Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	england_n	great_a	king_n	4,201	5	3.7869	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A66783	Three grains of spirituall frankincense infused into three hymnes of praise, and humbly offered toward the publike thanksgiving, commanded by authority of Parliament to be celebrated throughout the Commonwealth of England, the 30 of this present January, 1650.	Wither, George, 1588-1667.	1651 (1651)	Wing W3196; ESTC R11665	5,852	15

THREE GRAINS OF Spirituall Frankincense Infused into Three Hymnes of Praise AND Humbly offered toward the publike Thanksgiving commanded by Authority of Parliament to be celebrated throughout the Commonwealth of England the 30. of this present January 1650. IF Scorners term these Ballads 't will not much Regarded be though there be many such For they perhaps are Fools or Children yet And may be wiser when they shall have wit If any thinks these Odes are over long Let him not do his credit so much wrong To say it till he sees what may be spar'd And passe thereon his judgment afterward There can arise no great discommendation By lengthning out a pious Recreation Nor merit they much heed that can be weary To sing of Dangers past and to be merry LONDON Printed by R. Austin 1651. To the Right Honourable JOHN BRADSHAVV Esqu LORD PRESIDENT OF THE Councell of STATE My Lord THe Parliament having lately graciously considered my humble Suit and long patience and I by the refreshment thereby obtained getting some leisure to entertain my naturall Genius an earnest Desire immediately possest me to perform somwhat which might shew me thankful to God and to those friends by whose Mercy I and my Family have been preserved from perishing under our late Pressures and he who wrought that Desire in me offered therewith to my thought an Undertaking sutable to my inclination with hope that he would inable to the perfecting thereof in due season though interruptions will be many and the time whereto I must confine my self very short The Supreme Authority hath enacted a publique Thanksgiving throughout this Common wealth on the thirtieth of this January being the last day of the late Kings life as also the first of Englands resuming her long lost Liberty a Day which may by good reason be made an everlasting Anniversary in remembrance of that and other great Deliverances And therefore I thought it would neither be an impertinent expression of my Gratitude nor unacceptable where I owe it to prepare proper Hymnes for that daies Celebration with some other brief Commemoration to keep in mind GODS late Mercies to this Republique when that daies solemnity shall be forgotten and thereupon composed among other assaies yet unfinished the three following Hymnes which I thus communicate before the perfecting of what is further intended in hope it may be a means to prepare the hearts of some for a more due observation of that Day by giving them space to consider how pertinent they are to the duty then required and that they may be thereby in readinesse for those who shall be willing to make use of such helps to Devotion Hymnes are so proper to publique acknowledgements of extraordinary Deliverances and Mercies spirituall or temporall that by the Primitive Churches Jewish and Christian they were this way commemorated and left upon record even to this day as appears in Holy Writ by the Hymns Songs and Psalms of Moses Deborah Hannah David Esay Hezekiah Simeon Zachary and Mary with others The practise also of Christian Churches in and after the Apostles time makes it evident that they sung Hymnes and Songs upon the severall occasions happening from time to time And though Scorners and ignorant persons do in this Age vilifie or contemn the gift of Poesie yet the most knowing and most pious among all Nations have alwaies practised and do still approve the use of that Faculty to rouze up spirituall affections in the soul toward the illustrating of Gods Praises and they who dispise it are dispisers of that Gift which God hath given for his own glory with our advantage For it is none of those accomplishments which may be acquired by meer human industry though it may be much better'd thereby but is one of Gods Peculiars and infused in the mothers womb as is generally confessed by learned and understanding men many of which have long studied for it in vain by meer helps of Art Upon these considerations and by the example of many Prophets and Poets for in some other languages one word signifies both who very well knew that advantages may be made by the right use of that Faculty upon such occasions of praise as have been vouchsafed to this Nation I have thereby sought to illustrate Gods Mercies with an assurance that it shall prepare the hearts of many to a more cheerfull performance of what is commanded and help to charm down those distempers which trouble the Common Peace and hinder our reconcilement both to God and to each other and I hope it will not seem Arrogance in me to offer them to that use For though it be no rare thing to see many run on errants before they are sent and to obtrude their undigested Conceptions upon publique Auditories yet private persons qualified by their Education Conversation and Gifts may with modesty and submission make tender of that which they conceive edifying yea and ought as I think so to do their consciences perswading it to be their duty because I find it was a Liberty Apostolically allowed and taken for private Christians to communicate their severall Gifts in publique Congregations and that he who brought a Hymn brought that which was acceptable as appears in that place where the Apostle prescribes what Order is to be observed at such Meetings According to that approved practise I offer the ensuing Hymnes composed and fitted to the Meridian of vulgar capacities and yet I hope not so inartificially composed as to make them despised of the learned I have also out of such tunes as the people are acquainted withall chosen those which are best sutable to the matter and occasion sitting the first Hymn to a strain beseeming the beginnings of Exultation The second to higher straines of rejoycing and the last to the fulnesse of praisefull Thanksgivings all which I humbly submit to your grave Censure And I dedicate and first send them to your Lordship for many good Reasons First by your approbation of their usefullnesse I shall be the more comfortably confirmed in that hope which I have thereof already Secondly your exemplary respect may make others perhaps take the more heed of them and by growing acquainted with them for your sake respect them afterward for their own Thirdly you were one of the most eminent personall instruments under God of that Justice upon which the many Mercies followed which are the subject of these Hymns and I thought they would be the more acceptable unto you in regard no man had been in greater danger if God by not appearing for us had permitted our Adversaries to prevail Lastly an Obligation lies upon me to give you some visible testimony of my thankfullnesse for benefits conferred For Sir notwithstanding it offends your modesty to hear me make offers of acknowledgements though it be in private yet I will now take the boldnesse to tell it openly that if God by his compassion moving in the heart of your Lordship and one other Noble Friend whose