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
A96519	The gainefull cost. As it was delivered in a sermon preached before the Right Honourable House of Lords, in the Abbey Church of Westminster, on VVednesday the 27. of November, being the day appointed for solemn and publike humiliation. By Henry Wilkinson, B.D. Pastor of Faiths under Pauls.	Wilkinson, Henry, 1610-1675.	1644 (1644)	Wing W2222; Thomason E23_2; ESTC R20564	35,536	37

into glory but we doe not like this striving to enter men therefore beat their bargain as low as they can and faine they would bring down the price of heaven they are not good customers they undervalue the commondity they seeme to bid faire many of them and Agrippa-like are almost perswaded but since they will not come off roundly with the Merchant and sell all that they have for Christ but come neare the price and not come up to it and almost reach it but not altogether they shall altogether goe without it Such as these bee like those fordid Jewes that valued Christ at the rate of a slave as it is said Zech. 11. 13. a goodly price I was prized at of them c. Men will bee contented to be at cost for any thing for vanity that they may have it in possession rather then for glory which they look on in reversion but are much mistaken in the thing Now when all costs and charges are to be cast up and all accounts to be brought in at the last day then will Christ bring in his arreares and he will then tell how we would not bee at cost for him they will have a sad reckoning to whom Christ will say at the last day as he is brought in speaking Mat. 25. 42. 43. You indeed professed to love me but when I was an hungred yee gave me no meat you would not be at the cost of a piece of bread with mee when I was thirsty you gave me no drink you would not be at the cost of a draught of drink with me I was a stranger and yee took me not in you could not afford me a little roome or lodging in your house I was naked and yee clothed me not you would not be at so much cost as bestow cast clothes upon me sick and in prison and yee visited me not When by reason of ill dyet and hard and cruell usage inprison I was ready to be starved you would not so much as provide some comfortable thing for me that might have refresht me How shall I say that you loved mee when you suffred mee to beg and starve and goe naked when a little cost only your superfluities would have supported and maintained me in good fashion Then for the profession of the Gospel he will bring his accounts in for that he will then shew how that men like the foolish Virgins did procure lamps and would be at the paines to trimme them perhaps and likewise to goe forth to meet the Bridegroom but they would never bee at cost for Oyle Matth. 25. 12. Then for the confessing of Christ hee he will bring in his charge upon that and shew how men indeed did take upon them to confesse him in shew but they never would be at the cost and paines to do it in truth For they could hear his name blasphemed and torne in pieces by dogs and never stand up in the vindication of his honour they could see his ordinances trampled on and not so much as afford a word or deed to advance them So that Christ will say thy confession of me was a meere deniall of me then shall they finde the truth of that Mat. 10. 33. Whosoever shall deny mee before men him will I deny before my Father that is in heaven Then you shall have all holy duties and graces bring in their accounts and tell how they were performed and embraced prayer will say these Christians did say a prayer but never pray a prayer they never sighed or gronaed in prayer Rom. 8. 26. The word of God will speak and say that indeed they did hear it sometime but heeded it not like those in Ezech. 33. 32. they heard but did not practice they read sometime but remembred not Sabbaths will say they never were entertained with delight they never were sanctified with spirituall rejoycing they never observed them with any severity but spake their own words thought their own thoughts did their own works expressely contrary to that Is 58. 13. Then will Fasts come in and say that they never afflicted their soules nor shed a teare in a whole day nay they have found their own pleasure upon a fasting day which the Lord complaines of Isa 58. 3. All duties and graces will come in and say that they never had the heartcost the soule was never engaged for them so that all these that are in such a condition will bee looked upon as those that offered that to God which cost them nought even as those Mat. 1. 8. that thought any thing good enough for God even the halt and the blind and the sick If heaven might be had with ease and idlenesse sleep and security carelessenesse and negligence and with Balaams wish these will offer as faire as any and there will be customers enough indeed who would be out of it of the vilest of men and what Saint would ever come there Let us not flatter and deceive our selves what ever we give to God must be superlative and excellent the choysest ingredients are to bee put into every service he will have our righteousnesse an exceeding righteousnesse Matt. 5. 20. Except your righteousnesse exceed the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees yee shall in no case enter into the Kingdome of heaven What a shame will it be that pride and malice and luxury c. shall be able to bring in upon their accounts such vast summes and duties and graces they bring in cyphers or which is worse instead of accounts they will bring in complaints and tell how they were vilified and scorned and trampled under feet prayer and hearing the word and reading and holy meditation c. will tell how they were not heeded and how indeed Gallio-like they cared not for any of these things they will tell how sometimes they were put off as Felix did Paul to a more convenient season sometimes they were almost perswaded like Agrippa sometimes as Herod and his men of warre entertained Christ Luk. 23. 11. they were set at nought and mocked sometime the dancing of an Herodias sometime the kisse of a Dalilah sometimes mammon and the cares of the world sometimes gamesters sometimes good fellowes sometime one sometimes another interposed that these duties and the rest could finde no roome no time could be spared for them this will be but a sad reckning Think not that heaven will stoope to such base offers as lazie and negligent men doe make for we see that we must eat our daily bread in the sweat of our browes much more the bread of life We must sweat for Christ we must bleed nay we must die for him Thirdly consider the Cause of God amongst us the building of the Lords house the setting up of his ordinances worship service and discipline amongst us what hath this businesse cost us You will tell me it hath cost millions already and yet I feare it hath cost but little Let us cast up the expences at first it