Selected quad for the lemma: city_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
city_n	hope_n	young_a	youth_n	20	3	7.5437	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A86437	Contemplations moral and divine The second part.; Contemplations moral and divine. Part 2	Hale, Matthew, Sir, 1609-1676.	1676 (1676)	Wing H232; ESTC R229708	200,739	481

I have learned that I have here no abiding City but I seek one to come The benefits of the consideration of this Text are many 1. It will teach a Man a very low esteem of this present World and never to set the heart upon it Wilt thou set thy heart upon that which is not It is not an abiding City Either like the old feigned inchanted Castles it will vanish and come to little while we think we have fast hold of it or else we must leave it we know not how soon It is full of trouble and vexation when we injoy it and very unstable and uncertain is our stay in it 2. But let it be as good as it will or can be yet this Text tells of a City that is better worth our thoughts an abiding City a City that cannot be shaken where there are no Troubles no Thorns no Cares no Fears but Righteousness and Everlasting Peace and Rest 2. Consequently it will teach us to seek that which is most of value first and most and make that our greatest Endeavor which is our greatest Concernment namely to seek that City that is to come Peace with God in Christ Jesus and the Hope of Eternal Life It is true while we are in this City that continues not this Inferior World God Almighty requires a due care for Externals and Industry in our Imployments and Diligence in our Callings It is part of that service we ow to God to our Families to our Relations to our Selves and being done in Contemplation of his Command it is an act of Obedience and Religious Duty to him But this Consideration will add this Benefit even to our Ordinary Imployments in our Calling it will be sure to bring a Blessing upon it Seek first the Kingdom of God and the Righteousness thereof and all these things shall be added unto you It shall be given in as an advantage and over-measure 2. It will add great Chearfulness to the Imployments of your Calling and to those Worldly Imployments that are requisite for your support and subsistence when you shall resign up your endeavors therein to the Good Pleasure of Almighty God 3. It will remove all Vexatious Solicitousness and Anxiety from you when you shall have such Considerations as these Almighty God it is true hath placed me in this World as in a passage to another and requires of me an Honest Imployment for my support and subsistence or else hath lent me a reasonable liberal portion whereby I may comfortably subsist without much pains or labor I will use it Soberly Chearfully Thankfully If he bless me with Increase or greater Plenty I will increase my Humility Sobriety and Thankfulness but if it be not his pleasure to bless me with Plenty and Increase his Will be done I have enough in that I have there is another more abiding City wherein I shall have supplies without Want or Fears or Cares 3. This Consideration will give abundance of Quietness Patience Tranquillity of Mind in all conditions Am I in this World Poor or Despised or Disgraced or in Sickness or Pain yet this Text gives me two great Supports under it 1. It will be but short this lower World the Region of these Troubles and Storms is no continuing no abiding City and consequently the Troubles and Storms of this inferior City are not abiding or long 2. After this flitting perishing City that thus passeth away this sower life which is but the Region of Death there succeeds another City that indureth for ever a City not made with hands Eternal in the Heavens a State of Everlasting Blessedness where are neither Cares nor Tears nor Fears nor Poverty nor Sorrow nor Want nor Reproach I will therefore with all Patience Chearfulness and Contentedness bear whatsoever God pleaseth to exercise me withal in this life for I well know that my light Afflictions which are but for a moment shall be attended with a far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory These Considerations will seem but dry and empty to Men that do not deeply and considerately weigh matters Ordinarily young heads think them at least unseasonable for their youth but they must know that Sickness and Death will overtake the youngest in time and that will undeceive People and render the best appearances of this World either Bitter or at least Insipid and without any pleasant relish and then the Hopes and Expectations of this City to come will be more of value to us than the best Conveniencies and Delights this lower World can afford Let us therefore in our health make it our business to secure our Interest in it and it will be our Comfort and Benefit both in Life and Death OF CONTENTEDNESS AND PATIENCE COntentedness and Patience differ in this that the Object of the former is any condition whether it be Good Bad or Indifferent the Object of the latter is any present or incumbent Evil. But though they differ in the Latitude or Extent of their Object yet they both arise from the same Principle which if rightly qualified gives both The Measure and Original of all Passions is Love and the Object of Love is That which is really or apparently Good If our Love be right it regulates all our Passions For Discontent or Impatience ariseth from the absence of somewhat that we love and value and according to the measure of our love to the thing we want such is the measure of our Discontent or Impatience under the want of it He that sets his love upon that which the more he loves the more he injoys is sure to avoid the danger of Discontent or Impatience because he cannot want that which he loves and though he love something else that may be lost yet under that loss he is not obnoxious to much Impatience or Discontent because he is sure to retain that which he most values and affects which will answer and supply lesser wants with a great advantage The greatest bent and portion of his love is laid out in what he is sure to injoy and it is but a small portion of love that is left for the thing he is deprived of and consequently his discontent but little and cured with the fruition of a more valuable Good He that sets his love upon the Creature or any result from it as Honor Wealth Reputation Power Wife Children Friends cannot possibly avoid Discontent or Impatience for they are mutable uncertain unsatisfactory Goods subject to Casualties and according to the measure of his love to them is the measure of his Discontent and Impatience in the loss of them or disappointment in them He that sets his love upon God the more he loves him the more he injoys of him and the surer hold he hath of him In other things the greatest danger of disappointment and consequently of impatience is when he loves them best but the more love we bear to God the more love he returns to us and Communicates his Goodness the more

CONTEMPLATIONS MORAL AND DIVINE The Second Part. LONDON Printed for William Shrowsbury at the Bible in Duke-lane and John Leigh at the Blew-Bell in Fleet-street 1676. THE PREFACE PArt of these things now published were intended to have been Printed and Published in the former Volume but not being so well Transcribed as I thought was necessary for the Press being not in place to see it corrected my self and the Term being so near that they could not be made ready and Printed before that time at the request of the Book-sellers who were loth to lose the opportunity of that Term for the publication of that Volume I was content to let them publish that alone as it is without any more but notwithstanding afterward intended this other Volume adding thereunto some other small things more than at first were intended to make it a just Volume near the proportion of the former provided it could be so timely finished as that it might appear to be but a part of the former Trespass though with a continuando and not a new presumption against the worthy Authour But when part of it had been so long detained in the hands of the Licencers that by reason thereof and of some other interventions that could not be I was unwilling to appear to the World to be guilty of a second Trespass against so excellent a person especially having both craved and obtained his pardon for the former and therefore wrote to the Book-sellers to desist from proceeding any farther therein till some fair occasion might offer it self to do it either with the Authours express consent or at least without offence to him But it was not long before I was much importuned by some special friends of the Authors to let them proceed and among the rest by a Person of Quality who hath a very high respect and esteem both for Him and his Writings and to whom I am very much obliged and besides I perceived that the Authour himself was very much importuned by some friends and persons of Quality for more of his Writings of this nature that which I did before foresee would be one consequence of the publication of the former Volume for although he hath written much of this nature it having been long the imployment of his Horae Sacrae yet hath scarce any even of his most intimate friends or acquaintance except my self and some of his own Family known so much But by the advantage of these importunities of other friends I did the more easily prevail with him to give leave that the Book-sellers might go on with what they were about And thus the Reader comes to enjoy the benefit of this second Volume For the Treatises contained in it there is one upon the same Subject with one of those in the former Volume that is Of Afflictions but such to say no more as doubtless will not seem tedious to any Pious person who hath already read the former For his Meditations upon the Lords Prayer they are so excellent and so far beyond what I am able to say in commendation of them that I shall leave it to the sense of the Reader who if he have any relish of sincere Religion Piety and Devotion cannot but be highly affected with them For those shorter Meditations I must acquaint the Reader that they were written when the Author was not only in his Journeyes but in such Journeyes wherein he had less freedom by reason of the Company which was then with him than he did ordinarily take when he had none but his own Attendants about him for I find in divers of them noted when and where they were written And these I was the more willing should be published in this Volume with the others because if the Importunities of friends which have not nor will be wanting can possibly prevail with the Author to publish any more of this kind himself I supposed he would rather make choice of some of his larger and more compleat writings than of these whereof some were never finished which yet I doubt not but will be very acceptable and profitable to the Pious Reader but possibly otherwise might not have been published at all And even from these shorter Meditations the Reader may receive a double benefit The matter of them may be such to him of it self but besides they exhibit an excellent Example in their Author as of the constant Pious and virtuous dispositions of his mind in general so in particular of his constant care to imploy those pretious portions of time as he calls them his Horae Sacrae in suitable and profitable Meditations from which he would not suffer himself to be wholly diverted either by his Company or any other of those occurrences by which we are often too apt to excuse our selves from the Duties and Exercises of Religion and Piety Let the pious Reader pray for the Prolongation of his Life and the Restitution of a competent measure of Health and Strength unto him which if it please God to grant doubtless his Studies in Private will be no less beneficial to Posterity than his Actions in Publick have been to the present age though the Consequence of these will reach to Posterity also Being far distant from the Press I must again crave the Readers favour to pardon and correct the mistakes of the Printer The several Treatises comprised in this Second Volume are AN Inquiry touching Happiness page 1. Of the chief End of Man p. 19. Upon Eccles XII 1. Remember thy Creator c. p. 43. Upon Psalm LI. 10. Cor mundum crea c. p 55. A Poem p. 73. The Folly and Mischief of Sin p. 75. Of Self-Denial not finished p. 82. Motives to Watchfulness in reference to the Good and Evil Angels p. 97. Of Moderation of the Affections p. 101. Of Worldly Hope and Expectation p. 116. Upon Heb. XIII 14. We have here no continuing City p. 125. Of Contentedness and Patience p. 136. Of Moderation of Anger p. 141. A Preparative against Afflictions p. 146. Of Submission Prayer and Thanksgiving p. 220. Of Prayer and Thanksgiving on Psal CXVI 12. p. 229. Meditations upon the Lords Prayer A Paraphrase upon the Lords Prayer AN INQUIRY TOUCHING HAPPINESS 1. ANy man that compares the Perfection of the Humane Nature with that of the Animal Nature will easily find a far greater Excellence in the former than in the latter For 1. The Faculties of the former are more Sublime and Noble 2. The very External Fabrick of the former much more Beautiful and fuller of Majesty than the latter 3. The latter seems to be in a very great measure ordained in a Subserviency to the former Some for his Food some for Cloathing some for Use and Service some for Delight 4. All the inferiour Animals seem to be placed under the Discipline Regiment and Order of Mankind so that he brings them all or the most of them under his Order and Subjection 2. It is therefore Just and Reasonable for