Selected quad for the lemma: land_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
land_n	bring_v	call_v	king_n	1,914	5	3.4981	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B10261	An exhortation to his dearely beloued countrimen, all the natiues of the countie of Lancaster, inhabiting in and about the Citie of London; tending to perswade and stirre them vp to a yearely contribution, for the erecting of lectures, and maintaining of some godly and painfull preachers in such places of that country as have most neede, by reason of ignorance and superstition there abounding: / composed by George Walker pastor of St. Iohn the Euangelists ...	Walker, George, B.D., d. 1651.	1641 (1641)	Wing W357A; ESTC R186166	17,398	26

this Kingdome and the whole Christian world who being borne in our barren soyle and in their child-bood muzled vp in superstition so soone as God brought them to the light of the Gospell in the vniuersities the nurseries of learning and true religion they became famous and renowned professors of diuinity and most stout and strong maintainers of the truth against Papists and all other Heretiques I cannot passe by in silence but for example will name and mention with honour and reuerence that mirrour of learning and religion Doctor Whitakers our sometimes worthy professor in Cambridge whose name is still dreadfull to our aduersaries and his writings of greatest esteeme euen in forraigne Countries at this day and his memorie euer blessed Yea wee find by daily experience that in those parishes and places of our nature Country which haue heretofore beene most grieuously ouer-runne with ignorance and superstition while they wanted the meanes of knowledge the ministery of the word and where the word at the first preaching thereof hath beene strongly opposed now by meanes of a constant ministerie and powerfull preaching continued among them the people doe become generally so zealous for the truth so feruent in their zeale so forward in their profession so strict in their liues in the worship of God so opposit to all shadows of superstition that some thinke they haue more need of the bridle then else spurre like the Israelites in the wildernesse who offered so frankly abundantly to the building of Gods tabernacle that there was found much more then enough for the seruice of the work Moses gaue commandment and caused them by publike proclamation to be restrained from bringing any more Exod. 36. I my selfe doe know and can name for instance if neede require diuers parishes which within my memorie were deepely plunged in superstition and euen drowned in ignorance insomuch that the name of a preacher was as much scorned of many as the name of a babler and of some as much hated as the name of an heretique but now of late yeares I haue seene with mine eyes such a wonderfull alteration wrought by Gods grace and blesing accompanying the labours of some holy and godly preachers sent among them that they are ready and willing to run many miles to heare sermons when they haue them not at home and lay aside all care of worldly profit leauing their labour and worke on weeke dayes to frequent publike meetings for prophecy and expounding of Gods word and hardly can a preacher trauell through their townes and lodge there on any day in the week but they will by importunitie obteine a publicke sermon from him and in great troupes suddainly and vpon short warning assembled they will gladly and chearfully heare him with all reuerence and attention And therefore as St. Paul from his owne example the examples of a small remnant of beleeuing Iewes who by so many miracles much powerfull preaching of Christ himselfe and his extraordinarie Apostles and Prophets were called and drawne to beleue did conclude that God had not reiected and cast away the whole nation as reprobates past hope So may we much more strongly conclude from the example of our selues who are many and from the example of those worthy professors and pillars of the Church whom God hath raised vp out of our Country by ordinarie meanes and most of all from the great multitudes of godly Christians who by hundreds and thousands are daily called and turned by ordinarie preaching from the darkenesse of ignorance to the light of true knowledge and from blind zeale and loue of poperie and superstition to the feruent loue of the truth and zealous profession of the holy Gospell of Christ I say from these many examples we may as vpon stronger grounds of reason conclude that God hath not cast away our people nor rejected our natiue Country neither in so many places keepes his word from them as from a reprobate people neuer to be conuerted but rather doth suffer them to liue so long in ignorance and miserable blindnesse partly for a greater judgement on ouer-ruling Church-robbers that he may bring on them and their houses and families the blood of many soules which perish through their sacrilege and couetousnesse and partly to prouoke and stirre vp to pitty and charity vs whom he hath first conuerted and to minister vnto vs matter of true Christian charity and to giue vs occasion to exercise that piety which we professe that our faith by liuely fruites of good workes may be made to appeare more glorious to the eyes of the world and may shine in the midst of the Church and among all the people of God Lastly Deare brethren and Country-men for our full perswasion and steadfast assurance that our natiue Country notwithstanding the ignorance and blindnesse ouershadowing it and the blind superstition possessing the people generally in diuers parts thereof is a place which God hath chosen to put his name there and our brethren the inhabitants thereof are a people chosen of God and holy according to the election of grace let vs call to remembrance and daily set before our eyes what holy and excellent first fruites it hath brought forth vnto God I meane holy professors and martyrs in the first times of the pure light of the Gospell beginning to shine forth in this land Among all godly martyrs wichin the dayes of King Edward the sixth were great builders of Gods Church by their sound doctrine painfull labours and holy liues and in the bloody reigne of Queen Mary sealed the Gospell with their blood who more renowned in the historie of martyrs then Mr. Iohn Bradford a Lancashire man whose godly writings and meditations able to make a stonie heart to bleede remaine to the profit and comfort of Gods Church in all succeeding ages whose constant profession of the true faith vnto death in the midst of the fire was admired of his enemies shall euer bee remembred while God hath an elect and faithfull people in this land and whose memorie shall be blessed for euer Among the godly faithfull and learned men whom this land brought forth in those first times and which shined forth as lights out of darkenesse who after many cruell persecutions and banishment which they endured for the Gospell in Queene Maries dayes did suruiue her bloody reigne and in the dayes of Queene Elizabeth of euer blessed memorie flourished in this Church and were notable instruments of God in the restoring and establishing of religion who more admired for piety prudence learning and charitie then that most reuerend father in Gods Church Edwin Sandes borne in Fournfells in Lancashire who at the time of the decease of Edward the sixth being Doctor of diuinitie and vice Chancellour of the vniuersitie of Cambridge did so wisely and prudently behaue himselfe in the midst of those troubles and that great confusion especially in his publike sermon which he was commanded by the Duke of

by turning many soules from darknesse to light from profanesse to piety from ignorance and superstition to the sauing knowledge and true worship of God and from the slauery and power of Satan vnto the glorious liberty of Gods children as experience in some parts of our Country hath of late proued then many others as worthy and well quallified as they or they themselues are able to doe in these parts where the light of the Gospell hath shined from the dayes of our fore-fathers For as it is with vntilled ground ouer-growne with briets weeds and thornes the first yeares plowing sowing and manuring of it doth worke a greater and more visible change from barrennesse to fruitfulnesse then all plowing and manuring can doe in ground well tilled before because that onely continueth and increaseth the old doth not beget new fruitfulnesse 〈◊〉 it is with a people when the word is sent first among them If it doth preuaile with them at all and if they doe not vtterly reject but chearfully receiue it they are more visibly changed from profanesse and superstition to piety and profession of true religion in the first yeare then in a long time and many yeares after so that both the preachers which labor among them and the godly contributors who set them vp and maintaine them may behold with joy and gladnesse of heart aboundance of present fruit and increase arising from small cost and labour which is a strong motiue and encouragement to all Christians thus to imploy their talents which God hath committed to them and to shew and exercise their charity and piety in this kind To all these spirituall motiues and in couragements arising from spirituall in crease profit and benefit we may adde the multitude and aboundance of temporall blessings and benefits which the Gospell brings with it to the Country and people among whom it is generally and with publike consent receiued and imbraced For experience hath taught the world in all ages that as the heate and light of the Sunne accompanied with watering showers of raine and dew doe make the earth fruitfull in corne wine oyle and all other fruites which are required either for the profit and benefit or for the pleasure and delight of man So the light of the Gospell working the heate of true zeale in the hearts of a people and drawing from them the teares of true repentance and causing many such showers of heauenly moysture to distill from their eyes neuer hath failed but in all ages hath brought all store euen of earthly blessings with it and made Gods Saints and people honourable renowned and of high esteeme for their worldly greatnesse wealth and prosperity in the eyes of the heathen nations among whom they haue liued This was that which made religious and vpright Noah not onely the heire of the righteousnesse which is by faith but also brought temporall deliuerance and bodily safety to him and his family in the vniuerfall deluge and destruction of the old world and made him and his sonnes the repairers of mankind and the builders of the new world which followed as the Apostle hath obserued Heb. 11.7 This made Melchisedek the Priest sacrificer of the high God to liue and reigne a King of peace in all plenty and prosperity in the midst of the wicked Canaanites while all the bordering Kings and neighbors were ouer-runne with the calamities of warre and oppressed with the heauy yoke and bondage vnder Chedarlaomer and other forraigne tyrants as we may reade Gen. 14. This made Abraham the father of the faithfull and Isaae his son the heire of promise so to prosper and flourish in all prosperity wealth and riches that the heathen nations among whom they sojourned as strangers did esteeme and stile them Princes of God and potent Kings sought vnto them to enter into a league and oath of amity with them as appears Gen. 13.2 6. 21.22 23 6. 26.28 This made Iacob who fled ouer Iordan to his vncle Laban with a staffe in his hand so to grow increase and prosper that he returned with oxen asses flocks man-seruants and women-seruants wiues and children which made vp two troupes or bands as he himselfe confesseth to the glory of God that gaue them Gen. 32.5.10 This made Ioseph to prosper euen in all worldly affaires and all things whereunto he put his hand Gen. 39.2.3.23 This brought all blessings of victory ouer enemies abroad and of peace and plenty at home with all honour fame and renowne to Dauid Hezechiah Iosiah and other religious Kings of Israell and Iudah who receiued and beleeued the word of God obeyed it with all their hearts And that large promise which God made to Ioshua the first Iudge and ruler ouer Israell after Moses viz. that of he would religiously obey his word and law not turning from it to the right hand or the left he should certainly prosper whithersoeuer he did go in all things haue good successe Iosh 1.7 8 that same he actually performed verified and made good not onely to him and to all the people of Israell in his dayes but also to all the godly and religious Iudges which succeeded him and to the whole nation of the children of Israell vnder their gouernment as appeares Iudg. 2.18 And least any should thinke that these examples recorded in Scripture were extraordinary and miraculous we haue also experience of the like in all ages and euen in this age and in this land wherein we liue For notwithstanding all the Popes curses and thunder-bolts and all the open assaults which he hath made and the secret conspiracy which he hath put in practise against this land incensing and stirring vp all his instruments of violence and cruelty against it yet both in the dayes of King Edward and of Queene Elizabeth of blessed memorie who reformed religion and maintained the true preaching of the Gospell by publike authority this Land and Church hath prospered and flourished and in all worldly peace plenty and prosperity excelled all other nations and Churches of the world So that we may all vpon good experience with one mouth confesse that true religion and the holy Gospell of Christ which we haue receiued and lodged in this land vnder the reigne of our later Kings haue proued most profitable guests vnto vs they haue ouer and aboue the aboundance of heauenly knowledge and sauing graces which belong to eternall saluation out of their more then Kingly bounty royally paid vs with all safety security peace prosperity and plenty of all worldly blessings yea we haue plaine promises and testimonies in the sacred Scriptures that thus it shall be to all people of all nations who receiue and embrace the Gospell in syncerity and truth and professe true religion without hypocrisie Our Sauiour in the Gospell promiseth that if any seeke first the kingdome of God and the righteousnesse thereof they shall haue all other worldly blessings which the Gentiles so carefully seeke ouer and