Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heaven_n	great_a	power_n	world_n	5,217	5	4.3277	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A31846	A sermon preached before the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor, aldermen, and citizens of London at the Church of St. Mary le Bow, September the second, 1684, being the anniversary fast for the dreadful fire in the year 1666 by Benjamin Calamy ...	Calamy, Benjamin, 1642-1686.	1685 (1685)	Wing C219; ESTC R5723	17,267	37

to the Publick Peace and Happiness and on the contrary Irreligious Practises do naturally lead to Disorder and Confusion so that there is hardly any Vice but what bringeth some notable Damage to the Publick So saith St. James c. 4.1 Whence come wars and fightings amongst you are they not hence even from your lusts which war in your members Unbounded Avarice and Ambition implacable desire of Revenge unmeasurable coveting of what is other Mens unjust Oppression of those whom we have at any advantage these are the fruitful Parents of Publick Disturbances and Confusions Luxury and Sensuality and Prodigality consume the Wealth and Treasure of a Nation Idleness Intemperance and untamed Lust effeminate and enfeeble the Minds of Men destroys their Courage and Spirit and so lays them open to the Assaults of their Enemies Irreligion and Prophaneness break in pieces the Bands of Community and they who make nothing of those Obligations which God's Laws have laid upon them will not be held by any that Men can make and their Allegiance to their Earthly Sovereign is always to be suspected who have cast off all Subjection to the Lord of Heaven and Earth Lying Falshood Injustice Uncharitableness and contempt of an Oath which is the certain Effect of vain Swearing in common Discourse these destroy all mutual Good-will and Faith and Trust amongst Men which are the great Joynts and Ligaments by which the Members of any Body Politick are knit and fastned together Unreasonable Appetites and Passions make Men uneasie and troublesom one to another and are the necessary Causes of Enmity Division Strife and every Evil work and by disuniting of Men one from another they apparently make way for the dissolution of any Society Pride and Discontent naturally make Men Factious and Unpeaceable dispose Men to endeavour Changes and Alterations in hopes of bettering themselves and the Sin of Schism and unnecessary breach of Christian Communion even as a Physical Cause doth usher in the Ruine of the State as well as of the Church Thus I might run over all manner of Sins and shew how they all more or less weaken the Sinews and Strength of the best-constituted Government where they are commonly practised So that should God Almighty stand Neuter and not concern himself in the Affairs of this lower World had he left Mankind as the Epicureans thought wholly to their own Counsel and Conduct and should never trouble himself to inflict any Evils upon us for our Disobedience to him yet the natural Consequences of our own Sins the ill Effects they have upon the Kingdom or City we live in would be no little Punishment for them And this we learn from the Mouth of God himself Deut. 5.29 O that there were such an heart in them that they would fear me and keep all my commandments always that it might be well with them and with their children for ever Where God is pleased to represent it as a Learned Man observes on that Place as a thing e'en quite out of his own power to make it well with an impious people O that they would fear me that so it might be well with them as if it were impossible from the very Nature of the thing for God to make a People happy whist they continued vicious and unreformed So necessary so indispensible are Piety and Vertue to the Establishment of a Nation Religion inspirits Men with all those good Qualities and Dispositions that tend to Peace and Unity which is the Life and Soul of all Society It extirpates all those Vices and Passions which are the Causes of Enmity and Division teacheth every Man to keep his own Rank and Place to mind his proper Duty to give to every one his Due and to prefer the Publick Good before his own Private Advantage It inclineth and obligeth Men to all mutual Offices of Love and Kindness It maketh Magistrates just and merciful Subjects faithful and obedient out of Conscience for God's sake It secureth every Mans Interest and Fortune and Reputation every Man in his particular Station contributing his best to the Common Welfare We cannot possibly frame in our Minds the Idea of a more happy State of things than would presently be if the Fear of God and Love of Righteousness and general Practice of Religion did every where prevail amongst us There would be then no Discontents nor Complaints heard in our Streets no Jealousies or frightful Suspicions no Sidings or Parties or divided Interests no Separations and opprobrious Nick-names of Distinction which are the mortal Diseases of the Body Politick and the never-failing Symptoms of a decaying State How safely and pleasantly should we all live A Kingdom or City bless'd with such Inhabitants what would it be but an Heaven upon Earth And tho it is hardly to be hoped that ever such an happy Change should be found amongst us that Religion should gain such an universal Conquest over the Minds of all Men yet let me say That to those small Reliques of Vertue and Piety which are yet to be found amongst us it is chiefly owing that Mankind live together in any tolerable Peace and Security Thus Sin hath a natural tendency to make not onely the Sinner himself miserable but the Society also of which he is a Member whilst as Solomon tells us Prov. 14.34 Righteousness exalteth a nation raiseth it to the highest degree of Prosperity and Glory To which I shall onely add the Observation of that great Roman General Scipio That it was impossible for any State or City to be happy stantibus moenibus ruentibus moribus tho' their Walls were never so firm and good if their Manners were decayed and corrupted But this is not all 2. We must consider that God Almighty is no idle and indifferent Spectator of the Actions of Men. He is no such soft and delicate Being as some have imagined him taking his own Ease and Repose within the spacious Circuits of Heaven whilst unconcerned at the Affairs of Mortals he lets this lower World go as it will No his careful Providence is extended even to the meanest thing which his Power created much more it is conversant about whole Kingdoms Cities and great Societies of Men And this is the setled Course and Method of his Government Tho' he often suffers some particular Men to thrive and flourish in their Sin and Impiety and doth not always call single Persons to an Account in this Life but reserves them for the future Vengeance yet he dealeth otherwise with Bodies Politick He will not permit them ordinarily to pass unpunished in this State this Life being the onely time wherein he can reckon with Men as joyn'd together in Civil Societies and therefore besides all the Evils Men bring upon themselves by their Wickedness the Great Sovereign of the World doth by way of Exemplary Justice inflict sore and desolating Calamities such as Plague Fire Sword Famine and the like as the due Reward of their incurable Obstinacy in Sin and

Division to weaken a Nation or People to unsettle a Kingdom to unhinge the Government and dissolve all Societies let us not fondly think that God Almighty will always miraculously interpose and hinder these natural Consequences of Things I say God will not by extraordinary ways preserve those who obstinately persist in such Courses which naturally lead to their own Destruction What Peace then can we expect amongst us if after all these Vicissitudes of Divine Providence towards us we still continue unreclaimed When so many not onely neglect Religion as a thing full of trouble but scorn it as unworthy of and below them when they are ashamed to own their Belief or Fear of God as if it were a sign of a vulgar Spirit and mean Parts when Men exercise their little Wits in abusing and deriding the most serious and sacred things What Villanies or Treasons are not such Men ripe for What can oblige them or tie their Hands What Peace can there be in a Land or City where such prodigious Debauchery reigns where such horrid Oaths and Perjuries abound where Men sin without shame nay glory in it as an Accomplishment Shall not God visit for these things In short What Peace can there be as long as there remain amongst us such bitter Envyings and Heart-burnings such unchristian Separations and Contentions such Complaints and Discontents under such happy Circumstances of Affairs as that no Nation under Heaven is in the like These Vices and bad Dispositions do naturally tend to our Ruine besides that they highly provoke God Almighty against us I come not hither at this time to prophecy evil things against this City or Kingdom nor would I amuse you with needless Fears I know well this hath been the great Art used by the Enemies of our Peace to raise Disturbances amongst us by possessing the Peoples Minds with strange Jealousies and Suspicions as if all things were running to ruine and our Laws Liberties and Religion were all now at stake and in extreme hazard The onely thing I would earnestly desire you to consider is That the greatest Danger we are in is from our selves and consequently the way to preserve our Peace is to reform our selves And now at this time when our most Gracious Sovereign whom God long preserve hath taken particular care of us in this City and hath done what in Him lieth to prevent our undoing our selves by putting the Government of it into safe Hands and making several Publick Reformations amongst us let us all in our several Stations be prevailed upon to do our part every Man to turn from the evil of his ways to fear God to honour the King to love his Neighbour and mind his own private Duty and to carry himself as becomes a Christian in all his several Relations he stands in to other Men whereby we shall make God our Friend and become hearty Friends one to another Wise Men by subtle Policies and Contrivances may divert our Trouble and Danger for a while but it will never be well long with us till the true Christian Spirit of Love and Charity and Meekness and Submission and Obedience generally prevail amongst us Then indeed we should soon see happy Days and be freed from those Fears and Disturbances that have so long troubled our Israel This is the best Project for Insuring our new Houses and continuing those great and manifold Mercies both Spiritual and Temporal which we in this City yet enjoy above any other People to us and to our Posterity after us How quiet how setled a People should we be if we would but give credit to the Word of God and follow our Blessed Saviour's Directions And let not any one now think this a mean and pitiful Contrivance and that himself hath far better Models and Projects for our Settlement with which his politick Head labours and is in pain till he be delivered of them in all Companies since the State and Condition of Humane Affairs is so disposed by God's wise Providence that there can be no lasting Peace without the practise of Vertue and Religion Nor let any one think that by thus reforming himself he being but one and perhaps but of small Interest or Influence in the City or Kingdom it will be of very little concernment or advantage to the whole for it is plain that our Reformation must begin from single Persons and so proceed by degrees It hath sometimes indeed hapned that there hath been a sudden general Reformation of the Manners of Men throughout an whole City or Nation as at Niniveh upon the Preaching of Jonah upon some great Fright or extraordinary Judgment when all the People as one Man have turned from the evil of their ways But this is not our Case Our Reformation must be accomplished to borrow an Illustration as this famous City of London was re-built the Foundation of which was not all laid at the same time nor continued Streets raised at once but at first here a House and there a House to which others by degrees were joyn'd and every private Man took care to build his own House and Authority took care of Publick Buildings till at last single Houses were united into whole Streets whole Streets into this beautiful and glorious City Thus our Reformation must take its beginning from some few from whom others may take Pattern and Encouragement till at length it generally prevails and why should not good Examples be as effectual to reclaim this Age as bad ones have been to debauch it To conclude all Of all the great Arguments which our Religion affords us to engage us to the leaving our Sins and amending our Lives I have this day insisted on this one viz. That it is the onely certain Way and Method of securing the Peace and Happiness of this City and of our Native Country There may be many amongst us whose Minds are not considerably affected with the Apprehensions of future Rewards and Punishments yet sense of present Good or Evil maketh deep and lasting Impressions upon them Who tho they seem to have no regard for their everlasting Happiness in the other World yet are ready to hazard their Lives to expose their Estates and Fortunes to sacrifice all that Men usually count dear to the Service and Preservation of their Country and now one would think it should not be altogether impossible to persuade such Persons for the same Reason to live soberly righteously and godlily in this present World Shall a Man be ready at any time to venture and loose his Life and be loth to leave his Sins for the Publick Good and Safety For your Countries sake therefore as you value the Welfare and Prosperity of this Kingdom and this great City as you desire the continuance of those many singular Blessings which yet thro' God's Patience we are possessed of as you would avoid the repetition of those Judgments you have already smarted under or the inflicting of new and greater in the Name of God I exhort you all to repent and amend Our Sins are many and great they have as I have shewn you a natural tendency to Ruine and Confusion their Cry is gone up to Heaven against us Delay not therefore to seek the Lord whilst he is to be found and to turn to him with your whole Hearts and then shall God be reconciled to us and turn away his Wrath from us and prevent those Judgments we fear and remove those we labour under and bless us with Peace and Plenty and Prosperity Happy are the people that are in such a case yea happy are the people whose God is the Lord. I onely add That such a general Reformation of our own Tempers and Lives is vastly more our Duty infinitely more for our private Advantage and the Publick Good of the whole Kingdom than all our Heat and Zeal for Reforming of Publick Grievances or for amending the State or other Men. There is no peace saith my God to the wicked FINIS