Selected quad for the lemma: prince_n
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A64990
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God's terrible voice in the city by T.V.
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Vincent, Thomas, 1634-1678.
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1667
(1667)
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Wing V440; ESTC R24578
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131,670
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248
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to his Peoples prayers after his sore Judgements which he had brought upon them Ier. 29. 11 12 13. I know the thoughts that I think towards you saith the Lord thoughts of peace and not of evil to give you an expected end Then shall ye call upon me and ye shall go and pray unto me and I will hearken unto you And ye shall seek me and finde me when ye shall search for me with all your heart Seek the Lord believingly mingle your Prayers with Faith and make use of the Mediation of Christ that you may prevail 11. God calls upon London by the voice of his Iudgements to prepare for greater troubles The face of God seems to threaten greater troubles there is little sign that Gods brow is smoothened now more than it was before the Fire there is little evidence of the appeasement of Gods anger The face of the times seem to threaten greater troubles the Cloud over London and England is still very black and seems to be thicker than it was before Gods own people are like to undergo greater troubles some of them have endured much but they are like to endure much more some of them have suffered deeply but they are like to suffer greater things more generally they have been brought low by affliction but not so low as others be when others of Gods people are stript of all they enjoy a comparative prosperity they are not so low as they deserve to be their Gospel-reproaching sins deserve far greater severities they are not so low as they may have need to be they may need greater troubles to unite them more one to another in their affections to further their sanctification to wean and loosen them more from the World to humble them for and purifie them more from sin to exercise and brighten more their graces they are not so low as possibly they must be before they be exalted the Night is the darkest before the Day breaks the storm is the fiercest many times in its last blast and the afflictions of Gods people are the sorest before God gives them deliverance God layes his people most low when he intends their highest exaltation surely the expected shock is not yet over and Gods Peoples most dreadfull sufferings seem most immediately to be threatned they seem to be near very near even at the doors The intent of the late Judgements by Plague and Fire seems plainly to be for the fitting and preparing of them for more smart and heavy strokes If God had permitted those expected sufferings to have come upon them more suddenly they might have found them more unready God hath given them time to prepare and awakening warnings to prepare and when will they be ready to suffer like Christians like Protestants if now they be not ready The Profane and wicked Generation in the Land are like to endure greater troubles as hath been shown pag. 80 81 82. and when the storm of Gods anger doth break down upon them are there no drops likely to fall upon London Is not the whole Land likely to be in danger of ruine when God doth deal with the ungodly and wicked Crew whom he spares for some time whilest he punisheth so severely the more righteous The troubles of London have been great but methinks it is evident that London is in danger of greater troubles therefore they have need to make preparation which they have had such awakening calls unto Some possibly may think the bitterness of Londons troubles is over because their troubles have been so bitter that the sharp Winter cold is gone when it was so sharp in the midst of Winter and the Sun had got to some height but March can bring in as cold nipping Frost as December and Ianuary did and when the Spring of Prosperity is expected by some they may finde the sharpest part of the Winter of troubles to be behinde Prepare therefore London for greater troubles 12. God doth expect that London should trust no more in arms of flesh but in himself alone By these Judgements God hath shown to London the weakness and insufficiency of arms of flesh what broken reeds they are Some put their trust in men and their great expectation of relief and comfort hath been from their friends by the Plague God hath shown how frail and weak man is how like grass or a flower that quickly withereth or is cut down how like glass or a bubble which is easily broken and vanisheth many have lost by the Plague their chief friends upon whom they have had all their dependance and the Lord hath shown how insufficient a foundation man is for any ones trust and confidence therefore he calleth aloud to London to cease from man whose breath is in his nostrils for wherein is he to be accounted of Isa. 2. 22. not to trust in any of the sons of men in whom there is no help and the reason is because their breath goeth forth they return to their dust in that very day all their thoughts perish Psal. 146. 3 4. Some put their trust in their wealth and riches Prov. 18. 11. the rich mans wealth is his City and a high wall in his own conceit God hath by the Fire which hath consumed so much of the wealth of the City shown how insufficient a foundation wealth is for any mans confidence he hath made it evident that riches are uncertain and that they fly away with Eagles wings sometimes whilest the owners are looking on may not that which is threatned Psal. 52. 5. 7. be spoken of many in London that God hath rooted some of them by the Plague out of the Land of the living plucked and forced others out of their habitations by the Fire and taken away their stay and prop from them of whom it may be said Lo these are they that made not God their strength but trusted in the abundance of their riches and strengthned themselves in their wickedness London trust no more in arms of flesh but trust in God alone It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in men it is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in Princes Psal. 118. 8 9. God is knocking off your fingers from all things here below his will is that you should put your trust in him which is one promised effect of great desolations and afflictions that you should labour after Zeph. 3. 12. I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people and they shall trust in the Name of the Lord. You were not so forward to trust in the Lord when you had greater abundance endeavour to trust in him now you are brought into greater poverty and affliction his Infinite Power Wisdom loving kindness his promise truth and faithfulness are a strong bottome for your trust and confidence in God Trust in him at all times in the worst of times when your danger is greatest he will be your help and shield Psal. 115.
in it and see how many spots it will discover which you never before did perceive not beauty spots but spots of deformity Plague-spots Death-marks Hell-tokens such as will bring upon you inevitable misery unless they be wiped off Take the Rule of the Word and measure your actions by it and you may quickly perceive how much they have fallen short how crooked they have been Rectum est index sui obliqui compare your actions with the straight rule of Gods Law and you may find out many irregularities If you do not find out your sins your sins will find you out and Gods judgements will find you out and if you be found out in your sins woe be to you O the horrour which will be upon your consciences when ruining judgements are inflicted upon you particularly and you cannot escape when Death looks you in the face and comes with the sting of sin in its mouth to devour you But O the horrour you will be under hereafter if you be taken away in your sins when your souls shall be summoned immediately after their separation unto the barr of God where you will be searched and tryed and condemned to everlasting torment by an inevitable and irreversible sentence of the Judge himself O therefore hearken to the voice of God in these temporal judgements on the City after which you still remain alive through infinite patience which calls upon you to search and try your wayes that you may escape more fearful judgements which may be preparing for you labour to find out your sins which are the cause of all judgements temporal and eternal and to help you in your search after sin read the Catalogue I have given you of Londons sins and examine your selves thereby be very serious and thorow and impartial in this search sequester your selves often from all company ease your mind of the load of worldly business leave the carriages at the bottom of the hill strive against temptations and indispositions to the work set your selves in the Presence of the Heart-searching God beg the help of his spirit to discover to you what hath displeased and provoked him search after sin as offensive to God and as destructive to your selves as your worst enemy as the cause of Plague and Fire in London and as that which will bring the Plagues and Fire of Hell upon you if it be not found out and subdued 4. God doth expect that London should acknowledge their sins unto him When the Prophet had directed the people to search and try their wayes after the execution of such Judgements upon them Lam. 3. 40. see the following direction v. 41 42. Let us lift our hearts with our hands unto God in the Heavens we have trangressed and have rebelled c. thus the Prophet doth confess the sins of Ierusalem Chap. 1. 8 9. Ierusalem hath greatly sinned therefore she is removed Her filthiness is in her skirts she remembred not her last end therefore she came down wonderfully and thus the Daughter of Zion as she bewaileth her affliction so she acknowledgeth her transgression v. 17 18 20. Zion spreadeth forth her hands and there is none to comfort her The Lord is righteous for I have rebelled against his commandment Behold O Lord for I am in distress my bowels are troubled mine heart is turned within me for I have grievously rebelled Thus Daniel after dreadful judgements maketh confession of the sins of the people of Israel chap. 9. 4 5 6. I prayed unto the Lord and made my confession and said O Lord the great and Dreadful God we have sinned and committed iniquity and have done wickedly and have rebelled even by departing from thy precepts and thy judgements neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the Prophets which spake in thy name to our Kings our Princes and our Fathers and to all the people of the land and v. 11 12. Yea all Israel have transgressed thy law by departing that they might not obey thy voice therefore the curse is poured upon us and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God because we have sinned against him And he hath confirmed his word which he spake against us and against our judges that judged us by bringing upon us a great evil for under the whole Heaven hath it not been done as it hath been done upon Jerusalem God doth expect that London should find out their sins and having found them that they should make confession of them O that the Prophane and ungodly generation in London whose sins have been enumerated in the Catalogue would be perswaded to get alone by themselves and consider their evil wayes and what the consequents of their sins have been in bringing down temporal Judgements what the consequence of their sins is like to be even the bringing upon them eternal Judgements and that they would fall down and prostrate themselves at Gods foot and covering their cheeks with shame and blushing because of their filthiness and foul sins under the view of so holy an eye that they would acknowledge their transgressions unto him not only in general but also particularly with their heinous aggravations O that with an inward deep sense with a bleeding broken heart they would fill their mouths with confessions that they would take to themselves words and say We have rebelled against thee O Lord and done wickedly and grievously offended thee so foolish have we been and ignorant of thee we have been worse than beasts before thee the Oxe acknowledgeth his owner and the Ass his master but though we are thy creatures and live upon thy bounty and are daily at thy finding yet we have not acknowledged thee and have had less consideration than those creatures who have had no reason we have been a sinful people laden with iniquity a seed of evil doers children that have been corrupters who have forsaken thee and by our wickedness provoked thee to anger We have been stubborn and disobedient serving thine enemies the devil and our own lusts but have neglected yea refused to serve and worship thee in our families and closets living as if there had been no God in the world We have seldom if ever taken thy Name into our mouths unless it hath been in vain unless in our Oaths and Curses We have prophaned thy Sabboths and defiled thine ordinances and have often been more wicked on the Lords day than any day of the week besides When we were children we disobeyed our Parents but disobeyed thee much more who didest command us to honour them when we were children in years we were grown Men and Women in sin when we were weak in body we were strong in spirit to commit iniquity we learnt the trade of sin before any other and were apt Schollars in the School of the Devil when dull and blockish to learn any thing which was good we were wise to do evil when to do good we had no understanding our iniquities have