Selected quad for the lemma: city_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
city_n	build_v	great_a	king_n	5,770	4	3.5361	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26807	A short description of the blessed place and state of the saints above in a discourse upon the words of Our Blessed Saviour, John XIV, 2, in my father's house are many mansions, if it were not so, I would have told you, I go to prepare a place for you / by William Bates.	Bates, William, 1625-1699.	1687 (1687)	Wing B1125; ESTC R25866	33,196	119

without prejudice to others As the Sun streams forth in Rays every moment yet which is a perpetual Miracle in Nature without the least diminution of his Lustre and Efficacy thus the Son of Righteousness dispences his influences of Knowledg and Love and Joy to all the blessed Assembly above and is the universal Happiness of all and the entire Happiness of every Saint God is an inexhaustible Fountain of Felicity As he that drinks of a living Spring tho inflam'd with thirst yet leaves it flowing and full as before sufficient to refresh a thousand Men without being dry thus God is able to make many Worlds happy An earthly Inheritance is either entirely and peculiarly the first Born's or is lessen'd by division but all the Sons of God have the dignity of the first born and are Heirs of God and enjoy an undivided Inheritance Our Heavenly Father verifies to every Saint what the Father in the Parable said to his Son All that I have is thine 2. The stability and firmness of it The Apostle saith 'T is a City that hath Foundations whose Builder and Maker is God Cities that are raised by the greatest Kings who are corruptible and mortal are so slitely built that they may be consum'd by Fire batter'd by Storms and without external Violence yet from an inward principle of Decay sink into Ruins but Heaven is the City of the living God the Seat of his eternal Empire This present World is like a Tent pitcht for a time whilst the Church is sojourning in the Wilderness the most solid parts of it the visible Heaven and Earth shall perish either by an entire Consumption or their ruin shall terminate in a renovation to a better State But the third Heaven is above the dominion of the Elements exempted from all changes and for ever remains 'T is an inheritance incorruptible undefiled and fades not away The integrity purity and glory of it are always the same 'T is the habitation of God's Throne He sits in Heaven secure from all the tumultuous Conspiracies of his Enemies and derides their impious Attempts against his Son and Church His Throne is unshaken there notwithstanding things below are turn'd about in a vertiginous Circle And as the House so the Inhabitants and their felicity are eternal Glory Honour and Immortality are the Reward of all that patiently continue in well-doing Our Saviour assures his Disciples Because I live ye shall live also He tasted Death for them and swallowed it up in Victory He declar'd in Vision to St. John Behold I am alive for evermore The Lord of Life will uphold the Saints in that blessed State for ever They shall never fall out of the Arms and Bosom of a gracious God He will never withdraw his Love and they shall never forfeit it for Sin is from the perverseness of the Will and disorder of the Affections join'd with some error of the Mind But in the Light of Glory and full enjoyment of God the Understanding is so perfectly illuminated the Will and the Affections so exceedingly satisfied that 't is impossible they should apprehend erroneously or desire irregularly This glorious Advantage the redeemed Saints have by Jesus Christ who obtain'd eternal Redemption for them above the Grace given to Angels and Man in the first Creation The Angels were upon trial of their Obedience not in a determin'd state of Felicity Their first declination of Love and Subjection was a downfal from their blessed Habitation Woful change how unlike themselves in their original Purity and Glory An unparallel'd Example of the frailty of the Creature that forsakes God and of the Divine Severity Man did but stand in Paradise for a little while and had a ruinous fall with all his Progeny But the glorified Saints actually sit with Christ in Heavenly Places and enjoy an unchangeable happy State The felicity Above is permanent as the everlasting Object that produces and preserves it and the everlasting Soul wherein it dwells Blessed Security how triumphantly do the glorified in Heaven sing This God is our God for ever and ever Earthly Relations how near soever determine in Death and the sorrow of losing them is in proportion to the delightful enjoying them But the Heavenly Relation between God and the Saints is as everlasting as the Object on which 't is fixt This God in whom are all amiable Excellencies all Sweetness and Beauty to feed Desires and Delights is our God in strict propriety in the dearest and most reviving fruition for ever Their Happiness is crown'd with Eternity This is so real an accession to their Felicity that without the entire assurance of it the state of Blessedness were incompleat the least jealousie of losing it would disturb their peaceful fruition and joyful tranquillity in Heaven For as Hope in Misery allays Sorrow so fear in Happiness lessens Joy The apprehension of losing such a Kingdom would cause torment But as in the contrary state reprobate Sinners that are in Hell under an utter impossibility of deliverance are rack'd and tortur'd by absolute despair So the Blessed Above that enjoy the Beatifick Vision by the infallible assurance of its perpetuity are fill'd with a Joy unspeakable and glorious 3. The Sanctity of this blessed House 'T is separate from the rest of the World in its sublime Situation and its unparallel'd Excellencies Sanctity of Place is Relative and is founded either upon the manifestation of God's special Presence or consecration of it to his Service 'T is consistent with the Divine Immensity to be differently present in several places as the Soul is in another manner present in the Head where it performs its noblest Operations than in other parts of the Body and upon any special appearance of God a Place is Sacred Thus when Moses approach'd to see the Flaming Bush he was enjoin'd Do not come near hither pluck off thy Shoes from off thy Feet the place where thou standest is Holy Ground The visible Testimony of the Divine Presence sanctified the Place and the most humble outward Reverence was due a Sign and Effect of the internal Respect that is owing to his most adorable Majesty The sanctity of that Place was an extraordinary Relation and ceas'd upon the vanishing of the Flame the sign of God's Presence There is also a Relative Sanctity by the Consecration of Time or Place for Holy Uses Thus the Seventh Day upon the finishing the Creation was hallowed by God himself set apart as the first Fruits of Days for his Service and applied to Divine Worship that Man might more entirely exercise his Mind in admiring and praising the Creator whose Glory was visible in his Works And in both these respects the Temple of of Hierusalem was Holy as being appropriated to God's Service by his own Election and Appointment and being the place wherein he exhibited his Presence in a special manner Solomon expresseth this as the End of building the Temple in

his special Love and eternal Duration 'T is an Observation of Tertullian That God who made other Things by command by the omnipotent Umpire of his Will appli'd himself with Counsel to form the Body of Adam which was the original Model of all Perfections that a humane Body is capable of for the beauty of Aspect without and the artificial order of the Parts within and the reason was Love drew the Lineaments Thus Love the Queen of the Divine Attributes employ'd infinite Wisdom and almighty Power to build this Celestial City for the reception of his chosen Favourites The King of Glory dwells there in a special manner The Heaven even the Heavens are the Lord's but the Earth hath he given to the Children of Men. By Right and Dominion the Earth is the Lord's and the Fulness thereof and the possession of it is from his Bounty to Men but Heaven is reserv'd for himself the Place of his glorious Residence As a Prince that hath many Houses gives some for to be inhabited by his Servants but the Imperial Palace is kept for his own Dwelling God manifests himself there in the most refulgent manner All the Perfections of the Glorious Deity are reveal'd to the Saints in their purity and radiancy The Divine Presence is the Supreme Glory of Heaven The Lord Jesus Christ is there crown'd with the Majesty of the Divine Empire This Glory is the Reward of his meritorious Obedience and Sufferings He was made a Subject and a Servant and endur'd the most ignominious cruel Death to satisfy God's injur'd Justice What hath not the Son done for the Glory of his Father He lost his Life rather than his Obedience And what will not the Father do for the Honour of his Son What Recompence is correspondent to such astonishing Humiliation Our Saviour in his last solemn Prayer with his Disciples addresses himself to God I have glorified thee on Earth I have finish'd the Work thou gavest me to do And now O Father glorify me with thy Self with the Glory I had with thee before the World was The Father was so highly honour'd by Christ that to satisfy his infinite Love towards him he hath dignified him with a Name and State that transcends all created Glory He is the Lord of Angels the Head of the Church and sits at the right Hand of Majesty on high In Heaven he appears in his triumphant Glory of which in the Transfiguration there was a transient glimpse when his Face did shine as the Sun but allayed and moderated that his Disciples might sustain his Presence There the Angels the Princes of the Celestical Court in all their bright Orders encompass the Throne of God and pay their humblest Homage to him The Saints appear there in their Robes of Glory for they are transform'd into the glorious likeness of the Son of God Their Souls radiant with pure unspotted Holiness shine through their Bodies as Sun-beams transmitted through Chrystal They all reign in Soveraign State for ever It becomes the Divine Majesty that all God's Subjects should be Kings and the highest Principality on Earth is but servitude compar'd with the Royalty enjoy'd by the Saints above For how often are the mightiest Monarchs on Earth in perfect bondage to their lawless Passions and the Soul in dull captivity to the sensual Appetites How often are the strongest Empires dissolv'd and ruin'd But the Saints in Heaven by obeying God reign triumphantly no Passions no Fears no Desires resist their Will nothing is able to trouble the sincere Delight the perfect Tranquillity of their State They in their several degrees of Glory shine like the Stars for ever and ever To sum up all What is promised to the Church is fulfill'd in Heaven The Sun shall be no more thy Light by Day nor the Moon by Night but the Lord shall be thy everlasting Light and thy God thy Glory Thus I have endeavour'd to represent that luminous Palace and the bright Inhabitants but how short is the description of the glorious Realities all humane Words are too weak and narrow to express it as it is The Glory and Joy of that blessed State are unspeakable as the Apostle a Spectator thereof certifies And 't is observable that our Saviour himself expresses the greatest Things by low familiar Terms and Resemblances as he tells his Faithful Disciples they shall eat and drink at his Table in his Kingdom In his Promises of Rewards it was not his intention meerly to make a show of his Power but to declare his Love Like a God he doth not magnify the Favours he will bestow but leaves it to their Spirits to conceive what becomes Almighty Goodness to bestow on his Servants In the plainest manner of promising the Reward there is a clear Character of the excellent Greatness of the Giver and his Gifts I will now consider the infallible Assurance we have of this blessed Place and State This is built on our Saviour's Love to them and his Truth and his going to prepare that Blessedness for them He saith to his Disciples Otherwise I would have told you implying that his Affection and Sincerity make it impossible that he should deceive them with an empty Promise of future Happiness 1. His Love secures them He would never have chosen them to be the Companions of his Cross never have expos'd them as Sheep among Wolves to suffer for his sake and to leave them for ever and reign alone in Heaven Love is a benevolent affection rising in the Breast and expressing it self in real Benefits according to the Power of the Lover and the Wants or the Capacity of the Person beloved and the more intense the Affection is the more evident and noble effects of Kindness will proceed from it All the most liberal Expressions without real performance are but a vain pageant of Friendship Now the Love of our Saviour to his Disciples was not only sincere but in such a degree of eminence that they might safely rely upon his Promises His pure Love was the motive of selecting them from the World and dignifying them with the endearing title of his Friends His Conversation with them was infinitely sweet a Miracle of Benignity and that glorious performance of his Love for them and all Believers in leaving Heaven for their sakes is the strongest assurance that he will bring them to his Father's House above 'T is represented as the peculiar Glory of Theodosius that he seated Majesty and Love in the same Throne for Love unites and conforms Persons and makes them as it were Peers and it seems too low a submission for a Soveraign to descend from his Throne to a kind of equality with a Subject or too high an exaltation to assume a private Person into such a degree of affection as to make him as himself yet such was the condescension of that great and amiable Emperor But how distant is the greatest Monarch in the World from the Eternal Son of