Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	work_n	work_v	worker_n	17	3	11.2170	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41537	Two discourses I. of the punishment of sin in hell, demonstrating the wrath of God to be the immediate cause thereof : II. proving a state of glory for just men upon their dissolution / by Tho. Goodwin ...	Goodwin, Thomas, 1600-1680.	1693 (1693)	Wing G1263; ESTC R22738	152,445	370

at home in this Body this earthly Tabernacle it is not capable of this Sight of the Glory of God i. e. as to continue in the Body and enjoy it for it would crack this earthen Vessel as 1 Cor. 15. 50. Flesh and Blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God And altho Paul as a Stander-by was an Over-hearer 2 Cor. 12. and an Eye-witness by way of Revelation and Vision of what the Spirits of Just Men in Glory do enjoy Even as on the contrary the Angels are often Standers-by on Earth and Overseers of us what is therein done as the Phrase is Zech. 3. 7. yet he was not estated into it or admitted a Possessor thereof himself no more than Angels into an earthly estate and therefore could not say whether the Revelation vouchsafed him might not be in the Body as well as out of it Whereas God had otherwise long since peremptorily determined that Question That no Man could see God and live that is at once continue in this Body and see him face to face And Paul here in my Text also determines it That whilst we are at home in the Body as now we are absent from the Lord. They are two incompatible Estates But still when that which thus lets this Body is taken out of the way the Soul it self is sufficiently capable as truly as ever it shall be §. But if this Argument from these be yet judged not home enough but short Then let us in the fourth place add what Force the third Premise will give to it concerning the Time of God's working on us to drive all closer home namely That God hath wrought upon the Soul in this Life all that ever he means to work by way of Preparation for Glory For this thing God hath wrought us which tho it might with the Enlargements and Sub-Arguments that now shall follow be made an Argument alone yet I choose to cast it into this Total to make the whole the more strong Therefore 4. gather up the Demonstrations thus If the Soul be the immediate and first Subject of Grace which is a preparation to Glory and capable of this Glory when out of the body And God the great Agent or Worker hath wrought all that ever he means to work in it this way by way of preparation to Glory Then as Peter said in the case of admitting the Gentiles to Baptism What should hinder that these Souls should not be glorified Act. 10 47. instantly when out of their bodies If indeed as the Papists and corrupted Jews and Heathens have feigned there were any work to be after wrought a Purgatory or the like Then a Demurre or Caveat might be yet put in to suspend this their admission into Glory But the contrary being the truth then c. Now the strength of the Argument from this latter superadded to the rest stands upon two strong Grounds First if we consider what is common to God in this with all other but ordinarywise Efficients or Workers that are intent upon their Ends which must be given to him the only Wise All-powerful God who is here said as an Efficient to work us for this End When any ordinary Efficient hath brought his Work to a period and done as much to such or such an End as he means to do he delays not to accomplish his End and bring it to execution unless some over-powring impediment do lie in his way to it If you have bestowed long great Cost upon any of your Children to fit and prepare them for any Imployment The Vniversity suppose or other Calling Do you then let these your Children lie Truants idle and asleep at home and not put them forth to that which you at first designed that their Education unto Will you suffer them in this case to lose their time Do you know how to do good to your Children and doth not God We see God doth thus in Nature We say when the Matter is as fully prepared as ever it shall be that the forms enter without delay Now Grace is expresly termed a preparation to Glory Also God doth observe this in working of Grace it self when the Soul is as fully humbled and emptied and thereby prepared for the Lord by John Baptists Ministry as he means to prepare it the work of justifying Faith presently follows In all his Dispensations of Judgments or Mercies he observes the same When mens sins are at full as of the Amorites he stays not a moment to execute Judgment So in answering the Faith of his People waiting on him for Mercies And thus it is for Glory I have glorified thee on earth the only place and condition of our glorifying God I have finished the work thou gavest me to do And now what now and presently now remains there follows Glorifie me c. Thus spake Christ our Pattern Secondly there is this further falls out in this Case and Condition of such a Soul as doth indeed call for this out of a kinde of necessity and not of congruity only For whereas by God's Ordination there are two ways of Communion with him and but two unto all Eternity either that of Faith which we have at present and of Sight which is for hereafter Into these two the Apostle resolves all God's Dispensations to us ver 7. of this Chapter We walk by faith namely in this life not by sight And again 1 Cor. 13. 12. Now we see in a glass Then face to face These two Now and Then do divide the Dispensations for Eternity of time to come The like in Peter 1 Epist 1. 8. In whom though Now you see him not as you one day shall yet believing If therefore when the Soul goes out of the Body that way of communion with God by Faith utterly ceaseth (a) 2 Cor. 13. 8 13. that door and passage will be quite shut up God having (b) 1 Thes 1. 11. John 6. 28. fulfilled all the work of faith The work of God with power that ever he intendeth Then surely Sight must succeed according to God's Ordination or otherwise this would inevitably follow That the Soul would be for that interim until the Resurrection cut off from all communion with God whatever having yet all its acquired holiness of Sanctification abiding in it and Righteousness accompanying of it all that while Look therefore as a Childe hath two and but two wayes of living and when the one ceaseth the other succeeds or Death would follow In the Womb it lives by nourishment from the Navel without so much as breathing at the mouth but it no sooner comes into the world but that former means is cut off and it liveth by breath and taking in nourishment by the mouth or it must instantly die So stands the case with the Soul here between Faith and Sight So that we must either affirm That the Souls dies to all spiritual actings and communions with God until the Resurrection which those Scriptures so much do

but the Perishings of this outward Man as also All things and dispensations else that do befal us they are secretly at work too all that while so set to work by God who works the inner Man daily unto such a measure of Grace and these to work and by his Ordination procure a proportionable Weight for God works all these things in Weight and Measure our light Affliction works for us a far more exceeding and eternal Weight of Glory as shall in a comely and in the exactest manner answer and suit that curious Workmanship on the inward-man and it is observable that the same Word for working is used in that verse that is used in my Text but yet these are but outwardly a work as inferiour Artificers or Instruments Therefore 3. He further declares verse 1. of this Chapter that God himself is at work about this Glory who as the Master-workman that hath the draught and platform of all afore him drawn by his own designing he viewing the inward work on us the outward work of means and dispensations and knows afore-hand what degree of holiness to bring us ultimately unto he according unto these as patterns is a framing a Building for us in Heaven exactly suited to the working of all the other which building he prepares and makes ready for this inner Man to entertain it when the body is dissolved If our earthly House were dissolved we have a Building of God an House not made with hands of either Men or Means or of our own Graces but of God But every Soul hath a State of Glory proportioned to all these ready built for it against this time even as Statues in Stone are framed and carved to be set up in such a curious Arch framed for them by the Builder Now then 4. Add but the Words of my Text which is the close of this his discourse And it opens all the Scene He that wrought us for this self-same thing is God The Apostle's Conclusion answers his beginning he began in chap. 4. ver 16. and the circle ends in my Text. And this is God who is wise in working and wonderful in counsel §. But there is a third point yet remains Doctrine III. That it is the interest and engagement of all Three Persons to see to it that a righteous separate Soul be brought to Glory at dissolution And this carries it yet higher even to the highest and gives the most superabundant security and assurance of this thing that can be given and superadds above all the former But you will ask me How I fetch this out of my Text Thus 1. You see here are Two Persons expresly named God the Father namely and the Spirit That 's a Rule that where the name God and then some besides other of the Two Persons Christ or the Spirit are mentioned therewith as distinct There God is put personally not essentially only to express the Father Now here the Spirit or holy Ghost is mentioned distinct from God For it is said That this God hath given the Spirit which also Christ so often speaketh of the Father as I need not insist on it 2. It is another Rule that in any Scripture where Two Persons are mentioned as concurring in any thing or matter There the other Third Person also must be understood to have his special share therein also as when he wisheth Grace and Peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ 'T is certain the holy Ghost is as specially understood as indeed we find him in that Apostolical Blessing as distinctly spoken of as the Father or Christ Thus it must be here Christ must be taken in who also in John is so often said to give the Spirit when the Father gives him as it is said here he hath For this same thing But 3. You have even Christ also not far off interested in this self-same thing in the next verse and ver 8. Absence from the Lord whilst in the body ver 6. and present with the Lord when separate from the body ver 8. This Lord is Christ the Phrase of the New Testament concerning Christ runs in this stile To be with Christ This day with me To be where I am and see my Glory So Christ To be with Christ is best of all and we shall be ever with the Lord. So Paul Use I. Doth God work Us for this thing ere he brings us to it What hath God wrought hitherto upon Thee or Thee in order to this end 'T is a blunt question but the Text puts it in my mouth How many Souls are there living in the profession of Christianity that know not what this means to have a work wrought on them anew upon them over and above what moral Honesty which was Nature's portion and the common profession of Christianity adds thereunto by custom and meer Education An honest Turk professing also and observing the Principles of his Religion upon the ground of his Education onely and a Religon every Man must have will as soon go to Heaven as Thou for all thy Religion is founded but upon the like Foundation that his is I tell thee that Christian Religion is not a thing so cheap nor Salvation by Christ at so low a rate Thou must have a Work upon thy Soul suited unto all the Truths thus professed in the power and efficacy of them They must enter thy Soul by a spiritual Faith and Frame and mould it anew to a likeness to them Carry home therefore the Caveat our Apostle hath put in ver 3. If so be that being clothed we be not founded naked of Grace and Holiness wrought and Christ's Righteousness by spiritual efficacious Faith applied Faith in earnest bowing the Soul to be obedient unto Christ as heartily and as honestly as it expects Salvation by Christ as without which thou wilt never be saved This is our Religion and when at death thy Soul thy poor lonesome Soul being stript of all things in this World even the Body and all shall come afore the great God and Jesus Christ what will the enquiry be as Mat. 22. 11. When the King came in to see the Guests he saw a Man had not the Wedding-garment he spied him out And the Man was speechless ver 12. Take him and bind him says he and cast him into utter darkness ver 13. The other that were clothed were admitted unto the Marriage and as the Psalmist the words of which are here alluded unto She was brought unto the King the very Title which in both these places is given to Christ see ver 11. in Rayment of Needle-work and this clothing is of God's working and so my Text falls in with both There is no admission unto Christ without it This the first Vse Use II. Hath God began to work this good work in thee he will perfect it whereof the Text gives this assurance that he hath wrought it for this thing that is for this end and God will not lose his