Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n
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A58345
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God's plea for Nineveh, or, London's precedent for mercy delivered in certain sermons within the city of London / by Thomas Reeve ...
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Reeve, Thomas, 1594-1672.
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1657
(1657)
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Wing R690; ESTC R14279
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394,720
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366
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procreate in the same manner So it is fit that the births of our actions should be answerable to the dignity of our callings What an infamous thing was it for Tiberius that for two years after he was Emperour he never stirred foot out of Rome and that afterwards he could not be drawn out of the Iland of Capreae but there invented his detestable f Spintriae Sueton. Frabricks of lust And for Caligula that he made but one expedition in all the time of his reign and that was with a mighty army to come down to the Sea-shore to gather Cockles as the g Vt spolia Oceani spoil of the Ocean for which hee wrote a triumphant letter to the Senate h Opera magna potius quam necessaria fecit And for Claudius that he delighted only to make great but not necessary works and that he was more famous for restoring the saecular games than for erecting any stately Monuments that his chief skill was to kill men by degrees that they i Vt sentirent se mori might feel their selves to die k Postero die in corvivium in aleae lusum admoveri jussit and the next day to send for them to come and feast and play with him And for Domitian who for the vast power and authority which was put into his hands did nothing memorable but only studiedan exquisite art l Ne musca quidem of killing of flies and setting up golden Statues to his honour and inventing and assuming glorious titles to himself m Dominus Deus noster sic fieri jubet as Our Lord God doth command it so to be done And for Ninyas the Son of Ninus who shut up himselfe in his Palace shunning the sight of all men thinking to have his satiety of unintermitted delights n Per omne vitae tempus reclusus in regia conspectumque hominum vitans Existimabat in continuis versari voluptatibus vacuum esse curis summam in principe esse felicitatem Dâ—od l. 2. c. 6. and that to be free of all cares was the only felicity which did belong to a Prince And for Sardanapalus who ended a famous Empire which had continued 1360 years who for his immoderate licentiousness was firnamed o 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Athen. l. 12. c. 12. the Absolute Effeaminate as if he had been eviratus unmanned And for Alexander who in his latter end was so highly corrupted that it was said p Alexandrum ex Imperatore clarissimo Darii satrapam factum videri Sabel l. 5. Enc. 4. Plut. in Cleomene Of a famous Emperour he was become one of the Courtiers of Darius And for Ptolomeus Philopater who was wont to go up and down the streets with a Timbrell in his hand and spending out his daies in pleasure he left government of all things to his Curtesan Agathoclia and the bawd Onanthes And for L. Verus Antonius who was said to bring from the Parthian Battel nothing but an army of Libertins and he himself so sensual that he delighted only in the presence of one Agrippus who was called the q Apolaustam cognominabant Voluptuary And for Commodus who not onely was vested like a woman and sprinkled his hair with gold-dust r Humanum stercus cibis immisceret eosque irrideret qui eom mixturam abborrerent Fulgos l. 9. c. 1. but put mans ordure into meat and derided them which would not feed greedily upon it and brought up jesters naked in Chargers spread over with mustard And for Leo the tenth those excessive luxuries and manifest lusts which were charged upon him did wonderfully obscure his vertues And for Julius 3d who at Port Flumentane when he was 70. years of age lived in such excesse of lust and riot that it was said t Fruendo potius quam regendo Pontificatui totus incumberet Panvinius that he entred the Popedom rather to enjoy it then govern it Now is this to assert the honour of a place or to dignify that which hath illustrated them No this is to vilipe greatnesse or to embase noblenesse A true Peere will rather part with his George then his Vertues Å¿ Leonis Pont. 10. animi virtutes cù nimia saepe vitae luxuria tùm objectae libidines obscurabant Jovius in ejus vita and pollute the graves of his Ancestors than stain himselfe with blemishes dishonourable to his family He whose worth doth carry an adequate commensuration with his calling is best skilled in Geometry I might say he hath the best insight into Divinity for doe not all gracious persons observe this levell and make greatnesse the square of goodnesse Yes when Joseph was left officer in his Masters absence he would not meddle but with that which was under his disposing he had the command of all Potiphars goods but his Mistress he thought was none of those utensils a Steward ought to deale with therefore when she tempted him to lie with her he would be her servant but not her bed-fellow he would lose his coat rather than be drawn to a couch of dalliance he readeth over the Bill of his charge to her and telleth her that she is left out of the commodities which he was to lay hand on Behold my Master knoweth not what he hath in the house with me but hath committed all that he hath to my hand There is none greater in his house than I neither hath he kept any thing from me but thee because thou art his wife How then shall I commit this great wickednesse and so sinne against my God Gen. 39.7 8 9. vers Thus Michaeas when he was sent for to resolve whether Achab should go up to Ramoth Gilead or not though four hundred Prophets had declared before for the journey and said it should be prosperous and the King himselfe had expressed his high dis-affection against him for he doth not prophesie good but evill unto me and a prepared messenger had used all manner of insinuating terms to put the Court-tone into his mouth for Behold now the words of the Prophets declare good unto the King with one accord let thy words therefore be like one of them and speak thou good Yet it is neither the Kings displeasure nor the Messengers flattery can make him vary or put a plyable compliable Tongue into his mouth no I am a Prophet and must keep my calling unspotted therefore whatsoever the Lord saith that will I speake 1 King 22.14 Thus Nehemiah when he was intreated to a conference by Tobiah Sanballat Geshen the powerfull men of the Country and a messenger with an open Letter in his hand had charged him with rebellion telling him that he aspired and affected the Crown for thou wouldest be King and accused him for seducing the priesthood as if he had gotten Mercenary Chaplains to preach up his Title and given him the lie for it is not done according to these words that thou sayest but thou
after it or look upon it that I heare a childe crying as if it had lost a Father or his fatherly providence and preservation Can God prepare a Table in the wilderaisse I am weary of my life what good shall my life do me who shall raise up Jacob for he is small thy breach is great like the Sea who can heale thee all joy is darkened the mirth of the Land is gone Wo is me now for the Lord hath added grief to my sorrow I fainted in my sighings and have no rest When I cry and showt he shutteth out my prayer The anger of the Lord hath divided them he will no more regard them Is this the City that men call the perfection of beauty the joy of the whole earth The Lord hath cast off his Altar abhorred his Sanctuary Our bones are dryed our hopes are lost we are cut off These are the sad groans of an asslicted family the broken speeches of perplexed Sion we are chastised and the rod will never be hung up we are brought to a mourning condition and we must moisten our graves with our dying teares we are the footstool of the earth and all the Angels of heaven cannot remove this trampling foot our collar is loosened and we shall never be girded again with strength we are carried away to Babylon and we shall never see Sion again they which have dominon over our bodies rule over us with rigour and God hath forgotten us the earth is a Correction-house and heaven is no Sanctuary for us Barth Bonon in ejus vita yea as Antonius Vrceus Codrus for a little Chamber which he had burnt down went against the perswasion of all his friends and lived in the Woods and after that returning he lay the first night upon a Dunghill and when he entred into the City he could not be drawne to live in his owne house or in any other house of quality but lived six moneths in a mean mans house as if all were lost and he were never able to rise againe So if a few sparkes be fallen upon our estates or we but fired out of a little meanes we think we are never able to repair these losses no we are punished and we shall perish Porus King of India Justin lib. 12. when he was vanquished by Alexander he took it so heavily that though he had his life given him yet he would not for a great space eat any meat suffer his wounds to be dressed or be perswaded to live So if we be but crosed in any of our designs and cannot enjoy that liberty and fulnesse which formerly we had or carry any cuts about us we would even starve upon accidents or suffer our wounds to rankle we are unwilling to live or despaire ever again to live happily But oh sigh gently speak softly chide not with providence roare not under casualties fret not your selves into your graves for are ye the men that maintain a Creed and stand up to the Creed what one true article of faith have ye howsoever do ye believe a God what thus to loosen all the joynts of a Christian dependance to distrust a God oh remember that ye have suffered nothing but what the wisedome of God held convenient and the providence of God is able to restore double for it Moses fled for his life and kept sheep and afterwards became a mighty Ruler Ye have heard of the patience of Job and have seen thâ— end which the Lord wrought Jam. 5.11 Howsoever do ye suffer any thing out of Gods sight no his eye is upon all your trialls all your miseries are scored up in heaven he doth keepe a Catalogue of all your sufferings oh therefore take courage lift up your hands which hang down strengthen your feeble knees witnesse patience expresse confidence for why should ye be a fainting people under a knowing God no when ye are ready to complain and murmur and vex restrain these distempered passions by calling to mind that ye have a seeing and a searching God that hath taken notice of all your sorrows he can tell you all your losses reckon up all your injuries and indignities repeat to you all your extremities and exigences ye know not better how many eyes ye have in your heads nor how many fingers ye have upon your hands then he can bring in the full tale of all your distresses That he is such an observing and intelligent God ye may see herein Nineveh he can number out to her all her thousands and the surplus Wherein are more then sixscore thousand persons Secondly This doth serve to represse sin for oh that thou darest trespasse before such a knowing God canst thou doe any thing in such a close reserved manner that he shall not have cognizance of it I know there are a company of men which are all upon the point of secrecy and laying snares privily saying Who shall see them Psal 64.5 Yea a generation of men that have set their mouthes against heaven which say How doth God know and is there knowledge in the most high Psal 73.11 But these men shall hear God ere long answer them in thunder and tell them I know your manisold transgressions and your mighty sins Amos 5.12 Yea these things hast thou done and I kept silence then thou thoughtest wickedly that I was such an one as thy selfe but I will reprove thee and set them in order before thine eyes Psal 50.21 Oh Lord thou hast searched me and known me thou knowest my down-sitting and mine uprising thou understandest my thought asar off Thou compassest my path and my â—ed and art acquainted with all my wayes There is not a word in my tongue but lo O Lord thou knowest it altogether Thou hast beset me behind and before and laid thine hand upon me Psal 139.1.2 3 4 5. God could tell Adam of his eating the forbidden fruit Cain of murthering his Brother Abel Saul of sparing Agag and taking a part of the prey David of slipping in to his neighbours Bed and covering the fowlnesse of that guilt with the skin of a dead Husband Asah of trusting in his Physitians Hezekiah of shewing his treasures to Merodach Baladan the Scribes and Pharisees of their secret lusts which deserved stoning Aâ—anias and Saphira of their keeping back part of the price what then unto God can be undiscovered no he hath not only a multitude of about spies thee but he himself is the constant visiter of all thy actions Mercury feared not Gallus not Vulcan nor all the Gods so much for the discovering his close passages with Venus Natales Comes l. 2. Myth c. 6. as the Sun so this Sun is shining into all corners to reveal the most hidden passages yea God will beat the woods to make the birds fly out of their secret nests and smoak the dens and burroughs to make the beasts which are earth'd under ground to appear thine own dogs shall bark in thine ears thine own corrupt