Selected quad for the lemma: earth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
earth_n	let_v	people_n	praise_v	12,053	5	10.9906	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A11067	The arte of happines Consisting of three parts, whereof the first searcheth out the happinesse of man. The second, particularly discouers and approues it- The third, sheweth the meanes to attayne and increase it. By Francis Rous.	Rous, Francis, 1579-1659.	1619 (1619)	STC 21338; ESTC S116243	106,766	542

taught vs that importunitie is a way to ouer-come him Earnest prayer vseth violence toward him and thereby we that are weaknesse are too hard for him who is infinite power But how commeth this to passe that wee who haue no strength but from GOD should ouer-come him from whom wee haue our strength surely if we looke neerly vnto it we shall find that praier perswades God to ouer-come himselfe It moues his owne goodnesse to ouer-come his owne power so that we feele only the effects of power mastered and conquered with goodnes Therefore is God by prayer as it were troubled and stopped in some actions outwardly proposed to haue beene effected So LOT holdeth the Angels hand from destroying of Zoar a towne of the sinfull Plaine and to her growth equally lyable for wickednesse to fire and brimstone And MOSES hindreth and doth not let GOD alone when in his furie hee would destroy Israel but diuerteth the plague denounced against them Goodnes cannot denie the importunitie of beloued-ones The bad whereof is in an earthly father whose bowels are turned within him if hee cannot giue what his hungrie childe doth craue of him But the roote here of is God who is goodnesse it selfe in whom is the Fountayne of that drop which wee call good Nature in Men. The same God who is goodnesse is also loue loueth his Children farre more tenderly then earthly fathers and loue workes vpon the will to make it willing to communicate to the beloued the fruits and effects of goodnesse The same God is also Almightie so that whatsoeuer streames of goodnesse the will moued by loue would particularly distribute the Almightinesse of GOD is able to fulfil accomplish Wherefore in confidence of the great goodnesse the loue the power of God let vs boldly hopefully yet humbly repaire vnto him beleeuing that a power so mastered with goodnesse loue cannot denie a vehement importunate prayer But if we faile of obtayning it is certainly some impediment on our owne side so that either we haue asked in an ill manner or for an ill matter or to an ill end or else we haue limited the most High telling him how and when we wil haue our request But if wee aske for good things in a good manner to a good end submitting the conditions and seasons to that infinite Wisdome to whom to submit is mans chiefest wisedome then let vs bee assured that wee are in the way of hearing let vs fasten our foote in that way and resolue neuer to turne from it though checked with the woman of Canaan and deferred with IOB This way ends assuredly in granting and thou shalt either haue the same thing thou crauest or a better For as all Gods actions to his children are for their good and aduantage so are also his deferrings and denyals And this the daily experience of the Saints can testifie who haue found that they were then heard vvhen they thought themselues most neglected The vision and message of the most High as that of DANIEL was botimes sent forth though the time of accomplishmēt was appointed to bee later GOD will not breake the Couenant of Prayer but vvould raise thy faith to that high pitch euen to beleeue that God is good to Israel euen when thou feelest the smart of thine owne miserie and seest the prosperitie of the wicked or hee would raise thy patience to such a degree that though GOD should kill thee yet thou wouldest submit thy self to his mightie hand or hee would humble chastize and nurture thee that he might do thee good in thy latter end Therfore stand thou strong in the path of prayer and therein especially hunger thirst after Righteousnesse euen spirituall graces for therewith thou shalt surely bee filled But if with the stubborne King of Israel being grieued thou say It is the Lord Why should I seeke him any more thou turnest thy selfe out of the way of obtayning thou forsakest him who is the onely giuer of euery good and perfect gift thou changest him who only heareth and granteth prayers for miserable helpers who without him like IEROBOAMS politike Calues through a wise foolishnes shall become their Masters destruction Now that our prayer may yet haue a farther increase of force and so a fuller preuayling let our prayers partly consist of praise Let the remembrance of benefits past accompanie the Petition of benefits to come let vs pray that Gods Name may bee hallowed when wee pray that his Kingdome may come more into vs. In the Law of Nature thankfulnesse for one benefit inuiteth another and much more with the Father of Grace and Nature doe thanks for a lesse degree of Grace perswade for a greater Praise glorie to God is the end and fruit of Gods gifts and where God reapeth this fruit abundantly there will he abundantly sow the seed of this fruit For if Christ called his Father an Husbandman wee may boldly say he is a good Husbandman and therefore he will not commit that ill husbandrie to sow little that hee may reape little when hee sees that by much sowing he may reape much GOD will not bee wanting to his own glorie by sowing smal grace where by much grace hee might reape much glorie That this was agreeable to the heart of God well knew that holy Man who was according to GODS heart and therefore continually hee mixeth his prayers with praises yea sometime he plainly discouereth the secrets of this skill as when hee saith Let the people praise thee O God let all the people praise thee then shall the earth bring forth her increase and God euen our God shall giue vs his blessing Examples confirme this instruction NOAH gaue a sacrifice of praise for his deliuerie from the floud and God being praised for that one deliuerance perpetuateth his benefit and promiseth an euerlasting deliuerance to the earth from any more flouds When SALOMONS Leuites Singers and Priests made one sound in praising the Lord the glorie of the Lord filled the house of God When the Singers of IEHOSAPHAT praised the Lord because his mercy indureth for euer God laid ambushments against the children of Ammon Moab and Mount Seir and they slue one another What doe these things shew but that prayer is sharpned with praise and it enters more powerfully into the acceptation of the Highest They teach vs plainly that God willingly opens his eare to receiue his due praises and into his eares so opened the adioyned Petitions haue more speedie admittance Surely God well accepts his owne glorie he accepts his glorifier and with his person his prayers But as farre on the other side doth vnthankfulnesse shut vp the bountie of God and make it fast against our selues God will not long giue benefits whereof himselfe may haue no benefit but if there bee gifts like benefits bestowed on the vnthankfull let it be thought that these seeming benefits are very curses euen gifts giuen in wrath as Quailes and a King vnto Israel

onely acceptable Without fire it is no Sacrifice for euery sacrifice must bee salted with fire with strange fire as of superstition or the flesh it is worse then no Sacrifice and therfore it must euen be the heauenly fire of Grace which makes the Sacrifices acceptable and this is most fitly kindled by Meditation And thus if wee kindle the fire of Grace by the Bellowes of Meditation this fire that now guideth moueth and comforteth our soules in the Pilgrimage of this life shall in the next life breake out into a flame of Glory wherein we shall bee inthroned like the Sun shining before the lesser Starres in brightnesse as we haue here excelled them in Holinesse CHAP. VIII Of Association AS euery strong thing is made stronger by the combination of a like thing vnto it and as the heat is the more increased by the meeting of diuers things that haue heate So is also the Spirit increased in vs by the fellowship of them that haue the Spirit When spirituall Men ioyn their spiritual strength together they will like DAVIDS valiant men breake more strongly thorow the Hosts of the Philistians temptations obiections and afflictions and fetch away more safely and soundly the Waters of Grace from the Fountaine of Life This Association of Saints is that Bed of SALOMON wherein two lying together haue heate but he lyeth in the Bed of woe that lyes alone When two strings of diuers Instruments are set to one Tune if one of them bee mooued the other leapeth and danceth And how can it bee but that when two men tuned by one Spirit do meet the Spirit of the one must needs reioyce and be liuely when it heareth the voice of the Spirit in the other IOHN BAPTIST being sanctified with Grace in his Mothers wombe euen in that wombe springeth for ioy at the voyce of that Virgin who was intitled Full of Grace Yea ELIZABETH her selfe falleth into an heauenly Trance and rising aboue her selfe she is filled with the Holy Ghost and prophesieth the blessednesse of the Virgins Son Surely there is not a more pleasant and comfortable thing then Harmonie for it is indeed the ground of all pleasure Now the chiefest Harmony is of the chiefest things and these are Spirits The highest of this kind is in the highest Spirit euen of himselfe with himselfe The second betweene the highest and the lower And the third betweene the lower themselues From this last Harmonie doth arise both ioy and incouragement our Spirit first is cheered then incouraged and so aduan ced in the way of Holines The Saints of God either by their gracious words or holy Examples stirre vp the gifts of God in vs they eyther adde something to our Zeale or something to our knowledge yea if they be inferior to vs in both yet by instructing and prouoking them we many times instruct and prouoke our selues Surely there issueth oft-times from the meanest something which may better the best either immediately or by the consequence of some Meditations awaked by conference Euen in the communication of the Spirit the Spirit increaseth and our Talent by lending multiplyeth in the most profitable and commendable Vsurie For the Spirit is so excellently good that it desires to haue his goodnesse communicated yea it will reward thee that giuest it abroad by increasing thy abilitie of giuing So art thou made a great gainer for it is doubly multiplyed to thee as it is the Bread of Life for thy eating and as it is the Seed of Life for thy sowing the more thou sowest the more mayest thou eate and the more mayest thou sow Wherefore let vs not as some doe forsake the fellowship communion of Saints Let vs not make the Spirit in vs both dumbe deafe by separation and diuision for such it is when it cannot heare nor speake the language of heauen Let vs not depriue our selues of the great benefits of spirituall traffike commerce thereby knitting vp and stopping the prosperitie growth and enlargement of the Spirit Let vs not bind our selues to our own infirmities falls and wants for lacke of opening and cōmunicating our estates for many haue falne and neuer risen againe because they haue gone alone neglecting the companie of such who could haue giuen them the hand to raise them from their falls Wee are all Brethren and Countrimen and withal Pilgrims in a strange Countrie How glad should Brethren and Countrimen be to meet in a strange Land especially in the Land of enemies such as this World is For this World shunneth vs it hateth vs our persons and our courses are odious because contrarie to them How should their strangenesse malice increase our mutuall loue and conuersation How much more need haue we to counsell conferre each with other since wee liue as it were in a siege of temptations and persecutions And if the wisedome of Religion cannot perswade vs let the patterns of Nature which are the books of the Ignorant teach vs let the herds of Beasts and the swarmes of Bees the flights of Doues instruct thee to beleeue that things of one kind preserue and cherish one another by mutuall societie But if for all this wee will needes bee strangers one to another differing and dissenting among our selues Let vs be sure that we then rip that loue from our selues which is the badge of the Family of God wee lose the comfort of loue which is one of the greatest in our way to happinesse we separate those whom God hath knit together we lose good instructions and good examples and finally wee weaken our selues by diuision and make the scattered Armie of God a prey vnto their pursuing enemies Let vs much rather with the Prince Prophet reioyce in them which excel in vertue Let our delight bee in the Saints on earth and let the sons of God loue their Brethren begotten by the same Father Let vs confirme and prouoke one another to good works Let vs associate our selues to them who by word or deed can supply our spiritual defects from whose speech wee may learne what wee know not and by whose exhortation wee may bee mooued to performe that which wee know and doe not and by whose examples wee may haue vertues patterned vnto vs shewed to bee possible yea easie to the resolute man of God But neuerthelesse in this Christian good fellowship doe not pull out thy owne eyes that thou mayest loue all alike that carry the title of Christians Thinke not all them to be Israel that put on the name of Israel Where thou seest no contrarie cause there let charitie carry away thy affection but in a degree according to the degree of vertue Yea though thou seest fals and slips if acknowledged and recouered restore such a one with the Spirit of meeknesse lest thou haue need also to be restored by him But if thou seest one couering a continuall Couetousnesse Pride Malice Oppression and such other sinnes with a long thicke cloke of