Linguistic DNA - Concept Modelling Demonstrator

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	affliction_n	joy_n	zion_n	28	3	8.7167	4	false

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A73267	The dignitie of Gods children. Or An exposition of 1. Iohn 3. 1.2.3 Plentifully shewing the comfortable, happie, and most blessed state of all Gods children, and also on the contrarie, the base, fearefull, and most wofull condition of all other that are not the children of God.	Stoughton, Thomas.	1610 (1610)	STC 23315.5; ESTC S117855	406,069	519

aduaÌ„cement Sith that the children of God haue such ioy and peace as that no afflictions doe or can expresse the same how great is their dignity in that behalfe Their ioy I grant may be and sometime is eclipsed and obscured for a time by the same meanes whereby it is so with their peace for such as any mans peace is such is his ioy but as the sunne being somtime eclipsed by the interposition of the moone betwixt vs and it and more often darkned by thicke and blacke clouds doth notwithstanding break out againe and shine as bright as before so it is with the children of God Their ioy is sometime obscured and hidden not onely from others but also from themselues But though they weep for a time yet their sorrow shall bee turned into ioy and their heart shall reioice for the most part in this and most certainly in the life to come and their ioy shal no man take from them Ioh. 16. 20. 21. As the wicked shall mourne and no man shall be able to comfort them as before we haue seen by the examples of Saul and Indas so shall the children of God reioice and no man shall take their ioy from them Though sometime they lie among pots or stones and by many afflictions be as it were coloured yet they shall bee as the wings of a Doue that is couered with siluer and whose fethers are like yellow gold Psal 68. 13. they shall haue beauty for ashes the oyle of ioy of mourning the garment of gladnesse for the spirit of heauinesse Isai 61. 3. yea euen in their heauinesse their ioy from aboue is greater then their mourning here below As Sampson found hony and the hony combe in the carkasse of a deuouring lyon so the children of God find most sweet comfort euen in the very belly and bowels of those afflictions which deuoure the wicked The riddle of Sampson touching the foresaid hony out of the eater came meat and out of the strong came sweetnesse was inexplicable to the Philistims till they had ploughed with Sampsons heyfer Iudg. 14. 14. so indeed that the children of God are cheerfull and comfortable euen full of ioy and gladnesse in their pouerty reproch sicknesse and such other like aduersity seemeth a thing very strange to the vngodly and no man can explicat or expound the same but only the children of God and they that haue ploughed with their heyfer that is with the same spirit of vnderstanding wherewith they and they only are indued For they only haue that white stone spoken of before wherein is a new name written which no man knoweth but he that receiueth it Reu. 2. 17. And how great the peace and the ioy of the children of God is and how truly it may be said to passe al vnderstanding and to be vnspeakable and glorious as before we heard it to be called doth not only appeare by the feare and griefe of the wicked but also by the like afflictions trouble and heauinesse of mind sometimes in the godly when God for the reasons before spoken of hideth his face from them For that which is said generally of all creatures may particularly be said of them if thou hide thy face they are troubled Psal 104. 29. By this trouble I say of the godly themselues when sometimes for a time they haue lost their former ioy and peace it appeareth how great their said peace and ioy is and how worthie of that commendation which before we haue heard to be giuen vnto it For aske one of them that haue for a season lost their former peace and ioy and that troubled in that behalfe yea aske the very wicked themselues which feele the terrors of an euill conscience and feares of Gods wrath aske I say either the one or the other what they would giue for a release from their troubles and feares and for comfort and they will crie out with teares that if they had a thousand worlds they would giue all for true peace and ioy Consider how the Church mourneth for neglect of her beloueds voice yea how her heart fainted in that behalfe and how she charged the daughters of Ierusalem that if they did find her welbeloued they should tell him that she was sicke of loue for him Cantic 5. 6. how Dauid also was troubled when he wanted that peace and ioy which before he had we haue already shewed Touching the ioy of the wicked which seemeth to be very great first the truth is that it is a painted and pictured ioy without any ground yea without any substance it is only in face and countenance and as wesay from the teeth it is not from the heart it is but as the laughter of phrensie and madnesse in the pangs of death Secondly it is therefore very short and vncertain as it is said of the laughter of a fools that it is like the cracking of thornes vnder a pot Eccl. 7. 8. though it make a great blaze a loud noise for a time yet on a sudden it vanisheth and commeth to nothing Thirdly which is more then the former the more the wicked laugh and are merry here the more they shall weep and mourne and houle in the world to come As the strongest wine makes the sharpest vineger euen such as will fetch off the skin from the rough of ones mouth so the greater shall be their calamity and their greater ioy shal be turned into the greater heauinesse But because many things before written of the prosperity of the wicked may likewise bee referred to that point of their ioy which ariseth from no other cause then from their prosperity therfore I will here cease to write any more thereof To conclude this point of the ioy and peace of the children of God as they haue better cause of peace and ioy then all the wicked in the world though kings and Princes so their peace and ioy cannot but be much greater how poore base and miserable soeuer they seem to be in the world and are indeed touching their outward state They may reioice when the wicked euen Princes may mourn they may laugh when such may weep they may sing when the others for all their wealth pleasures friends power and authority and glory may cry and houle As the Virgin Mary was saluted in this manner baile Mary or reioice Mary thou art freely beloned the Lord is with thee c. and againe feare not for thou hast found fauour with God for thou shalt conceiue in thy womb beare a son and call his name Iesus Luk. 1. 28. 29. 30. and as the Angell said to the shepheards bee not afraide behold I bring yon glad tidings of great ioy which shall bee to all people that vnto you is borne this day in the City of Dauid a Sauiour which is called Christ the Lord Luk 2. 10. So no man will denie but that Marie and the shepheards had cause ro cast away feare and to bee giâ—â— and to reioice

is to be found The silly Cock doth sometimes find an earthly pearle of great price in an earthly dunghill and a foole may as soone as a wise man find a great iewell in the mire of the street but this heauenly pearle and iewell of loue whereby we doe most resemble God and shew our selues to be borne of him 1. Ioh. 4. 7. and whereby all men doe know vs to be the disciples of Christ Ioh. 13. 35. This I say is not to be found in the dunghill and myry heart of naturall and vnregenerate men that are only of the earth earthly It is only to be found in the children of God that are borne from aboue and by their regeneration are from heauen heauenly as he is into whom they are incorporated whose hearts are sanctified by the word Ioh. 17. 17. and purified by faith Acts 15. 9. as before we haue heard Thus much of the loue of God and men peculiar only to the children of God and so consequently of the further dignity of the said children of God thereby CHAP. XIII Of a further degree of the freedome of Gods children THus we haue heard of the precious freedome of Gods children in that they are not only discharged from the seruitude of sinne but are also made the seruants of God and may serue him in holinesse and righteousnesse from whence it commeth that they are sober watchfull and louing as before we haue heard There remaineth yet a further degree of the said liberty and freedome of Gods children as one special part as it were of the matter of their new birth and as one speciall point wherein as well as in other things consisteth their being as they are the children of God This is that besides that before mentioned they are also enfranchized and made free of a most excellent of a rich and of a glorious city euen of the heauenly Ierusalem wherof many glorious things are spoken in many places of the scripture as the Prophet speaketh of the old Ierusalem in the same respect viz. as it was the Church of God Psal 87. 3. especially in the 21. Chapter of the Reuelation where it is most excellently and diuinely described not only as it is in heauen with God and in the presence of God and of his holy Angels but also as yet it is and shall be vpon earth Of this excellent and glorious city are all the chilldren of God made free beeing released from their naturall seruitude and bondage vnto sinne This freedom of the new Ierusalem seemeth to be noted by the Apostle to the Hebrews where after the opposition of many and diuers things whereunto they were not come as vnto the mount that might not be touched to the burning fire to blacknesse and darknesse and tempest and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words c. by all which hee meaneth their deliuerance from the Lawe which consisted in the letter not in the spirit then hee addeth that they were come vnto the mount Sion and to the city of the liuing God the celestiall Ierusalem and to the company of innumerable Angels and to the assembly and congregation of the new borne which are written in heauen and to God the iudge of all and to the spirits of iust and perfect men and to Iesus the Mediator of the new Testament and to the bloud of sprinkling which speaketh better things then that of Abel Heb. 12. 22. c. This is a most pregnant and noble testimony not only setting forth the excellency of that City whereof all the children of God are made free but many other points also before more largely handled To speake yet a little more of this freedom As apprentices that serue in Cities in London Canterbury Yorke Norwich and other when they haue serued a certaine time according to the custome and order of such Cities or other townes corporate then they are not only released from their seruice but they are also themselues made free of the Cities and do enioy diuers priuileges and benefits belonging to such Cities so they that are released from the bondage of sinne and satan are made free also of the heauenly Ierusalem before spoken of and do enioy the priuiledges and benefits thereof such as do not belong to any forrainers but are proper only to the children of God and to those that are discharged of their masters whom by nature they serued Yet here this difference is not to be forgotten betwixt the priuileges of this heauenly City and the priuileges of all earthly cities For the priuileges of earthly cities are intended towards such as haue serued their times in some trade or other as rewards of their said seruice supposed faithfully to haue been performed by such seruants but the priuileges of the heauenly city now spoken of are no rewards of our seruice to sinne and satan for the reward or wages thereof is nothing but death Rom. 6. 23. but only benefits belonging to the children of God only of Gods free grace and goodnesse yet the more to comfort them against their former hard seruice of sinne and against the daily reliques of sinne in them and the manifold stormes and tempestâ— whereuâ—to by the meanes thereof they are subiect Now the more excellent this heauenly city is the greater needs must be the benefits and priuiledges belonging thereunto and therefore also the greater benefit is the freedome thereof The freedome of Rome was wont to be so highly esteemed Note that Claudius Lysias a chiefe captaine for the Romans at Ierusalem acknowledged that freedome to haue cost him a great summe Acts 22. 28. Paul also himselfe being free borne of that city pleadeth his said freedome in that behalfe against those iniuries that were offered vnto him vers 25. and so by pleading thereof he found the more fauor at least they feared the more to wrong him as they had done The freedom of many Cities in this land especially of London and of the â—inque ports in Kent is such that many great men are content both that their sonnes being of good yeers and growth shall serue seuen eight or nine yeeres yea and to giue likewise good summes of mony right out with them that they may haue the benefit of the freedome after their time expired and also to procure the said freedome for themselues in diuers respects What then is the freedome of this heauenly Ierusalem whereof now we speake and for which Christ hath giuen a greater price then all the cities in the world yea then ten thousand such worlds are worth Truly it is this that whereas we are here pilgrims and strangers 1. Pet. 2. 11. yet beeing free of the heauenly Ierusalem wee haue our conuersation in heauen Philip. 3. 20. that is that we behaue our selues as citizens of heauen liue according to the lawes which we haue from heauen and do that which we doe as cheerfully and willingly as the Angels in heauen Is this all No we haue liberty

peace for thou Lord makest me dwell in safety Psal 4. 8. this peace of the children of God is not only common to them all neither only proper to them alone neither only alwaies in them euen in all troubles and in death it selfe in manner notwithstanding and with the exceptions before expressed but it is also accompanied with great ioy of the holy ghost and such as none of the wicked doe enioy though they be kings and Princes or otherwise abounding in all prosperity Indeed commonly the state of the children of God is accounted the most lumpish dumpish heauy and solitary state of all other Yea amongst many other things that do discourage men from being the children of God this is not the least that they thinke there is no ioy no mirth no gladnesse belonging to them but that if once men will frame themselues to be the children of God then they must bid farewell to all ioy and they must prepare themselues to all sadnesse and heauinesse But this is a foule and grosse error euen proceeding from the father of lies For the truth is that as the righteous and none but the righteous are often bid be glad and reioice Psal 32. 11. and 33. 1. Phil. 4 4. and elsewhere so indeed in respect of the forgiuenesse of sinnes and of the fauour of God and of all other benefits before mentioned they haue more cause to be glad and reioice then all the world besides Yea none but they haue sound cause to be glad and reioice For ioy and peace are as well as accounted fruits of the spirit as loue patience goodnesse faith gentlenesse and temperance Gal. 5. 22. and the kingdome of heauen is as well said to be in peace and ioy in the holy ghost as in righteousnesse Rom. 14. 17. in both which places this is to be obserued that the Apostie ioines peace and ioy together as I now doe euen as the cause the effect it is therefore euident that there is no sound ioy but where there is the spirit and kingdome of God The Lord speaking of the wicked and of the godly saith thus Behold my seruants shall reioice and ye shall be astonted behold my seruants shall sing for ioy of heart and ye shall cry for sorrow of heart and shall howle for vexation of mind Isai 65. 13. 14. Before likewise the Lord had said by the same Prophet The redeemed of the Lord shall returne and come to Ston with proise and euerlasting ioy shall be vpon their head they shall obtaine ioy and gladnesse and sorrow and mourning shall flie away Isai 35. 10. Therefore the Apostle commendeth this peacero be the peace of God and to passe all vnderstanding Phil. 4. 7. first because no humane vnderstanding can sufficiently comprehend it Secondly because no humane vnderstanding can prize or value it according to the worth thereof Salomon also speaking of a good conscience which is only to be found in the children of God saith that it is a continuall feast Pro. 15. 15. because it bringeth that ioy before spoken of and maketh men alwaies as merry as if they were at a greatfeast alwaies I say and not somtimes only doth a good conscience make a man merry viz. not only in abundance of other things and in prosperity but also in want and penury vea vnder many greatand heauy afflictions For so the Apostle testifieth of them to whom he did write that being by the rich mercy of God begotten againe to a liuely hope of that excellent inheritaÌ„ce wherof before wespake they didreioice although by many afflictions they were in heauinesse 1. Pet. 1. 6. yea afterward he describeth their sound ioy by two notable attributes vnspeakable and glorious vers 8. As these christians did so reioice so the Apostle Paul though continually vnder great and heauy afflictions and persecutions Acts 20. 23. 2. Cor. 11. 23. yet he testifieth that the testimony of his conscience was his reioicing 2. Cor. 1. 12. Therefore often elsewhere he professeth that he was so far from being ashamed of his crosses and manifold troubles that he did rather reioice and glory in them and so we see indeed that he and Stlas being in prison did not mourne and weep but sang Psalmes euen at midnight Acts 16. 25. The like ioy we read to haue been if not in all yet diuers of the martyrs mentioned in the book of the Acts and Monuments Yea the truth is that in respect of the premises the meanest child of God that hath faith and regeneration but as a grain of mustard seed hath more sound and true matter of reioicing euen in afflictions then the greatest the richest and the mightiest monarch in all the world that hath not receiued the spirit of adoption Yea how can they reioice that haue no communion with Christ that are dead in their sinnes that are no better then fooles and madmen that are in bondage vnto sins yea vnto satan himselfe that haue no freedome in heauen neither any trade for any merchandise therof whose sins doe all remaine in the book of Gods account and that may continually feare when God will enter into iudgement with them that haue no liberty to come to God once to aske pardon of the said sinnes because they haue not faith wherein they should offer vp their praiers and without which all their praiers are abominable vnto God that haue no benefit by the word of God either for their direction or for their comfort or for their defence against the enemies of their saluation that therefore are alwaies naked and lie open to all their assaults that much lesse haue any thing to do with the sacrameÌ„ts which are seales of Gods word that haue no right or interest in any blessings of this life but shall giue an account of euery thing they haue had vsed as vsurpers as thieues against whom all things work together for their euill prosperity and aduersity friends and foes their good deeds which they seem to haue done as well as their apparant euill deeds that are excluded out of the kingdome of heauen and are in the state of condemnation euen so long as they continue without the spirit of adoption condemned already what ioy I say can any haue that are in such a case though they be neuer so great neuer so rich and neuer so mighty monarchs in the world Verily as they shall if they repent not bee throwne into vtter darknesse where shall bee weeping and gnashing of teeth and where they shall be tormented for euermore with the diuell and his Angels so if they know their wofull and miserable condition they haue cause to mourne and to houle continually in this life yea more cause so to doe then the poorest man in the world good or bad because the more God doth aduance them in this world the greater shall their damnation bee in the world to come if in this life they do not glorifie God according to their said

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