Selected quad for the lemma: kingdom_n
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A12376
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The benefit of contentation Taken by characterie and examined after.; Sermon of the benefite of contentation
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Smith, Henry, 1550?-1591.
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1590
(1590)
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STC 22694; ESTC S110776
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12,792
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39
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vvhich vve need Therfore as childreÌ„ take no care for their apparell what cloathes they should weare nor for their victuals what meat they should eat but leaue this care for their father so saith Christ Take you no care for my father careth for you Hee was not content to call Godlinesse gain but hee calleth it great gaine as if hee would say Gaine and more then Gaine riches and better then riches a Kingdome and greater then a Kingdome As when the Prophetes woulde distinguish betweene the Idol gods and the liuing GOD they call him the great God so the gaine of Godlinesse is called greate gaine The riches of the worlde are called earthlye transitorye snares thornes dung as though they were not worthye to bee counted Riches and therefore to draw the earnest loue of men from them the holy Ghoste bringes them in with such names of disdaine to disgrace them with their louers but when hee comes to Godlinesse which is the riches of the soule he calleth it great riches heauenlye riches vnsearcheable riches euerlasting riches with all the names of honor and al the names of pleasure and all the names of happinesse As a woman trimmes and deckes her selfe with an hundred ornaments onelye to make her amiable so the holy Ghost setteth out Godlinesse with names of honour and names of pleasure and names of happinesse as it were in her iewels with letters of commendation to make her to hee loued Least any riches shoulde compare with Godlinesse hee giues it a name aboue other and calleth it Great Riches as if hee woulde make a distinction betweene Riches and Riches betweene the gaine of Couetousnesse and the gain of Godlinesse the peace of the world and the peace of conscience the ioy of riches and the ioy of the holy Ghost The worldly men haue a kind of peace and ioy and riches but I cannot call it great because they haue not enough they are not contented as the Godly are therefore onely Godlinesse hath this honour to be called great riches The Gaine of couetousnes is nothing but wealth but the Gaine of Godlinesse is wealth and peace and ioy and loue of God and the remission of sins and euerlasting life Therefore onely Godlines hath this honour to by called great gaine Riches make bate but Godlinesse makes peace Riches breede couetousnesse but Godlinesse bringes contentation Riches make men vnwilling to die but Godlinesse makes men ready to dy Riches often hurt the owner but Godlinesse profiteth the owner other Therfore onely Godlinesse hath this honour to be called great riches such â—â—ine such ioy such peace is in Godlinesse and yet no man couets it for this is the qualitie of vertue it seemeth nothing vnto a man vntil he hath it as Salomon saith of the buier while he is in buying he dispiseth the thing which he buyeth saith It is naught it is not woorth the price which ye ask but when he hath bought it so soon as he is gon he boasteth of his peniworths and saith it is better then his mony So Godlines before a man haue it hee saith it is not woorth his labor and thinkes euery houre too much that he spendeth about it but when hee hath found it he would not loose it againe for al the world because hee is now come to that which followeth to be contented vvith that hee hath Riches come and yet the man is not pleased honour comes and yet the man is not pleased libertie comes and yet the man is not pleased pleasure comes and yet the man is not pleased vntill God come then he saith My cup is ful Shevv vs thy father saith Phillip it sufficeth nay shew vs thy truth and it suffiseth Novv my soul saith the Churle take thy rest nay now my soule take thy rest for thou hast layd vp for many yeares The godly man hath founde that which the world dooth seeke that is inough euery word may be defined euery thing may be measured but enough cannot be measured nor defined it changeth euery year when we had no thing we thoght it enough if we might obtaine lesse then we haue wheÌ„ we came to more we thought of an other enough nowe we haue more we dream of another enough so enogh is alwais to come though too much be there already This is because we séek contentation in the things when it is in the mind for Godlines is in the mind and the gaine of Godlines is contentation The apostle speakes as though hée had founde a new kinde of riches which the world neuer thought of that are of such a nature that they will satisfie a man like the water that Christ spake of he that drinkes of this vvater shall thirst no more so they that tast of these riches shall couet no more but as the holy ghost filled all the house Act. 2 so y e grace and peace and ioy of the holy ghost filleth all the hart that as Ioseph had no neede of Astronomy because hee had the spirite of Prophecie so hée which hath contentation hath litle need of riches Such a sweet thing is Godlinesse that it seasoneth al estates like the Vnicornes horue which dippeth in y e fouÌ„tain maks the waters which were corrupt noisom clear wholsome vpon the suddaine so whatsoeuer estate godlinesse comes vnto it saith like the Apostles Peace bee to this house peace be to this heart peace bee to this man I may liken it to the fiue loaues and two fishes wherewith Christ fed fiue thousand persons and yet there were twelue baskets full of that which was left which coulde not fill one basket when it was whole so their litle feast was made a great feast so the godlye though they haue but litle for themselues yet they haue something for other like the wyddowes Myte that they may say as the Disciples saide to Christ they want nothing though they haue nothing Contentation wanteth nothing and a good heart is worth all For if she want bread she can say as Christ said I am another bread If she want riches she can say I haue other riches If shee want strength she can say I haue other strength If shee want friends she can say I haue other friends Thus the Godly and all within that the Godlesse séek without Therfore if you sée a man contented with that which hée hath it is a great signe that Godlinesse is entred into him for y e hart of man was made a Temple for God and nothing can fill it but God alone Therefore Paule saith after his conuersion that which he coulde neuer say before his conuersion I haue learned to be conteÌ„t First he learned godlines then godlines taught him contentatioÌ„ Now saith Paul I haue learned to be content as though this were a lesson for euery Christian to learn to be content For thus he must thinke that as God said to Moses when he
you will be crosse to all and preach godlinesse is gaine to them which count gaine godlines Men will thinke of you as Festus did that you speake you know not what These lessons are for Paul himselfe As Christ saith All doe not receiue this word so all doe not count this gaine but losse we count him riche which hath his barnes full like the churle his coffers ful like the glutton his table full like Baltasar his stable ful like Salomon his grounds full like Iob his purse full like Cressus you speake against your maister for Christ sent worde vnto Iohn that the poore receiue the Gospell as though the godly were of the poorer sorte and Dauid calleth the wicked rich they prospeand florish their seed blasteth not their cowe casteth not as if hee shoulde say it is not as you take it Paul that godlines doth make men riche For this I haue obserued in my time that the wicked are the wealthiest and good Lazarus is the poore man and wicked Diues is the rich man Againe we read that the blinde man was asked vvhich of of the Scribes or the Pharisees or the Elders did follovv Christ yet these were counted rich men though they had no godlinesse and if ye should examine your selfe it seemes you were no riche man for all your godlinesse when you did worke with your handes for your liuing therefore if Godlinesse bee suche gayne how happeneth it that your share is no better So they which are like Nicodemus when Christ saith they must be borne agayne thinke that hee can haue no other meaning but that they must returne againe into their mothers wombe and when he calleth hymselfe bread that hee must needes meane such bread as theydine with As the Iews hearing the prophets speake so oft of Christes kingdom and call him a king looked for a temporal king which should bring them peace and ioy and glory and make them like kings themselues so the carnall eares wheÌ„ they heare of a kingdome and treasures and riches straight their minds runne vpon earthly and worldly and transitory thinges such as they loue to whome Paul answereth as Christ aunswered hys Disciples I haue an other meate vvhich you knovve not of so there is another gaine which you know not of I sayd not that godlinesse is earthly or worldly or transitorie gaine but great gaine Godlinesse is great gayne He will not prooue Godlinesse to be gaine but great gaine Godlines is great gaine as if he shoulde say more gainful then your wares and rents and fines and interest as though he would make the Lawyer and Marchant and Mercer Draper and Patrone and Landlord all the men of riches beléeue that Godlines wil make theÌ„ rich sooner then couetousnes I feare this saying may be renued If a man tel you ye vvil not beleeue it nay if God tel you yet ye wil not beleeue it As the Lord looked down vpon earth to see if any did regard him saith there is not one so this sentence may go from court to citie from citie to countrie and say there is scarce one in a towne that will subscribe vnto it Many saith Dauid Psal 4. aske vvho vvill shewe vs any good meaning riches and honour and pleasure which are not good but when he came to goodnesse it selfe hée leaues out Many and prayeth in his owne person Lord lift vp the light of thy countenance vpon vs. as though none woulde ioyne with him yet Wisedome is iustified of her ovvn children and the godlye call Godlines gaine To make vs loue Godlinesse he calleth it by the name of that we loue most that is Gaine As the Father calleth his sonne which hee would loue more than the rest by his owne name to put him in minde of such a loue as he beareth to himself Here we may see that God dooth not commannd men to be godly onely because it makes for his glory but because Godlinesse is profitable to vs. For Godlines is not called Gaine in respect of him but in respect of vs it is gain to vs but it is dutie to him So it is not called health in respect of God but in respect of vs because it is the health of the soule so it is not called a kingdome in respect of God but in respect of vs because we are intituled to the kingdome by this difference from the reprobates But all the good thinges in the world together and the goodnesse of all is found in Godlinesse and therefore godlinesse is called by the names of those thinges that men count best to shewe that the Godlie are as well as merrie as content with their loue towarde God and Gods loue toward them as other are with health and wealth and pleasures Therefore it is said of the Godly Esay 33. The feare of the Lord is his treasure Therefore saith Ieremy 3. Lament The Lord is my portion as though he desired nothing els and therfore it is said of Moses Heb. 11. 26. That he esteemed the rebuke of Christ greater riches theÌ„ al the treasures of Egypt If crosses be riches as Moses thought what riches are in Godlines but is this al shal godlines be our riches in this life only Nay saith Paule 1. Tim 4 Godlinesse hath the promises of this life and of the life to come And therfore christ saith First seeke the kingdome of God and all the rest shall bee cast vpon you euen as the sheaues fel before Ruth so riches shall fall in your way as they did to Abraham and Lot and Iacob and Iob and Ioseph riches wer cast to theÌ„ they knewe not how but as if God had said Be rich and they were rich straight For all good thinges were created for the good and therefore they are called good Gen 1. Because the good God created them for good men to good purpose and therfore as Iacob got the blessing so he got the inheritance also to shew that as the faithfull haue the inwarde blessing so they haue the outward blessings too when they are good for theÌ„ For sayth Dauid Psal 34 They vvhich seeke the Lord shall vvant nothing that is good He sayth not that they shall vvant nothing but that they shall vvant nothing that is good Now God knowes better then wee what is good for vs as the Nurse knoweth better then the child when the milke is ready for it Therefore Christ saith Your heauenly Father knovveth vvhat you haue need of he saith not that vve know vvhat vve haue need of but that our father knovveth as if he shoulde say when you haue neede of health your Father will sende you health when you haue neede of riches your Father will send you riches wheÌ„ you haue néede of lâ—â—ertie your Father will send you libertie for he saith not onely that his Father knovveth vvhat vve haue neede of but he vvill giue vs the things