Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heaven_n	eternal_a	glory_n	life_n	7,407	5	4.6962	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A93339	A sermon preached at the funeral oe [sic] the incomparably vertuous and truly pious gentlewoman Mrs. Dorothy Litster. By Edward Smith.	Smith, Edward, 1620 or 21-1682.	1660 (1660)	Wing S4022; Thomason E1013_19; ESTC R208099	15,181	20

is by Jesus Christ as is clear 1 Pet. 1. 21. The Apostle speaking that we were redeemed by the blood of Christ sayes God raised him from the dead and gave him glory that our faith and hope may be in God 3. Upon the promises It is also nourished by prayer patience examples and experience Quest 4. But may not a Believers hope sometime fail and may not a wicked man have hope Answ A godly mans Hope may be much weakened the most active and vigorous Faith and Hope may grow slack in its acting the brightest day of a Christian may be over-clouded by reason of that fomes peccati which is in the Reliques of Concupiscence and is the fountain and cause of new doubtings yet the Sun gets from under the clouds Hope recovers its strength and overcomes those doubts adeoque licet in praelio fortè succumbat in Bello tandem victrix e vadit Though it may be worsted in a skirmish yet it gets the victory in the battel And as for the hope of wicked men as is their faith such is their hope as the mother such the daughter their faith is a fancy and their hope presumption And the Hope of good and bad men differ 1. In making out after the thing hoped for a good man is carefull in the choice of meanes that he be not deceived and diligent and patient in the use of them that he falls not short of what he hopes for Lament 3. 29 30 31. But such is not a wicked mans hope for either he wholly neglects the means or else uses them slightly 2. They differ in their duration shall I say troubles nay death it self cannot kill a godly mans hopes Job 13. 15. but the hope of the hypocrite shall perish Thus much of the Act or Grace of Hope I come now to the Object of it The Glory of God And here I shall not precisely handle it in its own nature but consider it under the notion of an Object of Hope and yet so it will hold forth to us so much of the nature of this glory as may afford us much matter of instruction which I shall briefly raise as inferences as I go along The Object of Hope according to the Moralists is Bonum futurum Difficile possibile 1. The Object of Hope is a good thing we may then infer hence that the Glory of God is good truly and every way good which may call us off from all immoderate desire and seeking after other things why do we go to sinfull profits and pleasures saying will ye shew us any good Here 's that that 's good indeed such a good upon which a Christian pitching his hope is made good and the more he hopes the better it will make him He that hath this Hope purifies himself 2. The Object of Hope is a good thing to come it 's absent for a man doth not hope for what he hath already This then should teach us patience in our expectation Rom. 8. 24 25. If we hope for that we see not then do we with patience wait for it The Husbandman waits with patience because he cannot reap as soon as he soweth 3. The Object of Hope is a difficult thing a thing that 's hard to come by And then it instructs us both about the meanes to the used and the manner of using them He that hopes for any good thing will use the meanes to obtain it so he that hopes for Glory will use the meanes yea and with all his might too Things hard to be got require our utmost paines and diligence This therefore may correct their mistake or spur up their lazy spirits who say they hope for Heaven and hope to be saved and yet are either wholly careless of using the meanes or else use them so carelesly and negligently as if it were no hard thing to obtain Sure such would make Heaven cheap even unto vileness that would come thither without paines I am sure we have not so vile an esteem of earthly things But remember the Object of Hope is Bonum arduum difficile for if it were easie and feasible at pleasure it would not be the object of Hope but matter of our present possession And therefore there 's a necessity of laying aside either our laziness or hopes of Heaven But that this difficulty may not discourage 4. The Object of Hope is a thing possible no man can hope for that which is impossible Let this then encourage us to duty for neither our hope nor labour shall be in vain in the Lord nay if we consider the grounds of Hope before mentioned it 's not only possible but certain whereto agrees that of Augustine quoted by Zanchy Tria considero in quibus spes mea tota consist it Charitatem adoptionis veritatem promissionis potestatem redditionis and therefore foolish thoughts sayes he murmur as much as you will saying who art thou or how great is that glory or with what merits dost thou hope for Heaven and I will confidently answer you I know whom I have believed and am certain enough that my hope shall not be frustrated Quia in charitate nimia adoptavit me Deus quia verax est in promissione potens in exhibitione If we would yet further know what is this future hard possible good thing that Believers hope the Text saith it is the glory of God The Glory of God is several wayes taken in Scripture but here it is taken for heavenly happiness for that life eternal which consists in a participation of Gods glory is begun in this life in the reparation of the glorious Image of God by the grace of Regeneration which is called Glory 2 Cor. 3. 18. And perfected in heaven which glorious inheritance is called The hope of Christians Hebrewes 6. 18. He that is Heir to a Kingdom though as glorious as that of Solomons his hopes are not to be compared to a Christians For behold a greater better and more glorious Inheritance than Solomons is here and therefore call'd glory in the abstract and glory of God great or eminent glory and it exceeds all other glory 1. In Splendor and Lustre 2. In real Worth and Satisfaction 3. In Suitableness and Proportion 4. In Certainty and Duration These I wave Thus briefly what 's meant by the glory of God I find four reasons why heavenly happiness is call'd Glory 1. Because of the glorious company that is in that high and holy place The place the company the imployment is all glorious 2. Because the divine Glory or Majestly of God is there most conspicuous and manifest 3. Because most glorious and divine gifts are there dispenc'd 4. Because there our bodies and souls will be most glorious Now let us make some further application of what hath been said Use I. Do Believers hope for glory and is it such a glory they hope for then they are not men of such a forlorn condition as the world judges them to be

enjoying which will be when we come to heaven And therefore when a christian is drawing near heaven would faine know what the glory of it is Christ sends Death which bids him come and see And when a Christian that hath had the clearest views and fullest discovery of its beauty and sweetnesse to his soule shall come thither he must say that he neither saw nor tasted the one half nay not the thousandth part of its glory As I did before so I shall here also draw some short doctrinall conclusions hence whereby we may understand something more of the nature of this glory and consequently what good grounds a Christian hath for his rejoycing in hopes of it 1. Do believers rejoyce in hope of glory Then this informes us 1. of the excellency of heavenly happinesse wise men do not rejoyce at every petty and trivial advantage It s not enough that the object of joy be a good thing but it must be excellently good P. 119. 162. I rejoyce in thy word as one that findeth great spoils They are great things that are the matter of joy such is the glory of Heaven it filis every chink and cranny of the soul that it finds no emptinesse or dissatisfaction Psal 16. In thy presence is fullnesse of joy at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore How then do such bewray their ignorance and unacquaintance with heaven who can rejoyce in the things of this life but as to heaven find no motion or joyfull inclination Nay how do they shame themselves who can rejoyce in the satisfaction of their lusts glory in their beastly sensuality and are meere changes to this joy these certainly either do not hope for heaven or else they know not what it is Do Believers rejoyce c. then Heaven is their inheritance they have propriety in it Christ hath purchased it and entitled them to it upon their believing men little rejoyce in a thing that 's excellent if not their own men may like and commend the stately buildings pleasant Fields Gardens and Walks of another mans but they do not rejoyce in them propriety gives great advantage to affection 2 Cor. 4. vers ult they did not faint at tribulation but could glory in all their sufferings see the reason of this chap. 5. 1. For we know we have an House a building of God not made with hands eternal in the Heavens Believers have the best estate and best evidence for it in the world It 's purchased by Christ the Deeds drawn and seal'd by his precious blood yea he hath taken possession of it in his head and therefore now he rejoyceth in hope of a full enjoyment of it 3. Infer hence the certainty of heavenly happiness Estates here are uncertain but that such as we shall not only have hold for present but possesse and enjoy for ever and therefore it s called everlasting life and an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled that never fades away certainly God would never raise his people to rejoyce in hopes of such a Happinesse which should more sad them in the falling than delight them in the enjoyment Fear of losing a thing doth much abate our rejoycing in it but once hapy in heaven and never miserable All this as it comends the happinesse of heaven and helps us to a view of the Glory of God so meethinks we should be taken as the Apostles were at our Saviours transfiguration and say master its good being there and so should move us to get into the number of Gods children and put us upon studying how we may be meet to be partakers of this glorious inheritance with the Saints in light This Text would also chide Christians for being sad We rejoyce in hope of the glory of God And in the Epistle to the Philippians We rejoyce in Christ Jesus certainly then they discover their ignorance and unacquaintance with the true nature of Religion who represent Religion as a thing that 's made up of nothing but sorrow and terrours and a kind of whining male-contentedness whereas it s not only lawfull for Christians to rejoyce but their duty and when they are themselves and in tune they do so It is the very Character of a Christian to rejoyce in the hope of the glory of God They therefore mistake Christianity who will neitheir be cheerfull themselves nor like it in others but please themselves to be in a mourning and complaining condition as if this was the natural frame and proper temper of a Christian When a Christian in this temper is off the hooks quite out of frame and never less like himself Know this that Christianity doth not require this of her followers to live under constant agonie and horrors in a muttering complaining condition No it requires them to rejoyce in God to make their boast of him all the day and having obtained peace with God through Jesus Christ and hopes of heaven to rejoyce in those hopes No good comes of peevish soure male-content and dumpishness It doth no good to the person so affected but dishonours God calls into question the satisfaction of our Saviour reproaches Religion disparages heaven unfits the heart for duty Doth Christ do you think delight to see his Spouse wringing her hands and tearing her hair It pleases none but the Devil and his Instruments who are enemies to God and his people Yet such is the infirmity and weakness of some weak Christians that to be querulous and peevish to reject the tenders of mercy and love as things too good for them they think the most proper and fittest state for them I confess to mourn when we have offended God is ingenuous and becoming but to refuse to be comforted when God calls upon us to rejoyce is Pride Peevishness and Sullenness and which doth both grieve and provoke God That sorrow that prepares for comfort that empties the heart of sin that so there be no room to receive the greater measures of Grace and take in the larger draughts of consolation is good but that which arises from hard thoughts of God and tends to the nourishing those ungrounded and injurious suspitions of Gods willingness to receive those burdened souls that would have ease from him and so keep the soul off from God is no way agreeable to the tenour of the Gospel no way tending to the credit of Religion contributes nothing to the bettering of a Christians condition I know nothing that 's more unbecoming or disadvantagious to any honest upright heart Many other uses might be made of this point I shall conclude all in a few words further Do Christians rejoyce in hope of Glory Then take heed of such a frame of heart and such a course of life as will contradict such hopes as will lock up the heart from rejoycing and stop the mouth from glorying in hope of Heaven That I would say to you you find Tit. 2. 11 12. They who would look for this blessed hope must deny ungodliness and worldly lust and live righteously godly and soberly in this present world The Spirit of Holiness and hopes Happiness must be joyned together Therefore all prophane persons that never mind God that will not endure the troubles and cross of holiness may not look for the Crown of Happiness Can those who are strangers to the life of God look for the Glory of God Can those look for the glory of heaven whose conversation is in hell be not deceived prophanenesse leads not to hope but to despair but you my Bretheren abhor that which is evil make conscience of living holily Get more measures of Grace that you may have a good Hope through grace and strong Consolation flowing thence and then rejoyce in the Lord and again I say rejoyce You that are sad and mourning Christians do not disjoyn your sorrow from your expectation of Glory as you look downward and mourn so look upward and rejoyce while you are sighing for sin pant after your Saviour while you are in the Valley of sorrow and suffering look up to the mount of Joy and felicity see the Crown of Glory provided for you know that when Christ appears you shall appear with him in glory and rejoyce in this hope of the glory of God FINIS