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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
earth_n	body_n	heaven_n	place_n	9,023	5	5.0953	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A64833	Venning's remains, or, Christ's school consisting of four classes of Christians, I. babes, II. little children, III. young men, IV. fathers : with their several characteristical differences and attainments, also the doctrines proper to be taught to each of them : being the substance of many sermons / preached by Ralph Venning and fitted by him for the press before his death.	Venning, Ralph, 1621?-1674.	1675 (1675)	Wing V225; ESTC R27039	205,701	393

will not be laid to thy charge 5. Though thou be but a Babe yet God hath some praise from thee 't is true indeed he hath more from others but yet 't is true that he hath some from thee thou dost help to perfect his praise 'T is one of the burthens of these poor souls that they are such unprofitable servants not only as others are in that they do but their duty but alas in that they do not do their duly but fall short of it and the glory of God herein is God glorified when much fruit is brought forth but as for us say they we bring forth but little 'T is true but yet thy Mite of grace gives a measure of glory all the good-ground Hearers brought forth fruit to the glory of God though some more than others Matth. 13.8 When the Pharisees were displeased at the Hosanna's ascribed to Christ by little ones and are angry with him that he had not rebuked them as if they had taken Gods name in vain for say they with a scorn Hearest thou what these say Yea saith he have ye never read Out of the mouths of Babes and Sucklings thou hast perfected praise Matth. 21.15 16. Christ hears their Hosanna's with joy and gladness as that which full-fills a Scripture and helps to fill up the praise and glory of God A Babe is one of the joynts and members of the Body and supplies its measure even to the perfection of praise As 't is in Nature there is one glory of the Heavens another of the Earth One of the Son and another of the Moon and Stars the Heavens declare his glory and the Earth his goodness for 't is full of it the Sacred and Royal P●ophet doth not only admire the Heavens and the Sun but the Moon and Stars too and that in the very Psalm where he speaks of Babes and Sucklings from whence our Saviour quotes it Psal 8.2 3. For as 't is in Nature so 't is in grace not only the greatest but lesser Luminaries not only the highest but the lowest creatures do contribute something to the praise of God the Sun indeed shines bright and gives a great lustre but the Stars also do twinkle so though an Abraham c. is strong in Faith giving great glory to God yet Gods praise is not fully perfected till the Babes contribution be taken in small though it be In the body the least member in an House the least Pin hath its use and tends to the perfecting of the whole and vessels of an inferiour office serve not a little to eek out the glory of more honourable one The Milk that the Babes do eat doth every spoonful of it give praise and glory to God Repentance doth so Faith towards God submission to Ordinances trembling at his Word desires after growth love of the Brethren these all praise and glorifie his name though not with so loud a voice and so open a mouth as that and the higher attainments of Children Young-men and Fathers doth do And the truth of it is that 't is not a little glory which accrews to God hereby for that these poor Babes who have so much corruption and not without considerable temptations too should yet be kept from Apostafie that Grace should live like a spark of fire in the midst of waters and not be extinct is a wonder and such an one as that 't is not so great a wonder that other Saints of higher Forms cleave close to God as that these do no● that the Devil is conquered and baffled by them as that he is defeated by these 't is much to the praise and glory of God and his grace though not so actually given by them as 't is by others 2. The second Branch of this Use is to exhort Babes to be humbled that they are but Babes i. e. as carnal and not past the spoon and so incapable of having strong meat to eat or of any more than the Alphabet of Religion such as we Preach to sinners viz. Repentance and Faith towards God c. which is but Milk and this especially concerns them who are old in years and yet but Babes as to understanding and practice who have been professors of long standing but little proficiency 'T is a prime part of the Christians ingenuity to be low and vile in his own eyes under the sense of impersections and defects yea and that though God be pacified towards him Ezek. 16.60 63. Let Babes therefore that are as carnal though they be in Christ Jesus be very humble in the sense of their defectiveness and which is worse their carnality Especially considering 1. That they have enjoyed means and helps by which they might have been more spiritual had they not been dull of hearing We are all careful to use means but we should take one care more and that is to make use of means to profit thereby the want whereof calls for being humbled The Apostle might well twit the Corinthian Babes with this you boast of Paul Apollo and Cephas but is it not a shame to you to be carnal under such mens Ministry The more persons are priviledged with means the more improved should they be by the means and if not so they should be the more humbled for their non-proficiency Many of you have had not only the Milk but the Cream of the Gospel and are ye yet carnal let it then be for a lamentation and answerable Humiliation 2. Be the more humbled considering that many of the more refined sort of Heathens would have scorned to be so carnal as some of you the Apostle upbraids the Corinthian Babes and thereby provokes them to shame by this very thing 1 Cor. 5.1 2. It is reported commonly and in this fama non est mendax report is no Lyar that there is Fornication among you and such Fornication as is not so much as named recorded of any amongst the Gentiles that one should have his Fathers Wife and yet ye are puffed up and have not rather mourned It should deeply humble Christians to be guilty of that which the Gentiles are not and scorn to be 3. Let your Humiliation and Humility be the more that ye have been better taught Ephes 4.17 21. and that for a long time Paul had spent a year and an half among these Corinthians Act. 18.11 and had written to them two or three times and was yet ready to come again to correct their B●bish-carnality as 2 Cor. 12.14 with 20.21 and Chap. 13.1 2. Our Saviour upbraids his Disciples with this that he had been so long with them and yet they were ignorant of the Father and of him Jeh 14.9 and another time asks them as one grieved and angry too How long shall I be with you will ye never learn c. 'T is with this that the Author of the Epistle to the Hebrews twits them also that for their time and standing they might have been Teachers and yet were still to learn yea

2 3. And 't is said of the Gentiles again that they were alienated from the life God Chap. 4.18 But the least the Babe-Saint is quickened and made alive for behold he breaths Prayers as 't was said of Paul as soon as he was new-born Acts 9.11 These Babes have life yea life more abundantly for in a measure and degree they partake of a Divine nature and life 'T is upon this account among others and in the first place that the righteous is better than his Neighbour viz. that is not righteous Prov. 12.26 The least Saint is better than the best man in the Parish that is not a Saint As our Saviour said of John That he was among them born of women one of the greatest yet that he who was least in the Kingdom of God was greater than he Matth. 11.11 so in an allusive sense I may say that the least and lowest of Saints born of God is greater than the greatest that is but born of a Woman They that believe in Jesus have this honor to be called and to be the Sons of God who are born not of Blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God and surely they are most highly descended who are born from above or of God Joh. 1.12 13. and Jam. 1.18 Of his own will begat he us that we should be the first-fruits i.e. the most excellent of his creatures For as manis greater than all the Creation of God Angels excepted Psal 8.4 8. so of all men the Saints are the first-fruits and in some respect advanced beyond the Angels Heb. 1.14 For the Angels are their attendants and servitours yea they learn of the Church the manifold or much varying wisdom of God Ephes 3.10 and though Christ be head over them yet he is not their head as he is the head of the Church which is his Body Ephes 1.22 23. and 5.23 The best of men are but men at best but grace makes men more men than they were and more than men 2. As there is a great difference between Saints and men so there is disparity between Saints and Saints they as the Stars differ from one another in glory All Saints are excellent but they are not all alike excellent Psal 16.3 All of them do vertuously but some excel the rest In the Body of man there are some members that are far more noble than others there are principal and vital and there are less principal and but accidental as to life indeed all the members of Christs body are vital and necessary and yet some are more so than others and as to their functions and operations do far excel the rest as the eye doth the ear the hand the foot 1 Cor. 12. And the Apostle tells us 2 Tim. 2.20 That in a great house such is Gods Church there are vessels of Gold and vessels of Silver and also of wood and earth some to honour and some to dishonour which refers not only to the difference that there is between common and special grace among men and Professours as Rom. 9.21 but to the true members of the body as 1 Cor. 12.23 they are called less honourable Now no man doubts but the vessels of Silver and Gold are more excellent and honourable than them of earth and wood There are some that are but wooden-Saints and but earthen-Saints in comparison of some that are Silver and others that are golden-Saints See and consider 1 Cor. 3.12 15. Yet this I say also that the highest of Saints doth not so far exceed or excel the lowest as the lowest exceeds and excels the highest of men for the Saints compared one with another differ but gradu gradually but Saints and men do differ specie in kind Gold in the Oare is not so much inferiour to the most refined and pure Gold as clay and earth is inferiour to Gold in the Oare that difference is but gradual but this is specifical 3. There is something common to all the Saints of what degree soever they be viz. they are all born of God all his Children all taught of God from the greatest to the least Heb. 8.11 with 1 Joh. 2.20 27. which he speaks of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 little Children to whom he last of all addrest his speech v. 18. The Babe is in Christ Jesus as well as the Father though not so well rooted and grounded in him 1 Cor. 3.1 Col. 2.6 7. their sins are forgiven alike 1 Joh. 2.12 to be gracious is common to all though some have more grace than others as 't is to all men to be rational though some are more rational than others Truth of Grace is common to all though growth of Grace be in some respects more peculiar to some They are all brethren and are brought forth in the Image of God and created according to him or his likeness in righteousness and holiness of truth You may espie the Fathers Image in the Babe his eye Though they be but newly born yet they are new-born and new creatures In short and fine they are all members of the Body the foot as well as the hand the ear as well as the eye 1 Cor. 12. Though the Stars differ from one another in glory yet they agree in this that they are all of them Stars The Fathers the Young-men the little Children and the Babes also have this in common that they are of Gods Family and of the houshold of Faith the sons of God they are all in Christs School though not all of one Form 4. As there is something common to all so there are some things proper and peculiar to each state something proper to the Fathers which cannot be said of the young-men something proper to the young-men which cannot be said of the little Children something proper to the little Children which cannot be said of the Babes as there is something proper to the Babes which cannot be said of them that are not yet new-born though there be too much in common with Babes and carnal men they being not yet throughly cleansed from their blood and pollution but are as carnal and walk as men There is something in the best Saints that may be found in every one but there is that in some that cannot be found in all The Apostle gives these three Classes peculiar attributes That of Fathers is Wisdom that of young men is Valour that of little Children is Love and St. Paul tells us that the Babes eat but milk i. e. they repent and believe a little faintly c. to which St. Peter adds desires as was noted before from 1 Pet. 2.2 'T is true indeed the highest and greatest contains the less but not the less the greater much less the greatest The Father knows all the four states for he hath past from a Babe to a little Child from a little Child to a young man and from thence to a Father The young man knows three states for he

Christs Disciples that they Love one another Joh. 13.35 and by this they are known to have part from death to life because they love the Brethren 1 Joh. 3.15 Where give me leave to note this as to this Epistle of John the great duty urged in it is to love one another spoken to and of all the children of God and the sin so much declaimed against is hating or not loving of one another and when he saith Chap. 3.8 He that sinneth is of the Devil he meaneth this sin in special For saith he Vers 9. whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin viz. this sin because the seed of God of whom he is born remaineth in him which is the same reason that is given by Peter pressing to the same duty 1 Pet. 1.22 23. and Vers 10. he distinguisheth the Children of God from them of the Devil by this very thing and Vers 12. instanceth in Cain who was of the wicked one as he proves by his breaking this command of loving his Brother And perhaps the sin unto death spoken of Chap. 5.16 19. is meant of this sin for such an one abideth in death Chap. 3.14 compare Chap. 3.7 16. with Chap. 5.16 19. and this seems to be very clear But to proceed as to the thing in hand viz that Babes Love the Brethren 't is clearly man●fested by this among other things that they are ready to minister to their necessities as occasion opportunity and ability gives them leave to do The Apostle boasts of his Corinthian-Babes that he knew the forwardness of their mind and boasted of their readiness to this thing 2 Cor. 9.1 2. and the Authour of the Epistle to the Hebrew-Babes tells them Chap. 6.10 that God was not unrighteous to forget their labour of Love which they had shew'd to his name in that they had ministred and did continue to minister to the Saints and upon this score he is perswaded such good things of them as accompanied and contained Salvation Vers 9. of so great an esteem is this grace of Love warranted and adjusted by ministring to the Saints And indeed 't is the great thing for which Jesus Christ saith Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you why Lord for I was hungry c. and you ministred to me in doing it to mine Matth. 25.34 40. This labour of Love is not in vain in the Lord. I might inlarge on this Theam but it shall suffice to have toucht it And now that Babes may behold themselves in this Glass I shall summ up their attainments and characters briefly thus They have the Foundation laid they are new-born and do eat Milk in obeying the Principles of the Doctrine of Christ they have all things necessary to the being of a Saint and such as accompany or contain Salvation though not enough to a well-being here or to have an entrance ministred to them abundantly in Heaven as other Saints have they have all constituting and essential Graces as Repentance Faith Love though not in so perfect a degree as the other Classes have they press forward after their manner in desires to grow though they cannot run the race yet they walk in the way of Gods Commandments they press after to follow the other Saints though slowly as the Poet said of Ascanius sequitur non passibus aequis and are not able to keep pace with them This is their picture the draught of their attainment the particular features and lineaments whereof are described before in their respective places to which I reser you I must now proceed to shew them their desectiveness in comparison of other Saints and wherein they are as carnal that I may provoke them to jealousie and emulation and thereby to perfection III. Of the Babes defectiveness in comparison of other Saints and wherein they are as carnal and walk as men 1. Of their defectiveness and wherein they fall short in comparison of the higher Classes of Saints THat they fall short of Fathers and Young men who are strong Saints 't is needless to take up much time or many words to declare because 't is so obviously known and easily granted by all but that they fall short of the little Children is that which I am to evince The character of little Children is that they know the Father viz. to be their Father 1 Joh. 2.13 But the Babe-child the Infant of attainment as well as daies the sucking Child that is sed only with Milk though he have a Father and a Father that provides for him yet he knows him not to be his Father The generality of the Old Testament professors were but Babes and their usual way of address to God was as the God that made Heaven and Earth the Creator and sometimes as the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob the Promiser But seldom not above twice as a collective body addrest to God as their Father the places where they did so address are Isa 63.16 and 64.8 both which are rather Prophecies of what they should do hereafter than assertions of what they did do as some conceive And in this latter they address to him as a Father viz a maker and Soveraign as appears by calling themselves the clay and God the Potter and telling him that they were the works of his hand And to prevent an Objection that may be made from the Prodigal who did at first address to God as his Father I will go to my Father and in my Fathers house it might be in this sense of a Creator as in Dent. 32.6 beside I may say that he seems to be the representative of a returning back-slider Luk. 22.32 rather than of a Convert at the very first and though returning also is a Conversion and works much like what it doth at the very first yet it hath respect to a former relation which was not wholly cut off as was the case of returning Israel in H●s 1.7 Jer. 3.1 5. where they speak of him as theirs though they had been called by him L●ammi not my people and almost divorced by him which they deserved to be S●or a while at the beginning of the Gospel the Disciples were but as Babes for they knew not the Father Job 14.6 11. And 〈…〉 them to pray Our Father yet 't was long ere they had learned to ask of the Father in the name of Christ Joh. 16.23 24. or to know their union with the Father and the Son and therefore our Saviour tells them so often that they should know and enjoy more at that day what day viz. when he was ascended to the Father for then 't was my Father and your Father my God and your God Joh. 20.17 And the Spirit descended from the Father the Holy Ghost not being given till Christ was glorified Job 7.39 saith Christ At that day ye shall know 〈◊〉 I am in my Father and you in me and I i● you which yet you know not though it be so Joh. 14.20