Selected quad for the lemma: saint_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
saint_n	day_n	lord_n	week_n	2,733	5	10.2407	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41657	The surest & safest way of thriving, or, A conviction of that grand mistake in many, that what is given to the poor, is a loss to their estate : which is so directly contrary as to the experiences of the charitable : so to the testimony of God's spirit in divers places of Scripture ... by Thomas Gouge ...	Gouge, Thomas, 1605-1681.	1673 (1673)	Wing G1377; ESTC R14065	59,429	70

my bosome with increase And hath my Saviour for my encouragement promised Luk. 6. 36. That if I give unto the poor it shall be given to me again good measure pressed down and shaken together running over Then certainly there is no such compendious way to thrive and prosper in the world as by my liberality to the poor 2. Prefer Heaven and the things thereof before this earth and earthly things Though the temporal reward which I have so much insisted on be a great encouragement yet the greatest encouragement is the spiritual and eternal reward that the Lord hath promised And that this may be the more prevailing encouragement learn to esteem and prize things spiritual and eternal above all things that are but temporal Suppose it should so fall out that you should never receive in kind what you bestow yet count those temporal things put off at the best rate which you receive in things spiritual and eternal Value grace and glory above all the treasures of the earth and count your selves to grow rich men according to your abounding in grace and your evidences for glory And esteem it an unthristy Saving and holding in where you have an opportunity to improve in your inner man by expending of your outward substance Till Heaven be valued above earth this great Argument encouraging to Acts of bounty and mercy will lose its efficacy When God says Cast thy bread upon the waters for thou shalt find it again after many dayes the Worldling will be ready to demand But how shall I find it in what way shall it be returned me Shall I have bread for bread or money for my bread or houses or Lands for my money probably thou may'st But suppose not so yet it shall be better than so thou shalt have in grace what thou partest with in bread or money thou shalt reap in Heaven what thou sowest on the waters I but the worlding will reply I do not mean to part with my bread or my money so No I know thou dost not but the reason is because thou lovest this earth more than Heaven Thou sayest Will Grace feed me Will Grace cloath me Can I keep my self and my Family Can we live and be maintained and preserved from poverty and beggery here by hopes of glory hereafter Go fool and learn better what God is and what his everlasting mercy is let the lasting treasures the durable riches be more priz'd and valued by thee and this will stop thy mouth and silence thine heart from such vain reasonings Thou wilt never again say I cannot spare my bread or my money when by spending it for God thou seest thou makest him thy debter who will pay it thee again in spiritual and eternal good things if once thou account these to be better than thy bread or thy money But till thou art come to be settled in this Judgement and belief both that the good things of God are infinitely better than the good things of this earth and that what thou sowest in the earth thou shalt certainly reap in Heaven till thou comest in good earnest to be of this mind God's poor are like to be but little the better for thee 'T is this beloved that will effectually do it will open your hearts and open your hands in bounty and liberality for God when you come to be rooted in the practical belief of this principle upon which the practice of all Religion stands and is upheld in the world That Heaven is better than Earth if this other be added to it That what is sincerely laid out for God in the Earth shall certainly be repayed in Heaven besides that return which the Lord here in this world oftentimes makes to the charitable 2. For the Means tending to help you for the better managing of it take these following 1. Either follow the Example of the Primitive Saints in setting apart something every Lords Day out of the former weeks gettings Or 2. Devote unto God a certain portion of thy yearly incomes for charitable uses That the former way of setting apart something every Lords Day for the relief of the poor was the practice of the Primitive Christians is clear from that of the Apostle to the Corinthians 1 Cor. 16. 1 2. Now concerning the Collection for the Saints as I have given order to the Churches of Galatia even so do ye Vpon the first day of the week which is the Lords Day let every one of you lay by him in store as God hath prospered him This way and course concerns such in special who live upon their daily labours But to such Gentlemen and others who live upon their Rents and Offices and to such Merchants and Citizens who once a year cast up their accounts I would commend the latter way of devoting unto God a certain portion of their yearly income by Rent or otherwise and then separating it from the rest to account it a sacred stock for the poor not to be imployed to any other use All men naturally through the corruption that is in them are hard-hearted and close-handed very unwilling to part with any thing considerable upon sudden occasions for charitable uses But having aforehand set apart something their ears hearts and hands are open to every charitable motion and very ready and forward are they the more liberally to contribute thereunto of what is laid by rejoycing that they have met with so good an object of Charity As for the quota pars what proportion every one ought to set apart out of his yearly income for good uses I do not find it particularly set down in the Word of God and therefore dare not positively determine the same and the rather because there are so many circumstances which alter the case that no certain rule can be given but shall leave it to the discretion and ingenuity of the prudent Christian. But though the Scripture doth not determine the exact proportion to be set apart for good works yet doth it command us to give out proportionably to what God hath given unto us to open our hands wide to the necessities of the poor to be rich in good works and the like Yea the Scripture doth commend unto us the examples of very bountiful Christians as of Dorcas who is said to be full of good works and alms-deeds which she did Act. 9. 36. And of Cornelius who is said to give much alms Act. 10. 2. And of the Macedonians who are said to give to their power yea and beyond their power 2 Cor. 8. 3. It likewse commendeth unto us the example of Iacob who in testimony of his thankfulness unto God for what he should bestow upon him vowed the tenth thereof unto God for pious and charitable uses as Gen. 28. 20 22. And Jacob vowed a vow unto God saying Of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee These examples are left upon record for our imitation for as the Apostle speaketh