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
A86324	The advantage of afflictions: a sermon preached before the Right Honourable House of Peers, Ianuary 28. 1645. being the day of publike humiliation, in the Abbey Church, Westminster. / By Gaspar Hicks, a member of the Assembly of Divines.	Hickes, Gaspar, 1605-1677.	1646 (1646)	Wing H1837; Thomason E319_9; ESTC R200555	25,203	34

grave the saddest of all seasons his most faithfull zealous Mat. 28.1 loving followers are up betimes to look after him As it began to dawn saith one Evangelist Very early in the morning saith another When it was yet dark saith a third they run to the Sepulchre Mark 16.2 Indeed they thought to finde a carcase only and behold the unexpected ravishing news of his resurrection Ioh. 20.1 When Christ seems to be under ground then all our joyes must needs be buried with him let us hie to him seek after him and we shall meet with admirable unexpressible revivings The Saints we see are up betimes early at it in seeking Christ in their deepest distresses their most dismall dismaies To these instances I might adde many arguments or reasons for the further confirmation of the truth 1. Our God whom we seek is most high Reas We cannot mount to him on our own wings nor reach him by our own strength as soon may we scale heaven with ladders Most glorious he is in his condescention to the meannesse or lownesse of his creatures 1 Sam. 2.8 He that frames and owns the pillars of the earth and hath set the world upon them is most of all magnified in raising the poor out of the dust and lifting up the beggar from the dunghill to set them among Princes His wonders are in the deep his transcendent excellency appears in stooping to the necessity and misery of his people The most dejected down-cast state and heart are best suted to Gods dearest embraces Afflictions meeting with a gracious temper cannot but melt it and humble it and make it tender and the lowest humility is nearest to the highest majesty Aristippus the Cynique being derided for falling on the ground before Dionysius the tyrant and kissing his feet in presenting a sute to him answers thus He hath his ears in his feet Aures habet in pedibus this is the way to prevail with him Never doth a poor prostrate sould brought down to the dust under the mighty hand of God seek his face in vain nor go away from him without gracious answers large atchievements 2. Our God is a consuming fire a dreadfull majesty Heb. 12.29 who can stand in his sight when he is angry Yet whither shall we goe from his presence They that know the power of his wrath and fear his displeasure more then hell Psal 90.11 dare not stand off or keep a distance from him no not for a moment They have no rest in their bones nor quiet in their spirits till they have found him whom their soul loveth No want appears so destructive to them as the want of Gods favour no misery so unsufferable as his absence his frowns The way to evade Gods stroke is not to flee from him but to get within him he hath long hands which can reach to the bottome of hell to the foundations of the mountains to the uttermost parts of the sea Then only are we out of danger of his smiting hand when we get into his bosome clasp him in our arms hold firm and close possession of him by faith This brings in afflicted Saints a main to God in that there is no remedy nor refuge to be had from him but in him 3. Our God is a tender-hearted Father Lam. 3.33 34. He doth not afflict willingly he doth not afflict to afflict to grieve the children of men to crush under his feet the prisoners whom he hath taken in his net to cause their spirits to fail before him Towards his own his ends are gracious Lam. 3.33 34. when his dealings seem grievous Isai 57.16 his heart is full of love to them when his hand is heavy in inflictions upon them When he hedges in our waies with thorns he leaves one gap open and that leads us home to himself The language of the rod is directive as well as corrective And what doth God intend in our trials but to curb and check our extravagancies to awaken our languishing faculties to excite and exercise our graces to enflame our desires to enlarge our longings after himself and so to put us into a better capacity of himself When by some sharp passages he hath acuted our appetites and raised up our estimations of himself then he flows in with heavenly sweets and satifies his seeking servants above all that we can ask or thinke The truth is clear then Our God is high in glory and excellency and must be sought in humility He is dreadfull in displeasure and must be approached with trembling He is gracious in his intentions and dealings with his own even when he smites them and must be apprehended with greedines and satisfaction And seeing afflictions in their sanctified use and fruit render God such a God to us they set us on to seek him early and earnestly The Doctrine is usefull for our present time and occasion Vse 1 We have long been in an afflicted State and we are met to day to afflict our soules to humble them under Gods mighty hand to seek him in a most solemn manner And doe we finde our afflictions to be spurrs and goads to prick us on and put us forward in our pursute T is far otherwise with them 1. That are become insensible and hardened under miseries Untowardly children are dulled by whipping the rod makes them hate their master and their book and run away from both It is an ill temper that grows hard and dead under Gods strokes Oh the strange stupour that is fallen upon the spirits of many The first onset of judgements possessed them with affrightments and sad thoughts perhaps with some hankerings after God the continuance and multiplicity of evils make them disregard or shunne him 'T is brutish boldnesse yea little lesse then devillish obstinacy to cut-face Gods fury Nay those miserable spirits believe and tremble Iam. 1.12 What shall we thinke of them then that have almost lost all fear and feeling of misery They bid defiance to God that go down securely and delicately to destruction that can say the bitternesse of death is past let God doe his worst 1 Sam. 15.32 Of all judgements tremble at a heart that cannot tremble under judgements 2. This uncases their falshood that fling off from God in despair and let fall their mindes to a base despondency when heavy things come upon them In a fair morning they will be early up and forward in their addresses to God but when storms arise and the heavens are covered with clouds they shrinke in their spirits and give up God as lost Iob 27.8 9 10 What is the hope of the hypocrite saith Job though he hath gained when God taketh away his soul Let him gain a fair guarb of formality a repute of piety a self-deluding shape of goodnesse and happinesse yet when he is surprized with killing flesh-confounding extremities and so beaten out of his own holds his hopes will perish and be