Gods mercy and to amend your lives Now me thinkes ye are somewhat astonished whereby I gather that presently you desire this repentance that is this sorrow good hope and newnesse of life The which that you may the rather attaine and get to your comforts as I have gone about to be a mean to stirre up in you by Gods grace this desire of Repentance so through the same grace of God will I goe about now to shew you how you may have your desire in this behalfe And first concerning this part namely sorrow for our sinnes and hearty lamenting of the same For this if you desire the having of it you must beware that you thinke not that of your selves or of you own free will by any meanes you can get it You may easily deceive your selves and mock your selves thinking more of your selves then is seemely All good things and not peeces of good things but all good things saith St James come from God the Father of light If therefore repentance be good as it is good then the parts of it be good From God therefore doe they come and not of our free will It is the Lord that'mortifieth that bringeth down that humbleth saith the Scripture in sundry places After thou hadst stricken me saith Jeremy I was ashamed Loe he saith After thou hadst stricken me and therefore prayeth he even in the last words almost he writeth Turne us O Lord and we shall be turned The which thing David used very often Wherefore first of all if thou wouldest have this part of repentance as for the whole because it is Gods gift so for this part goe thou unto God and male some little prayer as thou canst unto his mercy for the same in this or like sort Mercifull Father of our Saviour Jesus Christ because I have sinned and done Wickedly yet through thy goodnesse have received a desire of repentance whereto this thy long-sufferance doth draw my hard heart I beseech thee for thy mercies sake in Christ to work the same repentance in me and by the spirit Power and Grace so to humble mortify and feare my conscience for my finnes that in thy good time thou maist comfort and quicken me againe through Jesus Christ thy dearely beloved Sonne AMEN After this sort I say or otherwise as thou thinkest good if thou wilt have this first part Contrition or sorrow for thy finnes do thou begge it of God through Christ And when thou hast asked it as I have laboured to drive thee from trusting in thy selfe so now I goe about to move thee from flattering of thy selfe from sluggishnesse and negligence to be diligent to use these meanes following Unto prayer which I would thou shouldest first use as thou canst Secondly get thee Gods Law as a glasse to look in for in it and by it cometh the true knowledge of sinne without which knowledge there can be no sorrow For how can a man sorrow for his finnes which knoweth not his finnes As when a man is sick the first steppe to health is to know his sicknesse even so to salvation the first step is to know thy damnation due for thy many sinnes The law of God therefore must be gotten and carefully looked in we must look in it spiritually and not carnally as the outward word or letter doth declare and utter and so our Saviour teacheth us in Matthew expounding the sixth and seaventh Commandements not only after the outward deed but also after the heart making there the anger of the heart a kind of murther lusting after another mans wife a kind of adultery And this is one of the differences betweene Gods Law and mans Law that of this man's law I meane I am not condemnable so long as I observe outwardly the same But Gods Law goeth to the roote and to the heart condemning me for the inward motion although outwardly I live most holily As for example if I kill no man though in my heart I hate man's law condemneth me not but otherwise doth Gods Law And why for it seeth the root from whence the evill doth spring If hatred were taken out of the heart then loftinesse in lookes detraction in tongue and murther by hand could never ensue If lusting were out of the heart curiosity in countenance wantonnesse in words loathsome boldnesse in body would not appeare In that therefore this outward evill springs out of the inward corruption seeing Gods Law also is a law of liberty as saith St James and spirituall as saith St Paule perfectly and spiritually it is to be understood if we will truely come to the knowledge of our sinnes For of this inward corruption reason knoweth little or nothing I had not known saith Paul that lusting which to reason and to them which are guided only by reason is thought but a triste I had not knowne saith he this lusting to have been sinne if the Law had not said Non concupisces thou shalt not lust To the knowledge therefore of our sinne without which we cannot repent or be sorry for our sinne let us secondly get us God's law as a glasse to look in and not only literally outwardly or partly but also spiritually inwardly and throughly Let us consider the heart and so shall we see the foule spotts we are stained withall at lest inwardly whereby we the rather may be moved to hearty sorrow and sighing For as St Augustine saith it is a glasse which feareth no body but even look what a one thou art so it painteth thee out In the Lawe we see it is a foule spot not to love the Lord our God with all I say our heart soule power might and strength and that continually In the Law it is a soule spot not only to make to our selves any graven image or similitude to bow thereto c. but also not to frame our selves wholly after the word and image whereto we are made In the Law we see that it is soule spot not only to take Gods name in vaine but also not earnestly heartily and even continually to call upon his name only to give thankes unto him only to

believe to publish and live in his holy word In Gods Law we see it is a foule spot to our soules not only to be an open prophaner of the Sabbath day but also not to rest from our own words and works that the Lord might both speak and work in us and by us not to heare his holy word not to communicate his Sacraments not to give occasion to others to holinesse by our example in Godly workes reverent esteeming of the Ministry of his Word In Gods Law we see it a foule spot to our soules not only to be an open disobayer of our parents Magistrates Masters and such as be in any authority over us but also not to honour such even in our hearts not to give thankes to God for them not to pray for them to aide to help or relieve them to bear with their infirmities c. In Gods Law we see it is a foule spot in our soules not only to be a man-queller in hatred malice proud lookes brags back-biting railing or bodily slaughter but also not to love our neighbours yea or enemies even in our hearts and to declare the same in all our gestures words and works In Gods law we see it a foule spot to our soules not only to be a Whoremonger in lusting in our hearts in wanton looking in uncleane and wanton talking in actuall doeing unhonestly with our Neighbours Wife Daughter servant c. But also not to be chast sober temperate in heart lookes tongue apparell deeds and to help others thereunto accordingly c. In Gods Law we see it is a foule spot to our soules not only in heart to covet in look or word to flatter lye colour c. in deed to take away any thing which pertaineth to another but also in heart countenance word and deed not to keepe save and defend that which pertaineth to thy neighbour as thou wouldest thine own In Gods Law we may see it a foule spot not only to lye and beare false witnesse against any man but also not to have as great a care over thy Neighbours name as over thine own Sinne in Gods Law it is we may see and a foule spot not only to consent to evill lust or carnall desires but even the very carnall lusts and desires themselves are sinne as selfe love and many such like By reason whereof I think there is none that looketh well therein but though he be blamelesse to the World and faire to the shew yet certainly inwardly his face is foule arrayed and so shamefull filthy pocky and scabbed that he cannot but be sorry at the contemplation thereof and that so much more by how much he continueth to look in this glasse accordingly And thus much concerning the second mean to the stirring up of sorrow for our sinne that next unto Prayer we should look in Gods law spiritually The which looking if we use with prayer as I said let us not doubt but at the length God's spirit will work as now to such as believe for to the unbelievers all is in vaine their eyes are starke blind they can see nothing to such as believe I say I trust something is done even already But if neither by prayer nor by diligent looking into Gods law spiritually as yet thy hard unbelieving heart feeleth sorrow nor lamenting for thy sinne Thirdly look upon the tagge tied to Gods Law for to his Law there is a tagge tied that is a penalty and that no small one but such an one as cannot but make us cast our currish tailes between our leggs if we believe it for all is in vaine if wee be faithlesse not to beleeve before wee feele This tagge is Gods malediction or curse Maledictus omnis saith it qui non permanet in omnibus quoe scripta sunt in libro legis ut faciat eam Loe accursed saith he is all no exception all saith God which continueth not in all things for he that is guilty of one is guilty of the whole saith St James in all things therefore saith the Holy Ghost which are written in the booke of the Law to doe them He saith not to heare them to talke of them to dispute of them but to doe them Who is he now that doth these Rara Avis few such Birds yea none at all For all are gone out of the way though not outwardly by word or deed yet inwardly at the least by default and wanting of that which is required so that a child of one nights age is not pure but by reason of birth-sinne in danger of Gods malediction then much more we which alasse have drunken in iniquity as it were water as Job saith but yet we quake not Tell me now good brother why doe you so lightly consider Gods curse that for your sins past you are so carelesse as if you had made a covenant with death and damnation as the wicked did in Esais time what is Gods curse At the Popes curse with book bell and candle O! how trembled we which heard it although the same was not directed to us yea hanging over us all by reason of our sinnfs alas how carelesse are we O faithlesse hard hearts o Jesabels guests rocked and laid asleepe in her bed O wicked wretches which being come into the depth of sinne doe contemne the same O sorrowlesse sinners and shamelesse harlots Is not the anger of a King death and is the anger of the King of all Kings a matter so lightly to be regarded as we doe regard it which for our sinnes are so wretchlesse that we slugge and sleep it out As wax melteth away at the heat of the fire saith David so doe the wicked perish at the face or countenance of the Lord If dearely beloved his face be so terrible and intollerable for sinners and the wicked what think we his hand is At the face and appearing of Gods anger the earth trembleth but we earth earth yea stones Iron flints tremble nothing at all If we will not tremble in hearing woe unto us for then shall we be crushed in pieces in feeling If a Lyon roare the beasts quake but we are worse then beasts which quake nothing at the roaring of the Lyon I meane the Lord of Hosts And why because the curse of God hardnesse of heart is fallen upon us or else we could not but lament and tremble for our sinnes If not for the shame and foulenesse thereof yet at the least for the malediction and curse of God which hangeth over us for them Lord be mercifull unto us for thy Christs fake and spare us in thine anger remember thy mercy towards us Amen And thus much for the third thing for the moving of us to sorrow for our sinnes that is for the tagge tied to Gods Law I meane for the malediction and curse of God But if our hearts be so hard that through these we yet feele no hearty sorrow for our sinnes Let us fourthly set before us examples past

of thy hands put thy helping hand Againe hath he not made thee a Christian Man or Woman where if he would he might have made thee a Turk or Pagan This thou know'st he did of love and dost thou think his love is lessened if thou lament thy sinne Is his hand shortned for helping thee Can a Woman forget the child of her wombe and though she should yet will not I forget thee saith the Lord He hath given thee limbes he hath given thee witt reason discretion c. to See heare goe c. He hath long spared thee and borne with thee when thou never purposed'st to repent and now thou repenting will he not give thee mercy Wherefore doth he grant thee to live at this present to heare him to speak this and mee to speak this but of love to us all Oh therefore let us pray him that he would adde to this that we might believe these love-tokens that he loveth us and indeed he will doe it Lord open our eyes in thy gifts to see thy gracious goodnesse Amen But to tarry in this I will not Let every man consider Gods benefits past and present publike and private spirituall and corporall to the confirming of his faith concerning the promises of the Gospel for the pardon of his sinnes I will now goe about to shew you a fourth meane to confirme your faith in this even by examples Of these there are in the Scriptures very many as also daily experience doth diversely teach the same if we were diligent to observe things accordingly wherefore I will be more breefe herein having respect to time which stealeth fast away Adam in Paradise transgressed grievously as the painfull punishment which we all as yet feele proveth if nothing else Though by reason of his sinne he displeased God sore and ranne away from God for he would have hid himselfe yea he would have made God the causer of his sinne in that he gave him such a Mate so farre was he from asking mercy yet all this notwithstanding God turned his fierce wrath neither upon him nor Eve which also required not mercy but upon the Serpent Sathan promising unto them a seed Jesus Christ by whom they at the length should be delivered In token whereof though they were cast out of Paradise for their nurture to serve in sorrow which would not serve in joy yet he made them apparel to cover their nakednesse a visible document and token of his invisible love and grace concerning their soules If God was so mercifull to Adam which so sore brake his commandement and rather blamed God then asked mercy Thinkest thou O man that he will not be mercifull to thee which blamest thy selfe and desirest pardon To Cain he offered mercy if he would have asked it What hast thou done saith God the voyce of thy Brothers blood Cryeth unto me out of the earth O mercifull Lord should Cain have said I confesse it But a las he did not so and therefore said God Now that is in that thou desirest not mercy Now I say be thou accursed c. Loe to the reprobate he offered mercy and will he deny it thee which art his child Noah did he not sinne and was drunk good Lot also both in Sodom dissembled a little with the Angels prolonging the time and out of Sodome he fell very foule as did Judah and the Patriarks against Joseph but yet I ween they found mercy Moses Myriam Aaron though they stumbled a little yet received they mercy Yea the people in the wildernesse often sinned and displeased God so that he was purposed to have destroyed them Let me alone saith he to Moses that I may destroy them But Moses did not let him alone for he prayed still for them and therefore God spared them If the people were spared through Moses prayer they not praying with him but rather worshiping their golden Calfe eating drinking making jolly good cheere Beloved why shouldest thou doubt whether God will be mercifull to thee having as indeed thou hast one much better then Moses to pray for thee with thee even Jesus Christ who sitteth on the right hand of his Father and prayeth for us being no lesse faithfull in his Fathers house the Church then Moses was in the Synagogue David that good King had a foule foile when he committed Whoredome with his faithfull servants wife Bethsheba whereunto he added also a mischievous murther causing her husband his most faithfull Souldier Vriah to be slaine with an honest company of his most valiant men of warre and that with the sword of the uncircumcised In this sinne though a great while he lay asleepe as many doe now adaies God give them good waking thinking that by the Sacrifices he offered all was well God was content yet at length when the Prophet by a Parable opened the offence and brought David in remembrance of his own sinne and in such sort that he gave judgement against himselfe then quaked he his Sacrifices had no more taken away his sinnes then our Sir Johns Trentals and wagging of his fingers over the heads of such as lie asleepe in their sinnes out of the which when they are awaked they will see that it is neither Masse nor Mattins blessing nor cursing will serve then I say he cryed out saying Peccavi Domine I have sinned saith he against my Lord and good God which hath done so much for me I caused indeed Vriah to be killed I have sinned I have sinned what shall I doe I have sinned and am worthy of eternall damnation But what saith God by this Prophet Dominus transtulit peccatum tuum non morieris The Lord hath taken away thy sinnes thon shalt not dye O good God he said but Peccavi I have sinned but yet from his heart and not from his lips only as Pharavh and Saul did and incontinently he heareth Thou shalt not dye the Lord hath taken away thy sinnes Or rather hath laid them upon the back of his sonne Jesus Christ who bare them and not only them but thine and mine also if that we will now cry but from our hearts Peccavimus we have sinned good Lord we have done wickedly enter not into judgement with us but be mercifull unto us after thy great mercy and according to the multitude of thy compassions doe away our iniquities c. For indeed God is not the God of David only Idem Deus omnium He is the God of all so that Quicunque invocaver it nomen Domini salvus erit He or shee whosoever they be that call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved In confirmation whereof this History is written as are also the other which I have recited and many more which I might recite As of manasses the wicked King which slew Esay the Prophet and wrought very much wickednesse yet the Lord shewed mercy upon him being in prison as his prayer doth teach us Nebuchadnezzar though for a time he bare