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
A13075	Christian observations and resolutions, or, The daylie practise of the renewed man, turning all occurrents to spirituall uses, and these uses to his vnion with God I. centurie : vvith a resolution for death, &c. / newlie published by Mr William Struther ...	Struther, William, 1578-1633.	1628 (1628)	STC 23367; ESTC S1007	124,060	389

the rich answereth roughlie Prov. 18 23. Wee count it our happinesse that our dead and gracelesse Nature is quickned and renewed by the free and powerfull Grace of Christ. All their pleading is for a priuiledge to Nature and when all is deepelie pressed that priuiledge is nothing but hardnesse of heart than which there is no greater plague in man a libertie to fall frō Grace and to resist it They shall neuer craue blessings to mee who take that for a priuiledge and blessing to man which is the heauiest but the just plague of God on man But both these pleaders are condignelie rewarded by their Clients Defenders of Grace haue not their gages to to seeke and Natures proctors haue such gaine as shee can giue The mater abideth not in questioning the persons are discerned before the question bee debated Magnifiers of Grace proue children o● Grace and praisers of Nature sticke still in Nature It is kyndlie to euery thing to respect the owne originall and Benefactor as it is respected of them I content my selfe with Scripture to call Christ both the Author and the Finisher of Faith Heb. 12. 2. And to professe before men and Angels that I am saued by the Grace of Christ. Ephes. 2. 5. And with holy Antiquitie to be then most sure when I ascriue all the worke of Saluation to the mercie of God and the merite of Christ Iesus 44. Conceat of Wisedome is great folie COnceat of VVisedome is a dangerous Counseller while we intend our businesse wee thinke all is rypelie aduised but in the proceeding and at the end we find weakenes we thinke then both of our Witte and worke that we might haue aduised done better that with some close Resolutiō to see better to businesse following But the next affaires finde vs in that same folie and are a new matter of after-thinking and Repentance and our first Conceate misleadeth vs as of before Corrupt Counsellers haue neede of reformation there is no more corrupt Coūseller in our Soule than this conceat So long as it is Father to beget or Mother to bring foort● and the Nurse to foster our businesse there can neither bee hope of good successe in our adoes or of amendement of our error Conscience of our weaknesse imploring of Gods assistance and warinesse in our proceedings are better Directors When wee distrust our selfe and relye and in call on God for a blessing we shall either finde that blessing which wee aske or contentment in the lacke of it But Conceat debarreth the blessing and doubleth our miscontentment in the lacke Hee cutteth himselfe off both from Gods direction and blessing in his adoes who conceateth strongely of his owne wisedome But he is compassed of both who resteth on God As his mercie offereth so his justice decerneth the saue-guyding of him who distrusteth himselfe trusteth in God But it is the worke of his justice to desert the selfe-conceated wise man Hee gaineth much who dependeth on God His businesse are begun sweyeth and accomplished by GODS wisedome whereas the other left to himselfe must wrestle with difficulties of affaires and of crossing Prouidence The best way to bee wise indeede is to be conscienciouslie humble vnder sense of folie but the strong conceate of Wisedome is extreame madnesse 45 Dead to the world THe world is wise in the owne generation but God turneth their wisedome to folie it affecteth men as they are sette towards it the Worldlings with loue and the godlie with hatred These affections it testifieth by answereable actions honouring the beloued worldlings and troubling the hated godlie But it is foolish in both and most in this second If it did not so vexe the godly it might possibly insnare them to byde in it The Worldes fowning and flatterie is more dangerous than her frowning and her open hostilitie is the securitie of the Sainctes It is Gods great mercie to vs who turneth their injuries to our mortification Wee are called to renounce the World and it rageth thereat and preassing either to retaine or recall or destroy vs it chaseth vs out of it selfe All their contesting with vs putteth vs further from them than wee were before their hatred and injuries worke a contempt of the worlde in vs This maketh a diuorce and in end a Death to the world I take this as a dying and crucifying to it when by the Grace of God my Soule doeth neither conceiue their folies nor account or receiue them beeing suggested When the heart neither willeth nor affecteth them the memorie remembreth them not the mouth cannot vtter them according to the worlds formalities and the whole man hath a vnfitnesse to walke in their fashions Hee is liuing to God and God liueth in him who is so dead to the World 46. The right placing of our affections HOw foolishlie are our affections actions placed Christ appointed the matter and order for them both Seeke first the Kingdome of God and all these earthlie thinges shall bee casten to you Matt. 6. 33. And the Apostle Set your affections on things aboue and not on things on earth Colos. 3. 2. Heauen is first and most to bee sought The Earth both least and last but man inverteth that order hee is not farre trauelled nor high minded The earth is at hand and hee goeth no further as an home borne child he bydeth in the house as a shell-snaile he sticketh to the wall The Heauen the great first thing scarcelie entreth in his heart the renting cares of the world doe so pester it that the thoughts of heauen cannot goe through that throng Earthly thoughts salute him first in the morning busie him all the day lay him downe in his bed and play in his fansie all night The thoughts of God and his Kingdome finde none accesse Hee is all where hee should bee least or rather nothing He is little or nothing where hee should bee most hee maketh that his taske which hee should but touch by the way and hee blenketh but a squint on that which hee should continually meditate Many are busied about impertinent thinges with Martha and farre moe about impious things but few with Marie choose the part that shall neuer bee taken from them Luke 10. 42. By this I know the right situation of my Soule when God and his thoughts take vp all the roumes of it It is best to set the earth and her trash at as base an account as in situation it is vnder our feete 47. Contemplation and practise ought to bee joyned COntemplation and Practise make vp compleete Christianitie God hath joyned them as the Soule and bodie requireth them joyntlie and he who separateth them offereth a lame sacrifice to God and is scarce halfe a Christian The first as the eyes directeth vs the second as the hands and feet performeth that direction Theorie alone is as the eyes without feete and hands and practise without a solide knowledge is as strong legges and nimble handes

Many times wee are in torture resoluing but in the Action wee finde peace A solide and masculus Resolution giueth vs no rest till it put vs ouer in the hand of Practise yea it resolueth for doing and turneth all the resoluing powers to execution These are twinnes of a rype Spirit both to resolue and doe to doe without Resolutiō is rashnesse to resolue without doing is faintnesse He who doeth without Resolution dreameth of none impediment but hee who resolueth and delayeth execution waiteth vpon impediments and rather than hee lacke them hee will faine a thousand in his owne fansie Euen fansied difficulties doe terrifie the lazie as much as reall difficulties doe the wise and diligent The Sluggard sayeth There is a Lyon in the way I dare not goe foorth least I bee killed Prov. 26. 13. 35. Callings are our tryals AS Callings are Gods taske appointed for vs so are they his Tryalls to proue what is in vs Hee hath ordained many callings for mans good but many turne these meanes of good in a snare There is no lawfull Calling without the owne good end and right way to come by that end But the most part passeth that good and chooseth the wrong Equitie Honestie Humanitie Vprightnes are Gods ordinance for Callinges Deceat Circumvention Doublenesse and such like are Sathans inuention and yet many shift the first as a vyce and follow the second as the vertue of their Calling God setteth before them the good of mankind but they set nothing but their owne priuate good and care not for obtaining of it to hurt their neighbour How can God blesse the breach of his owne ordinance They may scrap together a state to themselues but God will blow vpon it They thinke that Callings are not Gods ordinance nor themselues lyable to reckoning And exerce them as though they were of their owne vptaking and had none other end than to make them great in the Earth But O miserable greatnes that diminisheth Grace and destroyeth them that haue it The losse is heere incomparablie greater than the conceated gaine What profite is it to gaine the world and loose their soule To conquesh Hell to themselus for enriching their posteritie It is a pittie to see men forsake honey and sucke Venome greedily but greater pittie to see men of an euill cariage in their Calling counted the onely men and these who are consciencious to bee counted no men I wonder not to see that same error which misleadeth men to approue them in their wrong but I wonder that mankynd injured by them doeth honour them for their euill It is a just thing with God to make them hurt man more who so foolishlie alloweth them whome hee disdaineth They cannot complaine to him of their wrong since they approue it This is a saifer course to honour God by following his will in an honest and faythfull discharge of our Calling It is good for mankynde and for our selfe and acceptable to GOD. Heereby hee proueth to other and sealeth it in our owne conscience that hee hath placed vs in our Calling in me●cie both to mankynde and to our selfe 36. Foode of our Soule OUr care for the bodie condemneth our brutishnesse about our Soule both are substances and haue neede of entertainment but wee are more sensible of the bodies necessities and carefull to supplie them The Soules necessities are both greater and more urging than the bodies Our bodies lye vnder colde and heate and the decay of our naturall moystnesse which must bee duelie supplyed by nurishment But the necessitie of entertaining the life of God and the sparke of Grace in the midst of our corruption is daylie and hourely It is senslesnes and death when these greater necessities are not felt and supplyed No man is so foolish as to feede his body with imaginations or if he would doe so it will not bee so deceiued it is a substance and must haue substance to maintaine it How many know not what their soule is and what necessitie it hath and how to supplie it And other who thinke they know all those doe content themselues with imaginations They doe worse to their soule than to their bodie and their Soule is more blokish than their bodie in standing content with these conceats Aske them what certaintie they haue of happinesse and securitie from miserie they haue no more reason of both than their apprehension and yet that supposed absent euill is as neere to them as that conceated good is farre from them What man can bee seased in a worldlie inheritance by imagination and yet the most part haue no more warrand for their Saluation The estate of our Soule heere and eternall Saluation heereafter is too great a pointe to hazard vpon a fansie It is a wholesome body that findeth the owne necessitie craueth good foode and turneth it in it owne substance It is a wholesome Soule that alwayes desireth God findeth sensiblie his union and by a continuall communion pa●taketh of the diuine Nature When I finde my Soule burnt vp with the desire of him paunting like the Hart for water and gaping like the thirstie ground for raine I am sure that is of the life of God It is not fedde with fansies that is filled with God himselfe it is filled with him that cannot rest on any thing beside him and finding him in it selfe doth sweetelie rest on him who only filleth it and resteth in it Nothing can fill the Soule but that which is greater than it Though in substance it bee finite yet it is infinite in the desires And God alone doth infinitely exceed it both in substance desires It would bee counted frenesie in a man who would prease to driue himselfe in a Nut shell So is hee who seeketh contentment in the world alone 37. A constant dyet of Gods Worshippe APpetite is a good preparation for meate so is a zealous affection for the worshippe of God It is good to haue our appointed tymes for Spirituall exercises and to keepe them But withall to striue for the spirituall Appetite How sweete is that Exercise to the Soule wherein our necessitie wakeneth our desire Our desire sharpneth our Appetite and our Appetite thrusteth our heart to God and GOD pulleth both our heart and our selfe to him In one instant it is both pressed with sense of miserie and burnt with a desire of God And sweetly allured and drawen by him to himselfe These are wonderfull actions betweene God and vs and all wrought in vs by his Spirit to carie vs vp to him Though I tye mee not superstitioussie to houres of holy Exercise yet religiouslie I will keepe them These houres are sweete to mee when God draweth my Soule by strong desires and fayth to him It is pleasant when either these Exercises doe tryst with our desires or God in them bringeth vs to an holy disposition and great is the fruite of these Exercises Thereby our Soules euen at other times are keeped if not vnder the sense