Selected quad for the lemma: earth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
earth_n	great_a	heaven_n	life_n	6,050	5	4.1663	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A04905	A sermon preached at Paules Crosse the Fryday before Easter, commonly called good Friday, in the yeere of our Lorde. 1579. By Iohn Knewstub	Knewstubs, John, 1544-1624.; Knewstub, John. Confutation of monstrous and horrible heresies, taught by H.N. aut	1579 (1579)	STC 15046; ESTC S101374	39,484	98

The trueth is we are perswaded of the excellencie of them and therefore in all suche places alledged for the waiting of his comming there is the benefit set foorth with it and the greatnesse of it which pointeth at our darkenesse and vnbeliefe herein and telleth vs that the glory of this world standeth as a cloude betwene it and our sight To concludle set vs inlarge our hope by meditation praier enter into some consideration of the length breadth and depth of that glory so shal we see such a portion in it as will comfort vs euen in our greatest afflictions countiing it a great honour that we are vouchsafed his seruice as the Apostles haue doone Now we are to consider of that which is the third thing in this our diuision to wit what was geuen to make vs good schollers in this his doctrine and to become a people zelously geuen vnto good workes The gift is so great as himselfe for he gaue himself for vs He laide not downe his life at the plesure of his aduersaries being otherwise vnwilling but franckly and freely of his owne accord did yeeld it vp for vs This is that which wee esteeme aboue the benefite often times the minde of the geuer Great gifts are darkened when they come from an vnwilling mind leese their commendation but a willyng mind aduaūceth the least gift that can be No man taketh my life frō me saith our Sauiour Christ but I laid it downe of my selfe His wyllingnes also appeareth in this that he went forth to meete them asking of them whom they sought confessing him to bee a man As his aduersaries did not compel hym by violence to leaue his lyfe no more did good deseruing on our part procure him therunto And therfore S. Iohn doth herein note a speciall thing that he began with vs and prouoked vs vnto loue and not wee hym This loue was voluntarie and not forced It had likewise the preheminence of beginning and prouoking and was neither borne nor begotten of any former benefite of ours to himward In this gift that was geuen we are to remember not onely that moment of his passion wherein hee passed immediatly from life to death but also the whole course of his life while he had his aboade with vs heere vppon earth For hee serued vs with his life as well as with his death performing in it all that obedience which the Lord requireth of man And this obedience vnto the law could not be vrged of duety vpon hym who was Lorde of the Law in his owne name and for himselfe but onely in respect of vs whose cause and person he was content to sustaine Touchyng his life what a rare argument token of good wil was this to begin withal that he would be abased so farre for vs as to lay downe the maiestie and glory wherin he was nothing inferiour to his father and to take vpon him the estate and condition of a poore and miserable seruaunt to leaue the highest estate in heauen to goe vnder the basest condition here vpon earth to chaunge the highest dignitie with the basest condition the greatest glory with the greatest infamie the place that hath superioritie ouer all with that which is to serue all What is the glory of all kingdomes in the world if they were ioyned together to the glory of heauen and yet how impossible were it to intreate him who is king of the leaste Islande in the worlde to chaunge his estate with a seruant to leaue the glory of his kingdome and to imbrace the estate of the meanest subiect seruant in the land What subiect how friendly soeuer in former times he had been to the prince could after long sute preuaile thus muche with him and behold the king of heauen and Lorde of life doe● force this friendshippe vpon his enmies It requireth our earnest meditation of the matter to consider the greatnesse of the goodwill that lyeth vnder it for it hath neuer before or since beene hearde of that the sonne his lyfe shoulde bee thee price too purchase vnto the seruaunt his freedome that the sonne shoulde be solde to serue to the end the seruant nay enemie might be made free Wonder at this worke thou earth and be amased at it yee heauens for from the beginning if all your registers were searched the like shal not be heard of at any time to haue happened The gift had bene exceeding great if we should haue had no more at his handes then is the seruice of his life lead in all maner of obedience for our sake heere vppon earth but after this obedience vnto the wil of his father in al duetie accomplished he himself must passe through death and so become a slaine sacrifice for the sinnes of his seruants Wherin let vs a litle behold the weight of such a work so shal we make the better account of hym who hath wrought it for vs Let vs behold his behauior when the time approched of his appearing before the iudgement seate of the righteous God for sinners Which although it be but the entraunce into his passion suffering wyl notwithstanding let vs haue some sight tast wherby to discerne how heard a worke he had in hand When he was to enter the answering of sinne he went as appeareth in the Gospel after Saint Mathew into a place called Gethsemane saying to his disciples Sit ye heere while I goe and pray yonder While hee was on the way he begā to waxe heauy sorowful and greenously troubled Insomuche that hee complayning of his griefe vnto Peter and the two sonnes of Zebedeus whom he toke with him saith vnto them I feele my hart heauy vnto death tarry ye here watch with me The paine pressed him so sore that he craueth the comfort of theyr presence in that combat Ye may well consider that it is no small matter which driueth the soone of God to intreate his Disciples to watch with him But are they able to afforde him any helpe In trueth they can geue no help vnto the matter hee hath in hand It is no great thing that is required and yet for all that it cannot bee obteined It is no great matter to looke on though the matters which be in doeing were neuer so daungerous and yet the Scripture doeth tel vs that the chiefe of the Apostles coulde not holde vp theyr heads and helpe their maister at his desire while hee yet was but in the beginning of his conflict with so much as a comfortable countenance no not after he had cōplained of their great vnkindnes expostulating the matter with them had vsed these wordes towardes them What could ye not watch with me one houre A wonderful matter that Peter the prince of the Apostles shoulde bewray so great weakenesse that beyng sundrie tymes requested by his maister could not performe towarde our saluation so litle a matter as is the looking on So farre was he

of the law when visions reuelations were often and vsual yet were they then subiect to the word to be cried by it nay to be ouerruled of it According as we reade If there arise among you a Prophet and geue thee a signe or wonder and the signe or wonder which he hath told thee come to passe saying Let vs goe after our gods thou shalt not hearken vnto the words of the Prophet yee shal walke after the Lord your God and shall keepe his commaundementes and hearken vnto his voyce but that Prophet shal be slaine because he hath spoken to thrust thee out of the waye wherin the Lord the God cōmaundeth thee to walke If in the times when visiōs reuelations had their best alowance and the most lawful title that euer they had all that notwithstanding they were to geue vp their account vnto the written woorde of God and frō thence to receiue their Quietus est We may not then in those times receiue suche wares vnder the alone warrant of their own weights when faith must fight against miracles and reuelations for the woorde whiche in the infancie of the Church was helped by miracles vnto the woorde How can there be any true gedlinesse among this people among whom God is not licenced to speake in his woorde what pleaseth him but the woorde strained by their spirite to speake after the liking of miserable men Great is the vngodlinesse likewise of those men who hauing banished superstition and fantastical reuelatiō yet for al that leaning vnto the hold of their profession of the trueth as vnto a sufficient fortresse doe not submit themselues to any often and earnest vse of the woorde and prayer with conscience and care to haue theyr wayes reformed by it and with perswasion of any great necessitie that they haue of it We can not geue our selues vnto these dueties vnlesse we shal be in the expectation and looking after the hope of an other life therfore very fitly doeth the Apostle ioine vnto these seueral duties that we haue hearde of this speache Waiting for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of the mightie GOD our Sauiour Iesus Christe For it cannot come to passe wee should be taken of from things here below vnlesse we be assured els where No man wyllet goe thyngs assured for vncertaine Faith must geue vs assuraunce of greater glory from GOD ere wee can let goe the houlde that we haue heere Therefore it is made a speciall note of God his Children necessarily ioyned to his worship to be in expectatiō of the latter day and the glory therof When Paul wil set out the commendation of the Thessalonians and fame that was geuen out of them in all places he doeth no otherwise commend them then that they were turned from idols to serue the liuing God and to wayte for his sonne from heauen which should bestowe vppon them this benefitete to deliuer them from the wrath to come And in the seconde to the Thessa. perswading them by that which was in mosle reuerence and regarde with them and likest to bring them into the earnest consideration of his words he frameth his speach thus I beseech you brethren by the cōming of our Lord Iesus Christ and our gathering together and vniting vnto him So that the looking for the last day semeth to him to be in great reuerēce regard assured expectation among them when he maketh their reuerence vnto that the matter and ground of this exhortation And when he laboureth to lift them of the earth cōmonly he reareth them vp with no other instrument than this the waiting for the glory hope of another life In the 3. to the Col. he reasoneth thus When Christ which is your life shal appeare then shall you appeare with him in glory mortifie therfore your earthly mēbers vncleanes couetousnes which is Idolatry And in the 3. to the Phil. opening the meane of their stay frō hunting after the earth w the false Apostles which minded earthly thinges He sayth thus But our conuersation is in heauen from whence wee looke for a Sauiour euen the Lorde Iesus who shal chaunge our vile body that it maye be like his glorious body In the xi to the Hebrues the obedience of Abraham in leauing his owne coūtrey not knowing where he should become is ascribed to this that he waited for a Citie that had a foundation whose maker is God for al things in the world are subiect to corruption The great things that are spoken of Moyses in accounting the rebuke of Christe to be of more value then the treasures of Aegypt and his not fearyng the fury of the kyng is onely imputed to this that he was as if he had seene him that is inuisible The comming of the glory of that great God was alwaies before his eies The greatnesse of the thing and the excellencie of it is noted in these woordes The glory of the great God our Sauiour Christe It is the same glory the great God our Sauiour Christe inheriteth that we waite for It is worth the waiting for there is cause why wee shoulde be mooued to sobrietie hauing so great thinges in expectation We beseech you saith Paul that ye would walk worthy of god who calleth you to his owne kingdome and glory The glory of this worlde deseleth our eyes and therfore must we be drawne vp by meditation of greater thinges before we shall bee able to let these be of small reckoning with vs The greatnesse of that glory once throughly digested woulde set these in a base and lowe place it would make them vanish assmoke from our presence The expectation of a transitorie kingdome when it is once deuoured and digested by hope we see it maketh men neglect liues goodes landes friendes children and countrey to hazarde all The merchant that is in expectation of some great gaine we see into what vnknowen countreis into what daungers by the Seas he wil commit himselfe The great regarde and care that is had euery where to the thinges heere below the greedy followyng after them the careful pursuing of pleasures profites and honors do plainly speake that the hope of another life is not yet setled in the heartes of a great number Let vs cal to remembrance how that this is our day to waite it is our time to serue when Christ which is our life shal appeare then shal we be glorious and appeare with him in glory There is no pleasure which the lord hath not matched with some griefe and paine to take of if it might our delite and to fasten it in surer thinges If the glory of God cannot preuayle with vs yf it cannot chaunge our taste howe shall wee looke for renewment If so great hire as is his owne glory cannot allure vs brutish senselesse must our nature needs be What a greater argument can wee haue of our blockishnesse then that so great things can get no more attendance