Selected quad for the lemma: earth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
earth_n	air_n	body_n	water_n	10,358	5	6.5960	4	true

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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

the Glory of Heaven and the Ruins of their Celestial Country would be repair'd by our Salvation And the glorified Saints are all Companions in the same Joy and the same Blessedness For never was there such a transforming of one Lover into another here as there is of the Saints in Heaven They are all animated by the same Divine Spirit their Thoughts and Inclinations are the same and have the highest satisfaction in the felicity of one another Behold how good and how pleasant is it for Brethren to dwell for ever in Unity Briefly we find that sensible Joy is in its elevation in the times of the Harvest and Vintage and after Victory when the Blessings of God the precious Fruits of the Earth the Hopes of our Labours and the Support and Comfort of the present Life are received an universal Joy fills the Country Now Light is sown for the Righteous and Joy for the upright in Heart 'T is sown in Tears but reapt with Exultation We gather the Fruits of Blessedness from Thorns Poverty and Mourning Hunger and Thirst and Persecution and this gives the more lively tincture to our Joy The Joy of Victory is transporting and that always in proportion to the Danger and Power of the Enemies subdu'd and the rich Spoils taken from them Now when our Spiritual Enemies so numerous so powerful and irreconcileable to our Souls Sin Satan Death are utterly broken how triumphant a Joy follows The Historian relating that most glorious Triumph at Rome when Pyrrhus their proud and potent Enemy was expell'd from Italy observes That of all the Show no part was more joyful than to see the Elephants that had been so terrible and carried Towers on their Backs to be subdued and led in Triumph Thus how joyful is it to see the Prince of Darkness with all his infernal Legions not without the tormenting sense of their Captivity bruised under our Feet to see the humane Nature of Christ rais'd to the highest honour to which that rebellious Spirit did proudly aspire O how delightful a Spectacle All the Saints will cast their Crowns before the Throne and sing the Praises of their victorious Deliverer 5. The Glory of this Place is discovered in the Scripture The Father of Christ is the God of Glory and the Father of Glory and Heaven is his lofty and glorious Throne becoming his Excellent Majesty and Universal Dominion The Lord hath prepared his Throne in the Heavens and his Kingdom ruleth over all Glory in its first Notion signifies the brightness and lustre of Light and from thence metaphorically imports Excellency in any Kind Thus the Divine Perfections are exprest God is Glorious in Holiness glorious in Power and the Joy of Believers is call'd unspeakable and glorious Heaven is set forth as glorious in a transcendent manner 't is call'd the Excellent Glory from whence a Voice came to the Apostles in that Holy Mount declaring Christ to be the Son of God So 't is call'd The richly glorious Inheritance the Inheritance of the Saints in Light When the Sun rises in its brightness a Deluge of Gold overflows the World and adorns the Universe but this is but a Shadow of the inherent Glory of the highest Heaven 'T was prepar'd by God for the House of his Kingdom and the Glory of his Majesty We reade of the vast preparations made by two great Kings for the building the Temple at Hierusalem such sums of Gold and Silver that would empty all the Treasuries of the Princes of the World that were it not recorded in Sacred Scripture it would exceed belief The number of the Workmen were seventy thousand employ'd seven Years without intermission the Materials were very rich and splendid Gold and Cedar and precious Stones and the excellency of the Architecture was such that no humane Art can equal for it was model'd by the Divine Mind and the delineation of its Parts was sent to David by an Angel But what are the Preparations of Earthly Kings to the Preparation of God And what is the Glory of the Temple made with Hands to that admirable Fabrick that receiv'd its Being and Perfection immediately from God We reade of the New Hierusalem the Type of Heaven that the Foundations were precious Stones the Gates were intire Pearls the Streets pure Gold as it were transparent Glass The Expressions are in condescendance to our Capacities and but a faint resemblance of the Glory of Hierusalem above In the Vision of the Prophet Esay the Seraphims cried to one another Holy Holy Holy Lord God of Hosts the whole Earth is full of thy Glory 'T is a Theatre of innumerable Wonders divinely deck'd and the wise discerning Observer admires and praises God's Power and Providence so clearly manifested in it For the Excellency of the Work is answerable to the Art of the Maker and the Glory of the Maker results from the Excellence of the Work But what the Apostle saith in comparing the Legal and Evangelical Dispensation That if that which was done away was glorious much more that which remains is glorious and in that degree of eminence as to obscure the other may justly be applied to the Glory of God appearing in the Earth and the third Heaven for if the Earth the lowest stage of the World the Habitation of Brute Creatures and to be continued only for a time hath so much Glory in it what an excellent Glory is in the Supreme Heavens the native Habitation of the Angels and that is to continue for ever The Earth since Man's Rebellion doth not remain in its Primitive State but hath lost much of its Beauty and Usefulness At first it was intirely suitable to the rich Goodness of the Creator now terrible mixtures of his Justice appear in all the parts of it Barrenness in the Earth Thorns and Thistles the Fruits of the Curse for Sin Malignant Influences and Storms in the Air Tempests in the Sea Inundations of Water and how many Diseases are fatally natural to our Bodies But the highest Heaven remains in its original Beauty and pure Integrity The Earth is now the Habitation of his Enemies where they oppress his faithful Servants by their bold Injuries but Heaven is the Habitation of his Saints In short 't is a Place becoming the Majesty and Magnificence of God and his Love to his chosen Friends 'T is said of the Patriarchs whose Desires and Hopes were not centred in that Earthly Canaan tho flowing with Milk and Hony but they desir'd a better Country that is a Heavenly wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God for he hath prepared for them a City To be stiled our God is a Title of the richest value and implies that all the Perfections of the Deity are to make us happy It had been a reflection upon his Greatness and Goodness if he had only given to the Patriarchs a Portion in this World But Heaven is a Place and State of Felicity becoming his Infinite Majesty

Unbelievers in the Christian Church and such are all those who implicitly despise and reject Heaven for the present World This will aggravate the Sin and Sentence of the Carnal and Worldly that they despise such glorious Realities for empty Vanities Desperate Gamesters that venture a Kingdom at every Throw What blindness of Mind or rather perversness of Heart is it that Men pursue with their best strength and desires the fading and false World and slight Heaven an inestimable and everlasting Treasure Certainly when Death shall open their Eyes they will have chang'd thoughts of Things 'T is related by a wise Historian That a Citizen pleaded his own Cause of great moment before Philip King of Macedon who slept during the Plea and a little after pass'd an unrighteous Judgment against him the injur'd Person reply'd I appeal from your Sentence A word that seem'd so presumptuous to an Independent Soveraign that with indignation the King asked him To whom he appeal'd He answered From the King sleeping to the King waking Thus Men who are led by Sense are asleep whilst the Cause of infinite Concernment eternal Salvation is faithfully pleaded by the Advocates of their Souls and they determine for the Interest of the Flesh against the Spirit but their waking Thoughts will discover the unrighteousness of their carnal Judgment In the next State how will they with restless Anguish remember their foolish Bargain to exchange an everlasting Treasure for fading Toys We may a little conjecture the Torments of the Damn'd by the Terrors of the Dying then the enlightned guilty Conscience makes them cry out O that we had been wise so to use the World that we might enjoy God! O that we had been so careful to have obtain'd an Interest in Heaven as we have been to gain the Earth Then the stinging Remorse begins that shall never end 3. Let us make it our fixed Aim our zealous constant Endeavour to secure our Title to this heavenly Inheritance Let Eternity be our Counseller and guide our Choice Let us not build our Felicity on the Sand but on the Rock that cannot be shaken Such is the excellent Goodness of God reveal'd in the Gospel that every Person that sincerely and regularly seeks Heaven shall obtain it and no Person shall be depriv'd of it but for his wilful neglect Now our Blessed Saviour who open'd the Eternal Kingdom has declar'd to us upon what terms it may be obtain'd in his conference with Nicodemus Verily verily I say unto thee Except a Man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God Natural Birth and Accomplishments tho never so high and noble are of no advantage there The degeneracy of Man from his Primitive Holiness makes him both unworthy and uncapable of having a right or possession of Heaven without a Divine Change a Spiritual Regeneration The supernatural Inheritance is annext to the being born of God that is the receiving a Principle of Life and Actions suitable to the Life of God in universal Holiness and Righteousness 'T is not a ground of Title to Heaven that we have a natural alliance to God as the Father of Spirits in the first Creation but we must be his Off-spring by a new and more excellent Creation according to our Saviour's words That which is born of the Spirit is Spirit We must be renewed in the Spirit of our Minds spiritualiz'd in our Affections before we can obtain an interest in his Love which was forfeited by our Rebellion and consequently in his Kingdom Adoption into God's Family and the Line of Heaven is always in conjunction with the renovation of the Divine Nature and Image in us The Holy Spirit witnesses with our Spirits that we are the Children of God but his witnessing is always consequent to his working in us those Graces that constitute us to be the Children of God an humble Fear to offend him a Care to please him a Zeal for his Glory delight in Communion with him resignation to his Will and Wisdom trust on his Fatherly Love and a desire to be in his Blessed Presence By the discovery of these filial Affections our Divine Relation is made sure The Apostle infers If Sons then Heirs Holiness is the infallible Evidence of Election for the Vessels of Mercy are prepar'd by Holiness for Glory the Seal of Adoption whereby God's Children are distinguish'd from the World and the Earnest of their Inheritance for Heaven is a blissful State of Purity and the Graces with the Comforts of the Spirit are the beginnings of it here 'T is further to be observ'd that our right in the Heavenly Inheritance depends upon our union with Christ. He instates his Members in the same Relation with himself to God Thus he declares to his Disciples I ascend to my Father and your Father to my God and your God Christ's Relation hath precedency in Point of Dignity and Causality and he derives a Right to us in his Father's House We are Coheirs with Christ. Now 't is universally and necessarily true what the Apostle saith Whoever is in Christ is a new Creature For our vital Union with him is by the Sanctifying Spirit on Christ's part and by Faith and Love on our part Briefly Without Holiness no Man shall see God The Exclusion is absolute and universal of all unsanctified Persons 'T is impossible God should admit them into Heaven for the Rights of Justice are inviolable we must come to Christ's Tribunal before we come to his Throne We must come to God the Judg of all before we are admitted into the number of Just Men made perfect According to our Works the Reward will be and Men are uncapable of enjoying Heaven without Holiness The Wisdom of God appears in that the various sorts of Creatures live in the Elements from which they were produc'd and have Natures suitable to the Places of their Residence The Beasts that were form'd from the Earth walk and rest there the Birds and Fishes that were produc'd out of the Waters the one sort flies in the Air that is rarefied Water the other swim in Water that is the thickest Air and that Wisdom more evidently appears in suiting the everlasting States of Men to their moral Dispositions Thus we must be born from above if we would joyfully live above The Apostle tells us That Flesh and Blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of Heaven The natural Body must be spiritualiz'd and invested with Celestial Qualities before it can enter into that Glorious Place and the Reason is more strong that earthly sensual Souls can never enter into Heaven there being an absolute Contrariety and Opposition between the habitual constitution of such and that place and state they must be Holy and Heavenly to be prepar'd for the Divine Presence and to converse with the purified Assembly Above 'till they are wrought for that blessed End cleansed and purified and endued with Holy Qualities till they are made meet they cannot possess the