Selected quad for the lemma: land_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
land_n	city_n	great_a	lord_n	2,295	5	3.5103	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A94047	A discovery of peace: or, The thoughts of the Almighty for the ending of his peoples calamities. Intimated in a sermon at Christ-church London, before the Right Honourable, the Lord Mayor, the right worshipfull the Aldermen; together with the worshipfull companies of the said city, upon the 24th of April, 1644. Being the solemn day of their publike Humiliation and monethly fast. By John Strickland, B.D. pastor of the church at St. Edmunds, in the city of New Sarum; a member of the Assembly of Divines.	Strickland, John, 1600 or 1601-1670.	1644 (1644)	Wing S5969; Thomason E48_5; ESTC R14414	39,755	53

Philistims we can never more seasonably contribute our indeavours and bestir our selves then when God goeth out before us We see how it crowned Davids undertakings with successe and Davids spirit elsewhere was raised and inlarged to more eminent enterprises when he found Gods hand going along with him Psal 60.6.10 Psal 60.6.10 When the Lord had given him victory over his enemies in the field hee goes about to beat them out of their garrison also I will divide Shechem and mete out the valley of Succoth Gilead is mine and Manasseh is mine Ephraim also is the strength of my head c. not content with these hee thinks of entering their garrison Who will bring me into the strong City c. We should likewise be incouraged to lay out our selves freely now when the Almighty stands up nay when the Lord of hosts is pleased to become the God of our armies and to fight for us against our enemies Oh! that we could now joyn hearts and hands and stand up as one man in the common cause of the Church and State Now I say that God hath displaied a banner for them that feare him and for the truth now that God hath given out a Commission of deliverance for Jacob now that deliverance begins to come we might pull it home to us by our wrestings with God in prayer and by going out unto battell to help the Lord against the mighty when a Bell is rising one pull will do more to set it up then three pulls will when it is fallen Thus may we happily improve the tender bowels which wee see God carries towards us in our miseries to a full deliverance that he may give us rest from all our enemies round about and establish truth and peace together in the midst of us from generation to generation which is and leads mee to open the expected end which the Lord intends to give his Church even the last branch of the Text the matter and result of Gods thoughts toward his people in distress to give you an expected end The matter or the result of his thoughts are peace and an expected end of their long and tedious captivity and though their hope deferred hath made them heart-sick Prov. 13.12 yet when he desire shall come it will be a tree of life You see even the thing that they can wish or expect so that their desire and Gods thoughts agree in the event onely they differ in the point of time it is in Gods thoughts to give them what they desire but not when they desire it The words which our translation renders an expected end are disjunctively rendred by the most finem expectationem so some finem spem so others finem patienti●m so a third sort of interpreters I will not trouble you with the superficiall descants of any that would severally apply these words as that end should relate unto their captivitie God promiseth them an end of that and expectation should relate unto their return into their own land God should give them their expectation in bringing them back into their own countrey again the sense and meaning of the words more solidly is that Gods purpos● was to give them such an end of their captivity as that therein they should also receive the end of their hopes and expectations the yoke of their bondage should be taken off and their eyes again behold dear Judea and Jerusalem which lay so neer their hearts and all this in a time fore-appointed by Gods counsels though far off even threescore and ten yeers The point hence is Doctr. Gods counsels have foreset a good end at last to the Churches calamities Particular churches may be like those seven famous churches in the Revelation now laid waste and desolate and the Church generall as she is visible may be brought low inter suspiria lachrymas her calamities may be so destructive and lasting that she may seem to have lost her visibility for a time as the Prophet Elijah complained when he fled from Jezabels fury 1 King 19.10 1 King 19.10 I even I only am left and they seek my life to take it away and according as the Lord often threatens his own people that hee will destroy them yet still there is a remnant saved to return to be as a seed for a flourishing posterity that after the Church have lyen for a while among the pots sullied and all becolled with persecution she may be as beautifull as the wings of a Dove that is covered with silver and her feathers with yellow gold God intended deliverance and freedom to Abrahams seed after four hundred yeers affliction Act. 7.6.7 Act. 7.6.7 and though he led Israel a crooked way through the wilderness to humble them yet was it still with an intent to do his people good in the latter end Deut. 8.16 So that as by the course of nature Deu. 8.16 the trees and plants that in Winter are drie and sapless and seem to be little better then dead yet at the Spring recover grow green again and bear fruit according to their kinde as being appointed thereto by the God of nature so the Church though shee seem to be an outcast in the Winter of affliction and even swallowed up of misery never to be healed so long saith the Prophet as untill the cities be wasted without inhabitant and the houses without man and the land be utterly d●solate and the Lord have removed men farre aw●y Isa 6.11.12.13 and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land speaking of Judea and his own people Isaiah 6. vers 11 12 13. a 〈◊〉 vigor●●● 〈…〉 Calvin yet in it shall be a tenth and it shall return and shall be eaten as a teyl tree and as an Oake whose substance is in them when they cast their leaves so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof God will not only reserve a remnant in the Church which shall out-live the Winter-like troubles which befall her but that remnant shall be as seed which though it lie under the earth and die shall revive and bear fruit Gods promise unto them shall be as effectuall to recover and settle them in a peaceable and desired condition which is to gi●e them an expected end as the Spring is by her vigorous influence to make seeds and plants after the dead time of the yeer to be flourishi●g and fruitfull And such thoughts there are in the Almighty his heart and such promises to the Church in his Word For hee hath made a covenant with his people which he will remember Re●●●n 1. even in their afflictions and whereby hee hath graciously tyed himself that hee will not cast them away but recover them how severely soever hee deal with them for a time in punishing their sins Admit he should as here in the Text he did cast them ou● of their own into their enemies land ●●v ●● 44 ●● yet then Lev.

26.44 45. When they he in the land of their enemies I will not cast them away n●ither will I abhorre them to destroy them utterly and to break my covenant with them for I am the Lord their God but I will for their sakes remember the c●venant of their Ancestors This proviso was expresly put in when God renewed his Covenant unto David and his seed that as hee would be carefull on the one hand to punish the sins of his people in case they did transgress so on the other hand he would continue his love to them and be mindfull of his covenant Ps●l 89.32 33. I will visit their transgression with the rod P●●● ●● ●2 33 ●4 and their iniquity with stripes nevertheless my loving kindness will I not utterly take from him nor suffer my truth to fail my coven●nt will I not break His truth should fail and his covenant should be broken if his Churches calamities should not be brought unto a good end at last if her temporall afflictions should be endless or swallowed up in eternall misery but the people of God in former times have confessedly found his promise made good in this particular also as we finde in the confessions of Nehemiah N●h 9 31 Neh. 9.31 Having set forth how the Lord was driven by their sins to punish his people by giving them up into the hand of the people of the lands hee shewes us that hee did not continue their miseries upon them Nevertheless for thy great mercies sake thou didst not utterly consume them nor forsake them for thou art a gracious and mercifull God Yea it concerns the Lord to make good this covenant visibly before the world that he may be justified even in the sight of men concerning his faithfulnesse to the Church in her deliverance Secondly Gods mercie is the great attribute which is finally to be magnified and set up in his dispensations toward the Church as his wrath is to be in his dispensations toward his enemies which are called the Vessels of Wrath as his people are called Vessels of Mercie In all which dispensations he so carrieth intervenient occurrencies that at length they shall serve to further the glorifying of that attribute mainly intended whatsoever they may seem to doe in our apprehensions for the present as * Parcendo malis ita justus es secundum t● non secundum nos si●ut mis●rtus es s●cundum n●● non s●cund●m 〈◊〉 Anselm an Ancient speakes of God sparing the wicked though he seem to be mercifull to them in our sense he is not so to them in his own intentions therein But that sparing them shall further glorifie his justice upon them at length The like we may speak of his afflicting of his beloved people it shall turne in the end to the advancing of his mercie as it did in David by his 01 own confession It is good for me that I have been afflicted So then we may be confident upon this ground that the end of the Churches troubles shall be such as mercie may rejoyce in and be magnified by and such as we may mark for good as assuredly as the Prophet doth the end of the perfect and upright man Psal 37 37. Psal 37.37 Mark the perfect man and behold the upright for the end of that man is peace His life may be troublesome but his death shall bee comfortable as the Israelites through a crooked tedious wildernes came to the promised land at last Moses said of their journey in that wildernesse it was to try them As the Gold-smith puts his metall into the Furnace that it may come out the purer so the Lord dealt with his Church therin that he might bring her forth of trouble to his mind set her according to her desire at last so saith the Prophet Psal 60.10 11 12. Thou O God hast proved us thou hast tried us as silver is tried thou broughtest us into the ne● Psal 60.10 11 12. thou laidest affliction upon our loyns thou causedst men to ride over our heads we went through fire and through water but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place where we have the Church raising up her apprehensions of Gods present mercies to a highher pitch by reflecting upon the dangers through which she came to enjoy th●m however shee was neere shipwrack she is now not onely as a ship in safe harbour but as on shore in a pleasant countrey Some speciall benefits in which the Churches troubles shall end c. We see then in the generall the Churches troubles shall end well but what kinds of good may be expected or hoped for as the fruit of them we have not seen I shall therefore in the next place briefly point at some particular good ends which we may hope and expect God will bring his Church unto by her afflictions First the refining of the Church herselfe which was intimated before by trying her as silver is tried in the Psalmist while she is in afflictions she is as metall in the furnace which comes out severed from the drosse at length the frequent allegories of washing and purging in Scripture to this purpose I forbeare we will only take notice of the Prophets expression Mal. 3.17 18. Mal. 3.17 And they shall bee mine in that day when I make up my Jewels then shall yee disc●rne between the righteous and the wicked The Lord had been working upon them as a Refiners fire and Full●rs sope in the former part of the chapter by afflicting his people he had been cutting and polishing his jewels that he might render them Oriently beautifull and at last he strings them and makes them up to preserve them as his peculiar Treasure in his Cabinet wherein he placeth nothi●g but things of price Reformation then of the Church whereby the holy seed shall be the substance thereof Isai 6.12 Isai 6.12 is one great good may be expected as the end of the Churches miseries and afflictions Secondly the just punishment of the wicked whereby the righteousness and power of God shall be much exalted as they were upon Ph●raoh for which Moses indited a God-exalting song and God himself is pleased to hold out this as an incouragement to his people to be patient in their afflictions that when God hath done his work upon his people by the Assyrian Isai 10.12 he will punish him Isa 10.12 Nay he will destroy him Verse 25. Yet a very little while and the indignation shall cease and mine anger in their destruction for the incouragement of a reforming childe the father will throw the rod wherewith he was corrected into the fire and this shall be so expected an end of the Churches calamities that the people of God sh●ll rejoyce to see the Lord so jealous for them to avenge the innocent blood of his servants so the Lord calls upon them Deut. 32.43 Rejoyce Deut. 32.43 O yee nations with his people for he will avenge

you have any love to God any to the Religion we professe and to the cause of Christ labour to draw out these divine bowels God would readily open his bowels toward England Oh shrink them not up let us not harden Gods heart against us by hardening ours against him and against his judgements now abroad in the world Directions to draw forth Gods bowels toward us The better to instruct us how to draw out these bowels toward us and to prepare us that God may extend and exercise his compassions toward us in our present affliction which hee carries toward his people when his hand is upon them I shall present you three Directions viz. First see that we cast away all carnall confidences God will harden his heart against us if we trust in the arme of flesh as he did against his people formerly in the like case as we see Isai 31.1 Woe to them that goe down to Egypt for help and stay on horses and trust in Chariots because they are many and in Horsemen because they are very strong And Isai 30.2 3. That walke to goe downe into Egypt and have not asked at my mouth to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh and to trust in the shadow of Egypt Isaiah 31.1 Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame and the trust in the shadow of Egypt your confusion The Lord withdrew himselfe from his peoples help even for their trusting in lying vanities and turned that which they trusted in into their shame and protested he would deliver them no more if they should continue to withdraw their trust from him as hee had delivered Israel when oppressed by the Zidonians and the Amalekites and the Maonites Judg. 10.13 14. Ye have forsaken mee Judg. 10.13 14. and served other Gods wherefore I will deliver you no more goe and cry unto the Gods which ye have chosen let them deliver you in the time of your trouble We have been going downe to Egypt also too much riding on horses and trusting in the strength of men we have had our confidences in our Armies and wise men and gallant spirits and the Lord hath hardened his heart against us hitherto But if wee place our whole affiance in the Lord renouncing all creature-confidence his heart wil melt towards us and his bowels yearn upon us as they did upon Israel when they renounced Ashur Hos 14.3 4. Hosea 14.3 4. Ashur shall not save us we will not ride upon horses he answeres I will heale their back-slidings I will love them freely for mine anger is turned away The second means how to draw out these bowels of Gods compassion toward us will be that we hold on in the duty of soul humiliation of seeking unto God by fasting and praying repenting of our sins and turning from our evill wayes for it is thereupon that the Lord promiseth to return and be mercifull 1. Zachariah 3. nor let any perswade you that this duty of confession and godly sorrow for sinne is an antiquated duty or now out of date since Christ came in the flesh it is a duty continued still It is a Gospel-duty and not only required under the Law Jame● 4.10 1 Pet. 5.6 see 4. James 10. and in 1 Peter 5.6 it is required of Believers and charged upon them that are in Christ as having still need to humble themselves under the mighty hand of God that he may raise them up Hold on therefore to seek the Lord while hee may be found to call upon him while he is neer Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and hee will have mercy upon him and to our God for bee will abundantly pardon Isaiah 55.6 7. Isa 55.6 Thirdly Prayer openeth the bowels of the Lord towards his Church and People especially when it followeth upon humiliation If they humble themselves and pray 2 Chron. 7.14 2 Chron. 7.14 Then I will hear in heaven forgive their sins and heal their land if they humble themselves and pray prayer in this posture is that that will provoke the Lord to return and be mercifull when otherwise he is resolved to sit still Hos 5.15 As you see Hosea 5.15 I will go and return to my place till they acknowledge their offence and seek my face Vse 2 Seeing that God is full of bowels and compassion toward his people even in the midst of those heavie afflictions that he brings on them with what comfort my beloved Brethren may we not only heare but also feele this truth made good unto us this day in the midst of our miseries and calamities God is pleased to remember mercy in the midst of judgements and to give us a little reviving in our bondage together with some sweet experiences of his power and faithfulness we should be exceedingly rais●d up in our confidence toward God when wee consider how the Lord hath made good unto us that promise anciently made to his Church Zech. 8.19 Zech. 8.19 Thus saith the Lord of Hoast The fast of the fourth Moneth and the fast of the fifth and the fast of the seventh and the fast of the tenth Dayes of publike thanksgiving appointed for victories God had given the Parliament forces in Hampshire Yorkeshire and Wales shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness and cheerfull feasts therefore love the truth and peace The fastings of our former moneths have they not of late been if not turned into yet at least mingled with feastings of joy and dayes of Thanksgiving Since we have such experience not only that there are such bowels of love in God but also that they yearn toward us in our misery let us indeavour to improve them so as that Gods thoughts of peace may be carryed on toward that expected end which God hath purposed concerning his peoples calamities and the rather seeing God is now going out before us and hath put himself into a posture of deliverance let us go about to improve our deliverances that God hath been pleased to bestow upon us It is said of Hanibal that he knew how to conquer but he knew not how to improve his victories in like manner Hannibal God is pleased to give us victories but we know not how to improve them as we might We love to heare the good newes of successes against the enemies of God and his Cause we delight to heare of deliverance but when through Gods goodness we hear thereof we sit still and deliverance leaveth us where it findeth us we are never the more improved nor a whit inlarged toward God nor more capable of a finall deliverance thereby let us learn at length how we may carry on our deliverance Directions to improve particular deliverances and improve every victory toward the full deliverance of the Church of God for which purpose I shall set before you some few following directions First when

he blood of his servants and will render vengeance to his adversaries and will be mercifull to his land and to his people and so the Lords people shall as is promised Act. 58.10 11. Psal 58.10 11. The righteous shall rejoyce when he seeth the vengeance so that a man shall say there is a God that judgeth the earth they shall rejoyce not in the destruction of the creature but in the execution of righteous judgement Thirdly the Churches calamities shall end in the kingdome of Christ after the shaking of all nations the desire of all nations shall come saith the Prophet Hag. 2.7 Hag. 2.7 When Christ first came it was as a refreshing after t e distresses of Gods people so also the oppressions of Antichrist and the stirs that shall be in the world thereby shall end in Christs next coming when he shall confu●e the man of sin with the spirit of his mouth and with the brightness of his coming shall dest oy him The tumults that are in the world shall raise up Christ unto his throne though it be contrary to the purpose of those that ra●se them The Prophet observably points at t●is in Nebuchadnezzars Image Dan. 2.34 35. Dan. 2. that when the sword shall have carried the government from one Monarchie to another the Kingdome of Christ shadowed out by the stone out out without hands which when it had smitt●n the Image became a gre●t mountain and filled the whole earth Verse 34 35. shall put an end to the quarrels that are among the kingdomes of the earth by taking down them and s●tting up his own that so all the kingdoms of the earth may become the kingdoms of the Lords Christ This I say is another speciall expected end of the Churches calamities which will bring with it a fulness of all kindes of blessings desireable all hurtfull things shall be removed out of the Church Isa 11.9 Isa 11.9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain there shall be also a confluence of all temporall mercies comprized in the word peace Isa 32.17 The work of righteousness shall be peace Isa 32.17 18. and the eff●ct of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever and my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation and in sure dwellings and in quiet resting places and it is not unworthy our best observation how gloriously the Church is set forth in this kingdom of Christ as shee shall be when it is come Isa 60. Isa 60. Vse 1 First this truth may be a foundation of strong consolation and hope unto the people of God this day when the ark or ship of the Church is even covered with waves and when other foundations are cast down that Gods counsels have determined and he passed his word that there shall be a good end at last of his Churches calamities If Gods people be in bondage under affliction for the present Zach. 9.12 yet they are prisoners of hope Zach. 9.12 For the word is gone out of the mouth of the Lord It shall be well with them that fear God which fear before him Eccles 8.12 Or what if wee live not to see an end of these heavie troubles may it not much stay our hearts that we know it shall go well with Gods Church at length If it was Eli's greater grief that the Ark of God was taken then that his own sonnes were slain so that he could hear of their death and live but the newes of the Ark being taken kills him presently 1 Sam. 4.17 18. it would have been doubtless so great a comfort to him if it had been well with the Ark of God that hee would have cheerfully born the loss of his children wee should likewise receive so much comfort in this good newes concerning the Church that wee should rejoyce in it though wee should never live to see it otherwise then by the eye of Faith as Abraham saw Christs day and rejoyced Vse 2 Secondly it should incourage us to contribute what help wee may to bring about this good end to the Churches cal●mities Gods counsels are brought about in a way of providence wee should therefore indevour to serve providence to bring about the promised deliverance of the Church Thus did Daniel even in the businesse of our Text when he understood that there was a time appointed for the redemption of the Jewes out of their captivitie he sets himselfe to do what in him lies to further it Dan. 9.23 Dan. 9.23 We should also lay out our selves freely in the Churches cause what way soever we may be improved whether in our counsels or in our estates What wee should do to further this good end viz. or in our persons we cannot be laid out in a better cause wherein God himselfe will be nay is ingaged for the event For the furtherance of it First we should be carefull to remove any thing that might hinder this expected end from being accomplished our sinnes at home will hinder our Armies in the Field Therefore Moses commanded the people of Israel to take heed of every wicked thing when the Host went forth to battell Deut. 23.9 Deut. 23.9 Let not the lust of thy pride lie in the way of our publicke deliverance to make thee contend for a degree of Honour while the kingdome lies a bleeding Let not thy lust of covetousnesse carry on a private designe of gathering by the ruines of the State Let not thy lust of envie or revenge lead thee to hazard the Kingdome for thy will upon thine adversary c. Secondly we should labour after personall and domesticall reformation upon that speciall duty the Lord promiseth to heale a Land 2 Chron. 7.14 This is that which will procure us peace 2 Cor. 7.14 not meritoriously but conditionally and by way of covenant Isa 32.17 18 Isai 32.17 18. we find usually that Righteousnesse is the mother of all comfortable and happy Peace Thirdly we should pray for it as Daniel did above mentioned and as the Lord himselfe prescribeth in the very next verse to the text and promiseth also it shall take effect The Lord inable us to do our dutie and of his own free grace performe his promise of delivering the Church and accomplish the thoughts of his heart toward her in due time Amen FINIS Reader be pleased to read Babylon for Jerusalem page 2. line 2.