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
A61129	Of trust in God, or, A discourse concerning the duty of casting our care upon God in all our difficulties together with An exhortation to patient suffering for righteousness, in a sermon on 1 S. Pet. III. 14, 15 / by Nathaniel Spinckes ...	Spinckes, Nathaniel, 1654-1727.	1696 (1696)	Wing S4978; ESTC R1589	208,951	357

considering the daily Benefits his Bounty supplys them with and afraid also to do it least so he should be provoked to with-hold his Hand and deny them what they come next to petition him for or perhaps to send them away with a Curse instead of a Blessing It is very serviceable likewise for affecting our Souls with a sense of the numerous Blessings we daily partake of and hereby for enflaming them with the love of our so infinitely generous Benefactor and an unfeigned gratitude to him for all his unspeakable Loving-kindness It teaches to sue to him beforehand for what we need and when we have obtained it fills our Mouths with hearty Songs of Praise and Thanksgiving for it And by how much the easier it renders us under all Afflictions so much the more it contributes to a ready and chearfull performance of our Duty in all respects It engages us to study what return we shall make the Lord for all the benefits that he hath done unto us and leaves us free to apply our selves to whatever acknowledgments we believe he looks for from us By not suffering us to be overwhelmed with grief in any case it preserves our Faculties in their due liberty and so disposes us to hearken to God's Will and forthwith to set about the performance of it beyond what might otherwise have been hoped for And being thus usefull an Instrument in order to an holiness of Conversation it must necessarily be owned to be of great importance for entituling to an eternal state of Happiness 3. As it is a singular Preparative for times of Persecution Which how intolerable soever in it self loses a very considerable part of its weight when it falls upon such as are in a readiness to receive it It is a great support amidst the most formidable Terrours to have learned to place our Trust in God as an impregnable Defence against all the assaults of the most inveterate Adversary assuring our selves that far * 1 S. Jo. 4.4 2 Kings 6.16 greater is he that is with us than he that is in the world and that therefore † Rom. 8.31 if God be on our side we need not much concern our selves who shall who can be against us For as he is ready at all times to take care of them that cast their Care upon him so doth he it in an especial manner whenever he sees them willing to expose themselves to hardships for his Name 's sake He will either deliver them out of the Hands of their Enemies or if he sees it best that they suffer by them will turn their Sufferings to their advantage causing that their light afflictions which are comparatively but for a moment shall work out for them ‖ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Cor. 4.17 a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory * S. Matt. 10.18 Fear not them saith our Saviour which kill the body but are not able to kill the soul but rather fear him who is able to destroy both body and soul in hell And if ye suffer for righteousness sake saith S. Peter * 1 Ep. 3.14 15. happy are ye and be not afraid of their terrour neither be troubled but sanctifie ye the Lord God in your hearts And again † c. 4.16 19. If any man suffer as a Christian let him not be ashamed but let him glorifie God in this behalf and let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well-doing as unto a faithful Creator And of how great importance it is in order to the eternal Salvation of our Souls thus to cleave to and rest upon God though in the midst of Tribulations and Tortures chusing to undergo the utmost Barbarities if called to it rather than depart from our Integrity our blessed Lord sufficiently enforms us in these words ‖ S. Matt. 10.32 33. Whosoever shall confess me before men him will I confess also before my father which is in heaven but whosoever shall deny me before men him will I also deny before my father which is in heaven Or as it is expressed in S. Mark 's Gospel * S Mar. 8.38 Whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation of him also shall the son of man be ashamed when he cometh in the glory of his father with the holy Angels As much as to say He that owns our Saviour's Gospel and is neither ashamed nor afraid to profess its Doctrines and observe its Precepts in spight of all opposition shall be sure to receive an abundant Reward at the last day but they who are timorous and faint-hearted and cannot hold out in times of tryal must expect a different portion even the eternal Vengeance of Almighty God to be poured forth upon them as a just recompence of their defection from him Well therefore might the ancient Professors of our Faith resolve with the Apostle S. Paul That * Rom. 8.38 39. Has cogitationes quae persecutio potest vincere quae possunt tormenta superare Durat fortis stabilis religiosis meditationibus fundata mens adversus omnes Diaboli terrores minas mundi animus immobilis perstat quem futurorum fides certa solida corroborat D. Cypr. de exhortat Martyr Hoc est esse discipulum Dei hoc est militem Christi quem nullus hostis expugnet nullus lupus de castris coelestibus rapiat nullus laqueus inducat nullus dolor vincat nullus cruciatus affligat Lact. de mort persecut c. 16. neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor heighth nor depth nor any other creature should separate them from the love of God in Christ Jesus and from a resolute obedience to his Gospel Nay so cautious were they in this respect that they not only refused to deny the Faith upon any terms but would expose themselves to the utmost rather than do what might be misconstrued a denial of it Insomuch that when † Sozom. Hist l. 5. c. 15. Julian set himself to beguile those by subtilty whom he could not force to Idolatry they that understood the cheat chose rather to suffer for forbearing to pay their accustomed Homage to the Emperour than do what would be interpreted an act of Adoration to the Images of Jupiter and Mars and Mercury which he had purposely ordered to be placed by his own Chair to the end that when the Christians bowed after their wonted manner to himself they might be represented as doing it to these And when again ‖ Greg. Naz. Steletut 1. at the bestowing of Donatives amongst his Army they that stood by the Emperour commanded the Souldiers as they came to throw a little Frankincense into the Fire as the manner of the Romans was in the worship of their Gods the more intelligent utterly refused it and the rest being afterwards told

had their Bibles and other usefull Instruments of Devotion taken from them Whereas on the contrary there is nothing more recommends Religion to Mankind than to behold its Professors ready with unshaken Courage and Resolution to expose themselves and all that is dear to them in this World upon its account This * Nam cum videat vulgus dilacerari homines variis tormentorum generibus inter fatigatos carnifices invictam tenere patientiam existimant id quod res est nec consensum tam multorum nec perseverantiam morientium vanum esse nec ipsam patientiam sine Deo cruciatus tantos posse superare Lactant. Instit l. 5. c. 13. convinces Men that such persons are really persuaded of the truth of those Doctrines and the reasonableness of those Precepts which they have embraced and for which they are fully set upon suffering in the World and hereby inclines them to hearken the rather to those Arguments which are offered for inviting themselves also to the same choice It was a famed Observation amongst the ancient Christians † Nec quicquam tamen proficit exquisitior quaeque crudelitas vestra illecebra est magis sectae Plures efficimur quoties metimur à vobis semen est sanguis Christianorum c. Tertul. Apol. c. ult 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Just M. Ep. ad Diog. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ibid. Cum autem noster numerus semper Deorum cultoribus augeatur nunquam vero ne in ipsa quidem persecutione minuatur Lactant Instit l. 5. c. 13 that the Blood of the Martyrs which was barbarously shed in so many several parts of the World was but the Seed of the Church And ‖ Ad multiplicandam Ecclesiam valuit sanctus sanguis effusus seminatione D. August in Psalm 40. Multiplicati sunt magis magisque Christiani c. Ibid. De sanguine occisorum tanti exsurrexerunt à quibus illi interfectores martyrum superarentus Ibid. in Psal 134. indeed it was good Seed and brought forth a plentifull Crop of new Professors to the honour of God and his Religion and the terrour and astonishment of their Persecutors Their * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Greg. Naz. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. Religion was not overthrown by all the Tortures they underwent but on the other hand their brave and truly Christian manner of bearing them improved them to a better purpose making them an occasion of gaining numbers of other Proselytes to that Faith they saw thus outraged but which withall so wonderfully influenced its Professors enabling them to despise all the Malice of Men or Devils and all their extravagant endeavours for its extirpation Besides to suffer for Religion rather than seek to preserve it by any sinfull either Compliance or Resistance is * Defendenda enim religio est non occidendo sed moriendo non saevitiâ sed patientiâ non scelere sed fide Lactant. Inst l. 5. c. 19 the surest course that can possibly be taken to obtain the compleatest safeguard both for it and our selves I mean the Divine Protection This argues an hearty resignation to the Divine Will and a steady Faith and Trust in God and obedience to his Laws though when they seem most directly contradictory to our present interest and may therefore justly be concluded of very great use for procuring his Favour and Defence Which whilst we can assuredly depend upon we may safely averre with the Prophet Elisha upon the news of the Forces which the King of Syria had sent to seize him † 2 King 6.16 They that be with us are more they that be with our Adversaries or with the holy Evangelist That ‖ S. Jo. 4.4 greater is he that is in us than he that is in the world He is greater and infinitely more powerfull than all that can possibly set themselves against us and can therefore easily defeat all their most malicious Designs and place us in security whilst they that trust more to their own Attempts than to his good Providence are frequently entrapp'd in the works of their own hands and so are taught by sad Experience what egregious folly it is to forsake their God to save themselves But this is not all for 4. To choose Suffering rather than Sin is not only a necessary Duty required in Scripture and enforced by our Saviour's Example and his Commiseration and Goodness to fallen Man and a means of maintaining adorning and propagating the Religion for which we thus suffer but it is moreover what shall be abundantly rewarded in a future State When our Lord shall appear at the last day to render to every man according to his doings he will have a singular regard for those that have forsaken Father or Mother or Brethren or Sisters or Houses or Lands to follow him but especially that shall have resolved to part with their Lives sooner than with their Integrity He will remember all their Losses Reproaches Tortures or whatever they had willingly endured for him and will convince them to their endless Comfort That their * Quid enim si ut Furius dicebat rapiatur vexetur exterminetur egeat auferantur ei oculi damnetur uratur miseris etiam modis necetur perdetne suum praemium virtus An potius peribit ipsa Minime sed mercedem suam Deo judice accipiet vivet semper vigebit Lactant. Instit l. 5. c. 18. light afflictions which were but for a moment had serv'd to work out for them a far more exceeding and enternal weight of glory And if there be different degrees of Happiness for the Saints in Heaven as it needs not in the least to be doubted but there are then may it more than be presumed that the chief Seats there the more honourable Thrones will be allotted to them who have waded through the sorest Tryals here and by suffering most have most effectually triumphed over the Malice of their Adversaries And thus much perhaps may be imply'd in those words of our Blessed Saviour † S. Lu. 6.23 Blessed are ye when men shall hate you and when they shall separate you from their company and shall reproach you and cast out your name as evil for the son of man's sake Rejoice in that day and leap for joy for behold your reward is great in heaven * S. Ja. 1.12 Blessed also is the man saith S. James that endureth temptations for when he is tried he shall receive the Crown of Life which the Lord had promised to them that love him And S. Paul not only delivers it as an undoubted truth That † 2 Tim. 2.12 if we suffer with Christ or for his Honour and Glory we shall also reign with him but declares likewise the wonderfull disparity that is betwixt our present transient Tribulations and the inestimable Felicity whereto they lead such as that these seem of little account whensoever we seriously fix our thoughts upon it ‖ Rom. 8.18 For I reckon