Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heaven_n	enter_v	kingdom_n	pharisee_n	2,122	5	9.8802	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96329	The danger of greatnesse: or Uzziah his exaltation and destruction: set forth in a sermon preached before the Right Honourable the Lords and Commons assembled in Parliament, and the reverend Assembly of Divines, in the church of Martins in the Fields, the 14th day of January, 1645. being a speciall day of humiliation set apart to seek God, for his direction in the setling of the great worke of church-government. / By Jeremiah Whitaker, a member of the Assembly of Divines.	Whittaker, Jeremiah, 1599-1654.	1646 (1646)	Wing W1711; Thomason E316_1; ESTC R200519	42,588	49

and those speciall gifts of grace when men are effectually called of God according to his purpose Rom. 11.19 they are without repentance on Gods part who doth bestrow them and on the sinners part that doth receive them 2 Cor. 7.10 for repentance unto salvation is never to be repented of because the soul of a poor sinner that is converted to Christ findes more good in Christ transcendently above all that it was possible for a man in a state of nature to imagin But upright men though they cannot fall away either totally or finally yet they may decline in many particulars really visibly so far as that in respect of gifts and graces and in respect of use and service to others and of comforts to themselves it may not be with them as in former times their sun may go down at noon and their lamp to the eye of men may be put out in obscure darknesse Asa that mighty Prince both good and great of whom the Lord gives this testimony though the high-places were not removed 2 King 15.14 neverthelesse As●s heart was perfect with the Lord all his dayes yet this Asa sinneth 2 Chron. 16.3 ver 7. in hiring Benhadad the King of Syria to break his league with Baasha in not relying upon the Lord in not hearkning to the admonition of Hananiah When he had thus sinned he could not endure to be reproved a very sad distemper that a good man should be so far transported with lusts ver 10. that he had rather undergo the disease that would kill him then endure the medicine that would heal him Asa was wroth with the Seer and put him in the prison-house for he was in a great rage not at his own sin but at the reproof of the Prophet At that time also Asa oppressed some of the people When corruptions are swelled so high that they cannot endure admonition there is no possibility left to keep them within any bounds of moderation And to all these sad declinings there is added in the close when he was upon his death-bed ver 12. when his disease in his feet was very great yet in his disease he sought not to the Lord but to the Physician If men may go so far in doing things that are right Vse 1 when themselves all that while are not upright then 1. Mution dixtram suam libens in are reliquit O sublimit as animi I Regul●● ne unus pro multis viveret toto corpore cruces patitur O virum fortem in captivitate victorem Tertul Apol. 2 Cor. 11.14 15. Let every man be ashamed to fall short of that which men have attained to that want uprightnesse let not Pagans outstrip Christians Shall a Mutius be more couragious a Regulus more faithfull among them that are without then a seeming Cephas or Apollo among them that are within shall an Ahab humble himself greatly a Iehn reform abuses of worship strenuously shall an Herod do many things at the preaching of Iohn Baptist shall Satan and his messengers transform themselves into Angels of light and shall the children of the light lye covered under obscure darknesse Shall a generation of men that knew not God that were strangers from the Covenant of grace that never called upon God shall opposers go beyond professours and they that could not endure so much as the form of godlinesse shall they do things more justly lesse partially then those that professe the power of it Surely our light is clearer our rule is purer our Master whom we serve is better our hopes are higher the rewards we expect are greater shall we only in our lives be worse when in all other priviledges we are better What condition can be more sad Ezek. 16.24 then that Judah should be guilty of more abominations then Sodom and Samaria and what sentence more just Mat. 12.21 22. then that God should make Nineveh rise up and condemn this generation and should pronounce that dreadfull saying Mat. 11.22 24. It shall be easier for Sodom and Gomorrah for Tyre and Sydon in the day of judgement then for you 2. As we should not come short of them that have done righteous things when themselves have been unrighteous So we should never content our selves with any common grace received with any externall act performed till the Lord by an inward spirituall change hath carried us into a state beyond a reprobate thus far a reprobate may go Let not thy soul stay here do you not all expect distinguishing comforts when you dye Why to you not seek distinguishing graces while you live Will a righteous God sever thee from the wicked in thy death when thou art not at all severed from the wicked in thy life It was a wise resolution of that great Prince Three things considerable in man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there three have severall delights 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Antooin Pius l. 3 2 ●4 sirnamed Pius If my delights be only those of sense and pleasure these are common to brute beasts whose sensitive comforts may be greater because their senses are stronger if my delight be only to fulfill the will of the flesh and of the minde and to do whatever seems good to an eye of carnall sense and reason this is common to men with Phalaris and Nero and the like who were rather monsters then men If in duties of an higher nature I only minde those that are plausible to the world this is no more then they may do who deny God will betray their Countrey when it may be for their credit and advantage and like them who when the doors were shut and the curtains drawn account nothing filthy or unlawfull that is delightfull if all these things be common to the good and to the bad surely there is something that is peculiar to the good As to enjoy comforts moderately to endure discomforts patiently to keep a contented quiet minde within in the midst of all the storms without in life to overcome the fear of death c. Our Saviour leads us higher bids us deny our selves take up his crosse and follow him count all things but losse and dung to win Christ and assures us without these we cannot be his Disciples that all perswasions to the contrary are meer presumptions and in the issue will betray the soul into the hands of the King of terrours for except your righteousnesse shall not only equall but exceed the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees Mat. 5.10 ye shall in no case enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Rest not therefore in that which men may want and be happy which men may enjoy and yet be miserable 3. If men may do things that are right and yet not be upright then let no man account himself because he doth something that is right that therefore he is righteous Non minus sine sacramentis salvatus est latro quaem cum

ready to be poisoned to death at land What a bisnnesse of spirit is in the sons of men that know not how to endure evil or to enjoy good Have you not known some in a low condition to how and scrape lick the spirtle on the ground crowck and bow humble and debase themselves hummour honour admite adore them that have had power in their hands that by seeming humility they might insinuate themselves into the favour of great ones willing to be low in appearance that they might rise and no sooner have these men got up but they have discoverened unimagined insolency like mad men got up to the top of a Tower with baggs full of stones throw without fear or wit at every passenger like the man possessed in th Gospel who was so fierce that no man could binde him Mark 5.3 or like him of whom Job speaks he riseth up and when he is got on high he draws the mighty with his power Iob. 24.22 and his violence grows so boundlesse that 〈◊〉 man is sure of his life And the Lord tells us though it be given to him to be in safety ver 23. Whereen be resteth yet Gods eyes are upon the waies of such men they are exalied for a little while but presently they are gone and brought low they are taken out of the way as all other oppressours before them and they are cut off as the topps of the ears of corn thus their glory is swift as waters and their portion is cursed in the earth ver 8. ver 20. and wickednesse shall be broken as a tree 1. This may inform us Vse 1 that God looks not only at theactions of men but at their dispositions His eye is not only upon the hand but upon the hearts of the sons of men he looks not only upon the externall act but upon the frame of the Spirit and can declare to every man what is his thought Vzziah mindes nor regards not his own heart but the Lord observes and takes notice and tells us that Vzziah his bea rt was lifted up We have need then to study our own spirit and commune with ●ur own hearts search and try and judge our selves and intreat the Lord who is the great searcher of hearts that he would search us and try us and if there be any way of wickednesse in us that he would discover it to us and lead us in the way everlasting 2. Vse 2 This also may be for our humdiation that we should be so prone to turn the goodnesse of God into wantonnesse that we should be worst to God when God is best to us that we know not naturally either how to be full or to be empty what unknown abominations lye in our hearts undiscerned a man cannot imagin or will beleeve that such a world of pride lies in his spirit till the time of temptation draw it out Elisha weeps over Hazael ● K●ng 8.12 Hazael wonders that the man of God should weep Why weeps my Lord Elisha answers Because I know the evil that thou wilt do to the children of Israel their strong holds wilt thou set on fire and their young men wilt thou slay with the sword and wilt dash their children and rip up their Women with childe Hazael wonders at this Prophecie cries out in detestation But what is thy servant a dog that he should do this great thing ver 13. but these unhumane butcheries which would not enter into his head when he was low yet both entred into his huart and were executed by his hand when God had made him strong and had lifted him up This may be for exhortation Vse 3 both 1. To long for that condition in Heaven wherein we shall be lift up without pride wherein we shall be most high and most humble far above all corruptions and all temptations The Angels that are on high Heb. 1.14 are willing to be ministring spirits for the good of the Saints that are below and the Saints that are now perfect in Heaven high and lifted up throw themselves and their crowns down at the foot of the Lambe Rev. 4.10 2. In the mean time till we enter into this rest let every one desire to see the plague of his own heart 1 King 8 38. 2 Cor. 11.3 1 Cor. 7.29 and be jealous over himself with a godly jealousie lest us Satan beguiled Eve through his subtilty should also corrupt any of your mindes The time is short and therefore they that rejoyce are to be as though they rejoyced not and they that use this world as not abusing it for the fashion of this world passeth away The Psalmist observes Psal 49.20 that man being in honour continues not Let no man presume on his own strength and let not him that girds on his armour be as he that puts it off The conflict without is very great but the sharpest combate is with the pride of our own hearts within if we conquer this enemy Satan and all our actversaries can never conquer us if this prevail and enter in Prov. 25.28 we shall be as a City without barrs and without gates Now we come to the misery of this abuse Fourth part his heart was lifted up to what end or advantage alas that swelling proved fatall and the issue dreadfull lifted up to his own destruction The word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lifted up to corrupt or destroy To destroy or corrupt whom Ad corrumpeadum To corrupt himself to destroy others to hazard the ruin of the state yet this sin of his was personall and personall therefore was the ruin God spared the people and suffers him to fall in his own transgression his heart was lifted up to his own destruction Hence observe When that strength is abused to pride Observ 4 which God affordeth to his service that strength proveth to be the door of weaknesse that lifting up and sudden rise is but the forerunner of greater ruin Prov. 16.18 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty minds before a fall Such a confraction follows a heart thus lifted up as shivers it all in pieces and makes it to be a despised broken vessel That pride will have a fall is from common experience grown proverbiall Those that are of the highest stature and climb the highest their fall their downfall is the greatest * Ecquit latreni scalant ascendent● invidet unde post decrsum est praecipitandus T. Cartw. in Prov. 16.18 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 No man envies a malefactour going up the ladder though exalted above all the standers by because his climbing up is to be cut off in a moment See this in Haman Nebuchadnezzar Belshazzar weighed in the balance and found too light Herod adored as a god immediatly eaten up of worms Nay the Saints brought low when thus lifted up David when his mountain seems to stand strong then God hides his face