Selected quad for the lemma: kingdom_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
kingdom_n	david_n	great_a	lord_n	2,198	5	3.5931	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A79474	The man of honour, described in a sermon, preached before the Lords of Parliament, in the Abbey Church at Westminster, March 26. 1645. The solemn day of the publique monethly-fast. / By Francis Cheynell, minister of Gods Word. Die Jovis, 27. Martii, 1645. It is this day ordered by the Lords in Parliament, that this House doth hereby give thanks to Master Cheynell for his great pains, taken in the sermon, he preached on the 26. of this instant March, in the Abbey Church Westminster, before the Lords of Parliament, it being the day of the publique fast. John Brown, Cler. Parliament.	Cheynell, Francis, 1608-1665.	1645 (1645)	Wing C3812; Thomason E279_3; ESTC R200026	64,263	74

God be not too hasty He that beleeveth maketh not haste Isai. 28. 16. Waite Gods leisure and God will in due time exalt you to such a degree of honour as will make most for his glory and yours God will do it in due time saith the Apostle but remember that God is the Judge and therfore that is the due time which he appoints Your time is in Gods hand Psal. 31. 15. If the time of your pref●rment were in your enemies hand it would be deferred too long if it were in your own hand it would be over-much hastned and come too soon Such green fruit would breed worms It is well your time is in Gods hand leave all to him beleeve and pray w●ite and pray pray to him that disposes of Honour and Power Victory and Glory make your acknowledgements in the words of David 1 Chro. 29. 11 12. Thine O Lord is the greatnesse and the power and the glory and the victory and the majestie for all that is in Heaven and Earth is thine Thine is the Kingdom O Lord and thou art exalted a● head above all both riches and honour come of thee and thou reignest over all and in thy hand is power and might and in thy hand it is to make great We humble our souls before thee we cast our care upon thee Exalt u● in due time that we may exalt thee give us grace to serve thee with all our power wealth and strength and honour thee with all our honour that thy power majestie and glory may be made known unto men This this is the way to recover all your honour Sixthly It will make exceedingly for your Honour to do most service when you have least encouragement because then it will appear that you do service upon Noble principles and do not intend to serve your selves But it will be objected That the greatest triall to a man of noble endowments is to be laid aside for that doth not onely reflect upon his Honour but deny him opportunitie of doing farther service This is indeed the saddest objection but I hope to return a satisfying answer First then consider That every man is not laid aside who is not constantly employed in Military affairs In other Common-wealths it doth not reflect upon any mans Honour if the date of his employment expire within an yeer or two Such was the wisdom of the Roman State that they seldom gave any long leases of Honour unto men that were deeply entrusted in eminent places of authoritie and command When the State was even surprized by some unexpected danger the Senate or Consuls did create a Dictator or in the absence of the Consuls in after times the people named some Pro-dictator and a Magister Equitum who by the Senates approbation were to take care of the Common-wealth But the same person continued not Dictator above six moneths unlesse his lease were renued and that was rare But it was more rare that there should be two Dictators at once Sylla would ●ain have been Dictator for five yeers and pleaded that Lex Valeria would justifie his desire but the Oratour denied that there was any such Law It is safer in places of such great trust and command to limit the time becansc you cannot so well limit their power Secondly All that have performed considerable service heretofore have cause to blesse God who did them the Honour in times past to make use of them in any Noble and renowned atchievements All that are Emeriti have made the State nay the enemies of the State sensible of their worth and therefore they do not lay down their Arms but hang them up as Ensignes of Victory Thirdly God hath an absolute Power and Soveraign Command over the greatest men in the World and they owe Absolute subjection to the will pleasure providence of the God of Heaven Come acknowledge your subjection God is not bound to use the same Instruments still Instruments are no helps to him for he helps his Instruments and works all i● them and for them God loves to shew his Prerogative and make great ones know that he is not beholding to them to do his work he will let them see that he can do his work without them My Lords I dare not flatter you there are enough can do that who are onely men in black and no Divines I speak to you in the name of the mightie God who breaks in peices mightie men without number and sets others in their stead Job 34. 24. God having varietie of Instruments doth delight to use them by turns If any are unfaithfull they have been used too long but all that have faithfully performed their part of the service will not or need not repine if men of meaner abilities take their turn the meaner they are the more should God be glorified and you humbled Fourthly When God hath tried men in the duties of active obedience he doth usually call them to honour him farther by passive obedience and it is no easie matter to come off with honour in the passive part Great spirits will finde it task enough for to be patient they will have work enough to keep themselves humble in such a case and therefore they need not complain for want of work My Lords It is a Work indeed to mortifie self-love it is no easie matter for great men to take themselves off from self-confidence self-conceitednesse and self-ends that their hearts may be wrought unto a self-deniall which is the foundation of Christianitie and at this time the onely means in sight of our safetie Can you imitate David in one of the most royall services that ever we read of it was a self-denying service a royall and magnanimous but sweet submission to the Will of God If I finde favour in the eyes of God he will bring me back again and employ me farther that was his meaning But if he say I have no delight in thee behold here am I let him do unto me as seems good in his sight 2 Sam. 15. 25 26. My Lords Suffer me to deal freely and honestly with you It may be God sees that your hearts are like to be lifted up by too high an opinion of what God hath done by you in former times and therefore God would have you breath and rest a while that you may be sufficiently humbled and so fitted for some higher and nobler peece of active obedience and then you 'l shew more bright and glorious after this seeming sad eclipse At low water you have him to tread the banks whilest the ship is in the barbour you may dresse it and trim it and make it able to endure storms and tempests They that are employed will shew themselves men they adventure far and you have a full employment your votes have an influence into all affairs of high concernment Be not displeased but rest assured That your active spirits and inlarged hearts will by the blessing of Heaven have fairer opportunities and

heels shall compasse them about vers. 5. And surely none have more cause to fear then the great ones of the world vers. 6. They that are so rich that they trust in their riches and boast of their riches which the wisest of men are forced to leave to others v 10. have a deep though vain conceit that their houses shall continue for ever and therefore call their lands by their own names v. 11. But alas not withstanding this their Atheisticall Dream they abide not in their Honour for they are like the Beasts that perish And yet though this their way is their folly undeniable folly their Posterity are such fools as to imitate their Practices and approve their Sayings Selah vers. 13. Oh look not upon this Censure as a Jerk of Wit for it is indeed A sad Preface to a black Sentence full of horrour For mark what follows When a man is made rich and the glory of his house is encreased he is usually so taken up with his wealth and glory that he forgets the mortality of his frail body and the eternity of his precious soul He doth not consider how he may be ransomed from the strength of sin the sting of death the hand of the grave the power of hell and therefore his body falls like the carcase of a Beast the Grave hath victory over him and Death feeds upon him Like sheep they are laid in the grave death shall feed upon them vers. 14. And though whilst he lived he was applauded by others and he blessed hi● own soul vers. 18. yet his soul shall go to the Generation of his fathers he shall never see light Tell me tell me is not this 〈◊〉 black Sentence full of Horrour Menglory in their Pedigre● and are as it were damned ex traduce They take a pride in imitating the errours and vanity of their forefathers who lived in darker times and they shall go to the Generation of their fathers where they shall never see light for to such is reserved the blackness● of darknesse for ever And then to close up all the Prophet warbles over the dark saying of the Text upon his dol●full Harp it is the Burden of the Psalm and the Burden of many a guilty cons●ience which will one day swea● and groan and sink under the weight of it Man that is in Honour and understandeth not falls like the Beasts that perish In the words be pleased to observe 1. The Honourable estate or in your own Language the precious Peerage of great men A Noble-man is homo in pretio as Junius hath it a man to be prized and honoured 2 The wilfull and dishonourable Inconsideratenesse of men in Honour Man that is in Honour and understands not 3. The lamentable Downfall and beastlike Ruine of such as fall from their Order from their God and from their Honour They are like the Beasts that perish First for your Honourable Estate without any Courtship or Complement I must observe That a Noble-man is Homo in pretio one that is prized and honoured in a Civill account Be pleased Brethren to suspend your Censure till I come to speak of the Christian account They that are truely-Noble are the a bl●ssing and b glory of a Kingdom Their honourable men or their glory are men of famine Isa. 5. 13. And dignities are called glories in the eighth verse of the Epistle of Jude When men are not honoured according to the weight worth dignity of their Places and Persons they are as it were c blasphemed and cursed in the Scripture-phrase But that I may top the rising Errours of the time give me leave to distinguish of a threefold Honour Civill Philosophicall and Christian First for Civill Honour we must consider that it was purchased of old by the worth of renowned Ancestours who were the glory of their times and is it not fit that Posterity should enjoy the Purchase of their Forefathers Those Titles of Honour which help to set forth a son of mean parts and but ordinary abilities might cost the Father or Grandfather very dear he might forsake his meat break his sleep exercise his strong parts and put forth his eminent gifts for the Service of the Common-wealth of England and Church of God It is probable that he did lay out vast sums for the pu●like good adventured his life for his Countrey and shall a Title of Honour purchased by gold laid out in an honourable way nay purchased by sweat and blood be taken away from the son of this Noble Progenitour The publike Faith of the Kingdom is virtually engaged for the Ennoblishment of his Posterity by Justice and Equity in all Nations thorowout the world the childe of such noble Ancestours ought to enjoy with honour what his Progenitours have purchased for him at so dear a Rate True it is that God hath made all Nations of men of one blood Acts 17. 26. and therefore as we are descended from Adam our blood is of the self-same complexion but the strength wisedom valour wealth vertue of Ancestours in succeeding Generations did purchase transcendent degrees of Honour for themselves and their Posterity The Titles of Dukes Marquesses Earles and Barons were anciently bestowed on them to whose Vertue Prowesse Wisedom the Kingdom was beholding both for Counsel and Assistance in times of War and Peace The first Dukes or a Duces undertook a great Charge their Office was full of Care and Trust and Danger Duke was a Title of Duty rather then Dignity as Master Cambden observes The Title of Lord b Marcher was accounted more honourable then that of Marquesse because it was more ancient and did import some honourable Service Barons were men of Valour Robora Belli and therfore are engaged to shew their Valour by their very Title Why were the Ensignes of Distinction first born upon Shields but because they who purchased them at first did use their own Bodies as a Shield to bear off those fatall Blowes which would otherwise have lighted upon the Body of the Common-wealth This may suffice to shew that noble-men of old did pay a valuable Consideration for those Titles of Honour which their Posterity enjoy But put the case that the son of noble Progenitours prove degenerate and hath nothing to ennoble him but an empty Title I answer that such a man hath nothing that should tempt a wise man to envie him What is an empty Title so great a Provocation Do not envie him that for his Forefathers sake who purchased it of the Common-wealth Ye ought to stand to that Bargain by which the Common-wealth is so great a gainer The Jews took their Kings and their Priests for better for worse as they arose by lineall descent God doth not onely shew mercy to the fourth Generation but to some hundreds of men for the forefathers sake Again consider whether this Heir be desperate may he not be recovered If not yet the Breed may mend

wealth and glory of the world as drosse and dung in comparison of Jesus Christ A Believer is strong in Christ rich in faith because rich in Christ he is wise in Christ and noble in Christ he is nothing in himself and all things in Christ for Christ is all in all unto him Believers are the Members of Christ and the Apostle shews that the Head and Members make but one Christ 1 Cor. 12. 12. and therefore all Believers must needs be Noble by their intimate relation to Christ this glorious Title of Christ being imposed upon them as united in one Body to their Head the Lord Jesus Christ This one Title of Honour doth outshine and eclipse all the admired Titles of Honour in the most flourishing Common-wealths Once more Faith i a noblegrace if it be faith of the right strain the faith of Gods elect a faith that is not built upon Quicksands upon Hearsays and Fancies upon the Authority of man much lesse upon the Authority of the Man of sin the Pope or Church of Rome nay the true Church the Church of Christ is not the foundation of our Noble faith for an Implicite faith though grounded upon the Authority of the true Church is but an Ignoble faith because it leads men hood winked to a blinde obedience The Disciples of Berea were noble Christians because they were endued with a faith that was truely Noble a searching faith a busie faith an examining faith they were ready to receive any Scripture-truth but they loved to be sure and therefore compared even the Apostles Doctrine with the written word You may read the story Acts 17. 11. These were {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} better born more Noble then those in Thessal●nica But wherein did their Noblenesse consist Why in that they received the Word with all rea lin●…ss● of minde and searched the Scriptures d●…ly whether those things were so They were not slow to believe what the Apostles taught for they received the Word with all readinesse of minde but they made no more haste then good sp●ed they searched the Scriptures and search●d them daily there 's work for Noble-men that know not how to passe away their time Search the Scriptures that 's a Noble employment On that Noble-men would make it both their businesse and their recreation also that they might be fitted with the Noble Science of Christ and Heaven * I desire to close up this point in a word All reall Christians are spirituall Kings the Prince of the Kings of the earth loved us so well as to wash us in his own pretious blood that he might make us Kings unto God Revel. 1. 5 6. We are kings by birth born to a Kingdom by a new and miraculous birth We are kings by purchase the Kingdom cost Christ dear but it cost us nothing and therefore the Kingdom comes to us by deed of gift also We are kings by conquest our Lord and Master hath conquered principalities and powers for us he hath conquered the World and t●● Devil for us nay he hath conquered even our own selves for us by mortifying our lusts within us and therefore we are more then conquerours thorow him that loved us and overcame our spirituall enemies for us Finally We are kings by marriage the soul of every beleever is married to the King of Kings and is attended with a guard of Angels This is not onely a Noble but a Royall marriage If a woman that was Noble by marriage marry a second husband that is no Nobleman she looses her nobilitie and becomes ignoble If our souls fall into a league with Sin and Satan Death and Hell our souls are made ignoble we are servants of sin slaves of Satan the undoubted heirs of Hell and damnation But if when Christ makes love to our souls we do with all humilitie and thankfulnesse embrace the offer and take him for our Lord and our Love our King and our Husband We have Heaven made over to our souls for ever not as a Joynture but an Inheritance We are Kings to God and Heirs Coheirs with Christ Such Honour have all the Saints for they are the men whom the King of Kings doth delight to honour and they shall continue in their honour because they understand their dependance and will continue in their adherence to the fountain of honour They shall not be like the Beasts of the field but like the Angels of Heaven satisfied with honour and crowned with glory And so I passe to my second observation which is briefly this Doctrine Men that are in Honour do too often behave themselves more like Beasts then Men They are Beasts for want of understanding and Beasts in regard of perishing as it is in my Text Man that is in Honour and understandeth not is like the Beasts that perish 1. They are Beasts for want of understanding or for want of consideration for they will not understand so Arias Montanus renders it They are so wilfully inconsiderate that they become like bruite Beasts that have no understanding Men in Honour are very bruitish if they understand nothing concerning the eternall welfare of their pretious soul nothing concerning Religon and Happinesse Heaven and Holinesse Surely saith that ingenuous man Prov. 30. 2 3. I am more brutish then any man I have not the understanding of a man I neither learned wisedom nor have the knowledge of the holy Though a man hath a deep reach and be endued with strong and happy parts though he be an able Statesman a profound Politician yet if he hath not the knowledge of the holy a spirituall practicall experimentall saving knowledge the knowledge of a Christian the knowledge of a Saint he is but a brutish man he hath no knowledge of that grace and glory of which the pretious soul of a man is capable and therefore if he be a man he is but a brutish man nay he hath not the understanding of a man and therefore may well be compared to the Beasts that perish He that knows nothing after the right manner nothing as he ought to know it Is not he a Beast And doth not the Apostle point at such Beasts 1 Corinth 8. 2. How little is it that great men understand of those great Things of Eternitie And yet how many great men of the world who understand Religion no more then Beasts being steeled with ignorance impudence and Atheism do take the boldnesse to censure what they understand not These men should learn the wisedom and modesty of Socrates who when he met with an obscure Book passed his judgement thus The things in this Book saith be as far as I understand are generous and truely noble and for the rest I have no reason to censure it because I do not understand it Saint Jude gives two Characters of men that are transformed into Beasts The first is this They speak evil of those things they know not the second is this What they