Selected quad for the lemma: nation_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
nation_n	glory_n	lord_n	shake_v	1,255	5	9.9347	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29533	Two treatises both lately delivered to the Church of God at Great Yarmouth, and now published as useful and seasonable by John Brinsley ...	Brinsley, John, 1600-1665.	1656 (1656)	Wing B4736; ESTC R36519	171,517	320

been I shall content my self with generalities Onely taking notice of that long day of grace and mercy which this Nation hath had during which the light of the Gospel hath shone forth to it and that in so clear and glorious a manner as I suppose without flatterie I may speak it it hath not done to any other nation under heaven Now have we in this our day known the things which belonged to our peace Hath Christ and his Gospell found that intertainment among the generality which he expected and it deserved The Generalitie I say True it is some there have been and at this day are who have sincerely imbraced both And so there were in Jerusalem some that cryed Hosanna to the Sonne of David Hosanna in the highest Matth. 21. 9 15. But how is it with the greatest part do not they yet love darknesse rather then light setting light by the light of the Gospel and the Ministery thereof even Gadarene like preferring their swine before Iesus Christ. A charge wherein I wish there were not too much truth Such sleight and slender entertainment hath the Gospell with the faithful messengers thereof found among the greatest part of this Nation A sad prognostick Specially if it be considered to what a height this disaffection is at this day improved and risen even to the disclaiming and crying down of the Ministery it self So is it with some and not a few They are growen disaffected not onely to the persons of Ministers but even to their function and calling disclaiming that as Antichristian Thus are the feet of them who bring glad tidings of peace which sometimes were and in themselves are beautifull now become in the eyes of many black and deformed A sad symptome So it was in Jerusalem of which we read 2 Chr. 36. 16. The Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his Messengers rising up betimes and sending them because he had compassion on his people on his dwelling place But they mocked the Messengers of God and despised his words and misused his Prophets untill the wrath of the Lord rose against his people till there was no remedy no Healing This made their disease incurable and the wrath of God implacable When sickmen being distracted shall flye in the faces of their Physitians and there be none to bind them what hope of Cure can there be This was Jerusalems case as the Parable sets it forth Matth. 21. 33. God the great Householder having planted a Vineyard the Jewish Church and let it forth to Husbandmen so the Priests he sends his servants some after other to receive the fruites thereof his Prophets former and latter to require that people to bring forth fruits meet for repentance but they beat one and killed another and stoned another so did they use the Prophets Hereupon he sendeth his sonne Christ himself who met with the like usage Now what followeth hereupon That you may hear first from the mouthes of the Jews themselves to whom our Saviour here propoundeth this Parable making them judges in the cause that so he might cōdemn them out of their own mouthes They say unto him he will miserably destroy these wicked men and will let out his vineyard to other husbandmen which shall render him the fruites in their season v. 41. which afterwards you find explained and applyed by our Saviour to themselves v. 43. Therefore I say unto you the Kingdome of God shall be taken from you and given to a Nation bringing forth the fruit thereof When the Ministers of God come to meet with such intertainment and that for doing their office it is a sad presage that the Kingdome of God the Gospel shall not long continue there and that Judgment is not far from such a people Upon this account our Saviour looketh upon Jerusalems condition as desperate O Jerusalem Jerusalem thou that killest the Prophets and stonest them which are sent unto thee How often would I have gathered thy children together as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings and ye would not Behold your house is left unto you desolate Matthew 23. 37 38. Here is a first Prognostick and that a sad one Secondly Let a second be that which I have named and touched upon already Gods withdrawing the light by putting out the Candles I mean taking away his Ministers who are said to be the light of the world Thus was it done to Ierusalem And whether this be in any degree applicable to this Nation or no I shall leave it to those who are privie to the present state of it to judge Of late how many able and faithfull Ministers taken away Now when a Prince begins to call away his Ambassadours it is ordinarily looked upon as a Passing-bell to the peace of that Nation Repl. But howsoever it may be said some be by Providence taken away yet others by the like providence are substituted in their roomes A. True it may be in some places but not so in all Some Candlesticks there are at this day and I suppose not a few destitute of Candles not well knowing where to find a supply Again as for those which are thus substituted by the providence of God are they also all substituted by his Ordinance Are there not some and not a few Ambassadours without their commission men running before they are sent not called nor impowred to do any Ministeriall act which yet Vzziah like they attempt to do that not onely to preach which the Apostle will tell us none can do except they be sent Rom. 10. 15. speak they may but not Preach which is an act of office but also some of them to administer the Seales the Sacraments And by this means the Church in many places cometh to be deprived of an Ordinance upon which all other publick Ordinances have a dependance I mean of a true Gospell Ministerie with which Iesus Christ hath promised his special countenance Thirdly To this add in the third place that where means are continued yet is not the Spirit withdrawen So was it with Ierusalem they injoyed Ordinances but there was no life in them the Glorie of the Lord was gone up from the Cherub And is it not so in many parts of this Nation at this day Ordinances remain but is not the glorie of the Lord departed from them where is that life where is that power which heretofore appeared in them God hath yet his Armies of Prophets many faithfull and powerfull Ministers who may be looked upon as the Chariots and Horsemen of Israel but he doth not go forth with these his Armies as formerly giving such successe unto the labours of his servants as heretofore he hath done How is it that in many places where the word is purely and powerfully preached there are such thin Auditories as there are specially upon the week daies in comparison of what they have been some refusing to come not willing to lend an eare to any but their

Majestie of God and as a dreadful addition to all other offences so calling for a proportionable weight of Iudgment That it is so it cannot I presume it will not be denyed Bring we it home to our selves by way of Application Let that be directed onely two waies by way of Conviction by way of Exhortation 1. By way of Conviction Reflect we upon our selves we of this Nation we of this place in Ierusal●ms glass beholding our own face beholding our ingratitude our sin what mercies what favours whether temporal or spiritual was Ierusalem blessed with which England hath not been Was Ierusalem lift up to heaven in respect of Spiritual priviledges hath not England been so were the Oracles of God committed unto them and have they not been so to us was Christ clearly held forth unto them hath he not beene so unto us in the preaching of the Gospel even evidently set forth and crucified before our eyes as Paul tels his Galathians he was to them Gal. 3 was Ierusalems light greater and clearer then that which shone upon other Cities and hath not Englands light I may speake it without flatterie out shined the light of any other Nation in the world was God pleased to send a continued succession of Prophets and Apostles unto them and hath he not done the like to us in this Nation sent a succession of able and faithfull ministers to declare and make known his mind and will to us Thus hath England been exalted above other Nations in regard of special priviledges To which also adde temporall favours which how many how great what nation under heaven might compare with England upon that account what peace what plenty of all things what tranquillity and prosperity did England for many yeares together enjoy to the wonder if not envie of most other nations Thus was England for a long time the favourite and darling of heaven as Ierusalem But now what returne hath she made of these mercies these favours Is not that too like Ierusalems Have we not generally beene an ungratful and rebellious people as they were A people that have not known the things which belong to our peace Temporal and Eternall A people which have not given that intertainment to Christ and his Gospell that he expected and other nations probably would have done A people that have rather cast off the yoake of Christ not induring his goverment any Goverment that lookes like his And for our temporal mercies our peace our plenty have we not been even surfeited with them have we not waxed wanton by their Abusing our peace to the making of us secure setled upon our ●ees abusing our plenty as evill stomacks turne good meats into ill humours turning it into pride Luxurie riot and Excess Thus hath this nation under these long continued mercies been like unto a peice of ground which being overmanured grown too lustie runs wilde bringing forth a crop of weedes Thus hath this abundance of mercies amongst us through the abuse of them brought forth abundance of sinnes Neyther are we to this day hettered by all those sharpe rods those severe corrections wherewith of late yeares God hath corrected us but Israel like we even revolt more and more as it were hating to be reformed Such is the requitals such is the returne which England I speake as to the greatest part therein hath made unto her God And what an Aggravation of her sin is this That any nation should thus deal with their God to walk stubbornly and rebelliously against him it is inexcusable but that a people so favoured so honoured of God as England hath been should do this this is a thing which God cannot but take more heynously at our hands then at others So the Lord maketh his complaint concerning Israel Isaiah 1. 2 3. I have nourished and brought up children and they have rebelled against me The oxe knoweth his owner c. But Israel doth not know my people doth not consider And may not he take up the like complaint against England God hath nourished and tendred us as children yet we have rebelled against him England hath not known England hath not considered Now this he cannot but take worse at our hands then at the hands of any other nation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And thou O England that thou shouldest do this that thou shouldest make such a return to thy God for all his mercies and favours This is an heinous aggravation of Englands sin And aggravating the sinne what can we expect but that it should also aggravate thy Iudgment So it did Ierusalems here Her sin being uppon this account greater then the sin of any other place so was her Judgment as the verses following set it forth No one place that the hand of God fell so heavy upon as it did upon Ierusalem And have not we of this nation just cause to fear the like that in as much as our sins have exceeded the sins of other nations our judgments should exceed also And what is said of the Nation in general let it be applied to this place in special Upon which it cannot be denied but God hath bestowed many singular mercies both Spiritual and Temporal Among other preserving us in the midst of this late fiery furnace which hath burnt so hot in most parts of the nation to this day continuing our peace and liberty not suffering the sword though shakē over us to break in upō us in an hostile way as it hath don upon māy other Cities Townes Now shal we stil persist and go on in our sinful provocations in sleighting of Ordinances profaning Sabbaths abusing creatures c. what can we expect but that as our sinnes upon this account shall be greater then the sins of other places who have not enjoyed the like mercies so should our judgments be For the preventing of which suffer a word of Exhortation All of us be we excited to indeavour an answerable return to the mercies and favours bestowed upon us Publick mercies Private mercies Spiritual Temporal Take notice of all and study to answer all Looking upon these differencing and distinguishing mercies as so many obligations and Engagements upon us binding us to duty above others let it be our care to walk answerably In as much as God hath been pleased to exalt and prefer us above and before others let it be our endeavour to go before others in all grateful a●d exemplarie obedience That so these blessings which through the mercy and goodnesse of our God we have and do yet in so great a measure injoy may not be what otherwise they will as so many testimonies against us affording matter of a just Exprobration Which is a sad thing when God cometh to upbraid a people with his favours Mark it That is Ierusalems case the Text to whom our Saviour here speaketh as both Calvin and Beza taking it from Budaeus conceive of it