Selected quad for the lemma: nation_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
nation_n	let_v	merciful_a	praise_v	2,330	5	10.9581	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A11603	Sermons experimentall: on Psalmes CXVI. & CXVII. Very vsefull for a vvounded spirit. By William Sclater D.D. sometimes rector of Limsham, and vicar of Pitmister, in Summerset-shire. Published by his son William Sclater Mr. of Arts, late fellow of Kings Colledge in Cambridge, now a priest, and preacher of the Gospel in the city of Exeter, in Devon-shire.	Sclater, William, 1575-1626.; Sclater, William, 1609-1661.	1638 (1638)	STC 21844; ESTC S116824	112,358	217

of like nature First Of Donatists in Saint Austins dayes whose doctrine was That God had no Church but in Afrique and that in the party of Donatus Secondly Exactly ye shall observe the same errour revived by Papists and Brownists Papists labouring for an enclosure of the Church to their Rome thereto alledge that which specially thwarts it the Title of Catholique for if Catholique then not Romane no more then Jewish that tearm being devised by Ancients especially to distinguish the Church Christian from that of the Jews And if to all Nations then not to Africa onely or to the part of Donatus for all Nations must praise God for his mercy and therefore no necessity for any man to submit himself to Donatus or Browne or Saint Peter himself though it be true out of the Church is no salvation yet out of this or that Church is salvation except Christ be not the Saviour of his whole Bodie But those things which the Lord so long ago foretold to our fathers by the Prophets he hath fulfilled to us their children making us who once were Aliens and Strangers from the Covenants of Promise * Eph. 2.12 13. nigh to himself by the blood of Christ To this end tended that gift of Tongues Act. 2. The memory whereof we this day Celebrate For in that so many Nations heard the Apostles speak in their own tongues the manifold works of God it serves to shew that God meant now to verifie his Promise to us I say onely as * Rom. 15.11 Paul Let us Gentiles praise God for his Mercy VERSE II. For his mercifull kindnesse is great towards me IN these words we have the ground of Davids thanksgiving and praysing God First Gods Mercy Secondly The Measure of it Great My purpose is not to insist on this occasion in the common place of Gods mercy Thus onely for so much as concernes the Sense of the Scripture The mercy of God some call the property or attribute of his Nature inclining him to relieve the misery of his Creature some the Essence of God shewing mercy Trueth is there is no Reall difference twixt his Essence and his Attributes save onely in our manner of conceiving The Trueth of God and his Essence are not two things but in our apprehension no more is his Power Omniscience c. This Mercy of God is of three sorts First Generall towards all Creatures wrapped in misery whereof see Psal 145.9 Secondly Speciall towards men 1 Tim. 4.10 preserving them from many dangers yea relieving their miseries with service of his other Creatures see Matth. 5.45 Thirdly Singular to his Church not onely in giving them means of salvation and deliverance from Curse but to many of them vouchsafing the sense of his choisest favours in remission of sins gifts of the Spirit and life everlasting And hereof speaks the Prophet in this place for these are the benefits which Christ brings to his Church As if there were no mercy of God like unto this The mercy that he shews unto us in Christ and surely consider all other miseries we shall see none like this To be without Christ for the Reasonable Creature Secondly The amplifications it hath in Scripture Thirdly The kinds of mercy in him vouchsafed us For the first Goe over all the miseries of the brute Creatures and compare them with the misery of man without Christ ye shall see they all come short of it The * Psal 34.10 Lions lack and suffer hunger It is true but suppose them pined with hunger yet with their life ends their misery When a man out of Christ hath endured Hunger and Cold and Nakednesse and Fire and Water or what ever man can devise to be most terrible to Flesh yet is it but a Flea-bite to the misery whereto a man out of Christ is subject their * Mar. 9.44 Worme dies not their fire goes not out which made our Saviour say It was better with losse of Lim or Life to go to heaven then enjoying all the pleasures of this life at death to be cast into hell Secondly Look again to the amplifications it hath in Scripture He denied all these to * Heb. 2.16 Angels they fell and no Redeemer He denied these to many men even to so many as had * Psal 147 20. not knowledge of his Laws Thirdly In his very Church though offer be made to all yet actuall performance and taste onely to the Church of the faithfull the first borne whose * Heb. 12.23 names are written in heaven All are not * Rom. 9.6 Israel that are of Israel Thirdly Thinke of the excellency of the blessings First Remission of sinnes see David * Psal ●2 1 2. celebrating and if ever thou have tasted how bitter conscience of sinne is thou wilt taste and acknowledge also how over-gracious the Lord is therein unto thee Secondly Besides the gifts of the Spirit and gracious endowments whereby we are renewed after his Image and that which passeth knowledge the fulnesse of Joy reserved for us at the right hand of God This taxeth that earthly or rather brutish estimate that men set on this prime mercy of God preferring before it the worst of those favors they partake in common with Heathens with Devills with brute Creatures with Hypocrites How many be there even of a brutish disposition in the Church of God who never have thought of Heaven or Hell God or the Devill Let them have meat and drinke and ease to the fill as * 1 Cor. 15.32 Paul and * Isa 28. Isaiah speak it is their Summum bonum and yet the very heathen could say It was the thought of a Beast rather then of a Man And have ye not heard of him who had all these things and yet * Luke 16. afterwards was in Hell in torments or can you forget our Saviour when all is had that the world can afford you in profit or pleasure yet what shall your advantage be when you must loose your * Matt. 16.24 Soul and have ye not heard of them who cry out What hath pride * Wisd 5.8 profited them or what the pompe of Riches availed Go farther to other gifts of God in providence Suppose it be Art Whose is like that of Aristotle Suppose it kingdomes Whose like to that of Assyria or Grecia or Persia or Rome Suppose it wisedome as that of Achitophel the Oracle of Israel Yet what is all this without the * Phil. 3.8 knowledge of Christ save onely to deprive of excuse see Rom. 1 and 1 Cor. 1.21 Go yet farther to the power of Knowledge and Faith and of deep Mysteries in the Gospel the very * Iam. 2.19 Devils herein equall excell us and though we had all Knowledge and Faith What were it without Christ as Saint Paul speaks in the point of Charity 1 Cor. 13.2 Yet farther for I thinke Hypocrites go farther then Devills suppose thou hast morall Honesty as

from the great thraldome under the tyranny of Rome there be yet living who may remember it but scarce take notice of it in nature of a benefit What should I tell of the restoring of the purity of the Gospel in the dayes of Queen ELIZABETH The admirable victories of eighty eight The deliverance from Gunpowder-Treason Our long peace in the reign of King JAMES Our preservation from the pestilence c. They are year'd and day'd and therefore forgotten amongst us Take heed lest some worse thing happen not unto us In the dayes of King EDWARD God caused the light of his glorious Gospel to shine unto our fathers as under Iosiah to Israel it seems they knew not the price of that blessing therefore the Lord took him away from the evill to come and delivers us over to be a prey to our enemies What bloody cruelty what fierie triall afterward issued we are not I think so Lethargicall as to forget if ever the same prove our lot thank our selves for that we have so soon forgotten the great favours bestowed upon our Nation c. The third Branch of Thankfulnesse is publication of the favour of God with praise of the bounty therein shewed towards us This is that David calls praising the Lord that is not onely commemorating but setting out the excellencie of his favours bestowed upon us And this indeed is a speciall part of Thankfulnesse Therefore observe how Rhetoricall the Saints of God are in all circumstances of Amplification Sometimes admiring the riches of Gods favour as Ps 31.19 Oh how great is thy goodnesse see also Psal 8. Sometimes confessing they passe knowledge see Ephes 3.19 and 1 Cor. 2.9 Sometimes in a heap of Epithetes setting forth their excellencie as Eph. 2.4 Rich in mercie great love and 1 Tim. 1.14 The grace of God was exceeding abundant Sometimes comparing themselves with others of equall merit Psal 147.20 Sometimes considering their own demerits 1 Tim. 1.13 their little thought of the favour see Rom. 5.10 and Rom. 10.20 Opposite unto this Branch of Thankfulnesse are First Extenuating or lessening the favours God hath bestowed upon us and vilifying them as David speaks of Israel They * Psal 106.24 despised the pleasant land and as the instance is plain in the unthankfull Israelites what at first they admired Exo. 16. at last cryed out of as of a bread that dryed up their souls Secondly Accounting his blessings curses and his favours rather Tokens of his wrath and displeasure as Israel in their hunger and thirst Would God we had tarried in Egypt when we sate by the flesh-pots and had meat to the full and was it because there was no graves in Egypt that the Lord hath brought us out into this barren wildernesse And I wish we were not culpable of both these signes of unthankfulnesse Lord Who knows the power of thy wrath Psa 90.11 The price of thy blessing that sweet blessing of peace which David prayed for to Ierusalem Let peace be within thy walls and plenteousnesse within thy palaces and Psal 29.21 The Lord shall give unto his people the blessing of peace To sit every one under our own vine and every one under our own fig-tree Alas How hath it been vilified Nay How hath it been thought a curse to the land by earthly-minded men and warre one of the * Ezek. 14.21 sorest arrows of the Almighty wished for rather then peace Sure I cannot deny but mischiefs many have issued from peace as that of Moab Ier. 48. Our savour remains in us as stinking waters gather filth and putrefaction so occasionally peace Secondly Security and contempt of God as Laish dwelt * Iudg. 18.11 securely Thirdly Luxurie and intemperance the sinne of * Ezek. 16.49 Sodom through abundance of idlenesse But comes this from peace or from our abuse of peace Is it the native fruit of this gracious blessing of God or not rather grown upon us by accident through corruption of our filthy hearts So of the word of God and worship the prime of Gods outward favours insomuch that it bears the stile often of the * Matth. 13.11 kingdome of heaven yet who esteems it according to the worth of it Nay be there not that think it not even the scourge of the times never merry world since this preaching came up and generally how wanton are we grown the best of us that every man must have it suited in matter and manner to his own fancy some are for plainnesse some for nicety and novelty and nothing pleaseth but what is above the ordinary c. Well brethren time was when the word of God was * 1 Sam. 3.1 precious that was when it was rare Secondly Times may be God grant they approach not when we may again see Amos his * Amos 8.11 famine Time being to speak of other discontents at Gods favour and not onely vilifying of his blessings but murmuring at the hand which conferres them The Remedies of it are these First Consider the misery of the want of these blessings which we enjoy to the full till we nauseat again and our stomack recoils at them Secondly Weigh well how farre inferiour our merits are to the least of these favours of God Gen. 32.10 Thirdly See how many are behinde us if not in the substance yet in the measures of the blessings Lord Sirs we look to those above us that excite our envie would we cast our eyes downwards to those below us we should see and say the Lord had exceeded mercy towards us and that his love to us hath passed knowledge and comprehension The fourth Branch of Thankfulnesse is Compensation or Recompense Hath this place or passage twixt God and man Sure we have Gods complaint frequent for Non-retaliation as Deut. 32.6 Do ye thus requite the Lord and 2 Chron. 32.33 Hezekiah rendred not to the Lord according to the kindnesse done unto him There are three sorts of Retaliation First One equall or equivalent to the favours of God This no Papist dares avow possible to be yeelded from man to God Psal 16.2 Our well doing extend th not to God and What is it to him that we are righteous Iob 35. and I am lesse then the least of all thy mercies Gen. 32.10 Secondly Proportioned which in a sort they say is answerable to the favours God hath done us and not Ex pacto onely or by vertue of promise but something out of the native vertue and excellencie of the works done God is made amends for his favours yet it was wont to be said Finiti ad infinitum nulla est proportio all that we do or can do is but * Luke 17.10 duty yea as we do it not so much as duty Isa 64.6 And moreover of his own we give him It is he himself that works all our good works in us Isa 26.12 Thirdly yet there is which God is pleased to interpret and accept as rendrings from us even whatsoever

deal with wherein we have comfort except thus * 1 Tim. 4.5 sanctified unto us And if nothing else will move us let our own Necessities Temporall and Spirituall for let it be granted we enjoy all things to the full in things of this life yet how soon can God strip us of them How can he break the * Levit 26.26 Ezek. 4.16 and 5.16 staffe of bread that we shall eat and not be satisfied How can he give us up to that vanity Solomon speaks of To abound with all things yet to have * Eccles 5.19 use of nothing How can he make them snares unto us as the same Solomen speaks That our riches shall be reserved for * Eccles 5.13 hurt to the owner thereof Especially when as * Pro. 30.9 Agur intimates Fulnesse may occasion a deniall of God or a forgetfulnesse of him Whilest as David speaks Our hearts are * Psal 62.10 set upon them Whilest as our Saviour speaks the care in keeping and fear in loosing * Matt. 13.22 choke the word of God or whilest they become fewell to feed our corruption instrument● of injustice luxury what not that evill is And for our spirituall estate supposing us to be in highest favour with God First How can we suppose it whilest in this duty we are negligent Rom 8.26 Zec. 12.10 Secondly have we attain'd perfection who can or dare say it Phi. 3.13 14. Thirdly Have we command of grace at our own pleasure to exercise it or to increase it experience of all humble hearts contradicts it see 2 Chron. 32. Psal 51. Fourthly In those graces that concern sense have we a promise of their continuance without interruption shew me it so peace of conscience and joy in the holy Ghost except perhaps we will condemn the * Psal 73.15 generation of the just or if any such promise be so according to Letter yet is it with limitation to our use of means amongst which this is the Prime Prayer unto God And if ever there were times to stir up to this duty now are the daies for us especially of this kingdome The prayer that * Psal 12.1 David makes is fulfilled to us Help Lord for there is not one godly man left the faithfull are minished from among the children of men behold and see our 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and our 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 too all in a tumult every man seeking his own humouring himself * Phil. 2.22 none the things of Iesus Christ the cause of the Gospel few take to heart a little sollicitous we seem to be of peace in our land but whether Religion sink or swim we are generally of * Act. 18.17 Gallio's minde We care for none of those things but What shall we do in the * Ier. 5.31 end thereof Remedy I know none for us private men but onely Preces lachrymae the old weapons of the Church The substance of Vers 18 19. hath been handled before in Vers 14. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 PSAL. 117. vers 1. O praise the Lord all ye Nations praise him all ye people OPportunely we fall upon this Psalme this * On Whit-sunday 1637 Day wherein we celebrate the memory of those miraculous gifts conferred on the Primitive Church especially on the Apostles Act. 2. This Psalme presenting to our notice the great blessing of God in the vocation of the Gentiles whereto that gift of Tongues tended In the words consider we three things First Duty Secondly Persons whom it concerns Thirdly Ground of the Duty Vers 2. Lest the Application of the Psalme to Vocation of Gentiles seem impertinent Read Rom. 15.11 where ye shall observe the Apostle so applying it For farther understanding Know that from the dayes of Abraham and Iacob began God to limit his people to one Family and Nation before that time all being Quoad jus The people of God in their dayes was God pleased for the sinnes of other nations and specially for love to his people according to election to single out the seed of Abraham c. to be his peculiar people and to distinguish them by signes from others by signes I say of speciall Covenant as Circumcision in Abrahams family afterwards the giving of the * Rom. 9.4 Law and the services which was the Maceria spoken of the * Ephes 2.14 Partition wall mentioned by the Apostle insomuch that though all other people and kingdomes of the world retained the Stile and Title of Nations and people at large Yet none of the people of God save Abraham Isaac Iacob and their posterity And this enclosure of grace to them though ye reckon but from the giving of the Law to Christ when the distinction grew compleat unto Christ endured the space of above sixteen hundred yeers what time the Jews growing to height of Impiety were rejected of God and in their stead we Gentiles graffed in as Rom. 11.17 so that in Pauls time they were Concorpores and from that time to now have continued the onely body of Christ the fulnesse of him which filleth all in all Ephes 1.23 So long ago was God pleased to foretell the Calling of the Gentiles see Psal 2. and 50. and 97. What speak we of so late as David even in the very Covenant of Abraham it was signified as Gen. 17.5 and 18.18 and in the signe Rom. 4.11 If the question now be Why the Lord was pleased so long ago to foretell it Thus let him conceive First Predictio futurorum the foretelling of things to come I mean of Contingent things that have no cause in Nature are no small evidence of a Deity whereupon Isa 45. Idols are put to that issue Secondly The accomplishment of such Predictions are excellent nourishers of Hope concerning things to come which we behold onely in the Promise as Iehu makes the observation * 2 King 10.10 No word of God shall fall to the ground many gracious Promises are given us which yet are not performed c. Thirdly Besides God meant from the beginning of the Covenant to nourish his people Israel in the fear of his Name not willing to give them least occasion of being puffed up with Pride in respect of his speciall favour Wherefore also they are often afterwards by the Ancients of the Prophets put in minde of it see Hos 1. That a man would wonder save that blindnesse is come upon Israel in part to read how Jews of old and to this day are averse from the doctrine which teacheth entertainment of Gentiles into the Church of God If ye read the story of the Gospel there was nothing went more harsh in Christs doctrine then this of taking away the kingdome from the Jews and when Paul the Apostle of the Gentiles Act. 13 and 28. preached this doctrine he alwayes became unsufferable But thus deserve they to be blinded in plainest things that refuse obedience to the will of God Other Errors there are noted