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	worthy_a	year_n	18	3	4.5228	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A03694	The Christian gouernour, in the common-wealth, and priuate families described by Dauid, in his 101. Psalme. Guiding all men in a right course to heauen. Herewith also a part of the parable of the lost sonne. Luke 15. Both expounded and opened by Robert Horn. With the doctrines and vses thence arising. The more particular contents see on the page following.	Horne, Robert, 1565-1640.	1614 (1614)	STC 13821; ESTC S121133	164,903	442

such want or is the Lord prouoked for these onely to bring great necessitie vpon a Land Surely though these be great Wormes of the wealth of a Nation yet there are moe consumers then these For haue not the Prodigall Sonnes of our Countrey some of them vvasted their goods and flesh with Harlots who rising vp full haue neighed after their neighbours wiues as a fed Horse after his Mate● Ier. 5.8 Haue not some laid but all vpon vaine and chargeable brauery from their Hat-string to their shooe-strings Haue not some hid their Talent and Patrimonie in gorgeous and costly buildings desiring to dwell in larger houses then their fathers builded without all desire and care to keepe the good houses their fathers long maintayned Haue not some turned all into smoake by making that to passe through their mouth and nosthrils in townes and Cities which should in good and charitable Hospitalitie haue gone through the chimnies of their fayre Houses in the Country whereof some like a Plague-house stand euer shut vp Haue not some hauing turned all to destruction with the riots of Dice and Gaming turned beggars who were Gentlemen well descended and left And how great is the number of those who hauing filled their mouths with the smoke that hath beene spoken of call in for their pottels and gallons to quench it with large drunkennesse When wee consider such generall abuse of Gods blessings and mens vnthankefulnesse for them what maruell if God punish vs with scarcitie of fruits and pouertie of estate For this cause the Lord wrought fearefully in our eyes the last Summer and the beginning of this Let vs not forget his worke his great worke worthy to be remembred The last Summer there was little grasse to make into hay this Summer and yeere a great yeere of grasse the ground neuer in mans memorie better clad with that commoditie Yet how was her faire cloathing with grasse soyled with dirt in many flouded Medowes within the Land this yeere The last Summer the Sunne in his open chariot this Summer or the beginning of this in his chariot couered with clouds The last Summer glorious the beginning of this wading in water The Heauens the last Summer as brasse ouer our heads this Summer or beginning of this as a Spring or Conduit The last Summer bright and shining this Summer blacke like a Hayre-cloath ouer-cast vvith darknesse The earth the last Summer as an Iron-earth the beginning of this as a marish-earth The last Summer gaping with thirst the beginning of this drowned in raine and waters Doth the Lord worke so strangely and contrarily in two yeeres so neare together and in two Summers immediately following one another to leaue no impression and to get no audience Is it not to shew what power he hath both in his right and left arme that the carelesse in our Land may feare and be humbled before his great glory Is it not to make them to call their sinne to remembrance and their hearts to repentance This is the end of the Lords smiting a Land with sore diseases and long dearth that that Land by such visitation and humblings might mourne girded with sacke-cloath like a virgin for the husband of her youth Ioel 1.8 But if for all this it laugh and reioyce with sinners the Lord hath not lost that correction for hee will loose nothing by any that is hardened desperately in his sinne but hath left it as his witness● among vs of a smarter if the easier cannot preuaile or of our most certaine destruction if he shall say why should ye be smitten any more Esa. 1.5 A reproofe of those who in a matter of such punishment as this Land hath beene lately vnder by two vnseasonable Sommers looke not into their sinnes as causes but altogether into the face of the skie and the distempers there blaming them Wee set our sinnes against God and hee setteth his creatures for sinne against vs. Wee refuse to serue God they grudge as much to serue vs. A wise man considereth this and considering findeth in his Christian search the true cause of all such distempers in the skie and alterations on earth to be in that ill vveather that commeth from the corrupt Ayre and mud of the age and times in which wickednes so aboundeth Hee that gathereth other wayes is vnwise or as one that is blinde and can not see a farre off 2. Pet. 1.9 It is so then that God did thunder maruailously with his voyce this yeere Iob 37.5 and in these parts on the Sabbath What maruaile when on the Sabbath vvee drumme against God hee on the Sabbath also should thunder against vs two or three Moones haue changed but vvith small change of the weather from euill to better and what maruaile if the weather bee not changed when our hearts are not changed and vvhen we looke into the change of the Moone and not to the change of our wayes If we would set the signe of the weather not in the Moone or Starres but in our good conuersation in Christ we should haue better signes of better seasons then haue lately appeared But some when there is any ill weather vp talke and complaine of some Coniurings abroad To such I may say if they would driue out of themselues Satans great host of lusts and those more then seuen or seuen-times seuen Deuils which haue so possessed them by customary and familiar sinnefulnesse they shall see a present calme and end in all stormes Iob sayth Miserie commeth not foorth of the dust Iob 5.6 his meaning is these miseries that so many complaine of● come from sinne not from the dust of the earth but from these bodies of dust and the bodie of sinne God is able to giue vs raine in season and the appointed weekes of the Haruest Ier. 5.24 The raine we haue had hath beene vnseasonable and the weekes vve haue seene haue proued vncomfortable Commeth this from the Earth and altogether from a troubled skie no but our iniquities haue turned away these things and our sinnes haue hindred good things from vs Ier. 5.25 When the childe beginneth to play vvith his meat a wise Father will take it from him vvee haue abused our plentie and doe still abuse it and what can vve looke for from so wise a Father as our Father in Heauen but penury and dearth after fulnesse so abused So farre of the punishment which was by occasion and generall vpon the Countrie that which was particular vpon this lost Sonne followeth And hee began to bee in necessitie The Countrie being punished with a great dearth the lost Sonne is here sayd to haue had his part in the generall affliction for hee also began to be in necessitie that is the generall want extended to him as his sinne was in it and hee tasted of the cup of the common calamitie Hee was in want and as appeareth by the 16. verse in great want which want and great want was layd vpon him iustly

that resteth in the heart Luk. 16.15 The Pharisees would pray euery where with great deuotion and fast euery weeke with great stricknesse and blow a Trumpet to their liberalitie and almes deedes that they might haue testimonie and receiue the prayse of zealous and good men from the world yet the Lord had them in vtter detestation which could not haue beene if there had beene any true loue in these things Vses A reproofe to those who are as one calleth Hypocrites signes without the things signified or Pottes seething in their scumme Hos. 2.10 Good men care not so good be done who haue the prayse but Hypocrites desire not so much to be doers of good as to haue glory for well doing therefore sayth the Tribe of Ephraim Why were not we called Iudg. 8.1 The godly abstayne from euill because it is euill and forbidden the vngodly if they forbeare to doe euill doe it for other ends as because the world may know it or hee that taketh vengeance for euill workes the ciuill Magistrate may heare of it and so it is like they shall be punished with shame or stripes Vpright men when they commit any sinne though neuer so secretly are not without feare because the Lord is priuie to it that knoweth the heart but the hypocrite so hee may keepe his credit with men careth not to keepe his sinne too and so feareth not God but Man or if his actions be straight that M●n see● he cares not how crooked his heart is that God sees Psa. 51.4 An admonition aboue all things to looke to the heart when eyther we serue God or doe seruice one to another by loue Pro. 4.23 Of the wise builder it is said that he digged deepe and layd the foundation on a Rocke Luk. 6.48 So of the sound hearted Christian it may be sayd that knowing how much loose earth is in him and that the heart is deceitfull aboue all things Ier. 17.9 when he meaneth to doe good duties to God and his Neighbour he entreth farre into himselfe searching his heart and bewayling his sinne that his building may be on a rocke and not on the sand for he purgeth away the leauen of hypocrisi● that hath infected his nature the loose and vnfast earth of a hollow and false heart he casteth forth and whatsoeuer may seeme contrary and offensiue to the worke of sound repentance he laboureth to be rid of in his entrance to reformation The Hypocrite contrarily makes quicke worke all his building is aboue ground and hee careth not how well hee doth any thing so he doe some thing he looketh not to his heart that it bee in order but to his outward wayes that they may not shame him If he leade a ciuill life and pertake of the word and Sacraments hee thinketh he hath done enough and that he is a Christian good enough But will a good builder meeting with an ill foundation build vpon it nay will he not throw out all that shall endanger his foundation And shall we lay a good worke vpon an vnsound heart To pray is a good action but will we lay the good action of prayer vpon the rubbish of an vncleane soule to God and vncharitable minde to our brother To receiue the Sacrament is a good worke but will wee lay the good worke of receiuing it vpon a foundation of malice or spirit of bitternes when we come together to eate of one bread and to drinke of one Cup To heare the word is a good dutie but will we doe the good dutie of hearing with deceitfull affections when we make shew to heare whatsoeuer the Lord will say vnto vs will wee not take h●ede how we heare Let vs therefore when we enter vpon any good way endeauour with an vpright sound heart to proceede therein else had it beene better neuer to haue entred or begun seeing wee haue set no surer in the path of grace A comfort to those whose hearts are sound in matters though their best works be mixed with the infimities of men for this that we desire vnfainedly when wee haue done amisse that wee had or could haue done better is imputed to vs for vprightnesse If sinne hang on vs and we would faine cast it off if we finde vnbeliefe and would gladly haue faith if we be troubled with hardnes and would be softned if we be humbled because we cannot bee humbled enough and haue great sorrow because we cannot be sufficiently sorry for our many sinnes let not our defects discourage vs but let this small measure of grace enbolden vs to enter before the throne of grace for a greater measure which God will not deny to those that prepare their whole heart to seeke him though in a person not clensed according to the purification of the Sanctuary 2 Chr. 30.19 and for perfection the Lord lookes not for it at our hands in this vaile of frail●ie The place followeth wherein the Prophet promiseth to walke in his vprightnes In the midst of mine house THe place where the Prophet will rightly order his way or vprightly walke is his priuate house or more priuate chamber Where his meaning is that he will be no changeling and that among his household-people where few behold him he will be the same that hee is abroad where many eyes see him Yea he will doe wisely in his chamber as if he were vpon the tribunall and be godly at home as if hee stood in the temple Here also by the midst of his house he meaneth the priuatest roomes of it as his priuie-chamber or bed-chamber and euen in these hee promiseth to doe nothing that shall be vncomely From whence this doctrine ariseth That Christians should carry themselues in their houses or alone by themselues as if they were in open place Many will pretend holinesse and professe honestie while the are ouer-looked by two good Tutors Open-place and Day-light but otherwayes when they be priuate or alone they giue themselues to wantonnes to worke all vncleanenes euen with greedynesse Eph. 4.19 Then because they are not vnder the eye of men they perswade themselues that the Lord shall not see them and that the God of Iacob will not regard them Psal. 94.7 and thus they flatter themselues in an euill way while their iniquitie is found worthy to be hated Iob speaking of thieues saith that they digge through houses in the darke making darknes the couer of their sinne Iob 24.16 So the eye of the Adulterer is sayde to waite for the twylight making that kinde of light a kinde of Bawde to his lewde life vers 15. And of the Murtherer it is sayde vers 14. that he riseth early or at breake of day to kill the poore making the morning as the shadow of death wherin to murther the innocent So they doe that in darknesse that they would not dare to doe in the light But Christians will walke vprightly as well at breake of day as at noone-day and vpon their