Selected quad for the lemma: master_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
master_n	call_v	lord_n	word_n	2,792	4	4.2711	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01936	The God of heaven A sermon appointed for the Crosse, but preached in the Cathedrall Church of St. Pauls in London, upon Sunday the 23. of September, anno Domini. 1638. By Iohn Gore, rector of Wendenlofts in Essex, and preacher at St. Peters Corne-Hill in London.	Gore, John, Rector of Wendenlofts, Essex.	1638 (1638)	STC 12072; ESTC S103328	21,017	40

to God then the meaning is this Whom have I in heaven but thee to set my heart upon 4 Take it as an expression of Feare and Reverence to God then the meaning is this Whom have I in heaven but thee to fixe mine eyes upon Give me leave to strike these severall flints to give you a touch or two upon these severall acceptions and I hope in Christ that each of them will affoord you a sparke to enlighten the Text and to kindle the zeale of God in the soules of all that heare it 1 In the first place wee will take it as an expression of Faith and Affiance in God according to this meaning Whom have I in heaven but thee to relie upon I meane in Augustiâ in a straight for while a man prospers in sinne and wants no earthly sustentacula no friends nor meanes to underproppe and shore him up so long hee doth not know what it is to stand in neede of God but let these proppes and shores be taken from him these friends and meanes beginne to faile him and sicknesse and sorrow come to seaze upon him the one upon his body the other upon his soule hee shall then know as Naaman said to Elisha There is no God in all the world but onely the God of Israel 2 Reg. 5. 15. if hee had not a God to rely upon hee were undone for ever His name saith Solomon is a strong tower the righteous flie unto it and are safe Prov. 18. 10. Now you know what use there is of a Tower in a Citie that is beleagured with the enemy when all the out workes are taken the walls are scaled the houses left and all fortifications forsaken and fled from then the Tower holds out last and is a Refuge to flie unto in their last extremitie Such use maist thou make of God in thy greatest straits if it so fall out that thy out-workes be taken I meane thy goods consumed by fire or lost by sea or suretiship or thy walls be scaled I meane thy bodies health endangered by a sudden or a lingring sicknesse and thy house within I meane thy heart left desolate and destitute of inward and spirituall comfort then flie to the Tower gather upward to heaven in-soule thy selfe into God and trie what God will doe for thy soule There is a pregnant place for this purpose Esay 50. 11. Who is there among you that feareth the Lord and yet walketh in darkenesse and hath no light It is a hard case you will say and a sad condition that a man that feares God and obeyeth the voyce of his servants should yet notwithstanding walke in darkenesse and have no light that is live in discomfort and discontent and have no joy nor pleasure well but if it should so happen to such a man what shall hee doe what course shall hee take to relieve himselfe at such a time Saith the Prophet Let him trust in the name of the Lord and let him stay upon his God Marke the phrase Innitatur in deo suo Let him not flit nor flie away in a chafe if hee have not present remedy as Iehorams messenger did 2 Reg. 6. ult saying Behold this evill is of the Lord what should I waite for the Lord any longer but let him rest and rely and stay upon his God as a beggar doth at a rich mans doore thither he comes there hee stayes though hee knowes not whether hee shall have any thing or nothing but onely hee is sure that there it is to be had In like sort get thee to that same Ostium spei Doore of hope which the Prophet speakes of Hos 2. 15. there take up thy stand there rest thy soule and say as David did Lord there is mercy with thee and with thee is plenteous redemption if thou hast not mercy enough to forgive mee if thou hast not compassion enough to redeeme mee if thou hast not plenty enough to provide for mee I am content to goe without it but I am sure there is no want in thee whatever there is in me In a word If ever thou commest to be in such a straight that thou knowest not what to doe if mercy helpe not out then turne thy selfe to God as Iehosaphat did 2 Chron. 20. 12. and say O Lord I know not what to doe but mine eyes are upon thee First let thine eyes be upon God for service as the eyes of a maide are on the hands of her Mistresse and then let thy eyes be upon God for succour as the eyes of the Israelites upon the Brazen Serpent have thou an eye to God for service and assure thy selfe God will have an eye to thee for succour And so much in briefe for the first sence of the words I come now to the second and that is 2 An expression of Devotion Whom have I in heaven but thee to call upon Oh thou that hearest prayer saith David Psal 65. 2. to thee shall all flesh come As if hee had said Thou Lord art that gracious Master of Requests that never didst put by any suppliant that made petition to thee Thy heavenly Court is that gracious Court of Chancery where never any plaintiffe went away without reliefe Thou art that great housholder of the world that givest food to all flesh and hast promised that all flesh shall see the salvation of our God to thee therefore and to none but thee shall all flesh come so do I a fleshly carnall wretch amongst the rest Oh let thy mercifull eares be open to the prayer of thy humble servant and heare mee whensoever I call upon thee for thy Spirit is Conditor precum the Enditer of Prayer and Thou thy selfe art Auditor precum the hearer of Prayer it is thy Royalty it is thy Prerogative and none else but thou canst heare it to our comfort the Saints of God both these on earth and those in heaven may be helpers in Prayer as I make no doubt but the yare 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Co-workers Fellow-helpers in prayer to God for us but an hearer of Prayer there is none but God for certaine If the Saints in heaven could heare the prayers of those that invocate them upon earth they would answer them as Iacob answered Rachel Gen. 30. 2. when shee cried unto him Give mee children or else I die Nunquid ego pro Deo Am I in Gods stead Cry to God if thou meanest to have children or any other comfort and not cry to man that cannot helpe thee Wee see by experience let a childe stand crying in the streete and twentie strangers goe by they minde it not they looke not after it but let the father of the childe come by and hee turnes him to the cry of his poore child and takes compassion of him and stills him so dealeth our heavenly Father with us Hee turnes him to the prayer of the poore destitute and despiseth not their desire Hee is that good Samaritan spoken of in the Gospell

in Remembrance but thee 4 The fourth and last way of Having God is Habere in Reverentiâ To have him in Regard and that three wayes 1. Have Regard to his Power 2. To his Precepts 3. To his Presence A word of each 1. Have his Power in Regard Who Regardeth the power of thy wrath saith David Psal 90. 11. for ever thereafter as a man feareth so is thy displeasure The meaning is The more a man feares the lesse is God displeased with him and the lesse a man feares the more is God displeased with him so in both respects it holds true Thereafter as a man feareth so is Gods displeasure And yet Lord saith David who regardeth the power of thy wrath Or who dealeth any otherwise with God then the Frogges in the Fable did with the blocke which was throwne in to be their King when hee fell heavie upon them and made a dreadfull noise in the waters they were much afraid and shrunke into their corners afterwards when they saw him lie still and let the streame be calme about them they regarded him no longer but securely leaped upon him Even thus doe carnall men deale with God Regard him no longer but while hee falls heavie and sore upon them with his judgements let him but be still and let them be quiet they regard him no more than the Frogges regarded the blocke Shall I praise you in this saith the Apostle I praise you not Gods power must be had in Regard That 's the first Point 2. His Precepts are to be had in Regard Then shall I not be confounded saith David Psal 119. When I have Regard or Respect to all thy Commandements As the Centurions servant in the Gospell if a stranger or another man had bidden him goe and doe such a thing he might peradventure have gone and done it himselfe but when his Lord and Master did but speake the word it was done because hee had a Respect and a Regard unto him In like sort As we doe desire that God should have Regard to our Prayers let us have Regard to his Precepts See and observe that place Esay 45. 11. Where God doth so Regard the prayer of his humble servants that a Request from us is a Command to him Praecipite mihi they be Gods owne words Command ye mee Oh what a gracious God have we that will abase himselfe to be commanded by his owne Vassalls so true is that saying of an Ancient Nulla creatura humilior Deo There is no creature more humbler than God as it is said Iosh 10. The Sunne stood still at Ioshuahs command Deo obediente voce hominis God yeelding and obeying the voyce of man Now shall God obey the voyce of man and shall not man obey the voyce of God Shall God be willing to be at our command and shall not wee be as willing to be at his command Shall God have Regard to our Prayers and shall not we have Regard to his Precepts Ne fiat This must not be done for this will not be taken well at our hands Gods Precepts must be had in Regard That 's the second Point 3 In the last place have regard to Gods Presence and all is finished 1. In Generall Consider with thy selfe that God is Omni-present present in every place and that thou canst goe no where from his presence He is about thy bed and about thy path and espieth out all thy wayes And let this be a meanes if thou hast any Regard to God to make thee walke Circumspectly in the world and as Saint Iohns phrase is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Convenienter Deo answerably and agreeably to the presence and approbation of that God before whom thou walkest As Seneca advised Nero that cruell Tyrant so to demeane himself Vt facta superi semper cōprobent sua that the gods above might approve of all his doings but he like a dogged Atheist made him this wicked answer Stulte verebor esse cum faciam Deus Thou doting foole shall I stand thinking or fearing the Gods when I goe about my owne designes I will not apply it but onely say as the Apostle doth Some have not the knowledge of God I speake this to your shame 1 Cor. 15. For if men knew what it were to live in the displeasure of an angry God they would have him in more Regard For judge your selves durst men be so bold with God yea so impudent and audacious as to sinne God in the very face if they did regard him As the Scripture saith of Nimrod Gen. 10. 9. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord not a Hunter of beasts but a Hunter of men i. a cruell oppressour that made poore men weary of their lives and persecuted them to the very death Such a Hunter he was and I would to God there were no more of his breede and where Before the Lord saith the Text 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth before or against the Lord as it were in despight and defiance to God Hee was so hardned in it that hee cared not though God stood by and looked upon him as if a woman should commit adultery Inspect ante marito her husband standing by and looking on To this height of wickednesse are some men growne that as Origen said of Lots daughters Vereor ne harum castior incestus siat quam aliquarū pudicitia I am afraid that their Incest was more modest than somes Innocency This would never be if men had God in any Regard thē very thought of his unavoidable presence would detaine and deterre them from it 2. But to conclude If men have little or no Regard to the generall presence of God abroad in the world yet I trust when they come into Gods speciall Presence into his Presence-Chamber into the Sanctuary and House of Prayer they will shew it there or no where Wee see by daily experience The King may looke out of a window and see his subjects goe by him too and fro upon their owne occasions and shew him no respect nor no regard and why Because though hee sees them yet they see not him nor imagine that hee is so nigh them but let these men come into his Chamber of Presence or have any Petition to present unto him then they doe their Homage then they bow their knees and glad if they can be so accepted Thus doth God looke downe from Heaven and from his Throne beholdes all the dwellers upon earth we goe on our wayes and minde him not because though hee sees us we see not him but when wee come into his Basilica his owne House his owne Palace for so are Churches called specially the greater Mother-Churches are the Palaces of the King of Heaven and come to preferre our Prayers and Petitions to him if wee doe not then serve him and observe him with the greatest Reverence the greatest Regard that our soules and bodies can expresse How can wee hope to be accepted of him When we come into the Presence of the Lord saith David into the Presence of the Lord of the whole earth what then Why then worship him In decore sanctitatis in the beauty of holinesse as the phrase is Psal 110. 3. Oh that same holinesse is a beautifull thing if a man had it a thing that makes a man comely and lovely amiable and acceptable to God and his holy Angells but if a man have it not but comes to God in his sinnes as the Prodigall came to his Father in his ragges will the Lord accept him Nay will hee endure him in his presence Yes certainely if hee come in a penitent and an humble way for though the sonne have no clothing to cover his shame yet the Father hath enough in his Ward-Robe to bestead him and to beautifie him too Proferte stolam saith he to his Ministers Luke 15. 22. Bring forth the best Robe and put it on him put a Ring on his hand and shooes on his feete and so make him comely and cleane againe This will our heavenly Father deale with his repenting children Hee will take away from them the rotten rags of their old sinnes and cloth them a new with his heavenly Grace and as the Prophet speakes will give them beauty for ashes and the garment of gladnesse for the spirit of heavinesse Esay 61. 3. Wee read in the Revelation of Saint Iohn of two women one representing the false Church the Whore of Babylon the other representing the true Church which is the Mother of us all Now marke the difference of their cloathing She that represented the whore of Babylon Rev. 17. 4. Was arraied saith the Text in purple and scarlet and decked with Gold and Pearles and precious stones Here was a goodly and a beautifull aray but they were all terrena all transitorie all earthly ornaments there was nothing at all of heaven in them now marke the cloathing of the true Church Revel 12. 1. the text saith There appeared a wonder in heaven a woman cloathed with the Sunne and the moone under her feete and upon her head a crowne of twelve Starres here was nothing at all of earth in this cloathing but all heavenly And this oh this is the beauty of holinesse a celestiall a heavenly habite Now as they prayed in the Gospell when our Saviour spake of the Manna that came downe from heaven Lord evermore give us this bread so let us pray to God in this behalfe Lord evermore give us this cloathing Lord cloath us with thy grace from heaven while we live and cloath us upon with thy glory in heaven when we dye And that for Iesus Christ his sake to whom with thee O Father and the blessed Spirit be given and ascribed all honour prayse and glory be done and performed all service obedience and from this time forth for evermore Amen Amen FJNJS