Selected quad for the lemma: word_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
word_n	heart_n	seed_n	sow_v	3,364	5	9.4831	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B02276	The spouses hidden glory, and faithfull leaning upon her wellbeloved. Wherein is laid down the soules glory in Christ, and the way by which the soule comes to Christ. Delivered in two lecture sermons in St. Andrewes church in Norwich. / By Iohn Collings Master of Arts, and preacher of Gods word in Saviours parish in Norwich.	Collinges, John, 1623-1690.	1646 (1646)	Wing C5340A; ESTC R174086	70,368	91

as welcome as any thing to him but he is loath to sue a divorce for this Beloved he is loath to part with his old love for a new till he seeth how he can love him But at a venture he will take him in p●rtem amoris O wretch flatter not thy selfe if Christ be thy Beloved he will endure no Polygamy you must leave your sins or be without your Christ The true Spouse leanes upon her Beloved not upon her Beloveds upon her now Beloved she forsakes her old Lastly this may serve to reproove 1. Those that would leane upon Christ but they dare not trust their soules upon Christ alone Forsooth he will be the Spouse of Christ but he must leane upon Christ with one hand and his good workes with the other The whore of Babylon commits adultery with her selfe 2. Under this lash comes a better ranke of people that when God hath shewed them their owne sinfull sad condition they do not only performe duties pray and mourne and repent and be humbled all which they ought to do but they are ready to rest in them and make them their Beloved It is naturall to the soule that God hath made to loath its sins to love its duties it finds duties almost as consentaneous to its nature as sins were before and it is too ready to thinke that its saving or damning depends upon such a quantity of teares and humiliation Hence you heare soules in this condition often complaining oh I could beleeve if I were humbled enough if I could but mourne enough This soule doth well to be sensible of the hardnesse of its own heart and it is too true it can never mourne it can never be humbled enough But it doth ill to thinke that free-grace stints its operation and blessed influence to such a quantity of teares if it be humbled enough to see its want of Christ The water runs through the river that is the way to the Sea but it doth not rest in the river but with a swift and continued motion runs betwixt the banks till it comes and is swallowed up in the Sea Even so the soule ought to run through duties but not to rest betwixt the bankes of duties but to run through till it come to the Sea of free-grace where it will be swallowed up of infinite mercy and our imperfections will be drowned in his infinite perfection we ought to take duties in our way to Christ but not to make duties our Jesus God hath ordained that they should fit us for him but it is written My glory will I not give to another The glory of the Lords free-grace is his greatest glory he will not give that to any other None shall share with him in his Spouses love he is a jealous Saviour The Spouse leanes upon her Beloved not Beloveds Thus I have done with my use of reproofe The next use is for examination here may every one try himselfe whether he be the Spouse of the Lord Jesus Christ or no Even by what hath been already said I will reduce it all 〈◊〉 three heads First Examine thy selfe whether thou beest out of the wildernesse of sin yea or no. Secondly Whether thou wert or art in any other wildernesse yea or no. Thirdly What was or is thy demeanour in these wildernesses thou hast been or art in and how hast thou come or dost thou come out Examine whether thou beest not in the wildernesse of sin yea or no It was given as the Character of the Spouse to come out of this wildernesse O but how shall I know that will the soule say I will name two or three notes by which thou mayest suspect thy selfe as from probabilities 1. The wildernesse it is an incult place a place where the soyle was never tilled it is as hard almost as a milstone the over-growne Trees were never pruned the unruly boughs never lopt the bushes never cut or stubbed dost thou finde thy heart in such a condition that it is as hard as ever neither judgement breakes it nor mercy melts it the fallow-ground of it is not plowed nor the seed of righteousnesse sowne in it Thy unruly lusts are not tamed thy life is as much overgrowne with sin as ever it was thy sins were never yet cut off from the body of thy life O friend suspect thy selfe Thou mayest justly feare yea and know too that thou art not the Spouse of Christ thou art in the wildernesse in thy naturall estate Secondly The wildernesse is a barren place it brings forth no corne for the sickle no wholesome fruit no figgs no grapes for mans pallat for can a man gather grapes of thistles or figgs of thornes No pastures wholsome for the beasts The fire hath devoured the pastures of the wildernesse Joel 1.19 And God complained that Nineveh was dry like a wildernesse Zeph. 2.13 Art thou a barren and unfruitfull creature that dost nothing for God thy heart is a barren heart no seeds of good are sowne there thy tongue is a barren tongue no good words come out thence thy whole soule a barren soule not a good action upon the record of thy life Indeed no soule can be barren the soule is of a working nature but sinfull workes are unfruitfull workes in the Apostles language The unfruitfull workes of darknesse and what fruits had ye of those things whereof you are now ashamed Gods Spouse is a fruitfull creature Gal 5.22 The fruit of the Spirit is love joy peace long-suffering c. A barren soule is alwaies a wildernesse soule Those that are borne of God bring forth fruits unto God Thirdly Thou mayest know whether thou beest in the wildernesse or no by the company thou delightest in It is a known rule Noscitur ex socio qui non dignoscitur ex se He that is a wildernesse creature loves wildernesse company the wolves and beares and foxes but he that is out keeps the company of men dost thou love the wildernesse company the swinish drunkard the politike Foxe the malitious Lyon the venemous lyar and slanderer the lascivious wanton more then the Children of God oh suspect thy selfe By this we know saith John that we are translated from death to life if we love the Brethren Lazarus when he was raised from the grave we do not read he went to keep the dead men company again those that God hath raised from the death of their sins live amongst living men and delight in living mens company Thus examine whether thou beest come out of the wildernesse of sin or no. Secondly As comming out of the wildernesse is a sign of the child of God so being in the wildernesse is likewise a note whereby thou mayest know thy selfe Gods Spouse comes out of one wildernesse into another out of the wildernesse of sin into the wildernesse of sorrow and out of that to their Saviour Wouldest thou know whether thou art found or no Examine whether thou wert ever lost or no wouldst thou know whether ever

how they troub●e a worldling when they but think they heare the trumpet sounding Alarum to this dreadfull day Oh how ready are they to have their hearts like Nabals dye within them and become as cold as a stone how ready be●ore their time to cry O Rocks Rocks fall upon us cover us from the face of the lamb When they hear but those words r●peated Behold I come like a theife that ● saies this wretch is that Iesus whose blood I have trampled upon whose free grace I have despised that I saies the Spouses is the first letter of my Iesus my sweet and precious saviour Oh how glad shall I be to see my husband with his glorious retinue come to fetch me away to his bed of glory O come my precious Iesu my deare husband come quickly Oh that the dayes of my widdowhood were accomplished Oh that I could see but my husbands face in the clouds that I might say Lo this is my Christ I have waited for him Lo this is my Christ I have waited for him I will rejoyce and be glad in his salvation The world wonders what manner of spirit the Christian hath that is scared with nothing what manner of peace it is that passeth all understanding he cries out Quae est illa Who is this I must confesse the fountain though it be of a great depth may not contain it self within its owne banks but if full it must runne over The Saint must speak his joy if his heart be full It must breath out its comforts I charge you tell my beloved O ye daughters of Ierusalem that I am sick of love Ioy will speak it selfe It is not it cannot be dumb If the Bridegroome be with the Children of the Bride-chamber they cannot mourne 1. But first The ground of their joy is not knowne that is hidden they know not whence the spring cometh that maketh the fountain of their joy so brimfull as it is they see them smile but they know not wherefore 2. The measure of their joy is hidden I may know by the brook that there is water in the fountain but I cannot know by the shallow brooke what depth the water is that is in the fountaine they may say for this Who is this joyfull creature What is the Basis How great is the depth of her hidden joy what is she Who is this that commeth 4. But Fourthly The Saints sincerity is hidden From the world yea from one another infallibly The Barbarians think Paul a murtherer one day a God another day they know not what any day The disciples are readier to accuse themselves then Iudas An unmixed company of Saints is peculiar to the Church triumphant I would demand of any who plead for unmixed Congregations by what infallible mark I shall know a sincere Christian from a deceitfull hypocrite and to my thoughts that title of Visible Saints seemes to have contradictionem in terminis for if they be saints they are not visible at least the truth of their Saintship is not visible And why it is necessarily required to the constitution of Gods Church that they be such as my deceivable eye judgeth Saints which may be the eldest children of perdition and the worst of devils is such a riddle as I must professe I cannot open nor can I suppose any considerable reason be given for it It was a true saying of him To have none good is the property of a Church malignant to have all good and none bad is the property of the Church Triumphant to have some good and some bad is the property of the Church Militant Only God and their own consciences know their sinceritie O Lo d remember how I have walkt before thee saith Hezekiah God knew and his own conscience knew The Saints sincerity is hidd●n to the world they are ready to say Who is this what wine-bibber as concerning Iohn What friend of Publicanes and sinners as concerning Christ What Babler as concerning Paul What Puritan What Round-head as now adayes Who is this 5. Lastly The Saints Glory is hidden their future estate and this is one reason why the world despiseth them the world useth to make much of great men Kings and Queenes but their greatnesse must be visible the world would be kinder to them if they knew they should be their Iudges and sure enough they shall it is written The Saints shall judge the world they shall have a Kingdome when these shall go to hell and an hidden Kingdome it is 1 Cor. 2.9 Eye hath not seene nor eare heard nor can it enter into the heart of man to conceive what things God hath prepared for th●m that love him So much may serve for the Doctrinall part now let us bring what you have heard to practise 1. Let this be a cautionary reproof to the men of the world no such despised handfull of dust and ashes as the little flock the handfull of Christians the mouth of every dogge is open against them O let what thou hast heard of their glory be a bridle in thy lips and an hook in thy nostrills The least and meanest of them though c ad in raggs is a better man of better breeding of more value then thou art that abasest them though in cloth of Gold and cloak of Scarlet Saints are precious creatures First Consider ●he is the Spouse of the King of glory Mighty ●esus is her husband Art thou a gallan t and hast thou a wife of thy bosome tell me what wouldst thou do to him that in thy absence should turn her out of doores or kick her about the streets Is not the Lord Christ thinkst thou as tender of his as thou canst be of thy Spouse She is the wife of an Omnipotent Christ whose power makes him able and whose ●ove makes him willing to avenge his Spouse Verily he will teare thee in pe●ces and there shall be none to deliver thee Her husband is one that non● can stand before when he is angry If he be angry but a little Blessed are all they that trust in him O take heed if he drawes his sword wo unto thee and he loves his spouse for concerning her he hath said He that toucheth you toucheth the apple of mine eye Beware O Beware of the Apple of Gods eye I had rather lie under the feet then but tread upon the toe of Gods childe I might draw some arguments from Love as this from fear considering she is so lovely so glorious a creature But I will use but one more from the latter part of my doctrine 2. Remember she is an hidden unknowne creature we have a Proverb De absentibus mortuis nihil malum speak no evill of those that are absent or dead we may put in a third de ignotis Ingenuity commands us as well not to wrong those we know not as those that are dead or ab ent O that rhese few words might bridle the tongues of wretches from abusing that poore little

you as he once said to the roaring Israelites Judg. 10.14 Goe and cry unto the gods which you have chosen let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation Cry unto your Gold now unto your Lusts now trust your Riches now make you a golden Calfe See if it will now save you O thinke You that live in sinne and love and delight in sinne what shall I doe in a sad day of sicknesse when the feare of the grave shall surround me and the terrors of Hell shall make me afraid What shall I leane upon when these comforts shall be no comforts when I shall say to all creature enjoyments miserable comforters are you all Where shall I warme me when these flashes will be out when these sparkes of pleasure and profit shall be choakt and kill'd with the dust and ashes of my grave Heare yee this all yee That kindle a fire that compasse your selves about with sparkes walke in the light of your fire and in the sparkes that you have kindled This shall yee have at the Lords hand Isa 50. v. 11. you shall lye downe in sorrow Your pleasurable sinnes are but as sparkes Sirs What will you doe when your sparkes are out They are as wee say of a short flame but a Widowes joy for a moment Take heed that when your sparkes are out you blow not your nailes in hell Take heed that your sparkes doe not kindle everlasting burnings for you What will you doe in a wildernesse of Affliction how will you come out What will yee leane upon Secondly This may serve to informe us of the happy condition of Gods Children and that è contrario in a just opposion to the others misery O lift up your heads yee righteous and be glad yee upright in heart Your happinesse consists in these two things First You are out of the wildernesse out of the danger of Hell and those that can spell in their thoughts but that word Hell will know it to be a mercy to be out of the feare of it You are out of the wildernesse O blesse that God that hath helpt you out 't is a great happinesse to be delivered of feares beleeve me Did the wicked men seriously thinke what a weight of wrath they lye under what a cloud of bloud hangs over their heads they would pray till all their knees were melted though they were all steele to be delivered from it Hold up your hands that you have escaped a drowning that you feare not the wild beasts that belong to the wildernesse Gods dreadfull judgements you dare meet the Lyon and the Beare and they dare not set the print of their teeth upon you A godly man is like a man under protection he owes much but the Bayliffe dares not meddle with him Christ hath undertaken the debt for him he is under the protection of the Sonne of God he can looke a Judgement in the face and never runne for it The wicked man on the contrary is like one that hangs upon every bush as wee say owes more then he is worth he dares scarce looke out of the doores whiles the Bayliffes are about when the judgements of God are about the wicked wretch dares not looke out he sinks into his grave in the thoughts of it This Plague this Feaver this Ague may be a Bayliffe to Arrest me that God hath sent to carry me bound hand and foot and throwne into Hell where is weeping and wayling and gnashing of teeth And then thinks with himselfe O that they did so Where is my suretie if it should be so who would be bound for the payment of the Debt due for my sinnes and to be payd at Gods judgement seat The godly man he likewise saith This Plague this Feaver this Sicknesse may Arrest me But suppose they should the Sonne of God is bound for my Debt My Judge surely will not demand better Suretie then his owne Sonne I blesse God I am out of the wildernesse O happy man Here 's a portion of thy happinesse but here is not all 2. Consider That if thou shouldest fall into the corner of another wildernesse Thou hast one to leane upon even in every wildernesse If thou shouldst have a rod upon thy back thou hast a staffe to comfort thee Thou hast one to lead thee out when soever thou art in an arme that thou mayest trust to Happy is he that hath a friend in the Court such is thy friend A friend in adversity is better then a Brother saith Solomon thou hast a friend in adversity and he is thy brother Thy brother Christ is thy friend that will lead thee through out of every wildernesse Is the child happy that in want hath a father to run unto the wife happy that hath a husband in time of sicknesse to comfort her The servant happy that hath a Master in adversity to pitty him then I dare pronounce thee in all times happy Thy husband loves thee thy father sends his Son to lead thee thy husband is alwaies by to comfort thee and lead thee by his hand God hath said Esay 58.11 That he will guide thee continually and satisfie thy soule in drought and make fat thy bones Thou hast alwaies a friend at need a brother in adversity Thirdly Is it so that the Spouse comes out of the wildernesse leaning upon her Beloved This may then shew us the infinite love of God to the Creature that he would be pleased to looke us up in the wildernesse and let us leane upon him Christ was lead into the wildernesse because thou wert there he had a bad journey to fetch thee home Oh! what should what could besides his infinite free-grace make his bowels of mercy so yerne towards the Creature as to looke it up in the wildernesse to cloath it naked to wash it polluted to save it damned Christ the shepheard had lost his stray sheepe and goes after that which was lost in the wildernesse untill he findeth it then he layeth it on his shoulders and bringeth it home O blessed be the name of the Lord for his free grace and mercy The sheepheard followed the sheepe whiles the sheep regarded not the sheepheard we were in a wildernesse he came to find us out O! was not this infinite love astonishing mercy Lastly Is it so that we must come out of every wildernesse leaning upon our Beloved O then let this informe us what need we have to walke close with the Lord Jesus Christ what need we have to be fearefull of offending and carefull to please him It is he that must helpe us in every need he that must lead us in every wildernesse If he forsakes us we are undone Have we but one friend let us keepe him then if we anger him we loose our best friend hath the shiftlesse child need to keepe the love of the father the Babe need to keepe in the armes of the Nurse the wife need to keepe the love of the husband the blind