Selected quad for the lemma: child_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
child_n	father_n	fear_v	pity_v	2,202	5	10.4985	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A62644	Sixteen sermons, preached on several subjects. By the most Reverend Dr. John Tillotson late Lord Arch-Bishop of Canterbury. Being the third volume; published from the originals, by Ralph Barker, D.D. chaplain to his Grace	Tillotson, John, 1630-1694.; Barker, Ralph, 1648-1708.	1696 (1696)	Wing T1270; ESTC R218005	164,610	488

violent degree of Temptation and Suffering which would be too strong for Humane Strength and Patience to bear And this is a great security to good Men against the fears of a final Miscarriage after all their Labours and Pains and Sufferings in a Religious Course by being over-born at last by the assault of a very violent and powerful Temptation Not but that the best of Men ought always to have a prudent distrust of themselves so as to keep them from security according to the Apostle's Caution and Counsel be not high minded but fear and let him that stands take heed lest he fall because 'till we come to Heaven we shall never be out of the danger and possibility of falling But yet for all this we may hope by the sincerity and firmness of our Resolution under the usual influences of God's Grace to acquit our selves like Men in ordinary Cases of Temptation and Suffering And to this end we should represent to our selves those exceeding great and precious Promises which he hath made to Good Men and his merciful Providence which continually watcheth over them and steers their course for them in this World among those many Rocks which they are in Danger to split upon that he is able to stablish us in the Truth and to keep us from falling and to present us faultless before the presence of h●s Glory with exceeding joy and to preserve us to his heavenly Kingdom and that if we do not forsake him and forfeit his Care and Protection he will keep us by his mighty power through faith unto Salvation either by his merciful Foresight and Prevention of those Temptations which would probably be too hard for us or if he thinks fit they should befal us by supporting us under them in an extraordinary Manner For I doubt not but that the best Men do own their Security and Perseverance in Goodness much more to the merciful Providence of God preventing the Assaults of violent and dangerous Temptations than to the Firmness and Constancy of their own resolutions For there are very few Persons of so firm and resolute Virtue but that one time or other a Temptation might assault them upon such a Disadvantage as would in all probability not only stagger them but bear them down Now herein th●●●ovidence of God towards good 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 very remarkable in secu●●●● 〈◊〉 ●rom those Temptations which 〈◊〉 ●oo st●ong for them to grapple wi●●al like a kind and tender Father who if he be satisfied of the dutiful Disposition of his Child towards him will not try his Obedience to the utmost nor permit too strong a Temptation to the contrary to come in his way So the Psalmist represents God's tender Regard and Consideration of the Frailty and Infirmity of his Children Psal 103. 13 14. Like as a Father pitieth his Children so the Lord pitieth them that fear him For he knoweth our frame he remembreth that we are dust that is he considereth us as men and deals with us accordingly Provided we be sincere he will not suffer us to be set upon by Temptations that are too big for us Andtherefore our blessed Saviour makes it one of the Petitions of that excellent Prayer which he hath recommended to us Lead us not into Temptation that is we should every day beg of God that his Providence would keep us out of the Way of great and dangerous Temptations as knowing that this will be a greater Security to us than any strength and resolution of our own Secondly Or in case of such violent and extraordinary Temptations the Providence of God will not be wanting to give us the extraodinary Support and Comfort of his Holy Spirit to bear us up under them The Providence of God did take Care of Good Men in all Ages and did afford Comfort to them under great Tryals and Sufferings but God never made so express and general a Promise of this to all good Men as he hath done by the Christian Religion Never was so constant a Presence and Influence of the Divine Spirit vouchsafed and assured to Men under any dispensation as that of the Gospel wherein the Spirit of God is promised to all that sincerely embrace the Christian Religion to reside and dwell in them not only to all the purposes of Sanctification and Holiness but of Support and Comfort under the heaviest Pressures and Sufferings For which Reason the Gospel is called the Ministration of the Spirit and is upon this account said to be more Glorious than any other Revelation which God had ever made to Mankind We are naturally apt to be very much disheartned and cast down at the apprehension of great Sufferings from the consideration of our own weakness and frailty but the Spirit of Christ dwells in all true Christians and the same Glorious Power which raised up Jesus from the dead works mightily in them that Believe St. Paul useth very high Expressions about this Matter Eph. 1. 19. That ye may know saith he speaking to all Christians what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who b●lieve accord●ng to the working of his mighty power which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and set him at his own right hand So that every Christian is endowed with a kind of Omnipotence being able as St. Paul speaks of himself to do and to endure all things through Christ strengthning him Of our selves we are very weak and the Temptations and Terrors of the World are very powerful but there is a Principle residing in every true Christian that is able to bear us up against the World and the power of all its Temptations Whatsoever is born of God saith St. John overcometh the world for greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world The Holy Spirit of God which dwells in all true Christians is a more powerful Principle of Resolution and Courage and Patience under the sharpest Trials and Sufferings than that Evil Spirit which rules in the World is to stir up and set on the Malice and Rage of the World against us Ye are of God little Children he speaks this to the youngest and weakest Christians Ye are of God little Children and have overcome because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world The Malice and Power of the Devil is very great but the Goodness and Power of God is greater And therefore in case of extraordinary Temptation good Men by virtue of this Promise of God's Holy Spirit may expect to be born up and comforted in a very extraordinary and supernatural manner under the greatest Tribulations and Sufferings for righteousness sake And this was in a very signal and remarkable manner afforded to the Primitive Christians under those Fierce and Cruel Persecutions to which they were exposed And this may still be expected in like Cases of extraordinary Sufferings for the Testimony of God's Truth If ye be reproached saith St. Peter in this 4th

government of Religion and directed by the Laws and Rules of it and it should be our continual Care and Endeavour to please God in all things and we should take as much pains and be as heartily concerned to be good Men as the Men of the World are to grow Rich and Great in this World nay so much more by how much it is a better and nobler Design to improve in Grace and Virtue than to prosper and thrive in our Temporal Estate and we do not in good earnest seek the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness if this be not our great study and endeavour to subdue our Lusts and govern our Passions and in a word to reform whatever is amiss in the inward frame and temper of our Minds and in our outward Conversation And indeed nothing does require greater diligence and attention and care than for a Man to become truly and thoroughly good to be meek and humble and patient and contented and resigned to the Will of God in every Condition to be peaceable and charitable and placable and ready to forgive these are great and difficult things and whatever we think not the work of a Wish or the effect of a sudden Resolution before the receiving of the Holy Sacrament no nor the fruit of frequent and ●ervent Prayers without the hearty concurrence of our own Care and Endeavour to render our Lives such as we pray God by his Grace to assist and enable us to be Thirdly Seeking the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness does further imply zeal and earnestness in the pursuit of this Design And this is a degree above diligence for zeal is an ardour and ●ervency of Mind in the prosecution of a thing for which we are greatly concerned and which we vehemently desire to obtain it is the hottest and most intense degree of our affection towards any thing of our desire and love mixt with anger at every thing that stands in our way and hinders us from obtaining what we seek after such an heat as Ambition does commonly inspire Men withall in the pursuit of Power and Preferment Such ought to be the temper of our Minds and the edge of our Spirits in seeking the Kingdom of God as does usually possess Men in seeking the Kingdoms of this World and the Glory of them We must remember that it is a Kingdom which we seek for and aspire after not like the unstable and tottering Kingdoms of this World but a Kingdom which cannot be shaken as the Apostle calls it So that the greatness of the Design and the Excellency of what we seek after will justifie and warrant the highest degree of a discreet zeal and fervour in the prosecution of it and therefore no wonder that the Scripture in this matter useth words that import the greatest vehemency and earnestness bidding us to strive to enter in at the strait gate to labour and watch to run and wrestle and fight and in a word to give all diligence to make our Calling and Election sure Lastly Seeking the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness does imply patience and perseverance in our endeavours after them and that we never cease our pursuit of them 'till we have obtained them and this notwithstanding all the difficulties and discouragements the opposition and persecution that we meet with for Righte●usness sake For this we must expect and reckon upon before-hand to encounter many difficulties and find many discouragements in the ways of Religion for strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to life as our Lord himself hath told us Nay we must count to be grievously persecuted for Righteousness sake and if God see it good for us to pass through many Tribulations before we shall enter into the Kingdom of God and therefore we had need to be armed with a great deal of Patience and a very firm and obstinate Resolution to enable us to bear up and to hold out against all these for this is a necessary qualification for our seeking the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness So our Lord hath told us Mat. 10. 22. he that endureth to the end shall be saved if we hope to receive the Crown of Life we must be faithful to the death Rev. 2. 10. And to the same purpose St. Paul declares Rom. 2. 7. that they only shall be made partakers of Eternal Life who by patient continuance in well doing seek for Glory and Honour and Immortality You see what is meant by seeking th● Kingdom of God and his Righteousness it remains briefly to be shewn in the Second place what is meant by seeking these first seek ye f●rst the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness that is let this be your main and principal Design so as to take place of all others in your esteem and affections in your aim and endeavour in comparison of this mind nothing else not the Comforts and Conveniencies no not the Necessaries of Life what ye shall eat and what ye shall drink and wherewithal ye shall be cloathed These you see our Saviour instanceth in before the Text as not to be regarded and taken care of when they come in competition with the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness And our Saviour tells us elsewhere that not only none of the Comforts and Necessaries of Life are to be valued against him and his Religion but that even this Temporal Life itself as dear as it is to us is to be parted withall and given up rather than to quit the profession of his Truth and Religion Mat. 10. 37. 38. He that loveth Father or Mother more than me is not worthy of me and he that loveth Son or Daughter more than me is not worthy of me He instanceth in the nearest Relations those towards whom we have the most tender and relenting affections and yet he tells us that the Consideration of his Truth and Religion ought to take place of these nay even of Life it self for so it follows and he that taketh not his Cross and followeth after me is not worthy of me St. Luke expresseth it more strongly and vehemently Luke 14. 26. If any man come to me that is take upon him the profession of my Religigion and hate not his Father and Mother and Wife and Children and Brethren and Sisters yea and his own life also he cannot be my Disciple When these come in competition with our Religion and the great interest of our Eternal Salvation we are to regard and value them no more than if they were the Objects of our hatred but to set aside all consideration of affection to them so far as it would tempt us from Constancy in our Religion and the Care of our Souls So that when our Saviour bids us first to seek the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness his meaning is tha● Religion and the Concernments of our Souls and the Eternal Happiness of them in another World should be our first and chief Care and that all