Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A01891
|
The saints interest in God opened in severall sermons, preached anniversarily upon the fifth of November. By John Goodwin pastor of S. Stephens Coleman-street.
|
Goodwin, John, 1594?-1665.
|
1640
(1640)
|
STC 12031; ESTC S117964
|
75,238
|
484
|
them are not incorporated with your soules and spirits you doe not finde that such notions and apprehensions as are fire in your bones and make your consciences spring and worke lively when they doe but touch and come neare them the interpretation of this signe is that you have more of that which is lesse and lesse of that which is more that you have memories that would doe worthily indeed with better hearts and soules that would escape better with worse memories But I hope the best things of you The great and mighty God of Heaven and Earth who must teach you and all the world besides to profit whether by the eye or by the eare as well by writing as speaking by reading as hearing in the knowledge of himselfe and of the great things of your peace make these meditations as a Cloud of the latter raine unto you to drop fatnesse upon your soules and command them to give out their strength fully and freely unto you that they may be felt by your selves in the renewing and strengthening your inner man be seen upon you by others in an unstained excellencie of life and conversation amongst men and found also in your accounts and reckonings at the great day as having cōtributed their share toward that joy and lifting up of your heads for ever which is the promised reward of all those that know God to be the only true God and him whom he hath sent Jesus Christ Which Crowne of blessednesse there is not a man of you but shall most assuredly obtaine if you be as true to your selves and the things of your owne glorie and will runne for your selves with as much faithfulnesse as he is readie to runne for you night and day who here in the presence of Heaven and Earth subscribeth and giveth it under his hand that he is Your loving truly affectionate Pastor Iohn Goodwin From my Study in Coleman streete London this August 7. 1640. To the Reader Good Reader WHether hee hath done wel or ill whoever he was be it my selfe or some other who was the principall of making more Presse-worke of these Sermons I conceive it is not worth the lightest exercise of thy thoughts to consider judge or determine If he hath done ill doubtlesse it cannot bee much things that are weake though otherwise unusefull yet will they serve for foile to set off that which is strong with more grace and acceptation as the Thistle in Lebanon commends the stature and beauty of the Cedar in Lebanon And the truth is that many Bookes of worth and value indeed had need of some further recommendation in one kinde or other unto men then their owne worth they suffer obscurity and neglect at the hands of men this notwithstanding Impertinencies would be of great consequence if they could bring things of consequence into request If he hath done well thou thy selfe wilt easily be perswaded to say that this cannot be much howsoever in this point thou and I shall not much differ Now then in matters where the difference is very small and almost imperceptible a man may soone be out more in deliberation then it is possible for him ever to recover or get in againe by any resolution As in suing at Law for a trifle the victory or conquest with all the advantages will not defray the one halfe of the cost and charge of the Warre I would gladly therefore save thee thy time and thoughts touching the premisses Yet two things there are which have their plea in their mouthes such as they are for loosing their prisoners and setting them at liberty in the world The one is the occasion of their Preaching the other their argument or Subject For the first it was the Anniversary remembrance of that great battle fought between Hell and Heaven about the peace and safety of our Nation on Novemb. 5. 1605. wherein Hell was overthrowne and Heaven and We rejoyced together I have not to my present remembrance met with any thing published of late of any speciall influence or tendency to maintain the life and spirit of the solemnity joy of that day and deliverance And pity it is that such a Plant of Paradise should wither or languish for want of watering Such a deliverance may through the Mercy and Goodnesse of God prove a breeder and become a joyfull Mother of many Children like unto her selfe if the hearts of our Nation did converse with her more frequently and more affectionately The Argument or Subject discoursed in these Sermons is the true Church her Interest in God with all her members A Subject I confesse that hath passed through many hands and gained much of many But the depth and weightinesse of it is such that it still calleth upon the greatest abilities of men to be further sought and inquired into I assume nothing unto my selfe beyond the discoveries of other men if thou meetest with any thing that may excuse or qualifie the Printing of the whole remember him that said concerning a sinfull City Gen. 18.32 I will not destroy it for ten righteous mens sake If thou either desirest or fearest the sight of any thing more of mine thou maist make thine owne bargaine herein by handling this piece accordingly For as for me I am not conscious to my selfe either of forwardnesse or backwardnesse of being made publique the tongues and judgements of men if they could agree may easily over-rule me either way It argues some distemper of spirit to be importune upon the world with a mans private conceptions neither is it the best posture to put the world upon importunity with us to purchase them if they have a minde to them Pardon me thus far and that which remaineth I shall pray for thee that thou maist with the Church have Interest in God and that this Interest may be established and confirmed unto thee by the reading this piece untill through fulnesse thou breakest out with David saying The Lord is my Light and my Salvation Whom shall I feare Psa 27.1 And by this time when thou knowest not whom or what to feare I hope thou wilt be at good leisure and in case to pray for him who resteth Thine in the Lord alwaies I. G. Colemonstreet Lond. Aug. 7. 1640. The Contents of the CHAPTERS CAP. I. WHerein the Coherence together with the sense and meaning of the words are cleared and Doctrines raised Fol. 1 CAP. II. Wherein the nature and importance of that propriety or interest which the Church hath in God is declared Fol. 23 CAP. III. Containing proofes from Scripture of the Churches propriety or interest in God Fol. 44 CAP. IV. Wherein foure severall Grounds or Reasons of the Churches propriety in God are laid downe and opened Fol. 54 CAP. V. Containing the first Vse of Instruction in six particulars Fol. 102 CAP. VI. Wherein the Doctrine is further drawne out in an use of Encouragement or Consolation Fol. 155 CAP. VII Wherein the two first branches of the third Use
eye hath cost the world deare The touching of it hath cost the blood of the greatest Monarchs of many Kings and Princes of the earth It hath cost whole Monarchies Kingdomes and States the greatest the richest the strongest that ever the world saw their whole Estates Riches Glory and Peace True we reade often of the jealousie of God over his great name in respect of any pollutions and prophanation of it by other sins but we do not reade of his great jealousie but only for and over Jerusalem his Church but as concerning the case of Jerusalem wee reade of it twice in the same Prophet Zach. 1.14.8.2 As if God had a jealousie and a jealousie a two-fold jealousie a double and a single a greater and a lesse and the lesser jealousie he puts on and armes himselfe with when he went forth to execute vengeance for other sins but whē he sets forth against the enemies of his Church when he comes to plead Jerusalems cause with her adversaries his double jealousie now went on his great jealousie was reserved for causes of this nature as of highest and greatest importance for his glory Yea I shall say yet more that when men have put forth their hands to this worke I meane to afflict the Church of God upon the fairest termes upon greatest advantage or likelihood that can be conceived of doing any good upon it and making earnings of it I meane when they have seemed in doing it even to give the right hand of fellowship to God himselfe when he hath begun to punish them yet did never any man come off fairely from the worke God still found something or other against those that were his workmen and executioners which made a breach between him and them they never eate of their labours nor ever rejoyced in any of these works of their hand seldome any of their heads went downe in peace to their Graves An instance hereof we may see in the Aegyptians according to the Lords owne prediction long before how it would fall out Know for a surety saith the Lord to Abraham Gen. 15.13 14. that thy seed shall be a stranger in a Land that is not theirs and shall serve them and they shall afflict them foure hundred yeares notwithstanding the Nation whom they shall ferve will I judge c. And that God did not only foresee and foretell this that the Israelites should serve the Aegyptians and be in bondage but that himselfe had a speciall hand in it in bringing it to passe it is evident from Psal 105.25 where it is said that God turned their heart i. e. the heart of the Aegyptians to hate his people and to deale craftily with his servants because they began now to be corrupted in Aegypt and to displease him God tooke off the good will and the affections of the Aegyptians from them and yet we know how deare the Aegyptians paid for that worke and service the Israelites did them they had better have given double treble wages to other men to have made their Bricks then to have the people of God make them for nothing Other instances of like nature you may finde in Scripture Esa 36.20 if you reade Psal 78.61.2 with Psal 65.8 you shall finde a passage of like importance Rabsheka it is like lyed or at least spake upon a groundlesse presumption viz. because till then he had prospered when he told Hezekia's messengers that he was not come against Jerusalem without the Lord God had said to him destroy it But in Nebuchadnezzar King of Babel the case is plaine 2 Chron. 36.17 it is said expresly that God brought upon them the King of the Caldeans yet if you reade Ier. 50.17 18. besides many other places you shall finde he had his wages paid him in sorrow and desolation Israel is scattered as Sheep the Lions have driven him away First the King of Assyria hath devoured him and last this Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon hath broken his bones Therefore saith the Lord of Hosts the God of Israel Behold I will punish the King of Babylon and his Land as I have punished the King of Assyria c. So Iudges 3.12 you may reade the like of Eglon King of Moab it is expresly said that God strengthened his hand against Israel c. yet we know this medling with Israel was his ruine As for example of the just vengeance and fiery indignation of the Lord breaking out upon those who without any warrant or commission from him have evill intreated despitefully used oppressed and persecuted the Church of God these both in sacred Records and other Histories of the Church are without end or number There is not only a Cloud of such witnesses but the whole heaven is spread over with them and divers of them known unto all men So that it would be but time lost to produce them Therefore now I beseech you consider you that are enemies of the truth that have imbittered spirits against the holy City and Church of God consider and ponder with your selves the truth and weight of this motive There was no man ever spread a snare to take the People of God with but first or last if he continued his malice his owne foot was taken with it No man ever digged a Pit for such but fell himselfe into it no man ever attempted mischief against it and continued in it but it still returned upon him and fell on his own pate as David speaketh It was the argument the Lord Jesus Christ himselfe used to Paul when he tooke him hard at this worke busie in persecuting the Saints and meant to take him off from it Saul Saul why persecutest thou me Act. 9.5 It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 against sharpe pointed Irons as Goads or Nailes have teaching that a man cannot lift up his hand or heele against the meanest of the servants of God but with as much folly and madnesse and with as little hope of doing themselves good as he that shall stand chopping and dashing his naked hands or feete against the sharpest points of weapons or instruments made of Steele or Iron Pilates wives argument that she used to take of her husband from having any thing further to doe against Christ was that she had suffered many things that day in a dreame by reason of him Mat. 27.19 But the argument wherewith the Holy Ghost now presseth upon you to have no more to doe against these men is of greater efficacy not only one womā hath suffered many things in a dreame but a thousand thousands both men and women whole Nations and Kingdomes and States as was said Kings and Princes and mighty ones of the earth have suffered really full waking in deed and in truth the soarest and most grievous destructions the most fierce fiery and horrid judgements that the world hath seen To let all other instances passe only to mention that fiery storme and tempest which was the