Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
lord_n	work_n	zeal_n	zealous_a	255	3	9.4920	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A75965	The male of the flock, or A sermon preached at St. Pauls, before the right honourable, the Lord Mayor, and the right vvorshipfull, the aldermen of the city of London, Septemb: the 9th: 1655. By Benjamin Agas, minister of Cheneyes in Bucks.	Agas, Benjamin.	1655 (1655)	Wing A758A; Thomason E861_3; ESTC R206648	27,438	38

Judgment who can touch the tops and sound the bottoms of this hard and knotty truth Sciat talis se esse theologum Deo gratias agat May not an ordinary capacity even here tu●● sceptique and seeker and say Hoc scio quod nil scio this one thing I know that I know nothing But to our purpose T is manifest there is in man a carnal and a spiritual wil. I see a law in my members rebelling against the law of my mind Rom 7.23 The flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh Gal 5.17 T is equally manifest that this carnal wil is a most unruly beast as an untamed Heifer unaccustomed to the yoak flying off and not induring to do homage unto God especially in any strict and pinching Command Now therefore unlesse the spirital wil be the more prevalent and unlesse it hath this potency I cal it not the best wil either he do● not service at all else at the best he hangs in equilibrio as things weighed in an equal ballance sometimes bending towards God sometimes again bending towards his lusts or at the worst having begun in the spirit he ends in the flesh for example sake suppose one covetous and yet who would be godly too many such the dregge of our times have brought forth who have drawn a contract and would needs solemnize a Marriage between gain and godliness but can these deadly enemies ever be brought kindly to imbrace and kisse each other Tunc Ararim Parthus bibet But we come unto the example the man of our times God in his service cals him to part with some unlawful way of gain of which he hath found the sweet say in trading of Merchandizing now according to the potency either of his carnal or spiritual wil he answereth this spiritual voice His spiritual wil complies and saith instantly I wil do it but his carnal wil holds off and abhors and saith I wil not do it wherefore if the spiritual be the stronger he casts off the world and cleaves unto God but if his carnal wil be the more potent he forsaketh God and sticks unto his gain I might mention the same in ambition or voluptuousnes this therefore is the best will which bringeth up all carnal thoughts and reasonings to a determinate issue and wholly overpowreth them to comply with the Command be it for us or against us And now let me tel you that this is a work of the greatest pains and difficu ty Sometimes by arguments and reasons and sometimes by plain force we shal only be ab●e to subdue our carnal wils and desires That three leav'd Book of divers colours the red the white and the black is the best medium for argumentation this we must ho d close to the eye of our Consciences The first is red with the bloud of the Lamb oh a serious apprehen●●on of the sufferings of Christ is able alone to calm the frowardnes of our wit and provoak a willing obedience to all Gospel injunction The second is black with the horrors of Hel and the darknes of the infernal pit dwelleth upon it we must deal roundly with our souls Do this or dye God who gave the command wil revenge the neglect and grind thee to powder in the day of his wrath what thinkest of that devouring fire of those everlasting burnings this wil be thy portion if thou humble not thy self before God and submit unto his wil. The third is white with the joyes of Heaven yea brighter than the Sun with the everlasting light Oh blisfull Paradise oh blessed mansion of God how sweet art thou in contemplation how ten thousand times more in a real fruition and what shal I loose all to have my wil is there any carnal lust as good as Heaven why dost thou then stand up to retard my motion I am resolved to go to God follow me or I le dragg thee after And this is that which sometimes we must do when argument and reasons wil not prevail to compel our wils by force and violence As they I conceive of old with an untoward Lamb or an untamed Heifer which would not be caught for sacrifice they use many words and cals but in vain wherefore in fine they even tire and hunt it down Wel caught it is and brought unto the Temple but now that it sees the fire and the Altar and the sacrificing knife it bellows and struggles and were it possible t would get away wherefore the Priests lay violent hands upon it and by plain force fasten and tie it to the Altar This sure is the next sence of that place Psalm 118 27. Bind the sacrisice with chords even to the horns of the Altar what other use the horns of the Altar did serve unto for the present I do not remember Just such is the impetious hadstrongnesse of our carnal wils notwithstanding all moral and divine swasions wherefore with the same kind of violence we must force them to their good abearing And now let me tel thee for thy comfort thou hast shot the gulf thou hast triumphed glorious sly I see how thou draggest base lusts at thy Charriot wheels yea thou shalt conquer more more and tread down Satan under thy feet The wil of man is all in all sind me wil I le find all the rest as in civils so in divine actions as the Sun among the Orbs domineereth in his Light and gloriously illustrates the superior and inferior Planets so the wil in the mi●dle between the understanding and the affections hath a wonderful influence both upon the one and the other to set them in good earnest about the service of God 3ly With our best affections as with fear and reverence God is exceedingly to be reverenced in the Assembly of Saints and to be had in honour of all those who are round about him Psa 89.7 So likewise with love joy defire delight and in a word with zeal as hot as fire We must be passionate Lovers of God and of his service Be fervent in spirit serving the Lord Rom 12.11 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gal 4.18 It is good to be zealous in a good work This is a good work and we must be zealous in the transacting it Zeal is the intention of any affection as strong desires is zeal vehement love is zeal which should be a perpetual concomitant to all our devotions if we have not this fire upon the Altar our sacrifice wil not burne T is not enough we take up our Bow and our Quiver but we must strain the string up to the arrows head by a strong nisus and labouring of the spirit He that sets out for Heaven must betake himself to the swifter Chariots of Aminadab Cant 6.12 and not drive on so heavily and sluggishly with the world We must not only be content to come to Church and hear a Sermon and spend an houre c but long for the Courts of Gods house with the same