Selected quad for the lemma: earth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
earth_n	apostle_n	heaven_n	loose_v	2,492	5	10.3143	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A11115	Heavens glory, seeke it. Earts [sic] vanitie, flye it. Hells horror, fere it	Rowlands, Samuel, 1570?-1630?; Sparke, Michael, d. 1653, attributed name.	1628 (1628)	STC 21383; ESTC S112117	58,519	284

sinne will then torment me for sinning vntill I cry out with Cain My punishment is greater then I can beare A horse is but a vaine thing to saue a man said the sweet singer of Israel so say I all earthly things are too vaine to saue a man to make him blessed I appeale to the conscience of euery man if thou hast tried the pleasures of vanity and who hath not whether thou maist not take vp the words of Saint Rom. 6. 12. Paul What fruit haue I of those things whereof I am now ashamed Shame and griefe and guilt and punishment are the fruit of vanity enough I thinke to rend our hearts from affecting of it Thinke vpon this thou that art in the trace of vanity that thou maist make a retreat loose no more time herein for thou hast already lost too much redeeme the time because the dayes are euill and why are they euill but because they are vaine Whatsoeuer is without the circumference of euill is about the sphere of vanity Resolue therefore with thy selfe that all things earthly worldly carnall sinfull are vaine the fashion of this world passeth away faith the Apostle 1 Cor. 7. 3. The fashion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a word very emphaticall it signifies first an accidentall and externall figure without substance secondly the habit vesture or cloathing of a thing Saint Paul vseth this word to debase the world by intimating vnto vs that the world is cloathed with a vesture that is wearing and wasting the fashion of it lasteth but for a time it is ready euery houre to put on a new fashion againe by intimating vnto vs that the world is without any substantiall forme like vnto shewes and shadowes that vanish in the representation Saint Luke cals all Agrippa's pompe but a fancie Dauid cals the yeares of a man but a tale Psal. 90. 9. We spend our yeares as a tale that is told As a tale nay as a thought for so much the originall word doth import and how many thoughts may a man haue in an houre Nothing is more changable then a vesture nothing more fugitiue then a shadow nothing more fickle then a fancie nothing more swift then thought What a disproportion therefore is it for the immortall soule of a man to be fastened vnto things which are of such a variable nature What a folly for vs to preferre those which are but momentary for so I may more truely cal them then temporall vnto those things which are indeede eternall Glasses are in great vse amongst vs yet because of their brittlenesse who esteemes them precious We smell to flowers because they are sweet but because they are fading we regard them thereafter It were well if we would deale thus with all other vanities viz. regard them as they are vse the creatures we may but not abuse them serue our selues of them but not serue them inioy them but not ouer-ioy in them Now because examples are are very effectuall whether we vse them by way of dehortation or whether by way of exhortation let me propound one or two in this matter whereof I am treating that by them thou maist be beaten off from the vanities and iniquities of this present euill world When Alexander in the height of his glory kept * a Parliament of the whole Conuentum terrarum orbi● world himselfe was summoned by death to appeare in another world It was a wonderfull president of the vanity and variety of humane condition saith the Historian to see mighty Iustin. l. 2. Zerxes flote and flye away in a small vessel who before wanted Sea-roome for his Ships When Belshazzar was laughing and Dan. 5. quaffing with his Princes and Concubines carowsing healths in the sacred Vessels deaths secretary the hand-writing on the wall told him he was weighed in the ballance and his Kingdome was finished And before him his father Nebuchadnezzar at that time the greatest Monarch in the world as he was strouting in his Galleries and boasting of his owne power and honour a voyce from heauen told him that his Kingdome was departed from him that he Dan. 4. should be driuen from amongst men that he should haue his dwelling with the Beasts of the field c. And the sentence was fulfilled on him the same houre So Zedekiah was a liuely spectacle 2 Kin. 25 of this worlds vanity and misery who of a potent King became a miserable captiue saw his children slaine before his face after that had his eyes put out and died miserably in prison I had almost forgotten Salomon the wisest King that euer Eccl. ● was hauing giuen himselfe to take pleasure in pleasant things hauing made great workes built goodly Houses planted Vineyards Gardens and Orchards and planted in them trees of all fruit hauing gathered siluer and gold and the chiefe treasures of Kings and Prouinces being now full of wisedome and schooled with experience he is licensed to giue his sentence of the whole world and euery man knowes what his censure was Vanity of vanities Eccl. 1. ● vanity of vanities all is vanity This wise King trauelled all the world ouer and the further he went the more vanity he did see and the neerer he looked the greater it seemed till at last he could see nothing but vanity Wouldst thou know what is to be seene or heard or had in this vast Vniuerse Vanity saith Salomon yea vanity of vanities and what else Vanity of vanities And wh●● else All is vanity Nothing beneath the Moone that hath not a tincture of vanity Nay the Moone it self the Sunne all the Planets all the Starres the whole body of the Heauens is become subiect to Vanitie The creature is subiect vnto Vanity saith the Apostle Rom. 8. 20. that is the whole frame of the world consisting of the coelestiall and elementary region the visible heauens with all their goodly furniture of Starres and of coelesti all bodies and the earth with her ornaments and the other elements The heauens shall perish Psal. 10● 〈◊〉 and they shall waxe old as doth a garment and the Lord shall change ●hem as a vesture and they shall be changed As a garment the older it wax●th the lesse comely it is the lesse able to warme him that weares it so the materiall heauens by continuance of yeares decrease in beauty and vertue The neerer the Sunne drawes to the end of his daily course the lesse is his strength in the eu●ning we feele the Sunne to decay in his heat and he waxeth alway the weaker Now if those superiour bodies then much more things inferiour and sublunary are included within the compasse of vanity But it was my purpose when I first set vpon this subiect so ample and large to be so much the more short euery vnderstanding can of it selfe discourse where such plenty of matter is offered I haue therefore according to the modell of that gift which God hath giuen me contriued a great picture

that running headlong into so manifest a danger thou art not at all afraid Especially considering the sinfull state wherein thou liuest and the horrible paines and torments which doe attend for thee and the time which thou hast lost and the endlesse repentance which thou shalt haue therefore in the most horrible torments of hell Assuredly it goes beyond the compasse of all common sence conceit of humane reason to consider That there should be such negligent wilfull grosse carelesse blindnesse able to enter and take such deepe rooting in the soule of man The Conclusion of all the Premises IF now all this be so I beseech thee euen for the bitter passion of our sweet Sauiour Iesus Christ to remember thy selfe and consider that thou art a Christian and that thou beleeuest assuredly for a most vndoubted truth whatsoeuer the true faith instructeth thee This faith telleth thee that thou hast a iudge aboue that seeth all the steps and motions of thy life and that certainly there shall a day come when he will require an account of thee euen for euery idle word This faith teacheth thee That a man is not altogether at an end when he dieth but that after this temporall life there remaineth another euerlasting life and that the soules dye not with the bodies but that whiles the body remaineth in the graue vntill the generall day of iudgement the soule shall enter into another new country and into a new world where it shall haue such habitation and company as the faith and workes were which it had in this life This faith telleth thee also that both the reward of vertue and the punishment of vice is a thing so wonderfull that although the whole world were full of bookes and all creatures were writers yet should they all be wearied and the world come to an end before they should end their description and make a perfect declaration what is comprehended in each one of these points This faith informeth thee also that the debts and duties which we owe to almighty God are so great that albeit a man had so many liues as there be sands in the Sea yet would they not suffice if they were al employed in his seruice And this faith likewise telleth thee that vertue is such an excellent treasure that all the treasures of the world and all that mans heart can desire are in no sort comparable vnto it Wherefore if there be so many and so great respects that doe inuite vs vnto vertue how commeth it to passe that there be so few louers and followers of the same If men be moued with gaine commodity what greater cōmodity can there be than to attain life euerlasting If they be moued with feare of punishment what greater punishment can be found than the most horrible euerlasting dreadfull torments in the lake of fire and brimstone to continue euer world without end If that bonds of debts and benefits what debts are greater than these which we owe vnto almighty God as well for that he is which he is as also for that which we haue receiued of him If the feare of perils doe moue vs what greater perill can there be than death the houre thereof being so vncertaine and the account so strait If thou be moued with peace liberty quietnesse of minde and with a pleasant life which are things that all the world desires it is certaine that all these are found much better in the life that is gouerned by vertue and reason than in that life which is ruled by the affections and passions of the minde forsomuch as man is a reasonable creature and no beast Howbeit in case thou account all this as not sufficient to moue thee thereunto yet let it sussice thee to consider further that euen almighty God so abased himselfe for thy sake that he descended from heauen vnto the earth and became man and whereas hee created the whole world in sixe dayes he bestowed three and thirty yeares about thy redemption yea and was also contented for the same to loose his life Almighty God dyed that sinne should dye and yet for all this doe we endeauour that sinne might liue in our hearts notwithstanding that our Lord purposed to take away the life of sinne with his owne death If this matter were to be discussed with reason surely this already spoken might suffice to preuaile with any reasonable creature for not onely in beholding almighty God vpon the crosse but whethersoeuer we doe turne our eyes we shall finde that euery thing crieth out to vs and calleth vpon vs to receiue this so excellent a benefit for there is not a thing created in the world if wee duely consider it but doth inuite vs to the loue and seruice of our Sauiour Iesus Christ insomuch that looke how many creatures there be in the world so many preachers there are so many bookes so many voices and so many reasons which doe all call vs vnto almighty God And how is it possible then that so many callings as these are so many promises so many threatnings and so many prouocations should not suffice to bring vs vnto him What might almighty God haue done more than he hath done or promised more greater blessings than hee hath promised or threatned more grieuous and horrible torments than he hath threatned to draw vs vnto him and to plucke vs away from sinne And yet all this notwithstanding how commeth it to passe that there is so great I will not say arrogancy but bewitching of men that doe beleeue these things to be certainly true and yet be not afraid to continue all the dayes of their life in the committing of deadly sinnes yea to goe to bed in deadly sinne and to rise vp againe in deadly sinne and to embrue themselues in euery kinde of loathsome detestable and odious sin euen as though all their whole endeauours intended by the practise of sinne to resist all grace and fauour in the sight of God And this is done in such sort so without feare so without scruple of minde so without breaking of one ho●●●s sleepe and without the refraining of any one delicate morsell of meat for the same as if all that they beleeued were dreames and old wiues tales and as if all that the holy Euangelists haue written were meere fiction and fables But tell me thou that art such a desperate wilfull rebell against thy Creator and Redeemer which by thy detestable life and dissolute conuersation doest euidence thy selfe to be a firebrand prepared to burne in those euerlasting and reuenging horrible fires of hell What wouldest thou haue done more than thou hast done in case thou haddest beene perswaded that all were meere lyes which thou hast beleeued For although that for feare of incurring the danger of the princes lawes and the execution of their force vpon thee thou hast somewhat brideled thine appetites yet doth it not appeare that for any feare of Almighty God thou hast refrained thy