Selected quad for the lemma: kingdom_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
kingdom_n	bless_v	father_n	inherit_v	1,819	5	9.6520	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A95855	The way to true happinesse, or, the way to heaven open'd. In a sermon before the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor and Aldermen of the City of London, Jan. 28. 1654/5 / By Ralph Venning.	Venning, Ralph, 1621?-1674.	1655 (1655)	Wing V232; Thomason E830_8; ESTC R207438	31,836	56

THE WAY TO TRUE HAPPINESSE Or the WAY TO HEAVEN Open'd In a SERMON before the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor and Aldermen of the CITY of LONDON Jan. 28. 1654 5 By RALPH VENNING GAL. 6.15 16. For in Christ Jesus neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but a new Creature and as many as walk according to this rule peace be on them and mercy and upon the Israel of God LONDON Printed by T. R. and E. M. for John Rothwel at the Fountain and Bear in Goldsmiths Row in Cheap-side 1655. PACKE Mayor Tuesday Jan. 30. 1654. ORdered that Master Venning be desired from this Court to print as fully as he can his SERMON at Pauls on the last Lords day SADLER To the Right Honourable CHRISTOPHER PACKE LORD MAYOR And the Right Worshipful the ALDERMEN of the CITY OF London Honourable and Honoured THat I print this Sermon and that I print it more largely then I preach't it is in obedience to your Order which having resolved a former scruple of mine will warrant me for so doing without making any further Apologie though I hope that the Readers advantage also will be the more That my preaching then was not and that my speech now is not with the enticing words of mans wisdom but I hope in the evidence and demonstration of the Spirit and Power The reason is that your faith should not stand in the wisdome of words but in the words of wisdome or as the Apostle phraseth it not in the wisdom of men but in the Power of God and that the heavenly treasure might not taste of the earthen vessel Certainly there was never more need then in our dayes of preaching and pressing that of our blessed Saviour Labour not or work not for the meat which perisheth but for that which endureth to everlasting life and if any say to me as they to him What shall we do that we may work the Work of God I refer them to the ensuing Discourse for their Answer Concerning which I only desire that the Scriptures may be search't which do abundantly witnesse thereunto To the Law and to the Testimony if it speak not according to that rule there is no light in it but if it appear as I beleeve it will to be the voice of God and not of man I hope none will quarrel with it lest they be found fighters against God and why should we provoke the Lord to jealousie unlesse we were stronger then he Solomon tells us that of making and reading many books there is no end and when we have read if at least we could read all that are made this will be the Conclusion of the whole matter Feare God and keep his Commandments for this is the whole we reade it duty the meaning is the whole content and Happinesse of man this is all that 's profitable to man it being opposed to all the rest under the Sun which is but vanity and vexation of spirit and verily we may as well finde ease in hell as finde Happinesse any other way and that we shall know however we judge now when as he saith God shall bring every work into judgement with every secret thing whether it be good or whether it be evil How much then doth it concern us to look about us and to work out our salvation with feare and trembling here lest then we feare and tremble because we had not done it Knowing therefore the terrour of the Lord we perswade men as they love their salvation and as they will answer it at the great and terrible day of the righteous judgement of God that they abstain from fleshly lusts which war against their soules that they leane not to their own understanding nor walk in the wayes of their heart and in the desire of their eyes but that they consider to know and do what is the good and acceptable Will of God that they may be found without blame and that when he shall appear ye may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming Watch therefore for you know not what houre your Lord doth come but if any servant say in his heart My Lord delayeth his coming and shall beat the servants and eat and drink with the drunken the Lord of that servant will come in a day when he looks not for him and at an houre when he is not aware and will cut him in sunder he will cut him off and appoint him his portion with unbelievers and that servant which knew his Lords Will and prepared not neither did according to his Will shall be beaten with many stripes I hope none will say as he that had a book brought him which treated of Happinesse I am not at leisure What not at leisure to minde thy soule and thy Happinesse are the world and sin such excellent pieces are they so lovely that thou shouldest set thine heart upon them Oh why wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not 't is not what it seems to be 't is not that which thou lackest nay 't is not that which thou thinkest 't is 't will prove the greatest cheat that can be and though thou gain the whole world what will it profit if thou lose thy soul Well you see the world tottering and tumbling about your eares the fashion of it the lustre thereof doth And Oh that therefore the lust thereof did passe away We are also making haste to our grave if they be not taken from us yet we shall be taken from them and who knows only God knows hovv soon To day then let us hear and obey the voice of God that vvhen the Lord cometh he may finde us so doing as to say unto us Well done good and faithful servants enter ye into your Masters joy Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdome That this may be your portion and the portion of them that heard it and of them that read it is the hearty Prayer of him who is 12th Moneth or Febr. 20. 1654. Honourable and Honoured Ingaged and willing as he is able to serve you RALPH VENNING THE WAY TO TRUE HAPPINESSE Discovered From the words of our Blessed SAVIOVR MAT. 7.21 Not every one that saith unto me Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdome of Heaven but he that doth the Will of my Father which is in Heaven THough there is nothing more natural to man then to seek after happinesse yet there is nothing that the nature of man is lesse able to finde out then his happinesse Mans hungring desire to attain happinesse is not abated though his ability for the attainment thereof as of and by himselfe be quite lost Since he did eat the forbidden fruit that is since he sinned ever since he was banished from the well-watered Garden of God he poor man hath wandered up and down like a fugitiye and a vagabond in the land of Nod seeking rest in dry places but findeth none Alas how is poor silly man bewildred in

of whom it s said Gen. 5.24 that he walked with God which is all one as if it had been said he did the Will of God and was not was no more on earth for God took him up to Heaven This is all that 's said of Enoch in the Old Testament and not one word mentioned of faith but that his believing was therein comprehended is clear from Hebr. 11.5 where we are told the former story more at large By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death and was not found because God had translated him for before his Translation he had this testimony that he pleased God or as 't is in Genesis that he walked with God now that he could not walk with or please God but by faith is fully asserted v. 6. for without faith it is impossible to please him and that that faith there spoken of relates to Christ is clear because none can so seek him as to finde the reward but by Christ For none cometh to the Father but by him Yea that Enochs had special respect to Christ may be gathered from his own Prophecie Jude 14. where he saith Behold the Lord viz. the Lord Christ as appeares by comparing this with 2 Thess 1.7 8 c. the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his Saints so that Euoch was a believing walker or a walking believer and as such translated The second instance is David of him it s said Acts 13.22 that God rais'd him up and gave testimony to him saying I have found David the son of Jesse a man after mine own heart who shall fulfil all my Wills and v. 26. 't is said of him that after he had served his own generation by the Will of God or as it may be more properly read after he had served the Will of God in his generation he as to his body fell asleep Many men serve their generations by the Will of God that serve not the Will of God in their generations but David served the Will of God Now that David also in serving the Will of God acted as a believer is evident from Hebr. 11.32 33. What shall I what need is there that I should say more for the time would faile me to speak of Gideon c. and of David also who by faith wrought righteousnesse c. so that David also as a believer doing the Will of God went to Heaven 2. As it appears by the testimony that God hath borne to the persons gone to Heaven so also by the testimony God bears against the persons that are gone and are to go to hell as in the verse following the text Depart from me ye Workers of iniquity And so again Luke 13.27 Depart from me all ye that work iniquity yea yet again Mat. 25.41 Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire Why For I was an hungred and ye gave me no meat c. that is ye did not mine or my Fathers Will. Now how comes this to passe that men are Workers of iniquity but from unbeliefe as by comparing a few texts will eafily appear Eph. 2.2 You were dead in trespasses and sins wherein ye walked according to the Prince of the power of the aire that is according to his Will who still worketh in the children of disobedience the word is of unbelief * As good works spring from saith so bad workes spring from unbeliefe their disobedience was of unbelief and indeed unbeliever is as comprehensive a word as workers of iniquity therefore it s said of them that do not Gods Will Luke 12.46 He will appoint them their portion with unbelievers and who were they that entred not into rest but them that believed not so we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief Heb. 3.18 19. by reason of which unbelief they were workers of iniquity Hence we have these solemn cautions given us Hebr. 3.12 Take heed brethren lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief to depart from the living God and again Heb. 4.1 2. let us therefore fear lest a promise being left of entring in any of you should come short viz. through unbeliefe as 't is ver 11. Let us labour therefore to enter into rest lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief So then you see beloved that they that were admitted did believingly do the Will of God and they that are to be shut out are such as do from unbelief work iniquity or not do the Will of God 3. It further appears by this that there can be no acts of grace proved powerful and saving but by doing the Will of God For of knowledge it s said 1 John 2.4 He that saith I know him and keepeth not his Commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him viz. the truth of that knowledge which he pretends to for the saving of his soul And as for love the Apostle is no lesse expresse in 1 John 5.3 This is the love of God that we keep his Commandments and his Commandments are not grievous The like might be said of the rest as of faith c. above mentioned in the opening of the Point Well then you see that no man hath any ground to expect entrance into the Kingdome of Heaven that doth not do the Will of God that doth not walk with God in faith and obedience or in the obedience of faith If therefore any should suppose that they may marry the Rachel of Heaven without their serving the Will of the Father and before they have married the Leah of obedience let them know for God will tell them as Laban did Jacob Non est mos loci 'T is not the custome of the countrey to marry the younger before the elder But if this that hath been said should not be thought sufficient but you will needs yet have further witnesse proof and evidence of this truth I will give you six Scripture-demonstrations of it 1. No man can enter into the Kingdome of Heaven but he for whom it is prepared Now it s prepared for none but them that do the Will of God Therefore none but they can enter Both these Propositions are asserted by Christ himself The major is laid down in Mat. 20.23 saith he To sit at my right hand and on my left hand in the Kingdome as she prayed before is not mine to give to any but for whom it is prepared of my Father The Kingdome of Heaven is no common Inne 't is not a receptacle for all but a peculiar place for a peculiar people and who they are the minor or second Proposition tells us none but they that do the Will of God and this Christ himself tells us also Matth. 25.34 Then shall the King say to them on his right hand Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdome prepared for you viz. you who did my Fathers Will who fed me when I was hungry clothed me when I was naked c. which as

his Will is done Go to now then ye that say as James 4.13 c. To day or to motrow we will go into such a City whereas ye should say for ye ought to say If the Lord will we shall live and do this or that Wo to them that say as Psal 12. With our tongue we will prevail our lips are our own who is Lord over us Alas poor soules you are not your own your soules are not yours your bodies are not yours they are bought with a price and therefore 't is not self-will but Gods Will that you and they are to obey 1 Cor. 6.19 20. Man must not make his own will but Gods Will his Counsellour and his Rule Do nothing but by leave and approbation when therefore they stand in competition we should tell temptations and corruptions 'T is Gods will that I should not do mine own Will The great strife between God and man is about the Will and men are enemies to God because they cannot have their wills but alas we see that if our will be done Gods will not and then wo unto us for we reward evil to our own souls 7. If it be so that they and none but they which do the Will of God shall inher it the Kingdom of Heaven How sad then will it be then with them that die in their sin that go out of the world as having done nothing in it but wrought iniquity Oh the doleful dismal condition of sinners at the last day when they shall hear their doom Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his Angels Oh that the hearing of it now may prevent the hearing of it hereafter Will it not be sad to be turned into hell with loads of wrath and vengeance on your backs for what have you you workers of iniquity treasur'd up but wrath against the day of wrath you shall have your portion with hypocrites and be torne in pieces and none to deliver have your dwelling with everlasting burnings where there will be nothing but weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth Consider this ye workers of iniquity and kisse the Son lest his wrath be kindled and ye perish everlastingly Oh that sinners would but lend their eare and listen at the hole the mouth of the bottomlesse pit * They might hear sinners crying like Cardinal Woolsey Oh if we had but taken as much care to please God as we did to please our own and other mens lusts he would not have left us to this both shame and endlesse misery there they might hear Dives crying out I am tormented in this flame and have not so much as one little drop of water to cool my tongue there they may hear poor damned souls cursing themselves for their madnesse that for the pleasures of sin which are but for a moment they should lose the pleasures of Heaven and be under the torments of hell which are for evermore Alas 't is not for expressions to expresse the unspeakable the unconceivable miseries which the fearful and unbelieving which the workers of iniquity will be in when they shall be cast into and have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone where they shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever This is the second death Rev. 20.10 with 21.8 Oh that men would heare and feare and do no more so wickedly 8. And lastly if it be so how happy shall they be who when their Lord cometh shall be found doing the Will of God Well doing wil meet with a Well-done good and faithful servant enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. Saints are called to Gods Kingdome and Glory here and called upon to walk worthy of answerable to or becoming that Kingdome and when they have thus walked with God they shall be called into the Kingdom and glory they shall hear the joyful sound saying Their Masters joy enters into them here and they into their Masters joy hereafter Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdome prepared for you they shall then sit down with Abraham Isaac and Jacob at the wedding dinner which is yet to be kept in Heaven when all the Saints come together Oh what a glorious and blessed time will that be when they that are now laugh't at and scorned for being so precise for doing the Will of God shall then be crowned with everlasting glory Then shall ye return and discern between the righteous and the wicked between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not now indeed too too many say in works and in their hearts if not in words 'T is in vain to serve God what profit is there that we keep his Ordinances the proud are happy c. But behold the day cometh that shall burn like an Oven and all the proud and all that do wickedly shall be as stubble but a book of remembrance is written before him for them that fear the Lord and think on his Name and to them shall the Sun of righteousnesse arise with healing in his wings and they shall be mine in that day when I make up my Jewels saith the Lord. Yea the beloved of their soules and he that loves their soules will speak and say Rise up my love my faire one and come away for lo the Winter is past and the raine is over and gone the flowers appear on the earth the time of singing is come and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land the fig-tree putteth forth her green figs and the vines with the tender grapes give a good smell Arise my love my faire one and come away Oh my Dove that art in the clefts of the rock in the secret places of the stairs let me see thy countenance and hear thy voice for sweet is thy voice and thy countenance comely Though ye have lain among the pots yet shall ye be as the wings of a Dove covered with silver and her feathers with yellow gold This and much more then this shall be their glory Indeed eye hath not seen nor eare heard nor can it enter into the heart of man to conceive the things which God hath laid up for them that do love him The second word or head is for examination and self-trial and I could wish that this sort of catechizing were more in use hereby we may know whose we are and what will become of us to all eternity whose we are while we live and whose we shall be and whither we shall go when we die This methinks should take up mens thoughts and possesse their reines day and night till they were in some measure assured thereof And oh that men would often ask their soules whose work whose Will they do for hereby they may conclude what will be their eternal state Look as men sowe in the seed-time of their lives they shall reap in the harvest of eternity Can men expect to gather grapes of thornes or figs of