Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heaven_n	able_a	earth_n	lord_n	2,703	5	3.5647	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A78180	The regenerate mans growth in grace. Shewing, that regeneration of necessitie requireth augmentation in grace. With the motives to move us to grow, signes to know whether we have grown; the lets that hinder our growth; and helps to further our growth. / Preached at a sermon at Lancaster, upon a day of humiliation, by N.B. minister thereof.	Barnett, Nehemiah, b. 1614 or 15.	1646 (1646)	Wing B875; Thomason E1165_1; ESTC R210099	23,846	95

and prove a good preservative against prodigality of time Yea the knowledge of this mis-pent time will make us runne more swifter in our spirituall race towards heaven This spirituall examination 3 Moti will administer wonderfull consolation to that Christian that shall finde by this search that he is a growing Branch in Gods Orchard for thereby he shall bee assured that he is partaker of the spirituall juice of the true Olive tree By this growth he may be assured that he hath this spirituall life of Regeneration which assurance comes with comfort to the soule like the Angel to the shepheard the comfort is that he may be assured he is the Sonne of God which comfortable words whispered in the eares of a dejected soule were enough to make him leape for joy this is comfort that will make him caper this is comfort that makes the rough waies to Heaven seeme pleasant this comfort revives the heart of Gods children after they have beene tossed with afflictions There is no tongue able to expresse the inestimable sweetnesse of that consolation that is comunicated to a Christian by a sensible feeling of a growth of grace it is that sweet stream of pleasure which comming from the bankes of Heaven waters by secret passages the hearts of the godly I l'e appeale to the Regenerate whether they can finde any comfort like to this The Children of God are not able to conseale this comfort that call to their brethren saying come and I l'e tell you what God hath done for my soule In the examination by it selfe we shall discover to every one these signes whether they have grown or no. I may perceive a childe hath growne Signe 1 when he hath a stronger disgestion milke is for Babes but if he can disgest other meates that are stronger it argues that he hath growne So a Christian may be discerned to have grown when he can disgest stronger points of Reprehensions and Exhortations When he can brook the threatning of the law as well as the promise of the Gospel When he can disgest harsh Doctrines which are terrifying to the flesh as well as pleasing promises which are refreshing to the soule In a word When he can disgest rigorous precepts for the reformation of his life as well as sweet sentences for the Salvation of life This man hath a good disgestion which is a signe he is grown in grace past a child he will quickly become a tall Christian a strong man This is the first signe to discover your growth Secondly Signe 2 We all can diserne a child to have growne by his garments when they are grown too short for him that they will not cover his nakednesse you will conclude he hath grown So when the Spirit of God shall discover our corruption that thereby we doe discerne the garments of our righteousnesse too short to cover our wickednesse to hide our spirituall nakednesse Then we might conclude we have grown When Gods spirit discovers unto us our impiety and shewes us our spirituall poverty and uncovers our wretchednesse and makes naked our unrighteousnesse so that we see the garments of righteousnesse too short for us then we fly to the righteousnesse of Christ Jesus who hath garments fit for all Gods Saints but none can be partaker of it but by the union which he hath with Christ Jesus his diety being the fountaine from whence all grace and Salvation doth flow and his humanity being the Conduit by which all the waters of Gods grace be conveyed to us from him as from a Fountaine wee have strength from him we have life from him and by the vertue of this Vine we grow more and more in grace This is the second signe Thirdly Signe 3 We may know a child to have growne when we finde him more serviceable to us when for his strength he is able to performe some service for us So if we are growne in grace we are able to performe more acceptable service to God we are more active in his service as long as we are in our Minority we are but Pidlers in his service we can do nothing to any purpose nothing worthy-praise nothing worth acceptance but when we are grown to some strength we are more serviceable in the Church of God to strengthen weake Christians to raise up them that are fallen to comfort those that are afflicted by our exhortation supplications when we can cry Abba father when we are able to put up petitions to the Court of Heaven that are prevalent both for our selves and others when our faith is growne stronger then when we were first converted when our love is growne from a few friends to the love of many when our patience growes meeker our humility lower for humility is best when it is lowest when you shall finde it with Iob in the dust there it growes both in favour of God and man This is the third signe Fourthly Signe 4 When a childe is able to beare a burden it argues that hee is growne So when a Christian is better able to beare the burden of affliction and crosses it argues that he is growne in grace Before we were converted the least wrong molested us now we can beare a loade of injuries once words would provoke us once wee accounted sufferings torments afflictions punishments now wee account them preferments when persecution for Christs sake and the Gospell is held our honour and dignity Ipsamque Crucem Coronam And the Crosse a Crowne Then wee may conclude wee are growne in grace 1. Was not Paul grown to be a strong Christian that could say Who could separate us from the love of Christ Rom. 8.38 neither tribulation nor anguish nor persecution shall be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus and what Saint Paul promised he performed for all this he was able to beare for though the sword separated his head from his shoulders yet it was not able to separate him from his head Christ Jesus 2. Was not Job growne to be a strong Christian that he could beare such a burden of affliction they were such as if heaven and earth had conspired to over-load him yet he was growne able to beare them and resolved though the Lord would kill him he would put his trust in him Job 13.5 3. Is it not manifest that David was growne to be a strong Christian that he could bear such a heavy burden of persecution though he was a man after Gods owne heart yet here he was but as a Pelican in the wildernesse his afflictions were such that he went still with weeping eyes while he lived in this valley of teares These strong Christians knew there was no Crowne without crosses no reigning without suffering though Aegritudo carneni vulnerat sed mentem curat Afflictions wound the flesh but cure the spirit Grow then in grace that we may be able to beare the burden of affliction Of exhortation Vse 3 to exhort all to approve

and to the world that we are growing and fruitfull Branches inoculated by the Art of Regeneration into the stocke of our Vine Christ Jesus Reasons why a Regenerate man must be a growing man We should grow in grace Reas 1 that wee might credit Christ our Schoole-master For God our heavenly Father would have us to make it appeare that we have beene in Christs Schoole and prove good prosicients in grace we know it is a dishonour and great disparadgement to a Schoole-master a discredit and great disgrace to a Scholler to be found a non-proficient a loyterer a dunce in learning But let it never be said that we are non-proficients loyterers dunces in the Schoole of Christ Our Vniversities admit of no Schollers in those famous Societies but such that are as well growne in some good measure of learning as of stature So here it holds true no Abcedarie can be admitted to the Vniversitie of glory but first he must bee admitted into the free-schoole of Election and there well grounded in the Grammar of grace well skild in the Art of mortification and every day reade a lecture of Repentance and I must tell him in this Schoole he must sometimes tast of the whip and scourge of affliction and he must not onely be a good Artist but a good Linguist especially be able to speake the language of Canaan Then I may boldly say he is fit for the Academie of heaven where he shall finde God his Creator to be his chiefe Chancellour Christ his Redeemer to be his Tutor the blessed Saints and Angels to be his fellow Pupills and there take the degrees of glory according to the growth of his grace Then grow in grace We should be growing or make an Augmentation of our grace Reas 2 because here we are short of perfection were it not a monster in Divinity to say that a Christian can attaine to a perfection of grace in this life Doth not Saint Paul bid us run which argues 1 Cor. 9.24 that we have not yet got the goale of perfection Doth not he bid us fight which argues 1 Tim. 6.12 we have not yet got the conquest over it And doth not Saint Peter here bid us grow which argues we have not growne to perfection The best of us are but striplings and Infants in goodnesse the truth is we are but in the wombe of the Church while we live in this world our deaths day must be our birth day till then we must be making a continuall Addition of grace to that we have received I deny not but the grace we received at first may be said to be perfect in regard of parts as a childe is so farre a perfect man because it hath all the parts of a man but not perfect in respect of degrees so that when we first receive this grace we are but babes in Christ yet babes may be tall men in time Wherefore if we that are Schollers in Christs Schoole would credit our Schoole-master If we that are babes in Christ would come to perfection Then let us grow in grace c. We should grow in grace Reas 3 that we might be helpers in the Church of God to strengthen the weake Christians and to comfort those that are afflicted Will it not be a comfort to any Minister or private person that hath been an instrument to further the growth of grace in any He may say with Saint Paul what is our hope our joy our crown of rejoycing Is it not you in the presence of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ at his comming 1 Thes 2.19 Therfore we should not satisfie our selves with what grace we have but labour to get more make our selves unsatiable coveteous after grace and never thinke we have enough labour every day to be more holy more heavenly minded more patient more temporate more praierfull That the weake may be strengthened by our vertues and may by our good works which they shall behold glorifie God in the day of visitation 1 Pet 2.12 And that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble 2 Cor. 1.4 by the comfort wherewith we our selves are comforted of God Grow grow I say every day better and better if we would have Gods favour and desire to be compast under the clouds of his protection If we would administer comfort to our owne consciences and gaine us glory in Christs Kingdome if we would credit Christ our Schoole-master if we desire to attaine to perfection and would become helpers in the Church of God to strengthen the weake and comfort the afflicted Then grow in grace We should grow in grace least we being led away with the errour of the wicked Reas 4 fall from our owne stedfastnesse 2 Pet. 3.17 For we shall meere with many enemies and have many sieges that wee shall not be able to keepe our standing in grace unlesse we be growne to some strength in grace for no sooner is the fallow-ground of our hearts plowed and the seed of Gods grace sown ther but presently Satan that enemy of our soules is ready to steale it away Mat. 13.25 and sowe his tares there No sooner hath God laden the ship of our soules with the treasures of his grace but the Divell is ready like a Pirate to rob us of it and strives to make shipwracke of our soules He still is striving by the fierce tempests of his temptation to split our soules against the rockes of despaire and will still be labouring with his mustring forces to stop our happy progresse in grace Hee 'le come to us with Haec omnia tibi dabo All these things will I give thee if wee 'le hearken to him and envying our growth doth still labour to nippe our budding graces with the cold frost of affliction and tempests of of temptation therefore they that must goe into boysterous tempests had neede to be grown to be men and not children But we must all through the boysterous tempests of Satans stormes and therefore had neede to bee grown to some strength height in grace otherwise we should never be able to hold our steadfastnesse If we would credit Christ our Schoolemaster if we would attaine to perfection if we would be able to strengthen the weake and keepe our former steadfastnesse Grow then in grace We should grow in grace Reas 5 Because if we are not still growing we shall be declining if we grow not better it will not be long but we shall grow worse There will be a sensible decaying of grace if there be not a continuall addition of grace The fire will decay unlesse it be fed with fewell Grace will be decaying unlesse we be continually adding to what we have received Christianity doth admit of no Solstice but a continuall spring as long as we have the life of grace It is a saying not so old as true Non progredi est regredi not to goe forward in the growth of grace is to goe