Selected quad for the lemma: peace_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
peace_n	burn_a	offer_v	offering_n	2,152	5	11.4315	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10933	A commentary vpon the vvhole booke of Iudges Preached first and deliuered in sundrie lectures; since collected, and diligently perused, and now published. For the benefit generally of all such as desire to grow in faith and repentance, and especially of them, who would more cleerely vnderstand and make vse of the worthie examples of the saints, recorded in diuine history. Penned by Richard Rogers preacher of Gods word at Wethersfield in Essex.	Rogers, Richard, 1550?-1618.	1615 (1615)	STC 21204; ESTC S116353	1,044,012	830

vexe their aduersarie one way they could doe it many waies and say that they haue greater and more causes to pursue them then that one which they alleage But all such speech is bragging and boasting without iust cause for if they had greater doth any man doubt but they would take their aduantage by vsing them when as they prosecute the smaller so hotly against them Vpon the forementioned reasons he concludeth that hee gaue him no cause to make warre with him as he had done but hee had been stirred vp vniustly against him And as Iphtah was bold to accuse him and auouch his owne innocencie hauing so good proofe for both so euery one that can proue the goodnesse of his cause shall bee able boldly to defend his owne innocencie against his aduersaries and accusers to their shame and iust reproch and their owne peace and comfort Whereas other must be driuen to vse shifts as lying dissembling boldnes heate multiplying of words and false witnesses as may be seene in the cause of the Priests and Pharisies accusing our Sauiour before Pilat The truth seeketh no corners See notes vpon verses 14. and 15. And so hee appealing to the most highest for his simplicitie in the matter to be iudge therein he endeth his message Thus must wee be able to doe I meane not to be afraid to make the Lord iudge in the cause that so though we be iustled to the walles by our vnequall Iudges vpon earth yet we may rest in Gods testimonie of and vnto vs and our cause and therefore not fearing man may be confident verifying the prouerbe The righteous is bold as a lion In the same kinde Iob speaketh saying Though mine aduersary should write a booke against me would not I take it vpon my shoulder and binde it as a crowne to me Meaning it should be to his commendation But seeing the men of the world see boldnes so much to preuaile in the defence of their bad causes therfore they face out matters themselues thereby Wherby this watch-word is needfull to bee giuen them that men looke not so much how boldly they stand in the defence of themselues and their doings as how truly for that which in a good cause is courage in an euill is impudence But though Iphtah had said enough and that also to good purpose yet we see that it moued the King of Ammon nothing at all but as he had taken a bad cause in hand so he meant to defend it vnto the death euen as men too commonly doe who hauing begun an ill matter doe purpose to goe forward So that we see wise and sound reasons and perswasions howsoeuer they be vsed both to purpose and in season so that they who can iudge would thinke they might be like to preuaile and moue especially not knowing the corruption of the heart which couers it selfe with shew of honestie yet with the wilfull they doe no good nor with any such as bewray themselues being put to it to be resolute to do wrong and of a preiudicate mind or possessed of strong passions Therfore it is that Salomon saith A word more entreth into the wise then an hundred stripes will auaile with the froward This humour possesseth many whom it would not easily be thought to be in and therefore being discouered so much the worse beseemeth them euen ciuill courteous persons still and sometimes religious because either they suspect not themselues and so are ouertaken by any occasion suddenly falling out or else they nourish this serpent in their bosome wilfully Naaman was taken with that tech and no marueile he being an Heathen when he heard the Prophets answere by what meanes he told him he should be healed But highly to be commended was Dauid who receiued the counsell of Abigail a woman so readily to turne him from a cruell and wicked resolution And euen so they who are obstinate as thinking it a discredit to them to desist shall meete with more shame by proceeding but happie are the meeke and tractable who receiue the wholesome words of exhortation and stop not their eares from good counsell but submit themselues without respect thereto such shall deliuer themselues from great euill And a man would thinke such behauiour doth better become professors of the Gospell then wilfulnes and obstinacie Concerning the vse whereof I haue spoke somewhat by the like occasion in the 21. and 22. verses let the reader ioyne them both together Vers 29. Then the spirit of the Lord came vpon Iphtah and hee passed ouer to Gilead and to Manasseh and came to Mizpeh in Gilead and from Mizpeh in Gilead he went vnto the children of Ammon 30. And Iphtah vowed a vow vnto Lord and said If thou shalt deliuer the children of Ammon into mine hands 31. Then that thing that commeth out of the doores of mine house to meete me when I come home in peace from the children of Ammon shall be the Lords and I will offer it for a burnt offering 32. And so Iphtah went vnto the children of Ammon to fight against them and the Lord deliuered them into his hands 33. And he smote them from Aroer vntill thou come to Minneth twentie Cities and so foorth to Abel of the vineyards with an exceeding great slaughter Thus the children of Ammon were humbled before the children of Israel The third part of the Chapter IN this third part it is shewed generally that Iphtah ouercame and subdued the Ammonites And in particular first how God gaue him the spirit of courage and fortitude to this end Secondly that before hee entred the battell hee made a vow to the Lord that if hee should get the victorie hee would offer that to him which should first come out of doores to meete him Thirdly how after this he went forward to Gilead and Manasseh and came to the place where the Ammonites were and so lastly how fighting with them the Lord deliuered them into his hands In this verse it is shewed how Iphtah came to the Ammonites from Mizpeh in Gilead for it is distinguished from that Mizpeh that is in the Tribe of Inda Before that the Lord had furnished him with gifts of his spirit fit for warre both valiantnes of mind and strength of body as was said before And by this it may appeare that the Lord had appointed before that hee should be their Iudge and deliuerer though it was vnknowne to the people when they sent to him to haue him to be their Captaine Now for our instruction and benefit heere wee may see that when the Lord appointeth any man to any speciall calling hee giues him gifts for the discharge of it When Moses was to be sent to Pharao hee alleaged his vnfitnes and vnsufficiencie to speak to a King the Lord prouided for that before he began to discharge it The Apostles likewise whom Christ left weake and vnfurnished for such a worke as they were to take in hand after his ascension

certainely they may bee helped and relieue themselues in the first And if they both feare God as otherwise what promise haue they that God will blesse them in any thing or what speaking to them is there about any such matter If I say they feare God then by good order taking betwixt themselues and by oft and earnest praying on both parts for quiet and chaste mindes and bodies vsing therewith all good meanes for the same as neede shall require then they shall attaine redresse against it and God hath promised to such that with consent they may be absent each from other without the many vnquietnesses and other inconueniences the which yet doe most certainely meete with such as be not so qualified who if they fall into adulterie and the like euils it is the fruit of their sinne which God punisheth I meane of their irreligiousnesse vnfaithfulnesse and such like as they fall out to bee who is able to say what or how many It followeth in this verse when Samson would haue gone into the chamber to his wife to do the dutie of an husband to her the father the Philistim would not suffer him for he had giuen her to another Oh wofull act but especially before he had spoken with him But we neede not wonder at that for what reason doe such professe to yeelde of their doings By this dealing of the Philistims wee may see what a sore punishment it is to haue to doe with such vnconscionable men that will boldly hold our right from vs and so deale with vs that wee cannot make any reckoning no not of that which is our owne if it must come through their hands neither can be sure of our owne if it be owing and due vnto vs by them And what bondage is this that another should haue power and authority ouer our goods Nature it selfe being the foundation of propriety in each mans goods and abhorring community as the cut-throte of ciuill society and common-wealth As if the labourer when he had done his work must nor looke to receiue his wages or the man who hath lent wares for money should be denied it as though hee that listeth should claime or detaine another bodies goods And to that point things are come in many places that for the heathenish vnconscionablenesse that is grown vp in this world a man cannot say that any thing hee hath is his owne there are so many waies to defeate the owners of their due And so are men pursued with other open wrongs that they may well say as Samson had cause to complaine you deale with vs as Philistims The vse of this is to account of honest and faithfull men much the better and in dealing with other bee wary and circumspect also be ready to offer all good measure to those with whom we haue to doe But this point offereth it selfe often And as for Samson who was denied his wife when hee returned to her fathers house to take and enioy her all may see what a punishment it is But when men bring it vpon themselues by their owne sinne as he did they are the lesse pitied And this is true of the finall disappointment of the vngodly as the example of the foolish Virgins sheweth excluding themselues from that place which yet they desired Let euery man therefore auoide occasions of troubling himselfe as well this way as otherwise by giuing liberty to his corrupt affections and lusts wherein Samson failing by going from his wife in a fullen and discontented manner rather then wisely saluing vp her offence now brought it to passe that hee was denied her when hee would gladly haue enioyed her Thus doth a mans sin crop off the blossome which should after in season yeeld fruit And this and such like are the fruites of our sinnes which neuer yet no not the pleasantest did vs any good This hurt among many other commeth that therby we are depriued of our best liberties when we would enioy them and all because wee did in our sinfull mood set light by them But of this enough in the last verse of the former chapter Her father to excuse his cursed act in giuing his daughter to another man tels Samson he thought he had hated her therfore he saith I gaue her to thy companion and then hee offered him her sister as being fairer then she Wee may learne by this his first speech that wicked and vnconscionable men when they haue offered great wrong to their neighbour make a light matter of it they thought they say they might haue done as great a matter as that without offence taken thereat and that they had cause to doe so and they thought it would not haue been so hardly taken yea and many bid them goe seeke their remedy where they can get it So in the History of the Church Iulian the reuolter being solicited to deale more indifferently with the Christians vsed to answere Tush they haue no wrong done to them for their Master commands them being smitten on the one cheeke to turne the other So did the cruell Pharaoh vpbraid the poore Israelites groning vnder their burthens saying to them Yee are idle and want worke and the Babylonians so taunted the poore Iewes mourning vnder captiuity Sing vs some of the songs of Sion Rehoboam also being willed to mitigate the heauie hand which his father held ouer his subiects answereth Tush yee had too good measure shewed yee by my father my little finger shall be heauier then his loines And as slightly bad men deale with the Lord in his seruice they thinke their drawing neere to him with their bodies is sufficient seruice though their hearts be farre off when yet he himselfe professeth that in vaine doe such worship him So Saul thought he might offer a burnt offering and a peace offering to the Lord though it was contrary to his commandement and would needs imagine it to bee well pleasing to him so to doe taking it harshly that Samuel presseth him so with his disobedience But hee should haue obeyed God and not haue followed his owne fancie But to returne to their dealings with men whom when they haue sore hurt and wronged they make a light matter of it and say they meant no harme they are like the man in the Prouerbs that fained himselfe mad and cast firebrands and arrowes and saith he was in sport so they deale deceitfully and wickedly with their friend and neighbour and say they are in sport that is they meane no harme But if the least iniurie bee offered them as was heere to this Philistim by Samson going from his daughter but a while they will make of a little matter a great rather then be satisfied with such an answere that the party thought it would not be so hardly taken To conclude as Salomon saith to the young men Reioce in thy youth c but bee sure God will bring thee to iudgement so I may say

they wept the third they offered sacrifice By the lifting vp of their voice wee can conceiue no other thing but that they heartily confessed their sinnes and cried out of them which they heard to haue been reproued by Gods messenger and craued pardon of them accusing themselues They being guided therein by God as the Prophet Hosea in his time taught the people that in repenting they should take to them words as well as to haue a good heart By their weeping they signified deepe griefe conceiued for displeasing God and prouoking his wrath against them And their weeping was so great that the place took the name thereof and was called Bochim that is a place of weepers and by their sacrifice they declared their faith that their sinne was pardoned For the sacrifices were shadowes of Christs death and they in offering them beleeued as the fathers of those times did they constantly beleeued I say that all their sinnes were forgiuen by the death of Christ resembled by the offering of them To the which also there is no doubt but that they added thankes as the Lord directed the people in Hosea to doe in the repentance which hee required of them which also was resembled by their peace offerings Now to examine these things more perticularly this doctrine of repentance which heere occasion is offered to speake of I will the brieflier passe ouer seeing I haue spoken largely of it in other Sermons though not in this booke saue onely so farre as the words require somewhat to bee said And first seeing the hearing of that sermon did worke so good things in the people I meane many of them and bring forth such fruit wee are taught not onely to pray the Lord of the haruest to send such labourers into the haruest as may bee able and fit to bring home the Lords haruest but also what we should doe when wee heare such diuine sermons and doctrine as this was which the messenger of God heere preached vnto them which do vrge our consciences by laying out our sinnes for all doctrine is not of that argument I grant we ought by all doctrine to be moued according to that which wee heare and as occasion is offered either to griefe or to comfort but when wee are more specially taught the doctrine of repentance wee should follow the example of these heere mentioned who cried out of their sinnes and mourned deepely and craued pardon And likewise of other that did the same as the people that came after these when they heard Samuel reprouing them lamented after God and they who are mentioned in the booke of the Acts at Peters sermon were pricked in their hearts and sought comfort So I say should wee doe I meane both such as haue repented already to renue it and such also as are yet to enter vpon it And it is fearefull when these fruits may be seene in them and others that so many among vs hearing the like sermons can goe vntouched in their consciences and with drie eyes or harts for though these be not sufficient yet with faith they are commendable Secondly and more principally heere as this people lifted vp their voice and wept when they were reproued for the abse of Gods benefits and for breaking of their couenant by Gods messenger so among all other good instructions which are infinite we should be greatly moued and sore grieued when wee shall heare that wee are iustly charged by preaching for the like faults as for the ill vsing of the blessings which God hath bestowed vpon vs and for breaking the couenant which wee haue made with him because these two ought to be so thorowly minded of vs daily that wee should giue no iust cause to be rebuked for the neglecting of either of them For what doe we in our liues commendably if these two bee wanting and neglected of vs I meane if we doe not bind our selues by couenant to bee more fruitfull in dutie and more cheerefully to go about the same while we see Gods benefits continued to vs whereby he doth as it were hire vs thereunto And secondly if we make not new couenants with him from time to time to walke constantly in our vprightnesse rather then to deserue iust rebuke for breaking and looking loosely to the old But if wee haue due regard of both these from time to time wee shall both keepe all other parts of our liues within compasse the better and also we shall not need to feare that we can sustaine any sharpe reproofe iustly which is euer vnwelcome to flesh for the same But yet further to say somewhat more perticularly of these three signes of their repentance we must know that the inward graces which are testified by the outward signes thereof heere set downe are rather to be sought of vs in our repentance as relenting and melting of the heart for offending God humiliation faith and the like then the outward signes themselues the last especially as the offering of sacrifice both expiatorie to seeke forgiuenesse of sinnes and eucharisticall representing their thankes which were meerely ceremoniall and proper to the Iewes therefore not now to be vsed of vs and yet in them laudable this ceremony being then in vse to expresse their faith and beleeuing in Christ and their thankesgiuing as we doe simply offer to God both and without them This be said of their offering sacrifice first though mentioned last The other two of lifting vp their voice and weeping are alwaies to bee aimed at in our repentance but cannot alwaies be attained neither are therefore of necessity to bee vrged neither to be rested in if we haue them For the first of them namely the lifting vp the voice in prayer and confession of sin and accusing of our selues it is required by the Prophet Osea of such as could shew it for in vrging the people at that time to repent saying O Israel returne to the Lord thy God hee addeth take vnto you words and say vnto him take away all iniquity and receiue vs graciously and we will offer the calues of our lips c. But all cannot expresse their minds in words as namely the ignorant especially some of them and some in the bitternes of their hearts powre out their prayers without words at some time as Anna did Therefore if it may be and that also it be most expedient as if it may be an helpe to quicken vs in feruency the voice is to be lifted vp but not alwaies of necessity to be inioyned Now concerning weeping which they also heere are said to haue adioyned it being a further degree of sorrow then many can attaine vnto it is not of necessity to bee imposed vpon vs as I haue said as though repentance could not be without it though where it can be and accompanieth repentance it doth more deepely search into the heart satisfie the party so moued and quiet the mind which was before troubled