Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heaven_n	lay_v	moth_n	treasure_n	2,139	5	9.7940	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A61182	A sermon preach'd to the natives of the county of Dorset, residing in and about the cities of London and Westminster, at St. Mary Le Bowe, on Dec. 8, 1692, being the day of their anniversary feast by the Lord Bishop of Rochester.	Sprat, Thomas, 1635-1713.	1693 (1693)	Wing S5062; ESTC R13442	15,232	42

Witnesses It is very memorable that they had the forced Applause and envious Praise of Julian the Apostate himself in this particular For in an Epistle which he wrote to one of his chief Heathen Priests wherein he earnestly exhorted him and all his Idolatrous Brethren to oppose the powerful Progress of the Gospel for the future by better wiser and more Virtuous Arts than hitherto they had done and to attempt the subversion of Christianity by copying after the Christians themselves in those very Methods by which it had grown so formidable to their false Gods He more especially by Name Recommended two or three of those Laudable Practices among Christians to their Studious Imitation One was Their Integrity and Sanctimony of Life in general Another Their decent Ceremonies and comely Rites in the Interment of their Dead A third Their Humanity and Charity to the Afflicted though Strangers to them which as he goes on is so remarkable that the Impious Galileans a Name with which he was wont to reproach the first Christians and our Lord Christ himself these very Impious Galileans says he do not only maintain and support their own Poor but ours also A plain Confession in Commendation of the first Christians Beneficence extorted by the force of Truth from the spitefully impious Pen of the Apostate himself And in this Blessed State the Christian Church in great part remained through all its first purest and most disinterested Ages till the World the Secular Empire the Pleasures the Riches an● Vanities of it were let in upon it But till then with the same Coelestial Arms of Genuine Doctrine at first delivered and the same prevailing Power of Miraculous Works at first bestowed they converted or confounded their Enemies And at the same time with the same joint though slender Stock of Earthly Goods religiously disposed they supported each others and in some measure their Adversaries Necessities and happily supply'd their own want of Earthly Power So they lived as looking on themselves to be parts of the same Christian Family Children of the same Heavenly Father Members of the same Spiritual Body and took care of and commiserated and sympathized with each other accordingly seeming as if they had all the same Desires the same Griefs the same Joys the same Interests in this World as well as the future having all things common to all as if which I can never too often repeat they were all of one Heart and one Soul Their chief Treasure they laid up in Heaven where neither Moth can corrupt nor Thieves break through and steal And whatever Treasure any of them had upon Earth they quickly placed that out of the reach of the Moths corrupting or the Thieves stealing not laying it up but by scattering it abroad into many Hands and putting it out to the best use Thus they made their Temporal Riches to be to them as the Gate of Heaven which GOD knows have been to many since that call themselves Christians too as the Gate of Hell They little cared or rather they very much cared how common they made their fading Wealth their corruptible and corrupting Abundance of this Worlds Goods since by the Fundamental Privileges of their holy Profession they had so many other so many greater things in common One common Faith in one common Creator Redeemer and Comforter one Communion of Saints one Hope of the common Salvation By these irresistible Ways and Instruments My Beloved Brethren was the Lord pleas'd to found and amplifie the Christian Church and thereby to add daily to it great Numbers of such as should be saved Whatever now of all this is absolutely inimitable and never to be copied after by us either by reason of the distance of Times and Places or Customs of Nations changed or Diversity of Gifts in several Ages or the different State of Christianity in this Age all that should be the Subject of our Belief our Wonder and our Praise But whatever of it is imitable and may again be applyed to our Circumstances that we should make the Object of our Zealous Studies and Devout Emulations 'T is granted we are not now obliged to that their first way of Conversation when none among them called any thing his own but they had all things common Now the Blessings of this Life we possess we may innocently enjoy as our own Property quite distinct from the Rights of other Men to it as their Rights are distinguished from ours But withal we must be mindful that still in respect to GOD we are all only Tenants and Usufructuaries He alone is the true Proprietor and sole Lord of all Though for our comfort and encouragement He in his infinite Mercy has declared That what part or portion soever of it we distribute in a right manner to whomsoever it be if even to those to whom Nature or Laws or Custom obliges us to be kind and merciful if we give it to them for his sake that he accepts as return'd and paid to himself You have been told that all lawful things were made common to the first Christians for that particular time But now all things are again become peculiar and several and seem to return to their old Boundaries of Meum Tuum with us as with the rest of Mankind and 't were well indeed if those Bounds were universally observ'd Yet still I must say that among Christians such as are so indeed and not only in Name some part of those things which are most a Mans own are to be so dispensed and dispersed to others to so many others by so many Titles that at last it can only be just said what is a Christians own is not common to all As we are Christians we are all engaged to shew some Effects of our Kindness and Charity to all that are in want as they are Christians to all in extream want as they are Men even to Strangers and Aliens nay to Enemies and Persecutors Much more to all Friends and Kinsmen all Neighbours and Country-men And that indeed My Dear Countrymen has been the chief Aim of this latter part of my whole Discourse as I question not but it is the great Purpose and Design of your present Assembly No Man can deny but as to the Country whence we all have sprung our Lot has fallen to be born in a pleasant and fruitful Place And I am confident many that hear me this Day have there also a goodly Inheritance and many if not there I am sure have elsewhere And you know the old Gospel-Rule To whom much is given of them much is required To such of you therefore give me leave to conclude my Speech And in the Name and by the Bowels of our Lord Jesus Christ I exhort you as Fellow-feeling Members of the same Mystical Body as Members also of the same Political Body and Country to extend your pious and charitable Assistance towards the distressed and indigent Natives of the same Country Now especially on this your Solemn Feast-Day that when you shall eat your Meat with Gladness they may not be quite empty and disconsolate I must tell you Charity is the best Companion of all Publick Feasting It is the best and most Christian Argument to recommend it I had almost said to justifie it Certain it is that was the chief Reason for which the Primitive Christians allowed of Feasting at all their Feasts being therefore as I have already said peculiarly styled Feasts of Charity Consider then I beseech you though GOD does not now expect from you to make all your Goods common to others as largely as they did yet still he calls upon you in your Proportion to communicate to others of your Goods as kindly if possible as they did Their Community of all things properly belong'd to them as they were the first Christians But the Example of their diffusive Charity obliges you if you will be Christians if you will be Followers of them as they were of Christ who gave himself for you for this very Reason that you should approve your selves to be his peculiar People by being zealous of good Works 'T is true GOD now permits every Man's Estate to be his own according to the Laws of his Country But still some good part of it is always and upon some Occasions all of it is subject to the Laws of Christianity And the more GOD suffers it to be ours ought not we in return the more to make it his Nay let us remember that our Temporal perishing Goods and Riches are then most our own when we most distribute them as GOD commands Then and then only if GOD says true we shall really enjoy and improve the best way and bring a lasting Blessing on what we keep to our selves And for what we thus part with GOD will recompense an hundred-fold into our Bosoms of Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost in this World of Joys unspeakable and full of Glory in the World to come AMEN FINIS