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	thief_n	treasure_n	2,291	5	9.6844	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A62575	The foolish abuse and wise use of riches a sermon preached in the parish-church of Bromsgrove in Worchester-shire, May 1, 1695, upon occasion of a charity given to that place by Sir Thomas Cookes of Bentley, Kt. Bar. / by W. Talbot ...	Talbot, William, 1658 or 9-1730.	1695 (1695)	Wing T121; ESTC R32741	20,183	34

Disciples and then who more fit to determine the Dispute between them than their Master or it may be by the 4th Verse of the 72 Psal which Psalm Jews as well as Christians have look'd upon as a Prophecy relating to the Messiah where he is set forth as a Judge of the People and Vindicator of the Rights of the Children c. But this notwithstanding though he might without fault insist upon his right and though the course he took to maintain it by reference was a very justifiable and praise-worthy one yet certainly he timed his business very imprudently 't was a mighty over-sight in him to imploy those Minutes about it which he had then opportunity of improving to the more concerning Interests of his Soul and to importune Christ to help him to recover a temporary Inheritance to whom he might with success have applied himself to have directed and assisted him in the obtaining of an Incorruptible and Eternal one This seems to me to be the folly that this Brother was chargeable with an inordinate desire and over eager pursuit tho by lawful means of the unnecessary things of this present Life to the neglect of the more weighty concerns of that which is to come As for the Rich Man his folly seems to be of the same kind but more extravagant his desires and designs were all turn'd to this world here he sets up his rest and places his chief happiness in the goods he had laid up and hugs and caresses himself with the pleasing prospect of a long voluptuous enjoyment of them as for the other World he had not a thought for it that was so little regarded by him that he did not judg Heaven worth the Purchasing at the expence only of his superfluities God had blest him with a very plentiful Fortune he had more than he wanted or knew what to do with What opportunity had he of being Rich here and hereafter to Of laying up sufficient for the necessities and conveniencies of this Life and 1 Tim. 6.19 of laying up in store also a good foundation against the time to come that he might lay hold upon eternal Life But alas this Treasure was put into the hand of a Fool that had not an Heart to make use of it tho he had so much that he could not tell where to bestow it he never thinks of making any return to that God that gave all but chooses to be at the charge of pulling down and enlarging his Barns there to lay up his Goods to be a prey to Theeves and Robbers and food for Vermin rather than to treasure them up in Heaven where no such devourers can approach And this is that imprudent management for which God calls him Fool and he had presently a very sad conviction of his folly for while he was entertaining himself with a vain Dream of many Years Happiness in an unrestrain'd Enjoyment of his Fruits and Goods he was surprised with the unwelcome tidings v. 20. that that Night his Soul would be required of him He and his Riches immediately part they have another Master and he be removed into another state where he cannot take them along with him and where having neglected to make any Friends with his Idoliz'd Mammon to send any Treasure before-hand or lay up any Provisions he cannot expect to be received into everlasting Habitations unless those prepared for the Devil and his Angels or to enjoy any portion but one of Fire and Brimstone without a Drop of Water to cool his Tongue all Torment without any alloy or mixture And so is he i.e. This is the Character of every such Rich Man and this will be his Case he is a Fool and will one day be sensible of it that thus lays up Treasure for himself that considers only himself in the storing up or spending of his Plenty and Increase that amasses wealth meerly for his own satisfaction either in the beholding it with his Eyes or consuming it upon his Lusts and is not rich towards God does not imploy a proportion of his abundance to the service and glory of God in Works of Mercy and Charity The words thus explained afford us these two Subjects of Discourse 1. The folly of those that lay up Treasure for themselves 2. The true way of making a Wise use and improvement of Riches by being Rich towards God 1. The folly of those that lay up Treasure for themselves I intend not to declaim against an honest Care and Endeavour in any one to provide the necessaries for supporting not only Life but a comfortable Life and for enabling him to maintain the Character and discharge the Duties belonging to those Relations which he bears in the World for such care and endeavour provided it does not imply 1 Tim. 6.17 a trusting in uncertain Riches or a resting in them as a Man's chief good but he can clear himself with Job and say Job 31.24 I have not made Gold my hope nor said unto fine Gold thou art my Confidence if it includes not a discontentedness and repining at his present lot nor a distrust of God's Providence for the future but he thankfully enjoys what he has already acknowledging himself less than the least of God's Mercies and for the time to come having used means allowed by God can contentedly and faithfully rely upon him for the event resolving fully to acquiesce in whatsoever portion his Wisdom shall think meet for him a Care and Industry I say to gain or keep the good things of this Life so moderated and bounded is not that I know of condemned in Scripture nay we are there told 1 Tim. 4.8 That Godliness has the Promise of the Life that now is and certainly a Man may not only enjoy the Promises of God when he makes them good but likewise by Lawful Methods co-operate with and be Instrumental to his Providence in the bringing them about But that which I design to censure is the laying up of abundance beyond what true necessity or real conveniency require the placing a man's chief Happiness in Riches the making them his Treasure v. 34. and consequently Psal 62.10 setting his Heart upon them and directing all his Studies and Labours to the obtaining or keeping of them the resting in them as his end and in his own endeavours as the means for the Procurement of them And he that does so is a Fool upon three accounts because 1. He quite mistakes the thing which he proposes as his end 2. He makes use of Incompetent means for the obtaining of it And 3. It is that which if he should obtain is not worth his Time and Labour These Instances of his Folly I have chosen to insist upon they being what our Saviour has suggested in the Discourse now before us 1. He quite mistakes the thing which he proposes as his end And surely 't is a very great folly for a Man to propose a thing as his chief end and not know what it

have unprofitably hoarded up and the very Ministers to your Pride and Luxury and Vices on whom ye Prodigals have wasted it as well as the Poor whom ye have both defrauded will witness against you and what Mercy can ye expect from your Judge who have shew'd none to his Members But are Riches always kept to the hurt of the owners thereof Must a plentiful Estate lawfully descending from the Father disinherit the Son of the Kingdom of Heaven or the blessings of God's left Hand upon his own honest Labours necessarily intitle him to be placed upon the left Hand hereafter God forbid any should say thus No Riches in themselves consider'd are neither good nor bad but indifferent as Poverty is both States are capable of being improved to very good purposes or abused to very ill ones both have their Temptations and both have their Advantages If Riches may tempt a Man to Pride and Luxury to love of the World and forgetfulness of God Poverty may be too apt to incline him to murmur and repine at God to Steal and take his Name in vain And if Poverty put a Man upon the exercise of Patience Contentedness and Faith Riches may give him opportunities of exercising a Grace which the Apostle prefers before all these that of Charity and by the due practice whereof we do most nearly resemble the most perfect of all Beings our Father which is in Heaven The Vertues which Riches may enable a Man to perform have that advantage over those which are owing meerly to Poverty which St. Paul gives Prophecy over Speaking in an unknown Tongue he that speaketh in an unknown Tongue edifieth himself but he that prophesieth edifieth the Church 1 Cor. 14. The Vertues of the poor Man as he is such center in himself only but the rich Man may cast his benign Influence on all about him may be Eyes to the Blind Feet to the Lame a Father to the Poor and Fatherless and cause the Widows heart to dance for Joy as Job speaks may do good not only to the present age but to the Generations that are to come he may in a Sense be always with the Poor may make Provision for the Feeding and Clothing of their Bodies for the instructing and forming of their Minds and for the putting them into Capacities of being serviceable to God and useful to Men in their Generations and by so doing may become a sort of a Saviour to them contribute mightily not only to the saving of their Bodies from shame and misery here but both Souls and Bodies from eternal confusion and torment hereafter And this is 2. The true way of making a wise improvement of Riches which is the Second General Head I proposed to discourse upon and is included in the Phrase rich towards God and to be so is as our Saviour expounds it at 33 ver to give Alms or in St. Paul's Expression to be rich in good Works ready to distribute willing to Communicate 1 Tim. 6.18 To make the needy share with me in my Plenty and minister out of my Abundance to the necessities of those who have no Portions provided for them And he that does so may be said to be rich towards God either as he performs a service highly acceptable to God not that he is benefited by our largest Charity our Goodness extends not to him but to the Saints that are upon the Earth Psal But yet it is very grateful to him as the Apostle assures us To do good and to distribute forget not for with such Sacrifices God is pleased Heb. 13.16 And this likewise may occasion another pleasing Sacrifice to him that of Praise and Thanksgiving for so St. Paul says The administration of this Service not only supplies the wants of the Saints but is abundant also by many Thanksgivings to God 2 Cor. 9.12 Nay the Scripture represents the Money which the charitable Man gives to the Poor as a Loan lent to God and our Saviour tells us That He resents the merciful Offices done to them as perform'd to Himself He that hath pity on the Poor lendeth unto the Lord Prov. 19.17 And in as much as ye did it to one of these my Brethren ye did it to me Matth 25. So that in this sense he that abounds in works of Charity may be said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rich towards God or there may be another sense of the Phrase which the Learned Grotius contends for Grot. in Loc. who will have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which we render rich to be all one with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies laying up Treasure and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which we render towards God to be as much as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with God and then to be rich towards God as we Translate it is to lay up Treasure for our selves with God and this Christ implies the charitable Man does at the fore-mentioned 33d Verse of this Chapter when he advises us if we cannot otherwise do it to sell some part of what we have and give Alms and so provide Bags that wax not old and treasure in Heaven that fails not We need not be curious which of these Senses to take for the truly Charitable Man is rich in both of them he is Rich towards God and he lays up Treasure for himself with God and he that does so certainly makes the wisest use and best improvement of his Riches For being rich towards God what more prudent course can a Man take than by making a grateful return of some of his Plenty to that bountiful hand from whom he received all to engage his Blessing upon the rest And by distributing out of what he hasalready given to those whom he has appointed as his Substitutes to receive those expressions of our Love and Gratitude which he is not capable of to secure his further Favours for the future Now that the merciful and charitable Man does this the Scripture tells us in many places I will name three or four in Psal 41. David describing the Blessedness of the Man that provides for the poor and needy says That the Lord will deliver him in the time of trouble will preserve and keep him alive and he shall be blessed upon the Earth and in the 37th speaking of the righteous Man and what he means by a righteous Man in that Psalm is very plain from 21. and 26. verses of it In the former the righteous sheweth mercy and giveth and in the other he is ever or your Margin has it all the day merciful and lendeth of this Righteous i. e. this merciful liberal man he says v. 19. He shall not be ashamed in evil times and in time of famine he shall have enough Ver. 29. The righteous shall inherit the Land and dwell in it for ever And to the same purpose ver 34. and in the 25th I have been young and now am old yet never saw I the righteous forsaken nor his Seed begging their