Selected quad for the lemma: glory_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
glory_n	lord_n	name_n	praise_v	7,539	5	9.1162	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A08025	Iacob's ladder consisting of fifteene degrees or ascents to the knowledge of God by the consideration of his creatures and attributes.; De ascensione mentis in Deum per scalas rerum creatorum opusculum. English	Bellarmino, Roberto Francesco Romolo, Saint, 1542-1621.; Isaacson, Henry, 1581-1654, attributed name.; H. I., fl. 1638.; Marshall, William, fl. 1617-1650, engraver.	1638 (1638)	STC 1839.5; ESTC S122555	138,468	472

valuation and lastly if this were able to fill the desire not onely of men but of Angels of what value wouldst thou thinke it to be Yet the goodnes of this one thing would come farre short of the goodnes of GOD which is so great that it is able to satisfie and satiate the infinite desire or rather the infinite capacity of GOD himselfe Oh the admirable latitude of the perfection of the essence of GOD which containes such immensity of good thing● as is sufficient for the infinite capacity which is in himselfe for GOD cannot at any time goe out of or from himselfe because he hath all good things in himselfe and was as rich and blessed before the creation and wil be after because there is nothing which GOD hath made but would not alwaies be after a more transcendent manner in himselfe Therefore consider what kind of good thou shall enjoy in thy Countrey if thou love God while thou art in the way and from what good thou shalt be excluded if thou love him not For GOD offers himselfe to those which love him and he is the onely good and will say to the good and faithfull servant Enter into the joy of thy LORD 2. Againe GOD is immense in another manner because he fills all created things altogether Doe not I fill heaven and earth saith the LORD and if there were more worlds he would fill them all If I climb up to heaven saith David thou art there if I goe downe to hell thou art there also that is if I goe above heaven or beneath it or about it I shall not be alone because thou also art there for I cannot be if thou be not in me and thou sustainest me who bearest all things by thy mighty word Neither doth God fill all bodies onely with his immensitie but spirits hearts and mindes For how could he search the hearts of men if he were not in their hearts how could he heare their prayers unlesse he had his eares to our hearts and how could the Prophet say I will hearken what the LORD GOD will say in me if he moved not his mouth to the eares of our hearts It is a happy soule which loveth GOD because he hath alwaies his beloved with him and cherisheth him in his bosome For he which dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him 3. Neither doth GOD onely fill all things with his presence but with his glory also For the Seraphims cry The earth is full of his glory and the Psalmist addeth O LORD our Governour how excellent is thy name in all the world thou hast set thy glory above the heavens As if he should say not onely thy name fame and glory hath filled the whole earth with admiration but it hath ascended to heaven and above the heavens also And the Son of Syrach of the creation of the Sun saith The worke thereof is full of the glory of the LORD for there is no creature either in heaven or earth which continually praiseth not GOD. And this is the cause why David in the Psalmes and the three children in Daniel doe exhort all creatures to blesse and celebrate the praises of the Creator not that they were ignorant that most of the creatures were of that nature that they could not heare their exhortations but because they knew that all the works of GOD were good and by their species or beauties brought prai●e unto him and therefore congratulated and perswaded them to continue in doing that which rhey did And cortainely if we had inward eyes we might see that all the works of the Lord were as so many censers sending upward the sweet savour of his glory and if we had inward eares we should heare a harmonicall concent as it were of all kind of musicall instruments sounding out his praises and saying It is he that hath made us and not we our selves And although the wicked many times speake evill of GOD and blaspheme his name yet they are compelled against their wills in that manner that the worke commends the workeman to praise him for in them also the power of GOD shineth merveilously by which he made them and his wisedome by which he governes them and his goodnesse by which he preserves them though unthankfull and evill and his mercy and justice by which he ordaines them either justly to punishment or mercifully expects them to repentance And though many are so deafe here on earth to heare the voyces of the creatures incessantly crying to GOD yet there are a multitude of Angels and holy men who hearken unto and are delighted with those praises they themselves daily chaunting out the same with hymnes and songs Now the length of Gods divine Essence is his Eternity which as it had no beginning of continuance so neither shall it have end but shall remaine the same without change or alteration Thou art the same saith David to GOD and thy yeares shall not faile and the Apostle calls him The King everlasting because he is not subject to time but is above it and governes all ages and was before all ages Other things have their beginning and end and never continue in one state nor have beginning without end without alteration but may at the will of the Creator leave to be And therefore eternity is onely proper to GOD so as it can agree with no other creature in that measure for never was Prince so arrogant to use eternity amongst his other titles unlesse perhaps in another sense as Constantius did who was stiled Imperator aeternus because he was not Emperour for a time but during life A mans soule may be reckoned among the creatures of both kinds for it hath a body which began to be when it was conceived and borne and by degrees increased to that stature which was prefixed by GOD and then againe it began to decrease and soone after leaves to be by death but it never stands in the same state and condition in all respects every houre being subject to alteration Of this body the Prophet speaks by a similitude of grasse In the morning it is greene and groweth up but in the evening it is cut downe dryed up and withered That is in its childhood it waxeth reene as grasse soone after it passeth to youth in the nooneday whereof it flourisheth and by and by passeth to old age in the evening whereof it hangs the head and is cut downe in death it continueth in the grave it dryeth up and returnes to dust By which we may perceive how farre the body differs from eternity Now the soule was created in time being nothing before and in this regard is much unlike the Creator but being created it shall have no end of continuance which is common to it with the Creator But for asmuch as it is subject to change while it lives in the body from sinne to goodnesse from vertue to vice

their just reward being faithfull in all his words 4 Lastly he cannot dye being immortall and all things live to him so that there is no danger that any shall be prevented or hindered by any meanes from receiving their due rewards and therefore in all these respects it is most safe to transact with GOD as amost just Judge and a dangerous and foolish thing to put any confidence in man or to expect from them any just recompence for our paines and labour 2. Let us now compare rewards with rewards divine with humane heavenly with earthly and I would demand what it is that men can retribute to those who all their lives long labour for them breaking many nights sleepe and putting their lives in danger for them O the blindnesse of men what can men repay but small base transi●●ry and things of small continuance But GOD giveth great sublime and eternall things and yet those are much hunted after and these despised St. Chrysostome compares Palaces Cities and the Kingdomes of this world which worldlings so much admire to those brittle fabriques which children make of chalke or clay which being made by them with much labour are derided by those of elder growth and are spoiled with the kicke of a mans foot and so are all those great stately Palaces Towers Castles and Kingdomes but cotages of lome in respect of the celestiall and eternall and derided by the Angels and easily subverted by our heavenly Father whereby we may understand that all earthly things are altogether vaine and transitory which although there be but few who now consider it yet all of us at the last day shall fully understand how little they have profited us and St. Hilary confirmes this when he saith The day of judgement will discover how vaine and how little worth all these things have beene But let us more narrowly looke and consider what manner of rewards Gods are which are so sleighted of most men in respect of these petty earthly recompences I First in that heavenly Kingdome there shal be all the good things which may be desired for they which shall inherit that Kingdome shall be blessed and blessednesse is a perfect accumulation of all good things heaped together There shall be all the good things of the mind Wisedome and vertues of the body beauty health and strength externall good riches pleasure and honour Lastly all these shall be in full perfection and eminencie For GOD who shewed his power in the creation of the World of nothing and his wisedome in governing and providence and his love and goodnes in the redemption of mankinde by the mystery of the incarnation and passion of his Son will then manifest the magnificence of his glory and the munificence of his bounty in the distribution of rewards prizes and crownes to those who have triumphed here over their enemy the Devill And this wisedome shall not be a speculation of the divinity in things created but the very open vision of the essence of God the cause of all causes and of himselfe the chiefe truth by which most resplendent sight the soules of the Saints shall shine with so cleare a light as that St. John speaking of that future glory saith We shal be like him because we shall see him as he is From this excellent wisedome shall proceede love so ardent as that adhering alwaies to that chiefe good it neither will nor can beseparated from it So that the whole soule and all the powers of it shall ever remaine in this excellent state and condition The body shall shine as the Sunne as our Saviour speakes and that shall be its beauty the health of it shal be immortality the strength impassibility lastly the body which is now a creature shall then be spirituall that is obedient to the command of the spirit so that it shall surpasse the winds in agility and pierce even walls with its subtilty The riches of it shall be to want nothing as also to possesse all things in and with God for he shall make him ruler over all his goods What shall I say of pleasure seeing it is said They shal be satisfied with the plenteousnes of thy house and thou shalt give them drinke of thy pleasures as out of theriver now what mind can conceive the delight of enjoying the chiefe happinesse of seeing beauty it selfe of tasting pleasure it selfe of entring into the joy of our Lord that is being made partakers of his pleasure which makes him happy Now the honour and glory of the Saints exceeds all that can be spoken for in the Theatre and view of the whole world of all men and Angels shall the Saints be praysed and crowned by GOD himselfe which exceeds all honour and shall be placed in Christs throne as partakers or partners of his Kingdome for so we read in the Revelation To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne even as I overcame and sit with my Father in his throne And if to all these we will adde eternity as an unspeakeable seasoning and relish to them who then can conceive the greatnesse of this heavenly happinesse and all this which we cannot conceive by thought we shall finde to be true by possessing if by our sober just and godly life we shall attaine to that blessed Countrey for certainely those good things shall endure for ever which the servants of GOD by his grace shall procure with a little labour here What sayest thou then hadst thou rather please thy selfe with children in framing these little buildings of lome then to strive to get possession of an everlasting Kingdome art thou better contented to delight thy selfe with the pleasures of beasts which is horrible to thinke then to enjoy the ineffable joyes which the Angels GOD by his mercy forbid rather pray to GOD to give thee his feare and that the obedience of his Law may be more sweet unto thee then the honey and the honey combe and that crucifying the flesh with the concupiscences thereof thou mayst aspire to the spirituall and everlasting delights of his Paradise and pray to him to give thee grace to follow the steps of thy Saviour Christ who was meeke and lowly in heart Who when he was reviled reviled not againe when he suffered he threatned not and that he would give thee grace to live soberly justly and piously in this present world that thou mayst with some boldnesse expect and wayt for that blessed hope even the coming of the glory of the great GOD and of our Saviour the Lord Iesus Christ It remayneth that we consider the justice which GOD executeth in punishing sinners in the 〈◊〉 a●yss● of hell which if we will doe seriously we shall understand that to be very true which the Apostle tells us It is a fearefull thing to fall into the hands of the living God For to follow the order which we held in his rewarding

live among most cruel enemies and the danger is that they may be circumvented and taken by them and be deprived thereby of their possession Hence are these complaints Heu mihi quia incolatus meus prolongatus est as St. Jeromes translation and as others Heu mihi quia exulo in Mesech they are both to one purpose Woe is me that my dwelling here is prolonged or Woe is me that I am constrained to dwell in Mesech the Mes●kites were Arabian Pagans desc●nd●d from Japhet that is alas that I am forced to live so long among prophane and wicked men But though in this regard men are lesse then the Angels yet GOD of his goodnesse hath wonderfully comforted us in that out of our kind he hath preferred one to be above all Angels and Principalities even CHRIST IESUS blessed for ever And men need not so much complaine of their long living here seeing that while they are here they may many times amend and repaire their lapses and faults and by repentance obtaine remission of them It remaines now that we speake of the offices of the Angels which are five in number 1. The first is that they alwaies sing praises and Hymnes unto their Creator And that we may understand how great account GOD maketh of this service we must consider that the chiefest of the Angels are appointed to this office and these are the Seraphims with whom as chiefe chanters or Rectores chori as we may call them the other Angels doe beare their parts of whom you may heare the Prophet Esay I saw the LORD sitting upon a high throne and lifted up and the lower part thereof filled the Temple The Seraphims stood upon it every one had sixe wings with twaine he covered his face and with twaine he covered his feet and with twaine he did flie And one cryed to another and said Holy Holy Holy is the LORD of hosts the whole world is full of his glory In which place you heare the name Seraphim who are the chiefe of that high order and you see that they cover their face and feet in token of reverence as though they durst not behold his face and you see that they continually flye while they sing to signifie their affection and desire more and more to approach neere to GOD which two qualities are necessary for those which desire to please GOD while they sing and chant his praises to joyne love with reverence and reverence with love which also the Prophet David expresseth in saying Serve the LORD with feare and rejoyce in him with trembling Hence we may learne what honour GOD is worthy to receive from us when the Princes of heaven who are alwaies in his presence and see his face continually dare not neglect their feare and reverence while they praise him neither for their high degree nor for their long familiarity with him And what shall many of us dust a●dashes answer when at the day of judgement we shal be reprooved for our drowsines wandring thoughts carelessenesse and irreverence in his service Learne therefore at the least henceforth by so great a patterne to performe thy due prayses and to sing hymnes unto thy GOD with feare and trembling with attention and vigilance and with love and desire 2. Another office of the Angels as some are of opinion is to offer the praiers of mortalls to GOD for so speaketh the Angell Raphael to old Tobias when thou didst pray I did bring to memory your prayer before the holy one and afterwards saith that he was one of the Angels which present the prayers of the Saints and St. John as he testifies in his Revelation saw an Angel standing before the Altar with a golden censer and much odors was given unto him that he should offer it with the prayers of all Saints upon the golden Altar which is before the throne of GOD. And in this the almost incredible goodnesse and mercy of GOD is seene for being not contented first by his Prophets and afterwards by his Son and his Apostles to exhort us to pray and aske but addeth a promise of giving whatsoever we shall require Aske saith he and it shal be given unto you and againe Whatsoever ye shall aske the Father in my name he will give it you And not contented with this promise he addeth that he will give a reward to petitioners When thou prayest saith he enter into thy chamber and when thou hast shut the doore pray unto the Father in secret and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly a reward besides those things which thou hast prayed for But neither contented with this argument of Fatherly goodnesse he hath appointed Angels as it were of his privy chamber that should take care of the prayers of poore men and offer them in his sight What earthly Prince was ever heard to promise reward to those which petitioned him for favour or justice and yet they are made of the same mould as other men are and subject to the same Prince of Princes GOD. 3. A third office of the Angels is to be Gods Ambassadors or Messengers to signifie his pleasure but especially concerning the worke of our redemption for so St. Paul speakes Are they not all the Angels ministring Spirits sent forth to minister for their sakes which shal be heyres of salvation And we see in diverse places of the old Testament Angels appearing to the Patriarchs and Prophets declaring to them what GOD gave them in charge to reveale as also in the new we reade that the Angell Gabriel was sent as a messenger to Zacharie and to the blessed Virgin Mary to the Shepheards to Ioseph and after the resurrection of our Saviour to the women at the Sepulchre and after his ascension to all the Disciples And the reason why GOD who is every where and can easily speake by himselfe to the hearts of men yet would send Angels is that men might understand that he hath a spirituall care of humane things and that all things are directed and governed by him for men are prone enough to perswade themselves that revelations are their reasons and counsailes but when they see or heare that Angels are sent by him and that those things come to passe which are foretold by them they cannot doubt but GOD hath a providence over humane affaires and that those things which pertaine to the eternall salvation of the elect are especially directed and disposed by him 4. Their fourth office is the protection of men either of a particular or of the multitude of men For it pleased the divine goodnesse of GOD to commend the infirmities of mortalls to his most powerfull servants and to set them over men as Schoolemasters or Tutors to children as patrons to clients shepheards to sheep physicians to the sicke defenders of orphans and protectors of those who are not able to defend themselves Of this protection and

this point GOD is mercifull and long suffering he will not alwaies be chiding neither keepeth his anger for ever The height or altitude of Gods mercy comes next in order to be spoken of which is taken from the cause moving him to be mercifull which certainly is most high and exalted above the heavens according to that in the Psalme His mercy reacheth to the heavens and Mercy shall be set up for ever thy truth shalt thou establish in the heavens which mercy of his differs from that of men in diverse respects 1 Some men are mercifull to other because they stand in need of their helpe and this is the lowest Degree of mercy because it reflects upon their owne profit and commodity as to our Dogges Horses and other cattell 2. Others are pittifull for co●sanguinity or friendship because they are our children brethren friends or familiars to whom we extend our mercy and this is a Degree a little higher and begins to have some reason or resemblance of vertue 3. Lastly others are mercifull because they are their neighbours and in that respect men created by the same GOD out of the same mould and therefore they make no difference whether they be friends or enemies good or bad kindred or strangers but pitty all alike whom they know to be created after the image of GOD and this is the highest Degree that mortalls can reach unto But GOD hath pitty upon all things because they are his creatures and especially upon men because they are his images and more specially yet upon good men because they are his children heires of his Kingdome and coheires with his onely begotten Son But if thou wilt demaund why GOD created the World why he made man after his owne image why he hath justified the wicked and made them heires of his Kingdome nothing at all can be answered but because he would and if thou askest why he would nothing can be said but because he is good for goodnesse diffuseth and communicateth it selfe willingly In heaven hath hee established his mercy and from his highest habitation from the heart of the Father hath it descended and filled the earth The earth is full of the mercy of the LORD saith the Psalmist Therefore as he found matter enough in us to deserve punishment so hee found enough in himselfe to have mercy upon us Lift up thy selfe then and with the eyes of thy mind in that high fountaine of mercy behold that purity mixt with no intention of his owne profit and when thou hearest the Schoolemaster of all men perswading and saying Be mercifull as your heavenly Father is mercifull strive as much as thou canst to have not onely compassion upon thy fellowservants but be mercifull to them with that pure affection which our heavenly Father pitties us If thou remit an injury to a detractor or malicious accuser doe it heartily committing the offence to perpetuall oblivion for our Father forgets our offences saith Ezechiel and Looke how wide the East is from the West so farre hath he set our sinnes from us saith David least they should doe us harme any longer If thou givest almes to a poore man understand that thou dost rather take then give because he that giveth to the poore lendeth upon usury to the LORD as Solomon saith and therefore give it humbly and reverently not as an almes to a poore man but as a present to a Prince If thou sufferest any ill to profit thy necessitous neighbour consider how farre short thou comest of thy Lord who gave his life and blood to doe thee good So it shall come to passe that without hope of earthly reward or any itch of vaine glory and out of the pure and onely love of GOD and thy neighbour thou shalt be a good proficient in the Schoole of mercy In the last place the depth of Gods mercy comes to be considered and as the height of it shines chiefly in the cause so the depth seemes to be sought in the effects Therefore that mercy which descends onely to words hath little depth in it but may rather be called superficiall and that mercy is to bee reputed more deepe which relieveth and refresheth those which are in misery not onely with comfortable words but reall deeds and benefits and that the most deep of all other which helpeth those which are miserable not onely by speaking and giving but in suffering and co-assisting in labours and sorrowes Now our GOD of whose mercy is neither number nor end is by all these wayes mercifull to us 1. For first hee hath sent comfortable letters his holy Scriptures to us as it is said in the Booke of the Maccabees we have the holy bookes in our hands for our comfort And not onely doth GOD speake to us and promise us ayd and protection by his letters but by the sermons of preachers who are ambassadours to us for CHRIST in this pilgrimage I will hearken saith David what the LORD GOD will say concerning me for hee shall speake peace unto his people and to his Saints that they turne not againe 2. Againe the benefits wee receive by Gods mercy in cu●ing our manifold miseries aswell temporall as spirituall are so many as that they cannot be numbred for every where he crowneth us with mercy and loving kindnesse that is he compasseth us on every side with the benefits of his mercy 3. Thirdly his mercy descended by the mystery of the Incarnation to labours sorrow hunger thirst ignominie repr●●ches stripes and wounds to the crosse and death to redeeme us from all iniquity and from everlasting death due to sinne C●n there be any abysse more 〈◊〉 to which the mercy of God could descend yes there is for he did not this out of due debt but of meere grace He was offered because hee would saith Esay for who compelled the Son of GOD who thought it no robbery to bee equall with GOD to take on him the forme of a servant to make himselfe poore for us that we through his poverty might be made rich and to humble himselfe to death even the death of the Crosse to quicken and exalt us certainely it was onely his love that forced him his onely mercy compelled him And yet there is another thing more deep a deeper degree for in this worke of our salvation hee would have us communicate and participate in his glory and honour The Angels song seemed to be a fit division Glory to GOD in the highest and peace in earth the honour to GOD the profit to men but the mercy of GOD would have all the profit to be ours and the honour part his part ours 4 Lastly the mercy of GOD is most profound and deepe towards men especially good men and fearing GOD in regard that this mercy exceeds the affection of Father or Mother then which upon earth wee finde none greater Can a woman forget her child saith the