Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	bring_v	holy_a	zion_n	21	3	9.1193	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B07428	God wooing his church: set foorth in three godly sermons. / By William Burton preacher at Reading.	Burton, William, d. 1616.	1596 (1596)	STC 4174.5; ESTC S91261	71,970	150

if one leaper amongst ten that are clensed returne with his thanks he shal be accepted if in a cittie one in a tribe but two and in a whole world but eight iust persons bee founde the Lord will receiue them and saue them from perishing with the wicked world The Lorde dealeth not with his people as men doe that will say if there be but one fish in the net and a little one cast it in againe if there come vppe but a little fruit vpon the tree let the swine eate it except there were more if the henne bringeth but one chickin cast it away because there are no more or as the wicked say if there bee but one or two in a congregation that feare God what account make you of him hee is one we are many against one but the Lord makes much of one so it bee his owne to teach vs that we also should make more account of one good man if there be but one among many then of many bad as the Lord doth for he dealeth like a merciful creditor who hauing many desperate debts will take any thing and not refuse part because he cannot haue all Last of all from this place we note that the Lord vseth to spare many wicked ones oftentimes for the smal number of his elect sake which are amongst them as he spared Sodom and Gomorrha for Lots sake the olde world for Noahs sake and Putiphar for Iosephs sake the thornes are spared for the Lillies sake that groweth amongst them and the tares for the wheate sake are not cutte downe and for good Iehoshaphat his sake it was that the Lordes Prophet vouchsafed to goe vnto wicked Iehoram or else hee would not so much as haue looked towardes that wicked man though he were a king 2 King 3.1 This may teach vs to make much of them that feare God for if their number be once accōplished the world is at an end for as the world was made at the first for their sakes so for their sakes it is that it continueth and standeth for how long did Sodom stand free from the fire of Gods wrath after Lot and his housholde were remooued out of it or how long did the old world escape drowning after that Noah and his companie were entred the Arke no longer shall the world stand after that the Lord hath once gathered his chosen vnto himselfe If the wicked did wel consider of this point that when the Lord hath gathered his wheate into his barne as the Lord Iesus saith that hee will then gather the tares together and cast them into vnquenchable fire they woulde not bee so hastie to driue away Gods people and to hunt them out of their companie and out of their Citties and townes as they doe like the Galileans which were not well vntill Christ were gone out of their coast but euen in pollicie they make much of him as fome doe of wardes whose landes they enioy but during their minoritie and the terme of their liues and after their decease or when they come to full age all goeth from them againe to another But nowe let vs come to the text againe And wil bring you to Zion Zion was a fort in Ierusalem 2. Sam. 5.7 2. Sam. 6.16 1. King 8.1 kept in possession of the Iebusites til Dauids time but it was won by Dauid when he came to the crowne After hee had won it hee brought ●hither the Arke of Gods couenant to which place the people resorted to worship the Lord. So that by Zion is meant the place of Gods worship and religion so that the meaning of the Lorde in these words is this in respect I wil set you at libertie from your enemies and bring you againe to your owne country that you may serue mee in holy exercises of religion as I haue appointed Whence we may note that the end of the churches deliuerance frō any trouble and affliction is to become more religious for to this end hath the Lord deliuered vs out of the hāds of our enemies that we might serue him without feare Luke 1.74 in righteousnes true holines alwaies But som may say This is a mater of no great vaiue for they had it before made no reckoning of it therfore very like that this wold not moue them But if hee had tolde them of their gorgeous houses delicate orchards pleasant fields and abundance of worldly wealth and great honours and dignities it may bee they woulde haue regarded such things as sathan thought to mooue Christ to worshippe him that waie when no waie else woulde preuaile he sheweth him therefore all the kingdomes of the world and the glorie of them and doth offer them al vnto him vpon condition that he would fall downe and worship him but by no means he could preuaile with his goodly offer for the Lord Iesus was not of a worldlings mind that will do more for gold then for godlinesse So it should seeme that if the Lord had told the Iewes of such matters wherewith the heart of man is more drawen thē with spiritual matters he might haue wonne their loue for euer But to tell them of Zion and religion of pastours and preaching might seeme to be the next way to driue them further from his loue then before Indeede this seemeth to bee a good worldly pollicie but the Lord neede not to be taught of the world The truth is so that when they had their fill of religion and religious exercises at Zion they cared not for them but now being wel humbled with affliction amongst idolaters and scoffers and being kept from it they account deerely of it And the trueth of this may further appeare by that pittifull complaint and mone which they make in the 137. 〈◊〉 137 1 ● psalme when they were amongst the Babylonians in captiuitie By the riuers of Babel we sate and there we wept when we remembred Zion they wept not before when they were at Zion but now they weep yea so great was their griefe at the remembrance of Zion nowe that all mirth and musicke is laide aside nowe they hung vp their harpes vpon the willow trees and fall to weeping and sorrowing for Zion for Zion why could not their melodie and sweete musicke make them merry Oh no no they could take no ioy nor comfort in any such outward things so long as they were banished from the publique exercises of Gods religion at Zion which was a signe of Gods loue and fauour vnto them but nowe they were excommunicate and cast out as it were vnsauourie salt vpon the dunghill for Babylon was but a dunghill to Zion oh God had taken his loue tokens and iewelles from them God shewed an angry countenaunce vpon them How could they then be merry what ioy could they haue in the riuers or pleasant walkes or sweete musicke when they remembred Zion oh now Zion Zion Psal 137 Zion nothing but Zion would make them weepe