Selected quad for the lemma: land_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
land_n	little_a	sea_n	see_v	1,312	5	3.4874	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A39695	The touchstone of sincerity, or, The signs of grace and symptomes of hypocrisie opened in a practical treatise upon Revelations III 17, 18 being the second part of the Saint indeed / by John Flavell ...	Flavel, John, 1630?-1691.; Flavel, John, 1630?-1691. Saint indeed, or, The great work of a Christian opened and pressed.	1698 (1698)	Wing F1202; ESTC R40933	101,310	218

but it is with a believer in a day of trouble as it is with a Garison besieged by Land buyt free and open to the Sea whence fresh supplies are daily sent in to relieve it see 2 Cor. ● 5. as the sufferings of Christ abound in us so our con●●●a●ion also aboundeth by Christ fresh aides and daily supplyes proportionable to our expences and decays of strength So Col. ● 〈◊〉 Strengthned with all might in the inner man ●ccording to his glorious power unto all pati●nce and long suffering with joyfulness and this ●s the believers great advantage by his union with Christ in a day of tryal 3. Thirdly As sincerity unites the soul with Christ so it sets the heart upon heaven ●nd things eternal Col. 3. 1. c. surely no●hing is more conducive to our stability than his in the hour of temptation This is the most effectual preservative from ●emptations upon the right hand and upon ●he le●t Moses could cast a Kingdom at ●is heels despise the riches pleasu●es and ho●ours of Egypt whilst his eye was fixed up in him that is invisible and had respect to ●e recompence of reward Heb. 11. 24 25 6. And it was a brave reply of the Forty ●artyrs to Valence the Emperour tempting ●●em with the preferments and honours of ●e world why offer you these trifles to us when you know the whole world is contemned by us And for temptations on the left hand how little can they move that soul who realizes the glory of the approaching world sees the afflictions sufferings of this world preparing him for and hastening him to the enjoyment of it temptations meet but with cold entertainment from such souls 4. Fourthly Sincerity drives but one design and that is to please and enjoy God and what can more establish and fix the soul in the hour of temptations than this The reason why the Hypocrite is unstable in all●his ways is given us by the Apostle Iames 1. 8. he is a double minded man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a man of two souls in one body as a prophane wretch once boasted that he had one soul for God another for any thing but all the designs of a gracious heart are united in one and so the intire stream of his affections runs strong 'T is base by ends self-interests that like a great many ditches cut out of the bank of a River draw away the stream out of its proper Chanel and make its waters fail but if the heart be united for God as the expre●●ion is Psal. 86. 11. then we may say of such a Christian as was said of a young Roman quicquid vult what he doth is done with all his might And this was the ground of valdè valt that saying liberet me Deus ab ●omine unius tantùm negotii a man of one only design puts to all puts to all his strength to càrry it nothing can stand before him 5. Fifthly Sincerity brings a mans will into subjection to the will of God and this being done the greatest danger and difficulty is over with such a man This is that holy oyl which makes the wheels of the soul run nimbly even in difficult paths of obedience non tardat uncta rota Let but a man be once brought to that The will of the Lord be done as it is Acts 21. 13. to see the highest reason of cheerful obedience in the holy just and good will of God and then the difficulty is over he can suffer quietly what men inflict unjustly 6. Sixthly Sincerity takes its measures of present things by the rules of fai●h and e●ernity it goes not by the same reckoning account that others do who judge of things by sense and the respects they have to the present world 2 Cor. 4. 18. We look not at the things th●● are seen but at the things that are not seen and this is there given as the reason of his not fainting under present difficulties so Rom. 8. 18. I reckon that the sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us he will not allow himself to undervalue eternal glory by once mentioning present sufferings in a way of bemoaning himself for them a steady eye upon the other world makes us more than Conquerours over the troubles of this world 7. Seventhly To conclude Sincerity alone hath all the heavenly aids and assistances to stability and perseverance in suffering times Upright ones and such only have Christs intercession in heaven for them Rom. 8. 34. The spirits consolation in all their troubles 1 Pet. 4. 14. the spirit of glory of God resteth on them the beneficial ministry of Angels who are sent forth upon their account Heb. 1. 14. A stock of Prayers going for them all the world over Eph. 6. 18. Multitudes of precious promises in the Scriptures for every line word syllable of which the faithfulness of God stands engaged so that it 's impossible such gold can perish in the fire And thus of the several ways by which grace is here tryed CHAP. IX Opening the designs and ends of God in bringing of the professours of Religion into such various Tryals of their graces in this world SECT I. THese are some of the ways methods in which God brings his Gold to the Touchstone and to the fire even in this world before the awful and solemn Tryal they must come to in the final Judgment And if we desire to be satisfied what the design and end of God in making such probations of his people is We must conclude in the general he certainly designs his own glory and his peoples advantage and profit in them If he suffer them to be tryed by reproaches happy are they the spirit of God and glory resteth on them there 's their profit and though his name be evil spoken of yet in the meekness of their spirits he is glorified as it is 1 Pet. 4. 14. If the scourg● slay suddenly he laugheth at the tryal of the innocent Job 9. 23. not at their afflictions but at the effects and blessed issues and results of them not that it gives them pain but that it gives him glory upon this account the Apostle bids us count it all Joy when we fall into divers temptations or tryals and still the more tryals the more joy for thereby God will produce such effects as are more precious than gold that perisheth 1 Pet. 1. 7. O who can value the comfort that is tasted by the soul upon the Tryal and discovey of its sincerity when after some sore temptation wherein God hath helped us to maintain our integrity or after some close pinching affliction wherein we have discovered in our selves a sweet resignation to and contentment in the will of God an heart cleaving to the Lord purged and made more spiritual under the rod we can turn to the Lord and appeal to him as the Prophet did Ier. 12. 3.

these will discover the falseness and rottenness of mens hearts cannot be doubted if yo● consider that this is the fire designed b● God for this very use and purpose to sep● rate the gold from the dross so you will fin● it 1. Pet. 4. 12. Beloved think it 〈◊〉 strange concerning the fiery tyral which is 〈◊〉 try you i.e. the very design and aim ● providence in permitting and ordering the● is to try you The design of Satan is to d● stroy you but Gods design is to try you U● on this account you find the hour of pe●●● cution in a suitable notion call'd the 〈◊〉 of temptation or probation Rev. 3. 10. 〈◊〉 then professours are sifted to the very bra●●●earched to the very bottom principles T●● is the day that burns as an Oven in which 〈◊〉 the proud and all that do wickedly shall be as ●●●●ble Mal. 4. 1. for 1. First In that day the predominant ●●terest must appear and be discovered it 〈◊〉 be concealed no longer no man can 〈◊〉 two masters saith Christ Luke 16. 13. as may serve many masters if they all comma●● the same things or things subordinate 〈◊〉 each other but he cannot serve two ma●ers if their Commands clash and interf●● with each other and such are the 〈◊〉 of Chirst and the flesh in a suff●●●ing hour Christ saith ●e thou f●ithful to death the flesh saith spare thy self and 〈◊〉 the comforts of life Christ saith He 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Father or Mother Wife or Children ● ands or Inheritances more than me is not ●orthy of me Flesh saith he that will grieve ●●d break the hearts of such dear relations ●●d forsake when he might keep such earth● accommodations is not worthy of them Thus the two interests come in sull oppo●ion and now have but patience to wait little and you shall discern which is pre●ominant A dog follows tow men while they ●●th walk one way and you know not ●hich of the two is his master stay but a little 〈◊〉 their path parts then you shall quick● see who is his master So is it in this case 2. Secondly In that day sen●ible supports ●●l and all a mans relief comes in by the ●●re and immediate actings of faith and ●ere it not for those reliefs his heart would ●on faint and dye away under discourage●ents 2. Cor. 4. 17 18. We faint not whilst 〈◊〉 look not at the things which are seen for they 〈◊〉 temporal but at the things which are not seen 〈◊〉 they are External q. d longer than we ●eep our eye intently fixed upon the invisi●e and eternal things in the coming world 〈◊〉 feel our selves fainting and dying away ●●der the troubles afflictions of this world ●ad fainted saith David if I had not believed ●ow then suppose ye shall the Hypocrite live 〈◊〉 such a time who hath no fiath to support ●m no relief but what comes in through 〈◊〉 senses 3. Thirdly In that day all meer Notion and Speculations about Religion vanish an● nothing relieves and satisfies the suffe●ing soul but what it really believes and what 〈◊〉 hath satisfying proof and experience of 〈◊〉 himself There are a great many p●et●● pleasing notions with which our minds a●● entertained with some delight in times 〈◊〉 peace which can do us no service at all i● the day of trouble and for our speculati●● unpracticable knowledge of the greate●● truths in Religion as little service is to be ex●pected form them Except we have bette● evidence and security about them we shal● beloth to venture all upon the credit of them that 's a very considerable passage to this pu●●pose in Heb. 10. 34. Ye took joyfully the spoi●●ing of your goods knowing in your selves th● ye have in heaven a better and more enduring substance this knowing in our selves is by i● ward sensible experience taste and feeling which is abundantly satisfying to the soul and ●tands opposed to all that tradition● knowledge we receive from others which as it leaves the mind flucturating so the hea● also dead and comfortless 4. Fourthly In that day the root found●tion of a mans faith and hope is tryed a●● then they that have built upon the sand mu needs fail for every thing is as its found●●tion is principles are to us what a root to a tree or a foundation to an house a ●●aw or grand defect there ruines all this we find to be the very scope of those two famous pa●ables Luke 14. 25. and Matth. 13. 21. lesser troubles shake b●t the branches but these try the root if no●hing be found ●here but self ends the force of education the ●●nfluence of examples surely when the winds rise high and beat upon it they will quickly lay the lostiest professour even with ●he ground And thus you see what a Crisis an hour of temptation the suffering hour is what discoveries of Hypocrisie it must needs make ●or now the Hypocrite like Orpha will forsake Religion but sincerity will make the soul ●leave to it as Ruth did to Naomi SECT IV. ● WHat advantages sincerity gives the soul for its establishment perseverance in suffering times I shall briefly account for in the following particulars 1. First Sincere godliness dethrones that Idol the love of this world in all true Christians and this is it that makes men shrink and flinch from Christ in a day of suffer●ng I do not deny but even believers them●elves love the world too much but they ●ove it not as their chief good it is not thier portion or happiness if any man so love the world the love of the Father is not in him 1 Joh. 2. 15. How much soever a sincere Christian loves the world yet still it is in subordination to the love God Ioh. 21 15. Sincerity can consist with no other love of the world it will not suffer such a cursed 〈◊〉 to grow under its shadow Now what is it but this inordinate s●pream love of the Creature that makes me● forsake Christ in time of temptation this was the ruine of that young man Matth. 19 22. he went away sorrowful for he had great possessions This was the overthrow o● Demas 2. Tim. 4. 10. he hath forsaken m● saith the Apostle having loved this presen● world the lvoe of this world like sap in green wood will not suffer you to burn fo● Christ get but the heart mor●ified to the creature by a discovery of better things in heaven and it will establish and fix your spirits that it shall not be in the power o● creatures to shake you off from Christ your foundation 2. Secondly Sincerity kni●s the soul● to Ch●ist● and union with him secures us in the grea● tryals munimur quartenus unimur The Hy●pocrite having no ●nion with Christ can have no communion with him nor communications of grace from him and so that little stock of his own being quickly spent I mean natural courage resoution and no incomes form Christ he must needs give up in a short time