Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heaven_n	moth_n	thief_n	treasure_n	2,143	5	9.3630	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A31012	A sermon preach'd June 1, 1699, at Feckenham in Worcester-shire, before the trustees appointed by Sir Thomas Cookes, Kt. Bart. to manage his charity given to that place by John Baron ...	Baron, John, 1669 or 70-1722.	1699 (1699)	Wing B879; ESTC R10496	18,182	44

in one may grow out of humour and re-call it by another The best and wisest of Men are very wavering and irresolute so that no one knows what a Day may bring forth And suppose there should be no danger in the delay but that the former should stand unalter'd yet a Testament is of no strength at all whilst the Testator liveth and therefore that his design'd Charity ever takes effect is not wholly due to his Will and Intention but in some measure also to that standing unchangeable Decree whereby it is appointed for Man once to dye If you could certify him that he had longer to live and that his Soul should not yet be requir'd of him he would be sure to hold fast his Possessions His Desires would increase with his Heaps till at length they became capacious and unsatiable as the Grave and I make no doubt but the same tenacious Principle which hinders him from reaching out his hand to do good as he has an opportunity would equally influence him an hundred Years hence twice told if we could suppose his days to be so prolonged on the Earth Those then afford us the highest demonstration of a noble a large and generous Soul who settle their Charity themselves thereby giving glory to God before he causeth Darkness before their Feet stumble upon the dark Mountains and they themselves fall into the ruines of Old-age 3. My third Consideration is this That they who dispose of what they design for charitable Uses while they live do thereby shew that they firmly trust in and more entirely rely on the good Providence of God The Lord saith the Psalmist hath prepared his throne in the heavens and his kingdom ruleth over all His Providence extends to all the Works of the Creation but he is said to be particularly concern'd for the Children of Men. We ought therefore to lay aside all anxious perplexing thoughts for to morrow and to cast all our care upon him who has promis'd not to leave us nor forsake us And the best way to evidence this our reliance upon the good Providence of God is to make him a plentiful return of his own Bounties and to do good proportionably to our Ability with what we at present enjoy We ought to remember that a considerable part of our blessed Lord's divine Sermon upon the Mount was design'd to remove our doubts concerning the things of this Life that we might not be troubled or discompos'd as the Heathens were with fearful apprehensions of future wants We may learn from thence that our Life is more than Meat and our Body than Raiment and therefore we may surely conclude that God who is so able and so kind as to give the one cannot be unable neither will he be backward to give the other We cannot but observe that the Fowls of the Air are plentifully fed though they contribute nothing to their own support and that the Lilies of the Field which do neither toil nor spin are yet so richly arayed that they exceed Solomon in all his glory And having such demonstrative Arguments of God's Providence over Beings of an inferior Class we may be very confident that his watchful eye is over Man who being made in his own Image is the perfection and master-piece of this lower World The case of the Gentiles was far otherwise the Idols they adored were Wood and Stone the work of Men's hands which they saw stood in need of the help and protection of their Votaries whose wants they were ignorant of and so could by no means be thought able to supply them upon this account it was no great wonder that they were so very solicitous for themselves But if we who worship the true living GOD who understands all our necessities before we ask and has promis'd in his due time to relieve them if we should continue to disquiet our selves about distant Events and future Contingencies it might justly be thought that we have not learned CHRIST so perfectly as we should and that this distrust of ours proceeds from a very great weakness if not from a total want of Faith And as there is some reason to suspect that the same evil distrustful Heart is in those who defer their Charity till they dye so the best method of removing all just grounds of such a suspicion is to be rich in good Works while they live For he that disperseth abroad and is glad to distribute to the necessities of others gives all the World a satisfactory and convincing Proof that he firmly believes in God and entirely depends upon his never-failing Providence for the supply of his own 4. I desire it may be considered by Men of Ability that the disposing of their Charity while they live may conduce very much to the raising of their Affections from things below and placing them on things above The conversation of all true Christians is in Heaven there they ought to set their Affections even while they sojourn upon Earth For they are but Strangers and Pilgrims here below and therefore they must not irregularly love the World neither the things of the World If any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him The Friendship of the World is direct irreconcileable enmity against God and an immoderate desire of earthly Enjoyments is the root of all evil We can't serve God and Mammon Would we be able then to wean our Thoughts from all that looks great and inviting here Would we be able to raise our Minds to an heavenly frame and temper The way and means hereto is to return our Money into the other World Lay up saith our Saviour for your selves treasures in Heaven for where your treasure is there will your heart be also Where-ever we are our Affections will always point toward the beloved Object and whilst our Treasures are those of this World we shall not easily be brought to be intent on the next But if we do good with what we possess we are then said to lend unto the Lord and it will be no difficult matter to elevate our Desires and to fix them on Heaven when once we have remitted our Treasure thither Then we shall be wholly at leisure for Divine Contemplations never to be interrupted or distracted by any of those Casualties which trouble the thoughts of the Children of this World There will be no moth nor rust to corrupt no secret or avowed thieves to break through and steal And whereas the most cautious and subtle Usurer upon Earth is somtimes cheated and disappointed they who give credit to the sovereign Lord of all need fear no disadvantageous Compositions no shuffling or discount they are sure of receiving their own again with usury either an hundred-fold in this World or in the World to come Everlasting Life 5. It is worthy the consideration of Men of Ability That by disposing of their own Charity they will in all probability derive a Blessing

upon themselves for the remainder of their Lives Righteous and Merciful Men are the peculiar Favourites of Heaven and by a secret and undiscerned Providence all things are made to work together for their good Lose thy mony saith the Son of Syrach for thy brother and thy friend and let it not rust under a stone to be lost Lay up thy treasure according to the commandments of the most High and it shall bring thee more profit than gold Shut up alms in thy store-houses and it shall deliver thee from all affliction It shall fight for thee against thy enemies better than a mighty shield and strong spear Ecclus. 29. As for what the poor Miser objects That Charity is wholly inconsistent with our temporal Interest and that by doing good to others we shall in a short time impoverish our selves and our Families 't is spoken with as much ease and as little reason as other Calumnies are by Men who dare speak any thing but what is true and do any thing but what is good The Royal Psalmist was a Man of Years and Experience when he declared That he had never seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging bread And his Son Solomon so justly celebrated for his Wisdom observed that there was that made himself rich and yet had nothing and there was that made himself poor and yet had great riches And again that there was that scattered and yet increased and there was that with-held more than was meet and it tended to poverty That the liberal soul was made fat and he that watered was watered also himself Our Heavenly Father who is the Fountain and onely dispenser of all Plenty and from whom alone every good gift cometh is always able and does many times reward the liberal Man with temporal Blessings improving every Alms which he gives like the Oyl in the poor Widow's Cruse which was so far from failing that it increased in spending and grew more by being consumed I own this is not universally true the charitable Man does not always meet with a proportionable recompence in this World But then it should be farther considered that when it pleases God otherwise to order things and to fail him in his returns here he has for his security the Promise of him who is Truth it self with whom is no variableness or shadow of turning that he shall be amply rewarded at Resurrection of the Just. And besides all this if we should farther suppose that God for the tryal of his Patience or out of very faithfulness should cause him to be troubled If he should suffer by any common Calamity if any fatal Change any sudden extraordinary Revolution of State should reach him among others in a word if poverty should overtake him like an armed man yet he has this apparent advantage over the unmerciful Worldling that the good deeds which he has done will recommend him to the liberality of others and the light afflictions which he here indures will procure him a far more exceeding and an eternal weight of glory 2 Cor. 4.17 6. And lastly It ought to be considered by Men of Ability that the Reflection upon what good they have done in their Life will afford them great comfort and satisfaction when they come to dye This is as important a Consideration as can well be for the thoughts of this great Change do naturally affright and disturb the Soul which never stands in more need of comfort than at the time of its separation The best Men when they are laid on the Bed of Sickness feel some disorder within some doubts arising concerning their Salvation they are perplexed and divided between Hope and Fear Nature and Grace Now the most effectual way of removing these disquietudes and of procuring rest for our Souls at the hour of Death is to reflect upon what good we have done in the healthful and vigorous part of our Lives Alms are a lasting foundation and a sure Pledge of Peace and Tranquillity and good Works which are done out of an unfeign'd Faith in Jesus Christ will deliver from Death and contribute very much to the covering a multitude of sins I do not remember saith St. Jerom that I have read that ever any charitable Person dyed an evil Death for having the Holy Spirit for his Comforter a good Conscience for his Testimony and CHRIST for his Advocate he can with cheerfulness commit his Soul to God as to a faithful Creator 'T is a mighty ease and refreshment to him to remember that he has clothed the Naked fed the Hungry entertain'd the Stranger and visited those that were sick and in Prison and to consider withal that whatsoever kindness or mercy he has shew'd to his necessitous Neighbour will be as well accepted by Christ as if it had been immediately done unto himself If amidst these joyful composing Reflections the great Enemy and Accuser of Mankind should raise any distrustful thoughts in his Heart he can presently fly for refuge to the Father of Mercies who knows and pities his Infirmities and who will the rather deliver him because he observes his Confidence is ballanced with Reverence Humility and Godly Fear As for cruel uncharitable Men it is not so with them at the approach of Death when the terrors of the Lord set themselves in aray against them fearfulness and trembling comes upon them and an horrible dread overwhelms them they are like the troubled sea which cannot rest The sensual Delights which they heretofore so eagerly pursued can now entertain or divert them no more neither will their Treasures of Wickedness profit them in this day of wrath They may look for some to have pity on them but they will find none none that can redeem their Souls or make an Agreement with God for them They are left perfectly as Men without Hope which is certainly the most miserable condition they can be in on this side Hell They remember that they many times stopped their ears and turned their faces from the poor and needy and therefore they conclude that the face of the Lord will be turned away from them and as they shewed no mercy so they are under a certain fearful looking for of judgment without mercy The bitterness of their Souls makes them long for Death and yet the sence of approaching Vengeance makes them afraid to dye I shall conclude this Consideration with the words of the truly pious Bishop Taylor Certain it is saith he God cannot will not never did reject a charitable Person in his greatest needs and most passionate Prayers For God himself is Love and every degree of Charity that dwells in us is the participation of the Divine Nature and therefore when upon our Death-bed a cloud covers our Head and we are enwrapped with sorrow when we feel the weight of a sickness and do not feel the refreshing Visitations of God's Loving-kindness when we have many things to trouble us