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	see_v	world_n	7,593	5	4.4143	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A02036	Pauls crovvne of reioycing. Or The maner how to heare the word with profit. By Thomas Granger preacher of the word at Botterwike in Holland, neere Boston in Lincolnshire; Pauls crowne of rejoycing.	Granger, Thomas, b. 1578.	1616 (1616)	STC 12182; ESTC S114984	43,435	71

world which you doe call wise sensible men are ledde by their sense and worldly craft to the Deuills Larder-house And as the Apostle sayes when they thinke themselues to be wise they become very fooles I haue spoken thus boldly vnto you because I take you to be my friend for I am sure that I am yours if you any way doubt of it try mee in any thing wherein I can pleasure you onely let mee intreat you to consider well of this point that you and I haue thus reasoned of I haue a good hope that howsoeuer you haue beene misledde a long time all the Angells in Heauen shall reioyce in your conuersion And I doe like you a great deale the better because you haue not left mee and gone away from mee in a chase especiallie being that I haue dealt so plainely with you as I haue done Mataeolog I can tell you if you had spoken so to some of our towne they would sit on your skirts while they liued Eulalus Like enough for it is the property of flesh and bloud to be reuengefull but the Apostle teacheth vs another lesson Auenge not your selues I will repay saith the Lord My skirts are as well able to beare a Feather as it is to sit on them I trust that so long as I giue them no other occasion then I haue done they shall haue no fast sitting for the Lord will not leaue them that feare him in their enemies hands The Lord grant that I may see some fruits of this conference in you at our next meeting By this short Dialogue it appeareth how the word of GOD is most commonly and generally heard and receiued yea euen of all that are not sanctified For they doe either altogether heare it as the word of man or at least when it is particularly applied for their conuersion and reformation then begin they euer to seeke out arguments for the Sophister the Father of lyes is at hand for their hard hearts for their lustfull liuing for the saluing of an euill and corrupt conscience drawne from the person of the Minister yea and to seeke out another shepheard some that Satan hath pickt in at the window whom they may obiect against him who if hee be a good Scholler politicke and crafty for his owne aduantage and of Gentleman-like fashion then is hee and such like to be preferred before their owne Minister and such like without all compare And indeede to say the truth there is no more comparison betweene them then betweene Paul and the learned preachers that so flourisht at Corinth A foole will seeke out excuses for his foolishnes Wherefore seeing that this is the fourth and highest degree of Faith whereby a man euen steps vp into heauen the Apostle and all faithfull Shepheards haue great cause of reioycing as the Angells in Heauen also haue and of thanksgiuing without ceasing when any man heareth the word not as theirs but as Gods seeing that they alone and none but they doe heare know and follow Christ their chiefe shepheard This then is the condemnation of the world that they heare indeede but with vnbeleeuing hearts doubting and wauering minds and in a dreaming and slumbering manner being like to Salomons sluggard Prouerbs 6. 10. Yet a little sleepe a little slumber a little foulding of the hands to sleepe the weather is colde there is a Beare or a Lyon in the way It is yet early enough there is no time yet ouerpast many labour and trauell hauing no rest night nor day yet doe they liue and die in pouerty many lye and sleepe yet wealth commeth on them vnlooked for That which will be will be It is but euen happen good haue good one good fortune or other will befall mee I shall doe as well as I can and as others haue done before mee And thus doth slothfulnesse get the vpper hand and hold possession still till at the length pouerty come sodenly and necessity like an armed man This is the common practise of dead hearted and worldly minded men they are continually called vpon iogged and rouzed yet they heare and heare not like dreamers and are possest with the spirit of slumber Their hearts are fixed and affections set on the earth and earthly things euen as the tree is fixed and rooted in the earth They loue to lye and liue securely in sinne being drunken with the profits pleasures delights pompe and pride of this world hauing no affection nor fancy to God and godly things being adulterers adulteresses and fornicators of this world altogether vnlike and contrary to the spouse of Christ in the Canticles Hence it is that they imagine and reason in themselues like the sluggard yet a little more pleasure in sinne a little more solace and delight in fleshly lusts a little longer space of liuing after the pleasant conceits and imaginations of mine owne heart there is yet no time ouer-past I shall repent and amend in my latter dayes God is mercifull and will not so strictly deale with vs as these precise Preachers doe beare vs in hand that would haue vs to be ruled and ordered by their phantasticall imaginations they would haue they know not what and for ought we see they are as ill as others This precise kinde of preaching is come vp but of late yeares and I thinke there were as good Christians before as euer there haue beene since These and a thousand such like follies doe they imagine and vtter tending all to the blinding and hardning of themselues in their sinfull and rebellious courses That which a man hath a speciall loue liking and inclination to of himselfe hee may soone be perswaded vnto by another for any reason though neuer so weake and seely feedeth him and confirmeth him whereas the strongest disswasions that may be shall preuaile little or nothing or but for the time present Againe on the contrary if a man out of his owne heart and iudgement haue no liking nor inclination though hee be neuer so earnestly set vpon and by most sound and strong reasons be disswaded by another yet can hee be little moued or stirred but euer returneth backe againe to his former dislikes like the heauy stone that being rouled by great strength vpward doth of it selfe retire backe againe so soone as we hold off our hands Thus it is with obstinate sinners whose hearts are heauy and stony the strongest reasons that may be though neuer so plaine and euident yea the very bare word of the text being the immediate word of God can preuaile little or nothing with them they are so strongly possest with contrary imaginations lusts and desires but on the contrary any weake silly and foolish reason any ignorant speech groundlesse opinion feedeth them and confirmeth them in their sinfull courses Any thing will perswade the sluggard to be idle so any thing will mooue the sinner to spirituall idlenesse And thus will those drunken and sleepy sinners doe till death summon them to iudgement

now that if a Lion were turned into a Lambe hee would be but regarded and vsed like a Lambe Euen so when God tooke our nature euen mans true shape vnto him was hee not regarded and vsed as a man in the world Yea and was hee not more despitefully and shamefully intreated in the world then euer any man was before him What if hee were in the same appearance now in the world as then hee was should hee haue any better entertainment in the world then his brethren haue now and haue had They that know not his members 1 Corinthians 1. 15. which discerne all things and are iudged of none How should they know the head if hee were among them Surely he that knoweth the head knoweth the members also and hee that knowes not the members knowes not the head for they are all one Heb. 2. 11. You saide also that if a man were forth twenty yeares in a strange countrey and should returne home againe in the forme of a seruant or poore man that his owne family would not know him Euen so Saint Iohn speakes of Christ Iohn 1. 10. Hee came among his owne and his owne receiued him not If they had knowne him in Moses and the Prophets they would surely haue receiued him as some beleeuers did So if you know him not now in his Word preached you could not possibly know him if hee were among you for you can no way know him but by his voyce You said moreouer that if a King should come into your towne in the forme of a seruant or poore man that hee would not be heard nor regarded at all though hee shewed forth himselfe in his countenance gesture behauiour wisedome counsell aduise learning c. Euen so though Christ was the brightnesse of the glory of God and the liuely Image and patterne of his person in the world the maiesty power greatnesse wisedome and goodnesse of his God head shining in his person face countenance words workes yet his owne knew him not And if hee were in such sort among you neither would you know him nor heare him otherwise then now you know him and heare him by his voyce if he begin once to meddle with you and to reforme you then you would not let him alone Why because hee will not let you alone as you said of your Minister Alas for you I pitty you because you cannot see your owne hypocrisie that you might repent There was a certaine Bishop that at a visitation preached a very godly Sermon and godlily euen to the capacity of the meanest hearers I heard him very greatly commended for his graue gesture for his distinct and sober deliuerie for his Fatherly instructions speaking plainely and familiarly as a Father to his Children not so earnest and vehement and hotte as young nouices are c. And hee was worthy to be a Bishop As for their Minister hee was but a youngling and as good as no body in comparison of him If they had such a Preacher they would giue I know not what for these gaue little or nothing towards the maintenance of their owne This great and generall commendation was signified to the Bishop in priuate c. Now at the next yearely visitation after the same Bishop came in the attyre and fashion of an ordinary and poore minister hauing his beard shauen c. offering himselfe to bee their Preacher for there was a speech in the towne that their owne Preacher would goe away to another place The Bishop of set purpose did choose another text differing from his former in words but not in matter so that in a manner he preached the very same Sermon Now the same persons that did so much commend him before did as muh discommend him now and that in mine owne hearing They said that hee had no good gesture but a heauy kinde of moouing of his body that hee bended too much forward and stood not vpright that hee was nothing ripe nor ready in his deliuery that hee could be no scholler because hee was so plaine spoken that almost any man might make as good a Sermon that it differed little from ordinary talke that hee enforst nor followed his exhortations with no vehemencie nor earnestnesse and that his words had no life in them to stirre vp attention or to mooue the affections of the hearers that none of them would giue a penny towards his maintainance and that they would haue an other kinde of Preacher than hee or they would haue none Euen so if Iesus Christ should come to preach among you in mans appearance you conceit your selfe that you would heare him as Christ but withall you haue a secret confused imagination of some kinde of worldlie flourish as the Iewes conceiued of him but the plaine trueth is that you would say and iudge no otherwise of him then of any other faithfull pastour for you commend you know not what and you dispraise you know not what But now to trouble you no longer let mee counsell and exhort you as a friend and Christian brother cast away all these vaine and worldly Imaginations pray vnto God to enlighten the eyes of your minde that the glorious light of the Gospell might shine vnto you which as yet is hidden from you pray vnto him to take the stony heart out of your body and to giue you an heart of flesh a penitent humble and sober heart leaue that foolish ieasting and that vaine Ale house company keeping betake your selfe to priuate prayer and reading and then GOD will heare you and come vnto you for hee will not turne away his face from them that desire to be acquainted with him giue diligent eare to your Ministers Sermons and Catechizings and meditate seriously after of that which you haue heard and offer your selfe to your Pastour and Shepheard of your soule be not strange vnto him as though you cared not for him but let him see your amendment and conuersion and be better acquainted with him but yet in singlenes and sincerity and if you once be entred into a good way bee constant in it to the end without feare or wauering let nothing terrifie or affright you whatsoeuer men iudge say or doe care not you for that nor be troubled be ruled by the aduice of your minister before any other and let your foote weare his threashold for you shall finde more comfort pleasure and delight in his company than euer you had in any thing all the daies of your vanitie yea you shall more and more perceiue in what a most miserable estate you were in and those rebels your rich gluttons are in vnlesse they repent You shall by Gods grace in time come to a more cleare and perfect discerning of all things You know the olde Prouerbe commonly vsed they that are in Hell thinke there is no other Heauen and the Oxe thinkes hee is going to the stall when hee goes to the shambles Bee not deceiued The men of this