Selected quad for the lemma: earth_n
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A43044
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A free-will offering by James Harwood ...
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Harwood, James.
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1662
(1662)
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Wing H1097; ESTC R8676
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24,477
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96
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with my eye spiritual much more While I see without I may be blinde within and spy a world of wonders in this great World and yet not see that World of wickedness in this little World O Lord open the eye of my understanding lest while I look and see the way to thy Church I miss of thy Kingdom yet lest I miss I will look ad Sinistram at my Corrosives ad Dextram at my Cordials At my Corrosives my crosses in this life seeming hindrances in my spiritual Pilgrimage but sanctified pricking spurs pressing me unto the prize of my high calling O God my God twenty years current have those lasted and hadst not thou put strength into my anckle bones long since with Gad and Reuben I had sat me down on this side Jordan And now I turn ad Dextram to the right hand of thy gracious favours high cordials in the upshor of long distempers O heaviness hath endured a long Winter night but joy is come in the morning a Plerophoria a full sea of Peace and plenzy O my God as Adversity did nor quire deject me so let not Prosperity puff me up Now that I am in part restored to my Means let not my Means make me forget my Maker Beleive it he who sets his heart on Earth shall never inherit Heaven Now I am out of the bryars Lord let not the pleasant Pageants withdraw my eyes God sent afflictions to wean me from the World these contentments are proffered to try whether I love God more then the World I may look at them and not lose my way if I love them and inordinately I am at a loss and for ever And therefore once more I will look about me lest suppressed by Adversity or surprized by Prosperity Now this is done I will up and on and having little time and far to go and many by-paths in my passage I will look unto my ways There is but one way and yet it is here said I will look unto my ways Christ is the way via recta via tuta all other ways are viae deviae by-ways and yet this way Christ is cut into two pathes is viam Divinitatis Humanitat is The first step into the Heavenly way is per Christi Incarnationem the second is per Christi Divinitatem The hand that leads into these two which run into one is Amor Dei the love of God For God so loved the world that be sent his Son the second Person and therefore God born of a Virgin and therefore made man Now this is made my way to Heaven efficienter à Deo instrument aliter per sidem and this way is by Christs Godhead Manhood whilest the Godbead dwels in him bodily And now the two Natures being joyned together in one Person and that by an Hypostatical union this considered that one way may admit of a plural without prejudice to the single singular way I mean to him who is the Way the Truth and the Life But as all that go to Heaven must look unto this way Christ cut into two pathes so I must look unto my waies ways for Plurality mine for Propriety How different are these two waies the way Christ and my waies that is the way of Life this the way of Death Have I not need now to look about me Miss of that fist and I am out of the way to Heaven walk in this other and I march a full career to Hell and yet I am never in hopes to come into the way Christ till I take a survey of my own waies my thoughts words and works This is a large task and this a lazy generation Much is to be done and all to be left undone portends a fearful doom O Jacob why layest thou thy head upon a stone O Jonah why sleepest thou in the howl of the ship O ye Disciples can ye not watch one hour O! the sluggish blankets of carnal security have lull'd Gods dearest sons asleep when the Philistines have been ready to fall upon them The Disciples let Christ be taken from them O let not your selves be taken from Christ He that sleeps in sin is sensless and whilest he is a sinner he looks not to his waies he casts not an eye to Christ nor Christ to him but mark what 's said I will look to my waies Is it not high time when surround in the rotten bogs of Whoredom and Bloodshed It hath been the hard hap of the Elect to tread awry and ere aware to step into the Red-sea of blood by the misleading of the old Man in the Womans habit Here are ways to be lookt at not walkt in See them and shun them they are dangerous by-waies leading to Hell leading from Heaven Their names are these The Vnclean Spirits Round Relapse into sin That beaten Tract Covetousness which is Idolatry That way which went of late too night the Royal Palace Rebellion and Regicide Hold of Hell-gars Despair the shadowed Grove Hypocrisie The barren Mount Presumption The new Reformers Road Sacriledge These have been common high-waies leading to Hell Death and the Devil and now the late walkers in them though disguized with the vizard of seeming Saintship are discovered But there are other more covert waies I must look to if ever I look to go to Heaven And in special that way or walk in which my corrupt heart meets with first Motions to sin Assent to sin A will to sin A seduced judgement to approve of sin in the secret of my soul Look to these waies and root out all thou meetest and fear not thou the wide road of thy conversation Smother sin in that way the entrance into the womb of thy heart and the work is done neither needest thou fear but that is the way to life everlasting But the Prophets Possessive my my waies makes him owner of these high-waies saith the Lord My waies are not your waies This Mine and Thine makes or mars Mans waies have in them nought of God Gods waies have in them nought of man While I look unto my waies I see a super plus of sins While at Gods the way to be disburthened of my sin To conclude I will look unto my ways through that looking glass the Law so I shall see I am a sinner I will look O Lord unto thy waies which thy sacred Testament points me out to ensure me of a Saintship And now O Lord lead me in thy way that so I may possess my soul in peace Lord give me grace to look unto my ways that so I may escape that death death eternal MERCY beyond MEASURE Psal 58. part of vers 1. Lord thou art become gracious unto thy Land THe people of God are returned from bondage and they sing a Psalm of Thanksgiving all Israel have been Captives and this their deliverance is of the Lords doings What the arm of man conoot the finger of God can bring to pass In the low ebb of Misery he can buoy up to a full
Warlike care Such an Army of Souldiers make an Host of Saints and if they thus lead a life of Grace the Lord of Hosts will lead them to a life of glory Their reward is in Heaven and they are sure of it the Lord never fails them that fear him but so soon as the Souldiers scabbard falls to the ground the blade is laid up with the Lord Though thou be at a loss for a time thy soul will be safe in Abrahams bosom It is better then to live well then fight well especially for Souldiers whose lives are so very oft in danger Let this threefold Admonition fore-arm them and warn us to lead a good life if ever we mean to enjoy a life everlasting Gods Love MANS LIFE John 3.16 God so loved the World that be c. LOrd inspire me with thy Spirit that my tongue may shew forth thy praise whilest my heart rejoyceth in God my Saviour And since it is not in the heart of man to sathom the depth of thy love O give me leave to admire thy love to him who deserves the utmost of thy vengeance Hadst not thou been a God whose mercy is not to be measured man had never tasted of so much mercy in the midst of his Misery But thus to love us when we had forsaken our first-love This is of the Lords doings and it is marvellous in our eyes Let me lay the guilt of Humane Nature wide ope to the World then the God of Nature will be magnified and the Attribute of his Mercy mightily admired Was not man made little inferior to the Angels The prime piece of Gods Workmanship in the likeness of God did God make man And could a Creature expect an higher favour from his Creator Was he not seated in Paradise an Heaven upon Earth Had he not given unto him Dominion over all the whole Creation And might not his Lordship have Lorded it over all the Creatures He who had all to obey him on Earth was tied onely to obey that one God in Heaven and yet he aspires to be as God A sin so transcendent to turn a Traytor to his Liege-Lord as no mouth dare justifie him no Angel plead for him for in committing this one sin he stood guilty of Ingratitude to his Liege-Lord of Covetousness for aspired to have the Regiment of Angels of Rebellion for rebelled against God and his King As Divines conceive in committing this one sin Adam coagulated all sins not making his Person onely but Humane Nature accessary And thus he dishonored God destroyed himself and corrupted all mankinde And yet rebus sic stantibus instead of punishing God pities instead of confounding God comforts Death was threarned if Adam sinned life is promised after he had sinned not for any foreseen good in man but because God would be so good to man Lust inthrald us Love set us at liberty it was the love of God and therefore of the best sort He so loved as no parallel can equal He loved the World a large extent and gave his Son not a servant his onely Son it s much to have but one and part with that one But why parts God and his Son That some of the sons of men might come to God even as many as believe All then are not at a loss as many shall be saved as lelieve Salvation then is not of works but faith And this Faith myst be in him not in the Jewish Talmud Turkish Alcaron nor Popes Pardons but a Belief in Christ Jesus a belief That as Adam made us guilty of death so that by the death of Christ me shall be freed from the second death and have life here a life of grace bereafter a life of glory here the Inchoation after the Consummation now we live to dye through Christ we dye to live and have a life everlasting What could Adam and all we have expected less what could he and we have more desired we were doomed to dye reprived to live by the Judge of Heaven sentenced to an Eternity of torments by the same Judge our sentence is repealed to a fair possibility of salvation And thus for us to sin against God and God thus to put it up and not onely not to punish with death but to provide for us life life everlasting This may put Humane Wit to a stand Was ever Love like this says the Scripture Can a Woman forget her own Childe The Quaere implies a possibility but a rarity Such forgetfulness may be in us mortals there in none at all in our Maker Being arch enemies to him he befriends us and parts with his own Son to make us his Sons and Daughters yea heirs heirs of God and joynt heirs with Christ Jesus And thus he gives gold for dross and all to make us who are dross to pass for currant coyn in his Kingdom Saith David to Jonathan Thy love to me was wonderful passing the love of women But behold and wonder here is love surpassing mans expression The love of God to man so to love him as to redeem him to send his Son to dye to save man from death and to require no more but to believe to believe His own Son hath paid the ransome with his own life to purchase us a life Everlasting O let my life answer my belief We do not believe in Christ if we lead not the life of grace Though faith onely justifies alone faith never justifies If I do good works to testifie my Sanctification before men then my belief in Christ will ensure my Justification before God As my faith must justifie me so my works must justifie my faith No man believes in Christ that lives in sin I say not who is sometimes gull'd but every day misled and willingly the effect of faith is an holy life As light attends on the Sun so good works on Faith he that lives well cannot believe ill Thy life ensures me of thy belief thy belief of the love of God yea and that thou art one of those of whom it is said God so loved the World that he c. GODS PRESENCE Patiences Protector Phil. 4. part of verse 5. The Lord is at hand THese words were writ to the Philippians occasioned for that surrounded with sorrow and overcast with care They profess Christ and for it scorn'd by the Jews scoft at by the Gentiles Now lest despair crush them or impatience provoke them this Memento is given them The Lord is at hand One able to support for A Lord No mean one for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Lord nor is he far off for saith S. Paul At hand on thy right hand to comfort not on thy left hand to scourge Our God is in Heaven and our God is here Residentially above Potentially below There is his Palace and here he perambulates and as thou canst not flie from thy shade no more from God The Sun is above and vertually with us and God is in Heaven yet always with men on