Selected quad for the lemma: kingdom_n
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A26011
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A svpport for the sinking heart in times of distresse, or, A sermon preached in London to uphold hope and allay feare Ianuary 4th which was a day of great trouble and deepe danger in the city / by Simeon Ash.
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Ashe, Simeon, d. 1662.
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1642
(1642)
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Wing A3967; ESTC R15872
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23,491
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36
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us in the truth of the doctrine now under hand viz. That in the Mount of the Lord it shall appeare Mans extremity is Gods opportunity In case you inquire the Reasons of this divine dispensation I returne answer That God thus worketh in reference to Himselfe His people Their enemies 1. In reference to himselfe The prayse and glory of his own blessed Name designed in all his works is the supreame end aymed at in this Providence This God bringeth in as the cause why his hand carryed Israel to the very side of the Sea into the mouth of death before deliverance should appeare I will be honoured upon Pharaoh and upon all his hoast that the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord Vpon such occasions the Attributes of the Lord breake forth in glory His Wisdome is most manifested when it worketh beyond meanes above meanes that humane reason cannot find out divine foot-steps His Power truimphs when all opposition shrinketh before his wondrous workings The like might be shewed concerning his other excellencies The event of Gods dealings with Daniel and the three young governours in the times of their straights discover that this was Gods intent in those providences For marke how Nebuchadnezzar and the King Darius did trumpet forth the praises of the God of Shadrach Mesech Abednego and Daniel when they were eye witnesses of those two glorious deliverances which were wrought on by omnipotency Then Nebuchadnezzar spake and said blessed be the God of Shadrach Meshach and Abednego who hath sent his Angell and delivered his servants that trusted in him and have changed the Kings word and yeelded their bodies that they might not serve nor worship any god except their owne God Therefore I make a decree that every people nation and language which speake any thing amisse against the God of Shadrach Meshach and Abednego shall be cut in pieces and their houses shall be made a dung-hill Then King Darius wrote unto all people nations and languages that dwell in all the earth I make a decree that in every dominion of my Kingdome men tremble and feare before the God of Daniell for he is the living God and stedfast for ever and his Kingdome that which shall not be destroyed and his dominion shall be even unto the end He delivereth and resoueth and he worketh signes and wonders in Heaven and in earth who hath delivered Daniell from the power of the Lyons By both these instances it is evident that the Lord doth appeare in the Mount for his owne sake to get and raise himselfe a name in the world 2. God doth thus work in respect to his own people And here I will note only foure particulars 1. Sometimes that he might discover to his servants for their encouragement both the truth and strength of his owne graces in them This was the reason why God thus tryed Abraham that he might manifest that holy feare which was planted in his breast Hereupon God putteth him to it and carrieth him into the Mount leadeth him into distresse by degrees acting him on to build the Altar to lay the wood in order to bind his Isaack to lay him upon the Altar upon the wood yea to take the knife and to stretch forth his hand to slay his sonne before he did appeare for his comfort in giving order for the lengthening of Isaacks life And now when there seemed to be but one minute of time unto the effusion of Isaacks blood heare the good newes from Heaven Abraham I know thou fearest me 2. Sometimes to manifest the feeblenesse of some grace in their hearts for their humbling Peter thought himselfe full enough of courage to come to Christ upon the sinking seas it he might have a call Well! marke the issue Christ calleth him come out Peter but when he saw the windes boysterous and when his sooting failed he began to sinke then he was afraid and cryed out hereupon observe Christs answer O thou of little faith why didst thou doubt 3. That he may set the graces of his Spirit in exercise both for their increase and for the enfeebling of contrary lusts We know that habits are strengthened by exercise and grace is augmented in its measure by being put forth vigorously in it's operations And by how much any grace gathereth strength by so much the opposing corruption becommeth feeble in a Christian brest And that the Lord hath this end in this kind of working it might be evidenced by manifold instances but for brevities sake I will only point at one in one single experiment As holy affiance in God is confirmed so by such like dispensations creature confidence is abated in holy hearts 2 Cor. 1.9 10. But we had the sentence of death in our selves that we should not trust in our selves but in God which raiseth the dead who delivered us from so great a death and doth deliver in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us Men in straights see the strength of creature helps shunke up and withered whereupon they dare leane to them no longer but Gods irresistible power profound wisdome abundant goodnesse and other glorious attributes in such difficult cases being clearely discovered the soule is incouraged confidently to cast it selfe into his armes for future times 4. That their deliverance might be more sweet to their spirits and consequently that their joyes might the more readily runne out before his Majesty in holy thankfullnesse When we expect that now our houses shall be fired the City sack it our estates wasted our wives abused our children cruelly murthered our Sabbath and weeke day meetings interrupted our Parliament dissolved and our Kingdome desolated Now to see these clouds to blow over and our Sunne to breake forth againe oh how sweet will this glorious change be to our now-dropping hearts Davids experince speaks to this purpose Psal 34.1 2 3. A Psalme of David when he changed his behavior before Abimelech who drove him away and he departed I will blesse the Lord at all times his praise shall continually be in my mouth My soule shall make her boust in the Lord the hamble shall heare thereof and be glad oh magnifie the Lord with me and let us exalt his name together Psal. 86.12 1 3. I will praise thee O Lord my God with all my heart and I will glorifie thy name for evermore For great is thy mercy toward me and thou hast delivered my soule from the lowest hell But more fully and fitly may our Kingdome concernments be expressed by Psal. 1 24. if our God be pleased now to appeare in the Mount for London for England in this day of our deep danger and exceeding exceeding great feare And our desired deliverance from present perplexities may with joy of soule be expressed by the words of that Psalme If it had not beene the Lord who was on our side now may England say if it had not beene the Lord who was on our side when men rose up
Mount Minde this I pray you and labour herein to be like this gracious man thus devoted to Gods feare 2. You must not dare to adventure upon any known sinne though it be to safeguard your persons your estates your places of favour and honour your any thing your all things under the Sunne A man of this make is one who may expect to meet with the Almighty in the Mount The proofe of this is faire in the experience of Daniell The decree was signed he must not for thirty dayes pray unto his God if he did he must be throwne into the Lyons den well saith Daniell let the Lyons make a meale upon my body I am resolved I will not forbeare this worship due to my God I will not thus interrupt my communion with my heavenly Father The like you have in the three young Governours the King he would have them fall down and worship the image he had set up If you will not you must into the furnace Marke their answer Our God whom we serve is able to deliver but if not be is knowne unto thee we will not serve thy gods And the proofe of the point reported how God appeared in the dayes of their distresse for their deliverance unto these experiments I might adde Promises If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoake the putting forth of the singer and speaking vanity and if thou draw out thy soule to the hungry and satisfie the afflicted soule The meaning is if you will betake your selves to courses of piety and mercy contrary to your former wayes of wickednesse and violence then shall your light breake forth in obscurity and your darknesse be as the noone-day And the Lord shall guide thee continually and satisfie thy soule in drought and make fat thy bones and thou shalt be like a watered garden and like a spring of water whose waters faile not If iniquity be in thy hand put it farre away and let not wickednesse dwell in thy Tabernacle for then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot yea thou shalt be stedfast and thou shalt not feare What incouragements should these be to perswade us to reforme our selves and to endeavour the amendment of one another Therefore goe home now and thus say to God and to your selves seriously and sincerely I am resolved I will leave my cheating and cozening my oathes lying my hypocrisie and pride and all my other known sinnes Away with these and all other discovered abhominations promise God for future times to betake your selves unto a better course of living as you desire the sweet and seasonable discoveries of God in the time of your greatest need Secondly The meanes of your good must be used and they are 1. Civill 2. Sacred For Civill meanes You must not say we care not whether we have any more watch in the City night or day we will trouble and charge our selves no further in this kind But you must hold on in being serviceable to divine providence otherwise you will tempt God There is a notable example of Joab in this case both commendable and imitable When Joab saw the front of the battle was against him before and behind he chose all the choice men of Israell and put them in array against the Syrians and the rest of the people he delivered into the hand of his brother And he said if the Assyrians be too strong for me then thou shalt helpe me but if the children of Ammon be too strong for thee then I will come and helpe thee Now be of good courage and let us play the men and fight for God and our country and the Lord doe that which seemeth him good Remember we have by solemne protestation bound our selves before God to doe our utmost in wayes lawfull for the honour of our King the liberty of the Protestant Religion for the peace and welfare of the three Kingdomes and for the priviledges of our Parliament and keeping within the limits of our callings to oppose Popery and popish innovations Therefore every man according to the lawes of God and of the land must unweariedly be industrious night and day for the Kingdomes good in the use of meanes both defensive and offensive as necessity may require 2. There are meanes sacred Teares and Prayers are the Christians best weapons this munition let us make use of Jeh shaphat surrounded with danger when Moab Ammon and the children of Mount Seir came out against him what course doth he betake himselfe to he feared and set himselfe to seeke the Lord and proclamed a fast And David being in danger to loose both his Kingdome and his life by the insurrection of Absolom betooke himselfe to prayer to breake the neck of Achitophels crafty counsell and also to secure himselfe from the hand of violence now stretched forth against him Beloved as Gods command and the practise of his people doe guide us unto this imployment so Gods pretious promises and our own glorious experiences touching the prevalency of this ordinance should perswade our perseverance herein in these times of feare and danger Secondly What is the improvement of the originall word here used In the Mount Jehovah shall be seene This title hath much in it a great deale more then I may mention Thus much I have observed from holy Scripture that it both 1. Advanceth God 2. And advantageth a Christian in times of straights Let the righteous be glad let them rejoyce before God yea let thē exceedingly rejoyce Sing unto God sing praises to his name extoll him that rideth on the Heavens by his Name Jah and rejoyce before him Foure things there be hinted in this title Jehovha and they are all usefull for our present purpose This title holdeth forth the Lords 1. Soveraignty 2. Independancy 3. Immutability 4. Fidelity 1. It suggesteth the Lords unlimited Soveraignty his absolute and undoubted authority over all things Jehovah he is the most high not only high or higher then many or more high then the most but the most high over all the earth It is Jehovah that ruleth Kings and ordereth Crowns joy in him he can rule both the Kings heart and counsell he governeth in the Country and in the City at Westminster and here within the walls Therfore still rejoyce in him for he is Jehovah the all-governing Majesty 2. It noteth his independancy All creatures for their continuance have a kind of dependance upon one another As the grasse and plants upon the earth the bruites upon the fruits of the earth and our nutriment is from inferior creatures But our Jehovah dependeth upon none he is of and from himselfe he needeth no servant no service In him we all live move and have our being but his Majesty is beholding to none either men or Angels either for being or wel-being Thus much God intended to teach by his speech to Moses and God said unto