Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	great_a	know_v	see_v	2,770	5	3.0783	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A12361	Iacobs ladder, or The high way to heauen Being the last sermon that Master Henry Smith made. And now published, not (as many forged things haue beene in his name) to deceiue the Christian reader, but to instruct and prepare him with oyle in his lampe, ioyfully to meete the Lord Iesus in his second comming.	Smith, Henry, 1550?-1591.	1595 (1595)	STC 22677; ESTC S122459	18,803	31

IACOBS LADDER OR THE HIGH WAY TO HEAVEN Being the last Sermon that Master Henry Smith made And now published not as many forged things haue beene in his name to deceiue the Christian Reader but to instruct and prepare him with oyle in his lampe ioyfully to meete the Lord Iesus in his second comming 1. THES 5. 21. Trie all things but keepe that which is good AT LONDON Printed by the widdow Orwin for Thomas Man 1595. Iacobs Ladder or the way to Heauen 1. COR. 9. 24. So runne that yee may obtaine BEcause I haue but one houre to teach you all that you must learn of me I haue chosē a text which is like Iacobs ladder that shewes you the way to heauen This is all that you would know and it may please God to open your eyes that you may know it before ye depart Heare to practise hinder not the spirit but let it worke without resistance recorde when you are gone and you shall see the great power of God what he is able to doe for you by one sentence of this booke if ye digest it well So runne c. Then wee must see first how we should runne Secondly what we shall obtaine Thirdly what will hinder vs that is we must see the way the lettes and the ende Foure thinges marke in the way first begin betime secondly make hast thirdly keepe the way fourthly continue to the end thou shalt obtaine heauen whither Christ by these steppes is gone before thee When I haue set you in the way I will point at all the lettes stops rubbes and blockes which are before you behinde you beside you the temptations of prosperitie the temptations of aduersitie the temptations of heresie which stand in the streetes like the fierie sworde to stop the way to Paradice Then I will leade you to the mount as God did Moses and shew you a far off the blessed land the countrie aboue that you may see where heauen is what is the way to it and what glory and happines is there When I haue shewed you the way the lettes and the end I will commit you to the race and end as I began So runne that ye may obtaine So often as I haue read or considered these words which you heare they seeme me thinks to put vs in mind that we are out of the way and that there is another way if wee seeke it nearer yet to the kingdome of heauen then that which wee take therefore the holy Apostle doth wa●●e euery man to ponder his steps that running wee may obtaine that which we runne for which is the worthiest price that euer was giuen and neuer was giuen but to him which kept this way that I will shewe you The Apostle sayth that you must runne It is not an easie nor a short iourney which a drone a dreamer a snaile or any carelesse man may performe and take his ease set forth when hee will stay at his pleasure goe againe at his leasure but he must alwaies runne from the first day he setteth sorth till he come to his iorneyes end for the glorious heauen is farre from the darke earth much adoe to aspire the top of Mount Stō but much more adou to aspire the top of Mount Heauen The violent take it from the slothfull and the wicked runne to hell with more paines which they take to doe euill than the righteous need to take for heauen The Apostle putteth the word so before runne to teach vs to looke to our way before wee runne farre So runne c as if he should say moe runne than come home as moe shoote than hit the marke The heathen Philosophers Plato Socrates Aristides Phocion Pericles Solon in their way did runne faster than we Constancie Temperance Patience justice humilitie simplicitie integritie contempt of death contempt of the world seeme to be buried with them and hid in the graue before this Iron age was borne yet because they ranne without Christ they did not obtaine but lost their labour like a man which makes hast out of his way takes more paines than if he kept the way and yet neuer comes whither hee would The blinde generation which knowe not God in their way runne faster than wee Aske the Marchants which haue seene their life and our liues or looke in histories and they will tell you that our Religion is not like their superstition our knowledge not like their ignorance our faith not like their feare our worship not like their seruice our christianitie not like their Idolatrie yet because they runne to the creature for the creator and followe vncertaine dreames before the worde which came from heauen they runne in vaine for their Religion deuotion and seruice is to them that cannot requite it Many of our aduersaries Papists Anabaptists Donatists and the grossest heretikes in their way runne fasten than wee They watch they pray they fast and distribute more than we yet because they runne to traditions to Angels to Saints to Grosses to Images to Reliques inste●d of Christ and challenge merite of all that they doe and would bee canonized beside that all posteritie might honour them as they doe Saints therefore as the Pharisies had their rewarde when men praised them so haue they when one doth worship another If many runne and do not obtaine how easie is it to runne in vaine and how happie is he which obtaineth that that all men wish when so many misse it for nothing but for this because they runne out of the way You haue heard read and done much and more would doe to obtaine eternall life with the Angels in heauen for this ye pray and fast and watch and obey the lawes of God and come together euery Sabboth to heare to pray to praise and serue him which giueth How many prayers how many fastes how manie watches how many works how many houres in reading the word in hearing the word in receiuing the sacramēts in examining your hearts in chastising your flesh were spēt lost if you shuld run in vaine as Esau hunted for a blessing wēt without it Therfore the holy Ghost doth say nothing but it is like a marke in our way to shew vs when we are in when we are out for God would not haue vs lose our labour like Labā which could find in his hart after Iacob had serued him twentie yeeres to send him away emptie but he would haue you to seeke and finde to aske and receiue to runne and obtaine therefore hee saith so runne that ye may obtaine As there is a heauen so there is a way to heauen one way Adam came from Paradise and by another way hee must returne to Paradise the passage is not so stopt but there is a way though a straight way and a doore though it be a narrow doore and therefore few doe finde it onely they which are like Iacob doe see a Ladder before them as Iacob did he had many dreames before