Selected quad for the lemma: glory_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
glory_n	let_v	lord_n	might_n	3,282	5	10.8864	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09965	Foure godly and learned treatises Intituled, I. A remedy against covetousnesse. II. An elegant and lively description of spirituall death and life. III. The doctrine of selfe-deniall. IV. Vpon the sacrament of the Lords Supper. Delivered in sundry sermons, by that late famous preacher, and worthy instrument of Gods glory, Iohn Preston, Doctor of Divinitie, chaplaine in ordinarie to his Majestie; master of Emanuel Colledge, and sometime preacher of Lincolnes Inne.	Preston, John, 1587-1628.; Preston, John, 1587-1628. Three sermons upon the sacrament of the Lords Supper. aut	1633 (1633)	STC 20222; ESTC S115040	185,075	475

man being established in his kingdome having subdued all his enemies and furnished himselfe with wealth and treasure hee thought that his mountaine was then made so strong that it could never bee moved that to morrow shall bee as yesterday and much more abundant but no sooner did God hide his face from him but he was troubled Psal. 30.7 To shew that it was not his riches and outward prosperity that made him happy but God onely So Daniel 5.23 Be●shazzar when as he thought himselfe happy being environed with his Wives Princes and Servants when as hee praised the gods of silver and the gods of gold abounded with all outward prosperity and reposed his happinesse in it is counted but a foole by Daniel for it Because hee glorified not God in whose hands his breath and all his wayes were and therefore he was destroyed These things of themselves will not continue with us nor yet make us happy Wee take not a step to prosperity or adversity but Gods hand doth leade it My brethren that heare mee this day that have heretofore thought that if ye had such an estate such learning such ornaments and such friends that then yee were happy to perswade you that it is not so it would change your hopes and feares your griefes and joyes and make you labour to bee rich in faith and in good workes It will be very hard to perswade you to this yet we will doe what we can and adde certaine reasons which may perswade you to beleve it to bee so if God shall adde a blessing to them and joyne the operation of his Spirit with them to perswade you First this must needs be so in regard of Gods All-sufficiencie hee alone is able to comfort without the creatures helpe else there were an insufficiencie and narrownesse in him and so hee should not bee God If hee could not fill our desires every way hee were not All-sufficient Even as the Sunne should bee defective if it needed the helpe of torches to give light God is blessed not onely in himselfe but makes us also blessed it is the ground of all other Commandements Thou shalt love and worship the Lord thy God and him onely shalt thou feare Wee must love him with all our hearts with all our soules let not the creature have one jot of them because all comfort is from God Gen. 17.1 I am God all-sufficient walke before me and be perfect that is love me altogether set your affections on none but me yee neede not goe unto the creature all is in me If the creature could doe any thing for to make us happy and not God then wee might step out to it but the creature can adde nothing to it God onely is all-sufficient to make you perfect every way though the creature be used by God as an instrument yet it is onely God that makes you happy and gives you comfort and not the creature Secondly it must needs bee so because of the vanitie and emptinesse of the creature It can doe nothing but as it is commanded by God he is the Lord of Hoasts who commandeth all the creatures as the Generall doth his army A man having the creatures to helpe him it is by vertue of Gods command It is the vanitie of the creature that it can doe nothing of it selfe except there be an influence from God Looke not then to the creature it selfe but to the influence action and application that it hath from Gods secret concurrance with it What it is to have this secret concurrance and influence from God unto the creature you may see it expressed by this similitude Take the hand it moves because there is an imperceptible influence from the wil that stirres it So the creature moving and giving comfort to us it is Gods will it should doe it and so it is applied to this or that action The Artificer using a hatchet to make a stoole or the like there is an influence from his Art that guides his hand and it so the creatures working is by a secret concourse from God doing thus and thus And to know that it is from God yee finde a mutability in the creature it works not alwayes one way Physicke and all other things are inconstant somtimes it helps sometimes not yea many times when as yee have all the meanes yet they faile to shew that there is an influence from God and that the creatures are vanishing perishing and unconstant of themselues Thirdly It must be so because it is sinfull to looke comfort from any thing but from God because by this wee attribute that to the creature which onely belongs to God which is Idolatry The creature steales away the heart in an imperceptible manner as Absolom stole away the peoples hearts from David or as the adulterer steales away the love of the wife from her husband This makes you serve the creatures this makes you settle your affections on the creatures if they faile yee sorrow if they come yee joy and yee doe this with all joy with all delight and pleasure and desire This is a great sinne nay it is the greatest sinne as adultery is the greatest sinne because it severs and dissolves the marriage so is this the greater because it severs us from God and makes us cleave to the creature The maine Consectarie and use from this is To keepe you from hasting after worldly things men are never weary of seeking them but spend their whole time in getting of them and this is the reason why the things that belong to salvation are so much neglected men spend so much time in a thousand other things and trifles that they have no time at all to serve God in they are busie about riches honours credit or the things whereon their pleasures doe pitch but if this be digested it will teach you to seeke all from God who disposeth all things and to whom the issues of life and death of good or evill doe belong Consider with your selves and you shall finde that the reason wherefore yee seeke for outward content and comfort is because you thinke it will doe you good if you have it or hurt if you have it not But herein you erre giving that to the creature which onely belongs to God Esay 41.23 If the Idols bee God saith the Lord let them doe good or evill The scope of this place is to cut off the whorish and adulterish affection of those who have an eager and unweaned desire after earthly things by shewing that they can doe us neither good nor hurt Therefore God punished David exceedingly for numbring the people because he thought that they could strengthen him against his enemies without Gods helpe Wherefore Ieremie 9.23.24 Thus saith the Lord let not the wise man glory in his wisedome neither let the mightie man glory in his might neither let the rich man glory in his riches but let him that glorieth glory in this that hee

doe if they bring not forth fruit if they glorifie not God they are dead See what a price is put into your hands see what yee have done and mend whiles yee may bestow not your price amisse There are many Talents yet none like this of life take therefore the Apostles exhortation Gal. 6. While yee have time doe good life is but an acting yee then live when ye are doing good We see how many men fall from the Tree of life as leaves in Autumne the candle of this life is quickly blowne out have therefore a better life in store bee not alwayes building never inhabiting alwayes beginning never finishing Stultitiae semper incipit vivere folly alwayes beginns to live It is the fault of most men they are alwayes beginning and neuer goe on L●t us take therefore the Apostles counsell 1 Pet. 4.3 Thinke it sufficient that we have walked formerly as we have done the time which remaines let us reckon it precious and bestow it to better purpose Secondly if every one that is in Christ be in an happy estate of life then let men from hence know their state and condition let them often reflect on their priviledges behaving themselves as men that prize them and bestowing their time as well as may bee let as few rivulets runne out of this streame as you can Wee pray that wee may doe Gods Will on earth as perfect as the Angels doe it in heaven wee should therefore practise this as we pray for their life is without interruption they are in communion with God let us then be alwayes doing having our thoughts above let not cares and businesse call us off but let us comfort our selves in God acting that which is for his glory wherefore prize this life esteeme it much know what ye have by Christ and consider the excellency of this life above all others That yee may know the excellency of this life consider it comparatively with this other life that we live It hath three properties wherein it differs from and excells this common life which we all live First it is an eternall life Ioh. 6. Your fathers did eate Manna and died but hee that eateth of this bread shall die no more but he shall live for ever that is this is the advantage that yee have by the life that I shall give you those that did eate Manna the food of Angels died and Ioh. 4. Those that drinke of this water shall thirst againe that is those that live another life than this shall die and thirst but those that live this life shall never die To live this life is when the soule lives in the object there is a living in the subject yet this spirituall life is when the soule lives in the object when as it is set on God Take men that live other lives yee shall see that their lives are short A man living in honour that being the thing he mindes and intends it is in potestate honorantis there is no constancy in it it is brickle If a man lives in wealth sets his minde on it Why riches take their wings and fly away Pro. 23. and then their life is ended So if a man lives in pleasure and musicke they passe away and then he is dead those who live in these things suffer many sicknesses and many deaths as their hearts are more intent upon them But it may be wee may not minde these things Yes as if we minded thē not as a man that hears a tale and hath his mind elsewhere or as a man that baits at an Inne his minde being somewhere else If yee mind them ye die in them he that minds the best things never dies because there is no change in them God is alwayes the same his favour and love is constant see therefore that yee prize them As a time that is infinitely long exceeds that which is a but a span long in quantity so doth this life exceed the naturall life in perpetuity and excelles all other lives in excellencie Secondly this life is a life indeed as that that feeds it is meate indeed the other is not so looke upon all the comforts of this present life they are not such indeed take wealth pleasures honours and the like wealth is but a false treasure Luke 16.11 it is called the unrighteous Mammon the false treasure Et falsus Hector non est Hector in comparison of the true treasure it is nothing Therefore Salomon Pro. 23.5 speaking of riches saith Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not these riches are nothing So for honours all praise among men is nothing it is but vaine-glory and vaine because it is empty and hath nothing in it so the pleasures of this life are but sad pleasures the heart is sad at the bottome the riches the comforts of this life and onely these are riches and comforts indeed the actions of this life are actions indeed In eating and drinking there is sweetnesse but when we feed on the promises by faith then we taste sweetnesse indeed in them One that is weary being refreshed with sleepe finds sweetnesse and ease but it is another refreshing that those finde who have beene weary and heavie laden with sinne and are n●w refreshed this brings comfort to the soule So to thinke of houses wife children and lands to consider all the actions that wee have done under the Sunne and all that we have passed thorow is pleasant but to thinke of the priviledges we have in Christ that we are Sonnes of God and heires of Heaven this is comfort indeed especially to thinke of the good workes wee have done what good prayers wee have made what good duties wee have performed these are actions indeed and bring comfort indeed All the actions of this life are actions indeed this life is a life indeed in death you shall finde it so that Christs body and bloud are meate and drinke indeed that remission of sinnes and peace of conscience are comforts indeed peace indeed they are such now though ye thinke not so yee shall then know that this life is life indeed Thirdly this life of grace is a prevailing life swallowing up the other 2 Cor. 5.4 the Apostle desired death not to be uncloathed but to be cloathed upon that mortality might be swallowed up of life that is desiring death I desire not to be deprived of the comforts of this life then I were unwise I would not put off my cloathes but to be cloathed with a better suite I desire a life to swallow up this life not as a Gulfe swallowes that which is cast into it or as fire swallowes up the wood by consuming it but a life that swallowes it up as perfection swallowes up imperfection as the perfecting of a picture swallowes up the rude draught as perfect skill swallowes up bungling or as manhood swallowes up childhood not extinguishing it but drowning or rather perfecting it

all things Men women riches honours any delights pleasing the fancy there is nothing but vanity in them that is there is an inability in them to give that satisfaction that is expected From this wee say a Well is empty because wee looke for waters in it and finde none What needs there a change and vicissitude of things if there were not an emptinesse in the Creature What needed there such a multitude of them if they were not empty Besides consider that GOD can make you happy without them If yee have the Sunne no matter for the Starres though yee have them without the Sunne yet it is night It were an easie thing to deny our selves if we were perswaded of this Were wee in SALOMONS case who saw all that is under the Sunne and had aboundance of outward things himselfe yet in Eccles. 1.2.3 he saith They are all but vanity it were an easie matter to perswade us to deny our selves If a chast wife were perswaded that there is no worth in him that solicites her to uncleannes it were easie for her to deny him Now adde this to the rest that all we have said perswades not but when God sendeth a light into the heart and that is the reason that many speake of this but few practise it Thirdly there is much equity in it that you should deny your selves because Christ hath redeemed and bought you of your selves Suppose a man sell himselfe to bee a Servant it is injustice in him to bee any more for himselfe 1 Corinth 6.19.20 Ye are not your owne yee are bought with a price Servants are not their owne but their Masters Rom. 8.12 Yee are no longer debtors to the Flesh to live after the Flesh but to the Spirit to live after the Spirit yee wrong God much if the flesh knocke and yee answere it Consider the price and the greatnesse of it that was payed for you 1 Pet. 1.18 Yee are not redeemed with Corruptible things as Silver and Gold from your vaine Conversation but with the precious Blood of CHRIST as a Lambe without spot Paul considered that Christ gave himselfe for him so that hee stood upon nothing but denied himselfe in all things that hee might live to him 2 Corinth 5.15 Wee thus judge that one dyed for all that they which live should not henceforth live to themselves but unto him which dyed for them and rose againe Consider this yee that come to the Sacrament ye must not doe all for your selves but for CHRIST and what advantage will this bring to Christ Let men examine themselves and yee shall finde that few live to Christ most to themselves Otherwise why are not men more affected to Gods glory and the Churches good Consider CHRIST will have his end yee must live in him else yee shall have no interest in him Fourthly consider what yee doe when yee yeild to your selves and when as you deny your selves When as ye yeeld to your selves ye strengthen the flesh denying your selves you strengthen your selves and the inward man the more ye yeeld to the Spirit the more beauty ye have the more ye yeeld to the flesh the more deformity Gal. 5.19 The fruits of the flesh are adultery fornication uncleannes and the like which bring death but the fruits of the Spirit are joy peace long-suffrings gentlenesse goodnesse faith meeknesse temperance against which there is no law Looke to your selves the fruits of the flesh are shame misery corruption death the fruits of the Spirit are life grace and glory yeelding to the flesh yee strengthen the disease the wisest way is to strengthen that which will sticke by us Yee must maintaine the Spirit crucifie the flesh which is as the sea having gotten ground it is hardly to be recovered therefore snib not the Spirit quench it not lest it speake lesse and lesse till it speake not at all yeeld to the whisperings of the Spirit and quench it not deny not any request the Spirit makes Thirdly If all that will have any interest in Christ must deny themselves you see how prone our nature is to evill else wee needed not this exhortation Wee sinke downe to sin as a stone doth to the Center the flesh is still drawing and byassing us the wrong way therefore let us not have too good an opinion of our selves let us bee jealous with a holy jealousie remember the Flesh is prone to evill continually But how shall wee know it I answere that it is plaine in many things But how shall wee know whether the desire be from the Spirit or from the Flesh A man desires a place hee saith it is to doe good with it hee desires honours for the good of others But how shall wee know if hee doth so I answere that in these generals no exact signes can be given yet we will guesse at some whereby yee may know it First consider if it bee a turbulent desire desires of Grace are as naturall desires gentle and quiet unnaturall heate and thirst are turbulent and violent such are the desires of the Flesh. Secondly the desires of the flesh are hasty it runs without an errand when as a wise man ponders his wayes The desires of the Spirit doe not easily rise wee must take paines with our hearts for good desires fleshly desires are hasty Thirdly know it by the satisfaction you give it doth satisfaction of your desire make you more heavenly minded it is right but doth it make you earthly minded and indisposed to holy duties then the desire is from the flesh Fourthly know it by the contrary If the duties of Prayer and the like doe weaken the desire then it is Carnall but if they strengthen it so that you goe on with boldnesse and security it comes from the Spirit Fifthly know if there be some selfe-respect that doth carry you so farre yee goe and no farther that respect being taken away ye end Doe you it in secret and constantly even then when ye are sequestred from all other respects and have nothing else but Gods glory to stirre you up to doe it If the heart be iust wee doe it when we have no other end in it Are yee angry with your selves when ye neglect Gods businesse Are ye angry with a Sonne because he neglects God or is it because of his loosenesse and dissolutenesse because hee takes ill courses and would waste your estates Many men are zealous for sinnes against themselves for sinnes that preiudice themselves As Ministers are angry with such as rob the Church and have Impropriations and sometimes deservedly too but when the Pulpit rings of nothing but this it is a signe that it is onely out of Selfe-respect So the people cry out of the Ministers Covetousnesse but it is out of selfe-respect because they are loath to give them that which is their due Iohn was zealous for God but it was with an eye and respect to the Kingdome So Hosea 7.14 The

understandeth and knoweth that I am the Lord which execute loving kindnesse Iudgement and Righteousnesse in the earth As if hee should have said If these things could doe you good or hurt there were some reason that you might seeke them but there is nothing in them that you should desire them For it is I onely that execute Mercy and Iudgement all good and evill is from mee Therefore Psalme 62. we have this caveat given us If riches increase set not your hearts vpon them magnifie not your selves in them or for them for all good and comfort is onely from God else you might set your hearts on them but now all power and kindnesse is from him therefore your wealth can never doe it But it may bee objected That God doth comfort us and make us happie in this life by meanes and riches are the meanes Wherefore then may we not seeke to them to get this comfort To this I answer That God doth reward every man according to his workes not according to his wealth Yea hee can comfort us without these For he is the God of all Consolation 2. Cor. 1.3 and that both Inclusive and Exclusive all comfort is in him and from him none without him If wee thinke to have it from honours wealth or friends we deceive our selves for they are vaine and profit not 1 Sam 12.21.22 Turne yee not aside for then shall yee goe after vaine things which cannot profit nor deliver for they are vaine All these things without GOD will profit you nothing But will not health wealth and friends profit us No not all they are vanitie they are empty in themselves they cannot doe it they are in themselves but vanitie having the creature yee have but the huske without the graine the shell without the kernell The creature is but empty of it selfe except God put into it a fitnesse to comfort you all is vanity and nothing worth and this vanity is nothing but emptinesse And this serves to correct the thoughts of men who thinke that if they had such an estate all their debts paid if they had such and such friends then all would bee well with them and who is it that thinks not thus But let those that entertaine such thoughts consider the vanitie of the creature all our sinnes proceed from the over-valuing of the creature for sinne is nothing but an aversion of the soule from the immutable God to the creature Labour then to conceive of the creature aright to see that it is vaine this will keepe you right and hinder you from going from God and cleaving to the creature To presse this further consider these foure things first First if ye goe another way to worke beleeve all ye see and seeke comfort in the creature consider yee shall loose your labour It is not in the power of the creature to yeeld yee any comfort if yee busie your selves in seeking any comfort from it ye walke in a vaine shadow Psal. 39.6 Surely every man walketh in a vaine shadow surely they are all disquieted in vaine Hee heapeth up riches and knoweth not who shall gather them If we looke comfort from riches wee looke it but from a shadow all our labour is in vaine There is a shadow of the Almightie in which some men walke where they shall be sure to finde this comfort Others there are that walke in the shadow of the creature in the vanity of their mindes seeking comfort from it those who thus walke shall be deceived A shadow though it seeme to be something yet it is nothing it may seeme to have the lineaments of a man or some other body yet it is nothing So these outward things may seeme to have something in them but yet indeed they have nothing those who seeke for comfort in them commit two evills Ierem. 2.13 They forsake God the fountaine of living waters and digge unto themselves pits which will hold no water God having all comforts in him comforts never failing because there is a spring of comfort in him yet wee forsake him and dig to our selves pits which if they have any water it is but borrowed and not continuing and that water which they have is none of the best it is muddy and will not alwayes continue wherefore pitch your affections on the tru● substantiall good not on vanities If wee see a man come to an orchard full of goodly fruits and hee should catch onely at the shadow of them netling his hands and spending his labour in vaine wee would account him either a foole or a mad-man yet wee in the cleare Sunne-shine of the Gospell such is our madnesse doe catch and seeke after shadowes with trouble of minde and sorrow of heart neglecting the substance Secondly Consider that you seeke your happinesse the wrong way in that you seeke it in worldly things they are not able to helpe or make you happy because they reach not to the inward man The body is but the sheath and case our happinesse lies not in it so in the creatures their happinesse consisteth not in themselves but in something else It lies in observing the rule that God hath appointed to them the fire observing the rule that God hath given it is sure so is it of water so of all creatures animate and inanimate their happinesse consists in observing the rule that God hath prescribed to them The Law of God is the rule that we must walke by following it as a rule we are happy hee that keepeth the Commandements shall live in them hee that departeth from them is dead Everie motion of the Fish out of the water is to death but every motion of it in the water is to life So let a mans motions bee towards God then they are motions to life but let him move after outward things and it is a motion to death and misery therefore if yee seeke this comfort from outward things yee goe the wrong way to get it Thirdly Consider that you make a wrong choise yee seeke not that which will doe it If you seeke for this comfort from God all is in one place but if yee seeke for it in the creatures yee must have a multitude of them to comfort you yee must have health wealth honours friends and many other things but one thing will doe it if yee goe the right way yee shall finde it onely in God Martha shee was troubled about many things when as one thing onely was necessary If yee seeke comfort in earthly things ye must have a thousand things to helpe it but godlinesse which hath the promise of this life and of the life to come doth yeeld this comfort of its selfe if that yee seeke it in it It is a great advantage for us to have all comforts in one thing Godlinesse onely hath all these comforts therefore seeke them in it Fourthly Consider that that comfort and happinesse which you have from the creature is but a