Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heaven_n	steal_v	thief_n	treasure_n	2,093	5	9.4580	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A87177	The everlasting joys of heaven: or, The blessed life of a Christian, in grace here; and in glory here-after. Set forth for the comfort and encouragement of all those that desire to fear the Lord; / by John Hart, a servant of Jesus Christ. Recommended to the reader, by Obadiah Sedgewick, and Iohn Downam, ministers of the Gospel.	Hart, John, D.D.; Sedgwick, Obadiah, 1600?-1658.; Downame, John, d. 1652.	1656 (1656)	Wing H948; Thomason E1680_2; ESTC R209155	49,553	177

Earthly Tabernacle which is the reason rendred Herbr 11.9 10. Why Abraham was so willing to dwell in Tents for he looked for a City which had a foundation whose builder and maker is God So it is Heb. 13.14 That here we have no continuing City but we look for one to come and as in a City there are gathered together the confluence and riches of all the good things in the Country round about it besides that it is a setled resting place not like Tents and Tabernacles flecting up and down here to day and away to morrow So in heaven The City of the living God the Celestiall Ierusalem there must needs be the abundance of all heavens surmounting excellencies And lastly it is called heaven as a house of the most rare and admirable structure made by God himself without hands wherein we may cōceive if these inferior visible heavens in our view adorned with such varieties of unconceivable beauties so amaze our spirits and the fearfull and wonderfull making of our earthly houses so transport as David confesseth of his fearfull and wonderful making how much more admirable is this rare Building Mansion and resting place of the Almighty all things being so much the more excellent as God sheweth himself to be a immediate agent actor therin 2. The Scituation thereof For lo lo how it stands as it is said of Gods Mountain the Church exalted above the hills Isa. 2.2 and above the tops of the Mountains yea as though Mountains were set above Mountains of the top of one another yet this high and lofty place is far above all the heaven of heavens above all storms and tempests and vexations whatsoever so high and safe as no thief can come to dig through and steal and where our treasures may safely lie in the highest elevation that may be scituate not amongst briars and thorn as our houses are or amongst strangers and oppressors but where we shall be most beloved and welcome amongst all our friends and kindred where Christs is with all the Saints and Angels This shall be heaven to be with Christ wheresoever he is to follow the Lamb wheresoever he goeth Father I will that those whom thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my glory Iohn 17.24 and so To be ever with the Lord 1 Thes. 4.17 Then also the praise of a building is to be scituate in a pleasant not in an unpleasant dirty place as those cities were which Solomon gave to Hiram King of Tyrus 1 King 9.11 which he therefore refused but this building is placed where pleasures abound for evermore called Psal. 35.18 the Rivers of his pleasures far before the rivers of that earthly Paradise which had but one Tree of Life guarded with Cherubims and a flaming sword watered with four Rivers running through it whereof whosoever drunk might thirst again but here there runneth along a pure River of water of life of which whosoever tasteth and drinketh shall never thirst again but be in them a well of water springing up unto everlasting life with a Tree of Life growing on each side thereof guarded with no flaming sword or affrighting Cherubim but free to enjoy the full vertue thereof to live for ever And then again In our houses we love to have our buildings with excellent lights which is a commendation to them but in Heaven in this buildings this commodity shal be in the perfection thereof Col. 1.12 called The inheritance of the Saints in light out of all morral artificial and natural darkness even the Sun it self being darknesse compared with the light thereof always light and light all over lightened by Christ the Lambe who is the light thereof not like the Sun which lightens but a part of the world and leaves the other dark but light all over and nothing but light no light like unto this always and ever light and many times lighter than that of the Sun mentioned Isaiah 30.26 which is said should be like the light of seven dayes when the Lord bindeth up the breach of his people and healeth the stroake of their wound The next Consideration is The Materials Form or Matter of this Building It is immaterial not made of stone or marble or any such like substance a building not made with hands far surpassing all other Buildings as God is the most cunning Master Builder we know not what it is but it is set forth unto us Revel. 21. in the highest expressions of all things which with us are accounted excellent as Gold Pearl Diamonds with all other pretious stones whatsoever and the pavement of Gold as a shining glass Whereby the Holy-Ghost would have us inlarge and stretch forth our meditations unto the furthest extent of comprehension by things within the compasse of our reach to meditate upon things incomprehensible that by all things which are pure and pretious excellent durable attractive and admirable we might be in love with and long after things far above all expression of Men and Angels Another thing is 4. The Capacity and Extent of this Building For it is large and hath room enough for all as Christ speaketh Iohn 14.1 In my fathers house are many dwelling places wherein none shall be straitned as it was with Abraham and Lot whom the land could not bear because of their substance Gen. 13.6 and betwixt Isaac and Abimelech Gen 26. who were therefore forced to divide and part dwellings but in heaven is largenesse and room enough for all not like Tophet Isa. 30.33 which by the Prophet is said to be a place deep and large not for any refreshing but for the Torments and misery therein but none for conveniencie and comfort where for all this largenesse they shall be so straitned as if there were but room for one onely whereas in heaven there shall be such largenesse of room as though heaven were but for one onely there shall be such room for all And then we have to confider 5. The Furniture of this Building For in our houses here usually the glory of them is the riches of their adorning inwardly in heaven is expressed there to be lasting and enduring for ever all the furniture thereof whereas ours are transitory and subject either to corruption and vanishing or both where Theeves may dig through and steal Mat. 6.19 And therefore the Saints are said to have indured joyfully the spoiling of their goods because they had in Heaven a better and more induring substance Heb. 10.34 And 1 Cor. 7.13 He would have us to use this world as though we used it not because the fashion of stage play thereof passeth way But the riches of this building are such as shall endure for ever where no worm can come to eat or consume the furniture thereof which we know not till we see it but it is expressed by Crowns Treasures Whiterobes and the like all understood which may be infinitely comprehended thereby when we enjoy the same The next

maketh us to tread upon the Moon viz. All earthly things being strong in the Lord and having his joy for our strength Nehem. 9. Be armed against all sufferings by this piece of spiritual armour ready The Helmet of our Salvation Ephes. 6. The hope of Glory Being enflamed with that constraining love of God to long to be at home with him and work upon us suitable impressions according unto that subject we rest upon accounting all here below nothing in regard of heaven causing us having this bright Sun light not so to rejoyce any more as we have done in the moon and stars light of this world when there appeareth unto us as far greater glory Yea as it is Iob 5.21.22 making us to laugh at famine and destruction and not to be afraind thereof when it commeth or any other terrour at hand And hereby also we shall learn with Christ to despise and pass by the shame of the Crosse by these overmastring meditations in all things looking unto him who endured such contradiction of paners for the joy and glory that was set belore him Heb. 12.3 And now to conclude all in the last place let this be the upshot of all with holy Abraham and Job to stand in our Tent doors waiting for the comming of Christ for the consumation of the marriage with him for ever this whole lifetime being but our betrothing and perfuming time to fit us for him so with Iob all the daies of our appointed time waiting untill our change shall come which will nothing hinder our sighing and groaning after heaven for the same and that may stand together but every day increase the same the longer waiting for his comming is delaied quickning our appetite for it and giving us so much the more time to treasure up grace that we may be vessels sitted and prepared to engrosse a great deal the more of his excellent glory for ever And let us hereafter look upon heaven as the finisher of all our sorrows crosses cares turmoiling thoughts vexations wants and the like whatsoever where shal be fulnesse of joy and society of all which desires thoughts hopes and expectations beyond all expression learning to spiritualize all things and occurrences unto heavenly ends admiring as is said at the love of Christ who hath freely given and purchased unto us this inheritance knowing this that all the sweetnesse of this life is nothing but bitternesse unlesse he season the same and that the meditation of him in his excellencies and high perfections what he hath done for us here and shall do for us in endlesse Glory is that which onely is able to sweeten all the sowre things of this life unto us And now that we know and are convinced of these things let us do as God commanded Abraham when he gave him the promised Land Gen. 13.17 Arise and walk through the length and breadth of this heavenly Canaan given unto us from the one end of Heaven to the other To rouze up our spiritual meditations by Faith often walking from room to room joy to joy astonishment to astonishment Glory to Glory raising our meditations dayly aloft to think of it often and to joy in the same with mounted affections thither But what do I say of raising our affections and meditations thither O rather in good earnest let us resolve Saintlike to dwell in heaven where our conversation should chiefly be For so it is said of those holy ones oppressed by Antichrist whom he made war against Revel 13.6 That they dwelt in heaven having much and constant entercourse of heavenly conversation and affections bent mounting thither which is to dwel in heaven even whilest we are conversant upon earth By which meditations though thereby we cannot yet take full possession of our heavenly inheritance yet they will make us the better to taste of the milk and honey of that promised land as Moses by faith did of the land of Canaan which God shewed him yet he tasted of the sweetnesse and fulnesse thereof and fed himself with the milk and honey of it suitable whereunto is that which the Prophet David speaks so confidently of Psal. 63.4 Thus will I magnifie thee all my life and lift up my hands unto thy name my soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatnesse and my mouth shall praise thee with joyfull lips But when shall this be effected when I remember thee upon my bed and when I think upon thee in the night watches So that often meditations of the promises of heavenly things turneth them as it were unto marrow and fatnesse to be substantial and conatural with us when unto others they are like unto dry bones So may we in our journies through the wildernesse of this world feed our selves fat and fill our bones as it were with this strengthening marrow attained by these heavenly meditations marching from strength to strength faith to faith and glory to glory untill at length we come to be transformed into the blessed image of Christ in holiness and righteousness this mortall having put on immortality and this corruption incorruption to be swallowed up of life there to injoy for ever with a strong inlightned intellectual understanding the mystery of the glorious Beatificall vision in a ravishing and overcoming joy unspeakable and glorious And which is the sum of all which hath been or can be said as it is Ephes. 3.19 To be filled with all the fulnesse of God which is more for ought we know then Saints and Angels are fully capable of FINIS L'ENVOY To Eternities Eternity RApt up in wonders wonders Glories Maze Where endless end the period is of time My ravish'd soul do rise thou mount clime Where million millions joys themselves bewrays With Saints Angels in their glancing rays Near beauties Throne and that eternal light where ne'r shal come appear darkness or night View if thou canst eternities last days Let numbers rise and mount to highest pitch And stretch beyond and numbers O yet then This date outdates the strength of any pen Nor can it multiply its utmost reach Since then no pen can cipher out this story What can suffice for to attain this glory The Table HOw to look on death pag. 10. The Certainty of Heaven pag. 15. Nature leading us to God pag. 17. Our certain knowledge of this Building pag. 19. The Vshers unto our knowledge p. 22. Trials of our assurance and knowledge p. 23. How to know that we know that our knowledge be not counterfeit pag. 32. The distinction betwixt the witnesse of our spirit and the immediate witnesse of Gods spirit by it self pa. 32. 〈◊〉 The witnesse of our spirit in a Calm 2. The witnesse thereof in a Tempest p. 33. Gods spirit witnessing with our spirit p. 36. The sealing of the spirit pa. 37. Impressiions of the spirit at his first possessing of the soul pag. 40. The immediate witnesse of the spirit as it were from heaven above p. 43. How to know that our knowledge is no false illumination pag. 48. The excellency of heaven in general p. 62. In the titles given unto it p. 68. The scituation of heaven pag. 70. The matterials form and matter of heaven pag. 73. The capacity and extent of heaven p. 75. The furniture of heaven p. 76. The company we shal enjoy there pa. 80. The possession and enjoying of heaven p. 82. Five considerable perticulers therein p. 87 The eternity of heaven p 94. Reasons why no other estate can fit the Sainss but an eternal estate pa. 97. What great matters the meditation of eternity setles in the soul p. 104. What use this our life time is for p. 109. Pressures and weights hindering our sighing and groaning for heaven p. 110. Cases wherein very good men cannot sigh and groan for heaven p. 119. Cases wherein the soul cannot chuse but sigh and groan for heaven p. 127. What reason the soul hath to sigh for a house of glory pa. 129. Our heavenly cloathing what it shall be pa 131. Why the soul would not be uncloathed p. 135. The true causes of the souls sighing and groaning p. 137. Uses 4.1 To admire heavens inhabitants among us and love them p. 142. 2. That onely Beleevers are happy people pa. 143. 3. To tread upon ear●hly things p. 145. 4. To wait and expect for the comming of Christ p. 150. FINIS Argument from the course of nature proving the Diety 1 Conviction of the spirit 2 Conviction of the spirit Third Conviction of the Spirit Lib. 13. The Bea●●● cal vi●●e● Death what Times when the soul can sigh and groan for Heaven Our heavenly clothing Why the soul would not be uncloathed Causes of this sighing and groaning ●se 1. Vse 2. Vse 3.