Selected quad for the lemma: city_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
city_n	day_n	great_a	town_n	4,664	4	6.2812	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29687	The crovvn & glory of Christianity, or, Holiness, the only way to happiness discovered in LVIII sermons from Heb. 12. 14, where you have the necessity, excellency, rarity, beauty and glory of holiness set forth, with the resolution of many weighty questions and cases, also motives and means to perfect holiness : with many other things of very high and great importance to all the sons and daughters of men, that had rather be blessed then cursed, saved then damned / by Thomas Brooks ...	Brooks, Thomas, 1608-1680.	1662 (1662)	Wing B4939; ESTC R36378	584,294	672

Secondly There are degrees of Torments in Hell and therefore by the Rule of Contraries there shall bee degrees of Glory in Heaven Now that there are degrees of torments in Hell is most evident from several plain Scriptures as from that 10th of Matth. v. 14 15. And whosoever shall not receive you nor hear your words when yee depart out of that house or City shake off the dust of your feet Verily I say unto you Contempt of Christ and his Gospel is worse than Sodomy it shall be more tollerable for the Land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgement than for that City Sodom and Gomorrah shall have an easier and cooler Hell than such Cities shall have that have contemned the tenders of Grace and the offers of Mercy 'T is very observable that the punishments that God in this life hath inflicted upon the Jews for their contempt of Christ and his everlasting Gospel have been more terrible than his raining Hell out of Heaven upon Sodom and Gomorrah for on a sudden and in a moment God consumed them and burnt them up but God hath for above this sixteen hundred years been a raining Hell out of Heaven upon the Jews hee hath for a long time vext them with all manner of adversity and to this very day hee hath made them all the world over a spectacle of his dreadful severity but all those plagues and punishments that the Jews have been and still are under are but flea-bitings and scratches on the hand to those dreadful and amazing judgements that God in the great day of account will inflict upon all Christs refusers and Gospel-despisers And so chap. 11.20 21 22 23. Then began hee to upbraid the Cities wherein most of his mighty works were done because they repented not Woe unto thee Chorazin wee unto thee Bethsaida for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes But I say unto you it shall bee more tollerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of Judgement than for you And thou Capernaum which art exalted up to Heaven shalt bee brought down to Hell for if the mighty works which have been done in thee had been done in Sodom it would have remained until this day The more mercy hath been upon the bare knee intreating sinners to repent the more earnest the Lord Jesus hath been in wooing sinners to beleeve on him and to resign up themselves wholly and only to him the more clearly and sweetly the everlasting Gospel hath sounded in sinners ears and the more neer and the more often Heaven hath been brought to sinners doors and yet they have bid defiance to all and hardened themselves in their sins with the greater violence and with the more dreadful vengeance shall such be plunged into the lowest Hell And so in that Mat. 23.14 Woe unto you Scribes Pharisees and Hypocrites for yee devour Widdows houses and for a pretence make long prayer therefore yee shall receive the greater damnation Hypocrites shall bee double-damned the hottest and the darkest place in Hell is reserved for them Give him his portion with hypocrites for number and weight there are no torments in Hell to the torments of hypocrites Counterfeit sanctity is double iniquity and therefore 't is but justice that the hypocrite should have double torment And so in that Luke 12.47 48. That servant that knows his Masters will and doth it not shall be beaten with many stripes and hee that knew it not and did commit things worthy of stripes shall bee beaten with few stripes Sins against light and knowledge are sins against the noblest remedy they waste and wound the conscience most they most open sinners mouths to blaspheme God and they most harden sinners hearts in sinning against God and every way they dare God most and provoke God most to strike with an Iron-Rod and to whip the knowing transgressor not with Rods but with Scorpions 'T is very observable that the more light and knowledge men sin against in this world Rom. 1.21 22 23. the greater judgements God gives them up to even in this life take a remarkable instance in the most refined and civil Heathens who are presumed to have most light and knowledge who were given up to the most beastly errours about the nature of God as the Romans and Grecians who worshipped Feavers and humane passions yea every paltry thing c. whereas the Scythians and more barbarous Nations worshipped the Sun and the Thunder c. things terrible in themselves Oh how much more then will God in the great day give them up to the greatest judgements who have given themselves up to the greatest sins Certainly the Professors of this age yea of this City whether they go to Heaven or Hell will be the greatest debtors that shall be in either place the one to the Free-grace of God and the other to his Justice that they that have most of Hell in their mouths and most of Hell in their hearts and most of Hell in their lives should have most of Hell in their souls at last is but justice I shall conclude this second Argument with a saying of one of the Antients Augustin Look saith hee as in Heaven one is more glorious than another so in Hell one shall be more miserable than another Now if there be degrees of torments in Hell which I suppose the Scriptures but now cited doth undeniably prove then doubtless there will be degrees of glory in Heaven Thirdly God in this life dispenses the gifts and graces of his Spirit unequally among his Saints to some hee gives two Talents to others five and to others ten Hence 't is you read both of a weak Faith and of a strong Faith Matth. 25. and ch 8.10 26. ch 15.28 Why are yee afraid O yee of little Faith And O woman great is thy Faith And Verily I have not found so great Faith no not in Israel And hence it is that you read both of weak Christians and of strong Christians Hee that is weak in the Faith receive Rom. 14.1 2. 1 Cor. 9.22 2 Cor. 12.10 Heb. 5.13 14 1 Pet. 2.2 v. 1. Another who is weak eateth herbs And to the weak I became as weak that I might win the weak Wee then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak and not to please our selves When I am weak then am I strong And hence 't is that you read of Babes and of Children and of young Men and of old Men in the Scripture Saints are of different growths Some are but babes in gifts and grace others are children others young men and others old men That God that distributes the good things of this world unequally among the Sons of men as to some more to others less to some great things to others little things to some high things to others low things that God unequally distributes

if he had been riding in state and triumph And holy Mr. Saunders speaking of his consolations in his sufferings saith that he found a wonderfull sweet refreshment flow from his heart unto all the members of his body and from all the parts of his body to his heart againe By all these instances 't is most evident that persecuting times are the Saints rejoycing times God reserves the best and strongest wine of consolation to a day of persecution sutable to that 2 Cor. 1.3 4 5. Blessed be God even the father of our Lord Jesus Christ the father of mercy and the God of all comfort who comforteth us in all our tribulation that we may be able to comfort them which are in trouble by the comfort wherewith we our selves are comforted of God For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ Oh the sweet looks the sweet words the sweet hints the sweet in-comes the sweet joggings the sweet imbraces the sweet influences the sweet discoveries the sweet love-letters the sweet love-tokens and the sweet comforts that Christians experience in their sufferings for Christ in all their afflictions and persecutions they may truly say we have sweet-meats to eate and waters of life to drinke and heavenly honey-combes to suck that the world knows not of and indeed when should the Torch be lighted but in a dark night and when should the fire be made but when the weather is cold and when should the cordiall be given but when the patient is weak and when should the God of comfort the God of all kinds of comfort and the God of all degrees of comfort comfort his people but under their afflictions and persecutions for then comfort is most proper necessary seasonable and sutable and then God will be sure to poure in of the oyle of joy into their hearts And thus you see the great and glorious advantages that will redowne to the people of God by all their afflictions and persecutions But Eighthly I answer That to suffer affliction and persecution for holiness sake is the greatest and the highest honour that you are capable of in this world To die for Christ is the greatest promotion that God can bring any in this vale of misery unto said Mr. Philpot the Martyr the crowne of a Mrtyrdom is a crowne that the Angels those Princes of glory are not capable of winning or wearing and O who art thou what art thou O man that God should set this crowne upon thy head 1 Pet. 4.14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ happy are ye for the Spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you on their part he is evill spoken of but on your part he is glorified The very suffering condition of the people of God is at the present a glorious condition for the Spirit of glory rests upon them and they must needs be glorious yea very glorious upon whom the Spirit of glo●y dwells Dan. 3. The sufferings of the three Children tended very much to their honour and advancement even in this world and had those vessels of honour slipt their opportunity of suffering they had lost their glory In the primitive times when some good people came to comfort some of the Martyrs that were in prison and ready to suffer they called them blessed Martyrs O no said they we are not worthy of the name of Martyrs These holy humble hearts thought Martyrdom too high an honour for them The Apostles all along counted their sufferings for Christ their highest honour And that is a remarkable Scripture that you have in that 11 Heb. 36 37 38. And others had tryall of cruell mockings and scourgings yea moreover of bonds and imprisonment They were stoned they were sawn asunder they were tempted they were slaine with the sword they wandred about in sheep-skins and goat-skins being destitute afflicted and tormented O but these were surely the most sad miserable wretched and forlorne creatures in all the world O no and that is most evident if the testimony and judgement of the holy Ghost may be received for ver 38. They were such of whom the world was not worthy the persecuting world was not worthy of their love nor worthy of their prayers nor worthy of their presence nor worthy of their fellowship and therefore God call'd them home and set them downe upon thrones by himself And to me 't is very observable that when that great Apostle Paul would glory in that which he accounted his honour glory and excellency he do's not glory in his high Office nor in his being wrapt up in the third heaven nor in the interest that he had in the hearts of the Saints nor in his arts or parts c. but he glories in his sufferings in that 2 Cor. 11.23 28. In stripes above measure in prisons more frequent in deaths oft Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one Thrice was I beaten with Rods once was I stoned thrice I suffered shipwrack a night and a day have I been in the deep In journeying often in perils of waters in perils of robbers in perils by my own Countrey men in perils by the heathen in perils in the City in perils in the wilderness in perils in the Sea in perils among false brethren In weariness and painfulness in watchings often in hunger and thirst in fastings often in cold and nakedness Thus you see that this blessed Apostle looks upon his sufferings as his greatest glory To suffer for Christ is the greatest honour and promotion that God gives in this world said old Father Latimer John Noyes Latimer John Noyes took up a Fagot at the fire and kissed it saying Blessed be the time that ever I was borne to come to this preferment When they had fastned Alice Driver Alice Driver with a chaine to the stake to be burnt Never said she did Neckarchief become me so well as this chaine Balilus Balilus the Martyr when he was to die requested this favour of his persecutors viz. that he might have his chaines buried with him as the Ensignes of his honour When Ignatius Ignatius was to suffer it 't is better for me saith he to be a Martyr then to be a Monarch What are we poore wormes full of vanities and lyes that we should be called to be maintainers of the truth for sufferings for Christ are the Ensignes of heavenly Nobility said Calvin Calvin 'T was a notable saying of a French Martyr when the rope was about his fellow Give me said he that Golden chaine and dub me Knight of that noble Order I am the unincetest man for this high office of suffering for Christ that ever was appointed to it said blessed Sanders I shall conclude this head with that excellent saying of Prudentius Their names saith he that are written in red letters of blood in the Churches Calender are written in Golden letters in Christs Register the

to it O Sirs what is a cup of pleasant wine to a condemned man or a Ships Lading of Gold to a drowning man or a sumptuous Feast to a sick man or Royal Robes to a diseased man c no more are all the riches or treasures of this world to those spirituall riches and heavenly treasures that attends the poorest Saints Austin hath long since told us that Divitiae corporales paupertatis plenae sunt earthly riches are full of poverty they cannot enrich the soul for oftentimes where the purse is full of Gold the heart is empty of grace and under many silken Coats there are Thred-bare souls to be found Now what are all the riches of this world to those riches of consolation and riches of sanctification and riches of Justification and riches of salvation and riches of glorification that attends the poorest Saints Suppose that poverty should break in upon you like an Armed man whilst you are in the pursuit of holiness yet if the best of riches if spiritual riches shall attend your poverty as certainly they shall what cause have you to be discouraged surely none And let thus much suffice for Answer to this fifth objection But Sixthly Some may further object and say Should we pursue after holiness it would be a disgrace a disparagement and dishonour to us who are high and great and rich and honorable in the earth We are Gentlemen we are well bred and high-borne and holiness seemes to be too poor and too low a thing for such as we are to look after c. Now to fence and arme you against this objection give me leave to propose to your most serious thoughts these following Considerations c. First That holiness is mans greatest honour and excellency and this I have made evident at large in the third motive to holiness yea holiness is the crown excellency In the other motives you will finde holiness to be the honor of God Christ and Angels c. and glory of all a mans excellencies and glories as has been fully proved in the fifth motive to holiness yea and that which is yet more holiness reflects honour not only upon a mans own person but it reflects honour also upon a mans neare and deare relations yea upon the very Countrey City or Towne where he was borne as is made good at large in the six●h motive to holiness to which I refer you for more full and compleate satisfaction to this objection But Secondly Ah how is man fallen from his Primitive glory that looks now upon holiness as his disgrace as his discredit and dishonor Mercury could not kill Argus till he had cast him into asleep and with an inchanted rod closed his eyes so the Devill can never hurt the soul nor kill the soul till he has cast the sinner into a deep sleep of carnall security which in innocency was the top and crowne of all his glory and felicity Ah how has sin blinded be beasted and besotted the sons of men that they should look upon that to be their reproach which is their highest honor in this world and to look upon that to be their disgrace which alone puts a grace upon them and to look upon that to be their discredit which can only bring them into credit with God Angels and good men * August Confess lib. 2. cap. 3. Augustine confesseth that it was just thus sometimes with him for he was stricken with such blindness that he thought it a shame unto him to be less vile and wicked then his companions whom he heard boast of their lewdness and glory so much the more by how much they were the more filthy therefore saith he least I should be of no account I was the more vitious and when I could not otherwise match others I would feigne that I had done those things which I never did least I should seeme so much the more abject by how much I was the more innocent and so much the more vile by how much I was the more chaste Ah what will not a soul blinded by sin say and doe when the work of holiness is not formed in him Sin has certainly cast that sinner into a wofull Lethargy who is the father of this objection now 't is observed of those that are fallen into a Lethargy that their bodies are subject to a continuall drowsiness and their memories are so weak that they cannot remember any thing that they speak or do nay it do's so far debase them that they forget the very necessary actions of life and just so has sin dealt with these Objectors souls it has cast them under such a spirituall drowsiness yea it has cast them into such a deadly and fearfull sleep that it makes them forget the unum necessarium the one thing necessary viz. holiness Souls under a spirituall Lethargy forget their lost and lamentable condition they forget how far off they are from God Christ heaven and salvation and they forget how neare they are to hell to ruine to everlasting burnings and to utter perdition and destruction It is observable of the Smiths dogge that neither the noyse of hammers by him nor the sparks of fire flying about him nor those that light upon him doe any whit awaken him but he snorts and sleepes on securely in the midst of all so sin has cast the sinner into so deep a sleep that though the sparks of hell-fire in the threatnings fly about him and the hammers of Gods Judgements makes a noyse on all sides of him yet he is so stupified and benum'd that nothing will awaken him to behold his spirituall and eternall hazard but he sleeps on securely and so is like to doe if infinite grace and mercy do's not prevent till he awakes with everlasting flames about his eares When a man is in a deep Lethargy if you pinch him with pincers or prick him with needles he feels it not if you scourge him he cryes not if you threaten him he feares not or if you speak him faire he regards it not c. Now this is the condition of such that are in a spirituall Lethargy let the Judgements of God be denounced and let the terrours of the Law be preached they tremble not let the flames of hell-fire flash upon their souls they regard it not for they are Sermon-proof and Judgement-proof and hell-proof Now this is thy very case O sinner who cryest out that the pursuit of holiness will turne to thy disgrace and discredit in the world for were thy eyes but open to see the necessity beauty excellency of holiness O then thou wouldst call for holiness and cry for holiness and search for holiness press for holiness as that which is the chiefest ornament the only honor and glory of the Creature But Thirdly I answer That 't is not holiness but wickedness 't is not sanctity but impiety that is the reproach the dishonor the disgrace and disparagement of man Pro.

may bee able after my decease to have these things alwaies in remembrance The Apostle having the sentence of death in himself O! how doth hee bestir himself and how doth hee stir up all that grace and holiness that was in his heart yea and all his Ministerial and Apostolical gifts and all to better himself and to make those that were really holy to bee eminently holy Peter being very sensible of the neer approaches of death did very earnestly desire and greatly endeavour so to act his part before he went off the stage of live that when his head was in the dust and his soul in heaven those Saints that should survive him might bee very famous in grace and holiness That of Eleazer is very remarkable who would not do any thing which might seem to bee evil because he would not spot his white head O Sirs when once the Gray hairs of holiness and righteousness are upon you it highly concerns you to shun the very shews and appearances of evil that so you may not spot nor stain the honour of your white head I have read of Joshua that valliant Souldier that when hee was a young man and in the prime and flower of his daies when his bones were full of marrow and his breasts full of milk as Job speaks that then hee was least in vigour and valour for God and how that sometimes in cases of eminent danger hee would conceal himself but when hee grew older and found the strength of nature declining and decaying then hee bestired himself exceedingly for God O Sirs when you have one foot in the Grave God calls aloud upon you to bestir your selves exceedingly for his honour and glory and for your own internal and eternal welfare Solon was not ashamed to say that hee learned much in his old age And Julianius the Lawyer was wont to say that when hee had one foot in the Grave hee would have the other in the School O Sirs shall nature do more than grace shall morality excel real piety 'T was the glorious commendation of the Church of Thiatira that her last works were more than her first Rev. 2.19 I know thy works and charity and service and faith and thy patience and thy work and the last to bee more than the first O the happiness of that man that is best at last that brings forth most of the fruits of Righteousness and Holiness in old age O the blessedness of that man whose Faith is more strong at last than at first and whose love is more inflamed at last than at first and whose hopes are more raised and elevated at last than at first and whole knowledge is more clear at last than at first whose zeal is warmer at last than at first and whose thoughts are more heavenly at last than at first and whose heart is more spiritual at last than at first and whose communion with God is more high at last than at first and whose life is more holy at last than at first If there be any man in the world that is ripe for Heaven and that injoyes a Heaven in his own soul on this side Heaven this is the man whose graces and whose gracious works are more at last than at first Well Christians for ever remember this the neerer death makes her approaches to you the louder God calls upon you to be holy And thus by a hand of grace that hath been in mee upon mee and with me I have shewed you what those special times and seasons are wherein God calls loudest for holiness and so according to my weak measure I have given out all that the Lord hath graciously given in concerning that most necessary that most noble that most glorious and that most useful point of points viz. Holiness and therefore I have nothing more to do but earnestly to pray that what hath been spoken and written may be so blest from on high that it may work mightily to the internal and eternal welfare both of Writer Reader and Hearer that so when their Race is run and their Work done here on earth they may be everlastingly blest with a happy sight of the Beatifical Vision of God in Heaven Amen FINIS Books sold by Henry Cripps in Popes-Head-Alley SIbbs Saints Cordials Reynors Government of the Tongue Armetages Sermons Roman Antiquities Burtons Melancholy Youngs whole duty of a Christian Supplication of Saints Cradocks Works Huit on Daniel Sarah Wight Cotton on the seven Viols Hookers Souls-preparation for Christ Goodwins Childe of Light walking in darkness Reynolds on Hosea Tichburns Cluster of Canaans-Grapes Baxters Doctrine of Self-poseing An Abstract of the Assemblies Catechism J. Goodwins Saints Interest in God Dingly of Thunder Books sold by Henry Mortlock at the sign of the Phoenix in St. Pauls Church-yard near the Little North-door Folios A Commentary upon the whole Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians wherein the text is learnedly and fruitfully opened with a Logical Analysis spiritual and holy Observations Confutation of Armianism and Popery By Mr. Paul Bain A Commentary on the Proverbs Ecclesiastes Canticles and the Major Prophets By John Trapp M. A. Quartoes An Exposition of the Prophecy of Ezekiel By W. Greenhill Some Sermons preached upon several occasions By P. Sterry A Way to Zion sought out and found for Beleevers to walk in By Daniel King Preacher of the Word neer Coventry Funebria Florae The Downfall of May-Games By Tho. Hall B.D. and Pastor of Kings-Norton in VVorcestershire The loathsomness of long Hair or A Treatise wherein you have the Question stated many Arguments against it produced and the most material arguments for it refelled and answered with an Appendix against Painting Spots naked-breasts c. By the same Author Samuel in Sackcloth or a Sermon assaying to restrain our bitter Animosities and commending a spirit of moderation and right constitution of soul and behaviour towards our Brethren upon 1 Sam. 15.35 Large Octavoes The Hypocrites Ladder or Looking-Glass or a Discourse of the dangerous and destructive nature of Hypocrisie the reigning and provoking sin of this age wherein is shewed how far the Hypocrite or formal Professor may go towards Heaven yet utterly perish by three Ladders of sixty steps of his Ascending By John Sheffield Minister of the Word at Swithins London An Improvement of the Sea upon the nine Nautical Verses in the 107. Psalm wherein among other things you have a very full and delightful Description of all those many various and multitudinous Objects which they behold in their Travels through the Lords Creation both on Sea in Sea and on Land viz. All sorts and kinds of Fish Fowl and Beasts whether wilde or tame all sorts of Trees and Fruit all sorts of People Cities Towns and Countries By Daniel Pell Preacher of the Word A Caveat against Seducers in a Sermon preached by Rich. Stand-fast Rector of Christ-Church in Bristol Together with the Blind Mans Meditations by the same Author A Treatise of Divine Meditation by