Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	good_a	seed_n	sow_v	5,385	5	9.7863	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A20534	A remedy against priuat contentions A godly and fruitfull sermon on Iames, 4.1. &c. Wherin is at large discouered the hatefulnes, and perniciousnesse of priuate iars and contentions, with manifold remedies against the same. By Mr. Iohn Dod.	Dod, John, 1549?-1645.	1614 (1614)	STC 6942; ESTC S116344	22,830	33

better we shal vse it Therefore is it righteous with God to crosse vs in our Gen. 30. 1 affections as he did Rahel she must needs haue children in all the haste or else she would die in a passion Alas shee was in hard case to die and in ill case to haue children for at that time she would haue made Gods of her children and an Idoll of God But afterwards when she had prayed and humbled her selfe God gaue her children because then shee was fit to receiue them And that is the reason why God delayes long and puts off his seruants from year to yeare euen because they are vnfit to be partakers of his blessings sooner he could afford them present paiment but he well considers that the things which the flesh much affects it would much abuse Isaac prayed for a sonne twentie yeares at length when Gen. 25. 20. 26 he had gotten the victorie of himselfe and was content to wait as long as God would haue him the Lord forthwith granted his request and so dealeth hee yet still with his dearest children Vse 1 Sith boisterous lusts doe both deserue and bring vpon men manifold wants this serues for instruction that if we be pinched with necessities and restrained of many things that we would full faine haue let vs examine whether our desires be not too immoderate towards those things and too eagerly set vpon them and if vpon triall made wee finde that it is so indeed let vs know that we are not fit for them Therfore let vs neuer complaine of others the world is hard and mens hearts are hard but let vs complaine of our selues I want good affections I want good preparation for Gods blessings I am a ground that haue many rank weedes in mee and all that while God hath somwhat else to doe then to sowe the seed of comfort on me The next way to haue the world is to deny the world would a man be rich let him be content to be poore would a man inioy his health and strength let him so vse the meanes of recouering his health as withall to be content to remaine sickly and weake if it so seeme best to his heauenly father c. But if we desire temporall riches more then spirituall and the health of the body more then the health of the soule it is iust we should haue penurie and not plenty diseased and not healthfull bodies Whereas if we can bring our willes to bee subiect vnto Gods it shall not bee said to vs Yee lust and haue not but the Lord will fulfill the desires of those that feare him Otherwise Psal 45 though our desires were granted our soules would be as sicke or more sicke then they were before Vse 2 A second vse of this is to teach vs to bee content that God by many and grieuous crosses should master our intemperate lusts for the way to all prosperitie is to be broken of our headie and sturdy affections Let vs also desire to be in their companie who wil deale most plainly and roundly against our corruptions not wish to conuerse with such as will tell vs indeede you are hardly vsed they deale very iniuriously with you in that they do not more respect you in regard of your place of your parts and of your education c. Alas what is this but to cast oyle vpon the fire and to make those lusts a great deale stronger which weere too too violent before such comforters may please vs for the present but they will bring vs smart in stead of ease and trouble in stead of peace in the end But as for those that will set themselues with all their might against our lusts apply sharp corrasiues where they perceiue much festered and dead flesh of all other they are to be esteemed the best and truest and most faithfull friends Ye enuie and haue indignation and cannot obtaine Whereas they might deny that they had such lusts in them hee proueth it by this that they did enuy one another as if he should haue said that which I affirmed in vvordes I vvill make good by your deeds you enuy that another should be lookt after that another should haue more gay apparell a better name a better estate then your selues doth not this cleerly shew that your hearts are full of lust when they are so full of enuy for enuy is the very froth of lust Doct. 4 Wordlings are still vexed with enuy The doctrine hence to bee gathered is this that those that set their affections vpon earthly things are not onely subiect to this miserie that they shall bee alwaies in want but they shall withall bee euermore vexed at the prosperity of others they shall be stil in torture at home and abroad and wheresoeuer they are for such as set their mindes on the things of this world cannot chuse but repine when any thing goes from them vnto others they think all lost that they themselues cannot enioy for whereas the propertie of Christian loue is not to seeke it owne things it is the very nature of selfe-loue onely and wholly to seeke it 1. Cor. 13 owne things and if it misse of them it vvill cause the parties to grudge and repine This may be obserued in Saul when once Dauid vvas in credit aboue him he had few quiet daies after but vvas still troubling of himselfe and the whole land about Dauid The like may be seene in the Pharisies they could not liue if Christ liued and why Christ caried away the credit from them and therfore they neuer ceased persecuting him vntill they had depriued him of his very life So the Philistims being couetous enuied Isaac and grew so mad against him because they saw him thriue beyond themselues that they vvould hurt the whole countrey and themselues also rather then he should prosper too fast and therefore they dammed vp the wells that his seruants had Gen. 26. 15 digged vvhich in those hot countries vvere of exceding great vse So Rahel being possessed vvith an immoderate desire of children enuied her sister Leah because shee was Gen. 30. 3 fruitfull her owne barrennesse did not so much discontent her as her sisters fruitfulnesse and therfore rather then Leah should goe beyond her she would haue her husband to defile himselfe with her maid Many such Rahels there are in the world who are not so much discontented and grieued at their own meanenesse as at others highnesse at their owne basenesse in apparell as at the new fashions of others c. Vse 1 Which may teach vs when we find enuie in our selues to take notice that there is in vs a maruellous loue of earthly things Many men and women if they should bee askt the question whether they lusted after earthly things or not would answere nay they hope they haue not heard so many Sermons nor made so many prayers to so little purpose that now at length they should be ouertaken with