Selected quad for the lemma: earth_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A10734
|
The benefite of affliction. A sermon, first preached, and afterwards enlarged, by Charles Richardson preacher at Saint Katharines neare to the Tower of London
|
Richardson, Charles, fl. 1612-1617.
|
1616
(1616)
|
STC 21013; ESTC S119812
|
42,110
|
112
|
may inable them to ouercome the enimy that is appointed for theÌ„ For God is not like the master of the games before spoken of who when hee hath armed the parties departeth out of the wrastling place to behold the combat with the rest But the Lord standeth by them still and aideth and assisteth them at euery turne and continually succoureth them that are weaker with greater strength And heerein the Lord dealeth with his children as Ioseph dealt with his brethren when they came into Egipt to buy corne For as Ioseph himselfe was many wayes tried of the Lord before he was made Ruler of the Land so he likewise many wayes tryed and exercised his brethren before hee would make himselfe knowne vnto them or acknowledge them to be his brethren First he tryed them Genes 42.7 et cetera ad 24. whether they had truly repented and were touched with remorse for the iniury they had done to him in that so cruelly and vnnaturally they solde him into Aegypt Secondly hee tryed them whether they had attempted any such thing against Beniamin his brother German Ibid. ver 20 in that hee enioyned them to bring him with them the next time that hee might see him Thirdly Gen 43.34 when they had brought him hee shewed extraordinary kindenesse to him aboue the rest giuing him fiue times so great a portion as hee did any of them and all to trie whether they did enuy him or no Fourthly he tryed them whether they loued their brother Beniamin so well that when hee alone was detained Gen. 44.1 et cetera ad 14 and 33. they would all for his sake come backe againe from their iourny Last of all he tried them whether they loued their fathet so intirely as that they would not return home without Beniamin Ibid. verse 17 et cet which they knew would be intollerable griefe vnto their father All this while no doubt his brethren were in great perplexity much troubled and still Ioseph made as though he had not regarded them But his bowels did earne within him towards them and his heart was asmuch grieued as theirs insomuch as twice he was constrained to turne from them and weep Gen. 42.24 and 43 30 and 45.1 2 3 And at the last he could refrain no longer but he cried out I am Ioseph your brother So likewise Christ Iesus our blessed Sauiour Matth 28.10 Heb. 2.11 who is not ashamed to call vs his Brethren doth suffer vs to be exercised with many grieuous afflictions and seemeth sometimes as though he cared not for vs but yet in the meane while Hos 11 8 his repentings are rolled together and at the last when he hath sufficiently tryed vs hee will manifest himselfe vnto vs to our vnspeakeable comfort According as himselfe saith Hee that loueth mee shall be loued of my Father Iohn 14.21 and I will loue him and will shew mine owne selfe to him That is as one well noteth I will loue him by trying his loue and patience and when I haue tryed him I will manifest my selfe vnto him And though peraduenture this manifestation shall not bee by anie outwatd deliuerance in this life yet at the day of Iudgement hee will acknowledge them openly in the sight of men and Angells Then hee shall not be able to containe himselfe anie longer but shall say vnto vs with a loude voyce so as all the world shall heare I am Iesus your Brother Come yee blessed of my Father inherite the Kingdome prepared for you from the foundations of the world Matt. 25.34 For as the Aegyptians and all the house of Pharaoh heard the voyce of Ioseph when hee reuealed himselfe vnto his Brethren Genes 45.2 So in the day of Iudgement when Christ shall manifest himselfe to his brethren heauen and earth and all the Angells in heauen shall heare his voyce yea all the damned the whole house of hell shall heare it and shall gnash their teeth for anger and gnaw their tongs for griefe of heart to see those whom they sometimes had in derision and in a parable of reproach whose life they thought to be madnes and their end without honour Wisd 5.3 4 5 to be now counted among the children of God and to haue their portion amongst the Saints Finally this is another argument of vnspeakeable comfort to the children of God that the greater their afflictions are the greater shal their glorie be 1 Pet. 4.14 As the Apostle Peter saith If ye be rayled vpon for the name of Christ and it is true likewise of all other afflictions blessed are yee for the Spirite of glorie and of God resteth vpon you And heereof we haue a worthy example in Ioseph before named For after the manifold and great calamities which he indured so many yeares he was exalted by Pharaoh and as himselfe confesseth Gene. 45.8 was made Lord of all his house and Ruler through all the land of Aegypt And it is worthy to be noted that for some thirteene yeares wherein he was afflicted he was exalted and ruled in Aegypt for the space of fourescore yeares as may easily be gathered out of the Story Gen. 37.2 and 41.46 For hee was seauenteene yeares olde when his brethren solde him away and 50.22 hee was thirtie yeares olde when hee was aduaunced by Pharaoh and he liued Gouernour of the land of Aegypt till hee were an hundred and ten yeares olde Besides such was the goodnesse of God vnto him that for the seueral miseries which hee suffered hee receiued a seuerall reward For the hatred of his brethren hee obtained the fauour of the King and his Nobles Gen. 37.19 For the contempt and scorne which his brethren heaped vpon him calling him Dreamer c. and 42.6 he was worshipped of them with their faces downe to the ground For the particoloured coate which they stript him of Gen. 37.23 when they cast him into the pit he was arayed by Pharaoh with a princely roabe of fine linnen and 41.42 In stead of the fetters wherewith he was bound in prison Pharaoh put his own ring on his hand and a chaine of golde about his necke In steade of the prison and dungeon where he lay he was set vpon the Kings best Chariot saue one and carried in great pomp throughout the cittie Whereas before he was contemned of all men as a stranger as a seruant and a prisoner hee is now honored of all men by bowing the knee at the Kings commaundement In a word in steade of his fathers house from which he was exiled and banished he had dominion in all the land of Aegypt So true is that saying euen of an heathen man a quanto plus tormenti tâ—nâ—o plus erit gloriae Seneâ—a de diuin Prouid The greater torment a man indureth the greater shall be his glory afterwards But howsoeuer the Lord doth not alwayes deale thus with his children in this life yet
Canaan yet we see how hardly they were brought to depart from thence Yea when they were in the way to Canaan they would often haue returned backe againe into Aegypt to their flesh-pots Num i4 3 4 Exod. 16.3 Num. 11.5 their fish their cucumbers their pepons c. If they had liued in preferrement there and enioyed the fatte of the land as they did in Iosephs time Gen. 45.18 and 47.11 it would no doubt haue beene an hard matter to haue perswaded them to depart So it fareth with the most of vs wee are in this world as in a Sea of misery neuer out of one danger or other yet such is our folly we loue to be here still What would we do if we neuer had any thing to molest vs It is a lamentable thing to consider that our mindes should bee so dazeled with the glittring shew of riches plesures honors as they cannot look to heaueÌ„ that our hearts should be so oppressed and weighed downe with couetousnes and ambition that they can not raise vp themselues vnto celestiall cogitations and that our soules should be so ensnared with the pleasant inticements of the flesh that they seeke for their felicitie vpon the earth And therfore the Lord in mercy to preuent this euill doth by daily experience of miseries put his children in minde of the vanity of all earthly things Caluin instit lib. 3. cap 9. sect 1. lest they should promise to themselues a constant and continuall peace in this world hee suffereth them many times to bee disquieted and molested with warres with tumults with robberies and other iniuries lest they should with too much greedines gape after brittle and inconstant riches or should too much rest in those which they doe possesse God bringeth them to pouerty sometimes by banishment sometimes by barrennes of the earth sometimes by fire sometimes by one meanes and sometimes by another lest they should take too much delight in the comfortes of marriage he eyther causeth them to be vexed with the shrewdnesse of their wiues or humbleth them with lewd children or afflicteth them with the losse and death of their children And if it fall out that the Lord doe spare them in all these things yet lest they should either swell with vaine-glorie or reioyce with foolish confidence he chasteneth them with sickenesse and diseases that they may learne how fraile and vnstable all earthly things are and may lift vp their eyes to heauen where that incorruptible crowne of glory is laid vp for them And thus the Lord in his vnspeakeable goodnes many times diminisheth the health of our bodies that we may more earnestly desire the saluation of our souls He taketh away the things of this life that we may more carefully seeke after the things of a better life So that afflictions are like to a great storme at Sea Philip. 1.23 to make the godly wish to be in the hauen As the waters of the deluge the more they increased the higher they bare vp the Arke So the waters of tribulation the greater they are the higher they lift vp the soule towardes heauen according to that speech of Bernard a Per flagella domini spernuntur teâ—rena amantur coelestâ—a De coena dom serm 10 By the Lords corrections we contemne earthly things and loue heauenly And therefore as Zeno b Diog. Laertius in vita Zenonis hauing suffered shipwracke became the Scholler of Crates and studied Philosophie and after said it was an happie shipwracke that made him affect such excellent knowledge So may wee say much more truly It was a blessed sicknes a blessed pouerty a blessed imprisonment c that caused vs to looke towardes the kingdome of heauen Ninthly affliction doeth saue the children of God from hell condemnation If God should let vs alone we would neuer rest till we run headlong to hell as foolish childreÌ„ if they be not hinderd will run into the ditch And therefore it is the Lords mercie to lay the rodde vpon our backs that so we may bethinke our selues of the danger wherein wee stand and may labour to preuent it And this is that which Iob saith Iob 33 16.18 that the Lord openeth the eares of men by corrections that so he may keepe backe their soules from the pit and that their life should not passe by the sword And the Apostle hath a saying to the same purpose i Cor. 11.32 that when we are iudged we are chastened of the Lord because we should not be condemned with the world When a man is desperately about to cast himselfe into the fire or to drowne himselfe in the water can any do him a greater benefite then to preuent him and saue his life So there cannot be a greater benefit to vs then when we are ready to drowne our selues in perdition by our sinnes that the Lord by his corrections should stay vs and holde vs backe Last of all affliction doth fitte and prepare vs for the kingdome of Heauen As the Apostle saith of the Thessalonians that by persecutions and tribulations which they suffered they were counted woorthie of the kingdome of God 2. Thess 1.5 As the parching heat of the Sun ripeneth the corne and maketh it fitte to bee carried into the barn so doth afflictioÌ„ ripen the godly that they may be meet to be gathered into Gods barne And this is done two wayes First because by afflictions â—as wee haue heard wee are purged and purified from our sins which else would hinder vs from comming there Apocal. 21.27 For no vncleane thing shall enter into Gods kingdome As gold must first be purified in the fire before it be laid vp in the kings treasury Prou. 25.4 as wheat must be cleansed from the chaffe before it be laid vp in the garner so must it be with vs. Affliction is the fire that must purge vs 2. Tim. 2.21 to make vs vessels of honour for the house of God and the fan that must clense vs to make vs pure wheat for his garner In the building of Solomons temple 1 Kings 6.7 all the stones were hewen and fitted in the quarry before they were brought thither and There was neither hammer nor axe nor anie toole of yron heard in the temple while it was in building So in the kingdome of heauen which is the spirituall house of God all the liuing stones thereof must be hewen and squared and fitted by afflictions in this life Secondly affliction prepareth vs for heauen because it is a meanes to worke holines in vs Heb. 12.14 without which no man shall euer see the Lord as the Apostle saith We see then by all these gracious effects and blessed fruits which affl ction bringeth with it that Dauid had good cause to say It is good for mee that I haue beene afflicted And therefore wee may conclude with Saint Augustine a Percutis vt sanes â—et occidis nos ne moriamur abs te