Selected quad for the lemma: nature_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
nature_n	divine_a	humane_a	personal_a	3,580	5	9.3191	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A57199	Babylons ruining-earthquake and the restavration of Zion delivered in a sermon before the honourable House of Commons at Margarets Westminster, at their publique fast, August 28, 1644 / by William Reyner ...	Reyner, William, d. 1666.	1644 (1644)	Wing R1324; ESTC R18099	51,389	67

these lived in against the expresse doctrine which the committers of them know and professe Now for these sinnes the name of the Lord lyes under much pollution and dishonour Heathers and Turks can pull Christians by the sleeve and accuse them for them and wonder why they doe things so contrary to their profession A man would certainly think that wicked men had a dispensation for these sins or that God himselfe did not much dislike them and would never punish them Well the Lord will not alwayes suffer this reproach though he forbeare a long time no nor never did alwayes in any Nation he will make blasphemers know at length that he will not hold them guiltlesse that take his name in vaine and so for the rest The Land shall mourne for these things at last Hos 4.3 He will have it appeare that he allowes not his to commit such sinnes the Lord will have the scandall of sinne taken away Now the scandall of great sinnes is to be removed one of these two wayes either by the Delinquents penetent confession and reformation or secondly by a speciall vindication 1. Sometimes it is taken away by the offender himselfe when he humbly confesseth his sinne and reformes if he confesse and not forsake he doth not remove but encrease the scandall for then he takes the blame from off the profession and layes it upon himselfe I did indeed so and so transgresse I did blaspheme commit adultery c. but it was my corruption made me to doe it and not my Religion it is utterly contrary to the doctrine I have received and doe professe which utterly forbids such sinnes and threatens eternall damnation to the sinner I am heartily sorry for my sin doe earnestly beg pardon for it of God the Father through Christ and by divine grace in him doe fully purpose and will endeavour a thorough Reformation this now dischargeth the profession of all blame and layes it upon the person But because this is seldome done only by penetents thoroughly therefore there is another way of taking away scandall from Gods Name for the grosse sinnes of professours and that is by visiting or vindicating the sinne upon the sinner Now this vindication is either humane or divine The first is humane For God requires that those that are under him and over others should execute judgement for him upon their Subjects for all open sinfulnesse according to the nature and degrees of it this he expects from the Parent Master Magistrate respectively and they greatly sinne and shall be punished if they doe it not Now because this humane vindication for the most part failes therefore the Lord himselfe doth at length take the matter into his owne hand when he sees judgement is turned backward and justice stands a farre off truth lyes in the street equity cannot enter and he that refraines from evill makes himselfe a prey that it is lawfull to be any thing but good as we have seen in our times when he looks about him and sees that there is no man and wonders that there is no intercessor that is he wonders there is no body will appeare to execute judgement for him then at length himselfe puts on righteousnesse as a brest-plat he puts on the garments of vengeance for cloathing and is clad with zeale as with a cloake according to their deeds accordingly will he repay fury to his adversaries farre and neere even to the Islands he will repay recompence Isa 59.14 15 16 17. and so he will take away the scandall sinne and sinners permitters and committers altogether See an instance The people of Israel had divers times murmured and tempted God they doe it afresh when the spyes came home and brought ill newes of the Land of Canaan the Lord thereupon threatens to destroy them all Moses intercedes for them and prevailes for the present but withall the Lord sayes and binds it with an oath that surely and as truly as He lived He would fill all the earth with his glory and not one of those murmurers should see the promised Land Numb 14.21 22 23. And so it came to passe for they were all rooted out in the Wildernesse they had made all the earth ring of his dishonour in their murmuring and he would make it resound his honour againe in his punishing of them Because Elye's sonnes transcendently sinned and he being their Parent and Judge did not punish them as he ought therefore the Lord threatens to bring such a punishment upon him and his house that whosoever should he are of it both his ears should ●ingle 1 Sam. 3.11 and so he did chap. 4. Both his sonnes were slaine in one day himselfe perished miserably afterwards Saul flew though unjustly 85. of his Posterity at one time and Abiather was afterwards for taking part with Adonijah cast out of the priest-hood by Salomon and so his whole posterity brought to beggery hereby was the word of the Lord fulfilled 1 Kin. 2.27 As deare as David was to God yet when by his murther and adultery he had opened the mouthes of God's enemies to blaspheme his Name though upon his repentance the Lord did pardon him yet he would not remit the temporall punishment but the child borne in adultery should dye the sword should never depart from his house he would raise up evill against him out of his own bowels as he did in the rebellion of Absolom 2 Sam. 12.10 11 14. And this I take to be one speciall reason why the Lord at last hath destroyed all the States and Kingdomes of the world that ever yet have been because that whereas they should have executed judgement for him they have executed judgement against him whereas they should have been a terrour to evill works and for the praise of them that doe well they have generally been a terrour to good works and for the praise of them that doe evill The second impidement of Reformation is great and enormous sinners Imped 2 these the Lord useth to sweep away by the earthquake they are of divers sorts as 1. The scoffers at Religion Sort 1 the bold affronters of Heaven that fit in the chayre of the scorner these feare neither God nor devill they make a tush at the threatnings of God they say the Prophets words shall become wind Jer. 5.13 They threaten the Prophets that threaten them the Prophets tell them they shall dye by sword and famine they say thus shall it be done unto them ibid. We will make them dye by sword and famine our Saviour cals these dogs that bark at bite them that cast pearles to them Such were those Isa 22.12.13 who when the Lord called to weeping mourning behold there was joy and gladnesse with them killing of Oxen and slaying of Sheep let us eat and drinke say they speaking most impiously and securely for to morrow we shall dye The same Prophet tels us of a company that know not how to be sinfull enough denounceth a

can detect and discover many blasphemies of the Beast and foedities of the Whore as justification by workes the propitiatory sacrifice of the Masse c. Yea not onely discover them but in an holy zeale deno●unce grievous judgements against the authors and fomenter of them according to the Word These doctrines and denunciations thus breathed out will prove even a sword of the Spirit for so they are being put into mans spirit by the Holy-Ghost to cut and kill slash and slay the Antichristian generation see Revel 2.16 19.21 Yea not onely a sword to kill the enemy that stands neere but an arrow also to kill the enemy that stands a farre off Psal 149.6 7 8 9. an axe to hew downe Hosea 6.5 Mat. 3.10 a wine cup of fury which they shall be forced to drinke and then grow mad spue and fall and rise no more Jer. 25.15 16.27 28. Lastly this Word shall be a fire to burne them up and they shall be as wood to it and it shall devoure them Jer. 5.14 For God will execute upon them the judgements threatned It shall be an hot even to the wicked and proud and they shall be as stubble easily and utterly burnt so it shall leave them neither root nor branch Mal. 4.1 This fiery weapon of the Word is one of those wherewith the poore sackcloath-Prophets have defended themselves against Antichrist and his gentiles all his long reigne and wherewith they have offended them Rev. 11.5 and therefore still proper to be used against him the great wild Beast for fire they say is the best weapon and of most excellent use against wilde Beasts Breathe out therefore this fire of the Word into their faces run with these flaming torches and thrust them into the dry thatch of Antichrists house that will set all on a light fire it hath done it in a great measure already the enemies feele the heat thereof to their great paine Rev. 16.2.9 10 11. They cast on all the cold water that hell can afford them to quench it as cruelties treacheries but every thing proves oyle to encrease the flame this Word at last will prove unto them unquenchable fire utterly to consume them Shake the Beasts Kingdome by prayer Vse 2 David shook Saul and all his enemies downe by this meanes see Psal 18.6.7 8. compared with the title of the Psalme which David composed when the Lord had delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul In my distresse saith he I called upon the Lord and cryed unto my God he heard my voyce out of his holy temple and my cry came before him even into his eares Then the earth shooke and trembled the foundations also of the hils moved and were shaken because he was wroth God upon Davids cry laid about him and overthrew all his adversaries for the more the Saints pray the more they accelerate plagues upon their wicked enemies which is often the meanes of the Saints deliverance By this the two Witnesses did shut the heavens against the Antichristian brood Rev. 11.6 And therfore our fight being with their armie 's we are to be instant in prayer against them that is a weapon they have no skill at they can blaspheme and curse c. but not pray Moses and Eliah to whom that text alludes by this weopon and the Word overcame whole Nations alone Moses did but speake to God spreading out his hands and then as a God could tell Pharaoh that a plague would come to morrow shall be such a plague or to morrow shall such a plague be removed Eliah could but pray to the Lord that it might not raine and then confidently tell Ahab that there should be no raine but according to his word 1 King 17.1 Open therefore O you servants of the Lord the heavens by this Key open Gods Armory and get from thence the best dayes for the Church the helpe of God the Father the Mediation of the Sonne the Spirit of strength the assistance of Angels Seas rivers windes c. get from thence wisdome courage stratagems successe shut the heavens against the enemies that they may not get one good looke from thence not so much as one arrow but if they have any plot in hand get the heavens open for wisedome to discover it if any enterprize get from thence power to defeat it make it appeare to the enemies that Gods people have power with God Execute judgement for God Vse 3 every one as farre as his power will stretch First doe judgement upon thine owne selfe for thy sinnes in all wayes of godly revenge as by Fasting c. Sing mercy and judgement to thy Family as David Psa 101. Doe thy best that judgement that hath beene turned into Wormewood and Hemlocke may run downe like a mighty streame in publique and where thy hand cannot reach a blow or cast a stone at an idolater blasphemer persecutor c. let thy heart at least doe it For if a mans consenting to or approving of an act of injustice may inguilt h●m as I may say in it as it was with the Jewes whose state was ruined for killing Christ and the Prophets though most part of them had never seene any of them Mat. 23.37 why may not a mans executing judgement with his heart when he can proceed no further be accepted in respect of him for an act of justice by him that is pleased both in good and evill actions to accept the will for the deed This duty is principally incumbent upon the Magistrate who is to execute the judgement of the Lord not arbitrarily as himselfe pleaseth but according to the rule of the Word both for matter and manner For the Matter man hath no warrant either to leave grosse and horrid sinnes unpunished in the committers of them such as are the ring-leaders in idolatry and persecution nor yet to commute or change the nature of the punishment As by the way I question whether a pecuniary mulct especially if it be alone be a proper punishment for a sweater or blasphemer but it rather ought to be personall And here I cannot choose but with griefe take notice of a miserable failing in our first Reformation that the Maise priests were suffered still to continue in their places for he that had said or sung Masse the last Lords day and if he were a Preacher had Preached for Popery if he would but take the new Oath of Supremacy and read the Service-Booke this Lords-day was accounted a sufficie●t reformist a●d admitted to the Ministry So that of twenty thousand Prelates and P●iests at least in England and Ireland very few were cast out of their places and searce any of them unlesse it were Boner for any thing they had done Oh wofull I confesse I thinke the State did then want due information in that point But this hath been one thing that hath undone the Church viz. those that have all along and do still infest the Church