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	riches_n	4,751	5	9.0528	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A13019	The righteous mans plea to true happinesse In ten sermons, on Psal. 4 ver. 6. Preached by Iohn Stoughton Doctor in Divinity, sometimes fellow of Emanuell Colledge in Cambridge, late preacher of Aldermanbury, London.	Stoughton, John, d. 1639.	1640 (1640)	STC 23310; ESTC S117842	148,853	302

have occasion to doe it hereafter when I come to handle the other Point For all these places that prove our happinesse to be in God alone and that there is no other way unto it they all prove this Point I shall select some few for present To mention that first wherein this argument is treated in It is the same with this wherein happinesse is seated Mat. 5. at the beginning our Saviour there in this Sermon upon the Mount purposely treats of happinesse and blessednesse Hee sets the crowne of blessednesse or happinesse on the head of many things As Blessed are those that are poore in Spirit Blessed are those that mourne Blessed are the meeke c. But among all those hee mentions there he mentions none of those created good things wherein a man might suppose they should be There is not Blessed is the rich man or Blessed is the honourable man or the wiseman or he that injoyes the goods of beauty or riches or strength of body and the like None of those things mentioned But all these things that are mentioned there are spirituall and heavenly graces that put a man into fellowship and communion with God The second Scripture is that in Psal 34.12 where the Psalmist is in a way of directiō Come to me my children I wil instruct you in the way to happinesse who is he that desires to see good to live long and see good dayes to see happinesse and to come to happines Where he mentions none of those things as I named before but the same that our Saviour seemes to expresse and hee excludes other things Hee directs to spirituall wayes and spirituall meanes for the accomplishment of happinesse but for earthly things hee doth not so much as once name them And then againe Psal 73. about the beginning there is a full proofe of it in the whole beginning there the Prophet reckons up the propriety and the happinesse of wicked men and expresseth it so much the fuller because the glister of these worldly things had dazled the eyes of the Psalmist and they had almost made his feete to stippe Ver. 2. He was so taken with the flare of earthly things and the prosperous state of men in worldly things that hee began to blesse in his heart and thinke well of those that injoyed them and to repine at his owne estate and thus hee was carried away till God brought him into the Sanctuary Verse 18. There hee found that all those that had them were not happy but those that had them were set in slippery places There was no soliditie of happinesse that could be gathered out of those things when God brought him into the sanctuary then hee learned there that there was no true happinesse in all these earthly things And so Psal 144. the last verse The Psalmist there in the beginning of the Verse seemed to looke this way as though there were happinesse in these created things Happy are the people that are in such a case the people that flourish in prosperity as in the foregoing Verses and so farre indeede as they are conjoyned with God there is something of happinesse in them But lest any should mistake the Prophet he corrects himselfe againe and saith as if hee did unsay what he he had said Happy are the people who have God for their Lord They are happy men whose God is the Lord that is the right of it it is not these things wherein true happinesse lies though they may be subservient to it and something conducible to happinesse yet our happinesse doth lie in our conjunction with God And therefore the Prophet Ier. 9.23 giveth a caution Let not the Wiseman glory in his wisedome nor the strong man in his strength nor the rich man glory in his riches none of these things can make a man happy these are not the things that a man can delight in or boast of there must be other things that must make up this happinesse or else we shall come short of it And so in 1 Tim. 6.17 See what the Apostle saith concerning one thing which hath the greatest shew and splendor viz. Riches Charge them that are rich in this world that they be not high minded and that they trust not in their uncertaine riches That they doe not build a conceited happinesse in or upon them and thinke they are in a good estate by reason of them the Apostle doth it with authoritie and efficacie and hee would have it laid home to them because men are exceeding apt to cozen themselves in such things And to give something as the Reason of it Looke Hoseah 1.21.22 Alas all these things and the goodnesse of them so farre as they may conduce in an inferiour ranke for our good depend upon God as God by the Prophet there saith In that day saith the Lord I will heare the heavens and they shall heare the earth and the earth shall heare the corne and wine and the oyle c. The first linke of the chaine is tyed to the Throne of God I will heare saith the Lord the earth and the earth shall heare the corne c. All the influence there he tyes to God all comes from him and depends upon him Experience 2. By Experience All the experience in the world makes this certainely true and evident especially to those that have found the experiment and to others likewise if they will trust to experience and not like fooles buy their owne wisedome by their owne experience 1. Take an extraordinary experiment Extraordinary of Salomon the experiment of one may serve for all viz. that of Salomon who gives up his verdict Vanity of vanityes all is vanitie c. Eccles 1.2 I would desire every one to consider this well there is no exception to be put in against the verdict but it will speake home to the point and absolutely convince any one that is a rationall man A mans testimony may be elevated or abased upon divers grounds but there is none can come here to make a slight or diminish the authority of Salomon He wanted not meanes to try for he had all these things and could runne through them all and taste and picke out as it were all the excellencies of them He was the richest King that ever was he had the greatest plenty of gold and all other things that God had bestowed upon him there wanted no meanes whatsoever to make an experiment of any worldly thing but he had it being a King and a rich King Neither wanted there any Wisedome for if he had all other things and wanted skill it had beene nothing he might have gone the wrong way to worke But hee wanted not skill to make an experiment although it had beene to draw fire out of flint as Alchymists can draw oyle out of iron whereas ordinary people can draw little moisture out of it being they want skill to fetch out the quintessence of it But it cannot be said

which is to doe themselves good and steere their owne course aright as also to advance Gods glorie labouring by their knowledge to doe good to others and so are in a good capacitie of knowledge And adde to this they must have diligence which is another good capacitie for the attaining of knowledge for the hand of the diligent maketh rich and even in this kind of riches too 3 So in the next place there is another thing which is of extraordinary importance and a very large Spheare and compasse yea so large that I doe not dare to enter into it and that is prudence Prudence It may seeme a strange thing but yet you know it is ordinary in all other things some men will goe as farre with a little as some others with ten times as much and all is by reason of prudent managing a man may perhaps bestow more time and use more diligence for getting knowledge then another and yet never attaine as much as hee in respect of his naturall parts but suppose an equalitie not onely in the qualification of parts but also in the parts of nature for some men by reason of their naturall abilities may attaine more knowledge in an houre than others in a weeke by reason of their dulnesse of minde and weaknesse of memorie but set them I say at equall and you shall see that a man that hath prudence prudently to order that little time which hee spends to attaine to knowledge with a wise carriage and good discretion to make choise of those wayes and that meanes by which he may most thrive and advantage himselfe in knowledge this prudent ordering of his time and paines may bee and is as much and of as great importance as a great deale of businesse a man may be as busie as others and yet gaine nothing by reason that hee wants prudence Remember this therefore if wee would attaine to knowledge wee must labour for prudence prudently to make choise of what wee heare and what wee read to make choise of those that will most increase and direct our knowledge and not to squander away and spend our time in searching after those things which when wee have sound wee shall make no great advantage by them though we have even suck'd and squezed out all the good which was in them I say therefore we should make choise of those things that doe conduce most and are more neere of kind and most close to our end and scope and will most really advance us to the advantaging in and gaining of and attaining to divine knowledge which is the thing I intend and which you must aime at as being the first step to your happinesse There bee so many particulars that would come in here that I shall not enter into any of them And therefore in a word those qualifications before being supposed viz. that a man bee thus prepared with humilitie and ingenuitie of spirit and will put himselfe on it with a conscience to aime at Gods glory and his own spirituall good the true end of knowledge and not to abuse his knowledge to get skill like a mad man to cut his owne throate or like a curious man to hurle and tumble every thing he comes by to quarrell and jangle in disputes and reasonings maintaining contradictions but to doe himselfe and other good if a man be thus conscientious in regard of his end in seeking after knowledge and to this add diligence and prudence in using of the means to attaine knowledge these are the maine things to fit us and enable us for the having and gaining of knowledge and that shall suffice for that second thing that I now aime at in the generall 3 Let me adde but a word concerning the third thing in this first particular and that is Wherfore consider to propound some few considerations and meerely to mention them which may a little whet us on to the prosecution of this course for the gaining of and attaining to this divine knowledge in the way of happinesse I shall onely propound two things in generall which I draw 1 From the consideration of the thing it selfe 2 From the consideration of the times The thing it selfe knowledge The thing it selfe which is though there were no other argument yet there is much in this to set us on the prosecution of it for it is 1 A speciall ornament and a very rich jewell A speciall ornament farre better then Rubies Some that have a jewell and are in rich robes think they have enough and are ready to despise those that are in their rags and have not a jewell as they have in their bosome but this is a childish thing However knowledge is such a jewell and knowledge of those things of divine things as however it be esteemed of by carnall men it is a reall advancement of our natures it is to excell in that which is most excellent it is to make us excell in that by which a man excels all other creatures for what is the difference betweene man and other creatures but onely that although there be many other creatures stronger and swiftner then man yet man is a knowing creature an intellectuall creature and this is an excellency even a speciall one that in an especiall manner advanceth man above all other creatures nay this divine knowledge advanceth men above men one man above another a little of God a little glimpse of him nay every though the least touch and relish of the knowledge of God is more precious then all the secret and hidden arts in the world it excels all the wisdome in the world and is of more neare concernment it is a speciall ornament Initiall lineament 2 And it is an effectuall lineament of all grace and goodnesse the very doore by which all enters into us the very ground-worke that must bee laid before wee bee capable of any goodnesse there can be no grace or goodnesse wrought in us no nor acceptance of us by God without this no service we do can please him except it be a reasonable service tendered out of knowledge and according to knowledge knowledge is an introduction into the state of grace and all goodnesse the very first conveyance of all the good and excellency we can have In the creation of the world the very first thing that was created was light God said let there bee light and in our regeneration which is as a new creation the first thing is illumination for Christ is set up to be a light to the Gentiles The Philosophers observe that lumen is vehiculum influentiae the influence of the light begets things as it begets the flower in the face of the field and the pearle in the bosome of the earth it is all by the influence of the heaven and all those influences are conveighed by light and so all those precious ornaments of grace which adorne a man the foundation of all renovation comes from illumination