Selected quad for the lemma: earth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
earth_n	church_n	heaven_n	kingdom_n	8,952	5	6.5021	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A20725	The Christian arte of thriving, whereby a man may become rich to God, or, A sermon vpon Matth.6.33 preached by the right reuerend father in God, George, Lord Bishop of Derry.	Downame, George, d. 1634.	1620 (1620)	STC 7109.3; STC 7109A; ESTC S120077	25,870	48

to sustaine it and he that prouided the body will giue rayment to clothe it namely to them that moderately and orderly seeke it The second and fourth à minori from the lesse God feedeth the Fowles without their carefulnesse and doth not onely clothe but also adorne the Lillyes of the field which are of no value in comparison of men Which as they were made for mans vse so are they supplied with necessaries for mans sake If therefore God prouide for them how much more will he prouide for vs if we shall depend vpon his prouidence in the moderate vse of lawfull meanes The third is from the like For God hath set to all men a stiat as of their stature so of their estate as therefore it were a vaine and idle thing for a man to carke and care for the increase of his stature so likewise for the aduancement of his state aboue that pitch which God hath limited The other argument is because such care is no way beseeming Christians first because it is Heathenish The Gentiles that doe not know God nor acknowledge his prouidence seeke immoderately and preposterously after these things But you must not be like vnto them as before hee had said Secondly it becommeth Christians who haue a heauenly Father which knoweth what is needfull and expedient for vs better then our selues to cast their care vpon him and to depend vpon his Fatherly prouidence Children that haue wise louing and able parents doe not vse to take thought for their foode and rayment or other necessaries but depend vpon the prouident care of their naturall Parents How much more ought we who are the children of God to depend vpon the prouidence of our heauenly Father For if earthly Parents doe know to giue good things to their children how much more will our heauenly Father giue good things to them that aske him who in loue wisdome and power doth infinitely more excell earthly Parents then the heauens exceede the earth But this argument that God is our Father may yet further be enforced Is God our Father in Christ then hath he giuen his owne Sonne forvs that by him we might be made the sonnes of God If therefore as the Apostle argueth God hath so loued vs that he spared not his onely begotten sonne but gaue him ouer vnto death for vs how shall not he with him giue vs all things that are needfull and expedient for vs Againe is God our Father then are we his sonnes and if sonnes then also heires heires of God and coheires with Christ and therefore to vs also belongeth that comfortable exhortation of our Sauiour Christ Luke 12. 32. Feare not little flocke be not distracted with distrustfull care or feare of want it is your Fathers pleasure to giue you a Kingdome For if God wil giue vs an heauenly and euerlasting Kingdom can we imagine that he will denie vnto vs the pettie commodities of this life So much of the negatiue precept or dehortation In the affirmatiue precept or exhortation we are to note three things The obiect or thing to be sought the dutie of seeking the order and degree first The obiect is twofold the Kingdome of God and his righteousnes As touching the former there are two kingdomes in the world the one of darkenes the other of light The former is the kingdome of Satan who is called the Prince yea the god of this world who ruleth effectually in the children of disobedience carrying them captiue to the obedience of his will vnto this kingdom all men naturally since the Fall of Adam are subiect and in that subiection doe remaine vntill they bee translated into the Kingdome of God The consideration whereof ought to moue all that are not in the state of grace earnestly and speedily to seeke the Kingdome of God For vntill they belong to Gods Kingdome they are subiects of the kingdome of Satan The Kingdome of God is twofold Vniuersall Speciall His vniuersall Kingdome is called the Kingdome of his power and prouidence Of which it is said Psalm 103. 19. The Lord hath prepared his Throne in the Heauens and his Kingdome ruleth ouer all vnto this Kingdome all creatures whatsoeuer be they neuer so rebellious are subiect For although in respect of their intent they set themselues against the will of God yet in respect of the euent they become though vnwittingly the instruments of God to bring to passe his good purposes Of this kingdome our Sauiour speaketh not in this place Neither shall wee need to seeke it but voluntarily to submit our selues vnto it whereunto all creatures of necessity are subiect His speciall kingdome is that whereby hee ruleth ouer his Elect who are not onely his kingdome but his Family also whereof one part is in heauen which is the Church triumphant the other on earth which is the Church militant In regard whereof the speciall kingdome of God hath two parts the kingdome of Glory and the kingdome of Grace The kingdome of Glory to the Elect is a state of Glory and eternall happinesse in heauen where they hauing vnion with Christ and by him communion and fellowship with the whole Trinity enioy the chiefest good which is God himselfe in whose presence there is fulnesse of ioy and at whose right hand are pleasures for euermore The kingdome of Grace vnto the Elect is a state of Grace and by it of happinesse begun in this life standing in the meanes and degrees of saluation wherein we hauing by the Spirit vnion with Christ as our Head who is our life and with whom our life is hid in God Colos. chap. 3. vers 3 4. and hauing also communion with him in his merits to our iustification and in his grace and efficacy of his Spirit to our sanctification doe passe the time of our pilgrimage as in his feare so also in expectation of euerlasting happinesse The former kingdome is to bee sought as our supreme end and absolute felicitie the latter as the meanes destinated thereunto Yet both as our happinesse that vt beatitudo patriae this vt beatitudo viae that as the happinesse comprehensorum who are in actuall possession this as the happinesse viatorum who liue in expectation and therfore both also are to be first sought that in intention as the end this in execution as the meanes to the end For whosoeuer desireth to be an inheritour of the Kingdome of Glory where God vnto his Saints is all in all must first bee a faithfull subiect in the Kingdome of Grace wherin God ruleth in his Saints by his Word and Spirit But our Sauiour requireth vs to seeke not only the Kingdome of God but also his righteousnesse Where perhaps it may seeme strange that this addition is heere made seeing righteousnes is included in the kingdome For as the Apostle saith the Kingdome of God standeth not in meate or drinke or in other things appertaining to this life

THE CHRISTIAN ARTE OF THRIVING WHEREBY A MAN MAY become rich to God Or A Sermon vpon MATTH 6. 33. Preached and dedicated to the Right Worshipfull Company of Haberdashers in London by G. D. First seeke the Kingdome of God and his righteousnesse and all these things shall be added vnto you AT LONDON Imprinted by FELIX KYNGSTON 1620. THE CHRISTIAN ARTE OF THRIVING MATH 6. 33. But seeke yee first the Kingdome of God and his righteousnesse and all these things shall bee added vnto you THe very foundation of a Christian conuersation is a right perswasion concerning our happinesse This therefore being a matter of so great consequence our Sauiour Christ endeuoureth in the latter part of this Chapter to rectifie our iudgements therein shewing both wherein wee are not to repose our felicity and also wherein we are to place our happinesse Lay not vp saith he treasures to your selues on earth that is place not your treasure your chiefest good your happinesse in any earthly things which are transitory and momentany but lay vp your treasure that is place your happinesse and felicity in heauen where perfect and eternall happinesse is onely to be found For where your treasure is there will your heart bee also that is Whatsoeuer you esteeme your happinesse or chiefest good on that your heart will bee set vnto that your desires your studies and endeuours will bee referred If therefore your iudgement which is the eye of your mind bee sincere and iudge aright of your chiefest good the whole body as it were and course of your life and conuersation will be sutable thereunto But if your eye be euill if you iudge peruersly of your happinesse placing your chiefest good in earthly and worldly things then will your conuersation bee worldly and wicked As for example If a man set his hart on pleasure as his chiefest good the whole frame of his life will bee voluptuous if on riches the whole course of his life will be couetous if on honour and promotion his whole carriage and deportment will bee ambitious But if a man shall esteeme the eternall saluation of his soule as his chiefest good his life will be spirituall and religious as hauing his conuersation in heauen Now if any man shall thinke as it is to be feared too many doe that he can take a wiser course then that which our Sauiour prescribeth for he will place his treasure and happinesse both in heauen and in earth too our Sauiour telleth him that this cannot be for this were to serue two masters that are at variance You cannot serue God and Mammon you cannot be worldlings and true Christians You cannot prefix vnto your selues two supreme ends which be repugnant one to the other If therfore your heart be chiefly on the earth then is not your happinesse in heauen Our Sauiour hauing laid this foundation concerning the supreme ends in the next place hee giueth direction concerning the meanes deftinated and referred thereunto shewing that as our treasure is not to be placed on earth so our chiefest care should not be set on earthly things Therefore I say vnto you Take no thought for your life c. And on the other side as our happinesse is to be reposed in heauen so we should first and principally seeke the Kingdome of God and his righteousnesse And if any shall demand Alas how then shall we liue what course shall we take to thriue in this world Our Sauiour answereth that if wee first seeke the Kingdome of God and his righteousnesse all these things shall be added vnto vs. These words therefore containe two things a Precept Promise The precept is two-fold the one Negatiue which is but implied the other Affirmatiue which is expressed The Negatiue That we are not first to seeke the things on earth is implied partly in the aduersatiue coniunction But which presupposeth a Negation going before and partly in the word First for if wee are first to seeke the Kingdome of God and his righteousnesse then are we not first to seeke earthly things But heere it may be demanded Whether our Sauiour Christ do forbid al care for the things of this life for fo he may seeme vers 25. Wherefore I say vnto you take no thought for your life what you shall eate or drinke or wherewith ye shall bee clothed for if wee may not take thought for necessaries then much lesse for superfluities And Ioh. 6. 27. Labour not for the meate that perisheth but labour for that which endureth vnto euerlasting life I answere by a twofold distinction First that he forbiddeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for so he speaketh vers 25. 31. the immoderate the carking the distrustfull care whereby the heart is diuided as the word importeth and remoued from God not the moderate and prouident care which elsewhere is commended in the Scriptures Secondly that he forbiddeth inordinate and preposterous care whereby earthly desires are more cared for than the glory of God in our saluation not the orderly care of earthly things which is fubordinated to the glory of God and our owne saluation which seemeth to be implied both in this place and in the 12. of Luke For sirst seemeth to haue relation to a second and therefore when hee biddeth vs Seeke first the Kingdome of God hee doth not forbid nay he seemeth to imply that in the second place and in a secondary respect we should seeke the things of this life the former as Augustine saith vt bonum nostrum the latter vt necessarium nostrum necessarium autem propter illud bonum the former as our chiefe good the latter as necessary helpes and supplies whilest we are in this life as in the way towards happinesse In the 12. of Luke hauing in like sort disswaded from worldly cares in the 32. verse he saith But rather seeke the kingdome of God and so is the exhortation Iohn 6. 27. to bee vnderstood comparatiuely Labour not so much or labour not chiefly for the meate that perisheth For our Sauiour himselfe in this chapter hauing directed vs first after Gods glory to seeke his kingdome and his righteousnes his kingdome in the second petition of the Lords Prayer his righteousnes in the third in the fourth petition he teacheth vs to aske and by asking to seeke the things of this life And what we are to aske in prayer we are to seeke and to labour for in our practice and to endeuour in our liues lest we may seeme to tempt God From the immoderate and preposterous care for the things of this life our Sauiour disswadeth by two arguments the one because all such care is vaine and superfluous the other because it is heathenish and not beseeming Christians That it is vaine he proueth by foure reasons first à maiori from the more or greater The life is more then the meate and the body then rayment therefore he that gaue the life will prouide food