Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heaven_n	church_n	earth_n	triumphant_a	4,427	5	11.4398	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A58146	Blessedness, or, God and the world weighted in the balances of the sanctuary and the world found too light preached in a sermon at Paule, before the Right Honourable the Lord Major, Aldermen, and commonalty of the city of London, on a thanksgiving-day, for the prosperity of our navy in a conflict with the Spaniard, October 17, 1656 / by Francis Raworth ...	Raworth, Francis, d. 1665.	1656 (1656)	Wing R372; ESTC R18645	28,408	72

BLESSEDNESS OR GOD and the WORLD Weighed in the BALANCES OF THE SANCTUARY AND THE World found too light Preached in a Sermon at Pauls before the Right Honorable the Lord Major Aldermen and Commonalty of the City of London on a Thanksgiving-Day for the prosperity of our Navy in a conflict with the Spaniard October 17. 1656. By Francis Raworth Teacher to the Church at Shore-ditch London Printed by T. Maxcy for John Rothwell at the Fountain in Goldsmiths-Row in Cheap-side 1656. To the Right Honorable ROBERT TITCHBURNE LORD MAjOR And the Right Worshipful the ALDERMEN of the City of LONDON Honorable and Beloved IT cannot be denyed but that our greatest happiness in this world is That we have liberty to make provision for the world to come yet generally so unhappy are men as that they little ponder upon their future Crown and little consider of their present race but either they vainly mis-spend their time to allude to the Roman Emperor in gathering Cockle shells in heaping together the Mammon of unrighteousness or in a more degenerous way in a base drudgery for the lusts of the Flesh The Profession of Christianity laboreth under two Extreams some pretend to an Anticipation or prevention of Heaven and would fain perswade us that there is no state of Glory after this life These men notwithstanding their present Triumphs are under great Temptations and in a sober sense are rather besides their wits then above Gods Institutions Others charge the faithful Professors of Religion with usurpation against God with Antedating the state of Perfection as if they did confound the distinction between the Church Triumphant and Militant No say they Purity and Holiness are our aim on earth but our possession onely in Heaven These Sensualists may learn that the great change of man is made in this world and onely confirmed in the next the Tribunal Bar Regenerates no man but publiquely and finally acquitteth the Regenerate Heaven must first enter into us before we can enter into Heaven though the perfection of Purity be onely in Heaven yet the principle of Purity is to be had on Earth He that dies a sinner shall never rise a Saint He that by the Love of the Brethren shoots not the gulf here shall never pass from death to life hereafter He that hath not God to be his Lord now shall never have the Lord to be his God Wo be to that man that was born and is bred and shall be buried in sin that goes out of this world in that condition that he came into the world with happy had he been that he had never been born happy if when dead he never should have had a resurrection because he shall arise not so much to be judged as to be condemned Nothing is so much discoursed of as blessedness yet nothing so little understood some place it one thing some in another yet both amiss some men would be happy but without communion with God which is impossible These should know That God hath not onely Mines of Brass but Mines of Silver and Gold and that though the enjoyment of this world be not an Argument of Gods anger yet it s no argument of his peculiar love and therefore we must take heed of valuing the good things of Gods foot-stool above the good things of his Throne My work in this Sermon hath been to give the world its due both in its white and black sides I have weighed the blessedness of this world and of the next in the Balances of the Sanctuary and notwithstanding this world be pondrous in a providential sense yet comparatively by the verdict of God himself it is found too light to which when you had given a patient hearing you were pleased by your order to importune its publication I have satisfied your request and my prayers to God are That because it is a subject of the highest nature that it may have the deeper Impression on your hearts That as God hath lifted you up into the seat of Honor so you may lift up that God with Thankfulness That as you have publick Opportunities to do good to restrain Prophanation and discountenance Error so you may have hearts suitable to your Opportunities That as God hath thrown into your laps the outward Happinesse of this World so you may prize the Benefactor and set a greater Estimate on the light of his Countenance the least beam whereof is worth ten thousand Worlds Your Honors and the Churches Servant in the Gospel Francis Raworth PSAL. 144. ult Happy is that people that is in such a case yea Happy is the people whose God is the Lord. WHatsoever the Prophet David whose Character is A man after Gods own heart doth undertake he performs it cordially and heartily If he be in a gratulatory vein and fall to the praises of God he cannot nullifie and debase man too low with him He is but vanity and his days are but as a shadow not worthy to be taken notice of ver 3 4. And he cannot magnifie and advance the Lord too high He is his Goodness his Fortress his Tower his Deliverer and his Shield If he be in a praying posture he is so pathetical and powerful as if God q. d. could not deny him audience Bow the Heavens O Lord and come down send thine hand from above and deliver me out of great waters I and with such a majesty and life as if he had the key of Gods Armory to open it at pleasure and to throw out swords and flaming fire of wrath against the wicked Cast out lightning and scatter them shoot out sharp arrows and destroy them ver 5 6 7. Finally If he begin to exalt God he sets him out with such beauty and excellency as no Creature or created comfort can be preferred before no not possibly be weighed in the balance with him to which purpose it is observable that as the maledictions threatned against David were presented by the Prophet under three forms of War Famine and Pestilence so here in the latter part of this Psalm the Blessings of God are expressed under three contraries against the Pestilence is opposed this Petition That our sons may be as Plants grown up in their youth ver 12. Against Famine That our Garners may be full affording all manner of store ver 13. Against War That our oxen may be strong to labor that there be no breaking in nor going out that there be no complaining in our streets ver 14. And my Text is an Epiphonema with which he concludes Happy is that people that is in such a case c. There is a double blessedness sinistra beatitudo a Blessedness of the left hand a Blessedness of this World And secondly There is dextra beatitudo a right hand Blessedness a Blessedness of Grace of Salvation This Blessedness is the aim of men on earth but the perfect possession onely of men in Heaven Accordingly there is a double interpretation of this Text suitable

condition he that loseth that he cares not to enjoy and enjoys that he can't lose And in a spiritual sense he onely is such a man whose God is the Lord Methinks the words are here represented as Antiphanys Dialogue-wise The world begins Happy is he whose Sons grow like Olive plants yea saith David whose God is the Lord the World succeeds Happy is he whose Oxen are strong to labor and that Nation whose streets knows no complaining yea saith David whose God is the Lord still that is the note of a gracious heart as he rescribed back nothing but King of France King of France King of France and why happy such a man above a worldling 1. He that hath outward happiness in the world may not have a title to the Lord but he that hath God to be his Lord hath a title a spiritual title to the World The Corinthians were ready to quarrel about their properties I am of one from Paul saith one I am from Apollo said another tush said a third I care neither for Paul nor Apollo give me Cephas I am for Cephas The Apostle rounds them in the ear what saith he Is Christ divided will you contend for a part All men are gain not onely Paul Apollo Cephas but all things life death things present and things to come But by what tenure Why Because Christ is gain When we lost our Title to God we lost our comfortable title to the Creatures and no wonder the Creature rebels against us since we have rebell'd against the Creator The Creatures may justly say to unregenerate men that hunt after and dig for happiness in them I say Honors Riches Pleasures may say to such as Samuel did to Saul Why come ye to us since God is departed from you He is a Rebel that harboreth him whom the King hath Proclaimed a Traytor And what comfort can that soul have to lay his head in the bosome of any Creature when God himself hath turned his back on him But he that hath a new title to God hath a better title to outward comforts he holds them in capite God hath provided for him a Kingdom and therefore doth not grudge him crums How sweet are those mo●sels of bread that by Faith are dipt in Christs blood not that property comes by Grace but it is cleared up by Grace Many a man hath an Estate and a childe of God enjoys the comfort of it The worldly man may say This house this childe is mine by Creature right a Saint saith These are also mine by Covenant right but you may have all worldly happiness and not be happy Therefore secondly Grace claims a title to all the Ordinances of God Preaching is thy Chariot to bring the Lord down to thee Prayer and Meditation are wings to carry thy soul up to God It is generally believed and without scruple among the judicious that the visible and not the invisible Church is the prime and proper subject for the dispensation of Gospel Seals but his title to them that hath a right to Christ is indisputable He that can say the body and blood of Christ is his may challenge and claim the Bread and Wine that signifie those as his He that hath right to the Pearl hath right to the Casket He that is marryed to the King of Glory ought not upon any pretences whatsoever to be kept out of the Presence Chamber and from prayer while others stand like strangers without doors knocking and speaking to God at a distance as slaves to a master you have freedom to enter into the Palace of Heaven and cry Abba Father The Ordinances are the glory of a Nation and where ever God goes his Ordinances go too and where ere they reside and abide he abides too My Beloved God and his Institutions go and come from and to a Nation together as it s the honor of a Nation to say Jehovah-Nissi The Lord is our Banner in a Military sense for God to fight for us so a greater for others to say of any Nation Jehovah-Shammah The Lord is there in an Ecclesiastical sense The Ordinances are the comfort of the soul they are not as some new Anti-scripturists calumniate the Grave wherein Christ lies but the Throne whereon he sits as King of the Church and we were better lose our evidences for our Lands then part with the seals of the Gospel Is it then a small matter to have liberty to tread in Gods courts to sit under the tree of Life and dew of Heaven to have commerce with Angels to have communion with the Lord of Glory when thou art hungry to have freedom to run to Gods House for Bread when thou art distracted and troubled with doubts of thy Faith thy salvation to have recourse with David to Gods Sanctuary for resolution and that by thy title to the Lord as thy Lord Thirdly Thou hast moreover a propriety in all his Providences his Providences are thine for thy satisfaction if thou wantest enlightning he is thy Sun if defending he is thy shield if a Nation be fearful he is a wall of fire without if fainting he is a well of water within They may be without many things but we have the Broad-Seal of Heaven for it that they shall want no good thing Thou art in trouble and if thy Friend could but see thee How happy God is therefore Omniscient Thou art weak if thy Friend could help thee God is therefore Omnipotent El Shaddai All-sufficient If thou art weak he hath a shoulder to carry thee if feeble a bosom to warm and cherish thee He that hath him that is all hath all Secondly For thy security and that 1. To sustain thee If thou goest into the water I will be with thee if into the fire I le be with thee said God q. d. If thou burn I le burn too if thou drown I le drown too Hence it was that Israel was safe in the Red-sea and the three children secure in the Furnace God may cast his childe down and so his Nation yet not cast them away he often breaks your hearts that he may not break your backs 2. To order all for thee The Devil may turn Cordials into poyson but providence turns those poysons into Cordials again God hath his fairest ends in our foulest ways when temptations have sucked our corrupt blood away those Leeches shall be taken off when you are provoked to storm at God and quarrel with the seeming inequality of his ways are ready to judge his present carriage to your souls inconsistent with the hopes of election past or future glory Let despair vail and murmuring be tongue-tyed and consider the Lord thinks it better rather to bring order out of these spiritual disorders then not to suffer those disorders to be at all It s easier for vain man to wrangle with the Almighty and to set up in his pride an Anti-Providence in the world then rightly to discern what God is a doing we neglect