Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heaven_n	earth_n	good_a	great_a	7,371	5	2.6096	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A15393	Eliah's vvish a prayer for death. A sermon preached at the funerall of the Right Honourable Viscount Sudbury, Lord Bayning. By Ro: Willan D.D. Chaplaine to his Maiesty.	Willan, Robert, d. 1630.; Spencer, John, d. 1680.	1630 (1630)	STC 25670; ESTC S120043	16,811	52

his naturall corruptions neuer to haue truce with Sathans Temptations and to see and suffer nay sometimes to bee infected with the sinnes of others And this is our in euitable condition till with Elias we haue cast off the mantle of mortality As for Misery as a Center in a Circle meetes with euery line in the Circumference So Man receiues punishment from God from Angels Deuils and euery single creature the very Gnat hauing a sting to torment him Oh blessed Lord are all our liues in the seuerall Ages so variable in the Callings so troublesome in the Companions so intollerable what remaines but with Elias to thinke of another life and with Nazianzen to bury the Miseries of this life in the hope of future Felicity which is the second Corollary and last point It must bee so that there is another life for here they liue many times the longest liues who were not worthy to liue at all Here the Israelites make the brickes and the Aegyptians dwell in the howses Dauid is in want and Nabal abounds Sion is Babylons captiue Hath God nothing in store for Joseph but the stocks for Esay but a saw will not Elias adorne the charriot better then the Iuniper tree will not Iohn Baptists head become a Crowne as well as a Platter Surely there is great Retribution for the Iust there is fruite for the Righteous God hath Palmes for their hands Coronets for their heads white Robes for their bodyes hee will wipe all teares from their eyes and shew them his goodnesse in the land of the liuing Of the infinite happines in that celestiall life how should I speake Earthly Ierusalem was portrayed by Ezechiel vppon a Tile so cannot the Heauenly bee St Austin wrote two and twenty bookes of the City of God how can I bring into the last gasp of an howre the vnity the plenty the Beauty the holynesse the felicity thereof when he himselfe confessed after all his endeauour all that can be said is but a drop to the Sea and a sparke to a fire This for your comfort St. John found twelue gates in it open day and night to entertaine departing soules repairing thither in the true faith accompanied with an holy conuersation The blessed Angels standing Sentinels for their guard and conduct A Grecian at his death thus cheered vp himselfe I shall goe among Philosophers to Pythagoras among Musitians to Olympus among Historians to Hecateus among Poets to Homer a poore Heathenish and Pagan comfort like Polyphemus whistle hanging about his necke when his eyes were boared out Meere morall vertue may finde great reward on earth and lesse torment in hell but true good is from Christ His precious blood opened Heauen for them onely which beleeue in his sauing name And they are sure to goe among the Patriarks to Abraham Isaacke and Jacob among the Prophets to Moses and Elias among the Kings to Dauid Hezekiah and Josias among the Apostles to S. Peter and S. Paul amongst the Martyrs to S. Stephen and to the innumerable society of Saints and Angels whither as wee ought piously to beleeue hee is transported to whom wee performe these sad Obsequies I hope there is no Auditor in this high Assembly so vnequall as to suppose this Text chosen as a iust paralell to the Honourable party deceased for alasse they agree onely in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that as Elias so he was a man subiect to many infirmities of which if any curious eare desire to heare he will be deceiued I do not remember when Dauid made Sauls Epitaph proclaiming his vertues that he touched any of his errors those hee washed away with his teares and the God of mercy hath pardoned what God hath put out of his memory ought not to remaine in ours Yet I say confidently because truely malice it selfe could fasten no funereous crime vpon his life As when a tree is sallen you may coniecture what breadth it bare and how farre it spread by the vacuity emptinesse of the place where it stood So if wee consider him hewen downe by death as a Christian as a Subiect and as the Father of a Family he will appeare a Cedar and no Shrub The light of Starres and glittering of Diamonds is borrowed from the Sunne all humane titles are nothing which receiue not their lustre from Piety and Religion For his Religion he was neither superstitious nor factious but hee serued God in that Way which Papists call Heresie and Nouellists formality a true member of the English Church hee thought of our Church as Dauid of the Tabernacle that it was very amiable he embraced her holy doctrine reuerenced her comely Orders loued her painfull Preachers If due obseruation of Gods Sabath if frequentation of Gods house attention in hearing deuotion in prayer if an eare open to Reproofe and a mind willing to Reforme what hee did amisse if strong paines in sicknesse meekely borne bee outward signes to know a good Christian such was hee I adde if workes of Charity and Almesdeedes which Daniel held a meanes to redeeme sinne and St. Paul accounted an acceptable Sacrifice these wanted not Hee hath to the bullding of an Hospitall in the place of his birth giuen competent maintenance for the releefe of tenne poore people to the worlds end That Noble Act of his I remember with ioy He was the first Benefactor to the Library of Syon Colledge Samuel his Ramath where by the pious care and zealous industry of that graue and Reuerend Diuine M. John Symson who as Camillus was called a second Romulus merits the title of a second Founder maugre the opposition of an enuious Sanballat a most Stately roome is erected for the benefit of the worthy Preachers of this Honourable City of London but wants the Furniture of bookes Bookes are the Riuers of Paradise watering the earth The deaw of Hermon making the vallies fertile The Arke preseruing the Manna pot and Moses Tables the Monuments of ancient labours the Baskets keeping the d●posited Reliques of time so as nothing ●s lost The Magazine of Piety and Arts. A Souldier without Armes may bee valiant but not victorious an Artisan without his instruments may bee skilfull but not famous Archimedes is knowne by his Spheare and Cylinder A Preacher without bookes may haue some zeale but little knowledge to guide it S. Paul himselfe although so inspired found as much want of his bookes as of his cloake in winter To ayme at Learning without bookes is with the Danaides to draw water in a siue What were it for this wealthy City to reare vp a Library equall to that of Pisistratus at Athens of Eumenes at Pergamus of Ptolomey at Alexandria Were the meanes of your industrious Preachers answerable to their mindes this good and great worke needed no other supply for they like Plato would giue 3000. Graecian pence for three small volumes of Pythagoras and with Hieronime emptie their purses by

Berill and the Hyacinth God his hands are full of blessings full of all goodnesse death it selfe which seemes to bee a priuation of God from his hand must needs be good from whom no euill can descend This may qualify his eschuing death by Jezabell but being past danger and out of his Persecutors reach what were the motiues to desire it now Jt is now enough The Expositors do vary finding not only seueral but contrary motiues some make it the euaporation of a discontented minde the weaknesse of a frayle man others attribute it to the deuotion of an holy man I will strike these seuerall flints each of them may afford a sparke to enlighten our text Chrysostome in his Rhetoricall way demands where is that spirit of Elias wher that terrible countenance that put Achab to silence where is that tongue the gouernesse of the Elements why sits he puling vnder a tree wooing death which will not come at his call Hee answeres by a similitude As a strong gale of wind filling the spread sayles of a ship hurries it from the intended port so a violent gust of feare rushing vpon the Prophet draue him into this sad melancholy Eucherius propounds it another way Whence came his potency to worke wonders whence his weaknesse to be weary ofhis life his power was from God weaknes was his owne God gaue him a parcell of his power marke I pray his bare word brought a drought vpon Palestine his prayer like a burning Feauer entred into the bowells of the earth and scorcht vp lakes Riuers Springs fountaines and left no moisture in them but being left a small while to himselfe all his courage is dryed vp to nothing From hence 2. lessons First that no prerogatiue of greatnes no profession of holynesse exempt men from common infirmities where is that Heretike Pelagius belching out this contagious poyson that a man may attayne such perfection as to bee free from all weaknesse and when hee prayes for forgiuenesse of sinne it is rather humiliter then veraciter Let him looke vpon Elias and bee confounded As the Curtezan Lais sayd Philosophers knockt at her gate as well as others so the best of men are ouertaken To goe no further then our patterne The seer is fallen blinde the guide hath lost his way the charmer is stung by the serpent the man of God becomes a man of passion fayling in the common Rules of ordinary goodnesse and wisdome for good and wise men may pray for better times then those they liue in but beare with patience all sinister and sad euents whereas our great Prophet whines and repines denoyd of hope that any alteration should better his condition because the would will not be guided by the Polestarre of his direction hee will stay no longer in it Oh lett the weakenesse of a Saint be our warning greene wood will warpe and shrinke if seasoned tymber hold not out and slender tressells must giue way when strong pillers bend vnder the burden Especially it behooueth vs which is the next poynt of instruction neuer to bee so deiected at the view of our fraylety as to forbeare our resorting to God in prayer St. Iames to encourage Christians to that holy duty brings in this very example Elias was a man subiect to the like passions as wee are Elias body was a clod of earth as ours is his minde obnoxious to the same perturbations yet he prayed so let vs for God is not the God of Elias onely but a God rich in mercy to all that call vpon him So I passe to the second motiue as the prayer proceedes from a Zealous deuotion Caietan his Glosse is that he was more affrayd of Gods honour then of his owne life and this is grownded vpon the reiterated Apology he makes vnto the Angell being in the wildernesse The children of Israel haue forsaken thy Couenant throwne downe thy Altar slayne thy Prophets I euen I am left alone and they seeke to take away my life By which it is probable his feare and care was cheefely for the honour of God least in the ouerthrow of his Person after so signall a victory and noble Conquest and triumph ouer Idolatry the Orthodoxe Religion might suffer some reproach or diminution Elias was the liuely patterne of Heroike Zeale Chrysostomes opinion is that soone after God tooke away Elias lest his Zeale should destroy this inferiour Globe he was so seuere against sinne that hee tooke no compassion of the sinners so the God of mercy least fire and stubble should dwell together he remoued him to the Company of blessed and holy spirits where he might see all good no euill St. Paul seemes to taxe Elias he doth it with a Notandum ye not what the Scripture saith of Elias that he made intercession to God agaynst Israel Good men pray for sinners not agaynst them Abraham prayed for the wicked Sodomites and doth Elias pray against the Idolatrous Jsraelits Ieremy prayed assiduously for his nation till hee was forbidden to pray any more and did Elias pray for the vexation of his country The Husbandman in the Parable entreateth his Master to spare the vnfruitefull tree doth Elias wish the destruction of men vndoubtedly holy men haue mercifull not cruell bowells when they call for punishments they are medicines not execrations but predictions either by outward afflictions to procure their conuersion or by death to intercept the progresse of sin or by some wholsome example to terrifie others from the like offence So Elias did and so he might pray against Jsrael And it is no maruell he praied agaynst them for he bends his Zeale agaynst himselfe rather then he would liue to see his God dishonoured hee is willing to resigne his pretious life This should bee the affection of all Gods Seruants to hold nothing so deare as the honour of theyr Master Let me parallell this story with another like it of St. Chrysostome Elias was persecuted by Iezabell a Queene Chrysostome by Eudoxia an Empresse both threatened with death The holy Father taking it into his meditations writing to his friend thus hee Resolues What if the angry Empresse banish mee my natiue soile and sweete country all the earth is the Lords and I shall be as neare to heauen any where as at Constantinople what if I bee throwne into the sea Ionah prayed in the whales belly say I shal bee sawne asunder the noble Prophett Esay vnderwent that condition What if my head bee taken from my shoulders Herodias heeles trip't off Iohn Baptists head what if I bee stoned to death Stephen the Proto-martyr passed to heauen through a showre of stones Suppose my Bishoppricke be taken away I will remember Job Naked came I out of my Mothers wombe and naked I will returne Memorable is that in Josephus when Titus had taken and sackt Jerusalem the Priests came beged their liues of him that mercifull Prince and Darling of mankind caused