Selected quad for the lemma: work_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
work_n	create_v	good_a	workmanship_n	4,350	5	11.8942	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77987	Habakkuks prayer applyed to the churches present occasions, on Hab. 3. 2. And Christs counsel to the church of Philadelphia, on Rev. 3. 11. / Preached before the provincial assembly of London. By that late reverend and faithful minister of Jesus Christ Mr. Samuel Balmford, pastor of Albons Woodstreet.	Balmford, Samuel, d. 1659?	1659 (1659)	Wing B608; Thomason E1910_2; ESTC R209972	36,857	123

on to prayer such a fear as may be the beginning of wisdom in this respect that it makes us fly unto the Name of our God as unto a strong Tower either to keep us from or to defend us in the midst of Dangers and bring us with safety and comfort out of them And so make fear not an obstacle or impediment to duty but a preparative unto duty As t is said Noah being warned of God moved with fear pepared an Ark c. Heb. 11. 7. so let godly fear in us set us a preparing somewhat that may tend to the securing of the remnant of Gods people at least in way of Prayer as doth the Prophet in our Text. To whose Prayer of Faith I now passe over O Lord revive thy work in the midst of the years c. Here are divers terms to be opened before we can well pitch upon matter of Instruction As 1. What is the work of God 2. What Gods reviving of his work 3. What the midst of the years in which he is prayed to revive it 4. What is making known in the midst of years I know there is another reading of part of these words by the Greek Septuagint For that clause in the midst of years make known they read to this sense in the midst of two living Creatures thou shalt be known and much descant there is among Expositors Ancient and Modern upon that passage so rendred generally they understand Christ for the party to be known but who the two living Creatures should be in the midst of whom he was to be known they vary much in opinion Tertullian hath his apprehension and Origen his and later Writers theirs but because that is a reading not approved by judicious either Protestant or Pontifician Expositors I will not spend time in any particular recital of different opinions There is another reading of the first clause of this Prayer in the Old English Translation varying from our New which it may be some of you finde in the Books you use it runs thus Revive thy work in the midst of the people but why they should render the same Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so differently in the two clauses especially since it signifies years and not people for ought I have found I cannot finde any satisfactory reason Taking therefore our last Translation to be most consonant to the Original I keep to it and so come to the opening of the words Wherein my chief regard shall be unto that litteral sense which the consideration of the Context leads us unto First then what work of God may here be meant I propound it to you in a double notion but hardly separable take we it partly for the people of God themselves For his Covenanted people are his special work or a special piece of his workmanship and he hath ever accounted his Church his peculiar above the generality of mankind in and upon whom he hath given proofs and evidences of his most excellent vertues and Attributes Ask of me saith he things concerning my sonnes and concerning the work of my hands command ye me Isa 45. 11. See also Isa 60. 21. and 61. 3. There sonnes and the work of Gods hands are made Synonyma The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me forsake not the work of thine own hands saith David Psal 138. 8. Accounting himself in special manner the work of Gods hands Consonant to this the Apostle speaking of the Church of Believers under the New Testament saith We are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works c. Eph. 2. 10. But again take we this work partly for the work of Gods gracious Providence in behalf of his people Status populi vel Ecclesiae as Calvin speaketh And signally here in our Text is the deliverance and freedom of his people from under the power and captivity of the Chaldeans and Babylonians looked at As is manifested by the Context Secondly What may this reviving of the work of God be It may be reduced unto two heads also One is The preserving alive of the work of God for the Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Piel as it is here used signifies simpl Vivum conservare as Psal 22. 29 All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him and none can keep alive his own soul And thus it refers to Gods work in the first sense not in respect of the life of individual persons of the Church so much as in respect of the generality or community of the Church q. d. preserve thy Church alive conserve a body of people to thy self alive let not that whole workmanship of thine perish nor the work of grace in thy people that may be also understood for people do not live as Gods people or as his Church unlesse the life of grace and holinesse be preserved alive in them But another thing is The restoring of the state of the people of God for so the Hebrew word also signifies as in 1 Chro. 11. 8. Nehem. 4. 2. and thus it refers unto the work of God in the second acception q. d. Restore thy people againe to their former state of livelihood or a livelinesse wherein they were before They shall be but as in state of civil death while they lie in thraldom and servitude under the Chaldeans and thou hast intimated by the Vision of grace which I have seen that thy people shall not die but shall live by faith and that their enemies and opposers lie under thy woes and curses and so shall come to ruine and destruction and therefore be pleased to put life and vigour into that work of thine in behalf of thy people or as some others gloss it Effice suscita adimple effectuate it rear it up accomplish it Opus enim dum non impletur quasi mortuum censetur oblivione sepultum Sanctius And it is usual with the Hebrews as we all may perceive by the tenour of Scripture to attribute life Metaphorically unto things properly without life and to call their restitution and reflourishing again from a weak decayed broken estate a reviving c. But now for the time Thirdly What may the midst of years be that he thus iterates Beloved there is such variety of Expositions given of this circumstance among the Learned that I should ill husband my time to enumerate them unless it would be to better purpose This only I shall doe first touch briefly upon some that I cannot close with and why and then lay before you that only which I take to be intended chiefly by the Prophet First I take not this Phrase barely to signifie Intra annos praefinitos destinatos à Deo within the compass of the years appointed by God as some note medium to be taken Physice vulgariter as in Gen. 2 9. and Exod. 3. 2. for I conceive that though this be a truth that God did