Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heaven_n	bread_n	life_n	live_a	3,622	5	10.6600	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A88580	The combate between the flesh and spirit. As also the wofull with-drawing of the Spirit of God, with the causes thereof: and walking in, and after the Spirit, together with the blessednesse thereof. Being the summe and substance of XXVII. sermons: preached a little before his death, by that faithfull servant of Christ, Mr. Christopher Love, late minister of the Gospel at Lawrence Jury London. To which is added the Christians directory tending to direct him in the various conditions that God may cast him into. In XV. sermons.	Love, Christopher, 1618-1651.	1654 (1654)	Wing L3149; Wing L3145; Thomason E742_2; ESTC R202772	325,954	459

things though you do follow your Trade which is lawfull and commendable yet if this makes thee neglect the duties of Gods service as Family-duties and closet-duties c. then you do abuse lawfull things and therein consisted Martha's abuse of lawfull things in Luke 10.40 Martha Martha thou art carefull and troubled about many things saies Christ she was troubled about the matters of the house but she neglected the one thing necessary the hearing of Christs voice And therefore all you that are Tradesmen men of great imployments in the world take a serious survey over your own hearts consider whether you do not rob God of his due and by your too eagerly pursuing the things of the world neglect the duties of his service 2. When you cannot take that naturall refreshment in the blessings of God which he allowes when you cannot eat your bread with quietness you are so perplext and ingulpht in the world that when as Solomon saies by reason of your abundance you cannot sleep when you have neither time to eat by day or sleep by night then you are too eager about the things of this world And thirdly when a man is restless and unsatisfied with his condition he would be greater and richer then he is and drive a greater Trade then he does this is to be too eager upon the things of the world 3. Another thing wherein men abuse the lawfull things of this world in their use is when they use them too dependingly when they trust and rely and depend too much upon the things of this world The comforts of this life may well be compared to the Reeds of Egypt that if a man leane upon them would not only deceive his expectations and break under him but pierce and run into his hand so if you rely too much upon the things of this world they will break and frustrate your hopes and fly away from you and pierce you through with many sorrowes It is a good observation that one hath saies he The World hangs upon nothing and therefore why should we depend upon that which hath no foundation 4. A man useth lawfull things abusively when he uses the world too carkingly when a man shal be so troubled with solicitousness what shall become of him and his Family hereafter in his old age that he cannot enjoy any comfort or quietness in what he possesses for the present then he abuseth the things of this world The things of this world are not durable and lasting and therefore we should not set our hearts upon them or be troubled at our future Estates but live without care as the Apostle saies in the next verse to my Text we should not be too carking and sollicitous about the things of the world Quest 3 We come now to the third Query what a Christian should do that in the use of the lawfull comforts of this life he may not abuse them but that he may use lawfull things lawfully what course should a Christian take that he may do thus Answ I shall dispatch this very briefly and shew you in 4 particulars how you may do to use lawfull things lawfully and not to abuse them 1. If you would use lawfull things lawfully use them spiritually and then you will not use them abusively use earthly things with a heavenly mind As wicked men do use spirituall things carnally so should you use carnall things spiritually that is while you are about carnall things you should make a spirituall use of them And thus our Saviour did when the people came about him for bread he took occasion thereby to tell them of the bread of life and of that Mannah that came down from Heaven that a man might eat thereof and not die So when the Samaritan woman was bufie at the well drawing of water Christ from thence took occasion to tell her of the water of life of living water that if a man drinks thereof he should never thirst more Thus did Christ improve carnall things spiritually A man may lawfully talk and discourse of worldly things of buying and selling and trading but still in the close there should be a touch of something that 's spirituall and heavenly A man will never use the world well till he uses it spiritually one that treats upon this subject saies that as he sate once in his study he saw a little Robin-red-breast pitch upon his window chirping and he presently made this spirituall use of it Saies he this poor Bird that knowes not where to abide but to rest upon a hedge and knowes not where to have a bit of meat or where she shall pick up the next crum yet she can sing and be merry and therefore why should I that have enough of the things of this world be dejected and troubled with care and solicitousness for them 2. Use the things of this world reflexively and then you will not use them abusively Reflect from the world up to God When you are enjoying any of the comforts of this life and find a relish and sweetness in any of the Creatures then by way of reflexion consider that if there be such a sweetness and deliciousness in the Creature what a sweetnesse is there in God the Creator if there be so much beauty and excellency in the Creature how much beauty and glory and transcendent excellency is there in God and in the Lord Jesus Christ if there be so much light and brightness in a Candle what is the light of the Sun the glory of Heaven and the splendor of the Lord Jesus Christ who is ten thousand times brighter then the Sun If you do thus use the world you will not abuse it If the Creature be so full of goodness and sweentess how full is God if there be such comfort in having an estate here below what cōfort is there in having grace in our hearts to enjoy those treasures that are incorruptible and fade not away which neither the moath nor rust can corrupt nor theeves break through and steal use the world as a Looking-glasse which casts a reflexion not as a mud-wall O beloved if we could thus in the use of all creature comforts look up to God and reflect upon the giver of them we should never abuse them 3. You must use the comforts of the world weanedly with weaned affections from them Thus David did though he were the King of Israel and sate upon the Throne yet he was as a weaned Child to the things of the world Psal 131. verse 1. Beloved you that have great Estates in the world should yet live with weaned affections from the world the Script●re does not only enjoyn Christians to crucifie the flesh but the world too They that are Christ have not only crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts as in Gal. 5.24 but they are crucified to the world too thus Paul was saies he I am crucified to the world and the world is crucified to me the world

Rachel that when she was a dying the Child being born she called its name Benoni the Son of my sorrow but now mark Ja●ob would not let it be called by that name the Mother called it by but he called it Benjamin the Sonne of my right hand And Divines give this Reason of it because if Jacob had suffered the Child to have been called by that name every time he had heard it it would have been a means to recall to mind the losse of his Wife who died while she was in labour with him and so have revived his grief and sorrow for it therefore we should not call to mind our afflictions so as to renew our sorrows 6. If you would keep your sorrows within bounds live much in the meditation and contemplation of divine things The reason why you mourn so much for things below is because you meditate no more on things above were your contemplations raised up to the speculation of divine and spirituall things the joy of these would swallow up your sorrow for the losse of any thing here below Adam in innocency did so converse with God that he did not see his own nakedness I have read of the Eagle that she is of a temper and condition contrary to all other Birds whereas all other Birds that fly when they are hurt or in want will cry and make a noyse as the Crane will chatter the Dove will mou●ne the Raven will croake all creatures will make a noyse when they are hart or in want but now the Eagle she will flye aloft towards the Sun and there recreate her selfe with its warme beames Oh now beloved that you would be Eagle like to soare up in your meditations heavenward to raise up your thoughts to spirituall and heavenly things and this would greatly allay your sorrowes for the losse of any outward comfort Rule 7 7. Labour to mourne for sin more and then you will mourne for outward afflictions lesse when once the conscience is touched with a penetentiall sorrow for sin it will then cease sorrowing for the losse of worldly comforts Oh Beloved the letting your sorrowes run out upon sin will divert them from any other object because when once the soul is in a veine of weeping for sin it sees and apprehends sin to be so great an evill that no evill in the world is so much a ground of sorrow as that and therefore if you would weep as if you wept not for outward troubles weep more for sin and the corruptions that are in your own hearts I may say of sorrow as it is said of feare in Esay 8.12,13 sayes the Text Feare not their feare neither be afraid but sanctifie the Lord of Hosts himselfe and let him be your feare and let him be your dread They that feare the Lord will not feare men they that have a religious feare will not have a worldly feare so if you have a godly sorrow for sin it will keep you from any immoderate worldly sorrow and therefore I could wish when you finde your sorrowes breaking out for the losse of worldly comforts and things goe crossse with you here below that you would consider that you have greater evils to mourne for and a great deale more cause to let your sorrowes run in sins Channell then for any outward crosse or affliction 8. If you would allay excesse in wordly sorrow ballance your outward wants with your inward and spirituall injoyments and your outward crosses with your inward comforts and see whether the scale of your spirituall comforts doth not exceedingly weigh downe the other and if God make your spirituall mercies to outvy your outward afflictions you have more cause to rejoyce then to mourne This course David tooke in 2 Sam. 25.5 sayes he Although my house be not so with God yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant ordered in all things and sure for this is all my salvation and all my desire although he make it not to grow as if he should have said although I have not an affluence and confluence of all worldly happinesse yet I care not seeing God hath made with mean everlasting covenant ordered in all things and sure though things goe amisse without yet all is well within God hath made with me a covenant and that is all my desire and all my salvation so that now if you would with David ballance your outward crosses with your inward comforts Pro. 14.14 you would there see more cause of joy then outwardly of sorrow A good man saith Solomon shall be satisfied from himselfe he hath that within him which will afford him comfort whatsoever his outward condition be You that are dejected with worldly sorrow reason thus with your selves what though my condition be said and I want necessaries for this life and have not a house to put my head in or if I have it is but a poore smoky Cottage yet why should I be troubled seeing I have a house not made with hands eternall in the heavens though I have no habitation here 2 Cor. 5.1 yet Christ is gone before me into heaven to prepare a place for me there What though I am a man of a meane estate and can scarce with all my labour and paines bring the yeare about Joh. 14.2 yet God is my portion and I have an inheritance among them that are sanctified by faith in Christ what though I am in debt and in continuall danger when I goe abroad to be arrested and imprisoned yet my great debt is paid Christ hath satisfied divine justifice for me and I shall never goe to the Prison of hell to all eternity what though I have no money in my purse to buy bread yet I have a treasure in heaven that shall never be exhausted what though I have scarce cloaths to cover my nakednesse yet I have the long Robe of Christs righteousnesse to cover my sinfull nakednesse and though I have scarce meat and drinke to put in my belly yet I doe feed upon the bread of life the Lord Jesus Christ what though I am reproached and scandalized and defamed in my good name yet my name is written in the booke of life and though I have never a foot of Land here to enjoy yet I am an heire to a Kingdom A Prince in disguize in a forraign Country meets with ill usage but it troubles him not much why because he is heire to a Crowne and knows that when he is in his owne Kingdome he shall have respect enough Beloved let these inward and spirituall enjoyments allay all worldly sorrow considering that if thou doest ballance thy spirituall enjoyments with thy outward wants and thy inward comforts with thy outward losses the former will infinitely preponderate and outweigh the latter 9. Would you keep your sorrowes within bounds then make the most of the mercies you receive and the least of the afflictions you endure it is the property of a sorrowfull spirit to make the