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	word_n	4,972	5	5.3021	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A02184	Two learned and godly sermons, preached by that reuerende and zelous man M. Richard Greenham: on these partes of scripture folowing. The first sermon on this text. A good name is to be desired aboue great riches, and louing fauour aboue siluer and golde. Pro. 22, I. The second sermon on this text. Quench not the spirit. I. Thessa. 5, 19	Greenham, Richard.	1595 (1595)	STC 12325; ESTC S115658	28,254	92

and doth as it were withall put lyfe into those thynges which are capable of lyfe for whilest a man is frozen and starued for colde he is numbde and as it were without lyfe but being brought to the fire he is hot he is reuiued he is cheared and then become actiue and nimble these are the properties of fire and these do in some maner part resemble vnto vs the workes of the spirite for when the spirite of God seaseth vpon a man and then entreth into his soule then it beginneth to wast and consume in him those noysome lustes and other stubble which is in him Secondly it doth purge vs from grosse sinnes and dayly more and more fume vs that we may be a cleane and holy Temple for him to dwell in Thirdly it is a shynyng lyght euer burning and continually giuing light vnto vs in that way which we haue to walke And lastly heateth and inflameth in vs zeale of Gods glorie with a care of our duetie and with a loue of all mankinde yea withall it putteth lyfe and lust into vs to walke in that good way in which it doth leade vs and do all those good workes by the which we may glorifie God and be commodious to men Thus we see what lykelihood there is betweene the spirite and fire nay it is called fire for Iohn sayth That Christ should baptise with the holy ghost and with fire that is with the holy ghost which is lyke fire Therefore as truely as we may say there is fire where we see strawe and such lyke thynges consumed or gold and siluer finely purged or great lyght in darke places or great heate in bodyes that were nummed before euen so certainely we may perswade our selues that the spirit of God is in vs when we see the corruption that is in vs consumed our soules purged from the drosse of sinne our harts inlyghtned and made hot in walking and working according to the lyght The seconde question to be considered is whether that man which hath once tasted of the spirite may loose it and haue it quenched in him To this it may be sayd that because the spirite of God commeth to worketh in diuers men diuesly in diuers measures therefore we must consider of the working of the spirite and frame our answere accordingly First then there is a lyghter and a lesser working of the spirite which may be quenched in them that haue it and that this inferiour or lesser kinde of working may be taken away appeareth playnely by the parable of the seede which our sauiour Christ propoundeth for that besides them that receaue the worde into good grounde and bring foorth fruites some an hundreth some thirtie some sixtie folde he doth also make mention of some others that receaued the worde and yet continued not and what had not these the spirite of God in them yes doubtles for they receaued the worde yea they receaued it gladly and that which is more they beleeued it when as they had receaued it Beholde then three fruites of good spirites in these men and yet they continue not for they beleeued in deede but their fayth was temperacie it lasted but for a tyme and after a tyme it vanished away and the spirit departed from them for eyther the pleasures or the profites of this lyfe did draw out the graces of God and dry them vp or els the fierie heate of persecution did quite consume them More plaine notable for this purpose is that in that other to the Hebrewes for there the Apostle sayth That some may taste of the holy ghost and thereby be made to taste of the good worde of God to be inlightned to receaue heauenly giftes yea and the taste of the lyfe to come and what then surely the Apostle sayth That if such fall it is impossible they shoulde be renewed geuing vs to vnderstande that euen they that haue bin inlyghtned and that haue receaued heauenly gyftes and haue tasted of the power of the lyfe to come euen such may fall away and haue the spirite quenched in them There is a seconde kinde of working of the spirite which is a more effectuall working which is neuer taken from them that haue receaued it this the Apostle describeth when he sayth That the chosen of God are begotten agayne of the immortall seede of the worde that is not a bare receauing or lyght tasting of the worde but it is the deepe tasting of the same whereby we are begotten and borne agayne The Apostle Iohn setteth downe an other note of that saying That they that are thus borne agayne can not sinne that is can not make an occupation of sinne they can not fall flat away by sinne and why Because the seede of Gods worde abydeth in them euen that seede wherwith they were begotten to a lyuely hope of life euen that seede doth abyde and will abyde euen to the ende Who so is begotten agayne by this seede and hath it abyding in him that the spirite hath wrought in him which shall not be taken from him for that the father is mightier then all and therefore our sauiour Christ sayd The wordes that I speake are spirite and lyfe Therefore in an other place he sayth It is impossible that the elect shoulde be seduced Then we see the question is answered namely that there is an inferiour working which may be lost and a more effectuall working which can not be taken from them that haue it And this must not seeme strange to vs neyther must we be offended that the Lord doth take some and leaue some or that he should begin in some and not bryng his worke to perfection For he dealeth with them as with Corne. Some Corne is sowen neuer ryseth some springeth and yet shortly wythereth some groweth vp in the eare and yet is striken and blasted and other some at his good pleasure come to a timely ripenesse In lyke maner some trees are planted and neuer take roote some take roote and yet not blossome some blossome neuer bring foorth fruite and other some through his goodnesse do bring foorth fruite in good season If the Lorde deale so with the plant and hearbe of the fielde why may he not deale so with vs the sonnes of men If we can not conceaue the reason of this we must holde our peace for all the workes of God are done in righteousnesse and all our knowledge is vnperfect and therefore we must accuse our selues rather of ignorance then the Lord of vnrighteousnesse nay our selues do deale in lyke sort with those thynges which are vnder our handes In Colledges Fellowes are first chosen to be probationers and if they be then approued they be made Fellowes otherwyse not If a man being chyldlesse do take vnto him some friendes chylde to make him heyre of all his goodes he wyll keepe him vpon lyking if his manners be honest he shalbe preferred he may be set ouer all his familie and yet afterward for some

good name and credite and therfore surely more to be regarded and obserued of vs. For first of all we see what force the good credite of the reformed Churches hath to perswade men to imbrace trueth and how soone men wilbe moued to continue stedfast when they see the steadfast continuance of good men in all godlynesse Agayne we know what great offence is geuen to the weake when whole churches or some perticuler persons do not stande in credite nor maynteyne by goodnes their good name which they had gotten by great vertues The very heathen did see this and therefore they say it was as great a prayse to keepe prayse as to get it yea and when they saw what great inconuenience it would aryse when men did not satisfie the expectation of the people they thought much better neuer to haue any good report among men then to loose it after it had bin gotten therefore to shut vp this whole matter in one word if any man if any household if any towne if any countrey be carefull to haue an honest report amongst men then they must eschew euyll and doe good then must they seeke peace and pursue it and if once hauing gotten a good name they would gladly keepe it thē they must vse the same meanes c. so shall they haue it both of God and man Now because men do suffer much discredite and are very yll reported of amongst men it shalbe good to consider what profite and vse we may make of such reproches and euill reportes and this we shall do the better if we consider and know vpon what groundes these reproches do arise First therefore we must learne that men may be ill reported of eyther for euill or well doing When men therefore are euill spoken of they must trie first whether it be for euil or good and if it be for euill then must they go a degree further to finde whether it be for some euill worke which they haue committed or for some occasion which they haue giuen When a man is euill reported of for some euil deede he hath done that euyll deene of his is eyther manifestly knowen or els vnknowen And sure it is a thyng most common amongst men to suffer discredite for open and grosse sinnes yet very fewe doe rightly profite by it For some are shamelesse and care not what men say of them and therefore in deede are vnfitte to receyue any profite by suche reportes therefore after the most sharpe and seueere censure of the Churche they must be committed to the handes of the Magistrate to be punished in the purse and the body and yet surely suche are their whoryshe faces that there is small hope of amendement in them For it doth often come to passe that they which wyll not profite by the Churche can not receyue profite by the Magistrate Therefore after all this they must be left to the Lorde to worke yf it be his wyll by some extraordinarie meanes vpon their hartes which are exceedyngly hardoned Other some there be who being put to open shame are sorowful in deede but this sorow is because they susteine open shame rather then for this that they haue sinned agaynst the Lorde These are in some degree better then the former and yet they come not so far as they ought to do For the deuill hauing bewitched thē doth perswade them that it is no such matter as men would make it and that as a wonder lasteth but nine dayes so this shame shalbe of no longer cōtinuance Thus they are letted so that the shame can not sinke into their hartes there to worke godly sorrowe which may bryng foorth vnfeygned repentance This is dayly seene in Theeues and Whores and suche lyke malefactours who though they make large promises of amendement yet the punishment being passed they fall into their former filthinesse agayne but some thynke that they do dissemble and deale deceitefully but I thinke that they thinke as they speake and that they speake with sorow and griefe For will a Theefe purpose to steale agayne when he is to be hanged Will a childe purpose to play the wanton when he is a beating no doubtlesse but in the one there is chyldishnesse to speake without aduice in the other is seruilenesse to be mooued with nothyng but present feare I graunt in deede that there is hipocrasie in them yet that grosse hipocrasie whereby men labour to deceyue others is not in them but that most close and most dangerous hipocrasie whereby the deuill hath beguyled their owne hartes through his subtiltie This witcherie of the deuill I say is the cause why many promysing amendement doe not performe the same Thus we see how men doe misse of that profite which ought to be reaped of open shame We therefore are to take a better course and to labour that as our faces do blushe before men so our soules may be confounded before the Lord that being throughly humbled vnder his hande by godly sorow it may please him in mercie to rayse vs vp Now if we doubt whether our sorow be sounde or no let vs try it by these two rules First whether we can with contented myndes take the punishment as a correction from the Lord and yet mourne and be greeued for the sinne and yet in such maner as geuing place to Gods iustice in punishyng we can labour for mercie in the forgiuenesse of sinnes Secondly eyther when we could keepe the sinne close we can yet with Dauid freely confesse and say Agaynst thee O Lord haue I sinned This if we can do it is a sure argument that our sorow is godly and that we haue profited well by that reproch which our sinne did bryng vppon vs. As the sinne is sometyme so euident that it can not be couered so agayne the sinne in deede may be committed and yet eyther not knowen nor suspected or els probable by suspitions when the sinne is in this case the Lorde may cause a man that hath so sinned to be accused or euyll spoken of for that sinne Heere the partie offendyng must first learne to deale wysely and in suche maner as the sinne may be kept close styll yf it may be done without any other sinne But yf an othe of the Lorde be required then yf we giue God the glory though it be with our owne shame and confesse the fault Secondly that for the profite that must be made of such reportes we must learne with thankefull hartes to receyue this mercifull chastisement of the Lorde and acknowledge it to his prayse for he might haue punished vs for those sinnes which were manifest yet he hath passed ouer them he might haue made these knowen but he spared our name and our credite therefore for a seconde fruite this mercie of the Lorde must leade vs to repentaunce and to an earnest sorow for all our sinnes For it were too too grosse that we shoulde continue in sinne because we can not be conuicted of sinne For