Selected quad for the lemma: kingdom_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
kingdom_n	gospel_n	heaven_n	lord_n	2,159	5	3.5651	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A16333	Mr. Boltons last and learned worke of the foure last things death, iudgement, hell, and heauen. With an assises-sermon, and notes on Iustice Nicolls his funerall. Together with the life and death of the authour. Published by E.B.	Bolton, Robert, 1572-1631.; Bagshaw, Edward, d. 1662.	1632 (1632)	STC 3242; ESTC S106786	206,639	329

earthly excellencies labours in this Chapter to abase and dishonour the pride and vanity of all humane greatnesse and to advance the neglected Mystery of his heavenly Doctrine and the glorious power of downe-right preaching which the great men amongst them esteemed foolishnesse yet indeed such as by which the LORD of Heaven and Earth saveth those that beleeve And he so farre acquaints them with the counsell of GOD in the point that he gives them to understand that upon the matter whereas the noble the mighty and wise after the flesh with all the bravery and selfe-confidence vanish and perish Meaner men of lower ranke and more contemptible are converted In the words I read unto you he appeales to their owne experience in the point and bids them look about and view well the worke of the Ministery amongst them survey and search throughly that goodly flourishing body of the Church which he had there created and collected by his eighteene months presence and paines And they shall find that not many wise after the flesh nor mighty nor noble gave their names unto CHRIST or became Professors of the Gospell But the foolish and weake things of the world carrie all away in matter of salvation and entertainement of CHRIST He renders two Reasons in the Verses following 1. That the wise men of the world may be confounded 2. And that GOD himselfe blessed for ever may have all the glory The words then being plaine Not many wise men after the flesh not many mighty not many noble are called I build directly and naturally this point upon them Few great men goe to Heaven Or thus Great men are seldome good I here understand greatnesse according to the world In respect 1. Of excellent learning 2. Worldly wealth and height of place Both make mighty nay many times gold is the more powerfull commander 3. Worldly honour and nobility 4. Worldly wisedome Greatnesse in any of these kinds is rarely accompanied with goodnesse few such great men as these are called converted or ever come to heaven I say Few for I finde Divines both Ancient and Moderne upon this Text to make Not Many and Few equipollent Primasius and Anselme Calvin and Piscator For proofe of the point First by Scripture Looke upon such places as these 1. Matth. 11. 25 26. At that time IESVS answered and said I thanke thee O Father LORD of heaven and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto Babes Even so Father for so it seemed good in thy sight CHRIST who knew full well the bosome of his Father casting his eye seriously upon the condition of his followers and fruit of his Ministry and seeing the Scribes Pharisees and great ones of the world not onely not entertaine and countenance but out of their proud and prophane malice disdaine and contemne the glorious Gospell and divine Messages hee brought from Heaven and a company of poore fishermen and some few other neglected underlings with an holy violence lay hold upon his Kingdome He brake out into this thankefull acknowledgement and admiration I thanke thee O Father LORD of Heaven and Earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to Babes And then ascends to the well-head and first moover of all his Dealings with and differences amongst the Sons of men the sacred and unsearchable depth of this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Beneplacitum the good pleasure of his will Even so Father for so it seemed good in thy sight In an humble adoration of the inscrutable and immutable courses whereof we must finally and fully rest with infinite satisfaction silenced from any further search and carnall curiosities by that awefull checke and countermaund of Paul Nay but O Man who art thou that repliest against GOD Flesh and bloud hath it old ages grumbled and repin'd kickt and cavil'd about this point but ever at length by measuring this deepest Mysterie by the line of humane reason and labouring to fathome this bottomelesse sea by the pride of their owne wits they have become wretched opposers of the grace of GOD. We behold the Sun and enjoy the light as long as we looke towards it but tenderly and circumspectly We warme our selves safely while we stand neere the fire But if we seeke to outface the one or enter into the other we forthwith become blinde or burnt It is proportionably in the present point Heere by the way from our Sauiours words wee may extract a soveraigne Antidote against those temptations and discontented reasonings which are wont to arise in our hearts sometimes when we see those great ones of the world who looke so big and carrie their heads so high not onely to carrie all before them to wallow and tumble themselves with all bravery and applause in the glory wealth and pleasure of the world to swimme downe the current of the times with full saile and prosperous winde though many times against the secret murmure and counterblasts even of their own Consciences In a word in these worst times to have what they list and do what they will but also lay about them with the fist of wickednesse and scourge of tongues to trample if it were possible the lambes of CHRIST even into the dust with the feete of malice and pride by a plausible tyranny and aide of the times iniquity to keepe them downe still and still in disgrace hunting them continually with cruelty and hate like a Partridge in the mountaines as the Pharisees did CHRIST I say when we see this let us never be troubled and take offence let us never be grieved or grow discontent or out of heart But pitty them pray for them and possesse our owne soules in patience and peace And after the precedencie of our blessed Saviour goe in private and say I thanke thee O Father LORD of heaven and earth because thou hast revealed the Mysteries of CHRIST and secrets of the saving way to me a poore wretch and worme troden under foot as an obiect of scorne and a contemptible outcast and hast hid them from the wise and the noble and the mighty from the boysterous Nimrods and proud Giants of the world Even so Father for so it seemed good in thy sight And there staying a while ever magnifie admire and adore with lowliest humblest and most thankefull thoughts that dearest and dreadfull Depth of GODS free and incomprehensible love which made thee to differ Which is as it were the first ring of that golden chaine Rom. 8. 29. 30. which reacheth from everlasting to everlasting and gives being life and motion to all the meanes that make us eternally blessed Out of the rich and boundlesse treasurie whereof came that inestimable Iewell IESVS CHRIST blessed for ever and by consequent all those heavenly happinesses which crowne the glorified Saints through alleternity For so GOD loved the world that he gave his onely begotten Son that

evill conscience attends the one of which eats out their heart when we expect an harvest The other seizes upon the Soule in the time of sorrow and sinks it into the lowest hell And as Men of GOD and Sonnes of Wisdome to mount our thoughts and raise our spirits and bend our affections to things above which are as farre from diminution and decay as the Soule from death and can be no more corrupted or shaken than the Seat and Omnipotency of GOD surprised For besides that they infinitely surpasse in eminency of worth and sweetnesse of pleasure the comprehension of the largest heart and expression of any Angels tongue they also out-last the dayes of heaven and run parallell with the life of GOD and line of Eternity As we see the Fountaine of all materiall light to powre out his beames and shining abundantly every day upon the world without wearinesse emptinesse or end so and incomparably more doth joy and peace glory and blisse spring and plentifully flow every moment with fresh streames from the face of the Father of Lights upon all His holy ones in heaven and that everlastingly O blessed then shall we be upon our beds of death if following the counsell of our dearest LORD who shed the most precious and warmest bloud in His heart to bring our soules out of hell we treasure ap now in the meane time heavenly hoards which will ever happily hold out a stocke of grace which never shrinks in the wetting but abides the triall of the spirit and touch-stone of the Word in all times of danger and Day of the LORD even that accurate circumspect and precise walking pressed upon us by the Apostle Eph. 5. 15. Though pestilently persecuted and plagued by the enemies of GOD in all ages And that purity which Saint Iohn makes a property of every true-hearted Professour 1 Iohn 3. 3. So much opposed and bitterly opprest by the world and yet without which none of us shall ever see the face of GOD with comfort If while it is called To Day we make our peace with His heavenly Highnesse by an humble continued exercise of repentance by standing valiantly on His side by holding an holy acquaintance at His mercifull Throne with a mighty importunity of prayer and godly conversation above by ever offering up unto Him in the armes of our Faith when he is angry the bleeding Body of His owne crucified SONNE never giving Him over or any rest untill He bepleased to register and enroll the remission of our sinnes in the Booke of Life with the bloudy lines of CHRISTS Soule-saving sufferings and golden characters of His owne eternall love If now before we appeare at the dreadfull Tribunall of the euer-living GOD and little know we whose turne is next we make our friends in the Court of Heaven the blessed Angels in procuring their joy and love by a visible constancy in the fruits teares and truth of a sound conversion The Spirit of comfort by a ready and reverent entertainment of His holy Motions and inspirations of grace the Sonne and Heire of the King of glory the Foundation and Fountaine of all our Blisse in this world and the world to come from whose meritorious bloud shed and blessed mediation arise all those flouds of mercy and favour which refresh our Soules in this vale of teares and also those unknown bottomlesse seas of pleasure peace and all unspeakable delights which will superabound and overflow with new and fresh sweetnesse for ever and ever in the Paradise of GOD. Blessed are they that ever they were borne who have already got Him their Advocate at the right hand of His Father For besides many other glorious priviledges thereby in all their exigents and extremities they may be ever welcome to the Seat of mercy and be sure to speed If a man had a suit unto the King it were a comfortable and happy thing to find a friend in Court But if the Kings speciall and choisest Favourite nay His own only Son were his Intercessour how confident would he be to prevaile and prosper to conquer his opposites and crowne his desires Why then should any poore Christian be discomforted and cast downe nay why should he not be extraordinarily raised and ravished in spirit with much joyfull hope and sweet assurance when he throwes himselfe downe at the Throne of grace sith the dearest Sonne of the eternall GOD the Heire of heaven and earth the Mediator of the great Covenant of endlesse salvation is his Advocate at the hand of His All-mighty Father in the most high and glorious Court of Heaven Wherefore when an humbled soule and trembling spirit is sore troubled and almost turned backe from his purpose of prayer and prostration at the foot of heavenly Majesty by entertaining before hand a feeling apprehension of his owne abhorred vilenesse and the holy purity of GODS all-seeing and searching eye which cannot looke on iniquity let this consideration comfort and breed confidence that IESVS CHRIST the Son of GODS love doth sollicite and tender the suit who out of His owne sense and sympathy of such like troubles and temptations doth deale for us with a true a naturall and a sensible touch of compassionatenesse and mercy Shall that blessed Saviour of ours call and cry for a pardon to His Father for those which put Him to death who were so farre from seeking unto him that they sought and suckt his bloud and shall He shut His eares against the groanes of thy grieved spirit and heavy sighes of thy bleeding soule who values one drop of His bloud at an higher price than the worth of many worlds It cannot be Thus that saying of Salomon and this counsell of CHRIST makes good the truth of the Point which may further appeare by these Reasons 1. Taking this counsell betime and hoarding up heavenly things in this harvest time of grace mightily helps to asswage the smart mollifie the bitternesse and illighten the darknesse of the evill Day It is soveraigne and serves to take the venime sting and teeth out of any crosse calamity or distresse and so preserves the heart from that raging hopelesse sorrow which like a devouring Harpie dries up dissolves and destroyes the bloud spirits and life of all those who are destitute of such a divine Antidote What vast difference may we discerne betweene Iob and Iudas David and Achitophel in the daies of evill The two men of God being formerly enriched with his favour and familiarity so behaved themselves the one in the ship-wracke of his worldly happinesse the other in the hazard of his Kingdome as though they had not beene troubled at all The LORD gave and the LORD hath taken away saith Iob when all was gone blessed be the name of the LORD If I shall find favour in the eyes of the LORD saith David He will bring me againe and shew me both it and His habitation But if He thus say I have no delight in thee behold here

when GOD singles out and designes any of His for some speciall services and extraordinary sufferings He ever furnisheth them before-hand with singularity of gifts and sufficiency of spirituall abilitie to go thorow and stand to it to death But now on the other side He will never breake a bruised reed nor quench smoking flaxe Isa. 42. 3. but will ever gather the Lambs with His arme and carie them in His bosome and gently lead those that are with young Isa. 40. 11. I make no doubt but that in Queene Maries daies He mercifully hid many a good soule from the implacable fury of those Popish morning Wolves who though they were in a saving state and loved the LORD IESVS in sincerity Ephes. 6. 24. yet they wanted strength to stand in the face of the fiery tempests of those times 6. Beware lest any earthly contentment encroach upon empaire and eat up thy delight in heavenly things But let thy spirituall joy ever utterly over-weigh all humane miseries and overtop incomparably all worldly pleasures And there is good reason for it In respect Of the 1. Object The matter whereupon earthly joy doth feed is base and vile filth and fashions gaming and good-fellowship revelling and in our daies even roaring lust and luxury c. and other such froth and fooleries the very garbage of hell at the best corne wine oyle gold greatnesse offices honours high roomes Princely favours c. as transitory as an hasty headlong torrent a shadow a ship a bird an arrow a Poste that hasteth by or if you can name any thing of swifter wing and sooner gone But the object about which spirituall joy is exercised are IEMOVAH blessed for ever His free and everlasting love the light of His countenance His sweet name That our names are written in heaven the Son of His Love His Person whose glory beauty amiablenesse sweetnesse and excellency is somthing shadowed but infinitely short by outward beauties Cant. 5. 10. The preciousnesse of His meritorious bloud exceeding great and precious Promises pardon of sinnes CHRISTS glorious Image shining in our soules eternity of unconceiveable joyes 2. Of continuance Earthly joy is like the crackling of thornes under a pot a sudden blaze with some noise but soone extinct and comes to nothing The triumphing of the wicked is short and joy of the hypocrite but for a moment But spirituall joy is like the fire upon the altar it hath ever fewell to feed upon though we do not ever feele it The Kingdome of GOD is righteousnesse and peace and joy in the HOLY GHOST The ransomed of the LORD shall returne and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads they shall obtaine joy and gladnesse and sorrow and sighing shall slie away Be glad in the LORD and rejoyce ye righteous and shout for joy all ye that are upright in heart 3. Sincerity Earthly joy is cruelly embittered with many slavish stinging and envenimed mix●…ures and marre-mirths but GOD gives joy to the upright heart and no sorrow with it 4. Effects Carnall joy utterly unfits for all holy imployments but spirituall joy is to the faculties of the soule as oyle to the joynts of the body it makes quicke active and excellent for the discharge of any divine duty 5. Calling to mind carnall joy in the evill day torments extremely and turnes it into gall and worme-wood but remembrance of those sweetest glimpses and heavenly deawes of spirituall joy which were wont to shine into and refresh our humbled soules when we were conscionably busied in the waies and worke of the LORD will serve as a precious cordiall to re-comfort our spirits in sadder times and surest pledge of their most certaine returne in due time 6. Spirituall joy is many times much enlarged in times of tribulation But the heart of the wicked is sorrowfull in laughter and troubled with melancholy amidst their greatest mirth 7. Spirituall joy is ordinarily most free full and at the highest in solitarinesse soliloquies and the most retired exercises of the soule but carnall joy and want of company are for the most part incompatible And it is kept in that poore little dying life it hath by good-fellowship and sensuall imployments 8. Carnall joy ever ends in bitternesse spirituall in blessednesse As the rivers of fresh water run their course with an hasty current to fall into the salt Sea so the Posting Sun of all worldly pleasures after a short gleame and vaine glistering sets in the Ocean of endlesse sorrow 7. Make thy peace with GOD upon good ground in the meane time and graciously walke with Him by a rule and daily direction Watch over thine heart with extraordinary industry Mortifie thy members which are upon earth pride choler covetousnesse selfe-love hankering after the fashions c. Strangle thy lusts stand at the Swords Point with thy most beloved sinne Beare the yoke from thy youth and exercise thy spirituall armes every day Get a habit of heavenly-mindednesse and holy familiarity with GOD aforehand and then shall we hold up our heads and our hearts with boldnesse and undauntednesse of spirit in the evill day The strongest and stoutest creatures saith a godly Divine pressing this Point are afraid of those things which are contrary to their natures which other creatures never so weake feare not being of the same nature No more fearefull creature than a ●…ish flying at the shadow of a man yet it feares not the Ocean Sea because of its owne nature and acquaintance which Lions and the stoutest creatures feare A sheepe ●…eares not his shepheard by reason of acquaintance whom yet the beare and the wolfe feare Whatsoever is strange and unacquainted is fearefull If we acquaint our selves with GOD and walke with Him as His friends we shall have the more boldnes with Him when we have most need of Him In a word be very temperate honest holy For the more conscionable thou hast formerly beene the lesse power will the crosse have when it comes It was the saying of a reverend man where sinne lies heavy the crosse lies light and contrarily that heart is like to be most lightsome in a storme which hath beene the holiest in a calme 8. Possesse thy mind betime of many mortifying motives and meditations to master the immoderate feare of death the king of terrour and then thou wilt be able with farre more patience and resolution to digest all petty troubles and miseries in the meane time For which purpose Ponder upon these Points 1. There is almost no man but he hath suffer'd more paine in his life than ordinarily he shall passe thorow in death The pangs of death saith Mr. Ward are often lesse than of the tooth-ache 2. The covenant of GOD is offorce with us as we lie in the dust of the earth Mat. 22. 31 32. 3. Our union with CHRIST holds still Col. 1. 18. As the Hypostaticall