Selected quad for the lemma: law_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
law_n	church_n	king_n	people_n	6,474	5	4.6830	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A57939	A looking-glass for England wherein is shewn God's mercies and judgments on this sinful nation; with an earnest invitation to poor sinners to repentance: wherein is set forth the great folly and madness of forsaking Christ their redeemer, and neglecting the care of their immortal souls, and setting their cares upon the vanities of this world; ... with some hints of the present judgments that now hangs over our heads, which will suddenly fall on us, if we neglect to return our thanks to almighty God for our late deliverances, and the speedy reforming of our lives. To which is added, the great joy and comfort of the godly that have harkened to the voice of the Lord, and have fasted and prayed to God for his blessings, and given thanks for all mercies received. By Robert Russel, in Sussex.	Russel, Robert, fl. 1692.	1696 (1696)	Wing R2347H; ESTC R219970	10,107	25

which he hath prepared for his true Worshippers and Followers in the World to come and for ever shat out of his comfortable and blessed presence into that place of Darkness where is weeping and gnashing of Teeth Beloved Friends if when a Fasting-day comes you do sot a part yourselves from the World and from all your worldly Business on that Day and spend that one Day in waiting on the Lord in publick and also in private to humble yourselves and to plead with the Lord for Mercy both to youselves and the Nation I will asure you that you shall be no loser by it but rather a great gainer for God will prosper your Labour the better on other days and will bless you in all your Undertakings God has past his Word for it that there shall be no Lake to such that fear him that serve and worship him Psa 34.9.10 and tho' the Lions do want and suffer Hunger yet they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing and godliness hath the Promise of the Life that now is as well as of that to come 1 Tim. 4.8 and yet will you mistrust God's Promise but if you will not on a publick Fasting-day or Thanksgiving-day set apart yourselves from the World and your worldly Affairs to joyn with the Congregation of God's People you cannot expect God should prosper your Labour on other Days and then you will have Losses Crosses Vexations and Disappointments and if you have you must thank yourselves for it because you grudge to give any part of your time to God when you are called to it by Authority tho' it be for your own and the Nation 's Good Beloved Friends our King and Rulers will be pleased to set apart Days of Humiliation and Fasting this Summer as I hope they will for I think never was there more need then now for the Lord's sake don't slight and contemn them lest God should slight and contemn you in times of Judgment and Calamity Friends many of you when there comes any Holyday-time as Christmass and Easter many of you then can spare time to indulge your Flesh and to enjoy your selves and yet cannot spare a Day to worship God and to seek to him for Mercy for yourselves and the Nation when your called off from your Imployments to do it by Authority O! what cause have you to lay Shame upon your selves for so doing that you should prefer your own Prosit nay your own Pleasure before the Honour of God and the Publick Good Friends as for Saints Days and for Christmass-holydays Easter-holydays and Whitsund holydays only Christmass Day excepted as for all other Holydays and Saints Days if you have a mind to improve your time to the best advantage for the getting a Livelyhood in this World why then follow your worldly Imployments then and welcome but for the Lord's sake and for your own sakes and for the sake of the Nation dont be so eager after the World as to slight God's Mercies and to grutch to keep holy to God such Days as our King and Governors are pleased to sot apart for Days of Fasting Humiliation and Thanksgiving O be not such a Dispiser of God's Laws nor such a Rebeler against the King and Country but I have heard some People say on a Fast-day that they had thought to have gone to Church and to have joyned in the publick Congregation but that they saw so many go to Work and some to that have not so much need to Work as them●●l●es and therefore they think that they may safely Work too and do as they do This I have heard some say or to the like effect why Friends this is just the course of the Country some will go to the Alehouse to be drunk because they see others go to the Alehouse some will take liberty to live loose lacivious debauch'd Lives because they see others do the like many will walk the broad way to Hell and Distruction because they see Multitudes besides them walk in that broad way just like unto a flock of Sheep because one leaps into the River and is drownded therefore all the rest will follow after but Friends it is our duty to walk by Rule and by Example if we see many others sin against God rebel against their Prince and transgress the good and sacred Laws of the Nation does this make that we do so too My Friends if we will do as others do we must look in time of Desolation and Calamity to speed as they speed And now my Friends if our gracious King and Rulers will be pleased to set apart Days of Fasting and Humiliation this Summer let us thankfully except of them and observe them to those precious ends for which they are set apart O for shame for shame be not in the Fields or in the Woods or in the Barns or in your Shops at work when you should be at Church among the Congregation of God's People a confessing and bewailing your Sins and the Sins of the Nation a begging pardon for them a hearing God's Word and interceeding and pleading at the Throne of Grace for Mercy for yourselves and for the whole Nation but I am afraid that there are many that would presume to Work in there Callings on the Sabbath-days if the Laws of Man did not restrain them and if so no wonder then if they so little regard those days of Humiliation appointed by Authority But in the second place there are yet another sort that must come under reproof that is some that are not of the poorer sort but those that are rich Men and Farmers though they observe to keep a Fast-day themselves when it comes yet herein they are very much to be blamed in that they will let their poor Day-labourers alone and will give them their liberty to do what they please they may work or not which thou please but as for themselves they go to Church and will cause their Servants both Men and Maidens to go to Church with them Now my Friends in doing this so far you do well but then you ought to compel your Day-labourers to go to Church with you and not give them leave to Work if they will but compel them to go along with you to Church and to joyn with you in publick to plead with you at the throne of Grace for publick Mercies and Deliverances Friends let me prevail with you to compel not only your Servants but also your Labourers to go with you to the throne of Grace in publick as ever you would desire that they partake of publick Mercies with youselves and as you desire they should be in times of Calamity as well as you But then Thirdly there are another sort may justly come under Reproof that is there are some that when a Fast-day comes they will go to Church and joyn themselves in publick Prayers and Exereises and whilst they are there they seem very devout in Prayer and diligent in attending on