Selected quad for the lemma: soul_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
soul_n	ascend_v	body_n	heaven_n	3,915	5	6.0723	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A67011	A disswasive from worldly-mindedness, in order to the due exercise of Christian charity A sermon preached in the chappel of Popler, on the 8th of Sept. 1698. Before the trustees for the charity of Captain William Curtis, deceased. Who, in the year 1669, bequeathed a rent-charge of sixty pounds per annum, for the release of poor prisoners, the relief of aged people, a weekly distribution of bread, and the placing out of poor children to trades: for the benefit of the poor in the hamlets of Popler, Mile-end, Limus, and Ratcliff, for ever. Published at the request of the trustees. By Josiah Woodward, minister of Popler.	Woodward, Josiah, 1660-1712.	1698 (1698)	Wing W3515; ESTC R221225	13,422	30

some Hundreds of Ships and Thousands of Men were lost how easily he can clip these Wings which bear up our Nation and thereby sink our Renown and Wealth and Safety in one common Grave Or perhaps some lighter matter may deprive a particular Person or Family of the Wealth of this World It being a known Case that a Gentleman lost an Estate of many Thousand Pounds a Year for want of inserting three words in a Deed of Settlement Thus we see that the Foundation of Temporal things is Sandy and the Tenure uncertain and let Men do what they can they can never pinion the Wings of these fleeting Enjoyments nor prevent their Flight from us Secondly They make their Wings themselves Riches make themselves Wings i. e. It is their Nature to be on the Wing and to flee away They every day become more fledg'd than other and are more likely to be gone from us Like some sorts of Ants which at certain Periods of time have Wings naturally shooting forth and when these little Creatures being fond of their Wings mount upwards with them they soon become a Prey to the Swallows and other Birds A creeping lowliness of Life has more Safety though less Splendor than a towering Ambition And we are told from the best of Authors That they that will be rich fall into Temptation and a Snare and pierce themselves thorow with many Sorrows 1 Tim. 6. 9 10. Thirdly We must note the Asseveration of this They Certainly make themselves Wings You will do well to expect it for you are very like to find it so either in part or in the whole Nothing in earthly things is more affured than their Inconstancy And therefore they are usually called Goods of Fortune Not that they come or go by chance but that they are subject to such an Instability and Uncertainty that their coming and going may as to any fore-sight of ours be termed a sort of Fortuity Fourthly When Riches are gone they are many times utterly irreparable They fly away as an Eagle towards Heaven i. e. above our reach and beyond our recovery By Heaven here is not meant The State of the Blessed as if Riches went up thither No the very Heathen had other Notions of the Tendency of Wealth who thought their Pluto to be both the God of Riches and of Hell And it is no wonder that the Devil perswaded those prosess'd Votaries of his that earthly Greatness was his Gift since he attempted to perswade Christ himself to this though absolutely in vain viz. That all the Power and Glory of earthly Kingdoms were at his disposal Luke 4. 6. Thus have I as briefly as I well could considered the empty Nature and uncertain Tenure of earthly things The other two Propositions which I proposed to speak to are the Practical Conclusions which we ought to make from the Premises and therefore will be the proper Application of what has been said So then Since the Riches of this World are manifestly III. such empty and uncertain things it will be great Indiscretion to set our Eyes upon them i. e. either to admire them covet them or trust in them For all these are implied in this Expression of setting our Eyes on Riches For 1. What we admire we gaze at and fix our Eyes upon and can scarcely take our Eyes off it it being the Desire of our Eyes Thus does Gold dazle the Eyes of the Worldly-minded and engross their Affections 2. What we greatly Covet we look wishfully and passionately upon And therefore Horace Qui oculo in torto Nummo rum prospicit acervos Hor describes a contented Man as one that can pass by great Treasures without looking back upon them 3. What we put our Trust in we often cast our Eyes upon And this is the Reason why a Good Man so often looks upward and the Worldly Man downward And this is the reason why the Covetous Person is mark'd out in the Scripture as Eph. 5. 5. Col. 3. 5. an Idolater viz. because He makes Gold his Hope and says to fine Gold Thou art my Confidence Job 31. 24. But in all these three Casts of the worldly Man's Eye he does but mis-guide and deceive himself And how pertinently does the wise Man reprove him in the Text Why wilt thou set thine Eyes on that which is not Why will you admire covet or confide in a Vapour or Shadow Let this quicken us to set our Affections on things above where every thing is infinitely worthy and permanent and not on these finite and fading things below How can we be thought to believe the Promises of God concerning the glorious State of blessed Souls in the eternal Kingdom above if we set so light by it as to think oftener and desire and pursue more the Dung-hill things of this Earth than the Divine Bliss of that Future State This Spiritual Elevation of Mind is so Essential to a Christian Life that we find two of the ancient ist Mart. pol. 2. p. 8. lem Alex. Tom. 6. Fathers numbering Socrates in the Rank of Christians before Christ because he dyed for asserting the only true God and because it was part of his Accusation That he was one that did set himself to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plut. pol. Socr. 31. seek better things than this Earth afforded even things in Heaven Which made him take his last Farewel of his Adversaries and of this World in these words It is time for me to go and dye and for you to learn to live which is best is known to God Alas What a Shame will it be for Christians that live in the State of the Gospel which for its Divine Glory is called the Kingdom of Heaven Mark 1. 15. Luke 17. 21. to be out-done by Moral Heathens in Heavenly-mindedness O Christians ascend in your Affections to that State to which Christ the Desire of your Souls is ascended Let us prepossess that happy Place by our Heavenly Minds and Hearts which we hope to possess e'er long in Soul and Body May we all with Divine Moses esteem the reproached Religion and Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ greater Riches than all the tinsel Treasures of this vain World And since we say we hope for Heaven let us make due Returns of our Temporal things thither which is certainly the best Improvement of earthly things that can be made And this is the last thing I proposed to speak to viz. That to bestow a suitable part of our Wealth IV. in Pious and Charitable Distributions as the Glory of God and the Necessities of our Bretheren give us Occasion will be the most Prudent and Profitable Disposal of these fleeting things For this is to make the last words of my Text true in a literal Sense namely to make your Riohes fly towards Heaven indeed And so you will send your Provisions before you thither and be Rich in both Worlds even rich towards God here and rich in God