Selected quad for the lemma: earth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
earth_n	bless_v	let_v	praise_v	4,739	5	10.1404	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A67765	The prevention of poverty, together with the cure of melancholy, alias discontent. Or The best and surest way to wealth and happiness being subjects very seasonable for these times; wherein all are poor, or not pleased, or both; when they need be neither. / By Rich. Younge, of Roxwel in Essex, florilegus. Imprimatur Joseph Caryl.	Younge, Richard.	1655 (1655)	Wing Y178A; ESTC R218571	77,218	76

after he was stark dead buried and stanke again Yet as unlikely improbable and impossible as they seemed to be yet they came to pass and God did not break his promise nor disappoint the hopes of such as had the wit and grace to confide in him no more will he in this case which is by far the easier to be performed And what though carnall mindes like that Noble-man who was trodden to death in the gate of Samaria for his incredulity will not believe yet truth is truth as well when it is not acknowledged as when it is And I wish men would take heed of unbelief and giving God the lie for as there is nothing he so abhors as that his own houshold servants should not dare to trust him as we may see in that example of the Noble man 2 Kings 7. 17 24. likewise in those Israelites Psal. 78. when they said Can God furnish a table in the Wilderness He smote the Rock that the waters gushed out and the streams overflowed but can be give bread also Can he provide flesh for his people Yes he could and did it to their small comfort that made the exception For because they believed not in God and trusted not in his salvation the fire of the Lord burnt among them and consumed them He gave them flesh even quailes in his wrath until they were choaked Psal. 78. 10 to 38. and Numb. 11. 33 34. But admit God should not answer thy greedy desire in multiplying thy estate yet if he do that which is better for thee viz. give thee a competency together with a more contented minde then now thou hast or ever wouldst have wert thou as rich as Crassus would it be ever the worse or hadst thou any cause to complain no but greatly to rejoyce as I have shewn in the foregoing part Wherefore trust God with Abraham who above hope believed under hope Rom. 4. 18 to 22. For Faith is to God as Bathsheba was to Solomon so in favour that the King will deny her nothing that good is This is the second means which God hath appointed for the improvement of our outward estates or the second step to riches and all outward prosperity viz. bounty and liberality to the poor CHAP. XXXI THe third and fourth are thankfulness and humility which are no way inferiour to the former Thankfulness and humility are the only means to enrich us with Gods blessings but pride and unthankfulness is the only way to make God withdraw and take from us both himself and his blessings Because the King of Assyria said By the power of mine arme have I done it and by my wisdom for I am prudent therefore saith the Lord I have removed the borders of the people and have spoiled their treasures and have pulled down the Inhabitants like a valiant man Isay 10. 13. AEsops Crow not content with her own likenesse borrowed a feather of every bird and she became so proud that she scorned them all which the birds observing they came and pluckt each one their feather back and so left her naked even so does God deal with all proud and ingrateful persons There is nothing more pleasing to God nor profitable to us both for the procuring of the good we want or continuing the good we have then humility and thankfulness Yea to the humble and thankful soul nothing shall be wanting God will sowe there and there only plenty of his blessings where he is sure to reap plenty of thanks and service but who will sowe those barren sands where they are sure not only to be without all hope of a good harvest but are sure to lose both their seed and labour Yet fools as we are we forfeit many of Gods favours for not paying that easie quit-rent of thankfulness Ingratitude forfeits mercies as Merchants do all to the King by not paying of custome Because Pharaoh saith The River is mine own therefore God saith I will dry up the River Ezek. 29. 3 to 13. Isaiah 19. 5 6. Deut. 11. 9 10. Tamberlain having overcome Bajazet he asked him whether he had ever given God thanks for making him so great an Emperour he confest ingenuously he had never thought of it to whom Tamberlain replyed that it was no marvel so ingrateful a man should be made such a spectacle of misery When the people sought themselves only and how to have their houses ceiled and sumptuous neglecting the house of God and his honour thus it fared with them Ye have sowen much and have reaped little and he that earneth wages carneth wages to put it into a bag with holes Ye looked for much and lo it came to little and when ye brought it home I did blow upon it I called for a drought upon the land and upon all that it bringeth forth and upon all the labour of the hands c. Again when they sought Gods glory and were thankful mark the difference even from this very day will I bless you saith God Hag. 1. 4. to 12 2 18 19. He that is unthankful for a little is worthy of nothing whereas thanks for one good turn is the best introduction to another Holy David was a man after Gods own heart and therefore he ever mixeth with his prayers praises Bless the Lord ô my soul sayes he and forget not all his benefits Psal. 103. 2. And being of a publick spirit he discovers the secrets of this skill as when he saith Let the people praise thee ô God let all the people praise thee then shall the earth bring forth her increase and God even our God shall give us his blessing Psal. 67. 5 6 7. Wherefore be not like the Swine that feeds upon the Acorns without ever looking to the Oake from whence they fall Or the Horse that drinks of the Brook and never thinks of the Spring Yea since God is the fountain from which all our enjoyments flow let this be our continual determination He hath given us all the grace good and happiness we have and we will give him all the possible thanks and honour we can Yea teach us ô Lord to receive the benefit of thy merciful favour and to return thee the thanks and the glory And the like of Humility Blessed are the meek saith our Saviour for they shall inherit the earth Matth. 5. 5. The reward of humility and the fear of God is riches and honour and life Prov. 22 4. If there be a hollow in a valley lower then another thither the waters gather And the more lowly we are in our own eyes the more lovely we are in Gods the more despicable in our selves the more acceptable in him as is seen in the example of the Publican Luke 18. 13 14. And the Prodigal Luke 15. 18 19 c. Nor can any thing make us more acceptable to God then the conscience of our own unworthiness when with Jacob we can say O Lord I am not worthy of the least of all the

and opulency go to hell When we are judged we are chastened of the Lord that we may not be condemned with the world 1 Cor. 11. 32. Riches do so puff up some men that they even think it a discredit to their great Worships to worship God Nothing feeds pride nor keeps off repentance so much as prosperous advantage The Prodigal never thought of his father till he wanted husks We serve God as our servants serve us of whom many have too good clothes others too much wages or are too full fed to do work As a woman finding that her hen laid her every day an egg for all she was very lean had a conceit that if she were fat and lusty she would lay twice a day whereupon she fed and cram'd her thoroughly but in a short space she became so fat that contrary to her expectation she left laying altogether Who so nourisheth his servant daintily from his childhood shall after finde him stubbron Prov. 29. 21. Sixtly they fix their affections upon heavenly riches and not upon the temporary and transitory riches of this world because in sicknesse when they stand in the greatest need of all they will not do them the least good Your gold will not bribe a disease your bags will not keep your head from aking or your joynts from the Gout a loathing stomach makes no difference between an earthen dish and one of silver Riches can no more put off the stone or asswage grief or thrust out cares or purchase grace or suspend death or prevent hell or bribe the Devil then a sattin sleeve can heal a broken arm Indeed the foolish Prior in Melancthon rolled his hands up and down in a bason full of Angels thinking by this means to cure his Gout but it would not do Yea thou that placest thy happinesse and puttest thy confidence in a little white and red earth and dotest so upon the world tell me When the hand of God hath never so little touched thee what good thy great wealth will do thee Therefore ô vain desires and impotent contentments of men that place their happinesse in these things will not this your fair Herodias appear as a stigmatized Gipsie Will not all the toil and cost you haue been at to get riches appear as ridiculous as if a countryman should anoint his axle-tree with Amber-greece or as if a travaller should liquour his boots with Balsamum Yea your wealth will not only not save you from evils but help to make you more miserable and not only here but hereafter Psal. 49. 6 7 8. Why then do you set so high a price upon them and so shamefully undervalue the riches of the minde which will much mitigate your grief and increase your comfort in what condition soever you are But Seventhly they little set by the wealth of this world because their riches may soon leave them When with the Spider we have exhausted our very bowels to contrive a slender web of an uncertain inheritance one puff of winde and blast blown upon it by the Almighty carries all away What sayes Solomon Prov. 23. Cease from thy wisdome wilt thou cast thine eyes upon that which is nothing for riches taketh her to her wings as an Eagle and flyeth away Verse 4 5. and Jer. 17. 11. Isaiah 33. 1. Prov. 12. 27. Yea all riches are uncertain but those that are evil gotten are most uncertain as examples of all ages witnesse The first of these was verified in Job who lived to see himself poor to a Proverb and fell from the want of all misery to the misery of all wants And Dionysius who fell from a Tyrant over men to be a Tutor ever boyes and so to get his living And Perses son and heir who was fain to learn an Occupation the Black-smiths trade to relieve his necessity And Henry the Fourth that victorious Emperour who after he had fought two and fifty pitcht Battails became a Petitioner for a Prebendary to maintain him in his old age And Geliner that potent King of the Vandals was so low brought that he intreated his friend to send him a harp a spunge and a loaf of bread an Harp to consort with his misery a sponge to dry up his tears and a loaf of bread to satisfie his hunger Yea how many have we known in this City reputed very rich yet have broken for thousands There are innumerable wayes to become poor a fire a thief a false servant suretiship trusting of bad customers an unfaithful factor a Pyrate an unskilful Pilate Godwines sands a cross gale a wind and many the like hath brought millions of rich men to poverty And yet this is the only winde that blows up the Words bladder You see little children what pains they take to rake and scrape snow together to make a snow-ball right so it fares with them that scrape together the treasure of this world they have but a snow-bal of it for so soon as the Sun shineth and God breatheth upon it by and by it commeth to nothing And as riches well gotten are uncertain so those that are evil gotten are not seldome lost with shame As how many of our over-reachers have over-reached themselves so far either by perjury forgery receiving of stoln goods or the like that they have left either their bodies hanging between heaven and earth or their ears upon the pillory and died in prison so that the safest way to praise a covetous miser is when he is dead But CHAP. XXVII EIghthly to this may be added that if riches should not leave us and be taken away as they were from Job yet of necessity we must ere long leave and be taken from them as the rich man in the Gospel was from his substance and wealth Nor do we know now soon for so soon as a man is born he hastens as fast to his end as the Arrow to the mark each day is another march towards death and that little time of stay is full of misery and trouble and therefore it 's fitly called a passage a shadow a span a tale a vapour a cloud a bubble in the water It is like a candle in the winde soon blown out like a spark in the water soon extinguished like a thin Air soon expired like a little snow in the sun soon melted It is like a pilgrimage in which is uncertainty a flower in which is mutability a house of clay in which is misery a Weavers shuttle in which is volubility a Shepherds tent in which is variety to a ship on the sea in which is celerity to smoke which is vanity to a thought whereof we have a thousand in a day to a dream of which we have many in a night to vanity which is nothing in it self and to nothing which hath no being in the world And which is further considerable the young may die as soon as the old Yea more die in the spring and summer of their years then do live to their autumn