Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heaven_n	corn_n	hear_v	oil_n	2,009	5	9.5924	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A37987	A demonstration of the existence and providence of God, from the contemplation of the visible structure of the greater and the lesser world in two parts, the first shewing the excellent contrivance of the heavens, earth, sea, &c., the second the wonderful formation of the body of man / by John Edwards ...	Edwards, John, 1637-1716.	1696 (1696)	Wing E201; ESTC R13760	204,339	448

hear the Heavens and they to hear the Earth and the Earth to hear the Corn Wine and Oil and they to hear his People Hos. 2.21 22. It fully but briefly expresses the Mutual Agreement of the Works of the Creation among themselves and the Dependence of them all upon the Supream Being So the Difference of Sexes or the Constitution and Make of Male and Female in all Living Creatures shews that they have a respect to one another that there is a Relative Tie and Connexion among them viz. in order to the preserving of the Kind and increasing the Number of them Whence by the way we may infer that the Arabian Bird which the Poets talk of of which Sort they say there never is but one is a Fiction for Nature designed the Propagation of the Species And in almost innumerable other Instances it might be shew'd that there is this Natural Dependance of one Thing upon another Wheresoever we look we may espy this Hence we find that those profound Sages Pythagoras and Plato frequently inculcate that all things are Linked together there is an Affinity among Beings in the World All Things in Nature are a-kin to one another And this Heraclitus meant when he said after his obscure manner 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i.e. one and all things in the World have a mutual Dependence they are like the Body and the Members Their Perfection consists in their Relation to and Connexion with one another This the Royal Philosopher often suggests that the World is of one piece All Things are tied together as 't were by a Sacred Tie and Bond so that nothing is a Stranger to another They are all coordinate and adorn and beautify the same World Now this wonderful Sympathy and Cognation this Pulchritude and Consent of Things cannot be without an Eternal Mind This Excellent Order and Harmony of the World argue a Supream Director The Workman is known from the Work it self as Philo saith rightly from the Make of the World you may gather the Author of it For as he adds no Exact and Artificial Work is of Self-production Wherefore from the Admirable Artifice of the World's Composition we may conclude that it was not from Chance not from a temerarious but lucky hit of Atoms What Beautiful and Stately Palace was ever known to be rais'd by Chance and how then can this Massy Fabrick this great Amphitheater of the World be thought to have no other Rise Which very Argument Plutarch long since used to baffle those Mens fond Conceits who talk'd of Fortune in this Case Nothing saith he that is Fair and Goodly hath a fortuitous Original but is wrought by some Art He that sees an excellent Clock or Watch made of so many Wheels c. shewing the Hour of the Day and observes the orderly Motion of it will not say it was thus framed by Chance How then can he have the Face to say that the Sun which rules this Artificial Work is a Casual Product Yea how can he be so impudent as to say that Man himself was but a By-blow Shall an Inanimate Machine be extoll'd as the effect of Art and Invention and yet shall the Artificer himself be voted to be from no such Principle Surely Men of Sense and Brains cannot but blush at such absurd Propositions It was incomparably spoken of Maximus Tyrius Be perswaded saith he that this Universe is the Harmony of a Musical Instrument and that the Artificer of it is no other than God Though we should grant the World to have been Eternal yet it is impossible that that immense and eternal Matter should dispose it self into such beautiful Order without some Intelligent Substance and Contriver And therefore those who are of Opinion that Aristotle held the World to be Eternal yet confess that he acknowledg'd it to be from God and not by Chance For it is unspeakably absurd and ridiculous to say that meer Matter fell into this excellent Frame we behold it in and not from a knowing and designing Principle for Casualty is without Order Rule or Certainty Therefore the Fabrick of the World must be from the Wisdom of some Omnipotent Creator or else we can give no account of the Order and Graceful Disposition of Things and of the Harmony of the World which as Seneca saith truly consists of discording and contrary Qualities To this purpose an antient Christian Writer speaking concerning God hath these Words He hath most fitly adorned the Universe and hath reduced the Discord of Elements into Order and Concord that the whole World might be Harmonious And the Permanency of this excellent Order shews its Author Wherefore to that Question Whence doth it appear that there is a God Iustin Martyr gives this Answer From the Consistency and lasting Order of Things in the World The Laws and Course of it have remained regular and constant for so many Ages the Effects are steady methodical and unalterable This is that admirable Consequence and Proportion as Philo calls it which we may observe to be in all Things whereby they are indissolubly chain'd together and continue with an uninterrupted Series The only account that can be given of this is what the same Author saith The Eternal Law of the Eternal God is the most firm and stable Basis of the World and all Things in it Thus the Works of the Creation are a proof of the Deity their durable Harmony evince a God Chance could not effect all these great and wondrous Things it could not produce such a Glorious Fabrick neither can it uphold and sustain it Wherefore we may infer that there is an Omniscient Creator a Wise Artificer Secondly As the Admirable Order so the Excellent End and Design of the Works of the Creation demonstrate the Being of a God Not only Men and Angels which are the Flower of the Creation act for some End but all other Creatures of a lower Rank may be said to do so likewise Even Things that are Inanimate and void of Sense act for some Purpose The Sun warms and the Clouds moisten the Earth but not for themselves and the Earth thus warmed and moistened produces Herbs and Fruits but not for it self but for the several Animals which inhabit on it Man especially who rules over them But this will not go down with some particularly the Theorist To say saith he that the World was made for the sake of Man is absurd and better deserves to be censured for an Heresy in Religion than many Opinions that have been censured for such And then in order to this he degrades and defames Man in a most scandalous manner as if he were no Sharer in Humane Nature himself he makes him a very paultry Creature a poor sorry Scrub and then at last he cries out I wish he had forborn Is this the great Creature which God hath made by the Might of his Power and for the Honour of his Majesty thus

the Idols of the Gentiles that can cause Rain or can the Heavens of themselves give Showers Art not thou he O Lord God The Old Jews express'd their Sentiment concerning it thus One of the Keys proper to God and kept in his own Hand is that of Rain thereby reckoning it a singular and immediate Gift of the Almighty And they used to join it with two other Keys viz. of giving Life and of Raising from the Dead which shews that they thought it peculiar to God alone And then the known Vsefulness of this Blessing is an Argument of its Author This is with great Elegancy set forth by the Inspired Poet Psal. 65.9 Thou visitest the Earth and waterest it thou greatly enrichest it with the River of God i. e. the Clouds or Rain which is full of Water thou preparest them Corn when thou hast so provided for it by vouchsafing seasonable Showers thou waterest the Ridges thereof abundantly thou settlest the Furrows thereof thou makest it soft with Showers thou blessest the Springing thereof thou crownest the Year with thy Goodness and thy Paths the Clouds wherein God is Poetically said to walk Psal. 18.9 drop Fatness They drop upon the Pastures of the Wilderness and the little Hills rejoice on every side The Pastures are clothed with Flocks the Valleys also are cover'd over with Corn they shout for Ioy they also sing This they do thus they behave themselves being as it were drunk with the Bottles of Heaven as the Clouds are call'd Iob 38.37 being abundantly satisfied with Ioresh and Malkosh the former and the latter Rain the first of which is necessary after the Seed is sown the second before Harvest to set it forward to fill the Ears Wherefore St. Paul proves a God from the Clouds Acts 14.17 He left not himself without Witness i. e. of his Divine Power and Providence in that he gave us Rain from Heaven and as the Consequent of that fruitful Seasons For it is this Celestial Water that makes the Ground fruitful it hath a peculiar Faculty to do it and no other Water doth the like Thence that Talmudick Saying Rain is the Husband of the Earth because it impregnates it and makes it fructify Therefore Showers are rightly call'd by Pliny the Food of Plants the Meat as well as the Drink of all Vegetables But this is effected by the Divine Blessing and is a singular Testimony of God's Care of the World Thus from the Earth we prove there is a God in Heaven even from the Grounds and Fields refresh'd with Rain and thereby made fertile we argue a Divine Benefactor And now when I am speaking of the Clouds I must not forget the Rain-bow which is a Party-colour'd Cloud whose fine and gay Paintings are the various Reflection and Refraction of the Sun's Beams in that watry Substance This gaudy Mixture of Light and Shade arises naturally from the Difference of the Superficies of those Parts that constitute the Cloud and therefore without doubt it appear'd before the Deluge though we find it not mention'd till afterwards when it was appointed to be set in the Skies as a Sign of a Covenant between God and Man and ever since it hath continued and shall so to the last Period of all things a visible Token and Assurance of God's good Will to Mankind Wherefore as often as we view this Cloud made so remarkable by the Diversity of its Colours the Variety of its Tinctures let us thence be confirm'd in our Belief of a God and look upon this Beautiful Spectacle as an illustrious Symbol of the Divine Mercy and Beneficence Or to speak in the Words of the Wise Son of Sirach Look upon the Rainbow and praise Him that made it Very beautiful it is in the Brightness thereof It compasseth the Heaven with a glorious Circle and the hands of the most High have bended it Ecclus. 43.12 To the Clouds belong Thunder and Lightning and therefore may pertinently be spoken of here for when a Cloud breaks asunder by reason of hot and dry sulphureous and nitrous Vapours enclos'd and compass'd about with cold ones and so set on Fire and consequently extending themselves and violently making their way the Noise caus'd by this Rupture is that which we call Thunder and the flashing out of the Fire is Lightning Both which are comprehended in those Words Psal. 29.7 The Voice of the Lord divides the Flames of Fire And the former of them is call'd the Voice of the Lord upon the Waters ver 3. This is no other than his Thundring in the Clouds which usually turn into Rain when they are broken and scattered And perhaps to this may refer ver 10. The Lord sitteth upon the Floods i. e. upon the Clouds which are justly stiled Floods because of the abundance of Water contain'd in them And as Thunder is bred by Fire and Water in the Clouds so the Effects of it are of the like Nature for Lightning and Rain generally accompany the Thunder Wherefore we find this particularly taken notice of by the Pious Observers of Providence He maketh Lightnings for the Rain Psal. 135.7 He maketh Lightnings with Rain Jer. 10.13 And this is mentioned in Iob 37.2 5. 38.25 26. and not without great Reason for herein the Goodness and Mercy of God are seen because Rain is serviceable to connect and qualify the Thunder and by its Moisture to prevent the Hurt which otherwise might be done by the scorching Flashes which attend it Who is not sensible that Thunder is the more signal Operation of a Divine Cause and therefore is so frequently call'd God's Voice as in Exod. 20.18 Psal. 18.13 77.18 Ier. 10.13 Yea no less than seven times in the 29 th Psalm it is call'd the Voice of the Lord Which may not only signify a Great and Loud Voice for the Voice or Noise of Thunder is such especially in some Regions of the World as in some Parts of Africa and in the Southern Countries of Asia and America where it is much more Terrible than it is among us yea as a Learned Gentleman observes it as much exceeds the Thunder of these Northern Climes as the Heat there exceeds that of these but it more particularly denotes the Wonderful Author of it viz. the Almighty Being Which was the very Apprehension of some Men of the deepest Philosophy among the Gentiles Even they acknowledg'd this Fierce Meteor to be the Effect of no less than an Extraordinary and Divine Power Plutarch informs us that some of the Best Philosophers made it the Matter of their Wonder and Astonishment that Flames should proceed from watry Clouds and that such a Harsh Noise should be the Product of that Soft Matter I find a Great Natural Philosopher taking notice of the falling down of the Lightning from Heaven as a Wonderful thing because Fire naturally ascends It seems he did not think that the Motion of it downwards is sufficiently solved by the Violence of the