Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heaven_n	exceed_v	righteousness_n	scribe_n	2,764	5	11.0489	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A44137	A discourse of the knowledge of God, and of our selves I. by the light of nature, II. by the sacred Scriptures / written by Sir Matthew Hale, Knight ... for his private meditation and exercise ; to which are added, A brief abstract of the Christian religion, and, Considerations seasonable at all times, for the cleansing of the heart and life, by the same author.	Hale, Matthew, Sir, 1609-1676.	1688 (1688)	Wing H240; ESTC R4988	321,717	542

our Flesh was to exhibit himself a Pattern of Holiness towards God and Righteousness towards Man. And thus the History of our Saviour's Life is a Rule of Righteousness in his Meekness Matth. 11.29 Learn of me for I am meek in his Humility Philip. 2.5 Let the same mind be in you as was in Christ Jesus c. in his Patience under Affliction or Persecution 1 Pet. 2.11 12 13. Because Christ hath also suffered for us leaving us an example who when he was reviled reviled not c. in Offices of Love and Charity towards our Brethren John 13.14 15. For I have given you an example that ye should do as I have done in love and tenderness towards others Ephes 5.12 Be ye followers of God as dear children and walk in love as Christ also hath loved us c. in Obedience to Parents to Magistrates in Liberality in Compassion in sweetness of Conversation in a word we may in his Life find not only that external Conformity to the Divine Law that God requires of us but also a radical habitual frame of Mind and Life in all Vertue so that we may plainly see in the comparing of his Life with these Apostolical Precepts and Directions contained in the Epistles that the former was as it were the Text and the latter but Collections or Animadversions upon it turning the practice of his Life into Precepts and concluding what we ought to be by observing what he was and did God intending to re-instamp his Image upon Man did send his Son the Image of the invisible God as a Seal into the World to imprint upon his Followers the Image of God which consisted in Righteousness and true Holiness As in our Conformity to the Life of Christ consists our Righteousness here so shall our Glory be hereafter for we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him 2. As thus the History of Christ contains a Rule and Pattern of Righteousness so do the Precepts and Counsels of the Gospel contain a Rule of Righteousness and that more excellent than the Law and that especially in these particulars 1. In that it teacheth and infuseth the true Principle of all Righteousness by shewing us the Love of God to us and therewith commandeth and thereby begetteth Love to God again and in that Love and from it doth teach and enable us to all the Duties of Righteousness towards Men it discovereth a greater and higher act of God's Love to us than the Law did because it discovers his Gifts of Christ unto us and with and in him all things and it doth more distinctly inform us in that Principle of Righteousness in and from the Love of God. 2. It discovers more effectual Motives and Incitements unto this and all other duties in respect of our selves The Law having a shadow of good things to come did inforce its Obedience by Promises of Temporal Advantages and Threatnings of Temporal Punishments but the Promises of the Gospel and its Threatnings are of a higher and more operative nature viz. Eternal Life and Eternal Wrath. 3. It doth improve the Commands and Prohibitions of the Law to its proper yet spiritual and sublime Sense for the Commands or Prohibitions of the Law seemed to respect more principally the outward Act and though in truth it looked farther for the Law in spiritual yet the extent of it was not so clearly evidenced till our Saviours Divine Comment upon it Matth. 5. 4. It doth superadd many Precepts not only of Righteousness towards God but even of Righteousness towards Man that were not contained or at least not so explicitly and positively as in the Gospel such are Works of Mercy and Compassion Patience in Persecution Liberality towards others loving our Enemies abstinence from Revenge Gentleness Moderation and right placing of our Affections contempt of the World Humility and the like These though we find them commended in the passages of the Prophets and Psalms yet they are not so distinctly delivered nor so binding and peremptorily injoyned till we come to the Doctrine of Christ and his Apostles who have put an equal necessity upon his Disciples to observe these as those other Injunctions of the mere Law. The Pharisees whose exact and rigid obedience to the Commands of the Law was their study and practice yet our Saviour tells his Disciples That except their Righteousness exceed that of the Scribes and Pharisees they can in no wise be his Disciples nor enter into Heaven Matth. 5.20 Now this exceeding of their Righteousness consisted in this that is before observed 1. In an Obedience to the Commands of the Law in the spiritual intention and application of it 2. In the practice of those Vertues which came not under the Letter of the Law unto which he had before annexed his Beatitudes Poverty of Spirit Mourning Meekness Hungring after Righteousness Purity Peace-making Patience in Persecution And in these four Particulars especially the Rule of Righteousness contained in the Gospel I cannot say exceeded the Law but exceeded the manner or clearness of the manifestation of the Law it having been the method of Almighty God ever since the Fall of Man to make several steps of discoveries of his mind unto Man and the latter to contain a more eminent degree of Light than the former in Abraham and the Patriarchs was one step in the Law a second in the coming of Christ in the Flesh a third and in the sending of the Holy Ghost a fourth and yet all contained one and the same truth but different degrees of manifestation And as in these Particulars the Rule of Righteousness contained in the New Testament was more clear and excellent than that of the Law so in the same and other respects it infinitely outgoes all the Rules and Dictates of Righteousness contained in the Philosophers whose Rules were Traditions which God by his Providence conveyed from Age to Age for the ordering and governing of Mankind and those improved by the Wisdom and severe and polished Judgments of Men to whom God had given a great measure of Reason and Truth to whom he gave so much Light as might leave the World unexcusable in their disobedience yet reserved so much from them as might glorifie his Son to be one that was a Teacher sent from God and none taught like him CHAP. XXX Of the general Precepts of Righteousness given by Christ and 1. Loving our Neighbour as our self NOW as in our Duty towards God Christ doth not only deliver unto us many special and particular Duties but also delivers some short general Precepts which are easie to be remembred and do include our whole Duty to God As that of Matth. 22.37 Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart c. so in the matters of Righteousness and Justice towards Men he doth not only deliver some special and explicite Duties but hath given us some general Precepts from whence a good Conscience may easily deduce Conclusions applicable to

precious Ointment Eccles 7.1 with a merry Heart which doth good like a Medicine Prov. 17.22 with Honour and Promotion Wealth Wisdom Success in thy Labours and these ought to be entertained with rejoycing and comfort the wise Man tells us it is the Portion that God giveth thee in them Eccles 3.13 22. Eccles 5.18 Eccles 9.9 and it is thy duty enjoyned thee by God Deut. 28.27 Because thou servedst not the Lord thy God with joyfulness and with gladness of heart for the abundance of all things therefore c. But take heed to thy Heart it will soon abuse and exceed his Commission 1. Look to the Manner of thy Joy or Mirth that it be not light or vain thy Mirth may prove mad Eccles 2.2 the Laughter of a Fool Eccles 7.6 a Mirth that will end in Heaviness Prov. 14.13 2. Look to the Measure of it First weigh the Good that thou enjoyest and then weigh out a Proportion of Joy answerable to the value of that Good lay not out the whole stock of thy Joy for that which deserves but a small part of it We are commonly mistaken in the value we put upon the things we expect or enjoy and that makes us mis-spend our selves upon them Be sure nothing below the fruition of thy Creator can deserve the whole stock of thy Delight and if thou dispensest it otherwise thou robbest thy God and deceivest thy self There are three Considerations and Cautions that are often to be used to moderate our Delight in Externals 1. To consider the true value of them they are but limited Good and not large enough for thy Soul limited in measure limited in duration the Good that is in them is that Congruity that God hath put in them and that only a limited good and can deserve but a limited Delight 2. To mingle those sad Considerations of Mortality and an Account with the Fruition of any Externals This doth allay the exorbitancy of the Heart and keeps the Soul from surfeiting upon any outward Good this is the going to the house of Mourning commended by the wise Man Eccles 7.2 that sad remembrance which he gives to the young man in the midst of his jollity Eccl. 11.9 But know that for all these things God will bring thee to judgment there is a severe Eye that beholdeth all thy deportment in the fruition of those things I lend thee that will have a sad account for thy carriage in the use of them 3. To contemplate often the Goodness of God his Mercy his Bounty to find the Presence and Love of God in thy Love the sound hope of eternal Life This will take up the whole compass of thy delight and rejoycing wherein thou canst not exceed so that thou wilt not have Joy enough or at least not too much for any thing below him Luke 10.20 In this rejoyce not but rather rejoyce because your names are written in heaven When this Sun shines in the Heart those little Stars of outward Comfort which at no time have but a derivative Light will not appear And this thy Faith is the Victory that overcometh the World the delights of the World as well as the terrours of the World It will keep Comforts and thy Delight in them in their due place and subordination and count them but dung and loss that thou mayest win Christ Phil. 3.8 If the Lord shall lift up the light of his countenance upon thee it will put more gladness in thy Heart than when their or thine own Corn and Wine increased Psal 4.7 When thy Peace is made with God thy Conscience sprinkled by the Blood of Christ the Spirit the Comforter witnessing with thy own Spirit Rom. 8.16 thy Heart sincere towards God 2 Cor. 1.12 this will cause an abiding Joy 2 Thes 5.16 John 16.12 a full Joy 1 John 1.4 a victorious Joy that like Moses's Serpent devours the false Joys and conquers the temporal Sorrows of this Life Acts 5.41 James 1.2 1 Pet. 4.13 a Joy unspeakable and full of Glory 1 Pet. 1.8 3. And as to the manner and measure of thy Delight so look to the Ground the formal Reason of thy Delight see that thy delight or rejoycing fix not in those external Comforts singly for then thy Delight will be sensual immoderate and vain the very same that an irrational Creature takes in them viz. a complacency in the fruition of that which is convenient and suitable to his Sense But look upon thy Blessings and delight in them as thou seest the Bounty the Goodness the Hand the Promise the Truth of God in them This will not only moderate but spiritualize thy delight in them thy delight in them will not only be Comfortable to thy self but Acceptable to God thy delight in thy Blessings is then mingled with Thankfulness with Humility with Sobriety with Faith with Watchfulness it is thy Duty and it is thy Safety The rich Man in the Gospel Luk. 12.19 Soul thou hast much goods laid up for many years eat drink and be merry and this was his sin The Israelite offering his first Fruits to God Deut. 26.11 is commanded to rejoyce in every good thing which the Lord thy God hath given unto thee this was his Duty the rejoycing the same here was the odds the former terminated and laid out his Joy in the thing as the suitable Good to his Nature and Condition the latter looked upon it and rejoyced in it as a Gift of God learn therefore to find God in the Creature and that will heal the Creature and make it useful and safe thou mayest then delight in them safely because thou wilt then do it warrantably CHAP. XXII Of Watchfulness over our Grief 1. In reference to God for Sin 2. In reference to Externals TAKE heed to thy Grief Love as is before noted is the great Cardinal Affection or Motion of the Soul and the other Affections are but Love diversified according to the site or position of the Object Love in the expectation of its Object is Hope in the doubt or danger of it Fear in the enjoyment of it Joy in the absence of it Grief or Sorrow The Object therefore of thy Love is the subject of thy Grief and the measure of thy Love to it is the measure of thy Grief for it First therefore see that thy intensest Grief be relative to him that ought to be the Object of thy intensest Love. Now our Love to God is under a double Consideration 1. Absolutely as he is the chiefest perfect absolute Good. And under this Consideration our Love ends in him we love him for his own sake And this is an Angelical Love and a pure sublime Love and the Fruit of this Love is an endeavour of Conformity to his Nature and to his Will. 2. Relatively as he is the Chiefest Good to us And this creates in us a double Love to him 1. A Love of Gratitude a return of Love to him because we receive Love from him 1 John