Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heaven_n	let_v	lord_n	praise_v	5,527	5	9.4047	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10038	The godly mans inquisition lately deliuered in two sermons before the right honourable Henry, Lord Montague, late lord high treasurer, priuie counsellor, &c. other gentlemen of worship, at Kimolton on their annuall feast day. By R. Preston, Preacher of Gods word.	Preston, Richard, d. ca. 1624.	1622 (1622)	STC 20285; ESTC S111971	37,702	74

mute before their masters they will laugh and spend time idlie and lasciuiously when they are departed from it they forget the word yea themselues and so with the dogge they returne to their wonted vomit 2 Pet. 2.22 Others are in strength of bodie and soundnesse of the members and they need not returne to God till they waxe wan and weake and feeble and then they say is their time But let me frame such an opponent and times-enemie this answere if thou doest not forsake thy sinnes and turne to God till thou be weake and feeble then thy sinnes will forsake thee and not thou them What thankes is it for a drunkard to giue ouer his drunkennesse when he is not able any longer to goe to the Alehouse Or for the Whoremaster to leaue his whoredome when he hath no strength for the performance and execution of his filthie desire A man should willingly part with his sinnes euen while he is able to commit them and not by constraint when there is no remedie Secondly the time of weaknesse dotage c. is not Gods appointed opportunitie If a man would then he cannot soundly turne to God for all the parts of bodie and powers of soule will loose their vertue and neither part nor power can performe their office Eceles 12. The brawne of the armes they fall away the keepers of the house that is the hands which defend the bodie tremble the strong men that is the legges that should carry the bodie doe bow themselues and waxe faint the eyes that looke out at the windowes are darke and obscure the Grinders that is the teeth fall out of the head the doores of the lips are shut the iawes fallen and the daughters of singing that is the eares are abased being vnable any longer to heare the sound of Musicke the memorie is dulled the vnderstanding darkned c. And further least a man should thinke the time of dotage and of weaknesse the most conuenient time to seeke the Lord Salomon brings in that decrepit age deafe blind lame halt short winded full of aches in his bones cramps in his ioynts and sundry diseases in his bodie trembling on a staffe with shaking lips and almost robbed of all senses as if he might say Now looke and tell me whether this weake time this feeble age be the acceptable time and day of conuersion When this age oppressed Barzillai then could he say Can I discerne betweene good and euill 2 Sam 19.35 Haue I any taste in that I eate or drinke c. He confessed that his weaknesse was so great that both bodie and mind were disabled from attending on the King much more from attending this worke of grace Others also are readie to plead the mercifulnesse of God to giue toleration to presumptuous procrastination Oh God is mercifull hereupon the yong man is loose the drunkard ryotous the rich man cruell the swearer blasphemous the adulterer vicious and each man adulterate and beastiall in his kinde But let such bold flinder-mice know withall that God is as speedie in iustice to punish the euill and vngodly men as he is full of mercie for the vse and reward of his owne dearelings The hope of the wicked is hopelesse the Lord hath said it Psal 18.26 Prou. 1.28 34. he will visit their iniquities and laugh at their destruction and they shall finde that true for all their presumptions which the Apostle relateth Heb. 10.32 And 12.29 Rom. 2.4 viz. that it is a fearefull thing to fall into the hands of God who is a consuming fire The mercie of God should lead men to repentance and make preparation for the day of grace Others are forward to excuse their delay I pray you did not the theefe on the Crosse seeke the Lord by Repentance at the last houre of his life and found him to his comfort I grant its true but it followes not thereon that euery one so seeking shall partake of GODS fauour This example was extraordinary and giuen of God that sinners should not presume and that true paenitentiaries should not despaire It is folly and great madnesse to deferre vntill the last in regard of this one patterne and example it being left without precept Fie on this slaggering and staggering of Christians who gape after Meteors in the aire cast beyond the Moone and are doubtfull when they hazard nothing but vanitie which would hazard their soules They murmure at present conuersion and say with the Disciples This is an hard saying who can beare it Ioh. 6. Or else they seeke to shift it off as they did who were called on to re-edifie the Temple and answered It is not yet time to build Hag. 1.2 c. Vse 2 Secondly this Doctrine may likewise serue for Instruction For instruction God biddeth and it is our dutie to hold opportunitie by the fore-locke by a little staying behind it will slip away and we shall not be able to catch hold of it Now the Lord will be found but anon he is gone and will absent himselfe as the Prophet tells vs Hos 5.6.7 They shall goe with their sheepe and their Bullockes to seeke the Lord but they shall not find him for he hath with-drawne himselfe from them Oh therefore when God putteth any good motion into our hearts of seeking let vs forthwith addresse our selues vnto it as Abrahams seruant that was sent to prouide a wife for his son Isaac when he had had good successe and well effected the businesse which he came for hasted home to his Master And when Rebeccaes friends requested him to stay ten dayes because they were loath to part with her on the sodaine he would not yeeld at any hand No hinder me not saith he Gen. 34.54.55.56 seeing the Lord hath prospered my iourney but send me away that I may goe to my Master So should we suffer nothing at all to hinder vs but euen make hast to turne to the Lord vpon the first motion There is a good saying to this purpose in the booke of Ecclesiasticus Chap. 5.7 Make no tarrying to seeke the Lord and put not off from day to day for sodainly shall the wrath of the Lord breake forth and in thy securitie thou shalt be destroyed Ob But it will be said Ob Hast makes wast faire and softly goe farre soft fire makes sweet Malt the hastie man neuer wanted woe Ans All these be true Ans and good often in temporall affaires yea and sometimes also in businesses touching the soule Esay 8. Let not him that beleeueth make haste be not too credulous of euery thing without triall But in this case of seeking the Lord these Prouerbes hold not true we haue no larger bounds then the present the instant the moment If we slacke our zeale neuer so little euery baite of drunkennesse obiect of couetousnesse presented glance of wantonnesse will offer it selfe as a temptation to alter or at least to hinder our intended Conuersion And albeit they say as the Deuils said to Christ Math. 8. Why tormentest thou vs before the time Yet brethren the time is alreadie come and now is wherein God conuerseth with vs most graciously by his Spirit and most familiarly by his word let vs therefore gather Manna early in the morning before the Sunne melt it away and let vs walke in the light while we haue it then shall our darkenesse be turned into light our sorrow into ioy our baldnesse into beautie and for sack-cloath we shall be decked with garments of gladnesse then shall heauen and earth Angels and men and all creatures else clap their hands for ioy of our Conuersion all meeting in this cloze Praysed be the Lord who hath such pleasure in his seruants that he will be found of them to their Saluation Amen FINIS

thy Master to stand before his face and not to shrinke from his presence Thus much of the Supposition Now of the Position Seeke the Lord Hauing laid downe how that by sinne we are out of Gods fauour and lose his presence of grace it remaineth to speake of the meanes to finde the Lord and to get into his fauour and that is here said to be Seeking whether it be by prayer Repentance obedience or hearing of the word daily and diligently c. Doct. 1. God being lost by sin must be sought by all holy meanes And the Point is this that hauing lost the Lord by iniquitie we are to seeke him againe by all godly helpes and meanes we must not stand vpon arguments but resolue present diligence to seeke when God seemes to leaue the Cabin of our hearts and begins to write bitter things against vs. The seruant put out of his Masters seruice knowing the profit by it will not stand vpon his termes My master did me wrong why did he thus but he seekes all meanes to procure his masters wonted loue and affection neither doth it become vs Gods seruants to argue vpon points without ground but rather we should seeke Gods face when he calleth vpon vs to that purpose saying Psal 27.8 Hos 5.3 Seeke ye my face Thus did the men of Israel they sought the Lord and he was fauourable gracious vnto them God sends not his workmen away without wages nor those that seeke him by Repentance in faith c. without a reward Dauid saith Psal 34.4 I sought the Lord and he heard me He did not so much vse his bodily feete to runne after the Lord as the good temper of his affections to take delight in the Lord. Neither did he say I prayed and was heard but I sought and was heard 2 Chron. 20.3 and thus Iehosaphat fearing God set himselfe to seeke the Lord And why are all the Elect of God called a Generation of seekers but in respect of their enquiries after Gods fauour Psal 24.6 according as it is the brand of the vngodly that they seeke not God And surely Reason if either the comforts and ioy we may reape by Gods presence or the necessitie thereof may be of force to perswade inquirie and to stirre vp our care neither of them is wanting in this so weightie a matter for comforts and ioy what thoughts are able to reach to the excellency of them Eye hath not seene nor eare heard 1 Cor. 2.9 nor heart conceiued the multitude and worth thereof the presence of great men will astonish and amaze their inferiours it will make them fearefull to behold their faces Math. 5.8 but such is not Gods presence his face and countenance is delectable and at his right hand is pleasure for euermore Psal 16.11 and the more we can behold it the lesse is our feare and the greater our reioycing 1 Sam. 6.13 when the Arke was restored the men of Bethshemesh exceedingly reioyced when the publicke teaching of the Law which had a long time beene discontinued was againe established Nehem. 8.12 the people of Ierusalem were much comforted But how much more will the Children of the marriage Chamber reioyce Math. 9.15 when the Bridegroome is among them This ioy arising from Gods presence concerneth either the qualification of the Conscience or the fruition of Gods fauour in the estate of glory for the conscience when after many skirmishes and secret terrors it begins to gather heart as we say and to feele euidences of grace then there is much ioy yea such ioy 1 Pet. 1.8 as Peter calls it glorious and vnspeakeable Touching this Ioy looke vpon Dauid boasting in the ioy of heart which was giuen him by the Lords lifting vp of his countenance vpon him Psal 4.7 Looke vpon the Eunuch going on in his way reioycing Act. 8.39 because he felt how faith in Christ was wrought in his soule and that was Maries Ioy reioycing in spirit Luk. 1.46 that she knew God in Christ was become her Sauiour For the fruition of the state of glory hereafter it may well lift vp the beleeuers heart with comfort Reu. who shall stand before the lambe accompanied with 24. Elders singing and reioycing he shall be where God is for euer Ioh. 14.16.17 1 Cor. 13.12 and shall see him face to face If this glimmering light of heauenly knowledge when we see but as in a glasse darkely be so delightfull what shall it be to see and know the Lord as he is If the communion we haue here with Christ in his word and Sacraments be so ioyous what shall it be to enioy the immediate presence of God our Father Christ our Redeemer the holy Ghost our Comforter Now shall not such excellent comforts springing from the enioyment of Gods presence be reputed worthie our inquiries What doe many vulgar people oftentimes to see the Kings face or at least his person Strange things are done out of the desire thereof As earnest should we be to get a sight of God Thus I haue briefely pointed you to the ioy of the Saints in their apprehensions of God and the beholding of his bright countenance Now let me shew you the necessitie too the necessitie in a word is such that without God and the presence of his grace there is no possibilitie of admittance into heauen for vpon all those that are without the pale of his fauour shall be executed that sentence passed vpon the man without the wedding garment Mat. 22.13 Binde them hand and foote and cast them into vtter darknesse where shal be neither comfort nor light nor yet hope of either To be in a darke Dungeon where is no penetration of light nor any consolation is great paine and misery 2 Thes 1.9 but to be excluded from the presence of the Lord and from the glorie of his power is euen to be punished with euerlasting destruction As is the world without a Sunne a pining child without a Mother a distressed land without a gouernour euen so is the soule and body without the blessed and glorious presence of God nay they are in a thousand times worse taking for their exemption shall be perpetuall and easelesse their eye-sight shall onely be of Gods wrath and his eternall furie They shall feed his Iustice while they are burning in fire and brimstone Reu. 21.8 which is the second death Looke then of what necessitie saluation and happinesse and life eternall is of the same is the fauour and louing countenance of the Lord. If it be necessary for a man to seeke to be saued it is necessary to seeke the present and future good of his soule by seeking a conioyning to the Lord by meanes of his grace What can deserue the very best and as it were the very quintessence of our care if not this Ob But it will be sayd Ob Why neede we seeke God