Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heaven_n	angel_n	earth_n	praise_n	1,995	5	7.1429	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10929	The true conuert. Or An exposition vpon the vvhole parable of the prodigall. Luke. 15. 11.12. &c. Wherein is manifestly shewed; 1. Mans miserable estate by forsaking of God. 2. Mans happie estate by returning to God. Deliuered in sundry sermons, by Nehemiah Rogers, preacher of Gods Word, at St Margarets Fish-street. And now by him published, intending the farther benefit of so many as then heard it; and the profit of so many as shall please to read it.	Rogers, Nehemiah, 1593-1660.	1620 (1620)	STC 21201; ESTC S116104	291,820	402

vpon their crownes the Barbers paines shall then be spared In a word all sorts are confuted in their habits no place no calling nor condition is respected or regarded Gentlemen goe like Nobles Citizens like Courtiers the Countryman like the Citizen the seruant will be attired as his master the maide like vnto her mistresse Salomons vanitie is come againe into the world Seruants ride on horsebacke and Masters goe on foote and so farre are we from that modest and comely attyring of our selues which the Apostle doth require as that the attire which many weare better beseemeth strumpets then honest Matrons being neither fashioned to our bodies nor made large enough to couer those naked parts which both God and nature would haue couered how iustly may the Lord fashion our bodies to our clothes seeing we will not fashion our cloths vnto our bodies And thus is our liberty abused which God affordeth vs for which this Land and Nation is like to smoake vnlesse it please the Lord in mercy to looke vpon vs and giue vs hearts to repent for these abominations which are so rise amongst vs. You that feare the Lord call vpon his name you that loue King and Country fall to mourning for assuredly these sinnes cannot escape vnpunished without there be an vniuersall humiliation and repentance And let vs eat and be merry Heere was cause of ioy on all sides The father hath cause of ioy Text. who losing an vntoward sonne now findes an obedient childe who findes him humbled that went away obdurate and impenitent The sonne himselfe hath cause of ioy in finding so kinde a welcome at his Fathers hands whom he had so much wronged And heere is cause of reioycing also for the houshold seruants in that their Masters sonne was now found who had been so long lost Therfore saith the Father let vs cat and be merry not doe Yee for this my sonnes returne or doe Thou my son for that thou art returned but let Vs reioyce let Vs bee merry for this so blessed a returne and change The true turning of any soule from sinne Doctr. The true conuersion of any doth administer much matter of reioycing vnto the faithfull Verse 5 6. Verse 7. Verse 8 9. doth administer matter of exceeding great ioy and reioycing This is declared in the two fore going parables First in that of the lost sheepe where wee see that the shepheard when hee findes his sheepe layeth it on his shoulder and comming home calleth his friends together and wils them to reioyce because hee had found the sheepe which was wanting Now heare how Christ applies this I say vnto you that likewise ioy shall bee in Heauen ouer one sinner that repenteth more then ouer ninety and nine iust persons which neede no repentance So in that other parable of the lost groat the poore woman lights a candle sweepes the house searcheth euery corner and when she hath found her groat shee gathereth her neighbours together saying Reioyce with me Verse 10. for I haue found the piece which I had lost Heare now what followes Likewise I say vnto you there is ioy in the presence of the Angels of God for one sinner that conuerteth As it causeth the Angels of Heauen to reioyce so doth it likewise cause the Saints vpon the earth for when the Iewes heard of the conuersion of the Gentiles Acts 11.18 and that the Holy Ghost was fallen vpon them as vpon themselues at the beginning They held their peace as the Text saith and glorified God saying Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance vnto life Reason The reason is because God is heereby glorified and his Church and Kingdome is increased and aduanced Now as there is nothing that ought to be more grieuous to vs then Gods dishonour so nothing ought to reioyce our hearts more then to see his praise set forth and his name magnified Vse 1 First then this may serue to reprooue such as enuy and murmure at the conuersion of their brethren Thus did the Brother of this Prodigall as heereafter we shall see so did the Iewes stumble at the conuersion of the Gentiles Acts 12.3 15.1 who had rather renounce the Gospell then to receiue them into a fellowship of the same faith Thus doe many peruersely and maliciously repine at the bringing of their brethren into the estate of grace wherat they ought especially to reioyce 1 Pet. 4.4 Yea farther they mocke and persecute them for no other cause but because they haue left their sins turned to the Lord. But let these know that such as bee themselues conuerted will reioyce at the conuersion of their brethren and let me wish them to take heed how they murmure at the mercy of God shewed in the conuersion of any for feare they depriue themselues for euer of it Vse 2 Secondly this should be as a forcible motiue to make vs returne vnto the Lord Consider thou shalt reioyce both the heart of God and man by thy repentance the Saints vpon the earth will reioyce and magnifie Gods name the Angels in heauen shall bee exceeding glad and praise God for thee yea the thrice gloririous and blessed Trinity will also beare their parts in this reioycing The Father will reioyce when thou who art by nature the childe of wrath and slaue of Satan becommest his adopted sonne and heire of grace The Sonne also will be glad because by thy repentance his death and bloud shed becomes auailable vnto thee The Holy Ghost likewise shall reioyce because by repentance thy heart is purged and made a fit temple for himselfe to dwell in Oh what a notable spurre would this bee to true repentance if it were well considered Consider of it thou who as yet continuest in a course of sinne thou shalt reioyce the hearts of God Angels and Men if thou wilt repent And surely if it will bring ioy to them it will bring farre greater ioy vnto thy selfe in the end It is thy good that causeth them to reioyce for it concerneth not them so much as it concernes thy selfe Turne therefore from thy euill wayes leaue and forsake thy former courses thou shalt haue no cause of griefe for thy so doing The hearts of others thou wilt make glad but thine owne soule shall finde the greatest comfort Thirdly let this serue to exhort such as are conuerted Vse 3 to vse all good meanes for the conuersion of their brethren Seeke to gaine and winne them to the faith and if they be gained reioyce vnfainedly for Gods mercy towards them Away with that same vncircumcised care of enuy bee not offended for thy brothers good but let it cause thee to breake forth into a praising of the name of God Text. VERSE 24. For this my sonne was dead and is aliue Againe he was lost but is found and they began to be merrie AS the father made great ioy vpon his sonnes returne so he had good reason mouing him

grow more strong by thy daily feeding it in the vsing of the meanes If thou bearest any fruit God like a carefull hus-bandman will prune thee Iohn 15.2 that thou mayst bring forth more fruit other trees at last decay though formerly they haue bore fruit but trees of Righteousnesse the more they yeild the more they shall be replenished and the elder they grow the more shall they flourish and the better shall they prosper Keepe then thy grace in an honest heart and it will encrease though yet it be small like the widdowes oile in the cruise and meale in the barrell when great graces in an vnsound heart shall vanish away and come to nothing Text. To my Father Not to my brother or fathers seruants or to my harlots But to my father Hence learne Doctr. The bosome of the Lord is the only best refuge in the day of calamity Releife is to bee sought for only at Gods hands in time of misery and distresse To him are wee to betake our selues and to none but him This hath Gods Church and children shewed by their practise Dauid being in misery euer flyeth to the Lord this was his ordinarie course as might be made plaine by many particular instances fetched out of the Psalmes Where we may often reade of these and the like sayings I called vpon the Lord in my trouble and againe In my distresse I cried to the Lord Psal 3.4 Psal 120.1 Psa 142.4 Psa 116 4.3 Psal 107.4.5.6 and againe When all refuge failed mee I cried to the Lord. Such sayings are frequent This course did the Church take in time of trouble For when they wandered in the wildernesse in a solitary way and found no citie to dwell in being hungry and thirsty their soule fainting in them Then they cryed to the Lord in their trouble and he deliuered them out of their distresse Vers 12.13 When their heart was brought downe with labour and they fell there being none to helpe them t●ere also they cryed to the Lord in their trouble and he saued them out of their distresse Verse 17.18 When they were afflicted because of their transgressions and iniquities then they cryed to the Lord and hee saued them out of their distresses yea Vers 27 2● when they were at their wits end by reason of their afflictions they cryed to the Lord out of this their trouble and hee brought them ought of their distresses It were endlesse to bring what might be brought for the confirming of this truth Psa 99.6 I could tell you of Moses and Aaron amongst his priests and Samuell amongst them that call vpon his name how these called vpon the Lord and were answered But what shall I need to vnderprop so knowne a truth let mee giue you the reason and then I will shew you the vse All power to helpe is in his hands alone Reason 2 Chron. 20. as Iehoshaphat doth confesse when he saith thus O Lord God of our Fathers art not thou God in heauen and rulest not thou ouer all the kingdomes of the heathen and in thine hand is there not power and might so that none is able to withstand thee Iob. 5.6 Afflictions come not out of the dust neither spring they from the earth but from the most high God do they proceed Hos 6.1 Now who shall bind vp the wound but he that made it who shall heale but he that hath smitten to him therefore must we turne to him must we seeke for helpe Let this serue then to reproue such as betake themselues Vse 1 to other helpes in time of misery seekeing to bee releiued either by Saints or Angells in heauen or by Coniurers Witches or such like vnlawfull meanes heere vpon the earth This was King Ahaziahs sinne 2 King 1.2 who being sicke sent messengers and sayd vnto them Goe enquire of Baalzebub the God of Ekron whether I shall recouer of this disease contrary to that charge which God doth giue his people Regard not them that haue familiar spirits Leuit. 19 31. neither seeke after Wizards to be defiled by them I am the Lord your God Of this I haue formerly spoke more and therefore a word or two here shall suffice Secondly let this te ch vs to betake our selues vnto Vse 2 the Lord when sorrowes and griefes assaile vs. Seeke helpe from him and that by meanes yet onely by such lawfull meanes as he hath warranted in his Word And beware of trusting in the meanes that God hath warranted It is lawfull to seeke to the Physitian and vse of his helpe yet to trust in the helpe of the Physitian more then in the helpe of God and to seeke first and rather to the Physitian then vnto God 2. Chro. 16.12 is sinnefull This was Asa his sinne and remaines as a blemish vpon his name to this day and will doe for euer Trust not then in the meanes but in God who must giue a blessing vpon the means Let them haue their place set them not aboue their place for by one blast of God they may become vnprofitable and vnsuccessefull See therefore thou bee more desirous of a blessing then of the meanes let this bee the chiefe meanes that thou doest vse to flye vnto the Lord and powre forth thy soule before him and then be thou assured at length to haue redresse and helpe What we say of some speciall medicine that hath oft beene tryed we may say of this probatum est Gods children neuer tooke this course in vaine Text. Verba sunt poenitentiam meditantis in confessione peccati nondum tamen agentis August And say vnto him Father He doth here fore-thinke what he should speake when as he comes into his Fathers presence for as yet he was not From his practise learne Not to come into Gods presence without preparation but consider what to say and what to seeke before you speake Doctr. Preparation needfull before we speake to God Eccles 5.1 Hos 14.2 Reason Be not rash saith the Wiseman with thy mouth and let not thine heart bee hastie to vtter any thing before God Wee must conferre with our owne hearts and prepare them before we come into the Lords presence To this doth the Prophet Hosea seeme to exhort Israel Take vnto you words and turne to the Lord and say vnto him The reason of this Solomon giues in the place before cited For God saith he is in heauen and thou art vpon the earth as if he should say God is full of Maiestie and wisedome but thou an infirme and wretched creature He is both Lord and Iudge but thou a miserable and sinnefull worme And therefore it concernes thee to consider aduisedly what to speake This serues to reproue many Vse who rashly come into Gods presence without any preparation or due meditation of what they are to say or craue Small is the number indeed of such as doe pray but smaller is the

yet be within the compasse of the truth of his own conceiuing though beyond the extent of the truth of his sinnes in themselues exactly considered And thus did the Apostle speake according to his sence and thought himselfe to be inferiour vnto all And thus much for this Question as also for this doctrine Now let vs proceed and come to the next which is his Humiliation And am no more worthie to be called thy sonne Text. See how he humbleth and abaseth himselfe vnto his Father I am vnworthie to be thy sonne yea I am vnworthie the very name of sonne so many haue beene my sinnes so lewd hath bin my course The instruction hence may be this The onely way to obtaine pardon for sinne Doctr. The onely way to obtaine Gods fauour is with an humble heart to seeke it 1. Pet. 5.6 and procure Gods fauour is with an humble heart and lowly soule to come before him The onely way to be exalted by him is to come vnto him in humilitie of soule and lowlinesse of spirit The practise of this Prodigall is a president for vs. For the farther proofe of this truth remember what S. Peter sayth Humble your selues therefore vnder the mightie hand of God that he may exalt you And what S. Iames sayth Iam. 4.10 Humble your selues in the sight of God and he shall lift you vp It is no hard matter to bring a cloud of witnesses to iustifie this but I will be sparing and remember you onely of that Parable of the proud Pharisie and the Publican and so away These two goe vp into the Temple to pray Luk. 18.10 The Pharisie begins and prayes thus God I thanke thee Verse 11. I am not as other men c. He shewes not vulnera but munera not his wounds but his worth not his miserie but his brauery reputing himselfe so iust that he neither sayth thy kingdome come nor yet forgiue vs our trespasses August Hom. 36. de verb. Dom. secund Luc. But as hauing no sinne and abounding alreadie with all grace both these he leaues out thanking God more for that other were bad then for that himselfe was good Now the Publican he stands a farre off Verse 13. and would not lift vp so much as his eyes to heauen but smote vpon his breast saying God be mercifull to me a sinner As the one exalts himselfe in respect of his vertue so the other humbles himselfe in regard of his sinne As the one shews his robes so the other like a poore beggar shewes his rags and as an humble petitioner his grieuances Now marke how Christ applyes this Verse 14. I tell you this man departed home vnto his house more iustified then the other for euery one that exalteth himselfe shal be abased and he that humbleth himselfe shal be exalted The Reasons may be these Reason Isay 66.2 Isay 57.15 First Such onely hath God promised to looke vpon and shew mercie too To this man will I looke euen to him that is poore and of a contrite spirit and againe Thus saith the high and loftie one that inhabiteth eternitie whose name is Holy I dwell in the high and holy place with him also that is of a contrite and humbled spirit to reuiue the spirit of the humble and to reuiue the heart of the contrite ones as for other they haue no promise of fauour or of mercie Reason 2 And secondly Such onely are capable of grace and mercie Full vessells can receiue no liquor and haughtie hearts no fauour for they despise it As therefore the vessell must be emptied and the ayre and wind remoued before any solid liquor can be receiued so must thou first cast out haughtinesse and pride out of thy heart before mercie can be obtayned Vse Let the Vse of this be for Exhortation Come before the Lord with humbled soules and contrite spirits for this is of him much set by And to stirre vs vp to the putting on of this grace as the Apostle doth exhort vs consider of these motiues Colos 3. Motiues to labour for humilitie and auoid pride Tract de Passione Dom. cap. 19. First Pride is the Deuils first borne A second motiue God exalts the humble but casts downe the proud one Luke 1.46 Ps 113.56 first Pride it is the Deuils first borne and the Deuils first poyson which Satan powred into our nature and this as Bernard speakes is the Deuils character for as the seruants of Christ and children of God are knowne by charitie and humilitie so the seruants of sinne and sonnes of Satan are knowne by pride and crueltie and therefore let this moue vs to imbrace the one and abhorre the other Secondly God exalts such as are humble but such as are proud doth his soule hate His deeds hath manifested this hee called humble Dauid from the Shepheards crooke to the Kings Crowne He did so regard the meekenesse of the Virgine that all generations count her blessed Thus he taketh vp the simple out of the dust and lifteth the poore out of the myre But he deales otherwise with the proud and euer hath done The proud Angels he thrust out of heauen and our proud parents out of Paradise For it he draue Nebuchadnezzar from the company of men Dan. 4.30 and made him to haue his habitation with the beasts of the field and to eat grasse as Oxen. What shall I neede to speake of Haman Herod and others Pro. 16.8 whose pride did cause their fall and ruine by this that hath beene said we see the Psalmists saying verified Psal 138.6 Though the Lord be high yet hath he respect vnto the lowly but the proud hee knoweth a farr off The most high hath especiall respect to such as are most low Marlo rat in Luc. cap. 1. vers 48. God cannot looke aboue him saith one because hee hath no superiour nor about him for that he hath no equall hee regards onely such as are below him The lower then a man is the neerer vnto God and the more exposed to his sight who looks from aboue but the higher he is the farther is he off and the more proud he is the lesse is he respected Seeing then this is so how should this worke vpon vs and make vs to decke our selues with this excellent grace which like the Violet though it growes lowe by the ground and hangs the head vnder some obscure leafe as willing to liue vnseene yet is the sweetest of flowers and beloued of all Thirdly Humility is the keeper of all graces A third motiue Humilitie preserues grace but pride destroyes it It is conseruatrix virtutum Bernard 2 Kings 4.39 Eccles 10.1 but Pride the spoyler of them No boxe better to keepe those iewels in then a heart well lined with humilitie Looke as ashes doe preserue fire so doth our humilitie the sparkles of Gods blessed spirit But now on the other side pride spoyles all This like Colloquintida imbitters