Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heaven_n	day_n	lord_n	strange_a	2,103	5	9.4517	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A16316	A cordiall for Christians in the time of affliction. Or, A sermon preached at Kethering Lecture by Master Robert Bolton, Bachelour of Divinity, and sometimes fellow of Brasen-nose Colledge in Oxford. Published by I.S.	Bolton, Robert, 1572-1631.; I. S.	1640 (1640)	STC 3227; ESTC S122177	13,498	32

mockings and scornefull insultations of the enemies to their goodnesse Which is bitterer saith Calvin then the suffering it selfe Neque tantum est acerbitatis in ipso malo quantum in ludibrijs improborum ubi nobis petulanter insultant derident fidem nostram ingenuis naturis semper est durior contumelia quam ipsa mors Immediately upon the Churches profession of her trusting the LORD she bids her enemies not rejoyce against her v. 8. and backs it with mighty and invincible reasons which proves they have no reason for it When I fall I shall arise If I were downe without hope or possibility of recovery it were something on their side but as sure as my GOD is alsufficient my head CHRIST above water the Angels my guard all the creatures my friends Sunne Moone and the Stars for me the prayers of all that blessed communion of my fellow Saints presse continually for me unto the throne of grace all the promises in GODS Booke are in CHRIST Yea and Amen c. So certainely shall Jup againe sooner or later gloriously for ever Iob was as deepely sunck into a comfortlesse pit of outward affliction as ever any was yet the arme of his GOD helpt him out againe We know what end the LORD made Iam. 5. 11. David was fearefully plunged into a dungeon of extreame horror Psal. 77. Yet the right hand of the most high changed all this * And it must needs be so for the Almighty hand of GOD is under him Psal. 37. 24. though hee fall hee shall not be cast of for the LORD putteth under his hand Now must not he needs up againe whom an omnipotent hand supports and upholds What man or divell or world of creatures can keepe him downe whom the LORD of Heaven and Earth will raise either let the malice of the wicked manacle the Almighty arme of GOD which is more then utterly and infinitely unpossible or as sure as that highest Majesty is in Heaven every faithfull servant of JESUS CHRIST shall rise againe out of the most desperate distresse at the utmost at that great day which will be most illustrious when their clearing and exaltation will be in the presence of all the Angells in Heaven and all the sonnes and daughters of Adam that ever were in the face of Heaven and Earth Is it not therefore strange that any wicked man should insult at their fall that thus certainly shall rise but the wicked themselves shall stagger and fall and rise no more for they want this onely helping hand to recover them When I sit in darkenesse the LORD shall bee a light unto me Nay in the meane time in the darkest midnight of distresse the LORD will blessedly shine into my heart with the beams of his favour sence of his love presence of his Spirit yea many times more gloriously specially and comfortably then in the dayes of my peace prosperity and rest For besides particular promises for that purpose observe Isa. 43. 2. When thou passest through the waters I will be with thee through the floods that they doe not overflow thee when thou walkest through the very fire thou shalt not be burnt neither shall the flames kindle upon thee For I am the LORD c. GODS children in the time of their afflictions and sufferings are wont to be most faithfull for then Faith is set a worke onely to find comfort in GOD 2. Most prayerfull Esa. 26. 16 17. LORD in trouble have they visited thee they powred out a prayer when thy chastening was upon them Like as a woman in travaile is in sorrow and crieth in her paines so have we bens in thy sight O LORD though they be prayerfull at other times yet this sets an edge and heate to their Prayers 3. GODS children in time of their sufferings be most humble c. and to such as be most faithfull prayerfull and humble GOD is wont to reveale and communicate himselfe with much familiarity and love no restraint no dungeon can hinder the ascending of our faithfull humble prayers unto GOD nor the influence of the love and light of his countenance from us that lightsomenesse came from Heaven that made Paul and Sylas sing at midnight in the inner-prison their feet being fast in the stocks And so did all those sweet exaltations of spirit which possessed our blessed Martyrs in Queene Maries time and all other Saints of GOD at any other times in times of pressure and persecution For at such times the presence freedome and comforts of the blessed Spirit are wont to inlarge refresh and crowne their hearts extraordinarily I will beare the indignation of the LORD Those that are enemies to the Church and GODS children were they in the same troubles they see the Saints of GOD in would indeed yell and howle and roare having no protection nor antidote against the sting and venome of their sorrowes and sufferings and therefore they conceive and thereupon out of their cruell and dung-hill dispositions insult that Christians are paid home horribly and plagu'd in such cases no knowing poore soules that the Saints have a soveraigne inward vertue and vigour I meane patience to which themselves are meere strangers whereby they take off the edge and extinguish the poyson of all afflictions whether from GOD man or Satan which would eate up the hearts and drinke up the spirits and double the sting in the wicked whensoever they are sore vexed as if Mordecai a better man then Haman doe not crouch to him it will not onely vexe his heart but cause him to loose all that sweet of his honour How would wicked men have taken it that such a dog as Shemei should raile upon David being a King and Kings you know are impatient at opposition yet Davids patience takes away the sting and spiritually answers It may be the LORD hath sent him observe how grace conquers and that Faith in GODS children begets not onely peace but patience Rom. 5. 3. We rejoyce in tribulation knowing that tribulation bringeth forth patience Because I have sinn●d against him The wicked in their sufferings doe looke upon the smart and the creatures as a dog upon the stone that is throwne GODS children looke upon the offence their owne deserts and the first moover GOD himselfe who corrects in love and for his good which causeth a vast difference either to exasperate and enrage or to mollifie and asswage the anguish of the crosse the bitternesse of the trouble Thus did Iob Ioseph David and so did all that truly feare GOD procure a great deale of ease and patience to their soules It is the LORD c. looking upon their owne deserts upon GODS kindnesse and their ingratitude c. give some ease As Mauritius an Emperour who might have saved the lives of many of GODS people from the sword of the enemy but did not at length an enemy came against him and tooke him and killed his children before him he

having one little one at nurse it was sent for and also slaine before his eyes then he cried out being sensible of his owne sins Iust are thy judgements O LORD So holy Bradford in Queene Maryes time cried out to the LORD that he had deserved to die because of his sins but saith he Behold LORD they punish not my sins but persecute me because of thy Gospell and for standing for thy truth So might al the Martyrs have said so we may cry out we have sinned we have bin lukewarme we have had a form of godlines denied the power therof Nay prodigious villanies we have had sins rise up in the Gospel not before heard off fitter for the dark nooks of hel or midnight of Popery How may we therefore cry out now we all are afflicted thy judgements O LORD are most just The consideration of their deserts and looking up unto the LORD caused Iob David and Ely to be contented Vntill hee pleade my cause GOD will cert●inely and for ever plead the cause of his Isa. 1● 5 6 7. Ashur was sent by GOD against the people of GOD and was as the rod in GODS hand to correct them but he thought not so but that it was by his owne strength c. Quoties nobis negotium est cum improbis duo sunt consideranda 1. Improbos nobis sine causa inferre molestiam ideò justam esse causam nostram ipsorum respectu 2. Nos tamen justè affligi divinitús quia semper reperiemus multas causas cur Dominus nos castiget So may many a one tell the LORD that his sinnes are grievous towards him But that his persecutors and oppressors ayme not at but at his best part the good that is in him they set against And therefore desire the LORD to plead their cause But GOD will never plead the cause of the wicked but will witnesse against them and so will all his creatures and their owne actions help to condemne them And execute Iudgement for me Though the Church of GOD goe downe for a while yet at last most certainely the day shall be theirs For this purpose GOD is wont to improove his owne Omnipotency all the hoasts of Heaven and Earth the ordinary and extraordinary agency of his creatures the Sun the Sea the Stars Haylestones c. must miraculously serve GODS turne for the executing of this judgement for the Church All the miracles of deliverances from the red Sea and drowning the Egyptians to the swallowing up of the Spaniards in the English Seas and the deliverance from the powder-plot were imployed this way stay onely GODS season and his owne houre and you shall see the salvation of GOD As Rochell when it was besieged was saved miraculously and shame fell upon the opposers So for us here we or the Church beyond the Seas beene delivered a yeare or two since it had not beene so well in the last of time for that purpose GOD will certainly deliver this is our hope when Christians are stirred up to Prayer the time is approaching but howsoever in the best of time it shall be granted He shall bring me forth to the light After the execution upon the enemies and the darkenesse of distresse dispelled by the light of GODS countenance ariseth upon the Church the Sunne of lightsomenesse joy and comfort as we see in Moses song Exod. 15. The song of Deborah Iudg. 5. The feasting of the Iewes after the hanging of Hamon the joy of the Kingdome after 88. The day of holy feasting for our Salvation from the Powder-plot The LORD hath done great things for us wherefore we are glad Psal. 126. 3. And when the rod hath corrected it shall be burned when the fire hath purified the gold it ends it selfe in sinder and ashes So when the wicked have done their worke for the good of Christians they shallbe consumed themselves as the powder-Traitors were for which we have a day as if it were in imitation of Deborah's song And I shall behold his Righteousnesse In the mercifull performance of his gratious promises unto his people then shall the Church find and feele the truth of these blessed promises Gen. 15 1. 17. 1. of the promise to Abraham and to his Seed So Exod. 6. 3. Iosh. 1. 5. How sweetly might Ioshua refresh himselfe with the sence of GODS mercy and truth in making good unto him that promise Iosh. 1. I will never faile thee nor forsake thee The Iewes with the sweetnesse of that Habak. 2. 3. Though it tarry wait for it because it shall surely come and not stay when they returned so merrily homewards Ps. 126. Queene Elizabeth of that 1 Sam. 2. 30. Them that honour me I will honour when the great GOD of armes with his powerfull arme had scattered like a heape of dust before the wind that mighty and as they cal'd it invincible Spanish-fleet Now looke backe upon all these eight particulars and consider the contrary case of the wicked and then observe the infinite vast difference betweene the grounds and reasons of comfort in all troubles in the one and the contrary in the other There are reasons also taken from the state of the enemies why they should not rejoyce in the troubles of the Saints and why the people of GOD should be patient in their pressures and persecutions Then she that is my enemy shall see it When the Church is delivered then the enemie must downe when the rod in GODS hand hath corrected his children it must be cast into the fire When the wicked have refined GODS people themselves must be cast into Hell When GODS children have drunke of the top of the cup of GODS wrath the wicked shall wring out the very dreggs and drinke them Psa. 75. 8. Esa. 10. 12. When Ashur had punished GODS people and began to burst with pride then GOD sets upon him and destroyes him But observe here the persecutors shall see the rising againe and prosperity which will burst their very heart with envy and make them gnash the teeth as a peece and beginning of that hellish gnashing of the teeth hereafter when they shall see those blessed ones whom they have so hated and persecuted sit downe with Abraham Isaack and Iacob in the kingdome of Heaven and themselves excluded And shame shall cover her And at this sight she shall be horribly ashamed especially because in the time of the Churches distresse disgrace she did pestilently please and applaud her selfe with such insulting words as these where is now the LORD her GOD she is now downe she will never rise againe and now she sees those over whom she so insulted crown'd with deliverance and joy and her selfe covered with confusion and shame My eyes shall behold her Which equally will rent the hearts of the enemies with selfe-vexing rage as refresh the affections of GODS faithfull children with glorious joy not because their opposites are ruined no such vile revengfull