Selected quad for the lemma: kingdom_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
kingdom_n	blood_n	flesh_n	inherit_v	5,014	5	11.6402	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A12703	The high vvay to Heaven by the cleare light of the Gospell cleansed of a number of most dangerous stumbling stones thereinto throwen by Bellarmine and others In a treatise made vpon the 37. 38. and 39. verses of the 7. of Iohn: wherein is so handled the most sweete and comfortable doctrine of the true vnion and communication of Christ and his Church, and the contrarie is so confuted, as that not onely thereby also summarilie and briefly, and yet plainly all men may learne rightly to receiue the sacrament of Christs blessed bodie and blood, but also how to beleeue and to liue to saluation. And therefore entitled The highway to Heauen. By Thomas Sparke Doctor of Diuinitie.	Sparke, Thomas, 1548-1616.	1597 (1597)	STC 23021; ESTC S102434	161,682	384

when the one is onely named to vnderstand the other also Nowe for as much as the meate and drinke talked of in any of these places to satisfie the hungrie and thirsty is neither earthly nor such as we vse to take in by the mouth and other instrumentes of the bodie but altogither heauenly and such as must be eaten drunken by the mouth of our soules therefore we may be sure that herein there is a metaphor vsed and that in this phrase and speech by a similitude betwixt the hunger and thirst of the bodie and the affections of the soule by those termes the Lord meaneth the like passions and affections of the soule afore towards the meare and drinke prepared therefore as is founde in the bodie after meate and drinke mee●e and fit for it What it is to thirst Seeing then that the ground and foundation of such metaphors is alwaies the analogie and resemblance betwixt the metaphoricall wordes and the thinges for the expressing whereof they are vsed we shal the better vnderstande what is ment heereby by the hunger and thirst of the soule if we doe but consider that bodily hunger is an earnest longing after meat for the body proceeding from a sensible feeling of emptines and want thereof and that bodily thirst is an earnest longing after moysture to remooue the heate and drinesse that for lacke therof troubleth the bodye for what is this spirituall hunger and thirst else but an earnest longing for saluation onely in Christ Iesus proceeding from an effectuall feeling of nothing but damnation to be due vnto vs in respecte of our selues And therefore the soule that is inwardlie tormented vexed troubled and disquieted with a due sighte and feeling of the owne emptinesse to iustifie or saue it selfe yea that naturallie findeth it selfe promised with nothing else but with the scorching heate of sinne and drought of all goodnesse doubtlesse will so hunger and thirst that is so earnestly and vnfamedly long and desire to be deliuered from this state and condition that in trueth without all hypocrisie it will be readie to say with Daeuid that as the Hart brareth after the riuers of matters so it doth after the liuing God Psal 42. verse 1. 2. But to put it out of all doubt that here by the hungrie and thirstie are ment onely such compare here with the very like speech of Christ Math. 11. vers 28. where he said Come vnto me all ye that are wearie and laden and I will case you For euen there as heere he first describeth them to whom he spake secondly he telleth them what he would haue them to doe and lastly hee giueth them a sweete promise which they should enioy if they would so doe So that though there be some difference betwixt the wordes of Christ there and heere in sound yet little or none is there in sense wherefore in steede of the hungry and thirstie here in this place he there placeth the wearie and laden whereby he vnderstandeth them that being heauy laden with sin as we are all are growne also to be wearie thereof which no man may or can thinke himselfe to be as long as he continueth securely in going on in sinne so adding sin to sin For he that is weary of his burthen hath a desire to be eased therof and in the meane time vntill he can get quite to be discharged of it he himselfe rather daily seeketh to lessen it then to increase it The broken and contrite heart therefore vnder the burthen of sinne and that groneth and is inwardly disquieted in his verie soule with the feeling and smarte thereof is the man that will hunger and thirst after Christ that so in him and by him he may be eased and deliuered and theresore such are the onely men to whom Christ heere speaketh At this pointe was Dauid Psalm 6. when he wrote vers 2. 3. Haue mercie vpon me O Lord for I am weake O Lord heale me for my bones are vexed and my soule is also soretroubled c. But being againe in the same case as it appeareth Psa 51. he comforteth himself with this ver 17 That the sacrifices of God were a contritespirit and that a contrite spirit and broken hart he would not despise And good reason hath euerie man to be of his mind For Esay 61 1.2.3 for so Christ himselfe hath taught vs to apply it it is said of Christ that the spiritte of the Lorde was vppon him and that therefore he had annointed him and sent him to preach good tidinges vnto the poore to binde vppe the broken hearted to preach libertie to the captiues and to them that are bounde the openinge of the prison c. And therefore after in the person of GOD saith the prophet to him will I looke euen to him that is poore and of a contrite spiritte and trembleth at my wordes wherefore heare the worde of the Lorde yee that tremble at his wordes Esay 66. verse 6. and euen to this Christ had an eye Matth. 5.3.4.5 saying Blessed are the poore in spiritte for theirs is the kingdome of heauen Blessed are they that mourne for they shal be comforted Blessed are the meeke for they shall inherite the earth c. And hence came it that the proude pharisie puft vppe with a conceite of his owne righteousnesse wente home vniustified and the poore publican throwne downe and humbled before GOD in the sight of his owne sinnes and therefore crying Lorde be mercifull vnto me a sinner wente home more iustified Luke 18.9 c. for as Christ said Mat. 9.12.13 so it is most true the whole neede not the phisition but they that are sicke and he came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance And alwaies it hath beene the Lordes fashion to resist the proud and to giue grace vnto the humble 1. Pet. 5.5 And therefore the blessed virgin obserueth that in her song that as he scattered the proude in the imagination of their heartes and put the mightie downe from their seates and sendeth away the rich emptie so he exalteth them of lowe degree and filleth the hungrie with good thinges Luke 151. c. This was the verie reason why Christ was so curteous to publicans and sinners Matth. 9.10 and so bitter to the scribes and pharisies as he was Matth. 23. vers 11. c. And this made him say to the chiefe priestes and elders of the Iewes verilie verilie the publicans and harlotes goe before you into the kingdome of God Matth. 21.31.13 And hereunto I take it he had an eye when he said the kingdome of heauen suffereth violence and the violent take it by force For whereas they that are not broken and contrite hearted for their sinnes but eyther liue in them in securitie or are puft vp with a swelling conceite of their owne merittes make no haste to Christ they that are throughlie and duely humbled in and vnder their sins are glad to heare of him and to

will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God Iohn 1.12 13. And Christ hath most plainely said Iohn 3.5.6 Verely verely I say vnto thee except a man be borne of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdome of God that which is borne of the flesh is flesh and that which is borne of the Spirit is Spirit And yet more plainely to assure vs of the trueth of this point Paule in expresse words hath taught vs that faith is the fruite of the Spirit Gal. 5.22 Ordinarily the worde preached But yet we must not thinke though the Spirit can extraordinarily worke this faith without meanes immediately where when and in whom it listeth that yet notwithstanding ordinarily it doth it by the ministrie of the word and that preached For so Paule concludeth saying Rom. 10.17 Then faith is by hearing and hearing by the worde of God And therefore accordingly 1. Cor. 1.17 he writeth That seeing the world by wisedome knew not God in the wisedome of God it please him by the foolishnesse of preaching to saue those that beleeue And therefore also he notes it is an especial fruit and effect of Christes ascension Ephes 4.10.11 c. that he gaue and bestowed sundrie ministries there mentioned vpon his Church for the repairing of the Saintes for the worke of the ministrie and for the edification of the bodie of Christ Till we all meete togither in the vnitie of faith and the acknowledging of the sonne of God vnto a perfect man and vnto the measure of the age of the fulnesse of Christ that we henceforth be no more children wauering and caried away with euerie winde of doctrine by the deceit of men and craftinesse whereby they lay in waite to deceiue Saint Peter also agreable heereunto in his first Epistle Cap. 1.22.23 c. noteth that our souls are purified in obeying the truth thorow the spirit being borre again not of mortall seed but of immortal by the word of God which after there he saith endureth for euer and is that which is preached amongst them Whereupon therefore in the next chapter he exhorteth them to lay aside all malitiousnes all guile dissunulation enuie and euill speaking and as new borne babes to desire the sincere milke of the worde that they may grow vp thereby if it be so they had tasted how bountifull the Lord was Vers 1.2.3 Whereunto we had as much neede to list●n as euer they had For these are the daies wherein we liue wherin that prophecie of Christ is fulfilled Mat. 34. touching the danger that should be by false prophets and teachers able if it were possible to seduce the verie elect Verse 24. and wherein he may behold multitudes for lacke of foode and faithfull preachers and teachers as sheepe hauing no sheepheard dispersed and scattered and therefor in respect wherof he may also say Surely the haruest is great but the labourers are few And by the administration of Sacraments I woulde to God therefore we coulde and woulde euerie one of vs according to his counsell there Praie the Lord of the haruest to thrust out labourers into his haruest Matth. 9.3.6 c. Besides the bare preaching of the worde as it is well knowne and confessed of all for the better both breading and nourishing of this our faith as an outward good meanes for the spirite to worke that effect in vs by our most gratious and louing GOD knowing howe slowe to beleeue we woulde bee hath left and giuen vnto vs visible and palpable Sacramentes thereby as it were to seale and more particularly to apply vnto vs all the good promises of saluation in Christ Iesus as namelie nowe baptisme and the supper of the Lorde to vs of the newe Testament The first whereof offereth vnto vs and sealeth the deliuerie to the right receiuer thereof of his regeneration teaching him to looke for it at the handes of God the Father through God the Sonne by the mightie working of the holie Ghost onelie in that onelie he is baptized in water in their names And the other is a Sacrament of his continuall nourishment to eternall life in and by the broken bodie and bloodeshed of Christ Iesus And therefore as to be a man it is necessarie but once to be borne but yet after often to bee sedde so is it most necessarie for those that woulde euer growe to bee perfect men in Christ Iesus but once to bee baptized but often to receiue the other Sacrament And it must be remembred alwaies that both these offer and set before vs one and selfe same Christ the one that he may by his blood wash vs cleane from our sinnes and regenerate vs that we may beginne to lead a newe and a holy life the other that by his body broken and his bloode shed for vs he may be both meate and drinke and sufficient spirituall foode and nourishment vnto our hungrie and thirstie soules but then withall we may vnderstand that the same Christe to the same endes is offered still vnto vs when his Gospell is preached vnto vs onely this is the difference as I said before that the worde offers and sets him before vs in generall and these in particuler and speciall manner leade vs vnto him And whereas the word to breede or nourish faith in vs stricketh onely the sense of our hearing these duely ministred doe not onely the better to prouoke and strengthen the same mooue and strike that but also our sight smelling tast and feeling And therefore as it was noted by Paule He●●● 2. that the cause why the worde which the Iewes heard in the wildernesse profited them not because it was not mixed with faith in those that heard it so is it most certaine that these shall not profit vs though outwardly we be partakers thereof neu●r so much if we haue not faith to pearse further than to the outward elementes and if it be a fault so to harden our heartes when the worde is but preached that we take not occasion thereby to beleeue it must needes be a farre greater fault if these added therunto we be still vnfaithfull And therefore as in respect of hearing of the word the Apostle said Heb. 3.5 So long as it is said to day harden not your heartes as in the prouocation for some when they heard prouoked him to anger so say I vnto you in respect of both much more To this ende neuer forget the examples of Simon Magus and of Iudas whereof though the one was baptized as we read he was Act. 8.18 and the other was with Christ at the institution of the other Sacrament as it appeareth Luke 22.21 yet as it appeares in both those chapters for that they neither of them had any sound or true faith they were neuer the better but the worse for that to their other sinnes they added in the receiuing of these the prophaning as much as lay in them of both thes If when the word is preached

that the same scriptures put a manifest difference betwixt this righteousnesse of the law that lies in doing and that which we haue to make vs righteous by by saith in Christ Iesus Rom. 10.5 c. and Gal. 3.12 And yet euen their great Doctor Bellarmine neither is nor will be ashamed of any of this their doctrine of faith and in this last point though he be enforced to graunt that we are first iustified freely without workes in Christ Iesus and that heauen also is Gods childrens by adoption and inheritance yet the formall cause of our iustification must be with him the infused habite of charitie and good workes after done must make vs to haue a second right vnto the kingdome of heauen and so to further degrees of glory there by the way of wages and iust debt Though for all this when he hath done his best for the maintenance of this second title and right thereunto he dare not teach any with any special assurance confidence that cannot deceiue them to trust thereunto Nay these things thus being most certainly held and taught by thē touching the nature of faith quite contrary to the scriptures I can neuer maruaile that by their faith there is bred no certainner hope or confidence in them of Gods mercie or of the forgiuenesse of their sinnes or of anie thing else that appertaines to saluation then as when they are at the best may finally deceiue them and in the meane time with much feare and doubting of their estate trouble them yea I rather wonder that in the iust iudgement of God they are not in continuall horrour and terrour of conscience and as it were compassed about euery houre with the verie tormentes of hell for that they will not be brought to seeke to come to the father onely by him but by whom as he himselfe hath taught vs none can euer come vnto him Io. 14.6 For whiles thus they pleade and stand vpon a wrong title and would also beare men in hand that a speciall ende and vse of Christes comming was not to procure them sufficient title and right to the kingdome of heauen in and by himselfe and thinges done and suffered by and in his owne person but to inable them by these meanes to make themselues to haue a second a better further title thereunto they are most worthy to loose al the comfort that they might haue if they would stand to the right and onely good title by and for Iesus Christes sake alone And doubtlesse as I haue shewed before if they repent not they will one day all the packe of them finde though too late that Paule hath pronounced sentence of them in the like case of the Galathians Cap. 5.4 saying Yee are abolished from Christ whosoeuer are iustified by the lawe yee are falne from grace God of his mercie therefore if it be his holy will open their eies in time that they may repent of all these their most dangerous errours and come with vs once to be content to beleeue in Christ Iesus as the Scriptures indeede teach vs. In the meane time let this that I haue said be a sufficient warning to vs as the adopted sonnes of God thorow faith in Christ Ioh. 1.12 to looke for heauen as an inheritance prepared for vs by our heauenly father before the foundations of the world were made Matt. 25.34 and now reserued for vs which are kept by the power of God thorow faith vnto saluation Pet. 1.4 5. that so heauen may be to vs as it is said to be indeed the free gift of God Rom. 6.23 through Iesus Christ our Lord. And let vs let thes hireling and mercenarie minded men alone that disdaine to haue heauen of Gods free almes and therefore will haue it eyther by their owne earninge and deseruing of it or else they will goe without it which they are most like to doe bicause they will haue it otherwise then God himselfe the owner therof hath couenanted and appointed that euer anie shall come by it I know they haue their colours and sophistical deuises to giue yet such a glosse and faire shewe to this their dealing as though for all this all were very well of their sides but all they can gaine therby is this that so much the more they proue their religion to be aptlie and worthily tearmed by the Apostle the mistrie of iniquitie 2. Thess 2.7 and that the proud and pompeous whore of Babylon shoulde haue that worde Mysterie set for her very brand and marke in her forehead and that she should yet carie al her abhominations and fornications wherewith she shoulde make the inhabitantes of the world drunken in a golden cup the sooner to entise them to drinke deepely thereof For indeede and trueth as I haue shewed before and elsewhere they can stand them in no better steede eyther before God or before any that are wise than Adam and Eues fig leaues did them to hide their nakednes from the eies of God For how can they be so sillie and simple as to imagine indeede that in this great light any can wil be so foolish as hearing what they doe so plainelie and plentifully set downe euerie where in the doctrine of the gospell that Christ went thorow effectually in his owne person with the worke of our redemption and saluation as once to be drawne by their sophisticall perswasions that yet what he hath done serueth especially but to merit that chantie first should be bestowed vpon vs and then that thereunto to our good workes proceeding therefrom should be conuaied from his merits a dignitie and power first formally to iustifie vs by the one which we could not bee by the application of him and his merites vnto vs thorow faith and then after to earne and merite more surelie for vs by the other the kingdom of heauen then he had done For they may prate and brag that whiles they thus say and teach they attribute more to the merits of Christ than we doe that both for our iustification and saluation trust onelie thereunto but euerie man for all that vnder these fayre wordes may plainely see that in verie deede they heereby most grosselie woulde make him as I saide before the verie principall in the robbing of himselfe of that speciall honor that is his to be a full and a perfect Sauiour in and by himselfe This faith is wrought by the spirite But inoug his said of this point Howbeit this further touching this faith whereby we eate and drinke Christ and make him our owne welbeloued I would haue you to vnderstand that it is not to be attained vnto by any power or strength of flesh and blood but it is the speciall worke and fruite of the Spirit of God For immediately after Iohn had tolde vs that they that beleeue in Christ at they that receiue him whereby they are made the sonnes of God he saith that such are borne not of bloode nor of the