Selected quad for the lemma: master_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
master_n	servant_n	serve_v	service_n	5,550	5	7.2254	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85208	The sacrifice of the faithfull. Or, A treatise shevving the nature, property, and efficacy of zealous prayer; together with some motives to prayer, and helps against discouragements in prayer. To which is added seven profitable sermons. 1. The misery of the Creature by the sinne of man, on Rom. 8. 22. 2. The Christians imitation of Christ, on Ioh. 2. 6. 3. The enmity of the wicked to the light of the Gospel, on John 3. 20. 4. Gods impartiality, on Esay 42. 24. 5. The great dignity of the saints, on Heb. 11. 28. 6. The time of Gods grace is limited, on Gen. 6. 3. 7. A sermon for spirituall mortification, on Col. 3. 5. / By William Fenner, minister of the Gospel Fellow of Pembrok Hall in Cambridge, and lecturer of Rochford in Essex.	Fenner, William, 1600-1640.; Stafford, John, fl. 1658, engraver.	1649 (1649)	Wing F699; Thomason E1241_1; ESTC R210449	136,683	333

him Wretch Wretch why abusest thou me all the creatures are so inlivened quickned preserved by God that a man cannot meddle nor lay his hand on the creature but he meddles with God himselfe Fifthly this is spoken specifically not of the blessed Angells as Origen would have it nor of men in generall as Austin would have it because man is a little world and all creatures meete in him But specifically every creature groaneth that is saith Gregory and Hugo and others the goaly groaneth and it is therefore saide every creature groaneth because the godly groane every creature groaneth in the bowells of the Saints they take the part of every creature and come before God in the behalfe of the creatures in their prayers confessions and humiliations confessing how horribly and fearefully the creatures are abused groaning and mourning in their hearts for it Thus you see how the creatures may be said to groane under the slavery of sinne Come we to the reasons why the creatures are said to groane under the slavery of sin First because it is distracted in its service Reas 1 all the creatures are Gods servants Psal 119. 9. that is they minister to his prayse they serve for the setting forth of his glory they all conspire to Gods owne ende and purpose all the creatures are Gods servants the flesh and wicked men are Gods enemies the creatures were made to serve God Oh then how distracted are they when they are made to serve the flesh and corruption the earth was made to honour God and therefore it must needs groane to carrie one that is a rebell against God meate and drinke were made for Gods glory and therefore they must needs groane to feede a rebell the Sun and Moone were made to declare Gods prayse and therefore they must groane to give light to a rebell they will see nothing by it but to dishonour God Gold and silver goods and cattle corne and grasse were made for Gods prayse and therefore they must needs groan to maintaine a rebell tongues were made to blesse God therefore they must needs groane to be in the mouthes of swearing and lying rebells eyes were made for Gods praise to see the Word and Workes of God withall therefore they must needs groane to be in the heads of lustfull wantons that behold nothing but vaine and sinfull objects by it Needs must the creatures groane that is distracted in its service God would have one thing and the wicked another When a wicked man thinkes of a creature or meddle with a creature or useth a creature not to that end God hath appointed it for the creature is distracted in its service it knows not which way to goe our Saviour tells us Matth. 6. 14. and No man can serve two Masters If a servant should be compelled to have two Masters the one bids him go one way doe such a thing the other commands the cleane contrary of him and that upon life and death how miserably should such a one be distracted and how would it make him sigh and groane under such a slavery so it is with the creatures When God the true and proper Master of them commands and appoints one thing and one end for them and wicked men usurping tyrants shall forcibly carry them to another needs must the creat●res groane in such distraction the creatures continually gaspe to set forth the praise of God they are continually ministring of new occasions to glorifie God Secondly they groane because of the unprofitablenesse 〈◊〉 of their service they serve and serve and get nothing by it Should a servant do never so hard a taske toyle and moyle himselfe never so much yet if he should have good pay for his labour it would not vex him there would be some comfort in it ● but when a servant hath toyled and laboured if then he should have nothing but stripes for wages and blowes for quarteridge it would even breake his heart and it would make him to groane to live under such a servitude Thus is it with the poore creatures they serve wicked men and have nothing but labour for their paines nothing but woes and curses and the plagues of God upon them for their paines Gen. 3. Beloved what are all those heaths parched grounds barren lands c. amongst us but the groanings of the creatures under our sins What are the tempests inundations of waters strange snowes earthquakes but the groanings and quakings of the creatures under our sinnes What are all murraines glanders plagues and pestilences but the groanings of the creatures under our sinnes What are those strange unnaturall births and mishapen monsters that are brought f●●th daily but the groanings of the creatures under our hands it is loth to serve us Looke upon the Husbandman the earth is loth to give him a harvest he is faine to dung it and dresse it and by his Plough to rent and teare up the very heart of it and sow and harrow it c. It s loth to serve such a hard Master Looke on all the creatures and see how backward how dull and untoward they are to yeeld service to man because they have such hard pay for their labour Thirdly because of the uncessantnesse of Reas 3 its service It is ever toyling and labouring without intermission Beloved we were not able to live unlesse the creatures were still in action unlesse the Sea were alwaies in motion the earth alwaies bearing the fire alwaies heating and all other things doing their part What servant is there but that sometime or other hath his holy day his day of recreation but the creatures are never at rest By watering he wearieth the thicke clouds Job 37. 11. Is not the Sun in the Firmament wearied by poasting up and downe from East to West is it not strange to thinke what toyle it hath in its continuall circuits when it runnes in one houre two thousand thousand miles Those that have no knowledge in the working of the creatures may thinke it strange but they that have learning and knowledge know it to be as true as the Sun shineth But when it hath gone thus farre what good doth come from it one seeth to drinke sweare and swagger another see to Dice and Card by it another sees to Hunt and Hauke by it another sees to trade and chaffer but few see to glorifie God by it Is it not a miserable thing that when the creature hath been at all this labour and toyle yet it shall doe it for base sinfull man that will not see to glorifie God by it Fourthly in regard of the misery and woe Reas 4 that the creatures lie under so that it had been good for the creatures that they never had had a being but that God meanes to deliver them As it was said of Judas that betrayed Christ good it had been for him if he had never been borne So beloved were it not that God keeps the creature untill the day of redemption of

I believed and therefore did I speake He beleeved Gods promise and then he spake with condition So we believe saith the Apostle and therefore doe we speake First the soule beleeves and then every action of a Christian wherin it moves to the keeping of the condition springs from this root nay beloved a man cannot keep any condition in the Bible without faith he must believe Secondly faith is the inabling cause to keep the condition Dost thou thinke to get weeping mourning and humiliation for thy sinnes and then thereby to get the promise to thy selfe then thou goest in thy owne strength and then in Gods account thou dost just nothing John 15. 5. Without me ye can doe nothing saith Christ therefore first lay hold on me beleeve in me abide in me What! doe you first think to pray to mourne to lament and bewaile your sinnes to do this and that in turning your selves and sanctifying of your selves Indeed you may fumble about these things but you can never do any of them in deed and to the purpose without me ye can doe nothing I had fainted saith the Prophet unlesse I had beleeved to see the goodnesse of the Lord in the land of the living Psal 27. 13. where we may see three things First the Promise that he should see the goodnesse of the Lord otherwise he could not have beleeved Secondly the Condition if he doe not f●i●● Thirdly the method the Prophet went by First he beleeved to see the goodnesse of the Lord. As if he had said if he had not first laid hold on the Promise if I had not beleeved to have seen the goodnesse of the Lord in the Land of the living I had fainted Beloved it is true that the keeping of the Condition is before the fruition of the Promise but not before beleeving the Promise because the doing of the Condition is effected by beleeving the Promise This is the cause that many fumble about grace but never get it they are ever repenting but never repent ever learning but never learne the knowledge of the truth everlasting ever striving but never get power over their corruptions c. because they fumble about it in their own strength and take it not in the right method Let the soule come with faith in Christ and believe it shall speed and have grace and power from Christ his grace and from Christs power and then it shall speed Christ hath promised John 16. that whatsoever we aske the Father in his name he will give it us Christ beloved is an excellent Surety Indeed our credit is crackt in Heaven we may thinke to goe and fetch this and that grace in our owne names and misse of it as the servant may goe to the Merchant for wares in his owne name but the Merchant will not deliver them to him in his own name unlesse he come in his Masters name and bring a ticket from him and then when the servant sheweth his Masters ticket the Merchant will deliver him what wares he asketh for in his Masters name So when a soule goeth to the Throne of grace with a ticket from Christ if he can say Lord it is for the honour of Christ I come for grace and holinesse and strength against my corruptions Lord here is a ticket from Christ most certainly he shall speed But men must take heed that they foyst not the name of Christ that they foyst not a ticket to say that Christ sent them when it is their own selfe-love and their owne lust that sends them it is not enough to pray and at the end to say through Christ our Lord Amen No for this may be a meere foysting of the Name of Christ But canst thou pray and shew that Christ sent thee and say as the servant I come from my Master and he sent me Lord it is for Christ that I come it is not to satisfie my owne lust nor to ease and deliver me from the galls of my conscience nor to free me from hell but for Christ Lord I begge grace and holinesse that I may have power to glorifie Christ It is for the honour of my Lord Christ that I come When the soul comes thus in Christs name beleeving it shall speed then his prayer shall prevaile Whatsoever saith Christ ye shall aske the Father in my Name he will give it you We come now to the third and last part of our Text to wit the supplies they had against danger and discouragements The Lord upheld their hearts from being dismayed in prayer thou saidst feare not There be two things that do much hurt in prayer First groundlesse incouragements Secondly needlesse discouragements First I say groundlesse incouragements and these the wicked are most subject to especially who because they pray heare the Word and performe many duties of religion therefore they incourage themselves in the goodnesse of their estates judgeing themselves happy though notwithstanding they go on and continue in the hardnesse of their hearts and rebellions against God We have abundance of sayings amongst us that if they were examined would prove false and unsound As that the vipers die when they bring forth their young for say they the young eate out the old ones bowels that beares shape all their young by licking of them that the Swanne singeth sweetest at her death that the Adamant stone is softned by Goats blood c. These things are not so as may be shewn out of ancient Writers So beloved there are abundance of sayings that goe up and down amongst men concerning Divinity which if they were examined will prove to be rotten sayings as he that made them will save them It is not so saith the Prophet Esal 27. 11. He that made them will not have mercy on them and he that formed them will not pitty them It is commonly beleeved if men come to Church heare the Word and call upon God that then presently they are good Christians Beloved it is not so Matth. 7. 21. Not every one that saith Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdome of Heaven Men are ready when they can but call Lord have mercy on me O sweet Saviour pitty me most mercifull Lord Jesus have compassion on me if they can pray in their families and pray at Church c. to think now all is well with them and Christ cannot but save them and give them the Kingdome of Heaven but our Saviour puts a not upon it and saith not every one that saith Lord Lord it is not a Lord a Lording of Christ with the tongne onely it is not a taking up of an outward profession of Christ only that is sufficient for a man that shall inherit the Kingdome of Heaven no saith Christ but he that doth the will of my Father which is in Heaven But of this by the by Secondly there are needlesse discouragements which doe much hurt in prayer Needlesse discouragements doe much hurt to many a poore soule that hath forcible wouldings and

you see the creature is put to a continuall labour the Sun is ever shining the earth is ever bearing the fire is ever burning c. therefore as the Isralites groaned under the hard taske of Pharaoh so the creatures groane under the continuall toyle they are put to by sinfull man Secondly it groanes in that it doth sometimes partake of the plagues of the ungodly in the destruction of wicked men the creatures have their share as in the deluge of the old world it drowned all the world saving onely some few that were with Noah in the Arke in the destruction of Sodome and Gomorr●● the creatures were destroyed by fire and brimstone from Heaven In the destruction of Egypt the Vengeance of God came upon their cattell and many other creatures Therefore as a childe groanes under his fathers rodde so doth the creature under Gods plagues Thirdly the creatures have a sympathy and instinctive fellow feeling of mans wretchednesse therefore as a tender heart would screech to see another man breake his neck so the creatures compassionately groane under our evills Fourthly because they are distorted rent and torne from their proper Master the creatures were made to set forth Gods Power the wisdom the truth the goodnesse and the glory of God when therefore they art distorted and carried another way the creatures groane When the creatures are forced to give their service to the wicked desires and lusts of the ungodly as the Sun to give his light the earth her fruites the aire its breathing therefore as a good sonne would groane that another should violently compell his hand to stabbe his owne father so do the creatures groane together with us and travell in paine unto this present Hence observe That ●uery creature groaneth Doct. under the slavery of sinne not onely under the slavery of sinfull man but under the slavery of sinne so that they groane under the Saints of God so as the Saints groane with them So farre as they minister to the flesh of Gods people so farre they groane under them the creature groaneth under the slavery of sinne Are men swearers because of swearing the Land mourneth Jer. 23. 10. Doe men lye steale commit adultery for this cause the Land mourneth Hos 4. 2 3. Are women proud and do they brave it out in their apparrell the very gates shall lament and mourne for it Isay 3. 16. Doe men covet an evill coveteousnes coveting more the gaine of the world then the glory of God The stone out of the wall shall cry and the beame out of the timber shall answer it Hab. 2. 11. Are men wrathfull and cholerick with Moab then Moab groanes against Moab Isay 16. 7. The grounds and dwellings of Moab groane under the hands of Moab the walls of Moab against the men of Moab But it may be demanded did ever any Obje man heare the creatures groane did any heare any unreasonable creature groane did ever any heare the heavens to groane or the earth to groane or the trees or any such like creatures groane how doe the creatures groane They may be said to groane five waies Answ First this is spoken hyperbolically to declare the great miserie the creatures are in to serve sinfull man the creatures were made to serve with reference to a holy God Oh what miserie then is it for them to be serviceable to sinefull and ungodly men thus saith Chrysostome doth the Prophet bring in the vines groaning the roofe of the temple and the very high-waies groaning upon mens sinnes to signify the exceeding great desire that each of the creatures have to be redeemed from such a thraldome Secondly this is spoken Analogically in regard of a naturall instinct of blinde reason that is in all the creatures for they have all reason as if it were reason indeed they have all a shadow of reason the grasse growes as right as if it knew how to grow the wheate sproutes forth as if it knew how to sproute forth every creature acteth by a rule which it swerveth not from as if it were endued with reason to act by A stone falling findes out the straight line of descending as if it had reason to pecke it out Let a stone be cast up in the aire all the reason under heaven cannot finde a straighter line then it will to fall downe by so every creature it hath such an obedientiall instinct to glorify God as if it had reason to obey by wherefore it is saide to groane to serve sinne the Land shall mourne every family a part Zachar. 12. 12. As men mourne with reason at the crucifying of the Lord of life so the Land it selfe mournes Analogically at the same Thirdly this is spoken supposedly or by way of supposition Every creature groaneth that is if they had reason they would groane to be so misused Beloved the liquor that the drunkard abuseth if it had reason as well as a man to know how shamefully it is abused and spoiled it would groane in the barrells against him it would groane in the cup against him it would groane in his throate and belly against him it would flie in his face if it could speake and crie out drunkard out So if God should open the mouth of the creatures as he did open the mouth of Balaans Asse then the proud mans garments on his backe would groane against him there is never a creature but if it had reason to know how it is abused till a man is converted it would groane against man If the creature were conscious of mans abuse of it then the Land would groane to beare us the Aire would groane to give us breathing our houses would groane to lodge us our beds would groane to ease us our foode to feede us our cloathes to cover us and every creature would groane against us to give us any helpe or comfort so long as we live in sinne against God Fourthly intelligently there is an intellective assistance which runs along in every creature as the heathen and schoole-men tell us The power goodnesse and providence of God run along in them giving being quickening preserving leading and governing c. So that a man cannot wrong the creature but he wrongs God in the creature And therefore because Paul wronged and persecuted the Church Christ cals out from heaven to him Why persecutest thou me Acts. 9. 4. Why because he persecuted the Church which was Christ his Church As Christ is the head of his Church so God hath made him the heire of all the creatures all the creatures are delivered up to Christ and they are his so that a man cannot wronge the creatures but he wrongeth Christ and Christ groanes in the creatures against the drunkard Drunkard why abusest thou me When the covetous man is coveting for the world Christ cries in his barne he cries in his Chest Christ cries in his goods Wretch Wretch why wrongest thou me Doth a man abuse his apparrell to pride Christ groanes against