Selected quad for the lemma: blood_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
blood_n	abel_n	better_a	world_n	392	4	4.3510	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01935	Certaine sermons preached upon severall occasions viz. The vvay to prosper. The vvay to be content. The vvay to vvell-doing. A summer sermon. A vvinter sermon. Vnknowne kindnesse. The poore mans hope. By Iohn Gore Rector of Wenden-lofts in Essex.	Gore, John, Rector of Wendenlofts, Essex.; Gore, John, Rector of Wendenlofts, Essex. Way to prosper.; Gore, John, Rector of Wendenlofts, Essex. Way to be content.; Gore, John, Rector of Wendenlofts, Essex. Way to well-doing.; Gore, John, Rector of Wendenlofts, Essex. Summer sermon.; Gore, John, Rector of Wendenlofts, Essex. Winter sermon.; Gore, John, Rector of Wendenlofts, Essex. Unknowne kindnesse.; Gore, John, Rector of Wendenlofts, Essex. Poore mans hope.; Gore, John, Rector of Wendenlofts, Essex. Oracle of God.	1636 (1636)	STC 12071; ESTC S120526	199,234	334

paper so doth this precious bloud take out the blots of sinne out of the soule and blessed of God is that man that 〈◊〉 sprinkled with it All those sprinklings of 〈◊〉 in the Law of Moses were all but types and shadowes of this bloud of sprinkling which speaketh better things than that of Abell because Abel bloud cried for revenge but the bloud of our Saviour cries for mercy and drownes the cry of our deadly sinnes that ●ry and roare for vengeance And therefore i●●●ou hast not had the grace to keepe thy 〈…〉 spotted of the world but rather for want of grace 〈…〉 hast bestained and bespotted thy selfe with filthy lusts and sinne● then let me advise thee thus to doe as Ioseph of Arima●hea went to pita●● and begged the body of Iesus Ioh. 19. ●8 So doe thou goe to God and begge the bloud of Iesus and desire the Lord to sprinkle it upon thy soule that thy sinnes may be done away and thy iniquities may be seene n● more for even this kinde of sprinkling is as easie to God as that whereof my Text here speaketh He 〈◊〉 or sprinkleth the ho●r● frost like ashes Sicut cin●r●m like Ashes Wee read Exod. ● 8. That Moses by Gods appointment tooke ashes from off the furnace and sprinkled them towards heaven and they bred botches and boyles and blames upon man and beast If God should sprinkle such ashes among us or if the hoary frost should bring forth such effects what a wofull case were we in How much cause therefore have wee as the Prophet speakes Hos 3. 5. to feare the Lord and his goodnesse in that being so unthankefull and so evill as wee are yet God is pleased out of his owne goodnesse and mercy not because we please him but because mercy pleaseth him Micha 7. 18. to doe us good and no harme all our dayes and to sprinkle such wholesome healthfull frost as shall doe every man good and no man hurt It is said Exod. 16. 14. That Manna which was called Angels-food not because the Angels did eate it but because the Angels did prepare it and bring it and make it ready for the peoples eating this Manna lay upon the ground like the hoary frost in the morning Doubtlesse it was to intimate that Manna is no more to God than ashes are to us and that if neede were rather than his people should famish God can turne the hoary frost into Angels food that we might live upon the one as the Israelites did upon the other forty yeares together David was driven to a low ebbe when hee said Psal 102. 9. Cinerem tanquam panem manducavi I have eaten ashes like bread I take it it was not so much out of necessity as to testifie his humility that hee did esteeme himselfe so vile a sinner that hee was not worthy to feede upon any better food and that dust and ashes were too good for him And so in the dayes of old they were wont in times of sorrow and sadnesse to sprinkle dust and ashes upon their heads from whence I take it our Ashwednesday hath its name being dies cinerum a day wherein men humbled them before the Lord in dust and ashes this they did to expresse the humiliation and deepe abasement of their soules that they thought themselves not worthy to be above ground but to be vnder earth in the grave dead and dissolved into dust and ashes I will not here presse the imitation of the ceremony but onely the observation of the substance of that act which concernes us as neerely as it did them and that is I would have you be as humble as sorrowfull as dejected and as pensive for your sinnes as vilely and basely and meanely conceited of your selves as they that strawed ashes upon their heads or as they that eat● ashes in stead of bread and mingled their drinke with weeping And so I come to the third generall point of my Text 〈◊〉 it followeth in the third place 3. Procijcit ejus glaciem sicut buccellas He casteth forth his i●e like morsels Me thinkes the Ice hath some resemblance of the state of this world which is dangerous two wayes 1. For slipping 2. For breaking 1. For slipping so the Fathers call the sinnes of the godly by the name of Lapsus slippings because like men on Ice they slipt and fell ere they were aware of it And David saith of the men of this world Psa 73. that God hath set them in slippery places Now a man that walkes in a slippery place had neede walke very circumspectly and very warily least he get a slip unawares that he cannot rciover himselfe without hurt and danger So the Apostle adviseth all good Christians to see that they walke Circumspectly Ephe. 5. 15. not as fooles but as wise A foole will venture to runne headlong on the Ice as if he were upon firme ground but a wise man will be very circumspect and wary and take heede to every steppe hee takes because he knowes the danger So should a Christian take heede to his wayes and if he finde himselfe going that he is ready to slip and fall from God into any sinne or to be carried headlong by the strength of his owne corruption or other temptation into any dangerous or wicked action let him then call unto the Lord as David did Psal 119. 117. sustenta me c. stay thou me up and I shall be safe like a man ready to fall he prayes God to uphold and stay him up For it is certaine a man hath not any power of himselfe to stay himselfe but that as Hanna tels us in her song 1. Sam. 2. 9. It is God that keepeth the feet of his Saints and staies them when they are going into an evill course And Moses tels us Deut. 33. 3. That God hath all his Saints in his hands as a Nurse hath her child and will not suffer them to fall into their own mischiefe and therefore our care must be by daily prayer to put our selves into Gods hands and desire God to leade us by his grace and his good Spirit and not leave us to our selves for then we shall surely slip and fall into evill That child that cares not to be led but will goe of himselfe gets many a knocke and many a shrewd fall but the child th at is fearefull and will cry to be led that child scapes many a broken face Therefore David desires God to leade him Psal 5. 8. Whereupon saith Musculus Duci cae●orum est pu●rorum infirmorum c. to be led is a thing that properly belongs to such as are blinde and to children and impotent persons now if a blinde man or a child should goe upon the Ice without some guide to leade them what a dangerous case were they in even such are we without the guidance of God The Ice is dangerous and so is the world take heede of slipping 2. For breaking many a one we have knowne and heard

their mirth so that even in laughter their hearts are heavie It followes then that as that was the best wine that was of Christs making Iohn 2. when he turned the water into wine so that is the best content that is of Gods making when he turnes our carnall joy into a spirituall joy and mingleth heavenly content with earthly Let no man therefore have a misopinion of contentment as if it were a sensuall or carnall thing for he that truely understands it shall find that it is Res sacra a sacred and holy thing 3. It is Res pretiosa a precions thing not onely as t is said 1 Sam. 3. 1. That the word of God was precious in those dayes that is rare unusuall and seldome heard of for so is contentment too it is a rare thing to finde a contented man but it is Rarum and Charum too not onely precious for the rarity and strangnesse of it but for the worth and excellency of it as the bloud of Christ is called precious bloud for the worth and excellency of it above all other bloud for one drop of it was able to redeemē a world in this sence is true content a precious thing it s indeed the onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the only heaven upon earth that this world affords without which a man is even dead while he liveth and many times through griefe and discontent is even ready as Iob speakes to chuse strangling and death rather than life Iob. 7. 15. Let a mans house be never so well situated never so well furnisht and fairely built if he have no content in it it is but as the Citty of refuge was sayd to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a prison without fetters though it be not a place of durance t is a place of bondage to him Let a mans wife be never so vertuous if he have no content in her she is but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 like a snake in his bosome a continuall heart-sore and vexation to him though a man have many children and meanes enough to leave them if he have no content in them they will be to him as Jacoh sayd of Simeon and Levi a meanes to bring downe his hoary head with griefe and sorrow to the grave Let a mans table be never so richly deckt as David speakes if he have no content in it it is but with him as it was with the Israelites when God gave them Quailes to eate but sent cleannesse withall into their soules All your Cupboards of plate without contentment are but as Moab was said to be Olla lotionis no better than washpots or as the prophet expresseth it They are vessels wherein there is no pleasure In a word there is no earthly blessing within doore or without that is of any price or worth or value to a man except it have contentment joyned with it Therefore judge ye whether it be not Res pretiosa a rare and precious thing If thou separate the precious from the vile thou shalt bee as my mouth saith God Ier. 15. 19. there is a vile a base contentment that consists in sensuality and beastly lusts when men like Swine lye and wallow in the myre of their owne sinnes but ther 's another contentment when a man like Enoch can walke with his God and enjoy the comfort of a good conscience to himselfe and this is that which I terme pretious 4. Lastly t is Res petenda a thing to be prayed for For this shall every one that is godly make his prayer unto thee saith David Psal 32. 6. for other things the prayers of the godly differ and very exceeding much one prayes for faith another for patience another for wisedome c. according as every one knowes the state of his own soule the necessities of his own life but this is such a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 such a universall good thing that every one that is godly wil be sure to pray for though they differ in other things in this they all agree all their prayers jumpe and meete in this center there is not a godly man upon earth but he doth heartily desire of God that if God will not give him meanes to live richly nor health to live soundly yet that he would give him grace to live contētedly Super hoc for this shal every one that is godly make his prayers unto thee It is indeed a grace that comes immediatly from God as the Apostle implyeth in the next verse to my text having said here he had learned to be content hee useth another expression there and saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I am Divinely taught or I am taught of God to be content it is not mans teaching then but Gods teaching his inward effectuall working that must learne a man the Art of contentation Non lectio sed unctio as S. Bernard speakes t is not all the reading in the world that can bring a man to it but t is that same Annointing which the Scripture speakes of 1 Iohn 2. 27. that must supple and soften a mans heart and make him pliable to any condition A man must be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 inwardly taught and wrought of God before he can come to the true understanding and application of it to himselfe It is true that all other blessings besides this doe come from God but not so immediatly as this grace doth if a man want money friends may supply him if he want counsell the Lawyers may helpe him if he stand in need of physicke there be those that can doe him ease but if he want a heart to sive comfortably and grace to live contentedly it is God alone that can furnish him therewith Hes is the God of all Grace as S. Peter cals him 1 Pet. 5. he hath the treasury the monopoly of it in his owne hands want you wisedome want you faith want you contentment c. to him you must repaire It is Hee that giveth his beloved sleepe as David speaketh He that would sleepe quietly and awake contentedly must be a suter to God Contentment will not come alone t is Res petenda a thing to be prayed for and happy are we that we may have it for praying And here I cannot but commend unto you the prayer of Agur for this very thing Prov. 30. 8. that holy man knew that if the world afforded any perfect contentment it was in a middle estate equally distant from penury and from excesse he knew it was a hard matter for a man that is either very poore or very rich to live contentedly therefore he desired of God to give him neither poverty nor riches but to feede him with food convenient for him That God would grant him such an indifferent such a midling estate that he might neither be so poore as to be despised nor so rich as to be envied but onely so happy as to be contented this was the summe and substance of his prayer Give mee leave I