Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	church_n	faith_n	part_n	1,462	5	5.0430	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01379	Fiue sermons preached vpon sundry especiall occasions Viz. 1 The sinners mourning habit: in Whitehall, March 29. being the first Tuesday after the departure of King Iames into blessednesse. 2 A visitation sermon: in Christs Church, at the trienniall visitation of the right reuerend father in God the lord bishop of London. 3 The holy choice: in the chappell by Guildhall, at the solemne election of the right honorable the lord maior of London. 4 The barren tree: at Pauls-Crosse, Octob. 26. 5 The temple: at Pauls-Crosse. August 5. By Tho: Adams.	Adams, Thomas, fl. 1612-1653.; Adams, Thomas, fl. 1612-1653. Barren tree. aut; Adams, Thomas, fl. 11612-1653. Temple. aut	1626 (1626)	STC 115; ESTC S115603	103,732	219

the Israelites of them to none but the cleane There was a third proper only to the Priests and Leuites whither the Laitie might not come thus farre they might bring their offerings but further they might not offer to goe In the Temple it selfe there was one roome into which the Leuites might not enter the Priests might Another whither the Priests might not come but onely the high Priest and euen hee but once yearely Some passages of the Christian Church are common to all euen to the vncleane hypocrites and foule-hearted sinners They haue accesse to Gods holy ordinances and tread in his Courts as the Pharisee came into the congregation and Iudas receiued the Communion Other are secret and reserued wherein the faithfull onely conuerse with God and solace themselues in the sweet fruition of his gracious presence The materiall Temple in three diuisions seemed to be a cleare representation of the Church in three degrees The first signified the externall and visible face of the Church from which no professor of Christ is debarred The second the communion of the inuisible Church vpon earth The last the highest heauen of Gods glorified Saints Neither did those roomes more exceed one another then do these parts of the spirituall house of Christ. What are the most polished corners of the Temple to the spirituall liuing stones of the Church What be pebles to Saphirs or marbles to Diamonds Howsoeuer some are more transported with insensible monuments then with liuing Saints As it was a complaint long since Fulget Ecclesia in parietibus luget in pauperibus Yet Temples are built for men not men for Temples and what is a glorious edifice when the whole world is not worth one soule Dead walls bee of small value to the liuing Temples of the holy Ghost yea the temple of our body to the temple of Christs Body his Church yea the Temple of Gods Church militant on earth to that which is triumphant in heauen What is siluer and gold Cedar and Marble to those diuine graces faith truth pietie holinesse Salomons Temple did last but some 430. yeares the Church is for eternitie The Temple took vp but a little space of ground at most the Hill Sion the Church is vniuersally spread in all parts of the world God hath his chosen Did our intellectuall eyes truely behold the beauty of this Temple wee would with that good Emperor esteeme it better to be a member of the Church then head of the kingdome We would set this one thing against all worldly glories As when Henry 4. that late Great king of France was told of the king of Spaines ample dominions as first he is king of Castile and I quoth Henry am king of France he is king of Nauarre and I am king of France he is king of Portugall and I am king of France he is king of Naples and I am king of France he is king of the Si●ilies and I am king of France hee is king of Noua Hispania the West Indies and I am king of France he thought the kingdome of France equiualent to all these So let thy soule O Christian solace it selfe against all the wants of thy mortall pilgrimage in this that thou art a member of the church Another hath more wit or learning yet I am a Christian another hath more honour and preferment on earth yet I am a Christian another hath more siluer and gold and riches yet I am a Christian another hath large possessions yet I haue an Inheritance in heauen I am a Christian. Dauid thought it not so happy to bee a King in his owne house as to bee a doore-keeper in Gods house Were our hearts throughly sanctified we would vnder-value all honours to this that we are parts of this spirituall Temple the members of Iesus Christ. Idols Euery deuice of man in the seruice of God is a meere Idol Whatsoeuer we inuent out of Gods Schoole or substitute in Gods roome is to vs an Idol Howsoeuer we flatter our selues with reflecting all the honour on God yet hee will reflect the vengeance on vs. Shall a man speake deceitfully for God or tell a lye for his glory Hee is not so penurious of meanes to honour himselfe as to be beholding to vs for a lye The doctrine of vniuersall grace seemes to make much for Gods glory but himselfe sayes it is ●lye for he w●ll haue mercie on whom h● will haue mercy and whom hee will hee hardneth To say that Christ in the wombe wrought many miracles hath a faire shew of honouring him but who can say it is not a lye Sure wee reade no such matter To distribute among the Saints departed seuerall Offices as one to haue the charge of women in child-bed another to bee the Patron of such a Citie or Countrey to omit their protection of beasts one for hogs another for horses seemes to honour God in thus honouring them but it is a lye and a plaine derogation to his vniuersall prouidence yea as absurd as if the flies should take vpon them to giue the charges and offices of this kingdome To say the Saints in heauen know the occurrents of this nether world and the condition of their ancient friends or children below reading them in the Deitie as by the reflection of a glasse this is a fiction that carries a shew of honouring God but it doth indeed dishonor him by making creatures as omniscient as their Maker Besides how absurd is it to say that Iohn in Patmos seeing Christ did see all that Christ saw If I standing on the ground see a man on the top of a high Turret doe I see all that hee seeth If the sight of him that looketh bee to be measured by the sight of him on whom hee looketh it will follow that hee which looketh on a blinde man should see no●hing at all And who seeth not the blindness of this consequēce To say that all the worship done to the Virgin mother redounds to the honour of her Sonne and God is a grosse falshood The Idolatrous Iewes might as well haue pretended the honor of God when they worshipped the Queene of heauen That fanaticall vision of theirs concerning the two ladders that reached vp to heauen while Christ was preparing to iudge the world the one Red at the top whereof Christ sate the other white at the top whereof the Virgin sate and when the Friers could not get vp the red ladder of Christ but euermore tumbled downe backward St. Francis called them vp the white ladder of our Lady and there they were receiued Did this make for the honour of Christ when the red blood of our Sauiour is not so able to bring men to heauen as the white milke of his mother which must needs be the morall or meaning of it Or the obseruation of Barrhadius the Iesuite who made bold to aske Christ why in his ascension to heauen he did not take his mother along with him

si non natus ad Regnum vnder whom we know not whether our Truth or Peace bee more Onely let vs blesse him and blesse God for him that we may all be blessed in him Thus farre we may say of our Land as Syluius did of Rhodes Semper in Sole sita est the bright reflection of the Gospell compasseth vs round about Now he comes this third yeare seeking our fruites which when we consider wee can say no more but Miserere Deus Lord bee mercifull to vs for neuer were such blessings requited with such vnthankefulnesse We condemne the Iewes for abusing Christs patience God grant they rise not vp at the last day to condemne vs. He comes to a particular man three yeeres 1. In Youth I haue planted thee in my Vineyard giuen thee the influence of my mercies where is thy fruitfulnesse Alas the young man sends him away with a Nondum tempus ficorum it is too earely for me to fall to Mortification would you put me to pennance before I haue had the leasure and pleasure to offend He is ready to send Christ away in the Language of that foule Spirit Art thou come to torment mee before my time But whose charge is it to Remember thy Creator Diebus Iuuentutis Then the conquest is most glorious because then it is most difficult You say It is neuer too late but I am sure It is neuer too soone to be gracious and holy The Deuill is a false Sexton and sets backe the clocke of Time in prosperitie in the day of trouble hee will make it run fast enough 2. In middle age and now the buying of Farmes and trying of Beasts the pleasures of Matrimony the cares for posteritie take vp all the roomes of the soule Men rather busie themselues to gather the fruites of earth then to yeeld the fruites of heauen Heere is strength of nature and fulnesse of stature but still a defect of grace Perhaps Christ hath now some faire promises of fruits heereafter Let mee first go bury my Father then But a thousand to one he finds something in Domo left by his father that keepes him a Domino from following his Master To preuent this it is his caution to the entertained seruant Forget thine owne people and thy fathers house rather forgoe and forget thy fathers house then thy Makers seruice 3. In old age now the decay of body should argue a decay of sinne The taste finds no relish in ryot the eares cannot distinguish Musicke the eies are dimme to pleasing obiects very Desire failes now all things promise mortification Hee that cannot stirre abroad in the world what should he doe but recollect himselfe and settle his thoughts on the world to come Now fruites or neuer Not yet Morositie Pride and Auarice are the three diseases of olde age men couet most when they haue time to spend least as cheating Tradesmen then get vp most commodities into their hands when they meane to breake Still hee comes seeking fruite and is returned with a Non inuentus If yet it weare but as the Prophets signe to Hezekiah This yeare yee shall eate such as groweth of it selfe and the second yeare such springeth of the same and in the third yeare yee shall sowe and reape c. the third yeare might afford him somewhat But doth hee forbeare all trees thus long No some are snatch'● away in the flower and pride of their life yea they bee not fewe that will not allow themselues to liue but with ryot and intemperance hasten their owne endes before they haue well begun or learned what life is like bad Schollers that slubber out their bookes before they haue learned their lessons That instead of Non est fructus wee may say Non est ficus the tree it selfe is gone And that goodly person which like a faire ship hath bene long a building and was but yesterday put to sea is to day sunke in the Maine We doe not eate drinke and sleepe and take such refections of nature vt non moriamur that wee might not die that is impossible but that wee should not dye barren but beare some fruits vp with vs to him that made the Tree Seeking It is fit wee should offer our fruits to God and not put him to seeke for his owne We should be like those ripe-figs that fall into the mouth of the eater The best liquours are they that drop from their cells of their owne accord without pressing The most acceptable of all oblations be the Free-will-offerings Howsoeuer let vs bee sure not to disappoynt the Lord when he seekes On this Fig-tree It is fit that hee that plants a Vineyard should taste of the Wine good reason his owne tree should yeeld him some fruite considering what hee hath done for it he may well challenge it 1 He hath planted vs wee spring not vp naturally as the Oake growes from an Acorne the Peach from a stone but a gracious hand hath set vs. We are not borne of flesh nor of the will of blood or of man but of God 2. Hee hath planted vs in his Vineyard within the enclosed Garden of the Church Had he left vs to the vnregarded wildernes without any Dresser to looke to vs there might haue been some excuse of our barrennesse The ground that is left to it selfe is in a manner blamelesse though it be fruitlesse But in Vineasua which he hath fenced in with his prouidence blessed with his sauing influence husbanded with his Dressers diligence forwarded with the beames of mercy and showres more precious then the deawes of Hermon that fell vpon the hill of Sion Where wee participate the fatnesse of the ground are fed with vnperishing Manna compassed about with Songs of deliuerance and haue seene our desires vpon his and our enemies Where Righteousnesse is our walls and Peace our bulwarkes and the wayes bee milke where we set our feet 3 Wee are Figtrees not brambles no man expects Grapes from thornes Not Okes or Cedars to be a dwelling for the Storkes But Figtrees apt for fruit for pleasant fruit If the rest be fruitlesse they serue for other purposes but what shall become of the barren Figtree 4. Hee is our Lord and Querit suum he seekes but his owne If our owne Kin● giue vs no milke our owne sheepe afford vs no wooll our owne land returne vs no encrease we are displeased whereas these be reasonlesse creatures but we haue sense aboue common nature reason aboue sense grace aboue reason We are but tennants of these Christ is Lord of vs our sinnes bring the curse of barrennesse vpon them but there is no fault in God if we be vnfruitfull 5 He comes seeking not threatning raging wounding not felling downe the tree nor stocking it vp by the rootes but seeking Dignatur expectare fructus cuilicet eradicare Infructuosos Man is a loser by the barrenesse of his garden tree were there not a tree left God