Selected quad for the lemma: kingdom_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
kingdom_n	earth_n	hand_n	lord_n	2,385	5	3.7503	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A52050	The right vnderstanding of the times opened in a sermon preached to the Honorable House of Commons, December 30, 1646, at Margaret Westminster, being the day of their solemne monethly fast / by Stephen Marshall ...	Marshall, Stephen, 1594?-1655.	1647 (1647)	Wing M771; ESTC R6357	33,802	51

better for you Did you then thus know the times did you then walke as wise men redeeming the times did you know what God expected from you in your places and have you done it O blessed yee if you have But I beseech you will it not rather appeare upon a true search that many of you in those dayes walked in the wayes of riot in uncleannesse in drunkennesse possibly in swearing in prophaning Gods holy time in opposing and scorning Religion was it not thus it behoves you to search did you not make your owne Families the Townes and Lordships where you lived the worse for you as so many Jeroboams causing Israel to sinne did not you thereby helpe to pull downe those judgements that have beene like to devoure and destroy this whole Land and if so have you beene humbled under these things have you since repented of them or do they still stand upon your score before that God that keeps an exact accompt of all the Talents that ever hee hath put into your hands I beseech you enquire into it but let me goe further and enquire whether since the time that God hath separated you from your brethren and by a notable providence called you out to be the heads of all our Tribes have you since that time knowne the times in reference to your duties It is now above six yeers since many of you have beene called to this worke one of the greatest workes that mortall men have beene imployed in these many hundreds of yeers a work wherein you have beene assisted not onely with the prayers and teares of those that feare God throughout the Christian world but with the states and blood of many and God himselfe hath carried you in his bosome and made you the most remarkable handfull of men that I thinke this day breath upon the earth in regard of the mercies that hee hath shewed you and in this time certaine I am hath put into your hands as many golden opportunities not onely required as many duties but put as many golden opportunities into your hands to establish our wretched kingdome and to rescue a decayed lukewarme Apostatized Church as ever were put into the hands of a Parliament Now beloved have you known your times and taken your opportunities I know it well that you have wrestled with huge difficulties infinite oppositions and I know that oft-times the perversnesse of a Patient poysoning his owne disease or wounds may frustrate the care of the best Physitians and God forbid that that which is onely your misery should ever bee imputed to you as your sinne but suppose upon a diligent search any of you that are called to bee our wise men to know the times for us that at your doore it should lie in great part that our miseries are not yet healed how sad would that bee To this end I most humbly pray you inquire if upon a diligent search there should bee found among you any who at this day live in the same sinfull riotous ungodly wicked conversation that they led before God called them to this publique service that after your solemne oath with your hand lifted up to the most high God for the reformation of your wayes that you should bee found still with Zimri and Cozbi to live in those sinnes for which God is judging this Nation Were this to know the times and what Israel hath to doe Suppose further there should bee found amongst you any such as should ordinarily neglect the publique service and turne your backs upon it to attend your own private affaires after that the Kingdome hath put into your hands whatsoever under God is pretious and deare unto them were this to know the times and what Israel hath to doe Suppose there should bee found amongst you any that should seeke advantage to themselves out of publique calamities or should sinfully helpe to undoe those for whom they are called to bee Saviours were this to know the times Suppose that any of you should bee found unjust in judgement and favour an unrighteous man in his cause either for corrupt gaines or out of opposition to them you like not and so prostrate the untainted honour of the Parliament to the reproach of the adversaries the scandall of the Nation the teares and griefe of them who love you were this to know the times and what Israel hath to doe Suppose it should bee found that there should bee any that in matters of Religion should side with a partie for corrupt and sinfull ends and make Religion but an Engine to carry on some other sinfull designe were this to know the times and what Israel had to doe Suppose yet further that upon a diligent search there should be found among you any that doe retard matters of the greatest moment that the setling of Religion should bee obstructed by you that many people abroad are remisse in it because they judge you have no heart to it were this to know the time and what Israel hath to doe Suppose that the cries and teares of the oppressed I meane not the fatherlesse and widowes whom I am confident the Houses of Parliament would helpe this very day if it lay in their power but the cries of some oppressed by Committees or others in the Countrey should come up to you and seeke for succour and it should bee found that some of you should patronize the wrong-doers and keepe them off from comming to a hearing and thereby from redresse were this to know the times and what Israel had to doe Honorable and Worthy doe not mistake mee I am farre from saying it is so I onely suggest these things to your owne search and if in naming the particulars I mistake any of them God knowes it is with the same singlenesse of heart wherewith Job sanctifyed his Children sacrificed for them saying Peradventure my sonnes have sinned and cursed God in their hearts sure I am it concernes you all to search and try for if it should be so wee are all like to smart for it for as he said of the Roman Senate Ita nati est is ut bona malaque vestra ad rempub. pertineant Your condition is such that your good and your evill is the good and evill of the Commonwealth it belongs to us all and should the great God find any of you walking thus unworthy of the great trust hee hath committed to you when hee hath put as it were the fates of his Church and Kingdome in your hands under him to dispose of them h●s wrath would bee kindled against you these things would lie very heavy upon your score and wee and you should dearely rue it Sure I am there is not a man of us but for some or other of these things hath just cause to lay his hand upon his heart with sorrow and to put his mouth in the dust and this day to bee very deepely humbled and abased before God And this is the first Use a Use of

after it In Haggai his dayes the Reformation was begun then laid aside God presently smote them with Blasting and Mildew and would have undone them if they had not taken it up againe God lookes you should carry this work on And I adde Without setling Religion you shall never settle the Common-wealth Hee that writes a Booke of the corrupt and troubled state of the Church will hardly ever write a Booke of the quiet and setled State of the Commonwealth Christ is King of Nations and Common-wealths as well as King of Saints Now the glory of Christ is so much concerned in the matter of Religion that they shall never finde him propitious to them for their good in humane affaires who neglect him in that that is dearest to him But what have our Heads and Rulers to doe in that I feare not to say confidently that they are mistaken who say you have nothing to doe with it All the good Kings that ever I read of in the booke of God thought not onely they had to doe with it but it was their first work a Jove principium they all began with it they ever accounted the Reformation preservation propogation of Religion to be their Crown but what have you to doe I answer you must with David set your whole hearts to the house of your God really and seriously with Solomon set as many on worke as you can possibly to prepare materialls for Gods house with Jehosaphat send abroad as many faithfull Preachers as you can to goe about and instruct the people from Towne to Towne and Citie to Citie till you can get Ministers to bee setled With Nehemiah labour to build the walls of Jerusalem though in a troublesome time with a Sword in one hand and a Trowell in the other set up discipline to bee a hedge and fence to the Churches With Hezekiah labour to provide honorable maintenance for Gods house and his Ministers that young men may not bee discouraged in their studies For when young Students can see Galen and Justinian the study of the Law or Physick can give them wealth and honour and the Ministry nothing but beggery it will bee a great snare to them though the worke of the Ministry bee honorable and hath an abundant reward with God yet for want of maintenance the house of God will bee forsaken Sint Maecenates non deerunt marones Men of parts must have incouragement and in your provision for them forget not the Schooles of the Prophets remember the Universities Indeavour to carry on the worke that the beautie and power of Religion may be promoted and the Lord direct you to it Seventhly and lastly Our times are times of Deliverances the greatest deliverances that I thinke the Lord hath wrought since hee brought Israel out of Egypt such deliverances as we our selves are like men in a dreame such deliverances that there hath beene but few footsteps of ordinary Providence in them deliverances that have beene the fruit of Prayer the fruit of Covenanting the fruit of Fasting and in all these the fruit of free grace wherein the Lord hath exceeded not onely our Faith but our Prayers and hath measured out to us all that hee hath done by the shekel of the Sanctuary his own shekel that is double of ours I know you forget not the wonderfull things the Lord hath done and what have our Heads to doe at such a Time Truly all others with you but you more then all at such a time must bee carefull of these foure things First God expects when hee workes deliverances that his people should consider his workes and stand amazed at it When the Lord turned the captivitie of Zion wee were like men in a dreame our mouth was filled with laughter and our tongue with joy The Lord say they hath done great things for us Thus let us admire his works In times of deliverance you must bee very carefull to pay your vowes the vowes that you made in the time of your low condition the vowes you made when your Selves and Liberties and Religion and the Kingdom were all like to bee buried quicke together God expects in times of deliverance to have those vowes remembred and paid consider what they were Thirdly When the Lord workes such deliverances hee expects and it will very well become the Heads of our Tribes to keepe the same lowly and humble spirit that they had while God kept them under afflictions to have their eares as much opened to good counsell when God hath exalted them as when hee abased them this is a hard lesson to learne I finde the best of all Gods servants have much failed in this particular Good David himselfe in the day of his prosperity kept not alwayes that humble spirit which hee had in his low estate nor Asa nor Uzziah nor Hezekiah and wee know the story of that famous Queen whose motto in the time of her afflictions was Tanquam ovis as a sheepe for the slaughter yet afterwards it was thought needfull to intreate that it might not bee tanquam indomita juvenca as an untamed Heifer Men are infinitely prone to bee lifted up when God enlarges them but God infinitely detesteth it and will not put it up at the hands of any Therefore I most humbly beseech you Right Honorable and Honorable and beloved let David and Solomon his sonne and Uzziah and Hezekiah bee warnings to you and doe you labour to maintaine the same lowly spirit that you had when you could keepe dayes of mourning for the sinnes of the Kingdome for your personall sinnes and Parliament sinnes such a spirit would infinitely please God And lastly In the time of deliverance God expects of those that are the Heads and Rulers of a people that every deliverance should by them bee improved to the utmost for the end for which it is given every Rod hath a voyce and calls for some dutie and every mercy and deliverance hath a voyce and calls for a dutie every victory your Armies have got and every towne hath beene surrendred every plot that hath been discovered hath some dutie written upon it which God expects you should learne All these things without question lie upon you and God doth and will expect them at your hands and what heart would not tremble to thinke how much lies upon you my soule is deepely affected with your taske more then humane strength must carry you on or you will bee impares oneri never able to goe through your work VVhat gratious man who understands this would ever pray to God in his Chamber without remembring you and your work and for you your selves O what need is there that you should call in the Payers and supplications of all Gods people to helpe you and that every one of you lay aside any businesse of your owne all self-interest and count it to be but catching of Flyes in comparison of the worke you are called to and