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A08025 Iacob's ladder consisting of fifteene degrees or ascents to the knowledge of God by the consideration of his creatures and attributes.; De ascensione mentis in Deum per scalas rerum creatorum opusculum. English Bellarmino, Roberto Francesco Romolo, Saint, 1542-1621.; Isaacson, Henry, 1581-1654, attributed name.; H. I., fl. 1638.; Marshall, William, fl. 1617-1650, engraver. 1638 (1638) STC 1839.5; ESTC S122555 138,468 472

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guard over every one David witnesseth He shall give his Angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy wayes and Christ the most faithfull witnesse saith Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones for I say unto you that in heaven their Angels alwaies behold the face of my Father which is in heaven Concerning protectors of Provinces and Kingdomes Daniel testifieth of Michael the Angel who is there called a Prince Lastly for protection of the Church take S. Iohn for a witnesse who mentioneth the Angell of the Church of Ephesus of Smyrna and so of the rest Consider then how carefull GOD who needeth none of our goods is over us his poore servants What could he have done to manifest his great love to us and hath not he hath loaden us with blessings that we might abide in him he hath compassed us with protectors that we might not flye from him he hath environed us with keepers that we should not be snatched from him what would he doe for us if we were his treasure as indeed he is ours Therefore at the last yeeld to his love and being overcome with the love of so great a lover give thy selfe wholly to his service and will let nothing trouble thee which thou seest but thinke upon invisible things and desire them earnestly For the things which a●e seene are temporall but the things which are not seene are eternall 5. The last office of Angels is to be Souldiers or Captaines to execute Gods vengeance upon Nations and threats to people They were Angels that burnt the infamous Cities of Sodome and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone They were Angels that slew all the first borne of Aegypt It was an Angell that slew 185000. Assyrians and they shal be Angels that in the last day shall sever the bad from among the just and shall cast them into a furnace of fire Wherefore let every good Man love his fellow Citizens the holy Angels let wicked men tremble at the power of the Angels being Ministers of the wrath of Almighty GOD out of whose hands none can deliver them DEGREE X. By the Consideration of the Essence of GOD by the similitude of his Corporall greatnesse WE have ascended as high as we can by Created substances and yet cannot attaine to that knowledge of GOD to which by speculation we may come even in this valley of teares It remaines therefore that we see whether by such dimensions of corporall quantities as we know we may ascend to the latitude longitude height and depth of the invisible essence of GOD. For those things are accounted great among the creatures which have these foure great dimensions And GOD in the Psalmes and other places of Scripture is called great and that of his greatnesse there is no end Certainely St. Bernard a great contemplative man of these dimensions made himselfe degrees to know GOD in the Book which he wrote to Pope Eugenius about consideration Neither was he the first finder out or inventor of the degrees of this kind but learned this manner of ascending from the Apostle who searched into the third heaven and to Paradise For thus he saith That ye may be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the bredth and length and depth and height for if a man shall duely consider with himselfe he shall finde that there is nothing full and solid without GOD but all things are narrow streight short poore empty or superficiall but that in GOD is true latitude his immensity true longitude his eternity true height the sublimity of his nature true depth his incomprehensibility without bottome Againe true height his omnipotence true depth his infinite wisedome true latitude his bowels full of mercy true longitude his ful perfect justice But it will not be sufficient to touch these considerations lightly if a man would ascend and finde what he lookes for but to comprehend these dimensions as the Apostle hath set them downe in the verse before quoted And he it is that comprehends them which seriously thinking on them is fully perswaded that they are so in him indeed and being so perswaded sells all that he hath to buy this knowledge And the Apostle fitly addes with all Saints for onely the Saints comprehend it or there is none that comprehends it as he ought but it will make him a Saint St. Augustine is not repugnant to that which hath been said when in an Epistle to Honoratus he writes that when the Apostle describes these 4. dimensions he describes or depicts the Crosse of Christ The latitude in the transverse or crosse piece to which our Saviours hands were fastned the longitude in the upright piece to which his body adhered the sublimity in that piece above or on the upper part of the Crosse whereon the title was written and the depth in that piece which was fastned into the ground he doth not I say oppose our intention but rather helpes it For the Crosse of Christ is the true way to obtaine and comprehend these 4. dimensions for though the Crosse of Christ to mens eyes seeme streight short shallow and not high yet in truth Christ extended and stretched out his armes from East to West and from North to South that is he spread his glory farre and neere by the preaching of the Apostles and erected the crowne of his head to the highest heaven which like a key opened it to the Elect and lastly pierced downe to the depth of hell which he barred and closed from the Elect for ever We will begin from his Essence and then proceed to his Attributes The Essence of God may be truly called most broad and is of the greatest latitude in many respects 1. First it is most broad in it selfe and altogether immense because it comprehends and containes all the perfections of created things as also of those which may be created and so endlesse without number For whatsoever is or shal be or can be made without doubt are contained in God after a more excellent manner Therefore other things are good with an addition as a good man a good horse a good house good apparell and the like But GOD is all good When Moses desired GOD to shew him his glory GOD answered I will make all good goe before thee Suppose a man had some one thing which comprehended all the objects of the sences in full perfection so that he need not goe out of dores either to see heare smell tast or touch any thing having as great delight and pleasure at home in that one thing as any voluptuous man could wish were not this a very pretious thing but if this also contayned in it asmuch wealth as would satisfie a covetous man were it not more pretious or if this one thing besides pleasure and wealth brought with it asmuch honour and dignity as would content the most ambitious would it not seeme to exceed all
obedience nothing can be imagined greater or more meritorious or more honourable to GOD then that humble obedience of CHRIST wherefore most truely said He in the Gospell I have glorified thee upon earth for he truely glorified GOD his Father with an unspeakable glory in the sight of the Angels and spirits of the holy Prophets and others who could take notice of it and if the Angels at Christs nativity in respect of the humility of the Cratch did sing Glory to GOD on high with much greater exultation and joy did they sing the same song for the humility or the Crosse So that whereas if man had not sinned he had onely attayned to be equall with the Angels now mankind hath obtained by the redemption which is in CHRIST JEsus that one man being exalted above all the Angels sits at the right hand of GOD and is become head and Lord of Angels and men for so St. Peter writes of CHRIST Hee is gone into heaven to whom the Angels and Powers and might are subject and St. Paul Wherefore also GOD hath highly exalted him and given him a name above every name That at the name of JESVS should every knee bowe both of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth So that the Son glorified the Father by the humility of his passion after an unspeakable manner and the Father glorified the Son after an unutterable manner also by exalting him to his right hand which glorification resulted upon all mankinde in such a manner that whosoever shall not acknowledge this great benefit and give GOD thankes for it may justly be called most unthankfull And as the holy Angels were much grieved at the fall of the first man as for a heavie affliction befallen their younger brother so also are they taken and affected with much joy and delight for the plentifull redemption of him by IESUS CHRIST for if there be joy in heaven with the Angels for one sinner repenting how great may wee beleeve their joy to bee when they saw that the justice of GOD was fully satisfied for mankind by CHRIST the man and that by the key of his Crosse the Kingdome of heaven was opened to all beleevers Nor is it to be thought that the holy Angels did take it grievously that the man CHRIST was exalted by GOD above them for they have neither spite or ●nvy in them but are replete with all ardent and true love and Love is not puffed up grieveth not at the good of others but sympathizeth and rejoyceth together congratulateth no lesse for it then if it were its owne for the Angels understand that this was a most just act of Gods who doth nothing but most justly and wisely and they also have their will so unseparably proportionable and agreeable to the will of GOD and tyed with such an indissoluble knot of love that whatsoever is pleasing to GOD is most acceptable to them But the Devill who for a time rejoyced for his victory over the first Man was much more sorrowfull for the conquest of CHRIST the man then he was joyfull before For by the victory of CHRIST it is come to passe that not onely men such as Adam was but also children and women shall insult and triumph over the Devill It had not beene a disgrace for him to have beene overcome by Adam in Paradise when he wanted ignorance and infirmity and was armed with originall righteousnesse which so subjected the inferiour parts to reason that hee could not have rebelled if his minde had not beene rebellious to GOD before but now to be subdued by a mortall man a pilgrime obnoxious and subject to ignorance and concupiscence is a disgrace in the highest degree and yet by the grace of Christ he is many times so overcome as that diverse erect trophees of chastity patience humility and love not withstanding his fiery darts of t●ntations and persecutions And here we are againe to admire the altitude of the divine wisedome even beyond admiration For GOD foresaw that the contempt of riches pleasures and honour and the like which are snares of the Devill and lead men captive to utter perdition was necessary to withstand the tentations of the Devill What course did then GOD take that these pleasures and the like might grow bitter to men and chastity poverty humility patience and contempt of the world might seeme pleasant and delightfull Why surely this he came down himselfe from heaven and having taken the shape of a servant and by his example made this bitter but wholesome medicine so pleasant and sweet that many men had rather fast then feast be poore then rich delight in virginity rather then marriage and in martyrdome then pleasure to obey rather then to command to be despised then to be magnified to be humble then to be exalted for who is there that truly considers GOD in the shape of a man full of wisedome and grace and who can neither deceive nor be deceived to be poore humble patient chaste and which is more wonderfull for the redemption of mankinde to be nayled to the Crosse and to dye voluntarily having shed his most pretious blood plentifully even out of a most ardent love but wil be incouraged to imitate his example And this was a high invention of the wisedome of GOD though to the wise of the World and to carnall men enemies to the Crosse of CHRIST it seeme to be foolishnes But let us gather honey out of the rocke and ●yle out of the hardest st●ne that is Wisedome out of foolishnes the wisedome of GOD from the foolishnes of the Crosse Search and examine diligently who that is that hangeth on the Crosse and why he should so hang and we shall finde it to be the same which sitteth betweene the Cherubims yea at the right hand of GOD and we shall also finde that he hung not on the Crosse for his owne faults nor his owne infirmity nor by the power of others but voluntarily out of his earnest desire to satisfie Gods justice for the sinnes of the whole world for the honour and glory of his Father and for the eternall salvation of all the elect and as the Apostle speaketh that he might make unto himselfe a most glorious Church not having spot or wrinkle Lastly for the love of us for he loved us and hath given himselfe for us to be an offering and a sacrifice of a sweet smelling savour to GOD. And when we shall have found all these to be true as they are most true let us lift up our selves in our greatest and most intimate love to so great a benefactor and in imitation of him begin ardently to thirst after Gods glory the salvation of the Gentiles but chiefly the Churches beauty and honour and our owne eternall salvation let us begin to have a hate to iniquity and to love purity of heart to partake of the Crosse of Christ to glory in tribulations
himself without intermission from all eternitie with a most cleare sight and ardent love Which inestimable good he would have thee partaker of also with the holy Angels and hath created thee to this most sublime and transcendent end which these words signifie Enter into the joy of thy Lord that is be partaker of the joy which God himself enjoyes and these of our Saviour I appoint unto you a Kingdome as my Father hath appointed unto me that you may eate and drinke at my table in my Kingdome that is I will make you partakers of my Kingdome and of my royall Table that you may enjoy that honour that power and that pleasure that I enjoy and that God my Father enjoyes And who can conceive how great that honour power pleasure and happinesse may be Certainly he that shall ascend in his thoughts and hope to this height of his end wil be ashamed to contend for the earths possession or to be tormented for the losse of temporall things or to rejoyce for the gaine of them The externall or outward end of a thing is that or he for whose sake the thing is made as the end of a Palace or house for the dweller the end of a Tree for the owner and the end of Man onely for the Lord his God For he made him he made him of his owne he made him for himself he preserves feeds and payes him his wages Therfore most justly he commands and saith Thou shalt worship the LORD onely and him onely shalt thouserve But marke and observe diligently Other things which are created for Man are pr●fitable for him and not for Beasts●abour ●abour for Man not for them●elves the fields vines and orchards fill the barnes cellars and granaries of Men ●ot of their owne Lastly servants labour sweat and are wearie and the gaine pleasure and advantage redound to the Master not to themselves But the LORD thy GOD who wanteth nothing will have Man to serve him and wills that the profit and reward be Mans and not his owne O LORD good and gracious and of much mercy who would not serve thee with his whole heart if he but once tasted the sweetnesse of thy service What dost thou command ô LORD to thy servants Thou bidst us to take thy yoke on us and what is thy yoke is it heavie no easie and the burden light Who would not most willingly beare a yoke which presseth not but cherisheth and a burden which is not grievous but refresheth and therefore thou hast added not without cause and ye shall finde rest unto your soules And what is that yoke of thine that brings not wearinesse but rest even only that first and chiefest Commandement Thou shalt love the LORD thy GOD with all thine heart What easier sweeter pleasanter injunction can there be then to love goodnesse beautie and love which wholly thou art Ô LORD my GOD Thy servant David judged aright when he conceived that thy Commandements were more to be desired then gold yea then much fine gold and sweeter then the honey and the honey comb adding that in keeping them there was great reward What is this Ô LORD Dost thou promise reward to those which keepe Commandements of this nature yet so it is and a most ample reward according to that of St. James a Crowne of life And what may that be certainly a greater blessing then we can either imagine or desire for so saith St. Paul quoting a place in Esay The eye hath not seen the eare hath not heard nor hath come into Mans heart the things which GOD hath prepared for them that love him Truely therefore may it be said that in keeping thy Commandements there is great reward And not onely that great Commandement but the rest doe make him good and happy that keepes them If thou be wise then understand that thou wert created to the glory of GOD and thine owne eternall salvation that this is thine end this the centre of thy soule and this ought to be the treasure of thine heart If thou shalt attaine to this end thou shalt be blessed if thou shalt fall from thence then miserable and therefore thinke that truely good which brings thee to thine end and that truely evill which causeth thee to fall from thine end prosperity and adversity wealth and poverty health and sicknesse honour and disgrace life and death with a wise man are neither to be desired or avoyded of themselves but if they conduce to the glory of GOD and thine owne happinesse they are good and to be sought after if they hinder either Gods honour or thy salvation they are evill and to be shunned DEGREE II. By the Consideration of the Greater WORLD THe first Degree of our ascent towards GOD was raysed out of the consid●ration of Man who is called the lesser World now our intent is to erect the second out of the consideration of the great heap which is called the Greater World Indeed St Gregory Nazianzen saith that GOD placed Man as a Great World in a little which is true if we sever the Angels from the World for Man is greater then it in vertue though not in greatnesse capacity or masse but if we comprehend the Angels within the World as in this tract we doe then Man is but the little in the great World Therefore in this great World which comprehends the universality of things though many things be wonderfull and very considerable and remarkable yet these I conceive most worthy our admiration in it 1 The Magnitude or Greatnesse of it 2 The Multitude or Number of things created in it 3 The Variety of those things 4 The force vertue and efficacie of them 5 The Beauty and Comlines of them It is without doubt that the compasse of the earth is very spacious yea so great that the Sonne of Syrach said of it Who can measure the bredth of the Earth or the depth This may be the better understood if we consider how many thousand yeares have passed since the Creation and as yet the whole superficies of it which he calls the breadth is not knowne notwithstanding the many dangerous and costly voyages to discover it Yet what is this heape or masse of the Earth if it be compared to the circuit and compasse of the highest Heaven Astrologers say like a point or pricke to it and true enough and that every Starre in the firmament is greater then the Earth though for the infinite distance they seeme little to us who can conceive the spaciousnesse of Heaven where so many thousands of Starres doe shine and therfore if he asked with such admiration concerning the superfioies and depth of the Earth what would he have said of the outward superficie● of Heaven and of the depth of the whole World from the highest Heaven to the botome of Hell And indeed the corporeall heape or masse of this World is so great as the
and in what state it shal be found at the departure from the body in the same it shal be judged either to raigne eternally with GOD or everlastingly to be tormented with the Devill nothing ought to be more carefull to thee then to flye sinne and follow that which is good Take heed therefore that to the losse of body and soule thou beest not seduced by the enticements and allurements of the flesh but erucifie it with the desires and concupiscences of it that hereafter not onely thy soule may live in blessednesse but thy body may rise in glory and remaine together in eternity with God But although the soules of the blessed and of the holy Angels shall be partakers of that most sublime and happy union with GOD by his beatificall vision and love which union not onely shall have no end but shall ever stand firme and unmoveable yet the thoughts and affections may change and alter diverse waies and therefore they shall admire and behold above them the eternity of God in whom there shall bee no change of minde will or place and yet nothing shal be wanting to him but shall possesse all things ever which he might have gotten to himselfe by diverse alterations from eternity Wherefore to conclude this point the length of Gods eternity is an infinite thing and no lesse proper and agreeable to him then the bredth of his immensitie The height of Gods Essence comes next to our consideration in respect whereof it is said of GOD Thou onely art the most highest And GOD is onely the highest by the dignity of his nature 1. For things the more pure and more abstract from matter are ever the more noble and higher This we see first in corporall things water is more higher then earth because more pure and by the same reason ayre is higher then water because more pure and the fire then the ayre and heaven then fire Againe we see it in spirituall things the understanding is higher then sence because the sence hath a corporall Organ which the understanding needs not and the Angelicast understanding is higher then mans because a man hath need of the office of imagination and phantasies which an Angell need not and among the Angels they are highest who understand most things by fewest species GOD therefore who onely is pure act and wants nothing without himselfe neither Organ nor imagination nor species nor so much as the presence of any object without himselfe but his owne Essence is all things to him and can have nothing that he had not in act and for him to have in act is to be alwaies pure act and uncompound therefore I say is his nature the most transcendent highest and sublime neither can it by any meanes be equall'd Hee then which said I will be like the most high was suddenly thrust downe to hell and as our Saviour saith I saw Satanfall downe from heaven like lightning 2. Secondly GOD is most high in another respect because he is the 1 first highest efficient 2 exemplary and 3 finall cause of all things 1. He is the first highest efficient cause because there is no created thing which hath any power of making but that which it hath received from GOD but GOD hath that power from none 2. Againe there is no cause which can exercise its power unlesse it be moved by GOD but GOD is moved of none 3. Lastly those are called higher causes amongst created things upon which particular causes depend and which are universall as the heavens and Angels which move the heavens but GOD made both heaven and Angels And therefore he is the onely first and most highest efficient cause 2 He is also the first exemplary cause because he made all things according to the formes and idea's which he hath in himselfe 3 Lastly he is the first finall cause because he created all things for himselfe that is to manifest his glory as the wiseman speaketh But it is very properly said that GOD is the most highest because he sitteth in the highest throne I saw saith Esay the LORD sitting upon a high throne and lifted up Now because sitting or seates have two uses one for judicature and the other for peaceable governing we will consider them apart 1. GOD hath the highest seat because hee is supreme Judge for Abraham said to GOD Shall not the Iudge of all the world doe right and David He is a Iudge among the Gods that is GOD judgeth even Iudges themselves who in Scripture are called Gods but St. Iaemes most plainely There is one Lawgiver and Iudge that is GOD is properly the onely Lawgiver and Iudge and GOD is Iudge himselfe saith David againe GOD is the Iudge and Esay The LORD is our Iudge the LORD is our Lawgiver he onely gives Laws to all men and receives of none he judgeth all men and is judged of none 2. Againe GOD is not onely a Iudge but is also a King and in this regard judgeth not as a Iudge appointed by the King but as King and chiefe Prince of which he is stiled King of Kings and a great King above all Gods and he is terrible to the Kings of the earth because that when he pleaseth he translateth Kingdomes and Empires from one Nation to another and when he pleaseth he taketh away the spirit of Princes 3 Lastly GOD is not onely the supreme Iudge and King but is absolute Lord which is the greatest title of all GOD is properly and truly stiled LORD for all things serve him and he none and can if he will reduce all things to no●hing because he made all things of nothing Consider then what feare what reverence is due by us wormes of the earth to him who sits upon so high a seate as that he hath nothing above him If I be LORD saith GOD by Malachie where is my feare And if those supreme Princes of heaven doe stand by him with such feare and trembling what ought we to doe who are mortall and fraile and dwell upon the earth with beasts But this seemeth strange that the highest GOD loves not creatures like to himselfe that is high and sublime but humble and poore for so GOD speakes by the Prophet Esay To him will I looke even to him that is poore and of a contrite spirit and trembleth at my words and King David Though the LORD be high yet hath he respect unto the lowly And yet I will not say but GOD loveth high things and in this respect like to himselfe so they be truly high not which seeme so and are not and therefore it is that GOD loveth not the proud who are lifted and puffed up and are not to be called sublime but he loveth the humble and those which tremble at his words because that they the more they abase and deject themselves are the more exalted by him and they which are exalted by him are truly high
their just reward being faithfull in all his words 4 Lastly he cannot dye being immortall and all things live to him so that there is no danger that any shall be prevented or hindered by any meanes from receiving their due rewards and therefore in all these respects it is most safe to transact with GOD as amost just Judge and a dangerous and foolish thing to put any confidence in man or to expect from them any just recompence for our paines and labour 2. Let us now compare rewards with rewards divine with humane heavenly with earthly and I would demand what it is that men can retribute to those who all their lives long labour for them breaking many nights sleepe and putting their lives in danger for them O the blindnesse of men what can men repay but small base transi●●ry and things of small continuance But GOD giveth great sublime and eternall things and yet those are much hunted after and these despised St. Chrysostome compares Palaces Cities and the Kingdomes of this world which worldlings so much admire to those brittle fabriques which children make of chalke or clay which being made by them with much labour are derided by those of elder growth and are spoiled with the kicke of a mans foot and so are all those great stately Palaces Towers Castles and Kingdomes but cotages of lome in respect of the celestiall and eternall and derided by the Angels and easily subverted by our heavenly Father whereby we may understand that all earthly things are altogether vaine and transitory which although there be but few who now consider it yet all of us at the last day shall fully understand how little they have profited us and St. Hilary confirmes this when he saith The day of judgement will discover how vaine and how little worth all these things have beene But let us more narrowly looke and consider what manner of rewards Gods are which are so sleighted of most men in respect of these petty earthly recompences I First in that heavenly Kingdome there shal be all the good things which may be desired for they which shall inherit that Kingdome shall be blessed and blessednesse is a perfect accumulation of all good things heaped together There shall be all the good things of the mind Wisedome and vertues of the body beauty health and strength externall good riches pleasure and honour Lastly all these shall be in full perfection and eminencie For GOD who shewed his power in the creation of the World of nothing and his wisedome in governing and providence and his love and goodnes in the redemption of mankinde by the mystery of the incarnation and passion of his Son will then manifest the magnificence of his glory and the munificence of his bounty in the distribution of rewards prizes and crownes to those who have triumphed here over their enemy the Devill And this wisedome shall not be a speculation of the divinity in things created but the very open vision of the essence of God the cause of all causes and of himselfe the chiefe truth by which most resplendent sight the soules of the Saints shall shine with so cleare a light as that St. John speaking of that future glory saith We shal be like him because we shall see him as he is From this excellent wisedome shall proceede love so ardent as that adhering alwaies to that chiefe good it neither will nor can beseparated from it So that the whole soule and all the powers of it shall ever remaine in this excellent state and condition The body shall shine as the Sunne as our Saviour speakes and that shall be its beauty the health of it shal be immortality the strength impassibility lastly the body which is now a creature shall then be spirituall that is obedient to the command of the spirit so that it shall surpasse the winds in agility and pierce even walls with its subtilty The riches of it shall be to want nothing as also to possesse all things in and with God for he shall make him ruler over all his goods What shall I say of pleasure seeing it is said They shal be satisfied with the plenteousnes of thy house and thou shalt give them drinke of thy pleasures as out of theriver now what mind can conceive the delight of enjoying the chiefe happinesse of seeing beauty it selfe of tasting pleasure it selfe of entring into the joy of our Lord that is being made partakers of his pleasure which makes him happy Now the honour and glory of the Saints exceeds all that can be spoken for in the Theatre and view of the whole world of all men and Angels shall the Saints be praysed and crowned by GOD himselfe which exceeds all honour and shall be placed in Christs throne as partakers or partners of his Kingdome for so we read in the Revelation To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne even as I overcame and sit with my Father in his throne And if to all these we will adde eternity as an unspeakeable seasoning and relish to them who then can conceive the greatnesse of this heavenly happinesse and all this which we cannot conceive by thought we shall finde to be true by possessing if by our sober just and godly life we shall attaine to that blessed Countrey for certainely those good things shall endure for ever which the servants of GOD by his grace shall procure with a little labour here What sayest thou then hadst thou rather please thy selfe with children in framing these little buildings of lome then to strive to get possession of an everlasting Kingdome art thou better contented to delight thy selfe with the pleasures of beasts which is horrible to thinke then to enjoy the ineffable joyes which the Angels GOD by his mercy forbid rather pray to GOD to give thee his feare and that the obedience of his Law may be more sweet unto thee then the honey and the honey combe and that crucifying the flesh with the concupiscences thereof thou mayst aspire to the spirituall and everlasting delights of his Paradise and pray to him to give thee grace to follow the steps of thy Saviour Christ who was meeke and lowly in heart Who when he was reviled reviled not againe when he suffered he threatned not and that he would give thee grace to live soberly justly and piously in this present world that thou mayst with some boldnesse expect and wayt for that blessed hope even the coming of the glory of the great GOD and of our Saviour the Lord Iesus Christ It remayneth that we consider the justice which GOD executeth in punishing sinners in the 〈◊〉 a●yss● of hell which if we will doe seriously we shall understand that to be very true which the Apostle tells us It is a fearefull thing to fall into the hands of the living God For to follow the order which we held in his rewarding