Selected quad for the lemma: land_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
land_n	nation_n	people_n	see_v	1,556	5	3.4909	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85371	Jacob raised: or, The means of making a nation happy both in spiritual and temporal priviledges. Presented in a sermon preached before the Right Honorable House of Peeres in the Abby Church at Westminster, at the late solemne monthly fast, Decemb. 30. 1646. / By Willam [sic] Goode, B.D. and Pastor of Denton in Norfolk. Published by order of the House of Peeres.	Goode, William, b. 1599 or 1600.	1647 (1647)	Wing G1094; Thomason E369_3; ESTC R201278	27,277	38

removing impediments that hinder our prevailing Secondly By advancing such things as will make Gods name great in the land Thirdly By the right performance of such duties as make our power great with God First by removing impediments of our prevailing What these are we may see Isaiah 59. 2. 11. Your iniquities have separated betwixt you and your God and your sins have hide his face from you that he will not hear We look for salvation but it is far from us for our transgressions are multiplyed our sins testifie against us and our transgressions are with us Our sins are multiplied we have new sins our sins are with us Both our old and new sins are continued and these be the impediments of Gods assistance and our healing While we continue our diseases God will continue his medicins while we hold up our sins God will hold up his judgements or else remove them in his wrath and afflict us no more which is worst of all Your own Consciences and your observations of others are the best Kalanders to find out both your own and others old and new sins But I shall endeavour to hint some of them to you The sins of great ones were formerly Luxury Idlenesse slighting of religion Oppression The sins of all sorts of people Pride Coveteousnesse Contentious Sabbath-breaking Lying Swearing Drunkennesse Ignorance Sleighting of the Gospel Formality in Religion with many others And are not these sins with us Besides these we have new sins such as help to make and keep us small I shall insist upon some of the chief 1. Breach of Covenant And what judgement doth not this bring You may see Lev. 26. where God saith He will revenge the quarrel of his Covenant What a magazine of Judgements follow and particularly the sorest of judgements Famine is made thepunishment of this sin 2 Sam. 21. Three years famine did Israel undergo because Saul flew the Gibeonites contrary to the Covenant that Ioshua made with them though they were of those that God had appointed to destruction and the Covenant they obtained of Ioshua was by false suggestions Ier. 34. 17. Because the masters proclaimed not liberty to their servants to be free according to their Covenant therefore saith God Behold I proclaim a liberty for you to the sword to the famine and to the pestilence 2. Want of compassion to those that are in misery How little have we mourned for the long afflictions of Germany the bloody massacres of Ireland for the poverty and wants of many Families among our selves who have been exhausted and lost their dearest friends for their affection to Religion and the Publike safety How many thousands in Ireland yet cry for pity and relief and whether this hath been afforded to the uttermost of our ability they best know that have the inspection of the high affairs of the Kingdom Now want of compassion is a sin that brings a Nation low Amos 6. 6. They lie upon beds of Ivory they eat the Lambs out of the flock and the Calves out of the midst of the stals they drink wine in bowles But are not grieved for the afflictions of Joseph Therefore shall they go captive with the first that go captive 3. Want of execution of Justice If complaints of this kind be true now this is a desolating sin Amos 8. 4. 6. 8. Ye swallow up the needy and make the poor of the land to fail Shall not the land tremble for this It shall rise up wholly as a flood it shal be cast out and drowned as by the flood of Egypt Their Princes are rebellious and companions of theeves every one loveth gifts they do not judge the fatherlesse nor doth the cause of the widow come before them Therefore I will be avenged of mine adversaries 4. Unnecessary and unbrotherly divisions and oppositions one against another and these carried on daily to a greater height Manasseh against Ephraim and Ephraim against Manasseh and both against Judah Division among brethren is a sin that makes a Nation small and no sin is so fatal to it as this is A Kingdome divided against it self cannot stand They had in Rome a Shield in their Capitol and it was said to be the Fate of that City that whoever could get that shield should likewise conquer the City Like this shield is Vnity of Brethren If our enemies can take this shield from us it will be no hard matter for them to conquer the Nation You may see both the description and doom of a divided people Jer. 13. 13. I will fill all the inhabitants of this land even the Kings the Priests and the Prophets and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with drunkennesse and I will dash them one against another I will not pity nor spare but will destroy them 5. New corruptions in Religion and resisting of Reformation It may be said now as in the time of Hezekiah 2 Chron. 20. 33. The high places were not taken away for the people had not prepared their hearts unto the God of their fathers Many strange Errors Heresies and Blasphemies increase amongst us which may be all seen in their colours in those Books that are written against them Now these are sins that make a Nation small Hos. 7. 1. 13. When I would have healed Israel then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered Destruction unto them v. 13. Because I would have purged thee and thou wouldst not be purged I will cause my fury to rest upon thee Ezek. 24 13. Now to aggravate both our old and new sins to the height we have added obstinacie and hardnesse of heart such as no Age hath been guilty of greater if we consider the great Light the powerfull Ordinances the humbling Judgements the miraculous Deliverances and the choice Mercies which we have had To be impenitent under such sins and under such powerfull means and such strong obligations to Repentance how should this but bring and keep us low or how hardly shall we prevail with God while these sins cry against us Be exhorted then to break off these and all your sinnes by Repentance This is the duty of every one this day and further to mourn for the sins of the Land and with all possible earnestnes to sue unto God for the pardon of them Endeavour likewise to raise the practise of the contrary vertues both in your selves and others Much power to effect this Right honorable Lords lies in your hands and hereby you may raise the Nation First then raise your Covenant First labour to keep it strictly your selves and then to propagate it It was piety in Ezra to compell all the Jews to swear to the Covenant Ezra 10. It was zeal in Josiah to make all Israel stand to the Covenant and to serve the Lord 2 Chron. 34. 23 33. And it will be no lesse in you How much Covenanting exalteth a Nation we may learn by the times of Moses Joshua Asa Hezekiah Josiah Ezra And if we

wanted these examples we might learn by our own experience 2. Raise your Compassions Let every one mourn in secret and contribute their best assistance by their Prayers or other abilities for the relief of poor distressed Ireland and Thousands besides who lie under many wants and sorrows in these times but especially let this be done by those that have the disposing of the Publique treasury and strength of the Kingdom This is the way to raise the Nation The liberal man deviseth liberal things and by liberal things shall ye stand Isa. 32. 8. The merciful man shal find mercy Break the bands of wickednesse and let the oppressed go free Relieve the fatherlesse and widow and such as have wasted themselves for your support and then shall your light break out like the day Isa. 58. 6 7 8. 3. Raise the Execution of Justice in every place of the Kingdom and this will raise the Nation Run to and fro through the City and see if ye can find a man that executeth judgement and I will pardon it Jer. 5. 1. If ye will throughly execute Judgement betwixt a man and his neighbour and not oppresse the stranger the fatherlesse nor the widow then will I cause you to dwell in this Land which I gave unto your fathers Fourthly Raise Religion and that will raise the Nation propagate and preserve the truth of the Gospel and that will preserve you Buy the Truth and sell it not Prov. 23. 23. Let no ingagement in the world ever cause you to desert the Truth Truth is too great a price to give for any purchase in the world Jeroboam purchased a kingdom by the sale of Truth he strengthened himself in it by setting up the Calves at Dan and Bethel but the want of Truth proved at length the losse of both himself and his kingdom The saving knowledge of Jesus Christ revealed in Gospel Truth is the root on which growes all our happinesse for soul and body If you observe the History of the Jewish Church from one end of it to another you will find their happy and prosperous times were still under such governours as purged and maintained religion in the Purity of it Chron. 2. 17. And their afflicted and broken times were still when Truth was corrupted by Idolatry or lost by ignorance Israel for a long season was without a preaching Preist and without the Law and in those times there was no peace to him that came in nor to him that went out but great vexations upon all the inhabitants of the countries 2 Chron. 15. 3. 5. Truth is in a double danger and both these must be provided against if Truth be secured First it is in danger of open violence in respect of those that would burn it out of the world by fire and persecution as the Papists And Secondly it is in danger of back doores to be all let run out into Heresies and Errors that are destructive to the power of godlinesse Some deal by Truth as Alexander threatned he would do by the River Ganges which was that he would cut so many Channels in it as it should loose both name and glory It is the Devils policy that when he cannot murder Truth by violence yet he would bring it into a mortall consumption by Errors and corruptions Do therefore neither suffer Truth to be forced or Faith betrayed out of your hands Contend earnestly for the Truth that was once delivered to the Saints Jude 3. Be valiant for be invincibly resolved to maintain the Truth and to perfect the Reformation of Religion throughout the Kingdom and to rivet this resolution take but these two arguments First That in Rom. 1. 20. The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation Upon the enjoying beleiving and obeying of Gospel-truth depends all the happinesse of your souls and the souls of your posterity Secondly That in Psal. 128. 5. I will blesse thee out of Zion The certainty and sanctification of all temporary blessings comes out of Zion in particular where the truth of the Gospel is upheld and obeyed it gives first The greatest strength and security to a nation that can be Rev. ● 10. Because thou hast kept the word of my patience therefore I will keep thee in the hour of temptation Salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks to that righteous nation that keeps the Truth As Caesar said once to the master of a Ship that was afraid in a storme Fear nothing thou carriest Caesar So may I say Let that Nation fear nothing that upholds and advanceth true Religion Jehosaphet advanced the true knowledge and worship of God and God strengthened the kingdom in his hand 2 Chron. 17 5. 2. Propagation of Truth brings Peace The fear of the Lord fell upon all the kingdoms that were round about Judah and they made no war against Jehosaphat 2 Chron. 17. 10. 3. Riches Jehosaphat had riches and honours in abundance 2 Chron. 17. 5. And in the glorious times of the Church God promiseth For brasse I will bring gold and for iron I will bring silver and for wood brasse and for stone iron Isa. 60. 17. 4. Victory The nation and kingdome that will not serve thee shall perish Violence shall no more be heard in thy land wasting nor destruction within thy borders but thou shalt call thy wals Salvation Isa. 60. 12. 18. 5. Glory The Lord shall arise upon thee and his glory shal be seen upon thee the glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee to beautifie the place of my Sanctuary I will make the place of my feet glorious Isa. 60. 2. 13. 5. Raise the Unity of brethren and this will raise the Nation The Motto upon our Coyn may be our instruction Concord makes small things great The Apostles were exceeding earnest in perswading to Unity in Judgement In the first 5 Chapters of the Acts of the Apostles this Precept is five times repeated Be of one minde But that place is very emphatical 1 Cor. 1. 10. Now I beseech you brethren by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that ye all speak the same things and that there be no divisions among you but that ye be perfectly joyned together in the same Minde and in the same Judgement Contrary winds will never bring our ship to the harbour Nor can any thing so perswade our enemies that we are building a Babel that must down again as the confusion of our Languages Gods people are a Cluster with a blessing in it Isa. 65. 8. The way to preserve the Blessing is not to destroy the Cluster But how should the Unity of brethren be maintained I answer 2 wayes 1. Let them joyn their strength against all Heresies and Blasphemies and Errors that are destructive to the Power of godlines these are the works of the flesh which all that are godly ought to set themselves against And which it is the Magistrates duty by his power with Civil censures to restrain 2. For lesser differences in

Die Jovis 31. Decembr 1646. ORdered by the Lords in Parliament Assembled That this House gives thanks to Mr. Goode one of the Assembly of Divines for his great paines taken in his Sermon preached the last Fast before the Lords of Parliament in the Abby Church Westminster And he is hereby desired to print and publish the same which is to be printed only by authority under his own hand John Browne Cler. Parliamen I do appoint Nathanaell Webb and William Grantham to print my Sermon William Goode JACOB RAISED OR The means of making a Nation happy both in spiritual and temporal Priviledges Presented in A SERMON Preached before the Right Honorable House of PEERES in the Abby Church at Westminster at the late Solemne Monthly Fast Decemb. 30. 1646. By Willam Goode B. D. and Pastor of Denton in Norfolk Published by Order of the House of Peeres Psal. 68. 1. Let God arise and let his enemies be scattered Ezek. 36. 11. I will do better to you then at your beginnings 1 Chron. 22. 19. Now set your heart and soul to seek the Lord your God arise therefore and build yee the Sanctuary of the Lord God London Printed by T. R. and E. M. for Nath. Webb and Will. Grantham at the sign of the Grey-hound in Pauls Church-yard 1647. TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE The House of PEERES Assembled in PARLIAMENT Right Honorable AS the goodnesse of God that hitherto hath afforded a miraculous preservation to the Parliament of England and hath never failed to give in mercifull Deliverances in time of need and to make many admirable returnes of Prayer doth manifest that God is with you in your pious endeavours for the settling of Truth and Peace So is it evident that our sinnes do with-hold good things from us that notwithstanding the Balm that is in Gilead and the Physitians there yet we are not healed The Sword is not sheathed the Pestilence not ceased and Famine a Plague worse then these begins to threaten us Ignorance Prophanesse Heresies get ground in many places of the Land and hence such as are enemies to Peace and Reformation encourage themselves with hope to see the time when they shall cause your work to cease and bring us back again to Egypt It therefore highly concernes all of all conditions to examine what their iniquities are that put a stop to the current of Gods Mercies towards us and when they have stoned the Achans in their owne bosome to mourn for the sinnes of others and to wrestle with God for pardon and such a spirit of repentance as may fit the Land for those high and excellent Mercies both for soul and body which hitherto have been the object both of our prayers and hopes Now as no meanes of cure are successefull further then Gods owne power and blessing have a concurrence with them so the onely way to procure Gods assistance is to make such application to him as may most strongly engage him to be with you in all your endeavours And seeing God doth all things for his owne glorie to advance such waies as will make the name of God most glorious in the Land must needs be the greatest engagement you can make of God Some few directions for this purpose by your Lordships command I presented to your eares and now by the same command present them to your eyes The chief whereof was this the advancement of Gospel-truth and the power of godlinesse The Psalmist tels us In Jury is God well known his name is great in Israel Where God is best known he is most glorified God is rightly made known only by his own truth revealed in his Word and as this is more or lesse defended propagated and obedience thereunto yeelded so is God more or lesse honoured by any Nation and their spirituall and temporall priviledges more or lesse enlarged Basill and Ambrose say of the Echineis or Remora a little fish that if it joyn it self to a Ship under sayle it will make it stand still and quiet though driven with the greatest tempests Like this Echineis to a Ship is Religion to a State which while your Lordships have endeavoured to reforme and establish you have been preserved in safety while so many dreadfull stormes have blown from one end of the Land unto another God therefore having trusted you in a speciall manner with the guarding of his Truth and Ordinances let it be your greatest care to preserve and propagate these in their power and purity And then you may commit both your own and the Kingdoms safetie with confidence unto Gods keeping And whatsoever storms shall be raised against you and such as be with you in the Cause of God he will quiet them in his appointed time and give a prevailing command to all your enemies saying Destroy not the Cluster for there is a blessing in it Isaiah 65. 8. Thus may your Honours not only be Physitians to heal our Land but make plentifull provisions for your own happinesse to eternity whereas otherwise those great talents of honour authority and wealth which God hath entrusted you with will be but the improvement of your everlasting misery Alcibiades bragging of his great possessions Socrates to abate his pride fetched him a Map of the World and desired him to show him where his possessions lay but there he could not find them All Athens in that being but a point Remember that what ever possessions great men have here yet Not many wise not many rich not many mighty shall have inheritances in heaven As therefore God hath done great things for you so do you great things for God Let your authority be the bulwark of the innocent the axe to cut downe prophanesse injustice and oppression in the Land Let Ireland be releived and such at home as the Publike service hath made Widows or Orphants or necessitous be succoured Let those little Sisters that have no breasts be provided for all the Kingdom over Let grace and holinesse be seen in their own colours in your lives and examples that your copies which are seen and read of all men may make them in love with godlinesse that when God shall divest you of your great possessions here he may invest you with a glorious inheritance among the Saints in his own Kingdom for ever which that he may do is the prayer of Your Lordships humble servant in the Lord WILLIAM GOODE A Sermon Preached before the Right Honourable House of LORDS at their late Solemn Monthly Fast Decemb. 30. 1646. Amos 7. 5. last words By whom shall JACOB arise for he is small THe great miseries which this Prophet saw were coming upon the people of Israel and those desolating judgements which he had a commission to denounce against them were the cause of this mournfull question in my text He Prophecied in the time of Jeroboam the Second who was the Son of Joash 2 King 14. 24. In his reign Israel had some restauration in regard of their outward estate

Judgement which may fall out among godly men and are not destructive to the peace of the Church nor hinder the propagation of the power of godlinesse let them be covered and healed by love Luther saith of these differences * they are to be burnt with the fire of love As Constantine when some Bishops brought him books of their private quarrels to read He took them and threw them into the fire and burnt them and so ended the controversie Pride and selvishnesse are the cause of most of our divisions and might easily be cured with love and humility which we have infinite reason to labour for The Apostle tels us of the danger of divisions Gal. 5. 15. If ye bite and devoure one another take heed ye be not consumed one of another But this is not all our danger There is nothing in probability in the world that can so certainly make the plot of the Jesuites to take in making us become a prey unto our enemies as our own contentions Let us not have lesse wisedome then those two Heathens Aristides and Themistocles that when they were to go together to negotiate the affairs of their country to a city of their Enemies could lay down all the difference betwixt themselves Either we are not brethren or else we should ask our selves this question Why should we contend Let all that are godly lay this to heart in time that we may have that unity in affection that we may live together as Brethren and the Power of godlinesse may be carried on in the Land and our united strength may be imployed for defence against the adversaries of Peace and Truth The second direction how to prevaile with God to raise the Nation is To advance those things that will make the name of God great in the Land If we would have God to honour us with his blessings we must study how to honour him by making his Name glorious There be 5 meanes whereby the knowledge and service of God and consequently his glory be principally promoted 1. Good Magistrates that will use their authority for the suppression of vice and prophanesse and the encouragement of such as are godly When God will enlarge the priviledges of his Church he will give Kings to be nursing fathers and Queens to be nursing mothers unto it Isa. 49. 23. and Isa. 60. 3. Kings shal be thy brightnesse And ver. 16. Thou shalt suck the breasts of Kings Whence we may take notice how great enemies they are to Religion and the glory of God that would divest Christian Magistrates of their power to command and strengthen Ecclesiastical Reformation or make it none of their duty to advance the knowledge and the true worship and service of God and to crush prophanesse and restrain and purge out such corruptions in Religion as are destructive to it by their Civil sanctions 2. The Ordinances of Iesus Christ The administration of the Word and Sacraments and Prayer c. By these God doth dispence his Grace unto his servants whereby they are enabled to believe and to walk according to the rule of Holinesse and to do good works whereby they glorifie their Father which is in heaven and make his Name great In all the places where I shall record my Name there I will meet you and I will blesse you Exod. 20. 24. God communicateth all his spiritual blessings in holy Ordinances These are the Throne out of which issue the seven Spirits Rev. 4. 5. In this mountain shall the Lord of hosts make a feast of fat things to all people Isa. 25. 6. In a feast are plenty dainties and varieties So in Gods ordinances not only a beginning but a supply and increase of the choicest gifts and spiritual abilities to glorifie God are communicated 3. Able and godly Ministers for the preaching of the Gospel and dispencing of the mysteries of Christ are choise instruments of making Gods name great in a Kingdom God doth use these as Co workers with himself for the planting and watering of grace in the hearts of his children 1 Cor. 3. 6. 9. For this cause they are called sometimes Fathers that beget us through the Gospel unto Christ 1 Cor. 4. 15. sometimes Nurses or Pastors that feed us with the milk of the Gospel 1 Cor. 3. 2. Sometimes Stewards that faithfully dispence the rich treasures of Jesus Christ unto all such as belong unto the election of God 4. Order or Government according to the Word of GOD If the holinesse of any people make the Name of God great that is called upon them If it be the honour of the husband-man that his vineyard brings forth fruit which is amiable and usefull Then it must needs be much for his honour also that this vineyard and these fruits be preserved from waste or corruption Now Government it is the hedge of Gods vineyard A hedge is used as for separation to divide a Vineyard from common and open places so for defence to prevent it from the incursion of such as would pluck and destroy the fruits of it Censures are Gods Pruning-knife to lop off the dead boughs that his trees may beare more of that fruit that he delights in They are Gods medicine to drive out that leven that would sowre the whole lump of his people 1 Cor. 5. ● 5. 7. 5. The Saints These are the magazines of Grace and Holines and therefore no people in the world make the name of God so great and glorious as these do nor doth God make any Nation so great and happy as that where his own people receive entertainment When Israel were the only visible professors of truth and holinesse Moses saith Deut. 4. 7. Is there any Nation so great who hath God so nigh unto them as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for Iustin Martyr cals the Saints the Supporters of the world It is no paradox to tell you That you may thank the Saints for your Wives your Children your Estates your Honours and all the comforts you enjoy because when once the number of the Elect is compleat all that remains in the world shall be burnt with fire Gods chosen people are called A blessing in the midst of the land Isa. 19. 24. and they are such a blessing as preserves all other blessings where they are There is no such fortification can be made to any Nation as the Christian entertainment of the Saints for whose preservation God will destroy both Kings and Kingdoms Isa. 43. 3. 4. I gave Egypt for thy ransome since thou wast precious in mine eyes thou hast been honourable and I have loved thee therefore will I give Men for thee and People for thy life When God intended to make Jerusalem victorious and prosperous then he saith The Governours of Iudah shall say in their hearts The inhabitants of Ierusalem shall be my strength in the Lord of Hosts their God Zach. 12. 5. The strength and blessings of