Selected quad for the lemma: nation_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
nation_n	lord_n	people_n	zion_n	1,583	5	9.6197	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A86660	The happiness of a people in the wisdome of their rulers directing and in the obedience of their brethren attending unto what Israel ougho [sic] to do recommended in a sermon before the Honourable Governour and Council, and the respected Deputies of Mattachusets [sic] colony in New-England. : Preached at Boston, May 3d, 1676, being the day of election there. / By William Hubbard ...	Hubbard, William, 1621 or 2-1704.	1676 (1676)	Wing H3209; ESTC W12661	72,888	77

one mind judgment will all both joyntly and severally exert your most strennous endeavours for the promoting the honour and Glory of God and the good of those under your charge In which endeavours if you shall persist it may be hoped that as hitherto God hath owned your selves as well as your Predecessors to become as a wall and defence to his vineyard here planted so there may be still found of you that shall help to build the waste places and raise up the foundations of many Generations and that you notwithstanding the present Combustions shall be called the Repairers of the Breach and the restorers of pathes to dwell in It is possible you may be importunately molested with the clamours of these or those to make this or that change in your course to gratifie particular mens humours of which you need take no more notice then the skilfull Pilot at the helme uses to doe of the cryes of the unskilfull fearfull Passengers that think that course will ruine the vessel which is the only way to preserve it There is an old Fable that when there hapned a great contention about the weather those of the high Countryes complained that they were almost burnt up with drought for want of rain and those of the valleys said they were almost drowned for want of Sun-shining dayes Jupiter sent them word by Mercury the weather should be as it had been Possibly some under your Goverment are as ready to complain of too much restraint as others are of too much liberty I humbly conceive you cannot doe better then to let things be as they have been heretofore so to countenance and encourage those that fear God and work rightiousness but sharply to rebuke and timely to repress whatever is contrary to sound doctrine or apparently tends to hinder the power of Godliness and progress of true Religion with all other profaness or unrighteousness that under the shadow of your Government we may lead quiet lives in all godliness and honesty yet keeping in mind the wise caveate of our Saviour that in gathering up the tares you root not up the wheat also It is one great part of the unhappiness of this life that neither wise nor good men are all of one mind but yet all due care had need be taken that differences be made neither more nor greater then they are or carried on with such Animosity or bitterness as should prejudice the interest of Religion or welfare of the Commonwealth Yea possibly the differences in our minds that occasion most disturbance arise only from that which they call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so as if things were not strained at both ends further then the equity of the Rule will allow all might well hold together when the overstraining of things is oft times ready to break all to pieces If God in whose hand our times are and who sets the bounds of our habitations shall as he hath begun goe on to perform his whole work upon his people and send such rest unto his Churches here that the Answer to be returned to the Messengers of the Nations shall be The Lord hath founded our Sion and that the poor of the people shall trust in it How can it better be improved then by taking care that the Churches under your care in this Jurisdiction may be edified walking in the fear of God that the Lord our God may be with us as he was with our Fathers that he may not leave us nor forsake us nor our Posterity after us Which to effect I humbly conceive there is no way more probable then by interesting them as much and as soon as may be in all the priviledges that Christian Religion allows as they grow up to engage them throughly and seriously in all the dutyes it requires to take care that it be done by those whom it more immediately concerns is certainly a duty in special incumbent on your selves To this end I may commend to your Consideration the Political Fathers of the Country the example of Abraham whom we find both approved rewarded of God for commanding his children and his houshold after him to keep the way of the Lord and to doe Justice and Judgment that the Lord might bring upon him that which he had spoken of him If he were not much mistaken who said it was morally impossible to rivet Christian Religion into the body of a nation without Infant Baptisme by proportion it will as necessarily follow that the neglect or disuse thereof will as directly tend to root it out How far the Command given to Joshuah by God himself to circumcise the Children of Israel i. e. to take order that Circumcision should be used again among the people by that meanes to nowl the reproach of Egypt from off the Children of Israel may be looked upon as obliging to your selves I shall not now say ye doubtless if what was written or hapned to them was intended as matter of example and admonition to us upon whom the ends of the world are come some use may and ought to be made of such Declarations of Gods will Whatever Indulgence may be judged needfull to be used to some that may be of different apprehensions I have adventured to say something in the following Discourse for cleering the duty of Rulers in matters of Religion from mistakes and stating the bounds of moderate Toleration so far as the time allotted for such an exercise would allow not so much for direction to your selves as for the information of others who by their too much rigidness on the one hand or laxness on the other may be ready to obstruct the Churches peace but not promote the purity of Gospel Worship placidè contra sentientem ferre is no small piece of Christian prudence the want of which I fear hath done much hurt in this poor Country as well as in other reformed Churches Dissenters in Religion being not much unlike the Seditious in the State who by fair meanes may be gained but by too much severity are apt to run into uncurable opposition and obstinacy It must be owned for your future Honour that much hath been done by you to carry on the work of God in this Generation yet may it be feared that his words will be found too true a man much employed and approved by your selves while he was conversant in this world that unless many things were done for the further setling of the matters of Religion amongst us before this Generation went off the Stage they that came after would have cause to say that their Predecessors had left much of their work undone Thus craving your acceptance of this my small mite which I am willing to cast into the Churches Treasury under the countenance of your Authority I shall no further trouble you this way I have made no materiall alteration in any expression nor addition of any thing but what was intended to have been spoken if time would then have

to play an after game And wise men a●●u● it the best way to put as little as may be to peradventure A man of understanding saith Solomon Prov. 12.27 is of an excellent Spirit the Hebrew word is of a cool Spirit Sedatus animo slow deliberate composed not hot which makes men quick and sudden in their resolves Theodosius that famous Christian Emperour noted for great wisdome also did that on the sudden in a passion that he had cause to repent of ever after To be flow to wrath argues great understanding in the wise mans account Prov. 14.29 It is reported of Heraclius the Treasurer of the said Theodosius that giving so far way to his passion as when the Saracens who were hired by the Emperour for the war came to demand their pay he refused payment and instead thereof passionately called them Arabick Dogs which so incensed them that they immediately set up their own B●nnets which gave occasion to those infernal Locusts that came first out of the bottomless pit to overspread the face of the Christian World miserably tormenting the Inhabitants thereof for an hundred and fifty years where by the way may be noted hard words are the worst kind of pay can be made to such as venture their lives for the service of the common-wealth The same befell Rehoboam whose hard proud and haughty words were answered by a shower of as hard stones that fell heavy on the bones of his officers But to return much deliberation in publick affairs specially if the case be about matters of moment is rarely found a disadvantage As was said of that old Roman Fabius Maximus Cunct ando restituit rem he repaired that by deliberation and prudent delaying of matters which some others had almost ruined by their precipetant and heady adventures The like deliberation is of use in the enacting as well as in the executing of all civill Constitutions and Decrees Therefore wise Lawyers have been alwayes wont to account Lawes of difficult Tearms and doubtfull event had need be deliberately thought upon before they be enacted or put in execution Israels best venison was that which was longest in preparing 2. The second branch of the Application may respect those honoured persons who are like now or hereafter may be called unto or continued by this dayes Election in the place of Goverment as Leaders of this our Tribe I shall crave leave to suggest thus much unto you from the words of the text what God doth and man may justly expect from you sc That you be found such as have understanding of the times to know what Israel ought to doe The title here given is a sufficient intimation thereof The rest of your Brethren here present are but inferiour Members of that body of which you are the Head instruments subservient to your direction and guidance The foot moves not the hand is not lifted up without the order and command of the head You are the pins on whom hangs all the glory of the house of Israel therefore it behoves you to think of the charge that lies upon you We look upon you in this your capacity like the four and twenty Elders casting their Crowns at the feet of him that sits upon the Throne and ready to receive them only by his appointment as intending only to honour him therewith and not your selves They were wont to say amongst the Senators of Rome viderint Consules ne quid detrimenti capiat Respublica i. e. it is the care of the Consuls who had the executing part of the power of the People put into their hands to see that the Common-wealth receive no detriment I may yea must add this further to your selves ne quid detrimenti capiat Ecclesia i. e. you are as well to see that the Church under your charge and care receive no damage or disadvantage Consider the extent of your Commission this day to be sealed unto you both by God and his people Know therefore The concernments belonging unto you in reference to Israel are either Ecclesiastical or Political the latter are Civil Military so that as you see they are threefold Sacred Civil and Military I shall briefly as the matter will allow touch upon all three in their order 1. The sacred or Religious concernments of Israel are under your care and conduct Imperativè as they say though not Elicitivè I need not take up time it were not to spend but mispend it in proving that civil Rulers have to do in matters of Religion That Text alone Mat. 22.37 were enough to prove it Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart with all thy soul and with all thy might c. Love is ready to summon in all the powers and faculties within its reach to attend the will of him whom it loves as its last end it was said by the Prophet the Merchandize of Tyre shall be holiness to the Lord may it not as well be said that the Magistracy of Rome as the Merchandize of Tyre was to be Holiness to the Lord. The Scepter of the Man childe by virtue of his subordination to the Lord Jesus was to rule all Nations with the Rod of iron as t is said Rev. 12. If any should say the Lord Jesus doth not need the help of the Civil Magistrate to carry on his Kingdome I answer although he doth not need it for he did carry on the work of his Kingdome when all the civil Magistrates of the world were combined against it that will not excuse Magistrates for non-performance of their duty when ever they are impowred thereunto To all such it may be said as Mordecai said to Esther who knows but thou art come to the Kingdome for such a time as this but if any desire further satisfaction in this point they may consult the learned discourses of all Protestant Writers upon this Subject whether Lutheran or Calvinist Gerhard Grotius sundry Episcopal learned Divines of our own Nation as well as those of our own place and perswasion treating of this Subject specially Mr. Nye his learned Defence of the lawfulness of the Oath of Supremacy and power of the Civil Magistrate in Ecclesiastical Affairs and subordination of Churches thereunto whom I the rather chuse to instance in because he hath extracted the quintescence and marrow of all our modern Divines whether of the Episcopal or other perswasions and one also never suspected of or condemned for deviating declining or receding from former principles by him self taken up which it may be others as innocent are yet not altogether to free from the suspition of that so it may appear that all sober Divines do joyntly agree in this conclusion Nor is this Doctrine any new upstart invention but a Truth owned by the Doctors and Fathers of the Church as they are called in Constantines time That first and famous Christian Emperour was wont to say of himself that he was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as others were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉