Selected quad for the lemma: nature_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
nature_n	good_a	zeal_n	zealous_a	122	3	10.1164	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96538	A word in season, for a warning to England: or a prophecy of perillous times open'd and apply'd. Wherein the signes of bad times, and the means of making the times good, are represented as the great concernment of all good Christians in this present age. First exhibited in a sermon preached in the Abby at Westminster, July 5. 1659. and since enlarged and published. / By Thomas VVilles, M.A. minister of the Gospel, in the city of London.	Willis, Thomas, 1619 or 20-1692.	1659 (1659)	Wing W2308; Thomason E1734_1; ESTC R7862	218,037	465

proceeds with a slow pace to a self-vindication by a just Revenge but yet this delay is dreadful seeing the slower in striking the sorer the stroke Now that Disgrace of his Sonne which he mentions as the Punishment of the Father was his Devestment of his splendor and dignity in his violent Expulsion from his Throne and Government upon which he liv'd an obscure and ignoble life at Corinth being had in much scorne and contempt by the People And so great was his disgrace herein that it became a Proverb Dionysius Corinthi Dionysius at Corinth for so was the Sonne call'd after the Name of his Father used to signifie such a one as was fallen from great Honours and much Applause of the People into a most disgraceful and contemptible condition Thus for the sinne of Sacriledge doth God † Job 12.21 poure contempt upon Princes and weaken the strength of the Mighty And therefore sayes the same Authour continuing his Observations hereupon Thymasitheus Prince of the Leparitans took the wisest course to decline the stroke of an offended and angry Deity For when some of his Citizens playing the Pirates h●d taken a Goblet of gold of great weight and were hot to have it divided amongst them he gave a cooling to their covetousnesse For Ut comperit a Romanis Pythio Apollini Decimarum Nomine dicatum manibus venundantium ereptum Deo Delphos perferendum curavit When he understood that it was dedicated by the Romanes to Apollo Pythius under the Name of TITHES he caused it to be taken out of the hands of them that would have sold it and to be carried back again to the Delphian Deity Surely those are but bad times in the Christian World when none will be found to do as much for Christ as this Heathen Prince for Apollo But behold here another grand Imposture which these profane Politicians put upon the World when they pretend much zeal for the punishment of this sinne of Sacriledge in others that they themselves may the more securely and with the lesse danger of suspition commit it when an opportunity of Self-enrichment thereby shall be offer'd So when men are mightily active for the Preservation of the Churches Revenues because thence by a cursed Sim●niacal Chymistry or other fraudulent Arts they can Sacrilegiously extract their own advantage Philip King of Macedon never won so much glory in the World by any Act as by that when he drew his Sword for the revenge of the sinne of Sacriledge upon the Phocians Hereupon he was adorn'd with glorious Titles All men thought themselves bound to pay him some Tribute of praise for so noble an enterprize Hence they stil'd him Illum Vindicem Sacrilegii illum Ultorem Religionum quod Orbis viribus expiari debuit solum qui piacula exigeret extitisse dignum Itaque Diis proximus habetur per quem Deorum Majestas vindicata sit * Justin l. 8 The renowned revenger of Sacriledge and defender of Religion a work worthy of the united virtue and valour of the whole world He was accounted the gods chiefest Favourite for this vindicacation of the Majesty and honour of their injur'd Deities But how was the glory of this so much honour'd and admir'd action stain'd when it appear'd that this his REVENGE of SACRILEDGE was but a Preface of Gold to an Oration of Iron a plausible pretence for the better carrying on his Ambitious Designes For having an opportunity not long after he rais'd to himself a mighty Gaine by the very same sin whereof his pretended punishment was his greatest glory Thus the times must needs be perillous when plausible pretences are made use of for the promoting of pernicious Designes When REFORMATION is pretended for the RUINE of the Church When men villanously rob God for their own Enrichment This is a Crime which may bring the Curse of God down upon a whole Kingdome For sayes the LORD by the Prophet Malachi † Chap. 3. v. 8 9 Will a man rob God Yet ye have robbed me But ye say wherein have we robbed Thee In Tythes and Offerings Ye are cursed with a CURSE for ye have robbed me even this whole Nation Fearful is the Provocation of those men and dreadful shall their Punishment at length be who thus Sacri e●iously raise their Estates and heap up riches to themselves to the Dishonour of God and Demolishment of the Church and yet impudenly pretend the Churches Good therein and Gods glory The times cannot but be evil and perillous when Gods glory is made a Footstool for the Pride Avar●ce and Ambition of men When they make use of the Bible for the raising them up higher to reach their secular Designes a thing which the pious Prince Edward the sixth refused with disdaine of the motion laying it to his Heart when one offer'd it him to lay under his Feet to reach something that was over his head and above his Reach * Sir John Haywood in Vita But the times are surely perillous when men have Iron Hands and Brows of Brasse when they cruelly crush Religion and yet impudently boast of their own ZEALE and Godlinesse Thus Josephus largely relates the barbarous and savage cruelty of a wicked and bloody Sect among the Jewes that yet would needs stile themselves the ZEALOTS The Jews had woful experience of the burning rage of these mens bloody Zeale For amongst other their barbarous Villanies and bloody Outrages † Joseph 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which when they had attain'd to a Predominancy in that miserably distracted Nation they continually committed upon that poor oppressed People they slew twelve thousand of the * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sonnes of the Nobles in the Prime and Glory of their Youth at once to cut them off from any possibility of a present Resistance and the hopes of a future Revenge by the hands of their posterity These were the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 † Id. ibid. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Zealots For so sayes he they called themselves as being singularly zealous for good Undertakings whereas there was indeed no Villany in the world so great but their zeale would digest it yea no evil of so high a Nature but they would strive to equal or exceed it being superlatively wicked Now this pestilent Sect so far prevail'd and so strengthn'd their Faction in the chief City of the Land Jerusalem that they became the causes of its utter Ruine with many thousand miseries which hereupon befel the Jewish Nation For sayes Josephus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 † 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Dominion of the Zealots over the People gave the first stroke to the Destruction of the City But the bloody cruelties of proud Pretenders and the bleeding Miseries of poor afflicted ones will at length awake Divine Vengeance So far did these bloody Zealots proceed in their cruel Practises that at length they prouoked the God of Patience to scourge them with most cruel Punishments Their

souls The second Duty The Practice of Piety ARe they Dayes of Danger Times of Perill wherein you live yet Dare to be pious though the Times be perillous To be religious when Religion is both in Fashion and in favour is no great praise but it s the glory of a Saint to be Holy and Good when the Times he lives in are sinfull and Evil. It 's a Crown of glory which shall flourish for ever which the Hand of God himself hath set upon the head of Noah * Gen. 6.9 Noah was a just man and perfect in his Generations which were sinful and wicked Job shone as a bright Star in the East when almost all the world was overspread with Darknesse And therefore God himself hath given him an honourable Testimony in his Word both for † Job 1.1 Piety and * Jam. 5.11 Patience and thereby an everlasting blessed Memorial Doubtlesse its a Saints Duty to be religious when for Religions sake he is exposed to Danger Here 's the tryal of sincerity when Truth faileth † Isa 59.15 See the Margin and he that departs from iniquity maketh himself a prey and is accounted mad for his paines Better it is to lose the favour of men then to incur the displeasure of God The losse of the favour of men is nothing compared to the gain of the favour of God It s nothing to flock to the Tabernacle in Times of Peace but its worthy of Israelites indeed to accompany the Ark of God in all the perils of War Be not discourag'd Christians by the Danger of the Times from doing those Duties whereby in your places you may glorifie God Moreover consider to be good in bad Times is the way to make bad Times good And therefore sayes Hierome Ne dicas priora Tempora meliora fuere quam nunc sunt Virtutes faciunt Dies bonos Vitia malos * Hier. in Eccl. c. 41. Say not the Times were better heretofore then now they are Virtues make good Dayes Vices bad It s then the wisdom of a Christian to turn his complaint of evil Times into the Practice of excellent Virtues for this will be singularly conducible to the making of the Times good 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 † Chrys 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For the Day is good or bad sayes Chrysostome not according to its own Nature for one day does nothing differ from another but according to our diligence or slothfulness in the improvement of it If thou workest righteousnesse the day becomes good unto thee if thou committest sin evil and full of Vexation If thou wisely considerest these things thou mayst so dispose thy self as to have the whole year prosperous and happy This if thou make Prayer and Almes-Deeds to be thy daily exercise Thus Christian Virtues and Exercises of Religion are the most excellent Antidotes against Evil Times To be diligent serious and constant herein is the onely way to see good Dayes Though a man be encompast with the blackest midnight of Darknesse let him light up his Lamps and he presently enjoys the Benefit and protection of the Light which does as it were with a thousand glistering Spears defend him against the Invasion of all the Forces of Darknesse Certainly there is nothing more necessary and conducible more excellent and efficacious for the changing of an IRON AGE into a GOLDEN SEASON then the constant exercise of PIETY and CHARITY amongst Christians And if every Christian would but seriously minde his Particular Duty how much might he contribute to the General good How soon are the foule streets of a great City made clean by every mans sweeping his own Door How soon would the great work of REFORMATION be accomplisht if every one would but reform one So should the most dangerous Dayes soon become what by many they are falsely called glorious Times For its the Goodnesse or Badnesse of men which makes the times good or bad Those are the worst Times wherein men are worst and those the best Times wherein men are best Though bad Times are worst to the best men yet good men should be best in the worst Times Such was Noah in the old World Lot in Sodome Daniel in Babylon Golden Saints in an Iron Age. Thus in the Evening of the Old Testament-Administration when the darkest shades vail'd the Churches Glory some Saints there were which shone as bright rising Stars in the rayes of true Piety which sparkled as orient Jewels in the lustre of godly Zeale and invincible Sincerity For when base Hypocrites began to blaspheme and say * Mal. 3 13-17 It was in vaine to serve God and it was to no profit or purpose to keep his Ordinance or to walk humbly b●fore him When they began to call the proud happy because they saw them that wrought wickednesse exalted and those that tempted God delivered Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another And oh precious were these Persons and this their Piety in the account of God! For Then the LORD hearkened and heard it and a Book of Remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD and that thought upon his Name And they shall be mine saith the LORD of Hosts in that day when I make up my Jewels and I will spare them as a man spareth his own son that serveth him Now who would not but desire this special interest in Gods Love and Favour in Times of Danger and Distresse What an encouragement then Christians should this be unto you to be good in bad Times Certainly Christians sanctity is the best way to security The † 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. qui Coelum spectar Athen l. 7. Plin. l. 32. c. 7. Uranoscope is a Fish as the Naturalists tell us which hath but one eye just on the top of the head looking upward towards heaven yet thereby she foresees and prevents Dangers To keep the Eye of the soul ever open Heaven-ward is the safest way for the Prevention of those Dangers to which we are exposed in the troublesome Sea of this World For God hath an Eye continually open upon them for their Preservation who have an Eye continually open upon him in their Convertions Yea by this means you may nor onely save your self but be a happy means to save the whole Nation by standing in the * Ezek. 22.30 Gap as † Psal 106.23 Moses to hinder the breaking in of Gods Judgements upon a provoking People O then be Diligent Christians and Constant in the serious Practice of solid Piety This General Duty hath several Branches which are of special Concernment to Christians that live in perillous Times and therefore take notice of them in these following Particulars The first Branch KEep your selves from the Corruptions of the Times Take heed of being tainted with the sins and Abominations of the Times wherein you live The fuller the World is of Defilements the greater must your care be to *