Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	bring_v	fruit_n	good_a	9,065	5	4.7327	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A02698	Gods goodnes and mercy Layd open in a sermon, preached at Pauls-Crosse on the last of Iune. 1622. By Mr Robert Harris, pastour of the church of God in Hanvvell in Oxfordshire.	Harris, Robert, 1581-1658.	1622 (1622)	STC 12831; ESTC S116602	18,118	38

〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arist Rhet. li 1. c. ● inde of these God is the cheife nay all these in one like an absolute pearle that containes all beauties in it selfe no Marcion will denie goodnesse where he yeelds a Godhead wee haue therefore sayd enough for proofe when we haue once sayd what goodnes is and how it is affirmed of God For the first Goodnesse is the perfection of things for which they are desireable perfection imports freedome from all defects and fulnes of all excellencies and is cheifely seene in the being working end of things that which hath the noblest being and therefore ende and therefore operations is ever best and most desireable Desire is the reaching of the Soule after that that likes vs because it is like vs Now the All-sufficient God is his owne Being his owne Act or rule in Action Bonum onmis boni Aug. de Trinit li. 8. yea he is the Author of all good and ende desire in naturall respects and therefore the perfection of all and all perfection and goodnesse For the second God is first essentially good good without goodnesse saith Austin Creatures be good but not goodnesse their nature is good but goodnesse is not their nature but the nature and substance of God sayth the Christian Phylosopher is goodnesse nature and goodnesse differ not in him but onely in a respect Secondly causally good v. Aqui. quast de bon● not as the forme of particular goods but as the worker of all the ende that terminates and perfects all Thirdly which followes vpon the former eminently good first in Order Nature Worth and lastly originally and absolutely the onely good This Doctrine cals more for practise then proofe because as in nature so here the sweetest things are most abused and being abused proue most dangerous God is good let vs put it to a good vse Vse first for Humbling see what we were once good for of goodnes can come nothing but goodnes secondly What we are now by nature bad for first we are sunke as farre from God as Hell is from heaven hee is holy we profane he wise we foolish he true wee false he good we naught Secondly from this disproportion growes hatred of Gods holinesse in his word worship people presence every way Thirdly from this hatred springs loue to his Enemies the World Flesh Satan Fourthly from this loue a listning to what flesh shal propound and Satan suggest and thence a capacitie and possibilitie of being monstrous in life and blasphemous to the death Oh what a peece of ground is mans heart nowe become wherein no spiritualnes thrives vnlesse Power it selfe plant it wherin Pride Murther Whoredome Sodomy Blasphemie Atheisme eyther doth or soone may seede this cursed nature this renders vs as odious as goodnes doth amiable and this must be seene if ever we will be saved Now the glasse that detects badnes is Gods goodnesse by his nature and workes we see ours as by the sunne wee see motes and filth by light but God is a light too strong for our sence Strato apud Iustin lib. 18. True therefore we must with him in the story looke for the Sunne in the West not in the East behold the Lord as he is reflected and refracted first in the glasse of his creatures and his workes Secondly in the face of his dearest Son so wee shall see at one view vnspeakeable beautie and deformitie that in God this in vs so way and overture will be made for that first second and third of Christianitie true humilitie Aug. Epist so Gods goodnesse will be admired mans wickednes abhorred all the errours of the times and incongruities of action will be soone resolved into their first principle estrangement from and distrust in this goodnes of God Secondly see what we should be good goodnes is even admirable Plut. and therefore sayth the Philosopher imitable Now the 119. Psal vers 68. tels vs that God is good and duth good and he is our Coppy and rule First therefore wee must bee good and then doe good first the sap must be good and then the fruit for as things be so they worke the effusion of the sap the first act of our conversion is Gods act our will prevents it not but followes it The second act of fructifying is ours vnder God for when God hath tuned and doth touch vs we doe moue and whilest the spirit imbreathes vs we turne about like the Mill in neither wee must bee wanting to our selues but concurre in this as agents in that as patients and as our liberty in externall acts is still some so must our endevours be answerable Quoad externā disciplinam as to come to Church to heare c. First we must haue the patience to heare what soever wanton wits may talke of the wills virginitie or other exemptions of the higher faculties that in our flesh dwels no spirituall goodnes all our goodnesse dwels out of our selues in Christ Secondly that it is Gods owne hand that slends vs from the first and sets vs in the second Adam And thirdly that he doth this by his owne meanes therfore we must tender our selues to his meanes waiting till hee who speakes in working and workes in speaking shall please to speake life into the Soule by the eare Thus are we made trees Esay 55.3 being such wee must in the second place beare and heere lies our busines our errand hither is not to please or preach man but to call for fruite Mat. 21.34 you are trees in Gods vineyard well planted fenced husbanded what is your fruite your Land is good your Law is good your Cittie good your Sermons good what be you Is your truite none Heare our blessed Saviour every Tree every Man House Citty Nation Math. 7.19 that beares not fruite is for the fire Is 18. your fruite bad Heare againe a good Tree can not bring foorth bad fruite and the ground that brings forth briers after showers must be burnt Heb. 6.8 You haue received the raine of Heaven and must be as the raine and dewe Mic. 5.7 els the curse is neare Is your goodnesse onely Morall heare your Saviour Every branch that beares not fruite in me he takes away Ioh. 15.2 Your workes must be the workes of God wrought from God for God in God according to God else they are but shining sins Is your goodnes spirituall heare againe vnlesse a man abide in me he is cast out cast into the fire and burnt Iohn 15.6 Behold if an other should crie fire fire fire thus in your streetes you woulde be all awakened our blessed Saviour cries fire if your fruite be none fire if bad fire if not spirituall fire if not lasting Oh be afraid of this consuming fire and as you heare the words so doe the workes of God Religion we must know is not a name goodnesse a word it is actiue like fire communicatiue like light as the life of

they should heale themselues because their actions are all exemplary then their families by establishing Nebuchadnezzars order Dan. 3.29 that no man speake much lesse doe any thing amisse against the God of Heaven thirdly the oppressed and wounded they should rescue the poore as did noble Iob plead for them ride for them speake to Maiestie it selfe for them where povertie hath not accesse So shall they be common blessings Filij herôum noxae and prevent the censure of former Ages We close this Vse with Magistrates and Iustices Itinerant or others Rom. 13. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Saint Paul tells them their errand it is the common good and chalkes out their way they must be terrors and comforts first terrors to the evill else evill-doers will be a terror to them for sin is impudent and incroaching as experience hath taught vs bribery will be sometimes bolder then innocency falshood then truth a man that doth more then deliberate of Rebellion which yet a Tacitus could call Rebellion Lib. 2. Histor he will embarke himselfe in actions of State embroyle Kingdomes transferre for his publique good v. Carer l. 2. ae potesst Ro Pont. c. 19. any Crowne speake most basely of annointed Princes and yet such a man as this will be neere hand heard as loud from the Barre as Iustice from the Bench a Gentleman-swearer drunkard whore-master stabber will soone out-stare a Iustice an Alderman and a Noble-mans mans man will so amaze Iustice if shee take not the more heart that shee is left speechlesse a long time after O Iob Phineas Nehemiah c. what 's become of your spirit You would driue sinne and sinners into their holes now they dare the light and stare Iustice in the face as if they would out-face her arise ye living Images of God cloth your selues with zeale as with a cloake put on Iustice as a garment vnderstand that there is a King in Israell a God in heaven and make sin vnderstand that you haue zeale in your hearts and a sword in your hands Secondly You must be incouragers of goodnes goodnesse I say both spirituall and morall religion and righteousnesse for Religion where is zeale comely if not there when if not now when false zeale blazeth and true cooles View a zealous Papist in that name and respect better then a meere Newter and he dares tell vs to our heads that our Religion is errour our selues heretickes our end destruction that one Heaven cannot hold vs hereafter one Church now that living and dying Lutherans Cam. ca. 10. Barel Paraen Brist Mot. 36. Coster res●ad Ruf. Luc. Osiand c. we shall be certainely damned if we be not he will be damned for vs Now if our Faith stand vpon better pillars then his why should not we be as resolute and confident as he View againe the Atheist and he flieth vpon Religion as a Bird vpon the Candle he disgraces it and will not you then grace it He smites it and will not you defend it Yes Religion calls in your sword to her succour chiefely when she is opposed in her Prophets they are the men of sorrowes Rerū Vocabula amisimus Salust they find the Historian true that we haue lost the names againe the Atheist of things Darkenesse is called light light darkenesse the Shepheard is hunted and the Foxe hunts him Many a man cryes out of blasphemie against God and the King and the blasphemie is but this Naboth will not part with a peece of his Fleese many a fearefull Bill is framed against a Preacher when the Enditement should run thus Bonus vir sed ideo malus quia Christianus Tertull Apolloget at lest Christinuncius My Fathers and reverent Iudges open your mouthes in the cause of the afflicted remember that you owe your Hoods Gownes Liues selues to the Gospell did not our Ministry awe mens Consciences nor you nor the world would be one yeare elder should you cease to countenance vs in our righteous causes you should betray your right hand with the left Now as Religion brings the greatest good and therefore must be most respected so Iustice the next and therefore must be carefully administred And here we shall not need to mind you of the Oratours dust or the Heathens note Tac l. 15. Annal. How that many more offend by seeking favour then offending it shall suffice to referre your wisedomes to two Scriptures in Iob the first Chap. 15.34 is Chap. 15. vers 34 and it s this Fire shall consume the Tabernacles of Bribery if Bribery however disguised get into the house whether by the master or mistresse or sonne or servant God will fire it out or fire the house over it The second is Chap. 13. vers 10. Chap. 13.10 He will surely reproue you if you secretly accept persons Carry it never so smoothly yet if vnder-hand you preferre a Laick to a Churchman a Lord to a Plough-man a kinsman to a stranger a Courtier to a peasant and take away the righteousnesse of the innocent God will certainely reproue you chide smite curse you for it and so set it on as no man shall be able to take it off that God that will not suffer you to be partiall for the poore Iob 13. for himselfe will never brooke other warpings and partialities Oh then looke vpward pervse your Oth deale equally betweene party and party plea and plea and if you will needs heare any in private heare the poore man speake whose counsell dares not speake sometimes in publique and if you will hasten any hence hasten him who languisheth whilst head and body stand a hundred myles a-sunder And when you ride circuit I beseech you remember that you ride circuit not post take time to heare poore mens grievances your selues lest in a Reference you leaue the Hare in the Hunts-mans-hands and the Commissioner deputed vmpire the matter as once they did at Rome The Aedeates Aricini c. betweene Neighbours the ground is neyther the Plaintifs nor Defendants it is the Iudges To wind vp all nor you nor wee of the Ministry to whom I had more to say if the place suited nor any present haue done the good wee should let vs say for the time past That we haue beene vnprofitable servants and henceforward resolue with the Church of old Nos non cloquimur magnased vivimus Not to talke but to liue The maine dispatcht we would speake the rest if we could with one breath Is God good Then loue him v. Minut. in Octav. for Goodnesse is the obiect of loue now loue is a desire of vnion it vnites vs to God by conforming and transforming vs so that then our loue shall appeare to be true when out of a desire to be made one with God wee conforme to his ordinances and be transformed into his image Againe is God good then let him be iustified and every mouth stopped we instance As B●llar and