Selected quad for the lemma: kingdom_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
kingdom_n	heaven_n	righteousness_n	scribe_n	3,417	5	11.3432	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17330	Ten sermons vpon the first, second, third and fourth verses of the sixt of Matthew containing diuerse necessary and profitable treatises , viz. a preseruative against the poyson of vaine-glory in the 1 & 2, the reward of sincerity in the 3, the vncasing of the hypocrite in the 4, 5 and 6, the reward of hypocrisie in the 7 and 8, an admonition to left-handed Christians in the 9 and 10 : whereunto is annexed another treatise called The anatomie of Belial, set foorth in ten sermons vpon the 12, 13, 14, 15 verses of the 6 chapter of the Prouerbs of Salomon.	Burton, William, d. 1616.	1602 (1602)	STC 4178.5; ESTC S261	267,037	263

your time in so blessed a worke Without all suspition of flattery be it spoken vnto the praise of God and the comfort of your soule in the day of the Lord your readinesse to do good vnto all your Zeale in religion your felicity in composing of controuersies in planting of peace and in quenching of strifes and that to the contentment of all parties doth not a little reioyce the harts of all that are round about you and shall minister no small occasion to their posterity that is to come to commend the same to the euerlasting praise of God and your neuer dying fame It was Pauls reioycing that the care of all the Churches being layd vpon him yet he through Gods power fainted not vnder his burthen And surely you may well say the care both of Church and common-wealth about you lyeth vpon you but yet God doth enable you to vndergo that care Yea from what parts almost do they not repaire vnto you as vnto the common Phisition of the common-wealthes diseases and the stay of the countrey and most blessed instrument of euery mans peace and welfare when any of their matters are otherwise like to languish and fall to the ground When it was first reported that you should be employed in Embassage for her Maiesty into France although it could not be denied but that your employment that way might yea and in all likelihoods would through the blessing of God haue proued very beneficiall to the Church of God in both nations yet it grew very disputable among some whether your presence there or at home in your owne countrey had bene the more necessarie And so fast hath God vnited vnto you the harts affections of the poore commons about you yea and of all sorts that as vnwillingly they would haue parted with you if the choyce had bene in them as the young infant forbeareth the presence of the kind and tender mother I speake not this to the preiudice of any neither is there any such cause for thankes be to God you cannot in this respect say as sometime Eliah sayd of himselfe that the Lord hath left you alone but I speake it to your comfort and encouragement wheresoeuer you shall be employed whether in forren businesse or domesticall affaires For though you cannot want your crosses more then other of Gods deare children who both abroad and at home do by daily experience find that virtutis est inuidia comes and that they are enuied of the malignant no lesse for their vertues then Iacob was hated of Esaw because of the blessing yet cannot that gracious aspect of Gods louing countenance fauourable blessing which haue hitherto continually seconded al your godly indeuours but be tanquā arrha as an vndoubted pledge and testimony vnto you that whither soeuer you shall be lawfully called foorth to do him seruice in seruing your Prince and countrey he will not leaue you to your selfe nor to the malice of the enuious but will on the contrary stand by you and hedge you in with grace and mercy wherewith you shall be defended as with a shield And as he hath promised to honour those that honor him so shall you assuredly find for euer as you haue hitherto done the truth of that promise in due time performed vnto you Therefore go on still like your selfe as a faithfull friend to truth and sincerity and an vnfained enemy to the man of Belial and vaine man whose counterfeit dealings shall vanish as the smoke against the wind and the God of heauen prosper you in your goings And now no whit doubting of your willingnesse to peruse these Treatises nor of your readinesse to construe all things in the best part and to make your best vse of them to the glory of God the good of his Church the comfort of your soule and benefit of your countrey I humbly commend both your selfe and them to the blessing of God From my study this 8. of February Your worships in all good affection W. BVRTON THE I. SERMON MATH 6.1.2.3.4 Take heede that ye giue not your almes before men to be seene of them or else you shall haue no reward of your father which is in heauen Therefore when thou giuest thine almes thou shalt not make a trumpet to be blowne before thee as the hypocrites do in the Sinagogues and in the streetes to be praised of men verily I say vnto you they haue their reward But when thou doest thine almes let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doth That thine almes may be in secret and thy father that seeth in secret will reward thee openly THE drift of our Sauiour Christ both in this Chapter and in the Chapter following is all one with that which he had in the former Namely to teach his followers that if they would enter into the kingdome of heauen it is necessarie that their righteousnesse do exceede the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees onely with this difference In the former he confuteth the doctrine of the Scribes and Pharisees and in these two he noteth and condemneth their life and hypocrisie From which obseruation two things are to be noted First that aboue all things the Church must be purged from false doctrine For if the doctrine be not whole and sound it cannot be that the life should be ordered aright for the doctrine of the Church is the rule of mens liues if the rule be crooked then must mens liues be crooked also Secondly if the doctrine be refined and throughly purged yet is it not sufficient to the true study of righteousnesse vnlesse also the life be rightly instituted and purged too and especially from hypocrisie For if the Carpenter haue neuer so straight a rule yet if he weare it alwayes at his backe and do not thereby square out his worke the building wil go but crookedly forward And in like manner if Christian builders haue neuer so good Preachers amongst them and the doctrine that is taught by them neuer so sound yet if they cast the word behind them and hate to be reformed by the same what else are they like vnto but vnto the foolish Carpenter that put his rule at his backe and worketh altogether at aduenture to the spoiling of the whole building and vndoing of himselfe with shame inough of all that behold him Take heede c. The partes of this admonition are two negatiue and affirmatiue In the first part we are admonished what to auoide in giuing of our almes In the second part we are shewed what to do Concerning the thing that is to be auoided note we three things First what it is Secondly how to auoide it Thirdly the reason why it must be auoided For the first the thing that is to be shunned in giuing of almes is vaineglory and that hath two parts First inward desire of the same Next an outward shew of it The first is the roote the second is the leaues and the branches The first is

or cease to be God The Prince promiseth to pardon a traytour and he keepeth promise with him this is of the Princes goodnesse and not of the traytors desert We are all traytors to God he hath promised vppon our true repentance to pardon vs it is of his goodnesse to make vs such a promise and not of our desert childish therfore are the Papists who whensoeuer they reade of a reward comming from God do straite way dreame of some desert or merite to proceede from man and fetch the same Againe in that it pleaseth God so liberally and aboundantly to reward the poore trauels and endeuours of his children and so gloriously to crowne his owne gifts in them when notwithstanding they are so stained and abused as they are let no man maruell thercat for that is done according to the worthinesse of his Maiesty and the greatnesse of his owne honour and not according to the basenesse of our persons This did Alexander the great consider when a poore souldier came vnto him to begge a reward for his seruice that he had done What wouldest thou haue quoth he A hundreth crownes quoth the souldier Well quoth the King though that be too much for thee to aske and more then thou deseruest yet is too little for me to giue that am thy Emperour so we according to the basenesse of our mindes and cogitations would begge of God worldly preferment and credit in the world gold and siluer house and land honour and worship Well content thy selfe saith our Soueraigne and heauenly father that is too much for thee to aske and too litle for me to giue being Lord of heauen and earth I will giue thee that that is fit for thee here and a kingdome hereafter if thou serue me in sinceritie and truth of hart respecting more my glorie then thy owne glorie or thy life either For it standeth not with the honour of Gods Maiesty to recompence trauels of his seruants with trifles God dealeth with his children that are most sincere harted in this world as great men deale with their children in their minoritie whom they intend to make their heires they put them to schoole and giue them correction and allow them from hand to mouth and abridge them of their libertie and keepe them in awe but when their fathers are dead and they come to mens estate they are then rewarded with no lesse then all their fathers lands which if they should haue had before they would haue spent riotously and wantonly so God keepeth his children here in this world vnder schooling and nurturing them correcting and crossing them and giueth them their stint and allowance of wealth of health of credit of friends c. But when they come to a perfectage and are perfect men growne in Christ which will not be vntill after tearme of this life then loe they are made fellow heires of the kingdome of heauen with the Lord Iesus himselfe blessed be his name for euer Now by this time my good brethren you haue I hope well considered of the matter and will not denie but that the reward of sinceritie is a great reward like vnto him that giueth it a fathers reward yea a heauenly fathers reward and a heauenly reward Consider well you whose hearts yet long for the vaine praise and estimation of men like sucking weanlings that cry still after the breast can the world affoord you any such reward Can your father and mother can your friends an kindred can Kings Princes can al the world Let vs see sincerity is rewarded with sound comfort as Christ sayd to the sicke man Sonne be of good comfort You that desire to be seene of men you desire sound comfort can the world giue it you when God denieth it you Or can the world take it from you if God doth giue it you Sinceritie is rewarded with courage in prayer and boldnesse before Gods throne of grace You that desire to be seene of men desire also to stand boldly before the face of God but consider can all the commendations of the world giue you that boldnesse and courage when God doth denie it you or can al the condemnations and euill speeches of the world take it from you if God doth giue it you Sincerity preuaileth with God You that desire to be seene of men you desire also to preuaile with God but consider well can all the praises of men make you preuaile with God if God himselfe doth not like you or can all the world by disgracing of sincere harted Christians hinder their suite in the Lords Court if God doth like of them Sincerity is rewarded with a cōtinual feast of the loue of God of ioy in the holy Ghost of peace of conscience● of the merits of Christ. About whose dwelling places God hath charged his owne gard of Angels to pitch their tents that the man of earth may not make them affraid nor the sonne of violence do them any harme You that desire to be seene of men you commend this feast you also desire to be at such a feast but consider well can all the men Princes in the world make you such a feast when God will make you fast or can all the world cause you to fast or to want when the Lord hath prouided you such a feast Sincerity shall be rewarded with a crowne of glorie and inheritance immortall the kingdome of heauen for our heauenly father giueth heauenly rewards and infinite like himselfe Now you that desire to be seene of men desire also such a reward as the sonnes of Zebedeus did desire each of them a place in the kingdome of heauen but consider well when you haue won the commendations of all men yet cannot all the men in the world giue you that reward for Christ sayd it was not his to giue if not his to giue as he was man then much lesse is it the worlds to giue vnto men neither can all the world with the helpe of all the diuels in hell take it from you nor molest you in it when God hath giuen it vnto you But least any man should yet stand in doubt of that I say let witnesses be examined let their records be searched aske Enoch he walked with God that is he had his conuersation as in the sight of God his care and study was to please God and not men and he was translated from men vnto God Aske Ioseph thy heart was vpright toward thy maister as in the sight of God insomuch that thy maister tooke no account of thee for anything neither didst thou care for the loue of thy light mistresse but in the feare of God didst chuse rather to please him then hir It is true saith Ioseph neither did I loose any thing by my vprightnesse and sincerity for though I was a while in trouble and disgrace for it yet the Lord that gaue me the gift of sinceritie he tooke my part caused me to be set at liberty and

at all or else where is the common distinction of ciuility and religion Of ciuill actions and religious actions The answer is easie and to stand long vpon such a point were but to trifle away the time We speake now of Christians in name and profession at the least and not of the heathen and euery one that professeth himselfe a Christian professeth also the workes of Christianitie in shew at the least which are as hath bene shewed the workes of the second table aswell as of the first which selfe same works may be done both ciuilly and religiously too and so one and the same man in one and the same action may shew himselfe both a ciuill honest man and a religious honest man As for example the law of the Prince commaundeth me to pay my debts to helpe my neighbour to releeue the poore c. As a subiect owing obedience to my prince I do these things and therein I do the part of a ciuill man because I obey vnto ciuill authoritie But if in doing of the same things I haue an eye vnto God who commaundeth the same things and do them in his feare and of loue vnto his Maiestie then do I the same things both religiously ciuilly too As for the heathen or heathenish professors of the Gospell if they do obey ciuill authoritie for feare or for vaineglorie or for any other end then the loue of their neighbour which also must flow out of the loue of God as being the end of the law they also play the hypocrites because they seeme to loue their neighbour when they onely loue themselues And to make all this more full and plaine which hath bene said let vs heare what our Sauiour Christ saith to the matter who is the best expositor of his owne mind In the 23. of Matthew he pronounceth wo eight or nine times against the Scribes and Pharisees for diuerse kinds of hypocrisie or diuerse seuerall counterfeit parts which they played all which were not in matters of religion most were but not all First in the thirteenth verse he saith Wo vnto you Scribes and Pharisees hypocrites because yee shut vp the kingdome of heauen before men for ye your selues goe not in neither suffer ye them that would enter to come in There is one kind of hypocrisie his meaning is that they had one deuice or other still to keepe men from the hearing of Christs preaching which was the verie kingdome of Gods grace and the meane to bring them to the kingdom of glorie and for that matter they had diuerse pretences but because the thing they aymed at was to keepe men from hearing of the Gospell preached therefore Christ calleth them hypocrites When I consider well of that place of Scripture it maketh me remember such Church officers as neuer go foorth to cause men to come to Church but when the Sermon is readie to beginne which they neither care perhaps to heare themselues nor would by their goodwils that others should heare Now because the preaching of the word is the kingdome of Gods grace and the meanes to bring men to the kingdome of glorie let them take heede of Christs wo because they shut vp the kingdome of heauen before men for they themselues go not in neither suffer they them to enter that wold come in and all vnder pretence of executing their office in causing men to come to Church Oh cunning diuell that vnder pretence of bringing men to church can keepe men from that which should let them into the kingdome of heauen that is from hearing the word preached In the 14. verse our Sauiour Christ pronounceth wo vnto the same persons for another kind of hypocrisie and that is this Vnder colour of long prayer they deuoured widows houses for which they were to receiue the greater damnation Here is religious hypocrisie condemned that is vnder shew of any religious dutie to practise mischiefe Some abuse long prayer some short prayer some read prayer some weekely prayer to couer their malice and to make the world beleeue they are deuout persons Let such as do so take heede for Christs sentence is already gone foorth against such they shall receiue the greater damnation In the 15. verse he sayth they playd the hypocrites another way and that was in taking great paines to make men of their painted profession and then to nusle them vp in al kind of grosse hypocrisie and wickednesse to which end they would compasse sea and land and vse all kinds of forcible perswasions pretending their soules health c. Of this sort are all Iesuits and Seminary Priestes which in like manner go from place to place to withdraw men from their right faith to God and true allegiance to their Prince and to reconcile them vnto the Church of Rome In the 16. verse he noteth another grosse hypocrisie and that is to make a conscience of swearing by one thing and no conscience of swearing by another as to sweare by the Temple was with them no sinne but to sweare by the gold of the Temple that was a great sinne And to sweare by the Altar was nothing but to sweare by the offering vpon the Altar that was a great sinne Such hypocrites are they that make it no matter of offence to sweare at euerie word by the holy and dreadfull name of God so they sweare not by that precious bloud which he shed or the wounds which he receiued or some part of his most sacred person And to sweare by the creatures of God as by the light by the fire by their siluer by the bread or other things which God made as also by their faith and troth is no sinne so long as they sweare not by God himselfe But marke what our Sauiour Christ saith vnto all such In the 17. verse he saith thus Ye foolish and blind to shew that there are foolish and blind hypocrites which euer through ignorance and folly commit hypocrisie Whether is greater saith he the gold or the temple that sanctifieth the gold the offering or the Altar that sanctifieth the offering whosoeuer therefore sweareth by the Altar sweareth by it and by all things thereon And whosoeuer sweareth by the temple sweareth by it and by him that dwelleth therein And he that sweareth by heauen sweareth by the throne of God and by him that sitteth thereon And euen so by Christs reason he that sweareth by the light or any other creature sweareth by it and by him that made the same and ruleth the same and he that sweareth by his faith or troth sweareth by it and by God from whom is faith and troth be deriued and on whom they be grounded But to proceed In the 23. verse the Lords Iesus taxeth thē for another kind of hypocrisie that is this They tithe mint and annise and cummin and leaue the weightie matters of the law as iudgement mercy and fidelity This he calleth straining of a gnat and swallowing of a