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
B01382	Communion vvith God. in two sermons preach'd at Paul's: the first, Sept. 3, 1654, the second, March 25, 1655. / By Samuel Annesley L.L.D. minister of the gospel at John Evangel London.	Annesley, Samuel, 1620?-1696.	1655 (1655)	Wing A3227; ESTC R223508	33,565	54

glory while we look not at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen for the things which are seen are temporal but the things which are not seen are eternal 2. When the heart failes when the spirit is tost and ready to be overwhelmed Christians in this case will grant that enjoyment of God is abundantly able to bear up the heart in soul-trouble but this is the trouble of their souls they neither do and they fear they never shall enjoy God To those that make this mournful complaint I have one general request before I undertake their particular comfort that is That they would observe from this very Text That enjoyment of God may consist with soul-trouble Grant but this and I hope though thou art a trembling Christian full of spiritual jealousies yet thou shalt see ere we part that thou mayest and that thou doest enjoy God in thy soul-trouble Suppose I should peremptorily assert it what hast thou to say to the contrary 1. This is for Christians of the highest form Gods special presence is onely fit for heights of grace and that I have no hopes of To this I answer 1. By way of concession 't is very desirable to have abundance of grace to be strong men in Christ able to digest strong meat that is the more secret mysteries of grace But 2. Bare weakness never yet made any breach between God and the soul nor hindred Communion with him Art thou less indulgent to thy child because he is a sick child and a weak child Psa 103.13 Like as a Father pittieth his children so the Lord pittieth them that fear him But 2. It is not weakness so much as wickedness corruptions are prevalent and such corruptions as many times I am afraid are inconsistent with grace and therefore I may sadly expect to be set at an eternal distance To this I answer also 1. By way of concession It is a just and a sad cause of complaint to have conscience flie in thy face because of sin our sins are called our debts we may easily run into debt but 't is hard to get out we may easily fall into sin but not so easily recover our standing But 2. If sin be discerned 't is thereby weakned A penitential eye hath a kind of fascination It is in sin as in treason if a treason be discovered before it break out the treason it self is th●reby broken That soul that is truely sensible of its danger is past it though God may deal by thee as David by Absolom keep thee for a while at some humbling distance yet thou mayest beg of God more confidently than Absolom did of David that thou mayest see his face because thou art not able to bear his estrangement and thou shall not be denyed but shalt have either comfortable fruition or profitable support 3. But yet more but 's yet aye and yet alas my heart is not in a posture fit for the enjoyment of God there should be some suitableness in the subject for so great a priviledge but alas I am I know not what I am I am every way worse than you can imagine me to be To this if I should give the answer wherewith 't is said some body confuted Bellarmine in saying Bellarmine thou liest perhaps this answer would be remembred longer than a fine one And 't is your profit my soul desires God knows I had rather any one though the meanest in the Congregation should say the Sermon did me good than that every one should say 't was a good Sermon Well then take this rude answer Thou●l and pray observe how I demonstrate it If thou dost not believe thy self in what thou sayest then thy complaint is an hypocritical untruth for to say thus of thy self in proud humility is base hypocrisie If thou doest think as thou speakest then 't is a comfortable mistake and that which doth evidence height of grace for those that are vilest in their own eyes are persons in whom God delighteth You never read in Scripture of any that bespattered himself as Paul did but are not those passages his beauty-spots had Paul ever the less Communion with God for all that Thou that lickest the dust of Gods feet he will take thee into his armes and lay thee in his bosom And whence hast thou at present thy constant support whence hast thy though but seldom revivings is it not God that upholds thy soul in life art thou not hid in the secret of his presence well then Psal 27.14 Wait on the Lord be of good courage he shall strengthen thy heart waite I say on the Lord. To speak all in a word I have endeavoured to bring you unto God and there I would leave you FINIS