Selected quad for the lemma: land_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
land_n	great_a	life_n	time_n	1,561	5	3.0874	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A44880	A sermon preached at Stanton-Harcourt Church in the county of Oxford, at the funerall of the Honourable the Lady Ann Harcourt, who deceased Aug. 23, 1664 together with her funerall speech.	Hall, Edmund, 1619 or 20-1687.	1664 (1664)	Wing H329; ESTC R20425	31,607	72

Lords of Lands you may set for three lives but you your selves have but one in your estates and that a short uncertaine one Observe the inference Paul draws from this the time is short 1 Cor. 7.29 What then not Let us eate and drink for to morrow we shall dye but Let them that have Wives be as if they had none and they that weep as if they wept not and they that rejoyce as if they rejoyced not and they that buy as if they possessed not and they that use this world as not abusing it for the fashion of this world passeth away The time is short for so much as remaines of it to be folded up so learned Beza and Pareus read it making no comma in the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Beza so reads it from the authority of many ancient copies Paraeus saith the Apostle useth here a metaphor taken from sayles quae cum navis prope portam est contrahi solent When the Ship comes neare her port the Saylors take in the main sayles leave only one small one abroad then So that the meaning seems to be this that time which hath for 5000 yeares been furling up is now drawn into a narrow compass the end is at hand we are entring the haven of eternity if time be short then all the things that depend upon it are short if time it selfe shall be no more after a few dayes then all these things we injoy must be no more Then 't is high time to moderate your affections towards houses lands children wives and every thing you possess for they are not to be yours after a few dayes use the world as a Pilgrim his Inn saith Augustin tract 40. In Iohan. Utere mundo quemadmodum viator in stabulo utitur mensa calice urceo dimissurus non permansurus and the Argument in the close of the Apostles words is cogent For the fashion of this world passeth away 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the pageantry the shew the things of this world are but mere outside things like a pageant gold without and pastboard within and then they pass by as a shew that goes along the streets it s soon gone The heathen could say of worldly things hoc unum scio omnia mortalium opera mortalitate damnata inter peritura vivimus Sen. Ep. 91. Oh beloved think oft with your selvs what it is you so dote on you so love so insatiably thirst after why t is that that is vanity of no continuance Who would venture his life for the gathering a flower that he knowes will soon wither in his hand Tertullian wonders at the Romans that they should indure such hardship and run such hazards to gain a Consulship which was but for a year 't was but saith he unius anni volaticum gaudium may not we much more wonder at Christians who spend all their time wits strength and spirits to enjoy that which for ought they know is but unius horae volaticum gaudium for ought they know God may say this night shall all be taken from thee 2. Since the choisest of our earthly enjoyments are perishing mutable and uncertain Let this teach us to put a true estimate on those things that are eternal that are perminent Had the Young Man in the Gospel but consider'd what was promised him if he would sell all he would no doubt have cheerfully performed what Christ required T was Treasure in Heaven was promised him The least treasure of heaven is worth all the worlds possession because eternall had the young man put eternal into the Scale with his great possessions they would have seemed no more great in his eye But this curse of the young mans is that which falls upon us men are like bruit beasts wholely taken up with sensuality and devoted to temporall things but the things which are not seen which are eternall are contemned and slighted and laught at their carnall minds are enimies to such things they are foolishness to them the reason is because they see no farther then what they sensually apprehend they cannot see as St. Peter says a farre off and therefore men affect what they sensually apprehend which can goe no higher then sensuall things things which are seen which are temporall Pray therefore again and again that God would inlighten your minds by Faith to see the excellency of things that are eternall nothing but this will lessen the world to you what are great possessions honours crowns to eternity to be made a King for a day and ever after a begger what comfort can this be but he that hath an interest in Christ is made a King for ever what is it to have an hour or two's pleasure and ever after live in a dungeon these profits pleasures honours riches are but for a moment and leave a sting behind them but the pleasures profits honours of heaven are eternall life eternall Ioyes and pleasures at his righ hand for ever more Crowns incorruptible and many such Scripturall expressions This made Moses throw away his honours titles court favours Heb. 11.24 Aegypts treasures and what did he exchange these things for he exchanged these things for suffering v. 25. for reproaches for the wrath of the King Reason would think the man madd Indeed had this been all he had exchanged for he had been of all men most foolish and miserable no Moses could see that Aegypts greatness power dignity was uncertain had he been invested in it all it could not long have continued that would have gone from ●im or he from that But he v. 27. saw him that is invisible by faith he looked to an eternall reward to the favour of an eternall King How little doe Wives Houses Honours seem to that soul that by faith sees an eternall Bridgroom a House eternall in the heavens and an eternall Crown fitted for his head they seem no more then Mole hills to mighty Mountaines From the circumstantial aggravations of the affliction to this holy Prophet as the nearness and dearness of the person taken from him the suddenness of it with a stroak and the certainty of it God himself saith it and who can reverse and the Prophet that was nearest concern'd must be the first informed of it and the chief spectator of this dreadfull blow Obs. 4. That God oftimes exerciseth his choisest servants with sharpest afflictions with heart cutting lashes of providence and that suddenly unexpectedly and very heavily In handling this which I cheifly intended I le doe these Three things 1. Shew that 't is so 2. Why 't is so 3. Apply it 1. That it is so Scripture examples prove it Examples of this are as old as the world So soon as God set up a School a Church in the world we find a severe rod in it 't was signed with the Crosse in its infancy We may begin with Adam and Eve the true servants of God we beleive When God had blest them with an off-spring the greatest of

spectator 4. Obs. That God oft times exerciseth his choise and eminent Servants with most sharp and sore temporal losses and afflictions Lastly As this affliction was a type of future judgments to come upon the nation observe 5. Obs. That many times sharp afflictions on the godly are certain presages of the wickeds judgment at hand we return to the 3d Obs. 3. Obs. That the choisest Saints of God can call none of these earthly enjoyments certain good things God can take them away by a stroak they are mutable Riches are God's blessings but they make them selves wings and fly away as wel from Saints as Sinners as well from Iob as Nebuchadnezar He that to day had his table spread with dainties that could wash his footsteps in butter to morrow may have none to put in his belly This word take away spoiles all If God the great hous-keeper of the world say take away before we have halfe satisfied our selves the full table is presently voided and then as Hugo Victor in Psal. 24. dum gustu appetitum provocant transitu desiderium fraudant Whiles they provoke the appetite to tast of them they deceive the desire in their sudden departure A good wife is a great blessing and guift of God but they we see are uncertain to Faithful Abraham's Sara the wife of his bosome dyes away from him And holy Iacob's Rachel beautiful and best beloved Rachel fruitful Rachel this fruitful tree is cut down in the time of fruit bearing A good name is the greatest of temporall blessings Christ had it most deservingly yet he could not keep it they counted him a wine-bibber a friend to Publicans and Sinners They layd to his charge two of the higest crimes against first and second table blasphemy and usurpation They accounted of him but as a Magician on that wrought by the Divels help Our time of living here 't is the choisest tallent that we have upon it depends our eternal woe or welfare Life it is that which gives the main injoyment to all the comforts we possess Who can define it he best defin'd it that did not define it that sayd 't was nescio quid a certain sweet thing I know not what 't is beyond all paralel yet see what the Scripture says of its uncertainty 't is compared to grass to the flower of the field that is subject to be eaten up by Cattel or trodden down or gathered by the Passenger If it outstand these ere long it blossoms withers and dyes such is our life in our best estate we are altogether vanity because uncertain and mutable Psal. 39.5 therefore Solomon in Prov. 31.8 calls the Sons of men bene haloph children of chang Iob compares our life to a Post a Ship and an Eagle hasting to her prey Observe the climax a Post makes hast stays not rides night and day but he will at last tyre and then he must ly down therefore he takes up a stronger comparison and compares our life to a Ship sayling that tyres not but wind and tyde may faile and then she stands still therefore he compares our life to an Eagle sharp set in pursuing her prey An Eagle is the swiftest and strongest of long wing'd Hawkes what flyes stronger and swifter than she Such is our time here it flyes away upon a swift wing and death when it makes a stoop at us maks no canceleire Well then since all our earthly injoyments are of no certain continuance le ts learn hence these three lessons Be not vainly confident in the possessing of them 't is a vanity in a great Person to build strong presumptions upon worldly props that are tottering and weak the Psalmist excellently turnes their hearts outward Ps. 49.11 that the posterities to come may decline that vanity he speaks of worldly rich men and tels you their purposes thoughts and designes God has blest them with estates and prosperity and now their inward thought is that their houses shall continue for ever doe they think to live for ever no but they intend their posterity shall live for ever and keep up the state and grandure of the family therefore they call their houses after their name says he they think now God has blest them with a numerous off-spring that nodosa quadam aeternitate their name shall be kept up for ever but what says the Psalmist this their way i. e. their contrivance is their folly vers 13 to build such high presumptions on such rotten props is their folly and they find it so for in the next words says he they goe down to hell like sheep and death feeds on them How like sheep why like as silly sheep in a fat pasture feed and play and fear nothing though the Butcher come and fetch away now one then an other which startles them for the present but that being over they fall to feed and play again until the Butcher by little and little fetch them all away at last So doe these worldly Confident men who are fed to the full and have enough to keep up greatness to posterity who securely wantonly and haughtily vant it in their thoughts that they shall continue for ever find death like a Slaughterman ever and aanon come amongst them now taking a daughter then a son anon a wife 'till at last all the props they trusted in be taken quite away How oft doe we see it come thus to pass that many great families are quite taken away from their great estates like sheep out of a fat pasture and the estate passes into an other name and family I will conclude this with that wise King's counsel Pr. 27.1 Boast not thy selfe of to morrow for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth The word halal signifying to boast signifies also to be madd q. d. 't is madness and folly in men of wealth and greatness to think to build their nests among the Stars when they are not sure of injoying any thing they have a whole day The family of Eli which was the greatest in Israel in the morning its props were cut down ere night and the rest destin'd to perpetual beggery And Iob liv'd to see himselfe in one day stript of all that he could call good in this world The Chaldee therefore reads the text thus for thou knowest not what this day may bring forth That day that Belshazar was priding himselfe in his greatness he fell Let me speak then to you rich and great men in the Apostles word Charge the rich in this world that they be not high minded nor trust in uncertain riches The more confident you are the less secure especially if you belong to God qualibet elatio tanto citius rumpitur quanto amplius inflatur Greg. Ep. 2. Moderate your affections to the world and the things of the world You are certain of nothing but this that you have not long time in them We are no free-holders here at most but tenents at will You that are great