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	zealous_a	198	3	8.8486	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A81152	Englands plus ultra both of hoped mercies, and of required duties : shewed in a sermon preached to the honourable Houses of Parliament, the Lord Major, Court of Aldermen, and Common-Councell of London, together with the Assembly of Divines, at Christ-Church, April 2, 1646 : being the day of their publike thanksgiving to Almighty God for the great successe of the Parliaments army in the West, especially in Cornwall, under the conduct of his excellency Sr. Thomas Fairfax / by Joseph Caryl, minister of the Gospel at Magnus neer the bridge, London, and a member of the Assembly of Divines.	Caryl, Joseph, 1602-1673.	1646 (1646)	Wing C752; ESTC R43612	28,502	54

holines Lift up your heads O ye gates and be ye lift up ye everlasting doors that the King of glory may come in God hath blessed you in your costs and charges in your counsels and correspondencies c. for and with the publique interests Declare this work of the Lord by continuing stedfast to that interest Be not unwilling to venture for the time to come if the like occasions should call for it either in your persons or purses God having made you so good a return both in City and Nationall blessings for your former adventures God hath wrought graciously in preserving your City from fire your estates from plundering your persons from slavery declare and shew forth these works of the Lord by improving your estates your power your lives and liberties to make this a City of Refuge for the oppressed A solace to the Saints A mart of righteousnes to the Nations round about God hath not suffered violence to enter your streets let not deceit and guile lodge in your streets God hath not punished you with famine or want of bread let not fulnes of bread be your sinne God hath preserved commerce and trade for your bodies Declare this by making more voyages like royall Merchants to the port of Heaven by trading more for your own souls by trading more for the souls of others within your line There is a good work in hand for the helping not only of poor bodies but of poor souls I mean of those who are destitute of dwellings and unimployed whether elder or younger men women or children This is a noble work a work well becomming not only the Magistrates of this City but the Parliament of England Disorderly poor who live not only without government but without God in the world being so great a scandall both to this City and to the whole Kingdom Lastly let all the faithfull Ministers in the land set about the study of this Theologicall declaration the greatest part of the work lies upon us our whole work lying in Theologie It is not our books or sermons but our lives and works in the whole discharge of our Ministry which reach this duty We by our painfulnes by our patience by our zeal by our humility by our watchfulnes by our earnest desires of maintaining union and unity in the Churches of Christ and among all estates in the land we by being an example of the beleevers in word in conversation in charity in spirit in faith in purity should declare what God hath wrought God seems to aim at the reconciling of hearts at the healing of breaches at the atoning of differences He seems to be bringing in peace among us Let not any of us make new divisions and rents or make the former wider and lesse curable then they are God hath freed us from many burdens from that sore bondage under which many of us groaned and complained bitterly both to God and man and gave both no rest till they gave us ease Let us declare this work of the Lord by our sensiblenes that others may yet be burdened and by our care that they be not Let us desire that no burden may be laid but of necessary things of such things as the wisedom of Christ hath made necessary we should know the heart of one oppressed in conscience seeing we our selves were but lately so oppressed and are now releeved God hath appeared to us as a workman that needs not be ashamed Let us all according to that counsell of the Apostle to Timothy behave our selves as workmen in the service of the Gospel that need not be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth Thus I have epitomized and contracted the great volume of our practicall declaration of the works of the Lord into some few overtures essayes and offers about it I beseech you stay not in any of the former how exactly soever they may be framed I hope you will have them more exactly framed before you go hence But stay not in them give God his glory in this which is the last and highest declaration of his works give him glory in all but chiefly in this But may we not in dayes of thanksgiving make mention of any but of the works of the Lord Doth the Lord work alone Or have his hands only brought all these things to passe In the work of creation God did all alone and in many works of providence God only works He keeps state in some works no man acts with him But in most of his works and in those we are this day declaring he acts as I may so speak in consort with the creature it is seldom that God hath an immediate attingence with effects He useth and delights to use the service of men Atheists of old scorn'd at the work of creation and asked Quibus machinis with what tools or instruments with what engines ladders or scaffolds the Lord did set up this mighty frame of heaven and earth but in the works of providence we may soberly ask Quibus machinis with what tools and instruments by what hands or counsells hath he done these things His hands are visible his tools are plain before our eyes in most of these works yet because the whole effect or the effectualnes of all instruments is from his co-working and concurrence therefore little mention is to be made of instruments all must be ascrib'd to him God will have us use means as if he were to do nothing and he looks to be honoured as if means had done nothing Yet means and instruments may be remembred yea instruments must be remembred in their place The Lord is so jealous of his great name that he permits not any to come in competition with him yet he is so zealous of his servants good name that he is willing they should have honour in a subordination to himself Hence we finde that though David saith I will declare the works of the Lord yet the Lord takes care for and makes a declaration of the works of David and of his worthies In the second book of Samuel chap. 23. 8. we have a catalogue of Davids worthies and of their exploits set down in particulars Though the story of the Bible be the most exact and compendious that ever was vvritten yet God vouchsafeth faithfull and vvorthy instruments a place in that And therefore though the fatnes and the strength of our Eucharisticall sacrifice ought to be bestovved upon the Lord yet be not unmindfull of those whom the Lord hath used as his tools and instruments as his sword and buckler to do these great works for us and to fight our battels Let not any of those Honourable names who from the beginning of these warrs and troubles have valiantly interposed themselves and set their bodies and estates in the breach between us and danger be forgotten or slightly remembred Let it never be charged upon the Parliament or Kingdome of England that they have been unmindefull of or ungratefull to any

duty upon a generall ground O give thanks unto the Lord for he is good because his mercy endureth for ever But because that which is every bodies work is usually no bodies work therefore in the next words he puts the duty into distinct hands Let Israel now say let the house of Aaron now say let them now that fear the Lord say that his mercy endureth for ever The Church of the Jews fals here under a three-fold distribution First Israel the body of the Common-wealth Secondly The house of Aaron the Ministers of the Temple Thirdly All that fear the Lord Converts and Proselites out of all Nations under heaven Having thus awaken'd and summon'd all to this duty he begins a narrative of the speciall grounds and reasons of it which appear in two branches First The readinesse of God to hear and help him from the 5. vers to the 10. I called upon the Lord in distresse the Lord answered me and set me in a large place The Lord is on my side c. Secondly The malice of his enemies in opposing him who are described 1. Their multitude All Nations ver 10. That is the Nations round about such as are named Psal 83. 7. Gebal and Ammon and Amaleck the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tire c. These have consulted together with one consent they are confederate against me 2. Their neernesse of prevailing They compassed me about David was never in such a straight or so near the borders of ruine as when Saul and his men compassed Him and his men round about to take them 1 Sam. 23. 26. when an enemy charges both in front and flank both van and reer they look like Masters of the field 3. Their frequency in renewing their assaults They compassed me about they compassed me about yea they compassed me about They compassed me about like Bees Four times they compassed him about and the fourth with an addition the last charge was hottest as setting their Rest upon it to shew how restlesse and uncessant they were in their opposition 4. He describes his enemies by the end which the Lord brought them unto They are quenched as the fire of thorns vers 12. Some read They are kindled as the fire of thorns both the Greek and the Chaldee translate so and it is usuall in the Hebrew for the same word to signifie contraries as to blesse and to curse so here to quench and to kindle The sense amounts to the same for that which is soon kindled is soon quenched Davids enemies were soon kindled as the fire of thorns a small matter set them on fire and they were quenched or consumed like thorns which in a moment are both flame and ashes 5. He describeth his enemies by the end which they intended him or by their design against him at the 13. verse Thou hast thrust sore at me that I might fall ruine was the project Malice knows not how to go lesse then destruction They thrust sore at him that he might fall The Psalmist having made this report of his dangers and deliverances of his enemies rising rage and fall gives glory to God vers 14. The Lord is my strength and song and he is become my salvation And all his people celebrate these mercies as well as share in them vers 15 16. The voice of rejoycing and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous He in whom they rejoyced and who was the subject of their song stands forth in the next words The right hand of the Lord doth valiantly The right hand of the Lord is exalted The right hand of the Lord doth valiantly Davids joy now grows up to confidence and from telling over the former mercies of God he goes on to fore-tell those which were future in the Text now read I shall not die but live and declare the works of the Lord. The words are a holy rapture or exultation of spirit his faith was too big for his heart he must vent it at his lips I shall not die but live c. There are two parts in this verse 1. Davids confidence of future mercy I shall not die but live 2. Davids conscience both of a present and future duty And declare the works of the Lord. There is a double reading of the words Some thus I am not dead but alive which translation is contended for as the best by a learned Interpreter and then the sense hath a mixture of joy and thankfulnes that he who could number so many enemies and so many dangers should yet passe the pikes untoucht and out-live them all I am not dead but alive O wonderfull Blessed be God for this We read I shall not die but live And so the words carry the sense of an high acting faith or of a faith raised up to a full-grown assurance Having told the story of his passed sufferings and salvations he believes above and beyond all possible sufferings I shall not die but live But was David immortall What man is he that liveth and shall not see death and shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave Psal 89. 49. Is it not appointed unto all men once to die And after David had served his generation did not he fall asleep Read we not often of Davids sepulchre How then is it that he promiseth thus much to himself I shall not die but live There is a two-fold death 1. A Naturall death 2. A Violent death David doth not promise himself priviledge from the former he waves not a submission to the law of nature But David did believe God would protect him from the later I shall not die that is a violent death I shall not die by the hand of these men I shall not die the death which they have voted me to in their counsels long ago Again Death may be taken under another distinction There is either A naturall or A civil death We may understand David of the later I shall not die a civil death as not a violent corporall death they shall not take away the life of my body so I shall not die a civil death they shall not take away the prosperity of my estate The two witnesses are said to be dead Revel 11. 8. and their dead bodies to lie in the streets when they were divested of all power and priviledge in holding forth the truth of the Gospel The state of the Jews in their Babylonian captivity is represented to Ezekiel by a valley full of dry bones Chap. 37. 1 2. A man may have breath in his body and yet the man scarce alive The Apostle speaks this sense 1 Thess 3. 8. Now I live that is now I live comfortably now I feel my self alive if ye stand fast in the faith So here I shall not die that is I shall not be miserable I shall not be trodden under foot or live at the curtesie and allowance of my enemies And when he saith I we are not to restrain it to Davids person

Christ for favour If Christ would not have had errour to be opposed vvhy hath he left us means both for the opposition and suppression of errour As he hath given a compleat Armour to every Christian wherewith to fight against the vviles and temptations of the devil so he hath given a compleat Armour to his Church vvherewith to fight against all the errours and unsound doctrines of seducers Therefore search the Magazines of the Gospel bring out all the artillery ammunition and weapons stored up there look out all the chains and fetters the vvhips and rods vvhich either the letter of the Gospel or the everlasting equity of the Law hath provided to binde errour vvith or for the back of heresie let them all be imployed and spare not I hope we shall never use I am perswaded vve ought not Antichrists broom to sweep Christs house with or his weapons to fight against errours with Christ hath formed and sharpened weapons for this warre we need not goe to the Popes forge or file We saith the Apostle have weapons in a readinesse to revenge every disobedience They are ready made to our hands vve have them in a readinesse saith Paul let these be sheathed in the bowels of every errour and corrupt opinion and the event will shew a thought that it will not were an infinite disparagement to the wisdome of Christ who hath appointed them the event I say will shew that these weapons of our warfare are not carnall but mighty through God not a wooden dagger or spears of bulrushes no pot-guns or paper-shot as some at least in consequences blaspheme but mighty through God to the casting down of strong-holds and the bringing of every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ And when errours are more the erroneous tumultuous or blasphemous the generall rules of the word will shew us expedients fit to meet with such distempers If we thus prosecute and oppose the errours of these times which I conceive no man is hindered from doing in his sphear though all the sphears wherein this may be done are not in a desired motion If I say we thus prosecute errour and contend for truth we may keep our hopes alive that as vve are not dead but alive so we shall not die but live that yet Counsels at home and Armies abroad shall prosper that this shall not be the last Thanksgiving day which this great Assembly shall keep for received victories that God will yet go on to crown this Nation with so many mercies as shall fill both the present age and posterity with books and declarations of what God hath vvrought A service to which David engageth himself in the next vvords of the text I shall not die but live and declare the works of the Lord. And declare the works of the Lord. The generall issue of vvhich vvords as considered in conjunction with the former is That all received mercies should be designed to the glory of God This is the design of the Saints when they pray for mercies Joel 2. 14. Who knoweth if he will return and repent and leave a blessing behinde him For vvhom for you Nay Even a meat-offering and a drink-offering to the Lord your God The captive Jews vvere taxed because they fasted forthemselves and not unto God Zech. 7. It must be the project of prayer and fasting that we may receive mercies to honour God with and it should be our project in daies of praise and thanksgiving to honour God vvith the mercies vve have received So much of our lives is as lost and so many of our mercies are as buried with which the name of God is not lifted up and advanced To seek our own glory is not glory or to deal vvith God as the Story speaks of one who vvrote the founders name that had been at the cost and charge of a curious fabrick upon the plaister of the vvall but cut his own name in a marble stone underneath While vvorldly men bestow outward thanks on God Their inward thought is that their houses shall continue for ever and their dwelling place to all generations and they call their lands after their own names Psal 49. 11. To give God a day of vocall praises and to reserve the chief the fattest of the honour to our selves is to mock God in stead of praising him and to commit sacriledge while we are offering holy things But I cannot stay upon that generall Take this in speciall That to declare the works of the Lord is the debt of honour and duty which we ought to pay him for all the work he is pleased to do for us The works of God are his counsels acted Psal 31. 19. O how great is thy goodnesse which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee The goodnesse of God is laid up in what Storehouse doth God lay up this goodnesse Surely in his own brest there he laid up the creation of the world from all eternity and there he laid up the redemption of man and wrought it in the fulnesse of time There he laid up all the deliverances which at any time he hath wrought for his Church O how great is thy goodnesse which ●hou hast laid up then follows which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sonnes of men The works of God are the goodnesse of God made visible they are as so many beams or raies of the power wisdome faithfulnesse and justice of God God declares himself in his works The invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen being understood by the things which are made even his eternall power and God-head Rom. 1. 20. The vvork of Creation declares much of God but the works of Providence declare more And as God declares himself in his works so we must declare the works of God But how shall we make this declaration There is a five-fold declaration of the vvorkes of God The first is an Arithmeticall declaration the originall vvord in the text primarily signifies to make a catalogue or an enumeration of things and so of the works of God setting them down by number Thus God himself declares his works Judg. 10. 11 12. Did not I deliver you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites from the children of Ammon and from the Philistines The Zidonians also and the Amalekites and the Maonites did oppresse you and ye cried to me and I delivered you out of their hand Here is nothing but the bare names of deliverances set down seven in number So many you have received from me saith the Lord. As if we should write now The battell at Keinton one The battel at Newbery two The battel at Chereton-Down three At Marston-moor four At Nazeby five At Langport six At Torington seven the disbanding of the late Army in the West without battell which may go for many victories c. And this is a declaration which becometh us some pens have done this to my