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	world_n	worthy_a	554	4	6.4403	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A36441	A phenix, or, The Solemn League and Covenant whereunto is annexed : 1. The form and manner of His Majesties coronation in Scotland, with a sermon then preached on that occasion, by Robert Douglas of Edenburgh, II. A declaration of the Kings Majesty to all his loving subjects of the Kingdoms of Scotland, &c. in the yeare 1650, III. The great danger of covenant-breaking, &c., being the substance of a sermon preached by Edm. Calamy, the 14 of Jan., 1645, before the then Lord Mayor of the city of London, Sir Tho. Adams : together with the shieriffs [sic], aldermen, and Common-Councell of the said city : being the day of their taking the Solemn League and Covenant at Michael Basenshaw, London.	Douglas, Robert, 1594-1674.; Calamy, Edmund, 1600-1666. Great danger of covenant-breaking.; England and Wales. Sovereign (1660-1685 : Charles II)	1662 (1662)	Wing D2034; ESTC R5271	65,771	176

had let them go afterwards they caused the Servants to return and brought them in subjection ver 11. What followeth upon this breach ver 15 16. Ye were now turned and had done right in my sight in proclaiming liberty but ye turned and made them servants again And therefore verse 18 19 20 21. I will give the men who have transgressed my Covenant who have not performed the words of the Covenant which they made before me when they cut the Calf in twain and passed between the parts thereof I will even give them into the hands of their enemies into the hand of them that seek their life even Zedekiah and his Princes If the breach of a Covenant made for the liberty of Servants was so punished what shall be the punishment of the breach of a Covenant for Religion and liberty of the people of God There is nothing more terrible to Kings and Princes then to be given into the hands of enemies that seek their life If ye would escape this judgement let King and Princes keep their Covenant made with God Your enemies who seek your life are in the land if you break the Covenant it may be feared God will give you over unto them as a prey but if ye yet keep Covenant it may be expected God will keep you out of their hands Let not the place ye heard opened be forgotten for in it ye have an example of Divine justice against Joash and the Princes for breaking that Covenant 2 Chron. 24.23 The Princes who inticed that breath are destroyed and in the 24. ver it is said The Army of the Syrians came with a small company of men and the Lord delivered a very great Host into their hands because they had forsaken the Lord God of their Fathers so they executed judgement a-against Joash And ver 25. His own servants conspired against him and flew him on his bed c. The conspiracy of Servants or Subjects against their King is a wicked course But God in his righteous judgements suffereth Subjects to conspire and rebel against their Princes because they rebel against the Covenant made with God I may say freely that a chief cause of the judgement upon the Kings house hath been the Grandfathers breach of Covenant with God and the fathers following steps in opposing the work of God and his Kirk within these Kingdoms They broke Covenant with God and men have broken Covenant with them yea most cruelly and perfidiously have invaded the Royal Family and trodden upon all Princely dignity Be wise by their example you are now sitting upon the Throne of the Kingdome and your Nobles about you there is one above you even Jesus the King of Sion and I as his Servant dare not but be free with you I charge you Sir in his Name that you keep this Covenant in all points if you break this Covenant and come against this cause I assure you the controversie is not ended between God and your Family but will be carried on to further weakning if not the overthrow of it but if you shall keep this Covenant and befriend the Kingdome of Christ it may be from this day God shall begin to do you good although your estate be very weak God is able to raise you and make you to Reign maugre the opposition of all your Enemies And howsoever it shall please the Lord to dispose you shall have a peace towards God through Christ the Mediator As for you who are Nobles and Peers of the Land your share is great in this day of Coronation ye have come and touched the Crown and sworn to support it ye have handled the Sword and Scepter and have set down the King upon his Throne 1. I Charge you keep your Covenant with God and see that ye never be moved your selves to come against it in any head or article thereof and that ye give no counsel to the King to come against that Doctrine Worship Government and discipline of the kirk established in their Land as you would eschew the Judgement of Covenant-breakers If the King and ye who are engaged to support the Crown conspire together against the kingdome of Christ both ye that do support and he that is supported will fall together I presse this the more because it is a rare thing to see a King and great men for Christ in the long Catalogue of Kings which ye have heard recited this day there will be found few to have been for Christ 2. I Charge you also because of your many Oaths to the King that you keep them invoylably Be Faithfull unto him according to your Covenant the Oaths of God are upon you if directly or indirectly you do any thing against his standing God by whom ye have sworn will be avenged upon you for the breach of his Oath And now I will close up all in one word more to You Sir You are the onely Covenanted King with God and his people in the world Many have obstructed your entry in it now seeing the Lord hath brought you in over all these Obstructions onely observe to do what is contained therein and it shall prove a happy time for You and Your House And because you are entered in times of great difficulty wherein small strength seems to remain with you in the eyes of the world for recovering your just power and greatnesse Therefore take counsell which David when he was dying gave to his Sonne Solomon 1 Kings 2.2 3. Be strong and shew thy self a man and keep the charge of the Lord thy God to walk in his wayes and keep his Commandements that thou mayst prosper in all that thou dost and whithersoever thou turnest thy self After this Exhortation the Minister closed the whole action with prayer and the xx Psalm being sung he dismissed the people with the Blessing Then did the Kings Majesty descend from the Stage with the Crown upon his head and receiving again the Scepter in his hand returned with the whole Train in solemn manner to his Palace the Sword being carried before him FINIS A Declaration by the Kings Majesty to all His Subjects of the Kingdomes of Scotland England and Ireland Printed at Edinburgh 1650. Sect. 1. HIs Majesty taking in consideration that mercifull Dispensation of Divine Providence by which he hath been recovered out of the snare of Evil Counsel and having attained so full perswasion and confidence of the Loyalty of his People in Scotland with whom he hath too long stood at a distance and of the Righteousnesse of their Cause as to joyn in one Covenant with them and to cast himself and his Interests wholly upon God and in all matters Civil to follow the Advice of his Parliament and such as shall be intrusted by them and in all matters Ecclesiastick the Advice of the General Assembly and their Commissioners and being sensible of his duty to God and desirous to approve himself to the consciences of all his good Subjects and to stop

King but Kingly Government 4. There is a fourth who professe they acknowledge a King but dispise him in their heart saying Shall this man save us I wish all had Davids tendernesse whose heart smote him when he did but cut off the lap of Sauls garment that we may be far from cutting off a lap of that just power and greatnesse which God hath allowed to the King and we have bound our selves by Covenant not to diminish I have gone through the three particulars contained in ver 12. I come to the other two in v. 17. which appertain also to this said work for our King is not only to be crowned but to renew a covenant with God and his people and to make a covenant with the people Answerable hereto there is a twofold covenant in the words one between God and the King and the people God being the one party the King and the people the other Another between the King and the people the King being the one party the people the other The covenant with God is the fourth particular propounded to be spoken of The sum of the covenant ye may find 2 King 23.3 in Josiah his renewing the covenant To walk after the Lord keep his commandments and testimonies with all thy heart and to perform the words of the covenant The renewing of the covenant was after a great defection from God and the setting up of false worship The King and the people of God bound themselves before the Lord to set up true worship and to abolish the false Scotland hath a preference in this before other Nations In time of defection they have renewed a covenant with God to reform all And because the King after a great defection in that family is to renew the covenant I shall mention some particulars from the League and Covenant 1. We are bound to maintain the true Reformed Religion in Doctrine Worship Discipline and Government established in this kingdome and to endeavour the Reformation of Religion in the other two kingdoms according to the word of God and the best reformed Kirks By this Article the King is obliged not onely to maintain Religion as it is established in Scotland but also to endeavour the reformation of Religion in his other kingdoms The King should consider well when it shall please God to restore him to his Government there that he is bound to endeavour the establishment of the work of Reformation there as wel as to maintain it here According to the second article the King is bound without respect of persons to extirpate Popery Prelacy Superstition Heresie Scheism Prophanesse and whatsoever shall be found contrary to sound Doctrine and the power of godlinesse and therefore Popery is not to be suffred in his Royall family nor within his Dominions Prelacy once pluck up by the root is not to be permitted to take root again all Heresie and Error whatsoever must be opposed by him to the utmost of his power and by the covenant the K. must be farre from tolleration of any false Religion within his Dominions 3. As the people are bound to maintain the Kings person and authority in the maintenance of the true Religion and liberties of the kingdom So the King is bound with them to maintain the rights and priviledges of the Parliament and liberties of the subjects according to the third article 4. We are bound to discover and to bring unto condign punishment all such as have been or shall be Incendiaries Malignants or evil instruments in hindring the reformation of Religion dividing the king from the people or one of the kingdoms from another or making any faction or parties amongst them hereby the king is bound to have an eye upon such and neither allow them nor comply with them but to concur according to his power to have them censured and punished as is expressed in the fourth article I shall sum up all this That a K. entring in covenant with God should doe as the kings did of old when they entred into covenant they and their people went on in the work of Reformation as appears there vers 8. And all the people of the Lord went to the house of Baal and brake it down c. And godly Josiah when he entred in covenant made a thorow reformation There is a fourfold reformation in Scripture and contained in the League and Covenant 1. A personal Reformation 2. A Family reformation 3. A reformation of Judicatories 4. A reformation of the whole Land Kings have had their hand in all the Four and therefore I recommend them to our King 1. A personal Reformation A King should reform his own life that he may be a pattern of godlinesse to others and to this he is tied by the Covenants The godly reformers of Judah were pious and religious men A King should not follow Machiavell his counsel who requireth not that a Prince should be truly religious but saith that a shadow of it and external simulation are sufficient A divellish counsel and it is just with God to bring a King to the shadow of a Kingdom who hath but the shadow of Religion We know that dissembling Kings have been punished of God and let our King know that no King but a religious king can please God David is highly commended for godlinesse Hezekiah a man eminent for piety Josiah a young king commended for the tendernesse of his heart when he heard the law of the Lord read he was much troubled before the Lord when he heard the judgements threatned against his Fathers house and his people it is earnestly wished that our Kings heart may be tender and be truly humbled before the Lord for the sins of his Fathers house and of the land and for the many evils that are upon that Family and upon that Kingdome 2. A Family Reformation The King should reform his Family after the example of godly kings Asa when he entred in covenant spared not his Mothers Idolatry The house of our king hath been much defiled by Idolatry The king is now in covenant and to renew the covenant let the Royal Family be reformed and that it may be a religious Family wherein God will have pleasure Let it be purged not only of Idolatry but of prophanity and loosness which hath abounded in it Much hath been spoken of this matter but little hath been done in it Let the king and others who have charge in that family think it lieth upon them as a duty to purge it And if you would have a Famiy well purged and constitute take David for a pattern in the purgation and constitution of his Psalm 10. The froward heart wicked persons and slanderers he will have far from him but his eyes are upon the faithful of the land that they may dwell with him Ye may extent this Reformation to the Court A prophane Court is dangerous for a king it hath been observed as a provoking sin in England which hath drawn down

receipt of their Princely Authority make their faithful promise in the presence of the eternal God That enduring the whole course of their lives they shall serve the same Eternal God to the uttermost of their power according as he hath required in his most holy Word revealed and contained in the New and Old Testaments And according to the same Word shall maintain the true Religion of Christ Jesus the preaching of his Holy Word and due and right Ministration of the Sacraments now received and preached within this Realm And shall abolish and gainstand all false religions contrary to the same and shall rule the people committed to their charge according to the will and command of God revealed in his foresaid Word and according to the Loveable Lawes and Constitutions received in this Realm no wayes repugnant to the said Word of the Eternall God And shall procure to the uttermost of their power to the Kirk of God and whole Christian people true and perfect peace in time coming The right and ●ents with all just priviledges of the Crown of Scotland to preserve and keep inviolated Neither shall they transfer nor alienate the same They shall forbid and represse in all Estates and degrees reaf oppression and all kind of wrong In all judgements they shall command and procure that justice and equity be kept to all creatures without exception as the Lord and Father of Mercies be mercifull unto them and out of their Lands and Empire they shall be careful to root out all Hereticks and enemies to the true worship of God that shall be convict by the true Kirk of God of the aforesaid crimes and that they shall faithfully affirm the things above written by their Solemn Oath The Minister tendered the Oath unto the King who kneeling and holding up his right hand swore in these words By the Eternall and Almighty God who liveth and reigneth for ever I shall observe and keep all that is contained in this Oath This done the Kings Majesty sitteth down in his Chair and reposeth himself a little Then the King ariseth from his chair and is dis-robed by the Lord great Chamberlain of the Princely robe wherewith he entred the Kirk and is invested by the said Chamberlain in his Royal Robes Thereafter the King being brought to the Chair on the North side of the Kirk s●pported as formerly the Sword was brought by Sir William Cockburn of Langtown Gentleman ush●r from the table and delivered to the Lyon King of Armes who giveth it to the Lord great Constable who putteth the same in the Kings hand saying Sir Receive this Kingly Sword for the defence of the Faith of Christ and protection of his Kirk and of the true Religion as it is presently professed within this Kingdome and according to the National Covenant and League and Covenant and for executing Equity and Justice and for punishment of all iniquity and injustice This done the great Constable receiveth the Sword from the King and girdeth the same about his side Thereafter the King sitteth down in his Chair and then the Spurs were put on him by the Earl Marshal Thereafter Archibald Marquis of Argyle having taken the Crown in his hands the Minister prayed to this purpose That the Lord would purge the Crown from the sins and transgressions of them that did reign before him That it might be a pure Crown That God would settle the Crown upon the kings head and since men that set it on were not able to settle it that the Lord would put it on and preserve it And then the said Marquis put the Crown on the Kings head Which done Lyon King of Armes the great Constable standing b●●im causeth an Herauld to call the whole Noble men one by one according to their ranks who coming before the King kneeling and with their hand touching the Crown on the Kings head swore these words By the Eternal and Almighty God who liveth and reigneth for ever I shall support thee to my utmost And when they had done then all the Nobility held up their hands and sware to be loyal and true subjects and true to the Crown The Earl Marshal with the Lyon going to the four corners of the Stage the Lyon proclaimeth the Obligatory Oath of the people And the people holding up their hands all the time did swear By the Eternal and Almighty God who liveth and reigneth for ever we become your liege men and Truth and Faith shall bear unto you and live and dye with you against all manner of folks whatsoever in your service according to the National Covenant and solemne League and Covenant Then did the Earles and Vicounts put on their Crowns and the Lyon likewise put on his Then did the Lord Chamberlain loose the Sword wherewith the King was girded and drew it and delivered it drawn into the Kings hands and the King put it into the hands of the great Constable to carry it naked before him Then John Earl of Crawford and Lindesay took the Scepter and put it in the Kings right hand saying Sir Receive this Scepter the sign of Royal power of the Kingdome that you may govern your self right and defend all the Christian people committed by God to your charge punishing the wicked and protecting the just Then did the King ascend the Stage attended by the Officers of the Crown and Nobility and was installed in the Royal Throne by Archibald Marquis of Argyle saying Stand and hold fast from henceforth the place whereof you are the lawful and righteous heir by a long and lineal succession of your Fathers which is now delivered unto you by authority of Almighty God When the King was set down upon the Throne the Minister spoke to him a word of Exhortation as followeth Sir You are set down upon the throne in a very difficil time I shall therefore put you in mind of a Scriptural expression of a Throne 1 Chron. 29.23 It is said Solomon sate on the Throne of the Lord. Sir you are a King and a King in Covenant with the Lord if You would have the Lord to own you to be his king and his Torone to be your Throne I desire you may have some thoughts of this expression 1 It is the Lords Throne Remember you have a King above you the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who commandeth Thrones He setteth kings and Thrones and dethroneth them at his pleasure Therefore take a word of advice be thankful to him who hath brought you through many wanderings to set you on this Throne kisse the son lest he be angry and learn to serve him with fear who is terrible to the kings of the earth 2. Your throne is the Lords throne and your people the Lords people Let not your heart be lifted up above your brethren Deut. 17.20 They are your brethren not only flesh of your flesh but brethren by Covenant with God let your Government be refreshing unto them as the rain on the mowen grasse

3. Your Throne is the Lords Throne beware of making his Throne a Throne of iniquity There is such a throne Psal 94.20 Which frameth mischief by Law God will not own such a throne it hath no fellowship with him Sir there is too much iniquity upon the throne by your predecessors who framed mischief by a Law such lawes as have been destructive to Religion and grievous to the Lords people You are on the Throne and have the Scepter beware of touching mischievous laws therewith But as the Throne is the Lords Throne let the lawes be the Lords lawes agreeable to his Word such as are terrible to evil doers and comfortable to the godly and a relief to the poor and oppressed in the Land 4. The Lords Throne putteth you in mind whom you shall have about the throne wicked Counsellors are not for a King upon the Lords Throne Solomon knew this who said Prov. 25.5 Take away the wicked from before the King and his Throne shall be established in righteousnesse And Prov. 20.8 A King upon the Throne scattereth away all evil with his eyes 5 The Lords throne putteth you in mind that the judgement on the throne should be the Lords Take the exhortation Jer. 22. from the beginning the Prophet hath a command to go to the house of the King of Judah and say Hear the word of the Lord O King of Judah that sitteth upon the Throne thy servants and thy people execute ye judgement and righteousnesse and deliver the spoil out of the hand of the oppressour and do no wrong do no violence to the stranger the fatherlesse nor the widow neither shed innocent bloud in this place If ye do this thing indeed then shall there enter by the gates of this house Kings sitting upon the throne of David But if ye will not hear these words I swear by my self saith the Lord this house shall become a desolation And ver 7. I will prepare destroyers against thee Sir Destroyers are prepared for the injustice of the Throne I intreat you execute righteous judgment if you do it not your house will be a desolation But if you do that which is right God shall remove the destroyers and you shall be established on your Throne and there shall yet be Dignity in your house for your servants and for your people Lastly If your Throne be the Throne of the Lord take a word of encouragement against Throne-adversaries Your enemies are the enemies of the Lords Throne Make your peace with God in Christ and the Lord shall scatter your enemies from the Throne and he shall magnifie you yet in the sight of these Nations and make the mis-led people submit themselves willingly to your government Sir if you use well the Lords throne on which you are set then the two words in the place cited 1 Chron. 29.23 spoken of Solomon sitting on the Throne of the Lord He prospered and all Israel obeyed him shall belong unto you your people shall obey you in the Lord and you shall prosper in the fight of the Nations round about Then the Lord Chancellor went to the four corners of the Stage the Lyon King of Armes going before him and proclaimed his Majesties free pardon to all breakers of penal Statutes and made offer thereof Whereupon the people cryed God save the King Then the King supported by the great Constable Marshal and accompanied with the Chancellor arose from the Throne and went out at a door prepared for that purpose to a Stage and sheweth himself to the people without who clapped their hands and cryed with a loud voice a long time God save the King Then the King returning and sitting down upon the Throne delivered the Scepter to the Earl of Crawford and Lindsay to be carried before him Thereafter the Lyon King of Armes rehearsed the Royal Line of the Kings upwards to Fergus the first Then the Lyon called the Lords one by one who kneeling and holding their hands betwixt the Kings hands did swear these words By the Eternal and Almighty God who liveth and reigneth for ever I become your liege man and Truth and Faith shall bear unto you and live and dy with you against all manner of folks whatsoever in your service according to the National Covenant and Solemn League and Covenant And every one of them kissed the Kings left cheek When these Solemnities were ended the Minister standing before the King on his Throne pronounced this blessing The Lord blesse thee and save thee the Lord hear thee in the day of trouble the Name of the God of Jacob defend thee the Lord send thee help from the Sanctuary and strengthen thee out of Sion Amen After the blessing pronounced the Minister went to the Pulpit and had the following exhortation the King sitting still upon the Throne Ye have this day a King Crowned and entred into Covenant with God and his people look both King and people that ye keep his Covenant and beware of the breach of it that you may be the more careful to keep it I will lay a few things before you I remember when the solemn League and Covenant was entred by both Nations the Commissioners from England being present in the East Kirk of Edinburgh a passage was cited out of Nehe. 6.13 Which I shall now again cite Nehemiah required an Oath of the Nobles and people to restore the morgaged Lands which they promised to do after the Oath was tendred in the 13. ver he did shake his lap and said So God shake out every man from his house and from his labour that performeth not his promise even thus be he shaken out and emptied and all the Congregati●ns said Amen Since the time many of those who were in Covenant are shaken out of it yea they have shaken off the Covenant and laid it aside It is true they are prospering this day and think that they prosper by laying aside the Covenant but they will be deceived that word spoken then shall not fall to the ground God shall shake them out of their possession and empty them for their perfidious breach of Covenant The same I say to King and Nobles and all that are in Covenant If you break that Covenant being so solemnly sworn all these who had touched your Crown and sworn to support it shall not be able to hold it on but God will shake it off and turn you from the Throne and ye Noble men who are assistant to the putting on of the Crown and setting the King upon the Throne if ye shall either assist or advise the King to break the Covenant and overturn the work of God he shall shake you out of your possessions and empty you of all your glory Another passage I offer to your consideration Jer. 34.8 after that Zedekiah had promised to proclaim liberty to all the people who were servants and entred in a Covenant he and his Princes to let them go free and according to the Oath

of a Malefactor at the Bar and procure woe and misery and wringing of hands at the great day of appearing The third reason why God will be avenged of those that are Covenant-breakers is because that a Covenant is the greatest obligation and the most forcible chain that can be invented to tye us to obedience and service God may justly challenge obedience without covenanting by virtue of creation preservation and redemption he hath made us and when lost he hath purchased us with his blood But being willing more abundantly to manifest his love and that we might be the more fastned to him he hath tyed himself to us and us to him by the strong bond of a Covenant as if God should say Oh ye sons of men I see you are rebellious and sons of Belial and therefore if it be possible I will make you sure I will engage you unto me not only by creation preservation redemption but also by the right of covenant and association I will make you mine by promise oath And surely he that will break these bonds is as bad as the man possessed with the Divel in the Gospel whom no chains could keep fast When we enter into covenant with God we take the oath of Supremacy and swear unto him that he shal be our chief Lord and Governour that we will admit no forein power or jurisdiction but that God shall be all in all We likewise take the oath of Allegiance to be his servants and vassals and that he shal be our Supreme in spirituals temporals Now for a Christian that believes there is a God to break both these oaths of allegiance and supremacy it is cursed treason against the God of heaven which surely God wil be avenged of Amongst the Romans when any Souldier was pressed he took an oath to serve the Captain faithfully and not to forsake him and he was called Miles per sacramentum Sometimes one took an oath for all the rest and the others only said The same oath that A. B. took the same do I. And these were called Milites per conjurationem or milites evocati And when any souldier forsook his Captain he had Martial law executed upon him Thus it is with every Christian He is a profess ed souldier of Christ he hath taken press-mony he hath sworn and taken the Sacrament upon it to become the Lords he is miles per sacramentum miles per conjurationem And if he forsake his Captain and break covenant the great Lord of Hosts will be avenged of him as it is written Jer. 11.3 Cursed be the main that obeyeth not the words of this covenant To break covenant is a sin of perjury which is a sin of high nature and if for oaths the land mourneth much more for breach of oaths To break covenant is a sin of spiritual adultery for by covenanting with God we do as it were joyn our selves in marriage to God as the Hebrew word signifieth Jer. 50.5 Now to break the mariage knot is a sin for which God may justly give a Bill of divorce to a Nation To break covenant is a sin of injustice for by our covenant we do enter as it were into bond to God engage our selves as a creditor to his debtor Now the sin of injustice is a land destroying sin The fourth Reason why God must needs be avenged of those that are covenant-breakers is because it is an act of the highest Sacriledge that can be committed For by vertue of the Covenant the Lord layes claim to us as his peculiar inheritance Ezek. 16.8 I sware unto thee and entred into covenant with thee and thou becamest mine Jer. 31.33 I will be their God and they shall be my people It is worthy observation that in the Covenant there is a double surrender one on Gods part another on our part God Almighty makes a surrender of himself and of his Sonne and of the Holy Ghost Behold saith God I am wholly thy God all my power and mercy and goodnesse c. is all thine my Son is thine and all his rich purchases My spirit is thine and all his graces This is Gods surrender On our parts when we take hold of the Covenant we make a delivery of our bodies and souls into the hands of God we choose him to be our Lord and Governour we resign up our selves into his hands Lord we are thine at thy disposing we alienate our selves from our selves and make a deed of gift of our selves and give thee the lock and key of head heart and affections c. This is the nature of every religious Covenant but especially of the Covenant of grace But now for a Christian to call in as it were his surrender to disclaime his resignation to steal away himself from God and to lay claim to himself after his alienation to fulfill his own lusts to walk after his own wayes to do what he lists and not what he hath Covenanted to do and so to rob God of what is his this is the highest degree of Sacriledge which God will never suffer to go unpunished And surely if the stick-gatherer that did but alienate a little of Gods time and Ananias and Sapphira that withheld but some part of his estate and if Belshazzer for abusing the consecrated vessels of the Temple were so grievously punished how much more will God punish those that alienate themselves from the service of that God whom they have sworn to be obedient It is observed by a learned Author of three famous Commanders of the Romans that they never prospered after they had defiled and robbed the Temple of Jerusalem First Pompey the great he went into the Sanctum Sanctorum a place never before entred by any but the High Priest and the Lord blasted him in all his proceedings after that time Vt illi qui terram non habuit ante ad victoriam de esset illi terra at sepulturam That he that before that time wanted earth to overcome had not at last earth enough to bury him withall The next was Crassus who took away 10000 talents of gold from the Temple and afterwards dyed by having gold poured down his throat The third was Cassius who afterwards killed himself If then God did thus avenge himself of those that polluted his consecrated Temple much more will he not leave them unpunished that are the living temples of the Holy Ghost consecrated to God by a Covenant and afterwards proving sacrilegious robbing God of that worship and service which they have sworn to give him The fifth reason why this sin makes the time perilous is because covenant-breakers are reckoned amongst the number of those that have the mark of reprobation upon them I do not say that they are all Reprobates yet I say that the Apostle makes it to be one of those sins which are committed by those that are given up to a reprobate mind Rom. 1.28.31 The words are spoken of the Heathen and