Selected quad for the lemma: earth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
earth_n	creature_n	heaven_n	world_n	8,020	5	4.5844	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A15015	The redemption of time, or a sermon containing very good remedies for them that haue mis-spent their time shewing how they should redeeme it comfortably. By M.W. Master in Arts.	Whately, William, 1583-1639.	1606 (1606)	STC 25318; ESTC S102139	30,092	81

lips then these drop down at his feet and do him little good And thus in euery other thorow the turning of our affections we must follow gods spirit yea or nature when it leads vs wisely turning all to spirituall vses And thus you may perceiue what it is to redeeme the time and how it may be attayned Now let vs come to some breife application of the point First this point thus explaned meets with a number of imperfections euen in the best him that is most careful of his waies of which we are now to take notice purpose amēdmēt if we haue not hitherto considered of them For this is a fault to which a man euen in a good measure spirituall is subiect for want of redeeming the time that he comes to that lazie passe now and then as he hath nothing to do nothing where about to settle himselfe It is a carnall vnsetlednes in a christian to be so negligent of his time as that he shuld haue any minute of time which he knows not how to bestow vppon some good and profitable vse The Lord offers such a multitude of occasions to do and receiue good that if we could with wisdome take thē there is no houre passeth vs in which we might not do or get some good And if there be nothing else yet this is somthing where about he hath good occasion to be busied euen to fall out with himself because he hath nothing I meane hee sees nothing that hee hath to do Somtimes if men see their seruants standing idle vnbusied they can aske thē with a kind of indignatiō what Can you finde you nothing to doe And sure the Lord might come with this question diuers times to vs and say as it is in the parable Why stand you all the day idle asking whether the world vvere so empty of occasions our selues so perfectly wel as that we can find nothing to do But there is no houre passeth vs which wee should not finde fit for some good thing if we could catch the opportunitie before it be turned and did not harme our selues for want of diligent redeeming the time Yet there are other faults of which christians are to be warned As to begin with the last first How many be there that are so stuffed with worldly businesses and yet are greedy of more as that they cannot find leasure one houre in a day nay scarce in a week to bestow vpon reading praying meditating or cōferring Yea as though time were made for nothing but to seeke wealth transitorie things so this the cheefest of their care It appeares that such labor not for conscience but for gaine because they cannot break of ordinary labors so long as wel to performe ordinary duties of religion Many may say with greef inough if they did wel that their hands are so ful of the world as that they can scarce thorow the weeke take the Bible into their hands to read any thing therein vnlesse perhaps it be in the church at some publique meeting Thus men which are born to a better inheritāce are content to wear out themselues in the earth as if they were to perish in the earth with other baser creatures Here is one fault to be amended then let no christian bestow so much time in the world as that he can not find sufficient to seek heauen the things thereof Then for the matter of sports me thinks some christians should euen shrink before the word of reproofe comes to them when they may think of so many houres spent such a day at bowels so many it may be the next day in shooting so many the third day in shouell bord or the like exercises happily in themselues not vnlawfull when they come to reckning for religious exercises the count comes in very slowlie by the minutes or quarters some halfe quarter of an houre or there abouts bestowed such a day in praying alone and some three or foure dayes after about a quarter of an houre in reading it may be the next weeke some halfe quarter more in meditation And thus if the expences of time were written in our bebt bookes as they be in Gods we might euen blush to read so many items for pleasure sport and scarce one or two in a side for priuate religious exercises Then for our words May we not hang down our heads with shame to think that god made our tongues and we speak scarce one word in an hūdred to his glory Idle words Euen many of those whom wee are to regard as christians count them no faults neuer come to repent for them It was but a word out of the way say they But this power to speak being a gift peculiar to men aboue all beasts ought to be more preciously regarded then that that it should bee abused for base trifles Then for idle thoughts who makes question of them almost Alas we do not remember that God hath searching eyes and feirce which peirce into the depth of one soule We dreame that thoughts are not so much and spare our selues in our vnthriftines when we should deale more religiously with our selues Lastly some might be reprooued for too long lying in bed spending more houres in slugging or sleeping then health strength doe repuire Many perhaps will thinke that it is left to their owne pleasure and that the Preacher is too busie if he take vpon him to teach them when to rise as though it were no fault to ouer-sleepe themselues In deed some old and sickly mens bodies must take it when they may but for the greatest part of men if they knew what good the first halfe houre of the early morning spent in religious exercises would bring them they would not loue sleepe so well as for it to neglect them It is well said Hee that seekes me early shall finde me and it may well be literally vnderstood Therfore brethren there is none but may see a fault in himselfe in these respects some or al of them and happy is he that resolues to mend it Therefore if you will take good counsell doe thus when you come home Thinke alasse if time must be reckned for should be redeemed How far am I behinde hand with God that what for sleepe what for play what for idle babling what for vaine thoughts and excessiue worldlinesse I cannot make a good account of the fourtith yea of the hundreth part of my time And then greeue because thou hast beene such an vnthrift of time now begin carefully to spare before all be gone But now here is a reproofe more sharp for some others that are not willing to heare of that eare tell them they must not spend a whole day or a whole night in playing sporting What not at Christmas say they why you are too precise well but yet vouchsafe to consider a little what God speaks Thou sayest this is too much precisenes and so saith the