Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	earth_n	heaven_n	militant_a	4,766	5	11.7120	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A20725	The Christian arte of thriving, whereby a man may become rich to God, or, A sermon vpon Matth.6.33 preached by the right reuerend father in God, George, Lord Bishop of Derry.	Downame, George, d. 1634.	1620 (1620)	STC 7109.3; STC 7109A; ESTC S120077	25,870	48

to sustaine it and he that prouided the body will giue rayment to clothe it namely to them that moderately and orderly seeke it The second and fourth à minori from the lesse God feedeth the Fowles without their carefulnesse and doth not onely clothe but also adorne the Lillyes of the field which are of no value in comparison of men Which as they were made for mans vse so are they supplied with necessaries for mans sake If therefore God prouide for them how much more will he prouide for vs if we shall depend vpon his prouidence in the moderate vse of lawfull meanes The third is from the like For God hath set to all men a stiat as of their stature so of their estate as therefore it were a vaine and idle thing for a man to carke and care for the increase of his stature so likewise for the aduancement of his state aboue that pitch which God hath limited The other argument is because such care is no way beseeming Christians first because it is Heathenish The Gentiles that doe not know God nor acknowledge his prouidence seeke immoderately and preposterously after these things But you must not be like vnto them as before hee had said Secondly it becommeth Christians who haue a heauenly Father which knoweth what is needfull and expedient for vs better then our selues to cast their care vpon him and to depend vpon his Fatherly prouidence Children that haue wise louing and able parents doe not vse to take thought for their foode and rayment or other necessaries but depend vpon the prouident care of their naturall Parents How much more ought we who are the children of God to depend vpon the prouidence of our heauenly Father For if earthly Parents doe know to giue good things to their children how much more will our heauenly Father giue good things to them that aske him who in loue wisdome and power doth infinitely more excell earthly Parents then the heauens exceede the earth But this argument that God is our Father may yet further be enforced Is God our Father in Christ then hath he giuen his owne Sonne forvs that by him we might be made the sonnes of God If therefore as the Apostle argueth God hath so loued vs that he spared not his onely begotten sonne but gaue him ouer vnto death for vs how shall not he with him giue vs all things that are needfull and expedient for vs Againe is God our Father then are we his sonnes and if sonnes then also heires heires of God and coheires with Christ and therefore to vs also belongeth that comfortable exhortation of our Sauiour Christ Luke 12. 32. Feare not little flocke be not distracted with distrustfull care or feare of want it is your Fathers pleasure to giue you a Kingdome For if God wil giue vs an heauenly and euerlasting Kingdom can we imagine that he will denie vnto vs the pettie commodities of this life So much of the negatiue precept or dehortation In the affirmatiue precept or exhortation we are to note three things The obiect or thing to be sought the dutie of seeking the order and degree first The obiect is twofold the Kingdome of God and his righteousnes As touching the former there are two kingdomes in the world the one of darkenes the other of light The former is the kingdome of Satan who is called the Prince yea the god of this world who ruleth effectually in the children of disobedience carrying them captiue to the obedience of his will vnto this kingdom all men naturally since the Fall of Adam are subiect and in that subiection doe remaine vntill they bee translated into the Kingdome of God The consideration whereof ought to moue all that are not in the state of grace earnestly and speedily to seeke the Kingdome of God For vntill they belong to Gods Kingdome they are subiects of the kingdome of Satan The Kingdome of God is twofold Vniuersall Speciall His vniuersall Kingdome is called the Kingdome of his power and prouidence Of which it is said Psalm 103. 19. The Lord hath prepared his Throne in the Heauens and his Kingdome ruleth ouer all vnto this Kingdome all creatures whatsoeuer be they neuer so rebellious are subiect For although in respect of their intent they set themselues against the will of God yet in respect of the euent they become though vnwittingly the instruments of God to bring to passe his good purposes Of this kingdome our Sauiour speaketh not in this place Neither shall wee need to seeke it but voluntarily to submit our selues vnto it whereunto all creatures of necessity are subiect His speciall kingdome is that whereby hee ruleth ouer his Elect who are not onely his kingdome but his Family also whereof one part is in heauen which is the Church triumphant the other on earth which is the Church militant In regard whereof the speciall kingdome of God hath two parts the kingdome of Glory and the kingdome of Grace The kingdome of Glory to the Elect is a state of Glory and eternall happinesse in heauen where they hauing vnion with Christ and by him communion and fellowship with the whole Trinity enioy the chiefest good which is God himselfe in whose presence there is fulnesse of ioy and at whose right hand are pleasures for euermore The kingdome of Grace vnto the Elect is a state of Grace and by it of happinesse begun in this life standing in the meanes and degrees of saluation wherein we hauing by the Spirit vnion with Christ as our Head who is our life and with whom our life is hid in God Colos. chap. 3. vers 3 4. and hauing also communion with him in his merits to our iustification and in his grace and efficacy of his Spirit to our sanctification doe passe the time of our pilgrimage as in his feare so also in expectation of euerlasting happinesse The former kingdome is to bee sought as our supreme end and absolute felicitie the latter as the meanes destinated thereunto Yet both as our happinesse that vt beatitudo patriae this vt beatitudo viae that as the happinesse comprehensorum who are in actuall possession this as the happinesse viatorum who liue in expectation and therfore both also are to be first sought that in intention as the end this in execution as the meanes to the end For whosoeuer desireth to be an inheritour of the Kingdome of Glory where God vnto his Saints is all in all must first bee a faithfull subiect in the Kingdome of Grace wherin God ruleth in his Saints by his Word and Spirit But our Sauiour requireth vs to seeke not only the Kingdome of God but also his righteousnesse Where perhaps it may seeme strange that this addition is heere made seeing righteousnes is included in the kingdome For as the Apostle saith the Kingdome of God standeth not in meate or drinke or in other things appertaining to this life