Selected quad for the lemma: kingdom_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
kingdom_n	great_a	speak_v	time_n	2,091	5	3.3892	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A86450	The valley of vision, or A clear sight of sundry sacred truths. Delivered in twenty-one sermons; by that learned and reverend divine, Richard Holsvvorth, Dr. in Divinity, sometimes Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge, Master of Emanuel Colledge, and late preacher at Peters Poore in London. The particular titles and texts are set downe in the next leafe.	Holdsworth, Richard, 1590-1649.; Holdsworth, Richard, 1590-1649. Peoples happinesse.	1651 (1651)	Wing H2404; Thomason E631_1; ESTC R202438	355,440	597

fruit of the bodie That the children may be as young plants The blessings of the field That the sheep may bring forth thousands and the oxen be strong to labour The blessings of going out and coming in That they may be delivered from the hand of strange children and saved out of great waters Here is briefly the compound of the many simples which make up this case or condition of a peoples happinesse And surely if by these particulars it be defined we may boldly say The condition is our own and men may pronounce of us as truly as of any Nation that we have been for a long time a happy people Our deliverances from strange children have been great and miraculous and our land it hath been a Goshen a lightsome land whereas the darknesse of discomfort hath rested upon other Nations The blessings of the citie and field of the basket and of the store have grown upon us in such abundance that many men have surfetted of plentie Our land hath been as an Eden and garden of the Lord for fruitfulnesse as a Salem for peace whereas other kingdomes do yet grone under the pressures of sword and famine Besides these if there be any blessing which the Scripture mentions in other places Peace in the walls Plentie in the palaces Traffick in the ports or Salvation in the gates if any part of happinesse which it speaks of in this Psalme for plantings or buildings or reapings or storings or peoplings we have had them all in as much fulnesse as any part of the world and in more then most onely there is one particular may be questioned or rather cannot be denied That amidst the very throng of all these blessings there are some murmurings and complainings in our streets But it need not seem strange to us because it is not new in the world In the stories of all ages we meet with it That men used to complain of their times to be evil when indeed themselves made them so I may be bold to say There was cause in respect of sinne then as well as now especially with godly men who are so good themselves that it is no marvell if they thought times a little evil to be extremely bad as alwayes sinne swells to the eye of grace But if we speak of outward pressures and calamities I am certain there is not cause now as then for the riches of the Kingdome were never so great the peace of the Kingdome never so constant the state of it for all things never so prosperous Onely we must give leave to the world to be like it self As long as ambition or covetousnesse are in the world men of such spirits will cry out The times are bad even when they are best because they in their own bad sense still desire to be better As nothing is enough so nothing is pleasing to a restlesse mind An insatiable appetite is alwayes impatient and because impatient querulous Yet this is not the sole reason for besides this humour of appetite the very corruption of our nature leads us hereunto To be weary of the present It is the joynt observation both of Divines and Moralists as of Salvian Quintilian Tacitus and others who agree as near almost in words as in opinion Quòd usitatum est mentis humanae vitium illa magìs semper velle qua desunt vetera quidem in laude praesentiain fastidio ponere Our own experience will tell us as much if we will take pains to observe it How through the pravity of our own dispositions whatsoever is present proves burdensome whether it be good or bad Salvian in his third De Gubernatione sets forth this humour to the life That men of all times were displeased with all times Si aestus est saith he de ariditate causamur si fluvia de inundatione conquerimur si infoecundior annus est accusamus sterilitatem si foecundior vilitatem So winter and summer are both alike distastfull to impatient men In scarcity things are too dear in plentie too cheap povertie pincheth and abundance nauseates If there be a little too much drought they cry out of a famine if a showre or two extraordinary they are affraid of a deluge You shall heare in good times Quid nobis cum Davide and in bad Antigonum effodio as we reade of the Israelites That even when God himself was pleased to order their civill affairs they were not contented but still repined as well when they had manna as when they wanted it The reason is as the Greek Historian notes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But I hope we Christians are of a better temper It beseems not us of all others to be so injurious to God who hath singled us out to be a happy people It beseems us not to be so unthankfull to our Sovereigne under whom we enjoy these blessings Howsoever it ought to be in the first place acknowledged that the originall of all our happinesse is from heaven yet it must be confest withall that the chrystall pipe through which blessings are conveyed unto us is his government Our peace is from his wisdome our plentie from our peace our prosperitie from our plenty our safetie our very life our whatsoever good of this nature it is by Gods providence wrapt up in his welfare whose precious life as the Oratour speaks is Vita quaedam publica the very breath of our nostrils perfumed with multitude of comforts ●ma 4.20 What then remains but that our thankfulnesse should result from all to make our happinesse complete that so both receiving what we desire and retributing what we ow we may give cause unto all Kingdomes to lengthen this acclamation and to say Happy both Prince and people which are in such a case So I have done with the first generall part of the text the path of Prosperitie answerable to the civill respect of the day I now proceed to the second the path of Pietie answerable to the Religious respect Yea happy It 's the best wine to the last though all men be not of this opinion You shall hardly bring a worldly man to think so The world is willing enough to misconster the order of the words and to give the prioritie to Civill happinesse as if it were first in dignitie because 't is first named they like it better to hear of the Cui sic then the Cui Dominus To prevent this follie the Psalmist interposeth a caution in this corrective particle Yea Happy It hath the force of a revocation whereby he seems to retract what went before not simply and absolutely but in a certain degree lest worldly men should wrest it to a misinterpretation It is not an absolute revocation but a comparative it doth not simply deny that there is some part of popular happinesse in these outward things but it preferres the spiritualls before them Yea that is Yea more or Yea rather like that of Christ in the Gospel When one in the

to receive their direction We must not prescribe God leave God to his way though we see things improbable God can work it out we must leave him to his wisedome he will bring things to passe we must not put trust in meanes and rules but leave God to his prescriptions Lastly good Servants beare their Masters name and not onely apply themselves to the Commands of their Master but to the desires of their Master They alway consider themselves to be in that condition that they look to give an account Good Servants they are not onely tender of their Masters temporall goods but of their Masters safety A good Servant will venture his life for his Master especially in a good cause O then let us goe and be like minded put all these together and by the consideration of these things provoke our selves to the faithfull obedience and service that belongs to God Let us mold our selves with these resolutions If we be Servants for shame for shame doe somewhat that belongs to Servants Let us not be content to equall the Coppie but labour to exceed it not onely to say As the eyes of Servants so our eyes but as the eyes of Children to their Parents so are our eyes to God As the eyes of Subjects are to their Prince so are our eyes on God and as the eyes of Sheep are fixed upon the Shepheard so are our eyes on God As the eyes of Creatures are upon their Creator and the eyes of the redeemed upon their Saviour so our eyes are fixed upon the Lord our God In all these relations we will not onely labour to equall the duty but to exceed it and not so onely but more So I have done with the first thing the paralell wherein David endeavours to match the Coppy he had propounded As the eyes of Servants are towards their Masters so are our eyes on the Lord our God And the reason of every word Now the last thing is the date and duration Vntill he have mercy on us There are but two words they are not long in pronunciation but they are very long in signification They are so long that they reach to perpetuity both wayes For first there is no end of Gods mercy that is one word And then there must be no period set of our duty and waiting Vntill he have mercy on us That word seems to be as long as the other Indeed it is true in it selfe it is not long because God is not long in shewing mercy he is quick if we should wait upon him onely till he shew mercy we should wait now and no longer we should cease presently for he shews mercy alwayes No but it is to be continued by many enlargements therefore briefly the sum of both words is this In one word the word mercy David sets downe the scope at which every Christian aimes after the glory of God in shooting up all those Arrows of love and obedience and feare that he sends up to God the end and aime of all is this that he may attaine mercy he looks up to God for mercy Mercy that is of a larg signification we can beg nothing of God which is not mercy If a man be disconsolate he looks to God for comfort If there be a doubtfull heart that looks up to God for resolution If there be a blind heart that looks for illumination of a wavering heart that looks for stablishing all these are mercies because they are all given in mercy Every good thing is a mercy because it is given in mercy If a man be in persecution peace is a mercy If he be in trouble of Conscience ease is a mercy If he be in anguish if he be in any exigent deliverance is a mercy If he be in pangs of Conscience quiet is a mercy All is mercy he that waits on God for mercy waits for every good thing Secondly the other word Vntill shews us thus much what the period is that a Christian sets himselfe in the line of obedience It hath the same period that Donec untill untill he shews mercy Shall we think that David did meane to wait on God untill he had mercy and then to fix his eyes upon the Earth againe No much more then therefore know that the word Donec in Scripture doth not alway signifie a determinate time but an infinite time untill signifies eternity in two places One in the Gospell Joseph knew not Mary untill shee had brought forth her first Borne Son not then nor after because shee continued alway a Virgin But more plainly in Psal 110. The Lord said to my Lord sit on my right hand untill I make thine enemies thy Foot-stoole Doe you think that Christ shall sit at Gods right hand no longer then till all things be subdued in the end of the World and that then he shall give over his session and his Kingdome cease God forbid but untill is for ever So here Our eyes wait on the Lord till he have mercy on us Not as we should make a cessation then when God hath shewed mercy But as St. Chrysostome very well he speaks not onely for a short time as long as God shews mercy but for all times What doe I take Chrysostome heare David expound himselfe Psal 62. My throat is dry my heart is weary mine eyes faile with waiting He looked on God so long till his eyes failed and he gives not over then he waits still A Christian must wait alwayes upon God So that word hath both an inclusive and an exclusive force So shall our eyes wait on the Lord untill he shew mercy That is if he doe shew mercy we will wait or if he doe not If he send it speedily or if he doe not still God is to be waited on We now if God doe not send mercy we will wait on him with contentation or if he doe shew mercy we will wait on him with acknowledgement If God delay mercy we will wait with patience if he speedily send mercy we will wait on him with thankfullnesse we will wait on him till then and much more after Vntill that is I will wait on him then and now and alway we will never end this work So the point is this A● true Christian must not let goe his hold his hope his confidence he breaks not off his Service he breaks not off waiting upon God though God deferre to shew mercie He waits on God in his owne occasions though God suspend and seeme to absent himselfe He waits in all the occasions of the Church If God correct he waits that things may be better if God send blessings he still waits on him that God may continue the mercies Here is the point a Christian must not give over waiting on God especially in cases of extreamity When we come to beg any mercy spirituall or temporall of God if God bestow it on us then we are said to wait till then because then we obtaine our desire we wait for

a great extent as St. Cyprian speakes it is a grace that hath a great latitude you may bring it to these foure variations to know what it is to endure tribulation First to endure that is stoutly couragiously not to faint in Tribulation a man that fainteth more dishonoureth piety by that then he brought honour It is not a faint patience that is magnified patience is a magnanimous a heroick vertue it must be a magnanimous patience that indures Tribulation that is not discouraged with enduring but animated and encouraged dangers are so far from daunting the Spirit of a true patient mind as they doe but so much the more excite it to further induring that is the first it must be indured stoutly Secondly to indure that is humbly and meekly for otherwise courage and fortitude if it be not tempered with meeknesse vapours forth into fury There are Malefactors often when they are upon the wheele and the rack they will spit defiance and seeme very resolute And many men when they are under Gods hand in any great callamity in any great Tribulation you shall have them so impatient that they vomit out blasphemy against Heaven which is not grace the effect of a valiant spirit but of a desperate spirit Patience as it is a stout grace so it is a humble grace full of meeknesse that is true patience that is callme and gentle not furious not fierce That is the second there must be as the spirit of a Lyon so the spirit of a Dove mingled in patience for the enduring of Tribulation not onely to indure it stoutly but meekly Thirdly to endure a right that is chearefully for many men can indure calmly enough and give a still patience it is not a still patience that is enough but a chearfull patience a patience that hath alacrity a still patience is ofttimes but a smothering patience Men oft-times bite in impatience they speake no discontented words they shew no discontented gesture or looke but yet they are sullen and dejected and thoughtfull and cast downe it shews they are not pleased with Gods tryall and excercise that he sends that that makes true induring is alacrity a Christian is not onely content but willing to indure Tribulation he labours after St. Pauls flight he breaths after that excellent spirit to glory and to rejoyce in Tribulation he takes it not onely patiently but thankfully knowing that as in works of charity God loves a chearfull giver so in Tribulation God loves a chearfull endurer That is the third to endure with Chearfullnesse Lastly that is not enough but for a right enduring there must be constancie to endure with perseverance not to give over And what is it to endure with constancie to make patience to runne to the end of her race to draw the thread of patience to the greatest length for constancie is nothing but the length of patience patience in her perfect worth is constancie they are neere of kin patience is a short constancie and constancie is a protracted patience were it but an houre of temptation short tribulation constancie were not requisite but meere patience would serve the the turne but Christ tels us and the Scripture repeates it oft David tels us and the Apostles tell us that Many are the troubles of the righteous and through many tribulations we must enter into the Kingdome of God that the end of one suffering is but a preparative a beginning to a second God armes us and brings us to experience of sufferings by the first and so to the second and to the third and so to many times that he may not get glorie only by us but much glorie seeing there are many great and long tribulations we know what we deserve not what wee shall suffer therefore there must be constancie to patience that we may carrie away the blessing to make patience to runne out to the length He that endureth unto the end it is he that hath title unto the Crowne Here are now these severall wayes that make up this enduring here spoken of put these together and you have the meaning of the Apostles words what it is to endure tribulation Yet there is one more to be added to all these not one that is diverse from these foure but that runns through all though all these be joyned together to endure constantly chearfully meekly stoutly Yet if it be not in the cause of righteousnesse and pietie all these are nothing this is that must be mingled withall it must either be for or in the cause of pietie if it be true Christian enduring the case of martyrdome that is for piety the cause of innocencie that is the case of pietie either of these causes are the cause of God if these goe along withall the other properties then it is right Though the word here be not supplyed it is understood and supplyed in other places Happie is the man that endureth tentation saith St. James indefinitely but St. Peter gives the supplyment If you suffer for righteousnesse sake happie are yee It is not every man that endures tribulation that is happy but he that endures for righteousness sake is happy here Blessed is the man that indureth tentation but least you should mistake there is a supplement Christ tels us what is that for righteousnesse sake so supply it here Blessed is the man that indureth tribulation or tentation for righteousnesse sake in and for righteousnesse after a righteous manner he it is that hath a true title to blessednesse this is the other property not distinct but that that goes through all It is true though a man suffer for evill and as a malefactor whether from God immediatly or by men he is tyed to suffer patiently even when it is for evill doing But there is a great deale of difference betweene these two The suffering patiently for evill doing and the suffering for righteousnesse sake with patience there is a great deale of difference A man that suffers for sinne and suffers the just reward of his evill his reward is a debt he owes to Justice therefore in that case patienee is not an act of vertue properly but an adjunct of guilt But when a man suffers for righteousnesse sake this suffering dedicates the devout man to God there patience is not onely an act of vertue but a Sacrifice The Apostle Peter 1.2 makes these plaine when he tells us of suffering as evill doers and as Christians If any man suffer as an evill doer what great matter is it but if as a Christian that is praise worthy he lets us understand that patient suffering in evill doing is no great matter That we are now strictly by nature tyed to doe and by Law and bond of justice Or if it be commendable as well as the other there is a great deale of difference the one is commendable in an inferior manner the other in an eminent way the one onely is an act of conformity the other of victory to

the Hypocrite the glory is short it is but for a moment it is but a shaddow in the best interpretation it is substantiall solid glory and honour in Heaven That you may see it is substantiall it is called a crowne as if it were massie and ponderous it is massie substantiall glory That you may see it is massie and substantiall what a word doth the Apostle use The weight of glory the exceeding eternall weight of glory It is a Crowne that is one Secondly the Crowne of life Honor maximus c. It is the greatest honour there is nothing higher in the estimation and in the admiration of men then a crowne it is the highest appendant of Majesty Kings are supreme those that are Gods Deputies onely accountable to God and next to God The glory of a King is so great that men have hardly eyes that are great enough but they are dazelled to look on them Yet the Kingdomes of the World and the glory of them are but dark and powerlesse in respect of the Crownes of Heaven There is no Crowne this World but hath a crosse upon it there are Thornes in every Crowne cares goe along with the Crowne all is not pure glory they watch and are troubled in the government of them that are committed to their charge But these are Crownes of glory and honour of Kings without disturbance There may be crosses here in tribulations but tribulation ends all here how Sweetly in a Crowne all the Saints of God are Kings there is a Kingdome prepared for you and they are not Kings without the glory of Kings here is the Crowne added to the Kingdome The Crowne of a King it is the highest honour Thirdly a Crowne is the honour of those that strive those that are put into the lists Crownes were the rewards alwaies of Conquerours as St. Gregory saith very well the Crowne is the reward of victory It is true all the Saints have the Crowne promised but above all those that endure Tribulation have the promise of it more properly because they are brought to the strife to the fight of faith It is drawne from the custome of the Heathens they in all their Olympicks the great Spectacles they made in the view of all the world still there were cups and garments and Crownes that were the rewards of the Conquerours And yet so poor they were that if a Horse did but run a race and won he had a crowne or a cup. And thereupon Theocritus sayth see what poore things the World glories in that bruit Beasts are taken with their Conquerours are Crowned so are their Horses But see what Crownes these are not Crownes of Ivie and Lawrell but made out of the Tree of life not a cup of Gold but of Salvation It is the wreath of Lawrell that never withers the Crowne that never fades the Crowne of life The Apostle might have as easily exprest it said for when he is tried he shall reap Heaven he shal be taken into heaven here had been a round proper expression No it is not so proper because he had mentioned tribulation before he suits it with a word answerable therefore having spoken of Strivers he adds the reward blessed are they that endure tribulation they shall have the Crowne Fourthly the Crowne of life is an honour a lasting honour for the Crowne of life is as much as a Living Crowne Who ever saw a living Crowne They be in Heaven living Crownes that is lasting Crownes that shall not be set upon the head but the heart Crownes are for the head in the World it is the highest place and therefore being the highest place is most conspicuous But the Crowne of life it is set on the heart the seat of life What is that Crowne that is not set on the head but on the Soul and on the whole man O her Crownes are but Ornaments for the head this for all the body it shall be all Crownes whatsoever is upon the body glorified or the soul it shall be all glorious it shall be all glory and glory and bliss is but the Crowne The same that the beatitude is that is the Crowne but as it is here it is a living Crowne It is true in Revel 4. St. John tells us that upon the Elders heads he saw Crownes of Gold One speciall reason is because Gold is a thing all desire and long after he meets with men in their owne desires because every man desires Gold and Crownes he tells us where we shall have Gold and Crownes both but it is in Heaven But on the other side least we should think that he spake properly and that there were any thing in Heaven so poore and so base as Gold that which he there calls Crownes of Gold he calls in Chap. 2. the Crowne of life I that is spirituall to let us see that they are Crownes of Gold but in a spirituall manner for the same that is the Crowne of immortality the Crowne of Starrs the Crowne of righteousnesse is the Crowne of life In this that it is said to be the Crowne of life it hath not the lustre of one Crowne but the glory of all Starrs and righteousnesse and immortality all are in the Crowne of life you see now what a rise here is these are the rises when God raiseth Who is more on the Dunghill then an afflicted Creature What a rise is here for dust and ashes to be raised to the glory of Heaven For a man in tribulation to be raised to the state of a King the glory of a Crowne As the Apostles and Disciples sayd Did not our hearts burne Doe not your hearts leape to think of a Crowne How impossible is it for any man that is ambitious to reach honour of less matters then a Crowne but it is for those that it belongs to and that God hath appointed And yet how easily may we attain a Crowne that is more glorious in Heaven Is not this a great excitement and encouragement for men patiently to suffer tribulation Admit the tribulation be sharp here is that that will allay it the tribulation is sharp but the crowne is glorious Feare not though the tribulation be bitter Dum passio c. as Gregory sayth well while the tribulation is sifting and winnowing the Crowne is preparing and God is sending There is nothing that is excellent but it comes with difficulty if then we be content to take things that are excellent in this World with labour and paines and cost and difficulty shall we not bestow a little paines to goe through difficulty for Heaven It is but small straits that we are to goe through for Heaven it is but a little tribulation that is prepared before it be sent and fitted when it is sent if it be sharp the Crowne is glorious In the second place admit the afflictions be many as they be sharp as the sufferings are many so the rewards and Crowns are many Every perticular suffering