Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heaven_n	enter_v	kingdom_n	lord_n	7,476	5	4.1420	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09450	The reformation of couetousnesse Written vpon the 6. chapter of Mathew, from the 19. verse to the ende of the said chapter. By William Perkins.; Reformation of covetousnesse.	Perkins, William, 1558-1602.; Clapham, Henoch.	1603 (1603)	STC 19735.6; ESTC S106356	66,232	268

certain vse in time to come Now I answere to the first question viz. How farre a man may seek prouide for worldly wealth I say that things necessary for nature for a mans person place may be sought for and laide vp But here is a barre put in by God himselfe we may goe no further we may not seeke for aboundance or superfluitie The reason hereof is alledged in the 30. Chapter of the Prouerbes the 8. and 9. verses where it is said Giue mee not pouertie nor riches feede mee with foode conuement for mee least I bee full and denye thee and saye who is the Lorde c. That which wee must aske of God that we may seeke for and no more But wee haue no warrant to aske at Gods handes aboundance or superfluitie Therefore wee may not seeke for them Againe if wee haue meate and drinke we must therewith be content 1. Tim. 6. 8. Ob. If wee must pray for nothing or labour for nothing more then is necessarie then what shall we doo if God giue aboundance Resp. Wee must not seeke aboundance But if God cast it vpon vs without seeking wee must thankefully receiue it lay it vp and vse it for the good of the Church and Commō-wealth and for the good of our owne families If this bee so that wee must seeke for nothing but necessaries then wee must learne contentednesse therewith which that we may doo weigh these reasons following First it is Gods commaundement that we should be content with things necessary and seeke no further therefore wee must be obedient and content Secondly a man that is too greedie to lay vp much can hardly keep a good conscience but must needs vse some vniust meanes Thirdly such are subiect to the diuels snare 1. Tim. 6. 9. Fourthly in persecution and times of triall the richest will hardly confesse Christ hold out but will be the more easily drawne from Christ and the confession of the truth because their mindes are glewed to the things of this world Heerevnto may bee added the examples of many Saints who haue bene contented with little that they might serue God the better And also Christes admonition How hard it is for a rich man to enter into the kingdome of heauen Thus much of the first practise of couetousnesse which is excessiue seeking of goods without al measure The second practise is when worldly goods are sought onely and principally which practise Christ meets withal when he saith First seeke the kingdome of God This was Esaus sinne and the sinne of the Gadarens Math. 8. who preferred worldly goods before spirituall treasure And this may be called vnreasonable disorder preposterousnesse worldlinesse c. The third practise is to put our trust and confidence in riches laid vp and to make them our God and rather to forsake God then them 1. Tim. 6. Psal. 62. The fourth practise is when a man layeth vp for himselfe onely and not for the Church nor Common-wealth but sibi soli this man may bee called churle niggard c. All these practises of couetousnes Christ condemneth Thus much concerning that which is forbidden Now followeth the reason VVhere moth rust and thiefe c. The reason standeth thus That which is subiect to vanitie to casualtie and corruption must not bee our treasure But earthly goods gold siluer riches cloathes c. are subiect to such things Therefore they must not bee our treasure The Greeke word Sès is a moath or worme that wasteth and consumeth the best garments may be taken here for any worme that doth destroy and consume any creature Brôsis a canker This translation is too strict for it signifieth any thing that wasteth any creature whatsoeuer Heere then is set downe the vanitie of the creatures which vanitie stands in two points First in the corruption Secondly in the abuse of the creature Touching the corruption it teacheth vs that gold and siluer yea that al riches haue some diseases to waste them or some canker to rust and consume them Touching the abuse of the creature it stands in this that it is subiect to the iniurie and ill vsage of men as riches are whē they are hoorded vp and serue for no vse From whence comes this vanitie From mans sinne Rom. 8. 20. which when wee consider it puts vs in minde of our sinnes howe loathsome they are that they are causes of vanitie to the creatures both by corruption and abuse Christ seeing men bent and disposed to treasure vp wealth in abundance calles them back to an other kinde of treasure better then that as much as heauen is better then earth and an heauenly life better thē a little money or mucke And therefore hee saith Lay not vp treasure in earth That is let not all your heart and minde be set vpon this I can tell you a little better treasure Here I might take occasiō to inueigh against mens ill dispositions and affections who will not follow this good counsell but still preferre earth before heauen for all this admonition Euery man by nature is greedie to gather goods and desirous to be rich but fewe care to be rich in God What profit did the rich men receiue by all their treasure Luk. 16. and 12. Had it not bene a great deale better if they had possessed lesse so they had enioyed this But let vs come to the 20. verse 20. But lay vp treasures for your selues in heauen c. Ob. This is a straunge instruction and precept to lay vp treasure in heauen Why How should we come there Resp. Indeed Christ saith it is hard for rich men to come there and yet they haue meanes to make it easie if they will How shall wee lay vp therefore Thus. Lay out here and lock it not vp and so you shall lay vp treasure in heauen 1. Tim. 6. Otherwise if you lay vp here and imprison the coyne that it cannot be currant you lay vp a treasure in hell Rom. 2. For by your hardnesse of heart what doo you else but treasure vp wrath against the latter day So that this place seemeth to be a speciall motiue to charitie and liberalitie but yet it is not to be restrained to that as if it pertained onely to rich men Then how shall the poore lay vp treasure in heauen who want it in earth Very well for they must make God their treasure and Christ and his word and so all their treasure is spirituall and heauenly And this Dauid made more account of then any treasure whatsoeuer Ps. 119. 72. 127. And say with him Psal. 57. Thou art my portion ô Lord. Rich men vse at euery yeares end to cast vp theyr accounts to see how their store and treasure encreaseth and it is not amisse But it were better if they would take a time for this account and see how this encreaseth The rich man in the Gospell had gold inough siluer corn great store euen by his owne confession and yet he

it After that we haue some testimony in our cōsciences that we haue gotten it wee must labour to assure our selues of it How must we doo this For this purpose read 1. Tim. 6. Charge the rich that they bee not high minded c. Marke there how by liberalitie and bountie we are exhorted to lay a good foundation What must wee bee saued by our almes-deedes No this foundatiō is not laid in heauen for that is our electiō which God laieth vp there But our foundation is our conscience that is by good works by which as by fruites mē may assure themselues that eternall life appertaineth vnto them Workes of mercie done with simplicitie singlenes of heart are markes of the children of God signes of true faith and of the true treasure For this cause Paul would haue rich men to lay vp a foundation in their consciences Lastly wee must vse it as a treasure when wee haue done the foure things before mentioned then come to this To this ende diuers duties are required at our hands to be performed of vs. First we must haue our conuersation in heauen If Christ be our treasure then our affection ioy comfort our heart minde and all the whole man liuing on earth must be in heauen If Christ bee thy treasure and his bloud and passion then all thy hart hope ioy and comfort is there Therfore we must send vp our hearts to heauen otherwise he is not our treasure If wee will vse him as our treasure let all our care and ioy bee in and for heauen Secondly wee must turne earthly goods into heauenly treasure How why hee that giueth to the poore lendeth vnto the Lord The Lord becomes a debter to him and boroweth of him for the poore The poore is but the Lordes bayliffe and messenger whom he sends to the rich and hee returnes a rewarde of heauenly treasure for it Marke there how by giuing almes to the Lordes poore we turn earthly blessings into heauenly Luke 12. 43. expressing these words saith Sell all that you haue and giue to the poore make your selues purses which shall last for euer When men do so thē they turne their temporall goods into heauenly treasure and so men that haue this worlds goods may by the blessing of God make great encrease of them Thirdly we must part with all for this the best thing in the world must not bee too deare though it bee our owne bloud and our life we must part with them rather then with th●● And when wee are thus minded then wee carrie our selues to Christ esteeming him as our treasure When wee esteeme any thing aboue him or preferre ought before him he is not our treasure Thus you see fiue duties all necessary to be performed that we may keepe this commaundement And when by Gods grace wee are enabled to doo these then we shall obey and practise this commaundement Therefore lette vs remember them and bee carefull to performe them so long as wee liue And marke what will follow If wee can finde it and value it c. we will bee content to endure whatsoeuer Gods hand shall lay vpon vs in body or soule and neuer bee dismayed nor discouraged with any thing that befalles vs. Nothing can daunt or discourage a mans heart that hath this treasure but they shall vanish all in time Further it will make that we shall neuer feare death nor iudgement all paines will bee nothing great comfort ease and contentation shal be to vs so long as wee liue if wee can doo thus Now a word or two of the reason Where neither moath c. The reason is drawne from the certaintie and vnchangeablenesse of the treasure Earthly riches are subiect to wormes and cankers and if no canker can come to corrupt them yet the thiefe will haue them But there is no canker moath nor thiefe that can hurt Christ and his merits Ob. Why the highest heauens the place of happinesse should bee free from that vanitie and corruption which the lower heauens and all other creatures be subiect vnto All that we see ouer our heads is subiect to vanitie euen the starres Answer To man by right of creation belongeth the earth and the heauens and they were all mans by creation euen the highest heauens to the very firmament by creation all were mans They were made for him and he was Lord of all They were his pallace all sauing Gods throne And when he fell he was punished in all these creatures but not in the highest heauen because the right vnto it is not by nature but aboue nature and is ours by right of redemption and not by right of creation Secondly by Christs death and passion they are made ours and not by nature but by grace onely and that after the fall Therefore the heauens and the starres and all creatures visible are subiect to vanitie and corruption And so much of the commaundement and the reason I beseech you remember it and learne it and put it in practise both in life and death 21. verse For where your treasure is there wil your hearts be also In the two verses next before going these words Christ gaue two commaundements First what we should not doo and the reason of it Secondly what we should do a reason therof The first a corruptione mutabilitate The second ab incorruptione immutabilitate Now he renders a common reason pertaining to both and serues to confirme both which is thus framed Where your treasure is there your hearts will bee But your heart must not be on earthly treasure but on heauenly Therefore lay not vp treasure in earth but in heauen Now touching the words and the meaning of them By treasure vnderstād things excellent and precious in our estimation laid vp for time to come in which men place and put theyr principall ioy and comfort where your treasure is that is your speciall ioye and felicitie For so much the worde treasure imports By heart vnderstand the principall powers and actions of the soule as the thoughts and affections loue ioy feare c. yea the labour paines studie care and endeuour all these are to bee vnderstood by this word heart As if hee should haue said Thus your treasure and heart are things ioyned together and inseperable therefore where your treasure is there is also your care and studie For that which men iudge to bee their principall good and felicitie in seeking it they spend al their paines and time Now for our further edification let vs see what vses may be made of this reason First wee learne here how to iudge aright of our owne hearts Indeed it is a bottomelesse gulfe as Ieremy saith yet we may in some sort search it and iudge of it by this sentence For an earthly treasure and a carnall heart goe together And on the contrary part a heauenly treasure and a spirituall heart goe together These cannot be seuered Therefore looke vpon what you spend your