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
A67736	Armour of proof, or a soveraign antidote, against the contagion of evil company Together with the skill, will, and industry of lewd ones; in tempting to sin, and drawing to perdition. Being subjects of concernment for the younger sort. The second part. By R. Younge of Roxwel in Essex, Florilegus.	Younge, Richard.	1655 (1655)	Wing Y138; ESTC R222620	37,249	36

Armour of proof or A Soveraign Antidote against the contagion of evil company Together with the skill will and industry of lewd ones in tempting to sin and drawing to perdition Being subjects of concernment for the younger sort THE SECOND PART By R. Younge of Roxwel in Essex Florilegus My son if sinners entise thee consent thou not walk thou not in the Way with them refrain thy foot from their path Prov. 1 10. 15. ●●NDON Printed by I. M. for Iames Crump in Little Bartholomews Well-yard 1655. TO AL YOUNG STUDIENTS IN THE UNIVERSITIES AND INN'S OF COURT APPRENTISES OF LONDON SONS AND SERVANTS IN THE WHOLE NATION R. Y. Dedicates this small peece of his Labours and wisheth increase of all grace and happiness Armour of proof against evil Society c. The second part Sect. 24. AND so much of the first part touching the many advantages that Satants instruments have above Gods servants in winning and keeping and improving there converts What men ought to do that would not be overcome by there aluerments and that of all the rest we must refrayn the company of wicked men and not dispute with them if we mean not to be infected by them partake of there sins nor be infeoffed in there punishments Together with the Lawfulness of shunning all familier Society and converse with such And now least what hath been said should not be sufficient See in this Second part some Reasons to inforse men there unto which the Godly wise propound to themselves when they bid adue to there old associates in the broad way and purpose to pledg them no more in there wicked customs Reasons of breaking off Society with our vicious Consorts The reasons are principally 5. and they are weighty 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Because their company would bereave us of comfort which otherwise we should enjoy being alone That They may come to the sight of their errors     we may not be Infected by them nor partake of their sinnes     Infeoffed in their punishments     So farre as is possible we may be at peace with all men FIrst that thereby they may come to the sight of their errors and consequently be reclaimed S. Paul when he commands the Corinthians to shut the incestuous person out of thelr society and fellowship give this reason that his Spirit might be saved in the day of the Lord 1 Corintb 5. 5. Again when he writ to Timothy that he had done the same ●ouching Hymeneus and Alexander he yeeldeth this to be the reason that they might learn not to blaspheme 1 Timothy 1. 20. And in another place If any man obey not our saying note him by a letter and have no company with him that he may be ashamed 2 Thes. 3. 14. It was the practise of the primitive Church in her first love that she might shine in beauty and fairness above all other Synagogues not to admit any scandalous person or open offender into the Communion of Saints until their foule spots were carefully washt off and taken away by the tears of repentance The bread of the children was not given unto dogs neither by an equall bounty to the godly and the wicked was there an equal encouragement to godlinesse and iniquity but a separation was made between the sick and the whole and this separation had no other intent but edification even an edification of the spirir by the destruction of the flesh so that men could find no fault with the dispensers of this power having nothing to complain of but that their lives thereby were sought to be amended and their soules to be saved I confesse that was a separation of a higher nature the power of the keyes being added they were delivered up to Sathan shut out of Heaven herein it is not so but this serves to the same end and is done only in cases of like fact The cause was weighty for which the gates of Heaven were to be locked great in the thing done or great in the wilfulness of the doer and this not without reason for the doom was heavy and fit for the back of a strong and mighty evil it was a short damnation a temporall hell a shutting out of Heaven upon earth yea Heaven in Heaven even the joyes and comforts of the spirit of consolation Neither could it be but an excellent remedy for besides that it was Gods institution the remedy was fitted to the disease a degree of presumption was encountered with a degree of despaire the Scorpion was made a medicine against the sting of the Scorpion Sathan was set on work to take him down by terror unto salvation whom before he animated and puffed up to destruction he that said at first sin boldly for ye shall not dye at all now he changeth his voyce and saith thy sin is greater then can be forgiven thee But the wisdom of dispensation suffered this roring Lion no longer to terrifie but ●●til his terror did mollifie he aimed indeed at despaire and destruction but the Church aimed at humiliation and conversion yea at consolation and salvation And indeed humiliation for sin is the only way to conversion from sin conversion from sin the only way to the consolations of tht Spirit and the comfortable spirit is both the guide and the way to life eternal therefore when the man is humbled Sathan is casheired the horseleech is taken away when he hath sufficiently abated the vicious and superfluous blood Thus were men healed by wounding exalted by humbling O admirable use and command of Sathan he is an enemy to God and yet doth him ●●●ice he is an adversary to man and yet helps him A strange thing that Sathan should help the incestuous Corinthian to the destruction of his flesh his concupiscense and the edification of his soul A strange thing that Sathan should teach Hymeneus and Alexander not to blaspheme he is the author of blasphemies and yet he teacheth not to blaspheme But is Sathan contrary to himself and is his Kingdom divided in it self no surely but one that is stronger then he both in wisdom and power manageth both his craft and malice to ends which himself intendeth not The divel is one and the same still even purely malicious but God suffers him to go on in his temptations just so farre as temptation is profitable and no further therefore while Sathan is driving the offender to despaire God stops his course when the sinner is come to due humiliation and then as it was with Christ in the wilderness so is it with the humbled sinner Sathan is dismissed and the Angels come an● minister unto him This was the nature manner and end of publike excommunication private hath relation to it both touching canse and end First publike had respect to the cause that it was to be used only in case of scandalous open and notorious impiety so hath the private we do not break off society with any for weaknesses and sins of infirmity Secondly

should enjoy being alone it faring with the godly wise as with Saint Ambrose who was wont to say I am never lesse alone then when I am all alone for then I can enjoy the presence of my God without interruption They are able to say as Dubartus and before him Scipio I have never better company then when I have no company for then can I freely entertain my own thoughts and converse with all the learned which have been in former ages Antisthenes being asked what fruit he had reaped of all his study made answer I have learned by it both to live and walk with my selfe And Alphonsus King of Arragon being demanded what company he liked best replyed Bookes for these saith he without feare or flattery or any reward tell me faithfully all that I desire to know Cicero was and I am of his mind and though I be no Hermit to sit away my daies in a dull Cell yet will I choose rather to have no companion then a bad one When Cato Utican in vacation times and at his best leasure went to recreate himself in the country he used to cary with him the best Philosophers and choisest bookes Algerius an Italian Martyr said He had rather be in prison with Cato then with Caesar in the Senate house so was it more comfortable to be with Philpot in his Cole-house then with Bonner in the Palace Boner's conscience made his Palace a Cole-house and a dungeon whiles Philpot's made the Cole-house a Palace The state of grace is Heaven upon earth and he that knows the sweetness of Gods presence will deem it more tollerable to be ever alone then never able to be so When I read of Hiero the Tyrant of Syracusa and other such that gave over their Kingdoms to live a solitary life I somewhat wonder I should not to hear of a religious and Christian King that did so It is impossible for the natural man to be so merry in company as the believer alone yea saith S. Augustine the teares of those that pray are sweeter then the joy s of the Theater Indeed a witty j●st may make a man laugh more and lowder b●t he who hath an inheritance fallen to him feeles a more solid joy within so he that enjoyes his Saviour and hath the a●●ir●ance of Heaven is truly merry at the heart and keepes Hilary ●earme all his life And indeed nothing in the world is worth envie besides the condition of a true Ch●istian But to what end doe I tell a blind man how glorious and bright a creature the Sun is or a poor man what summes of money are in the Kin●s Exchequers To so many as are unrenewed I speake in Parabl●s Revel. 2. 17. Yea this seemes to them a Paradox that the people of God should be a merry people for contrariwise they dream of nothing but solitarin●●●● and melancholly as the common people thought Tulli to be most idle when he stadied most or as the Husbandman in AEsope objected idlenesse to the Poe● b●t as he replyed I am never so idle as in thy company so may the religious we are ever so solitary never so melancholly as when in society with you that are vicious This was David's case which maketh him cry out Wo is me that I must remain in Meseck and dwell in the Tents of Kedar he found it a heavy yoke to be yoked with irreligious companions And a double reason may be given of it though we fear not to saffer either in our persons goods or good names as before you have it For fi●st the soule that lives among thornes shall hardly thrive they are such Backbva●●es to a godly life that they will do what they can to hinder our goodness to Heaven and the goodness of Heaven to us they will wither all our good pa●●s and qualities which are in us like an evil North-wind they blow upon the buds of our graces and nip them 2. Secondly It would make a mans heart to bleed to hear and consider how swearing blaspheming cursed speaking railing slandering quarrelling contending jesting mocking scoffing flattering lying dissembling vain corrupt and filthy scolding scurrilous loose and idle talking doth overflow with them in all places so that such as fear God had better be anywhere then in the company of most men Now I were mad if I should so affect company as to live voluntarily where vexations shall daily salute me Indeed a man is not rightly said to live untill he hath abandoned wicked society Similis having lived seven yeers apart from the World after a long time spent in a military life he left this Epitaph behind him Here lies old Similis yet one that lived but seeven yeers This made Frederick the third Elector Palatine when some such friends of his desired his company to answer I have lived enough to you let me now live to my self and with my Lord Christ Yea Saint Augustine ten dayes before he dyed desired none might come to him that so in that time he might the better fit himself for God And indeed that soule can never enjoy God that is not sometimes retired O that we could in any reasonable time give a stop to our madding and ●traying fancies that we could after so long time spent in the lusts of the flesh and pride of life bring home our cogitations and intentions unto our selves ●nake off these violent hold-fasts bid our companions farewel which have too ●ong engaged our soules and estranged us from our selves But when we are so we●ded combined and glewed to the world it is no easie matter to make a safe retreat it is a fleaing to some to be sundred thereby you pal away some 〈◊〉 of themselves In this case what we cannot do all at once let us gain upon our selves by degrees go back step by step first block up one passage then another Will you know what course Demostheness took in this case He to the end that his 〈◊〉 and nearest friends might not by carying him abroad according to their custome withdraw him from his study and books caused the hair of his head to 〈…〉 and after took an order that they should not peep out 〈◊〉 he had shook off his consorts by continually making them loose their 〈◊〉 It were happy for our young stu●●ents if they would a little imitate him if they were not overmuch affected and addicted to company keeping if they would but consider that friends are the thieves of time the most precious jewel they can part withall §. 29. BUt here it will be objected That we are melancholly persons strayers from the drove of mankind and whereas nature hath made us sociable creatures in making us men religion hath altered to a crazied disposition whereby we are mispleasing to all as all to us To this is answered Suppose it were true but I shall in place more convenient prove that the religious only enjoy true mirth and that worldly mirth is more talked of then felt spiritual joy