Selected quad for the lemma: mind_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A54456
|
England's present, great and most incumbent duty viz. to meet God in the way of his judgments / by Robert Perrot.
|
R. P. (Robert Perrot)
|
1676
(1676)
|
Wing P1644; ESTC R30100
|
54,399
|
96
|
what he will they care not they mind the World and their interests and concerns there on the Earth but never regard what heaven doth As the Duke of Alva once told the King of France when he had asked him whether he had observ'd the late great Eclipse in the Heavens No said he I have too much to do on Earth to mind the Heavens And how many such are there who Gallia like care for none of those things They are so far from meeting God so as to stay his hand that they will not so much as see or once take notice of his hand As the Lord complains of those Isa 26. 11 Lord when thy hand is lifted up they will not see c. And of Ephraim Strangers have devoured his strength and he knoweth it not yea gray hairs are here and there upon him yet he knoweth not Hos 7. 9. That is he hath no sense of it neither does he mind or regard it or lay it to heart And how many such sottish senseless stupid souls are there among us who regard not the works of the Lord nor consider the operation of his hands but are setled on their lees and secure and put far away the evil day But wo says the Lord to them that are at ease in Sion that put far away the evil day Amos 6. 1 3. And because they regard not the works of the Lord nor the operation of his hands he shall destroy them and not build them up Psal 28. 5. See Isa 5. 11 12. 2. To those who instead of meeting God in the way of his judgments so as to appease him do rather by going on still in their sins more and more provoke him and instead of endeavouring to quench the fire themselves have kindled do rather add more suel to it Who say in effect as those Jer. 18. 12 There is no hope but we will walk after our own devices and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart And come ye say they I will fetch wine and we will fill our selves with strong drink and to morrow shall be as this day and much more abundant Isa 56. 12. And let us eat and drink for to morrow we shall dye Isa 22. 13. Thus they spake in a scoffing way The Prophet tells us we have not long to live we shall soon be slain and therefore let us be jovial while we may O! the daring-impudence of sinners Solomon says The wrath of a king is as messengers of death but a wise man will pacifie it What Fools and Bedlams are those then who still more and more provoke the wrath of the great God who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords who cuts off the spirit of Princes and is terrible to the kings of the earth Psal 76. 12. And yet how many such are there who having troden down the hedg and opened the gap are so far from making it up again that they more and more widen it And instead of endeavouring to put a stop to Gods judgments do rather more hasten them And how justly are such to be reprov'd as enemies not only to themselves and to their own souls but to the Nation to Church and State to King and Kingdom For these take the ready way to undo all As Samuel told Israel But if ye shall still do wickedly ye shall be consumed both ye and your King 1 Sam. 12. 15. II. By way of Exhortation When God is in the way of his Judgments is it his peoples great duty and concern to meet him as hath abundantly been made good Then God being and still continuing and going on in that way let us all in the name aad fear of God set our selves to that which is so much our duty and concern as indeed there is nothing more I mean to meet him in the way of his Judgments and let us meet him aright and as we have had it made out unto us and set before us with preparation by prayers and supplications and those aright qualifi'd by true repentance and conversion in and with a Mediator even that One and only Mediator between God and men the man Christ Jesus whom God hath made for us in things pertaining to him or to be done with him With Presents such as in and through Christ the chief Present of all are pleasing to God as of a broken and contrite heart a willing and ob dient heart a sincere and upright heart a merciful and compassionate heart towards others in their miseries and necessities For we go to God for merey for our selves and the Nation and we should then shew mercy to others And lastly by extraordinary Fasting Afflicting and Humbling our selves before the Lord And thus let us answer the Lords call here in the Text And because I will do this prepare to meet thy God O Israel And surely after all the Judgments which the great God hath inflicted on us he hath as great cause to complain of Englands incorrigibleness as here of Israel's Yet have ye not returned unto me saith the Lord and therefore may justly resolve as here concerning Israel Therefore thus will I do unto thee O England Truly what the Lord will do I know not neither am I able to say what he hath done a-late we see he hath broken out against us again by several Fires and dreadful Flames not only in the City but in several places in the Country He hath called Home several of his Ambassadors a-late taken away several of his Ministers two in one day and others of his choice Servants and that very suddenly such as should make up the hedg and stand in the gap before the Lord for the Land that he may not destroy it which though little considered and laid to heart bodes very ill and is one of those gray-hairs which are here and there upon us we may fear it is even night when the Lord gets his Children so fast to bed and that the storm is very near when he gathers and houses so fast his corn our Fathers the Chariots of our Israel and the Horse-men thereof go off a-pace and we shall see them no more here 2 Kings 2. 9. This now and a great deal more the Lord hath done a-late but what he 's yet about farther to do who can tell But we have great cause to fear he may do worse and deal severelier with us than ever yet he hath done For we turn not as least very few of us to him that hath so often smitten us neither as we ought do we seek the Lord of Hosts And therefore how justly might he bring final ruin upon us and cut off head and tayl branch and rush in one day as he threatens Isa 9. 12 13 14. And therefore that if possible we may yet prevent this let us do as we are here admonished meet God so as to appease and pacify him and make up the breach and take up the controversy between him and us that
our great work and business is as I say with him more than with Men with creatures instruments And therefore it is our great duty and concern to have recourse to him to say as the people of God of old Come and let us return unto the Lord for he hath torn and he will heal us he hath smitten and he will bind us up Hos 6. 1. And let us lift up our hearts with our hands unto God in the Heavens Lam. 3. 41. Lord in trouble have they visited thee c. Isa 26. 16. Thus when Absoloms servants had set Joabs Barley on fire he goes not to the servants but to Absolom so Abigail hastens to David Benhadad's servants to the King of Israel they of Tire and Sidon to Herod and so should we to God Prepare to meet thy God O Israel as Eliphaz counsel'd Job 5. 8 I would seek unto God and unto God would I commit my cause And indeed we cannot do better Whither should we go else Thus Moses when Israel by their sin had incens'd the Lord Now says he I will go up unto the Lord Exod. 32. 30. And it is best for us all to do so And hither we call and invite you as the Prophets of old They called them to the most high Hos 11. 7. So do we And when we have but once overcome him appeas'd him and gotten him our friend our work is done When he is at peace all 's at peace When he giveth quietness who then can make trouble c. Job 34. 29. Then says Eliphaz shalt thou be in league with the stones of the field and the beast of the field shall be at peace with thee Job 5. 23. Tranquillus Deus tranquillat omnia If God be for us who can be against us Rom. 8. 31. 5. Because when God is in such a way he is wroth and surely when he is so it is our great duty and concern to labour all we can to appease him as Moses still did And Moses besought the Lord his God and said Lord why does thy wrath wax hot against thy people c. Exod. 32. 11 12 13. And how earnest is he and how many arguments doth he make use of for the appeasing of it Shall a Trumpet be blown in the City and the people not be afraid c The Lion hath roared who will not fear Amos 3. 6 8. i. e. God hath made known his anger and his anger is formidable and dreadful as the Scripture every where sets it forth For we are consumed by thine anger and by thy wrath are we troubled And who knoweth the power of thine anger even according to thy fear so is thy wrath Psal 90. 7 11. How dreadfully does the Prophet Nahum set it forth Nahum 1. 6 Who can stand before his indignation and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger his fury is poured out like fire and the rocks are thrown down by him And when he hideth his face who then can behold him whether it be done against a nation or a man only Job 34. 29. And ye perish from the way when his wrath is kindled but a little Psal 2. 12. The kings wrath says Solomon is as the roaring of a Lyon and as messengers of death but a wise man will pacifie it Prov. 19. 12 16 14. What is the wrath then of the great God And will it not be our wisdom to pacifie it Scornful men bring a City into a snare but wise men turn away wrath Prov. 29. 8. We find Act. 12. 20 that Herod was highly displeas'd with them of Tire and Sidon or bore an Hostil mind towards them and intended War against them and what did they It is said but they came with one accord to him and having made Blastus the kings chamber lain their friend desired peace because their country was nourished by the kings country They could not abide his displeasure neither could they subsist without peace had with him And the great God being highly displeas'd with us shall not we much more with one accord having made Jesus our friend desire Peace For is not his displeasure far more dreadful and formidable than Herods And is not our Country nourished by his our Country here below by that better and heavenly Country above And can a man receive any thing unless it be given him from Heaven Joh. 3. 27. Are we not continually sustain'd by him And can we possibly subsist a moment without him And we by our sins having incens'd his wrath surely there 's all the reason we should seek to appease it Shall we not labour to quench the fire which our selves have kindled And to allay the storms which we our selves have rais'd c 6. Because unless we meet him he will certainly go on to do as he hath threatned As David told Abigail That unless she had hasted to come to meet him he had done as he had said 1 Sam. 25. 39. And so will God as he did to Jerusalem And I sought for a man among them that should make up the hedg and stand in the gap before me for the land but I found none And what then It follows Therefore have I poured out my indignation upon them I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath c. I have executed what I threatned Ezek. 22. 30 31. And that is very observable to this purpose Zach. 1. 5 6 Your fathers says the Lord where are they and the Prophets do they live for ever No they were dead and gone but my words did they not take hold of them did they dye with them No not turning to the Lord they took hold of them And they returned and said like as the Lord of hosts thought to do unto us according to our ways and doings so hath he dealth with us So Lam. 2. 17. And it being thus the Lord wonders that there should be no intercessor As if some formidable enemy was coming against a Place whom there was no opposing by force but good probability of appeasing by an humble address would it not be matter of wonder if none should do this one would think all should do it when else inevitable ruine must ensue And did people but believe this and seriously weigh and consider this it would be a special means to put them upon this great duty As the people of Nineveh believed God and proclaimed a fast c. Jonah 3. 5. But the not believing nor considering of this makes sinners careless and heedless and so to expose themselves and the Nation to inevitable ruine CHAP. V. The Application of the point and 1. By may of Reprehension WHen God is in the way of his judgments is it his peoples great duty and concern to meet him Then here 's matter of just reproof to Two sorts of People 1. To such who are so far from meeting God in the way of his Judgments that they scarce ever so much as mind or regard him but let him do