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

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A94158	The gods are men: or The mortality of persons in places of magistracy. As it was explained and applied in a sermon preached at the assize holden at Hertford for that county on March 15. 1656/7. By George Swinnocke M.A. last Fellow of Bailiol Colledge in Oxford, and now preacher of the gospel at Rickmersworth in Hertfordshire.	Swinnock, George, 1627-1673.	1657 (1657)	Wing S6276; Thomason E919_1; ESTC R207499	42,242	46

power of godliness A man may live by a form but he cannot die by a form An heart not ballanced with grace may hold out in the calm of life but when the boisterous winds of sicknesse blow and the storm of death cometh it will suffer shipwrack When death cometh when that damp ariseth the Candle of Profession separated from the Power of Religion will first burn blew and then go out The bellows of death will blow the spark of sincerity into a flame and the blaze of hypocrisie into nothing O therefore get that saying of our Saviour written on your hearts Verily John 3.3 verily I say unto you except a man be born again he can never see the Kingdom of God Pious Mr. Strong on Heb. 12.14 p. 39. vid. A worthy Divine now in Heaven observeth four things from this verse 1 The manner of the assertion Verily verily 2. The matter asserted except a man be born again Non unius partis correctionem sed totius naturae renovationem designat Calvin He that is born but once dieth twice He that is born twice dieth but once 3. The universality of the assertion it is equivalent to an universal proposition though he be a man civil in his conversation a Saint in his generation yet he must be born again 4. The necessity of it without regeneration no salvation he cannot see the Kingdom of God You know what the Pharisees were how strict in their lives a Phil 3.6 according to the Law blamelesse how abundant in b Matth. 23.14 duty they made long c Matth 6. prayers gave much d Luke 18.12 alms fasted twice a e Matth. 23.15 week compast Sea and Land to make Proselytes Nay they were so holy that the Jews would speak commonly That if but two in the world went to Heaven the one should be a Scribe and the other a Pharisee Yet our Saviour speaketh expresly Matth. 5.20 Except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees ye shall in no case enter into the Kingdom of God Pharisaical holinesse will never evidence your right to eternal happinesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Duo negativae apud Graecos vehementius negant He that considereth how great their priveledges how seemingly gracious their practices were will at first wonder why Christ should set a double bolt on Heavens gate to keep them out But their chief falling was in this which I am exhorting you to namely in the want of the power of godlinesse their actions to the eye of man good but their affections were bad their practices did not proceed from renewed and gracious principles Whatsoever civility was without in the life there was no real sanctity within in the heart You that are Magistrates may probably be free from scandalous enormities none can taxe you it may be with swearing drunkennesse whoredome or the like nay I hope you go farther that ye perform duty in secret by your selves in private with your wives and children in publike with the Congregation that ye instruct your families in the things of God and be earnest with all under your power to mind their eternall good these things are commendable and the Lord increase the number of such Magistrates but I must tell you that though this reformation in your lives be good yet without an alteration and change in your hearts it is not sufficient I may say to you as Christ to the young One thing lackest thou yet As the rude Satyre in Plutarch who strove to make a dead man stand upright had so much wit as to say Deest aliquid intus There wants something within So I say to you if ye go no further there is spiritual life the seed of God the divine nature the new creation the power of godlinesse wanting within without this all other things will come to nothing Alchimy Gold may shine brighter then true Gold but as some observe it will neither cheer the heart as a Cordial nor passe the seventh five A dram of true grace will be of more worth to you when ye come to die then a Sea of gifts Heaven is the Father's house and none can come thither but his own children such as are born of God 6. Apply the death of the Saviour to your own souls Lastly If ye must die to prepare your selves for death make sure of an interest in Christ in the death of the Lord Jesus There is no shroud to this namely to be wrapt in the winding sheet of Christ's righteousnesse I would request ●ou to discharge your trusts so faithfully to work for Heaven so industriously to walk with God so humbly to live among men so exactly and exemplarily to mind the renovation of your natures so carefully out of thankfulness to God for his Son out of affection to him that hath loved you and washed you in his blood out of a desire to cleer up your title to the Covenant of grace as if ye were to be justified by your works to purchase Heaven by your holiness Isa 64.6 but when ye have done all throw them away as filthy rags as a menstruous cloth as dung and drosse in comparison of the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ Phil. 3.8 9. He that is to incounter with this grand enemy death had need to have Armour of proof Joh. 11.25 26. And as David said of Goliah's sword so I of this death of Christ There is no weapon like it That which makes a man die with true courage and step with an holy boldnesse unto the grave is to remember that Christ died not only before him but for him and hath conquered and vanquished the King of terrors upon his own dunghil I desire saith the Apostle to know nothing but Christ and him crucified All the mercies that believers enjoy come streaming to them in the blood of Christ though there be much attribued to his intercession * Calvin observeth on 1 Joh. 2.1 that Christs intercession is nothing else but a perpetual application of his death Christ intercedeth by shewing to his Father his wounds in his hands and side quot vulnera tot ora to plead for sinners yet that like the King's stamp on silver addeth no real value to it only maketh it currant By his death a Eph. 1.7 sin is pardoned God's justice satisfied his wrath c Col. 2.14 15. Heb 2.14 appeased Satan vanquished d Gal. 3.13 the curse of the Law endured e Tit. 2.14 Heb. 9.14 grace purchased for the Saints here f John 14.2 1 Cor. 15.55 56. and an eternal weight of glory hereafter b Eph. 1.6 5 2. The whole Ring of Christ's Mediatorship surely takes its value not only from the Diamond of his Divinity but also from the Passion of his Humanity It s out of the carkasse of this Lion of the Tribe of Judah that the true Sampsons get so much honey of comfort Thence it

the face with blood in his ch●eks It must needs make the stoutest heart alive to quake to look that distemper in the face that at once may both kill him and damn him Yet we see by experience that many die like Lambs whilst their souls are amongst Lions Aristotle when dying spake thus saith one Dubius morior que vadam nescio And Adrian more dolefully Animula Vagula blandula quae nunc abibis in loca c. and they are going to the place of Dragons We read there are no bands in the death of rich wicked men Psal 73.4 And that phrase in Job 21.13 In a moment they go down to the grave is generally interpreted thus They die quickly and quietly In quiete in infernum descendunt saith an Expositour like a Lampe that goeth out of it self when the Oyl faileth So Cesar said the day before he was slain Finis vitae commodissimus est repen●inus inopinatus And Julian the Apostate said Vitam reposcenti naturae tanquam de bitor bonae fidei redditurus exulto But this quietness ariseth or rather carnall security to them not from any knowledge of their good estate but from ignorance of their bad estate A wicked mans hope is like the giving up of the Ghost Job 11.20 He breaths out his soul life and hope together Psal 33.37 Some of the Martyrs thanked their Judges for condemning them Sententiis vestris gratias agimus cum damnamur à vobis a deo absolvimur Tertul. Apol. c. 5. Si vis in pace mari sis servus dei The good m●n only hath true hope in his death Prov. 14.32 I am neither ashamed to live nor afraid to die having a good Master to go to said Ambrose And how manlike did that feminine Martyr subscribe her Confession * Fox Acts vol. 2. p. 576. Extrema Christianorum desiderantur etsi non exordia Florus saith of the Romans Populus Rosaepe praeliis nunquam bello victus They were often conquered in skirmishes but never in a pitcht battell The godly may be often foyld in their lives but never in their deaths At that long run they are always too hard for their most potent adversaries 4. This will make your conditions everlastingly comfortable Subscribed by me Ann Askew that neither wisheth for death nor feareth its might but is as merry as one that is bound for Heaven He that with the Apostle can say I have fought a good fight 2 Tim. 4.8 may sail with a Plerophory with top and top gallant into the Ocean of eternity An happy death is the conclusion of an holy life The godly man and his godliness are like Saul and Jonathan lovely in their lives and in their deaths they are not divided Now what an Argument is here to stir you up to godlinesse Is any thing more desirable then a good end then to doe your last act well The evening crownes the day The last Scene commends the act Finis perficit tam agentem quam actionem Balaam could desire to die the death of the righteous and to have his latter end like theirs Numb 23.10 The Papists have a Proverb It 's good to live in France because there is most liberty and to die in Italy there is most Popish purity and strictness When Julius Cesar was surprised and wounded in the Senate he cast his robe about him ut honestè caderet that he might die decen●ly If ye would not die ill then be sure ye live well let holiness be your way and happiness shall be your end 4. This will make your estates and conditions eternally comfortable Death to you then will be no night but the day-break of eternal brightnesse O what welcome will Christ give that Magistrate in Heaven that hath served him faithfully on Earth All the good ye doe for God or his people is now perfectly recorded and shall then be bountifully rewarded It 's observable the Epistl●s to the Churches begin with Novi opera and end with Vincenti dabo to assure us that Christ is a strict observer of our good works at first and will be a rich rewarder of them at last All your ●ndustry in your generall callings of Christianity all your prayers are now on the file in Heaven all your tears for sin are in God's bottle all your fastings watchings duties in secret between God and your own souls in publike in the great Congregation All your sedulity in your particular callings of Magistracy all your pains to preserve us in peace all your labour for the Lord's honour all your justifying the righteous condemning the wicked all the good ye doe evil ye prevent if done out of conscientious Principles are not lost Locker 2 Kings 10.30 If God valued counterfeit coyn at so high a rate how highly will he value true gold Esse Christum cum Paulo summa securitas esse Paulum cum Christo summa felicitas Ber. Aug. on those words No man can see me and live saith Moriar domine ut te videam Austin desired to see Romam in flore Paulum in ore Christu● in corpore Bede cometh after him and correcteth his last thus Imo vero regem in solio stellato sedentem the King in his glory rather I wish for death saith Melancthon Vt desiderato fruar conspectu christi Melch. Ad. but will all be found to your praise honour and glory at the comming of Christ Duty is sweet at last it cometh off with Heaven though Hell dog it for a time If God give that Magistrate Jehu who served him in Hypocrisie an earthly Kingdom to the fourth generation surely he will give an Heavenly Kingdome that is eternal to those Magistrates that serve him in sincerity O how comfortable will your conditions be when ye die if ye be cordial to God and zealous for God whilst ye live ye shall be wi●h Christ is not that enough Did the wise men rejoyce so much to see the star and will not your hearts think ye rejoyce much more to see the Sun in its Noon-day brightness This was the ground of Paul's desiring death Phil. 1.23 This was the rich inheritance that Christ bequeathd to his in his last Will and Testament Joh. 17.24 This was the enlivening cordial which the Physitian of souls administred to the dying thief Luke 23.43 In a word this is the top of the Saints ambition here and the apex of their perfection hereafter even to enjoy Christ Ignatius could say Fire Crosse breaking of my bones quartering of my members and all the torments that Man and Divel can invent Let come so I may enjoy my Lord Jesus And Jerome thus sweetly If my father stood weeping on his knees before me and my mother hanging on my neck behind and my brethren sisters children and kinsfolk howling on every side to retein me in a sinful life I would fling my mother to the ground run over my father tread my kinred under my feet that I might run to Christ What