Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	bring_v	good_a	see_v	1,546	5	3.3026	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A19862	The wonderfull combate (for Gods glorie and mans saluation) betweene Christ and Satan Opened in seuen most excellent, learned and zealous sermons, vpon the temptations of Christ, in the wilderness, &c. Seene and allowed.	Andrewes, Lancelot, 1555-1626.	1592 (1592)	STC 629; ESTC S100202	68,496	222

wantonnes to put God to try what he can do and to set him about base seruices by the one he driueth vs vnto vnlawfull meanes by the other he draweth vs from the vse of things lawfull by the one he brings vs to this conceipt that we are so abiected of God that if we trust in him he will in the ende fayle vs by the other to thinke we are so deare in Gods eyes and such darlings as throw our selues into anie danger and he will not forsake vs by the one he puts vs in feare as Augustine saith Deum defuturum et iamsi promisit by the other in hope Deum adfuturum vbi non promisit by the one he slaundreth GOD vnto vs as if hee were a God of straw of base condition and subiect to our becke by the other as if he were a God of yron that would not encline though wee requested him Now to the Temptation wherein we are to consider three things First the g●ound the Diuell chose for the woorking of this Temptation Secondly the temptation it selfe to wit the diuells speech Thirdly Christs answere to it In the place three things are to be noted first the place it self secondly the diuel chose it thirdly that our Sauiour followed him thether For a new Temptation hee makes choyce of a new place Indeed for a temptation to presumption the Wildernes was not a sit place first it was not high enough and then it was not populous enough It was a melancholy place when a man is vnder the crosse in affliction or in some anguish and sorrow for want death of frends or otherwise and generally for all solitarie men the hungrie temptation is fitter than this of presumption As long as Noah was in the Arke in the midst of the waters hee had in him no presumptuous thought but sitting vnder the vine in his vineyard he was ouercome therewith And iust Lot 2. ●et 2. 8. in Sodome had no fit time or place to bee presumptuous but when he dwelt in the mountaine in securitie then he committed incest with his Daughters beeing made drunke by them Dauid so long as hee was persecuted by Saule and tossed vp downe from post to piller had no leasure to be presumptuous but in the top of his turret when he was at rest in his pallace 2. Sam. 11. 2. presumption gaue him a blow So heere the Wildernes was no fit place but the Pinacle is a very fit place for one to be presumptuous on It is as good as a stage to shew himselfe vpon to see and to be seene In the Wildernes there was small warrant for one that would bee presumptuous but from the Pinacle hee might discerne farre and neere both the inner Court and outward Court and see a whole Clowde of Witnesses and haue some warrant of example of all estates high or lowe wise or noble For what abuse soeuer be in him bee he neuer so presumptuous hee shall see some as prowde stout and high minded as himselfe be his hayre neuer so long or his ruffs neuer so great he shall finde some as farre gone therin as himselfe If wee marke the foure gradations that it hath wee shall finde it to bee a verie fit place As first before hee could come to the Pinacle hee must goe out of the Wildernesse into the Citie secondly not anie Citie but the holy Citie thirdly into the Temple of the Citie and fourthly out of the Temple vp to the Pinacle First hauing got him to leaue the Wildernes hee brought him into the Citie that there hee might saye vnto him you see such such graue men how they behaue themselues why should you seeke to bee holier than they This was a good ciuill temptation hee brought him not to Cesarea or Samaria but euen to Ierusalem the holie Citie for that addition is giuen it Luc 4 9. and Dan. 9. 24. Thirdly he brought him into the Temple where euen the verie ground was holy Fourthly not to anie other place of it but to the verie top and pinacle which was ouer the Sanctum Sanctorum Who would not tread hard there and take vpon him being in such a place where if a man will be carried away with example hee may see Ananias the high Priest renting his cloathes at the hearing of things that sounded like blasphemie Mark 14. 63. and yet buying his Bishoprick for money who will not then be bold to doo the like And Herod a Prince such a one as heard Iohn Baptist preach yea and with much delight to commit adulterie Mark 6. 20 who would feare to doo the like There he may see the Pharisie vnder showe of great holines tything mynt and comine and vnder colour of long praiers deuoure widowes houses bringing in by extortion and sending out by excesse Matth. 23. 14. 21. And so in this Citie one may see some men both great frequenters of Sermons and yet great vsurers gentlewomen misshapen in theyr attyre Seeing this who will not be as bolde as they the place being so holie And beeing thus warranted by example surely we must needs commend the diuels wit for his choyce Out of this arise two notes First against some phantasticall spirites who say Can that bee an holie Citie where there be dumbe dogges There were so in Ierusalem Es● 56. 10. where the leaders be blinde Matth. 15. 14. They were so where Iudas ministred the Sacrament where there is diuision and debate amongst themselues Phil. 4. 2. Can this say they be the holie Citie And thereuppon they forsake the fellowship Hebr. 10. 25. whereas they notwithstanding the former abuses and notwithstanding the eleuen Tribes were Apostataes did yet name it the holie Citie Secondly on the other side wee are to be instructed that though a man be on the battlements of the Church yet hath he no sure footing or cause to be secure but rather to feare the more for euen there doth the diuell stand at his elbow watching his ouerthrow There is no place we see priuiledged from temptations no Desert so sollitarie but the diuell will seeke it out no pinacle so high but the Diuell is a Bishop ouer it to visit and ouerlooke it To conclude though in Ierusalem sit the abhomination of desolation whereof Daniel spake yet it is the holy Citie stil. And though the place bee neuer so holy yet is that no cause of priuiledge but euen there may sit the abhomination of desolation Both are prooued out of Matth. 24. 15. The second thing that wee obserued in the circumstaunce of place is that the Diuell assumpted Christ which to those that are weake as Gregorie also collecteth may be offensiue in giuing them to thinke that the Diuell had such power ouer Christ as to carie him whether he listed But when they shall consider that euen the lymbes of the Diuell haled and harrowed him too and fro from Annas to Caiphas from Caiphas to Pilate from Pilate to Herod and from him backe againe to

that disobedience soone will followe Hauing abolished the stablisher of the Law Roman 3. 31. the breach of the Lawe must needes follow Hee hath then fit time to set vs a worke about making stones into bread that is to get our liuing by vnlawfull meanes First shipwracke of faith then of obedience The Diuell heere seeing him in great want and hunger woulde thereby bring in doubt that he was not the Sonne of GOD which is not a good argument For whether wee respect the naturall tokens of Gods fauour wee see they happen not to the wisest and men of best and greatest knowledge as appeareth in the ninth chap. of Eccl. vers 11. or the supernaturall fauour of GOD we shall see Abraham forced to flye his Countrey into Egypt for famine Gen 10. 12. so did Isaack Gen. 26. 1. Iacob likewise was in the same distres Gen. 43. 1. Notwithstanding that God was called The God of Abraham Isaack and Iacob yet were they all three like to be hunger-starued Yea not only so but for their faith manie were burned and stoned of whom the world was not worthie Hebr. 11. 37. So fared it with the Apostles they were hungrie naked and a thirst 1. Cor. 4. 11. But what doo we speake of the adopted sonnes of God when as his owne naturall Sonne suffered as much nay fa●●e more Heere we see he was hungrie also hee was wearied with trauaile and faine to rest Iohn 4. 6. hee had no house to hide his head in whereas foxes haue holes If thou be the Sonne of God The heathens haue obserued that in Rethoricke it is a poynt of chiefest cunning when you would out-face a man or importune him to do a thing to presse vrge him with that which he will not or cannot for shame denie to be in himselfe as by saying If you haue anie wit then you will doo thus and thus if you be an honest man or a good fellow doo this So heere the diuell not being to learne anie poynt of subtiltie comes to our Sauiour saying If thou be the Sonne of God as it may be doubted you beeing in this case then make these stones bread No no it followes not a man may be the sonne of God and not shew it by anie such arte So when Pilate asked who accused Christ they answered If hee had not been a malefactor wee would not haue brought him before thee Iohn 18. 30. They were iolly graue men it was a flat flatterie and in Ioh. 21. 23. there is the like This ought to put vs in minde when we are tempted in like manner that we take heed we be not out-faced In the matter it selfe we are to consider these poynts First the diuel sets it downe for a ground that followe what will bread must needes bee had Therefore Christ first closeth with him Admit he had bread were hee then safe No We liue not by bread only so that bread is not of absolute necessitie Well what followes of that Bread you must needes haue you see your want God hath left off to prouide for you Then comes the conclusion Therefore shift for your selfe as well as you can First he solliciteth vs to a mutinous repining within our selues as Hebr. 3. 8. Harden not your hearts as in the day of temptation c whereby he forceth vs to breake out into such like conceipts as Psalm 116. 11. I sayd in my distresse that all men be lyars and Psalm 31. 22. I said in my hast I am cast off Thus closely he distrusted God in saying his Prophets prophecie lyes till at last we euen open our mouths against God himself and say This euill commeth from the Lord shal I attend on the Lord any longer 2. Booke of Kings chapter 6. and verse 33. Hunger and shame is all wee shall get at Gods hands And so hauing cast off God betake themselues to some other Patrone then the diuell is fittest for their turne For when we are fallen out with one it is best seruing his enemie and to retaine to the contrary faction Then we seek a familiar with Saule to answere vs 1. Sam. 28. 7. But what did the diuel than tel him did he bring comfort with him No he tells him that to morrow he his sonnes should dye So heere dooth the Diuell bring a stone with him What Father sayeth Christ if his Sonne aske him bread would giue him a stone Matthew the seauenth chapter and in the ninth verse yet the Diuell doth so Christ was hungrye and the Diuell showes him stones Heere is the Diuels comfort here bee stones for thee if thou canst deuise anie waye to make these stones bread thou art well whereas we doo not vse to make bread of stones but of wheate to worke it with the sweate of our browes To get it so we learne Gen. 3. 19. By extortion and vsurie wee may make stones into bread that is the diuels Alchymistrie or happily we may make bread of nothing when a man gets a thing by anothers ouersight Gen. 43. 12. Or els what and if wee can ouer-reach our brother in subtiltie and goe beyond him with a tricke of wit or cunning Let no man defraud or oppresse his brother in anie matter for the Lord is auenged of all such 1. Thessal 4 6. The one is called The bread of violence and oppression Prouerbs 4. 17. The other The bread of deceipt They are indeede both made of stones for they still retayne their former propertie as the euent will declare For though in the beginning such bread be pleasant Prouerb 20. 17. yet after his mouth is but filled with grauell Prouerb 20. 17. After which will consequently follow gnashing of teeth The third Sermon Matt. 4. vers 4. But he answering sayd It is written Man shall not liue by bread onely but by euerie word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God IT was a good seruice that Elisha 2. Reg. 6. 9. did to tell the king of the traynes layd for him when they lay in Ambush agaynst him And euen this is the first vse that wee haue of our Sauiours Temptations It warnes vs afore-hand of the diuels comming so that we may haue time to prepare our selues accordingly For as at that time the diuel came vppon Christ when hunger pinched him so where we are in any distres wee are to looke for temptations This temptation hath two parts First comes Si a distrust Secondly followes vnlawfull meanes Hauing laid this foundation that bread is necessarie to bee had when one is hungrie he inferreth that God helpeth not nor supplieth thy want therefore God is not thy Father Mat. 7. 9. and therefore depend no longer on him but shift for your selfe This is the effect of the diuells argument The Fathers vpon the words Eph. 6. 16. Take the shield of faith to quench all the fierie dartes of the Diuell doo note that about euery one of the darts or temptations of the diuell there are as it were