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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	bring_v	fruit_n	word_n	3,570	5	4.8691	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30209	The strait gate, or, Great difficulty of going to Heaven plainly proving by the Scriptures that not only the rude and profane, but many great professors will come short of that Kingdom / by John Bunyan.	Bunyan, John, 1628-1688.	1676 (1676)	Wing B5600; ESTC R26567	52,935	156

reader and let us soberly walk through the rest of what shall be said and let us compare as we go each particular with the holy Scripture First 't is said The daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vinyard as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers as a besieged citie Isa. 18. The vineyard was the Church of Israel Isa. 5. 1. the cottage in that vinyard was the daughter of Zion or the truly gracious amongst or in that Church a cottage God had but a cottage there but a little habitation in the Church a very few that were truly gracious amongst that great multitude that professed and had it not been for these for this cottage the rest had been ruined as Sodom Except the Lord of hosts had left in us in the Church a very few they had been as Sodom v. 9. wherefore among the multitude of them that shall be damned professors will make a considerable party Secondly for though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea a remnant shall return a remnant shall be saved Isa. 10. 22. Ro. 9. 27. for though thy people Israel whom thou brought'st out of Egypt to whom thou hast given Church-constitution holy laws holy ordinances holy prophets and holy covenants thy people by seperation from all people and thy people by profession though this thy people be as the sand of the sea a remnant shall be saved wherefore among the multitude of them that shall be damned professors will make a considerable party Thirdly Reprobate silver shall men call them because the Lord hath rejected them Jer. 6. 30. the people here under consideration are called in verse 27. Gods people his people by profession I have set thee for a tower and a fortress among my people that thou maiest know and try their way what follows They are all grievous revolters walking with standers reprobate silver the Lord hath rejected them In chapter ● ver 29. they are called also the generation of his wrath for the Lord hath rejected and forsaken the generation of his wrath This therefore I gather out of these holy Scriptures that with reference to profession and Church-constitution a people may be called the people of God but with reference to the event and final conclusion that God will make with some of them they may be truly the generation of his wrath Fourthly In the 5. of Isa. you read again of the vinyard of God and that it was planted on a very fruitful hill planted with the choicest vines had a wall a tower a wine-press belonging to it and all things that could put it into right order and good government as a Church but this vinyard of the Lord of hosts brought forth wild grapes fruits unbecoming her constitution and government wherefore the Lord takes from her his hedge and wall and lets her be ●roden down reade Christs exposition upon it in Matt. 2. and 33. c. look to it professors these are the words of the text for many I say unto you will seek to enter in and shall not be able Fifthly Son of man said God to the Prophet the house of Israel is to me become dross all they are brass and tin and iron and lead in the midest of the furnace they are the dross of silver Ezek. 22. 18. God had silver there some silver but it was but little the bulk of that people was but the dross of the Church though they were the members of it but what doth he mean by the dross why he looked upon them as no better notwithstanding their Church-membership then the rabble of the world that is with respect to their latter end for to be called dross it is to be put among the rest of the sinners of the world in the judgment of God though at present they abide in his house Thou puttest away all the wicked of the earth like dross therefore I love thy testimonies Psal. 119. 119. God saith of his saved ones he hath chosen them in the furnace of affliction The refiner when he putteth his silver into his furnace he puts lead in also among it now this lead being ordered as he knows how works up the dross from the silver which dross still as it riseth he putteth by or taketh away with an instrument and thus deals God with his Church there is silver in his Church I and there is also dross now the dross are the hypocrites and graceless ones that are got into the Church and these will God discover and afterwards put away as dross So that it will without doubt prove a truth of God that many of their professors that shall put in claim for heaven will not have it for their inheritance Sixthly It is said of Christ his ●an is in his hand and he will throughly purge his floor and will gather his wheat into his garner but will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire Mat. 3. 12. 1. The floor is the Church of God O my threshing and the corn of my floor said God by the prophet Isa. 21. 10. to his people 2. The wheat are those good ones in his Church that shall be undoubtedly saved therefore he saith gather my wheat into my garner 3. The chaff groweth upon the same stalk and ear and so is in the same visible body with the wheat but there is not substance in it wherefore in time they must be severed one from the other the wheat must be gathered into the garner which is heaven and the chaff or professors that want true grace must be gathered into hell that they may be burned up with unquenchable fire therefore let professors look to it Seventhly Christ Jesus casts away two of the three grounds that are said to receive ●●e word l●k 8. The stony ground received it with joy and the thorny ground brought forth fruit almost to perfection indeed the high-way ground was to shew us that the carnal while such receive not the word at all but here is the pinch two of the three that received it fell short of the kingdom of heaven for but one of the three received it so as to bring forth fruit to perfection look to it professors Eighthly The parable of the unprofitable servant the parable of the man without a wedding garment and the parable of the unsavory salt do each of them ju 〈…〉 ie this for truth Matt. 25. 24 25 chap. 22. 11 12 13. chap. 5. 13. that of the unprofitable servavt is to shew us the ●●●th and idleness of some professors that of the man without a wedding-garment is to shew us how some professors have the shame of their wickedness seen by God even when they are among the children of the bridgroome and that parable of the unsavory salt is to shew that as the salt that hath lost its savor is fit for nothing no not for the dunghill but to be troden under the foot of men So some professors yea and great ones too for this

neglected Christ will make at that day of death and judgment Heb. 10. 31. 11. Put thy self often in thy thoughts before Christs judgment-seat in thy sins and consider with thy self were I now before my judge how should I look how should I shake and tremble 12. Be often thinking of them that are now in hell past all mercy I say be often thinking of them thus 1. They were once in the world as I now am 2. They once took delight in sin as I have done 3. They once neglected repentance as Satan would have me do 4. But now they are gone now they are in hell now the pit hath shut her mouth upon them Thou mayest also doubt thy thoughts of the damned thus 1. If these poor creatures were in the world again would they sin as they did before would they neglect salvation as they did before 2. If they had sermons as I have if they had the bible as I have if they had good company as I have yea if they had a day of grace as I have would they neglect it as they did before sinner coulde t thou soberly think of these things they might help God blessing them to awaken thee and to keep thee awake to repentance to the repentance that is to salvation ●●ver to be repented of Object But you have said few shall be saved and some that go a great way yet are not saved at this therefore I am even discouraged and awakned I think I had as good go no further I am indeed under conviction but I may perish if I go on in my sins I can but perish and 't is ten twenty a hundred to one if I be saved should I be never so earnest for heaven Answ. That few will be saved must needs be a truth for Christ hath said it that many go far and come short of heaven is as true being testified by the same hand but what then why then I had as good never seek who told thee so must no body seek because few are saved this is just contrary to the text that bids us th 〈…〉 strive strive to enter in because 〈◊〉 gate is strait and because many will seek to enter in and shall not be able ●u● why go back again seeing that is the next way to hell never go over hedge and ditch to hell if I must needs go thither I will go the sa●dest way about but who can tell though there should not be saved so m●●y as there shall but thou mayst be ●ne of that few They that miss of l●●e perish because they will not let go their sins or because they take up in profession short of the saving saith of the Gospel They perish I say because they are content with such things as will not prove graces of a saving nature then they come to be tryed in the sire otherwise the promise is free and full and everlasting Him that cometh to me says Christ I will in no wise c●st out for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him might not perish but have everlasting life Ioh. 6. 37. wherefore let not this thought few shall be saved weaken thy heart but let it cause thee to mend thy pace to mend thy crys to look well to thy grounds for heaven let it make thee fly faster from sin to Christ let it keep thee awake and out of carnal security and thou maist be saved Thirdly my third word is to professors sirs give me leave to set my trumpet to your ears again a little when every man hath put in all the claim they can for heaven but few will have it for their inheritance I mean but few professors for so the text intendeth and so I have also proved f●r many I say unto you will seek to enter in and shall not be able Let me therefore a little expostulate the matter with you O ye thousands of professors First I begin with you whose religion lieth only in your tongues I mean you who are little or nothing known from the rest of the rabble of the world only you can talk better then they hear me a word or two If I speak with the tongue of men and angels and have not charity that is love to God and Christ and saints and holyness I am nothing no child of God and so have nothing to do with heaven 1 Cor. 13. a prating tongue will not unlock the gates of heaven nor blinde the eyes of thy judge look to it the wise in heart will receive commandments but a prating fool shall fall Pro. 10. 8. Secondly covetous professor thou that mak'n a gain of religion that usest thy profession to bring grift to thy mill look to it also gain is not godlyness Iudas's religion lay much in the bag but his soul is now burning in hell all covetousness is Idolatry but what is that or what will you call it when men are religions for filthy ●u●re ●uke Ezek. 33. 31. Thirdly wanton professors I have a word for you I mean you that can tell how to misplead Scripture to maintain your pride your banqueting and abominable idolatry reade what Peter says you are the share and damnation of others you allure through the lust of the flesh through much wantonness those that were clean escaped from them who live in errour 2 Pet. 2. 18. besides the holy Ghost hath a great deal against you for your feastings and eating without fear not for health but gluttony Jud. 12. further Peter saies that you that count it pleasure to riot in the day time are spots and blemishes sporting your selves with your own deceivings 2 Pet. 2. 13. And let me ask did God give his word to justifie your wickedness or doth grace teach you to plead for the flesh or the waking provision for the lusts thereof of these also are they that feed their bodyes to strengthen their lusts under pretence of strengthning frail nature But pray remember the text many I say unto you will seek to enter in and shall not be able Fourthly I come next to the opinionist I mean to him whose religion lieth in some circumstantials of religion with this sort this kingdom swarms at this day these think all out of the way that are not of their mode when themselves may be out of the way in the midest of their zeal for their opinions pray do you also observe the text many I say unto you will seek to enter in shall not be able Fifthly neither is the formalist exempted from this number he is a man that hath lost all but the shell of religion he is hot indeed for his form and no marvel for that is his all to contend for but his form being without the power and spirit of godlyness it will leave him in his fins nay he standeth now in them in the sight of God 2 Tim. 3. 5. and is one of the many that will seek to enter in and