Selected quad for the lemma: nation_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
nation_n	king_n	people_n	samuel_n	1,198	5	10.5950	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10944	Samuels encounter with Saul. I Sam. chap. 15 from ver. 13 to ver. 30. Preached and penned, by that worthy seruant of God, Mr. Richard Rogers, late preacher of Wetherfield, in Essex. And published word for word, according to this owne coppy, finished before his death	Rogers, Richard, 1550?-1618.; Egerton, Stephen, 1555?-1621?	1620 (1620)	STC 21214; ESTC S100043	91,140	398

many a one is seen to be hanged for the trespasse which another is guiltie of This was farre from Dauid when the pestilence was on the people for his numbring of them He said vnto the Lord when he saw the Angell smite the people behold I haue sinned and done wickedly but these sheepe what haue they done Let thine hand I pray thee be against mee and my fathers house Euen so Paul wished in his bonds that all were as he that is true christians but without his bands he could willingly wish them the commoditie that he himselfe enioyed but without the smart that he sufteyned And so an vpright hearted christian cannot finde in his heart to suffer another man to beare his burthen nor to smart for his fault neither hath any pleasure to ease himselfe by other mens paine and sorrow Rather he beareth the burthens of others then disburthens himselfe vpon the innocent So neither can he hurt wrong and oppresse another for his owne benefite much lesse then can or dare he liue by the sinnes of other men as many doe nor pill oppresse defraud the poore with hard impositions racked rents hard penny worths when he knoweth they cannot beare them but must needes faint and shrinke vnder their burthens Alas what comfort can a man take in the commoditie that hee wringeth from the poore who should relieue and giue to him ●●ther And yet behold there is no difference betwixt poore and rich made so as they who deale with them may haue aduantage by them Heerein men are like vnto Saul who falsely accused the people of that which he himselfe was guilty of and made them transgressors whereas himselfe had faulted and deserued the punishment But let vs beare our owne burden and bee not so hard harted as to hurt the innocent Doct. 14. Hypocrites extenuate their sinne THE THIRD SERMON VERSE 21. But the people tooke of the spoile sheepe and oxen the chiefe of the things which should haue beene vtterly destroyed to sacrifice vnto the LORD thy God in Gilgal SAul knowing himselfe faultie in that which he layed to the people doth make light of it It teacheth vs when the hypocrites conscience is accused and found guilty it doth what it can to extenuate the sinne and make it seeme nothing The reason is because it is not repented of but the offender purposeth to lye still in it and while it is so he loueth not to heare it made odious and to be aggrauated whereas they who turne to God in truth aggrauate it to the vtmost that they can and why so surely because they neuer purpose to commit or to haue to doe with it any more as we see in Dauid and in Paul In all this Saul knew hee spake vntruly for the cattle was not reserued to bee offred in sacrifice but as Samuell charged him to his owne vse and yet when he sawe no other way to make his part good he did it by a lie which he thought could not be knowne It teacheth vs that he who dareth doe euill and sinne against his conscience will if he be put to it hide his sinne with a lie As we see it is bred in nature to doe so for little children if they be charged with a fault will make it away with a lye But what lye made Saul I say a cunning lye that Samuell could not knowe except God had reuealed it to him For who knew what he meant to doe but himselfe yet some lyes others know to be lyes and are as other fruites of the flesh manifest Doct. 15. The multude consenteth in euill without any scruple But to leaue Saul a little because I spake of his shifting before and to come to the people though it bee cleare that his fault was great in this matter yea and cheefe yet we see how readily the people as it were with one voyce consent to him and become partakers of his sinne whatsoeuer the Lord by the Prophet had charged to the contrary but if any obiect how did the people know that there was any such charge giuen of God by the Prophet of killing the Amalakites I answere it was giuen openly not secretly when Samuell met Saul so that who would might heare it besides Saul went about it immediately gathering the people together for that purpose and therefore they could not chuse but know why they came together and did beginne in good manner to execute the said charge in killing the people and destroying the cattle but yet they consented to the sauing of the best of them contrary to the expresse commandement of the Lord which was that they should destroy them all so easie a matter it is to consent and agree together in euill that many shall be as one man in the executing of the same Which if it were but in some one instance or few the lesse might be said of it But in what almost shall ye finde it otherwise For proofe by enumeracion of many particulars When the Angels of God came to destroy Sodome separating Lot and his houshold who beleeued it and therefore regarded it Yea rather did they not all mocke at his words resist and oppose themselues against Gods message till they were smitten blinde insomuch that his kinsemen whome hee would haue perswaded in more especial manner jested and derided him for his labour and in the absence of Moses 40. dayes from the people how did they consent together to make a molten Calfe and to daunce before it committing idolatry with it insomuch that they compelled Aaron himselfe to yeild vnto them And when the posterity of that people many hundreth yeares after was set on a m●dde moode to forsake the ordinance of God in being ruled by Iudges as they had a long time beene but would haue a King to rule ouer them as other nations had who might disswade them from it were there any of themselues heard to quiet and pacifie the mindes of the rest and to hold them in obedience to the commandement of God insomuch as when Samuell was sent from God to forbid them yea and if they needs would haue their wil to tell them they should pay deare for it was there any tribe or family that desisted and kept silence that the Prophet might carry the names of such before the Lord no but one was as another yea they knotted and banded themselues against the message till God from heauen by an vnwonted thunder and tempest extraordinarily euen in their wheat-haruest when the aire was still and the weather faire flayted and terrefied them and made them to see their boldnes and wilfull disobedience and to confesse that they had sinned and especially in asking themselues a King And therefore God bringeth in Iob as an odde man among other that when the people went as a streame after euill he with-drew himselfe and depar●ed from it Hast thou considered my seruant Iob saith the Lord to Sathan how he feareth

offrings for the peoples iniquitie no marueile though shifts and excuses will not serue nay that which is more a man that walketh most ciuilly and cannot be charged by men to be an offensiue liuer but shall bee taken for the most innocent of many yet if he stand vpon that and see not inwardly into his corruption blindenes vnbeliefe he shall be so farre from being iustified and allowed of God that all his righteousnes shall bee found nothing but as painting ouer a foule stocke or Image and his best workes as filthy leprofie and for proofe of this which I say consider Pauls words of himselfe and of his former estate when he was not yet conuerted thus hee speakes as touching my life from my childehood and what it was from the beginning among my owne nation at Ierusalem know all the Iewes which knew me heeretofore that aftet the most straight sect of our religion I liued a Pharasie in which words wee haue heard what a strickt liuer and righteous man hee was yet that wee may not thinke that this high commendation was any thing in account with God heare his words after his conuersion and after the word of God was receiued and beleeued of him for then he speaketh after another manner and as the truth was I once was aliue without the Lawe but when the cōmandement came sinne reuiued but I dyed for sinne deceiued mee and slue mee Heere we see that hee himselfe when hee came to himselfe as a guilty person he condemned himselfe notwithstanding all the righteousnes which he had before in his owne and the iudgement of other men so that if such as Paul was when he liued most strictly in his profession who thinke simply they serue Godhighly must yet if euer they turne to God be ashamed of that which they gloryed in before is it like that they who are by Gods word conuinced of great sinnes shall escape the daunger of his displeasure by their colouring of their faults and by shiftes and excuses Who had a fayrer shewe for his doing then he that hid his tallent in the earth which was committed to him for that is sure in so doing hee did no euill with it but did that excuse serue him no but because it was giuen him to doe good with and to occupie therefore it was said to him thou euill seruant why diddest thou not put it to vse Men beare themselues in hand when the Word of God reprooueth them that they will answer it well enough and when Preachers conuince them they hope God will not deale with them so hardly as they doe and men loue alwaies to haue one thing or other to flatter and deceiue their hearts by like an euill debtor who is in danger already yet as long as hee can finde any to borrow of runneth further into debt not wisely foreseeing his ouerthrow to bee at hand but imagines still hee shall come out of it in time So when men can shift off the greatnesse of their sinnes that they may not terrifie nor presse their consciences they thinke their estate good enough and so dance in a nette as if God saw them not till on the sodaine before they be aware they fall headlong into feare and desperation or else become so sencelesse and hardned that they be past feeling till they die in impenitencie And how can it be otherwise Doth not the scripture tell vs plainely that he who followeth not the light walketh in darknes and cannot tell where he goeth But we may know that when men beginne to conceiue of their estate and their doing not being guided by the light of knowledge they are out of the way and deceiue themselues and when they crye peace peace there is no peace they finde not that which they hope for much like vnto them who would haue a King and be like other nations and that they thought best for them say the Prophet what he could to the contrary did they not finde to their costs that they erred in the imaginacions of their hearts and were deceiued The young man to whom Salomon speaketh who will needes rejoyce in his youth and take his pleasure if ye tell him that there is any danger towards him will he beleeue it and doth he not therefore come to iudgement and prooue by wofull experience that his dreames in thinking all is well with him are vaine and disapoint his foolish hope And to shut vp this point what is clearer then that in the gospell to testifie that no shiftes nor excuses wil'serue to hold men in their sinne That when certaine were bidde to the kings great supper they returned answere one this way excusing his absence and another that one had bought Oxen must go trie them another had married a wife c. did their excuses goe for payment nay could any thing be set down more fearfully to hold men from fond and forged excuses and shiftes to keepe in their sinne then that which is there mencioned for thus answere was giuen to them by him that inuited them and that with a vehemen asseueration that none of them that were bidden shall taste of any supper By all which it is manifest that no shiftes will serue men when God shall iustly charge them and when his word accuseth and condemneth their course and doings there is nothing and therefore least of all their vaine defences in extenuating their sinnes or shiftes which they deuise that shall euer be able to stand them in any stead to helpe or deliuer them Cease we therefore from such a purpose which yet is a common practise amongst men and consider wee and be we resolued that God loueth plainenesse and regardeth vprightnes and the good meaning of the hart according to knowledge and if our consciences accuse vs God is greater and hath more to charge vs then they can bring forth against vs and thus let Sauls example teach vs with the rest that haue beene alleadged how pregnant soeuer men bee in holding their sinne any way colouring or excusing of it yet that it will not serue them neither shall be to any purpose and thereby is the scripture verefyed hee that hideth his sinne shall not prosper Doct. 19. Our sinnes depriue vs of our dearest iewels But another thing is added heere by the Prophet which followeth vpon the former to wit seeing he had iustly reprooued him for casting off the Lord and therfore had shewed him that all his excuses were in vaine for this cause he must heare that which hee would not that the Lord had cast him off from being King as if hee should say whether thy sinne be so light a matter as thou makest it iudge thou by the punishment which God threatneth that is that thou must loose thy kingdome for it And so it came to passe afterward both another was anoynted King and also that none of his posteritie succeeded him And from hence wee learne that howsoeuer