Selected quad for the lemma: glory_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
glory_n	affliction_n	eternal_a	moment_n	4,141	5	9.1958	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A31073	Of contentment, patience and resignation to the will of God several sermons / by Isaac Barrow.	Barrow, Isaac, 1630-1677.	1685 (1685)	Wing B946; ESTC R29010	110,176	282

it appeareth otherwise to us it is because in our taxations of things we do ordinarily judge or rather not judge but fansie not hearing or regarding any dictate of reason like beasts prizing things merely according to present sense or shew not examining their intrinsick natures or looking forward into their proper fruits and consequences Adversity or a state wherein we are not furnished with all accommodations gratefull to sense or fancy or wherein somewhat doth cleave to us offensive to those inferiour powers of soul is the thing which we chiefly loath and abominate whereas in true judgment nothing commonly is more necessary more wholsome more usefull and beneficial to us nothing is more needfull or conducible to the health of our soul and to our real happiness than it It is the school of wisedom wherein our minds are disciplin'd and improved in the knowledge of the best things whence it is termed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is instructive chastisement so David found it It is said he good for me that I have been afflicted that I might learn thy statutes and our Lord himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He learned obedience from what he suffered It is the Academy wherein vertue is acquired and exercised so God meant it to his people The Lord thy God saith Moses led thee this forty years in the wilderness that he might humble thee and prove thee So the Wise-man saith that by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better and that stripes do cleanse the inward parts of the belly And It yieldeth saith the Apostle the peaceable fruit of righteousness to them that are exercised thereby It is the furnace of the soul wherein it is tried cleansed and refined from the dross of vain conceits of perverse humours of vitious distempers When saith Job he hath tried me I shall come forth as gold and Gold saith the Wiseman is tried in the fire and acceptable men in the furnace of adversity It is the method whereby God reclaimeth sturdy sinners to goodness engageth them to seek and serve himself so of the Israelites the Prophet saith Lord in trouble have they visited thee they poured out a prayer when thy chastning was upon them so Manasses when he was in affliction he besought the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his Fathers so Nebuchadnezzar after being driven from his Kingdom his understanding returned unto him and he blessed the most high and praised and honoured him that liveth for ever So David himself Before said he I was afflicted I went astray but now have I kept thy word It is that whereby God doth prepare men and doth entitle them to the blessed rewards hereafter Our light affliction saith St. Paul which is but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory and Ye saith St Peter greatly rejoice though now for a season if need be ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations that the trial of your faith being much more pretious than of gold that perisheth though it be tried with fire may be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. Such is the nature such the use such the fruits of adversity It is indeed scarce possible that without tasting it somewhat deeply any man should become in good measure either wise or good He must be very ignorant of himself of his own temper and inclinations of the strength and forces of his reason who hath not met with some rubs and crosses to try himself and them with the greater part of things he must little understand who hath not experienced the worst part he cannot skill to wield and govern his passions who never had them stirred up and tossed about by cross accidents he can be no good Pilot in matters of humane life who hath not for some time sailed in a rough Sea in foul weather among sands and shelves he could have no good opportunity of employing thoroughly or improving his wit his courage his industry who hath had no straits to extricate himself from no difficulties to surmount no hardships to sustain The vertues of humility of patience of contentedness necessarily must be unknown to him to whom no disgraces no wants no sore pains have arrived by well enduring which those vertues are learnt and planted in the soul Scarce can he become very charitable or compassionate to others who never himself hath felt the smart of affliction or inconveniencies of any distress for even as the Apostle teacheth us our Saviour himself was obliged to suffer tribulation that he thence might become mercifull and disposed to succour the afflicted No wonder if he that liveth in continual prosperity be a Nabal churlish and discourteous insensible of other mens grievances And how can he express much piety or love to God who is not in submission to God's will and for his sake put to suffer any thing grievous or want any thing desirable When can he employ any great faith or hope in God who never hath any visible need of succour or relief from him who hath other present aids to confide in How can he purely delight in God and place his sole felicity in him How can he thoroughly relish spiritual things whose affections are taken up by an affluence of other goods whose appetites are glutted with enjoyment of other delights What but deprivation of these things can lay open the vanity the deceitfulness and slipperiness of them What but crosses and disappointments here can withdraw our minds from a fond admiration and eager affection toward this world What but the want of these joys and satisfactions can drive us to seek our felicity otherwhere when the deceit of riches possesseth us How can we judge right of things when cares about them distract us How can we think about any thing that is good when their snares entangle us and their clogs encumber us How can we be free and expedite in doing good when abundance fatneth our hearts and ease softneth our spirits and success pusseth up our minds when pride sensuality stupidity and sloth the almost inseparable adherents to large and prosperous estates do continually insinuate ● themselves into us What wisedom what vertue are we like to have Seeing then adversity is so wholsome and usefull the remedy of so great mischiefs the cause of so great benefits to us Why should we be displeased therewith to be displeased with it is to be displeased with that which is most needfull or most convenient for us to be displeased with the health and welfare of our souls that we are rescued from errours and vices with all their black train of miseries and mischiefs to be displeased that we are not detained under the reign of folly and wickedness that we are not inevitably made

things well improved may greatly solace us but however let us imagine our case to be the worst that can be that a confluence of all temporal mischiefs and wants hath arrived that we are utterly bereaved of all the comforts this world afforded that we are stripped of all our wealth quite sunk in our reputation deserted of every friend deprived of our health and our liberty that all the losses all the disgraces all the pains which poor Job sustained or far more and greater than those have together seised on us yet we cannot have sufficient reason to be discontent for that nevertheless we have goods left to us in our hands or within our reach far surpassing all those goods we have lost much outweighing the evils we do undergoe when the world hath done its worst we remain Masters of things incomparably better than it and all it containeth the possession whereof may and if we be wise will abundantly satisfie us We are Men still and have our reason left behind which alone in worth exceedeth all the treasures of the world in well using which and thereby ordering all things for the best we become more worthy and more happy than the most fortunate fool on earth we may therein find more true satisfaction than any wealth or any glory here can minister we may have a good conscience left the sense of having lived well heretofore or at least a serious resolution to live well hereafter and that is a continual feast yielding a far more solid and savoury pleasure than the most ample revenue can afford we may have hope in God the authour and donour of all good things and thereby far greater assurance of our convenient subsistence and welfare than all present possessions can bestow we have reserved a free access to the throne of Grace and thereby a sure means grounded on God's infallible word and promise of obtaining whatever is good for us we have a firm right to innumerable spiritual blessings and privileges each of them justly valuable beyond whole worlds of pelfe we can in a word we can if we please enjoy God's favour which immensly transcendeth all other enjoyments which vastly more than countervaileth the absence of all other things of this by applying our selves to the love and service of God we are infallibly capable of this no wordly force or fortune can despoile us we having this our condition cannot be poor contemptible or pitifull 't is indeed thereby most rich glorious and happy For how can he be poor that hath the Lord of all things always ready to supply him who hath God as the Psalmist is wont to speak to be his portion for ever How can he be despicable that hath the honour to have the Sovereign Majesty of the world for his especial friend How can he be miserable who enjoyeth the fountain of all happiness who hath the light of God's countenance to cheer him who hath the consolations of God's holy Spirit to refresh and revive him What can he want who beside his present interest in all the needfull effects of God's bountifull love is an heir of heaven and everlasting bliss Seeing therefore it is in our power to be religious seeing we may if we will God's grace concurring which preventeth us to seek which never is withheld from those who seek it be good Christians seeing nothing can hinder us from fearing God or can separate us from his love neither can any thing render our condition bad or unhappy really distressed or needy O fear the Lord saith the Psalmist for there is no want to them that fear him The young Lions or the rich as the LXX render it do lack and suffer hunger but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing and Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing saith the Wiseman and The hand of our God is upon all them that seek him saith the Prophet and Who is he that shall harm you or doe ill to you or make you worse if ye be followers of that which is good saith St. Peter and We know saith St. Paul that to them who love God all things cooperate for good and Godliness saith he again with contentedness is great gain that is supposing we have the goods which piety ministreth although we have nothing more we are if we can be content very well to pass it is abundantly sufficient for us Why then I pray are we discontent what we doe we groan or grieve for What is it that we do want Is it the use of reason is it vertue is it God's favour then indeed we have good cause to be displeased for the want of those things is indeed lamentable but if we do want them it is onely our selves that we should complain of for we may have them if we will and who can help it if we will not Who if we shall wilfully deprive our selves of them will be concerned to mind our complaints But is it onely a lump of trash or a puff of honour or a flash of pleasure that we do need Is it that we cannot so delicately glut our bellies or so finely cloath our backs or so thoroughly sooth our fancies as we could wish that we so pitifully moan Is it being restrained in some respects from the swinge of our humour is it that we are not so much regarded or are slighted by some persons is it that we are crossed in some design that so discomposeth and discourageth us then are we sottishly fond and childish in our conceits and our affections for proper it is to children when as they want no solid or substantial goods to wail for worthless toies and trinkets 't is for children when they have not their will in petty and impertinent matters to cry and lament children are much affected with every word or little shew that crosseth them If we were as St. Paul chargeth us to be perfect men if we had manly judgments and manly affections toward things we should not so regard or value any of these temporal and transitory things either good or evil as by the want of one sort or by the presence of the other to be much disturbed we should with St. Paul style any present evil 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a lightness of affliction we should with him reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glories which shall be revealed to us we should with Saint Peter greatly rejoice though for a season we are in heaviness through manifold trials or afflictions We should esteem any condition here very tolerable yea very good 4. In truth if we will not mince the matter and can bear a truth sounding like a Paradox usually our condition is then better when it seemeth worse then we have most cause to be glad when we are aptest to grieve then we should be thankfull when we do complain that