Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	lie_v	young_a	youth_n	15	3	7.8084	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A94071	XXXI. select sermons, preached on special occasions; the titles and several texts, on which they were preached, follow. / By William Strong, that godly, able and faithful minister of Christ, lately of the Abby at Westminster. None of them being before made publique.	Strong, William, d. 1654.	1656 (1656)	Wing S6007_pt2; Thomason E875_1; ESTC R203660	179,143	303

the soul also use for sin will die by no other sword Dan. 4.27 Nebuchadnezars sin had been cruelty and oppression now he would have him break it off by shewing mercy to the poor as before he had made many poor Iohn Baptist that preached to Herod who heard him gladly yet he sticks at his Herodias Paul being to preach to Felix a corrupt and a lascivious Judge he doth it of righteousness and temperance and judgement to come and John met with their peculiar sin which was selfishness in the people extortion in the publican and violence and rapine in the souldiers and Christ to the woman of Canaan Go call thy husband Ioh. 14.16 And to the young man One thing thou lackest go sell all that thou hast so a man that knows the corruption that oftnest leads him captive he sets the edge of the word against it Sixthly he doth endeavour to grow up in the contrary grace and strengthens it by all means as we see Zacheus his sin was worldliness and defrauding now he grew in restitution and liberality the sin of the Jaylor was cruelty now he grows up in courtesie and Paul was a persecutor but now a preacher he thinks he can never do enough to advance and exalt that which before he did labour to his utmost endeavour to destroy I laboured more abundantly then they all Thirdly How doth this prove a sincere heart First This doth shew a man to be truly affected with Gods dishonour there is no way of evil wherein he hath so much dishonoured God as in this now looking upon sin as a wrong unto God that wherein he hath dishonoured God most with that he is affected most with Secondly This is a sin that he hath found the power of Satan most in and his own weakness most unable to resist and therefore against this sin he sets himself with the greatest earnestness this his sin did lie at his door in the guilt of it Gen. 4.7 which is a miserable thing talem habere Janitorem This he did in the guilt of it most fear and therefore this in the power and dominion of it he doth most hate which he doth shew a holy revenge against Thirdly This shews the truth of a mans self-denial and his hatred against sin there be some members in the body of sin that a man can be content to have them pared when they grow troublesom excrements or prejudice him in his reputation or advance in the world but now for a man willingly to cut off a right hand and pluck out a right eye when a man comes to that once that he will not spare his darling he may be sure he hates sin indeed Fourthly This shews forth the sincerity of a mans love to God for Christ saith he that loves Father or Mother more then me House or Land that will not part with these when God shall call for them he is not worthy of me now if a man part with what is deerest then his love to Christ is in truth Abrahams love to God appeared in this that he did not spare Isaac so we should do as a token that Gods infinite love commanded us to part with it as he spared not his son so shall we commend our love to God in this also to part with that morsel that we have tasted the greatest sweetness in Use Try the uprightness and sincerity of your hearts by this can you say that you have kept you from your own iniquity many men profess Religion and may go far in a form of Godliness and yet still their hearts run on after their former darlings Job 20.11,12,13 A sin that many a man carries with him to his grave and a man lies down in his grave with his bones full of a sin that hath been bred and grown up with a man from his youth But how should a man know what that sin is First It may be that which you may count a small sin and that which may lie in lawful things the yong mans darling was covetousness and the thorny ground their lusts ran out in a lawful way Mat. 13 22. A mans individual love to a wife to a child c. may draws a mans love from God and ruin him c. Secondly this sin may be so far snibbed and pruned by the word that for a long time it may not appear Heb. 12.15 A root of bitterness yet it may lie hid as a root in the ground a long time and a man may cast it out at last and afterward he may return unto his vomit Thirdly A mans darling may change with the change of a mans condition and some occasion that may present it self what was Sauls and Jehues Sin before they came unto the Crown we know not but surely it was that wherein their lust did afterward run out the establishing of the Kingdom upon their posterity wantonness may be the darling of a mans youth and worldliness the darling of his age and a mans being raised unto honour and having the opportunities that he had not in times past the lust may run in another channel he having now such an opportunity that before he never expected How may a man know what it is First It is that where a mans treasure is Mat. 6.21 there a mans heart is Now all things do taste best at the fountain and grapes at the wine-press Now a mans thoughts are the immediate issues of the soul let me ask thee where are thy thoughts in the midst of thy imployments thou art impatient till thou have leasure to take up thy mind wholly with thy treasure and as Sampson when thou returnest unto thy self thy retreats unto thy Dalilah Secondly What sin is most sweet to thee and brings thee in most delight and pleasure Iob 20.11 It is sweeter to a man then any thing else all other sins have not that sweetness that this one sin hath it is the meat that his soul lives upon from day to day Psal 11.3 Wicked mens dainties Thirdly this sin a man favours most and hides most he cannot endure to have it crost as we see in Haman Hest 5.13 being crost in his ambition if his darling be not pleased all other things will do a man no good and Herod also he will part with any thing till it comes to his Herodias this is a sweet morsel he hid it under his tongue cannot endure to hear it reproved c. Fourthly this sin makes all the rest of a mans lusts serviceable unto it indeed men in their unregenerate state do serve divers lusts and pleasures but all other lusts are subject and subordinate to this one Fifthly if God have had any dealing with thy soul any treaties by his spirit in common works what kept thee off from Christ what was the remora that thou couldst not come it was Iudas covetousness and Herods uncleanness and the young mans worldliness after many heating motions and they cool again that man is in an ill

green tree Isa 57.5 they are said to be for this cause mad upon their Idols Ier. 50.38 Now in madness there are two things furor and amentia here is both first all soundness of mind is taken away that a man cannot say Is there a not a lye in my right hand Secondly it carries the whole man with fury after it so that none more violent in their persecutions then such men are who desire or have embraced for Doctrines the conceits of men Thirdly there is no sin wherein men do manifest more folly striving to shew themselves wise they become fools Rom. 1.21 for how highly soever men esteem of humane contributions in Gods worship yet in Gods account they are no better then playes and mimical dancings Exod. 10.6 we know it was that which they intended for a Religious worship but being in a way of their own devising the Lord calls it play and the Apostle in 1 Cor. 10.7 renders it So that they were but childish carriages antiqui gestus neither suitable to the holiness of God nor the Majesty of his Ordinances only fit to please children and no more Fourthly No sin ripens Judgement more nor ripens a people more for Judgement So Ezek. 22.4 Thou hast defiled thy self with thy Idols thou hast caused thy daies to draw neer thou art come even unto thy years This provoked the Lord to break both the staff of beauty and of bands with which he fed his people as Zach. 11.7 the staff of beauty that excellent order of government that was amongst them was now turned into confusion and the staff of bonds of mutual love and amity that was amongst them turned to division And let no man be forward in the promoting of humane wisdom this way for Judg. 8.27 Gedeon made an Ephod and the people went a whoring after it but the thing proved a snare unto Gedeon and unto his house Lastly it is an endless sin wherein a man knows not where to stay as Hos 10.1 According to the multitude of his fruit he increased his Altars and according to the good ness of his land he hath made unto himself goodly Images as God blessed them in their estates so they began to bethink themselves of a more pompous way of Religion for if any mans fancy may be a rule then may one mans as well as anothers and so a man shall never know where to stay Secondly beware of it also for seeing it hath been a sin in so many ages of the Church it seems a mans nature is exceeding prone to it therefore take heed you be not insnared by it little children keep your selves from Idols amen 1 Ioh. 5. ult and you have great cause to take heed First because they are brought in under beautiful pretences the mysterie Babylon gives the wine of her fornication in a golden cup Rev. 17.4 and in this she is truly a Harlot her hands are snares and bands she is skilful to allure Secondly take the more heed because they come not in all at once but by degrees they creep in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iude 4. Eph. 4.14 they lie in wait to deceive it is a studied thing and they have a method in it and rules according to which they do proceed and they walk in craftiness the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which properly signifies deceit at dice so that there is not so much cheating and jugling in the most deceitful sport as there is used by them that in this kind lie in wait to deceive Hos 7.6 it was the way that Ieroboam had to bring in his Idolatry into this state his desires and purposes were as hot as an oven but the people were a great lump and they could not be presently leavened and therefore he sends forth his Agents into the several parts of his Kingdom and they did seek to leaven the people and in the mean time the Baker slept and ceased from raising the people were not leavened by and by nor fitted to receive such corrupt worship and therefore he did stay a while till it might be done Thirdly take heed of it for if it once begin it will strangely encrease if one that goes before do bring in some there be those that come after that will add to the plot as when Popery was set up we know one Pope added something and another something more till at last they made up that patched Religion If Ieroboam bring in the calves it s a thousand to one but afterwards Omri and Ahab shall set up the worship of Baal Fourthly it is a great dishonour to a Congregation for it makes all the worship of God unfruitful for in vain do they worship me teaching for doctrines the rudiments of men Mat. 15.9 nay it makes them sinful Amos 4.4 Go up to Bethel and transgress c. implying that the more they laboured in those services it is a bitter Sarcasm the more they did displease God and add to their own fin and judgement this turned Bethel the house of God into Bethaven Hos 10 5. Fifthly they will surely eat out all the heart of the worship of God in time 2 King 16.14,15 when Ahaz had set up a new fashioned Altar he commande● the Priests to burn the morning and evening sacrifices upon the great Altar that he had made thus we see it puts the Altar of God out of office and that they might think he had a Religious end in it he saith that the Brazen Altar that is the Altar of the Lord shall be for the King to enquire by si quando placebit as Iunius well notes upon the place Lastly this will stand a man in no stead in time to come it s spoken with some derision Hos 8.5 Oh Samaria thy calf hath cast thee off when the captivity came the Lord tells them that because they were very confident that they should be delivered but now it seems the calf hath cast you off Canaan was the Lords Land and he gave it to you and to your Fathers for an inheritance but as soon as you cast off God it is no wonder if the Calf cast off you and cast you out of the good Land that God hath given you Use Seeing the words are a promise that there shall be one God and one name consider promises are objects of faith grounds of hope and rules of prayer and by these things men live and in this is the life of our spirits Isa 38,16 that is on this we rest in these we hope and according unto these we pray and in this doth the life of a mans spirit mainly consist First then look upon this particular promise as an object of faith and concerning it we must exercise these four several acts of faith First let thy faith sound the depth of this promise for there be treasures in the word and they lie not above ground they must be digged for Prov. 2.4 and they be not the smallest to be had in the

promises what doth God here promise simplicity and sincerity in whatever concerns his worship and service for whatever is mixed departs from unity now of humane mixtures I find in Scripture three sorts and unto them all I conceive this promise reaches so our faith must look upon it First in Doctrine mixing the truth of God with false glosses and corrupt interpretations neither agreeing to the wisdom majesty or mind of the Holy-Ghost and this is the mixture here spoken of Ier. 23.28 what is the chaff to the wheat and yet if many Sermons were winnowed though the chaff is nothing to the wheat yet it might haply prove more then the wheat Secondly in worship Acts in the worship of God that have no other ground but the will of man that is the mixture the Apostle speaks of Col. 2.23 they did worship the true God and they did in many things perform those acts which he required but they mixed some acts out of their own will which God never commanded neither came it into his heart Ier. 7.31 Thirdly in Discipline a mixture of the Ordinances of God and of the Commandments of men sometimes turning the power they have from God against them for whose good and preservation it was mainly given the edge of the sword against the watch-man Ier. 36.5 he was shut up it was not in prison for he fled and hid himself and therefore it is conceived to be spoken of excommunication and so they slay the witnesses which cannot be understood litterally of killing them as men but Metaphorically killing them as witnesses Rev. 11.11 If there be a rotten member to be cut off they strike with the back of the sword but if a godly man have but a hair to be paired off they turn the edge and strike a full blow c. so vvhen men mix the Ordinances of God with their ovvn corrupt ends and order all things in matter of Government so as it shall best serve to advance their worldly ends colour over acts of policy vvith pretences of piety Say it is Corban for their ovvn advantage sake Mark 7.11 let thy faith engage thee to lay hold on the promise in all this and expect to be delivered from them all that in every one of these respects Gods name may be one Secondly put forth an act of reliance affiance recumbence or vvhatever else doth express an act of an humble and believing soul casting himself upon a promise to obtain it cleave to the word Psal 119.13 leave thy self vvith the promise for that is the expression the poor have themselves with thee Psa 10,14 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thirdly shut thy eyes against all difficulties stagger not at the unlikeliness of the means he that should look upon the Israelites at their division and see how much division and how much Idolatry there was amongst them and that of all the Nations round about but yet the Lord hath said it and it shall be accomplished in his season he that shall observe how exceedingly a pompous Religion pleaseth them and how much they are taken with humane additions in Gods service how firmly it is rooted and with what power it is backed he will be ready to say if God should create windows in heaven this could not be but know though there were mountains in this way of his people yet this could not hinder the accomplishment of a promise Who art thou O great mountain before Zerubabel thou shalt become a plain Zach. 4.6,7 nay and these mountains faith doth often remove and make them become a plain Fourthly wait for the performance of it in Gods due time Act 1.4 rejoyce for the promise of the Father though it may haply by sin be delayed God brought his people to the borders of the Land of promise and shewed them the good Land and yet by their unthankful walking they were led back again fourty years in the wilderness but however if it tarry rejocye for it for it will speak and it will not lye it will come and it will not tarry Hab. 2.3 Secondly let it be unto thee also a ground of hope the object of hope is good things to come and that which is grounded upon the promise is lively hope that never makes ashamed let there be an holy an earnest expectation and groaning for it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 go forth and meet the mercy while it is yet a far off And to stir up your hope consider first it will be a means to allay your present grief to see men usurpe the Throne of God and talk of sitting immediately in the consciences and to wring those tender wards of conscience that is as soon spoyled as a Ship cast away 1 Tim. 1.9 to hear the word of God as preached set forth by the unnourishing vapours of humane wit cannot but be a grief to a good heart so to see the Ordinances of God pure in themselves to be set out with the dressings and blandishments of the inventions of men like a wall of a marble with a roof of straw to see people turned away with every wind of Doctrine and when Ministers shall have cause to complain that have preached long in a place P. Martyr as Peter Martyr did at the coming in of Queen Mary when he heard in Oxford a Colledge bell ring to Mass the Students flocking there a pace Haec una notula omnem meam doctrinam evertit this bell rings a passing peal to all my Lectures to all my Sermons to that man to whom the Ordinances in their purity be dearer then his life it cannot but be a great grief as the contrary cannot but be a great matter of joy when he shall consider that the time will come when the Kingdom shall be the Lords and men shall corrupt the purity of his worship no more Secondly hereby the Ordinances shall be set up in their glory and they are surely the glory of a Nation wheresoever they are 1 Sam. 4 ult To see Romam in flore that is one of St. Austines wishes how much more doth a good heart desire to see Ecclesiam in flore that God may beautifie the house of his glory Isa 60 7. Thirdly then shall his people more fully enjoy the presence of God in his Ordinances for when the Temple is purged the glory of the Lord will fill the house Ezek. 43.1,2 and the name of the City shall be Jehovah Shammah the Lord is there Ezek. 48. ult Fourthly hereby the consciences of Gods people shall be freed from many an unnecessary burthen now ye should desire the peace of Jerusalem they shall prosper that love it Psal 1,22 6. suppose your consciences be not touched what if they be no burthens upon you yet where is the spirit that said who is offended and I burn not 2 Cor. 11.29 Thirdly let it be a rule of prayer for the promise is the only rule of what we can ask in faith and prayer the only ground of what we