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	weight_n	10,184	5	9.3838	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A53078	The divine goodness a pattern to all A sermon preached at the assizes held at Chester. Sept. 16. 1689. By Henry Newcome, M.A. Rector of Tatten-hall, in the County Palatine of Chester. Imprimatur, Octob. 22. 1689. Z. Isham. R. P. D. Henrico Episc. Lond. à sacris.	Newcome, Henry, 1627-1695.	1689 (1689)	Wing N895; ESTC R224190	13,272	33

into a more soft and gentle Temper or at least the irresistable energy of God's Providence will who hath promised 〈◊〉 1● 7. that when a Mans ways please him as he cannot but be pleased with such a lively Image of himself he maketh even his Enemies to be at Peace with him But it 's possible there may be some so monstrously bad and advanced so far toward the Nature of the Devil as to hate them most that are most like to God and for that reason most unlike themselves and to breath Destruction against all whose Perfections upbraid and expose their Vices However these followers of God's Goodness may defy their impotent Malice For 2. Let such do their worst they cannot harm them The Interrogative here as frequently in the Scriptures more vehemently denies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who shall i. e. none shall be able to harm you Which will appear from the Consideration of these three Particulars 1. That no external Evils that the Malice of Men can bring on them can rufflle the inward Peace and Serenity of their Consciences Naturalists take notice of the Sagacity of the Hedghog whom Nature hath taught to retreat within herself and take Sanctuary under her own Prickles against the Violence of stronger Beasts In Allusion to which the Royal Stoick Antoninus counsels his virtuous Man for Security against external Evils * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lib. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 §. 28. to contract himself within himself to retreat into his own Breast and take Sanctuary against external Violences under the Protection of his own Innocence A merry Heart saith Solomon or rather † 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Prov. 15.15 a good Heart is a continual Feast A Feast that cannot like Caligula's be disturbed by a flash of Lightning or clap of Thunder a Feast whose Viands cannot be snatched from thy Mouth nor thou defeated of the Entertainment by the most potent Malice Let Oppression rob thee of thy Estate Let Calumny blacken thy Reputation Let hard and cruel Usage impair thy Health yet none of them can rob thee of thy Innocence or that inward Peace that results from the Conscience of it When Storms roar abroad there will be a Calm within and the soft Whispers of a good Conscience those Eccoes of Heaven's approbation will charm thee not only into Peace but but Exultation and Rejoycing even when the World breaths out nothing but Threatning and Destuction The followers of God's Goodness are hereby assured that God is with them and that makes them not to fear what Men are or what they act against them And the less 2. Because what is done against them God will help them to become better for it De Provid c. 4. Seneca compares his wise virtuous Man to Phidias that famous Statuary who could shew his Skill not only in Ivory Brass or Marble but when those were wanting in baser Materials by carving on any Matter the best Work it was capable of For as a good Man can exercise his Vertues in the midst of abundance so when stripp'd of that in Poverty He can be vertuous at home and if driven thence in Banishment Like the Fire which turns all sorts of Fewel into its own Nature and encreases its Heat and Brightness by those Heaps that seem to threaten the smoothering of both Or like the Rod of Mercury as Epictetus compares him he turns every thing he touches into Gold. L. 3. c. 10. Whatever his Condition is he makes it best for him by doing his Duty and exercising sutable Vertues in it And this not barely by his own Strength but by the gracious Assistances of God who hath promised to make all things to work together for his good Rom. 8.28 And who can harm him who is sure to be better for all the Harm his Enemies do him whose inward Peace cannot be discomposed whose Vertues will be improved by all the Attempts of their Malice against him Especially considering 3. Lastly That his eternal Felicity will be increased by all his temporal Sufferings Epict. Ench. c. 79. c Simpl. in loc p. 296. He may defy his Enemies Malice as Socrates did Anytus and Melitus Ye may kill me but yet cannot hurt me Their Malice may thrust him out of this World but as it cannot keep him out of Heaven so it will occasion the increase of his Glories there For as there are degrees of Happiness in Heaven one Star there differs from another in Glory so they that suffer for well-doing 1 Co. 15.41 shall share in the highest of them 2 Cor. 4.17 Their light Afflictions will work for them a far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory Far exceeding not only the Merit of their Sufferings but also the Glories of all those that have suffered less than they Lazarus who lived a good Man in the most mean and necessitous State here Luk. 16.23 Vid. Ham. on Mat. 8.11 we find in the most honourable place next the Master of the Feast in Abraham's Bosom at the Supper of the Lamb. He that doth and suffers most for God is sure to receive most from him so that the Malice of his Enemies designing his Misery will inhaunce his Happiness and add to his future Recompence whatever they take away from his present Enjoyments Anaxagoras as Plutarch relates being unjustly deprived of his Estate and thereby constrained to travel into Foreign Parts met with such Advantages for the improvement of his Intellectuals that upon his return home passing by the Lands which had formerly been his he said I had never been happy if I had not lost you Such pleasant Reflections will good Men in their Mansions of Glory make on their Worldly Losses and Sufferings I had never arrived at this height of Happiness had I wantted Enemies to endeavour my Misery I had never attained to such an exceeding weight of Glory had I been pressed by a less weight of Afflictions I had never enjoyed so much of the Love and Goodness of God had I tasted the less of the Malice and Cruelty of Men. Thanks therefore to those Enemies that designing my Harm advanced my Felicity and by their malicious Charity helped me to obtain a brighter Crown in enduring the Sufferings which they inflicted Or rather Hallalujah's to my good God who hath turned their Malice to my advantage and by those that pursued me with a purpose to destroy me hath driven me further into Heaven for Sanctuary This is the Priviledg of those that imitate the Goodness of God either none shall be willing or none shall be able to harm them because they cannot rob them of their inward Peace and their external Injuries will make them better here and more happy hereafter I shall only add that as they are safe from Mens Malice so they are also from God's Wrath. A time will come however the World seems to forget it when all the Pageantry of this Life will be gone by 1 Cor. 7.23 and the more dreadful Solemnities of the last Judgment succeed them when the Realities of the present Scene will be transacted and the great Assizes of the World approach whereof we have before us a fainter Emblem A time will come when the shrill Eccho's of the last Trump shall pierce not the Air only but the Earth too and awaken all Mankind out of their deep Sleep of Death to their final Trial when the Shouts of Angels rending the Skies shall usher and Flames of a burning World shall light the Judg of it to his Tribunal A time will come when before that tremendous Judg and the August Assembly of Angels and Men every one shall be impleaded have all his secret Crimes displaid and from that Righteous Judg receive a Sentence according to his Works And whose followers then will you desire to be found Who then will fare better than they that have the Image of God's Goodness imprinted on them Who then can expect a favourable Judg and a merciful Sentence but they that having done Good in their public or private Capacities have neither the Cries of the Injured nor the Clamors of their own Conscience to appale them It 's not Greatness then but only Goodness that will avail you It 's not numerous Titles high Honours great Authority no nor great Estates that can then stand you in stead unless you have thereby promoted Justice protected Innocence and set a good Example of Sobriety and Charity Then every one must stand naked whatever their external Ornaments here have been except those only that are clothed in Robes of Righteousness Isa 61.10 Then none will be found to have an Interest in Christ's Merits but they only that have transcribed God's Goodness And they then being safe from Harm secure of Blessedness shall be advanced to that glorious Immortality where they shall be for ever satisfied with God's Likeness Psal 17.15 To which God of his infinite Mercies bring us all through the Merits of our Saviour Jesus Christ Amen FINIS