Selected quad for the lemma: life_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
life_n	psal_n	seek_v	spill_v	96	3	15.9874	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A94156	The Christian-man's calling: or, A treatise of making religion ones business. Wherein the nature and necessity of it is discovered. : As also the Christian directed how he may perform it in [brace] religious duties, natural actions, his particular vocation, his family directions, and his own recreations. / By George Swinnock ...	Swinnock, George, 1627-1673.	1662 (1662)	Wing S6266A; ESTC R184816	359,824	637

that are in his inferior family His children have till they leave But Reader Where is the place of this good this great provision is it not in Gods House in his holy Temple in the publique Worship Great Princes bestow their Largesses and shew their Bounty Glory and Magnifience before much people If thou wouldst know where Believers have seen their best sights where they have heard their most ravishing sounds where they have made their most delightful meals it was in the House of God They have seen thy goings O God in the Sanctuary Psal 68.24 They have heard the joyful sound of thy Word They have been abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy House Do but consider Davids tears and grief for want of and his fervent prayers for the fruition of publike Ordinances even then when he had opportunities for private performances and surely thou wilt esteem the Ministery of the Word no mean mercy See his sorrow when he was driven from Gods Sanctuary When I remember these things my soul is poured out for I had gone with the multitude I went with them to the House of God Psal 42.3 4. My soul is poured out that is I am overwhelmed with grief and even ready to dye when I compare my present condition with my former happiness in the fruition of Religious Assemblies There is an Elegancy in the phrase Poured out the word is applyed to water or any liquid thing and in Scripture signifieth abundance Joel 2.28 My life is ready to be poured out as water upon the ground which cannot be gathered up again when I remember my former mercies and consider my present misery How bitterly and passionately doth he plead with Saul If the Lord hath stirred thee up against me let him accept an Offering but if they be the children of men cursed be they before the Lord for they have driven me out this day from the Inheritance of the Lord 1 Sam. 26. 19. How pathetically doth he bemoan it to his own soul Wo is me for I dwell in Meshech and my habitations are in the Tents of Kedar The loss of his Father Mother Wives Children Lands Liberty nay of his very Life would not have gone so near his heart as the loss of publique Ordinances As his sorow was great for the want so was his suit most earnest for the enjoyment of them How many a prayer doth he put up for the liberty of the Tabernacle Psal 43.3 4. 27.4 It is the one thing the principal special request which he begs of God One thing have I desired of the Lord that will I seek after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life and verse 8. how hard doth he pray for this priviledge Thou saidst Seek ye my face my heart said unto thee Thy face Lord will I seek To seek the face of God in a general sense is taken for the substance of Religion or to seek God Psal 24.6 but by the face of God in a strict sense is meant the Ark of God and place of his residence Now David at this time being deprived of this inestimable benefit in the ardency of his zeal presseth God with all the arguments he could devise to restore him to that happiness among the rest he urged God with his own words Thou hast commanded me to worship thee in thy Tabernacle to appear before thee that is my desire and delight my heart would seek and see thy face there Thus he presseth God for performance on his side that he might be enabled to obey Gods precept Where God denyeth publique Ordinances there he himself will be a little Sanctuary to his chosen Ezek. 11.16 But where he affords them he expects that they should be attended Christ himself went often into the Synagogues Peter and John went up into the Temple at the hour of prayer Acts 3.1 On the Sabbath we went out of the City by a rivers side where prayer was wont to be made Acts 13.23 and Paul reasoned in the Synagogue every Sabbath Acts 18.4 Those that by their practices contemn publique Worship have neither Christ nor his Apostles for their pattern One of the Jewish Rabbies hath a saying He that dwells in a City where there is a Synagogue and cometh not to Prayers Merito dicitur vicinus malus is deservedly stiled a bad neighbour Beader if thou forsakest the Assemblies of the Saints how useful soever thou mayest be to others bodies yet thou art a bad neigbour in neglecting soul-service The Lord Jesus Christ as he was faithful as a Son in his own house took special care to provide and prepare such publique servants as might give every one their meat in due season The Ministers of the word are his publique Officers appointed by himself to have the oversight of his Saints They are both Fathers to beget and Tutours to bring up his Sons and Daughters They are his Stewarts to dispense publiquely the mysteries of the Gospel of peace But little do they think who set light by publique Ordinances what a price Christ paid that he might enable and qualifie them for his Churches profit The gifts he bestoweth on Pastors are not the least sign of his good will to his people Wherefore he saith When he ascended up on high he gave gifts to men And he gave some Apostles and some Profits and some Evangelists and some Pastours and some Teachers For the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ Ephes 4.8 11.12 13. As Kings on the day of their Coronation usually appear in all their Majesty and magnificence and do some famous act as of a general pardon or the like which may speak their love and respect to their Subjects So Jesus Christ when he rode Triumphantly in the Chariot of his ascension into Heavens glorious City to sit and reign there at the right hand of the Majesty on High gave abilities to Ministers endowed them with answerable gifts and graces that they might dispense the Ordinances of God powerfully and profitably as a special fruit of his passion for and a singular testimony of his affection to his Church I would wish thee therefore to be present at and to continue to the end of publique Ordinances David would be a Door-keeper in the House of God Because a Door-keeper is first in and last out Friend if thou wert feasting some Noble person thou wouldst not rise from Table unless necessity forced thee before all were taken away and thanks returned I must tell thee that when thou art feeding with the blessed Potentate it is much below good manners to turn thy back upon him without his leave and blessing Fifthly If thou wouldst make Religion thy business on a Lords day Tune thine

what fire was his Sacrifice offered O Lord hear O Lord forgive O Lord defer not for the Lords sake That wine is best which is fullest of these heavenly spirits Winter fruits are sowre and unplesant to men and so are cold petitions to God Dan. 9.13 Reader when thou art praying for pardon how shouldst thou even poure out thy soul Alass when thou considerest if God do not pardon I perish eternally if sin be imputed I am damned how should thy heart cry out Have mercy upon me O God according to thy loving kindness after the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out mine iniquities again Wash me from mine iniquities and cleanse me from my sin and again Hide thy face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities once more Deliver me from blood guiltiness O God thou God of my salvation Psa 51.1 2 11 14. When thou art begging grace and purity with what earnestness shouldst thou pray beleiving how destructive sin is to thy precious soul and how offensive to the jealous just and Almighty God and in what absolute necessity thou standest in of holiness without which thou canst never see God As when the Clock strikes the Wheels within move notably we may hear them run round so when thy tongue is pleading with God for remission of sins and repentance towards God for the Son of God the Spirit of God and thine everlasting Salvation how should thine heart move what work should there be among thine affections to enforce those weighty petitions This fervency is necessary to prepare thy soul for the mercy thou desirest What men get lazily they spend lavishly but that food which a devout woman longeth for she prizeth much and eateth with most delight When one whispered Demostenes in the ear that he was beaten and desired him to plead his cause the Orator would not believe him till at last the man cryed out Now saith he I feel your cause It is the intension of the Spirit which giveth efficacy to our petitions It is not the length of the arm but the strength of it which draweth the bow so as to make the arrow fly fast and far Fervency to prayer is as wings to the Bird by which it mounteth up to heaven The effectual fervent prayer of the righteous prevaileth much James 5.16 When prayers are drivel'd like rhume out of a mans mouth they fall down at his feet The Mother will let the childe alone if it onely whimper and whine a little in the cradle but when it crieth outright then she hasteth to take it up This poor man cryed was not dull and drowsie there is his fervency and the Lord heard him and delivered him out of all his troubles Psal 34.9 here is his prevalency There is no getting to the Indian Mines by the cold Northerz Seas though because it is a shorter cut some have attempted that way but they lost their labour Other duties are a serving God Prayer is a seeking God Now they that seek him early shall finde him Prov. 8.17 A low voice doth not cause a loud eccho neither doth a lazy prayer procure a liberal answer Sleepy requests cause but dreams meer fancied returns Where there is a cushion of ease under the knees and a pillow of idleness under the elbows there is little work to be done When Daniel had been fervent all day at prayer an Angel is sent to him at night with an answer Importunity prevaileth with an unjust Judge much more with a righteous and gracious God Though God be Almighty yet a fervent prayer through his grace hath held his hands Let me alone Exod. 32. Who holdeth the Lord saith Austin Moses earnest cry was the cord which I may speak with reverence fastned Gods hands Prayer is a sword to wound both sin and Satan but fervency is the edge of it doing the execution Zeph. 18.2 Cor. 12. For this I besought the Lord thrice When a man strikes his Enemies with his full strength then the wounds are made The lack of this fervency is the loss of many prayers The lazy petition tires before it comes half way to Heaven indeed it is eaten up as the cold honey of Wasps and Flies of wandring thoughts when fervent prayers like honey boiling over the fire is free from such ill guests An idle prayer like a lazy beggar wandreth and gaddeth up and down and as a rowling stone gathereth no moss The working of the affections in prayer like Davids harp allayeth those Devils which would disturb the Christian in this duty When a man is intent upon the God to whom he prayeth and eager after the mercies for which he prayeth though the World whisper him in the ear he cannot hear though Satan jog him by the elbow he will not heed him But here a caution will be seasonable The fire of thy fervency must be from Heaven not such strange fire as Nadab and Abihu offered to the Lord I mean it must not be the voice of nature an earnest cry for the enjoyment of creatures but the voice of the Spirit an importunate desire for conformity to and communion with the Lord Jesus Christ We read of those that howled upon their beds for corn and wine and oyl Hosea 7.17 Many like children roar are much out of quiet disturb others with the noise they make but it is for clouts for a Babey Who will shew us any good The voice of a Saint must be as of a wise son at full age for the inheritance Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon me The Petitioner herein must be very careful he that rides apace had need to be sure that he is in the right way or else the freer his horse is the more he wandreth to his loss The greater the fire is the more watchful we must be that it be kept within the chimney the more earnest our affections are the more we must minde what our petitions be The promises of God must be the foundation of our prayers What he promiseth to give I may pray to receive Remember the word unto thy servant upon which thou hast caused me to hope Psal 119.49 but its dangerous for the building to jet out upon the Kings high-way beyond the foundation this may cause the house to fall or be taken down Because godliness hath the promise of this life I am bound to pray Give me this day my daily bread Temporal good things must be part of the matter of my prayer but because God promiseth these things conditionally so far onely as he seeth fit for his honor and my comfort therefore I must pray for them conditionally The Apish childe that crieth and squeeketh for the knife to be its own carver and will not be satisfied with its Parents feeding it deserveth the rod our prayers both for the matter and the manner must run parallel with Gods promises Prayer is a putting Gods promises into suit but he that sueth a Bond must minde the condition

of the eternal weight of glory Those gracious and mysterious purposes of his which were hid in the night of many ages when the Sun of Righteousness once appeared in the Horizon of the Gospel were visible and legible to every eye He hath brought Life and Immortality to light by the Gospel 2 Tim. 1.10 The Apostle calls it The grace of God and The word of his grace Tit. 2.11 Acts 20.32 not onely because the rain of the Word goeth by coasts as a gift of grace Psal 147.19 20. He causeth it to shower down upon one City and not on another Amos 4.7 and not onely because like a seal it stampeth grace the image of God upon the soul Acts 2.37 but chiefly because on the stage of the Word the grace and favour of God to mankinde is fully displayed The Gospel presenteth us with the whole method of Gods grace and love to poor sinners This world is the Theatre in which Grace acteth its part the Triumph of Justice is reserved for the other World and the Gospel is the Throne on which Grace sits and from whence it holds out its golden Scepter The language of the Law is no less then a sentence of death but the Gospel alloweth a Psalm of mercy and in it Grace reigneth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 playeth the King commandeth in chief unto Justification of life Rom. 5.17 18 21. But the more precious this Water of Life is the more fearful thou shouldst be of spilling it Kings cannot endure that their Acts of Grace should be tampled under foot Abused favour turneth into greatest fury Men surfeit soonest of the greatest Dainties and further their Misesery by that which was given them as in Mercy Our Saviour therefore commandeth Take heed how ye hear Luke 8.18 There are two special Lessons which Christ commendeth to his Scholars The first concerneth the matter of their hearing Take heed what ye hear Mark 4.24 Ministers are Christs Ushers Christ himself is the head-Master now Christ forbiddeth the pinning our faith upon our Ushers sleeve The Bereans have an honorable crest put into their coat of Armes by God himself to distinguish them in nobility from others for bringing the coyn offered to them to the touchstone of the Scripture to try whether it were true gold or counterfeit And these were more noble then those of Thessalonica because they received the Word of God with all readiness of mind and searched the Scriptures daily whether those things were so Acts 17.11 Men must not like Children take down whatever their Nurses put into their mouthes whether meat or poison but know how to distinguish between good and evil Our faith must not stand in the wisdom of men but in the Power of God All weights and measures must be compared with and tryed by the Kings Standards The Copy is no farther authentique then it agreeth with the Original Deed. The second Lesson concerneth the manner of their hearing take heed how ye hear The richest Cordial may be lost as it may be taken It will be requisite therefore to give thee some prescription how thou mayst take this costly Physick to thy greatest profit In reference to which duty I shall speak 1. To thy preparation for it 2. To thy carriage at it 3. To thy behaviour after it 1. As to thy preparation for hearing the word I shall request thee from God to mind these ensuing particulars 1. Empty thine heart of evil frames and prejudice Evil frames The dish must not be sluttish into which we put these spiritual dainties If the stomach be cloged with filth and flegm it cannot digest and concoct our food The light of the Sun as pleasant and delightful as it is to sound is yet offensive and painful to sore eyes This part of preparation is injoyned us by the Spirit of God Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and all superfluity of naughtiness and receive with meekness the engrafted word which is able to save your souls Jam. 1.21 If the body be feaverish the sweetest Syrup will tast bitter If any ill humour or lust be predominant in thee like the full and foul stomach thou wilt loath even the hony comb The Table book of thine heart must be wiped clean before any new thing as the Law of God can be written in it Briars and Thorns must be stubbed up before the ground be capable of the grain As evil humours because of the Doctrine taught so prejudice against the person teaching must be removed Prejudice against the Preacher is the greatest prejudice to the Hearer A condemned person will esteem a begger when he brings a pardon How beautiful are not the lips onely and hands but the meanest parts the feet of them that bring the glad tydings of peace I confess it is a mercy to be related to a Pastor who hath both parts and piety gifts and grace and if thou art to chose a dwelling I would wish thee to bear with many outward inconveniences to sit down under such a Ministry But suppose thy teacher at least in thy thoughts is a man of mean parts wilt thou thence conclude his pains will yeild thee little profit Truely shouldst thou gratifie Satan so far it would be the speediest way to find a truth in what thou dost fancy Friend friend doth the efficacy of the ordinance depend on the parts of man or on the power of God May not a costly treasure be brought to thee in an earthen Vessel Consider thou maist light thy candle as well it may be better with a brimstone match as at a great fire Christ taught his Apostles by a little Child Mat. 18.2 A small damsel was instrumental for Naamans recovery both of his spiritual and corporal leprosie And who art thou that none must instruct thee but such a one as like Saul is higher then others by head and shoulders in gifts and abilities I wish it be not from the pride of thy spirit that none is worthy enough to teach thee thy Grammar Lesson but some head of the Vniversity A picking stomach I am sure argueth a diseased body and then a squemish heart and itching ear cannot argue a sound soul The industrious Bee Plut. sucks honey from the Thime an harsh and dry hearb The Meat is as good in a Pewter as in a Silver Dish It may be thou goest to Table onely for the sauce to Church for the stile and elegancy of the language if so I dare be bold to tell thee that thine heart is not right in the sight of God Dost thou not know that it is the naked sword which doth the Execution that a crucified Christ is the great conquerour not a pompous gaudy Messiah which the Jews dreamed of Paul is commanded to Preach not with Wisdome of words least the Cross of Christ should be made of none effect 1 Cor. ● 17 so 〈◊〉 verse 27 28. Truly if thou lustest after the Quails of some new dish it is a sign that thou louthest

is one that eats the word now as meat eaten becomes one with the body and takes the same form with it the body and meat are so much the same that they are one and you cannot know them asunder So the Word is well heard when it becomes one with the Christian when they are both of the same form the hearer is delivered up into the likeness and form of the Scripture the Word of God may be read in every leaf in every line of the volume of his life Our blessed Saviour describing good hearers tells us they are such as bring forth fruit some thirty some sixty some an hundred fold Mat. 13.23 And elsewhere he compares the obedient hearer to the man who built his house upon a Rock which stood firm and immoveable in the midst of all winds waves and weather and the man that heareth and doth not practice to him who built upon the sands which house quickly fell when the winds blew and the waves beat Mat. 7. latter end His meaning and intention Reader was to quicken thee and me to minde subjection to the Word without which we must perish Suppose thou art never so great an hearer yet if not a doer thou deceivest thine own soul Alas what will become of the frequent hearer when the non or negligent doer shall be thrown to hell I have read a story of two men who walking together found a young Tree laden with fruit they both gathered and satisfied themselves at present One of them took all the remaining fruit and carried it away with him the other took the tree and planted it in his own ground where it prospered and brought forth fruit every year so that though the former had more at present yet this had some when he had none They who hear the Word and have large memories and nothing else may carry away most of the Word at present yet he that possibly can remember little who carrieth away the tree plants the Word in his heart and obeys it in his life shall have fruit when the other hath none The practical memory is the greatest mercy It is reported of a good man that coming from a Lecture and being demanded Whether all were done he should fetch a deep sigh and say All is said but all is not done Reader when thou hast heard the word consider though the Sermon be at an end yet there must not be an end of the Sermon Practice which is the heart of hearing is still behinde Observe the properties of those persons to whom and their posterity God will be propitious The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting and his righteousness to childrens children To such as keep his Covenants and remember his Commandments to do them Psal 103.17 18. They are described by their act they lay the word up they remember his Commandments and by their end to lay the word out in their lives to do them A good husband having received a bag of money locketh it up safe that none may rob him of it and as occasion is fetcheth it down and layeth it out some for food some for cloathes some for rent some for servants wages some for this some for that as his necessities require So Friend do thou lay up the precious Treasure of the word safe in the Cabinet of thine heart and bring it out as thy occasions call for it in thy life Art thou in adversity fetch out the Promises for thy comfort broach that strong liquor which was purposely tunned up for thee against a groaning hour This is my comfort in mine affliction for thy word hath quickned me Psal 119.15 Art thou in prosperity bring forth the precepts for thy carriage Look to that Card and Compass by which thou mayest sail eavenly and trim notwithstanding those high winds and swelling waters Thy Word is a light to my feet and a lamp to my paths Psal 119.4 Wouldst thou resist and conquer Satans Temptations The word is a Shield which as they say of Vulcans Armour is full proof against all thrusts and darts By the words of thy mouth I have kept my self from the pathes of the destroyer Psal 17.4 Nay fetch but this Sword of the Spirit out of Gods Armory and the Devil will run like a Coward he is more afraid of it then Leviathan his name-sake is of the Sword-fish which some write he dreadeth more then all the fish in the Ocean Thy Saviour gave Satan such a wound with the Sword of the word that he feeleth it to this day If thou wouldst overcome the worlds insinuations d● but feed on the word and thou wilt scorn th● scraps of the world As the Greeks in their sailing to fetch the Golden Fleece when the Syrens endeavoured to inchant them with their Songs found help against those assaults by hearkning to Orpheus pipe So when that Harlot the World striveth to bewitch thee with her pleasant voyce and poysonous breath thereby to hinder thy pursuit of the Golden Crown of Righteousness do but hearken to those Spiritual Songs that ravishing Musick those high and noble delights which are in the Gospel and thou wilt finde assured help That thy corruptions within thee may be subdued let still the Word of God be consulted Thou mayest finde in it such a bit and curb as will bridle thy youthful most headstrong lusts By what means may a young man cleanse his way by taking heed thereto according to thy Word Psalm 119.11 If thine evil humors be never so many and filthy yet the Word like the Catholicon Drug is instead of all purges That thy Relation duties may be performed the holy Scriptures must be fetcht out and minded Whether thou art an Husband or Wife or Parent or Child or Master or Servant to defray the charge of all those duties thou mayest take enough out of the Word of God It is a well drawn Picture that looks on all that look on it and it guides thee by its eye how to order and govern thy feet on what ground soever thou standest whether on the higher ground of a Superior the plain even ground of an equal or the lower ground of an Inferior He that layeth up the word for these purposes and bringeth it out in these practices is the right profitable hearer for he Remembreth the Commandments of God to do them Some hear and jear they go to a Sermon as to a Stage-play to laugh and be merry Others hear and fret and fume as those that live under the Torrid Zone curse the very Sun Others hear and forget what would do them most good their memories are true to the flesh but treacherous to the spirit they are like Vessels made of Ivy which some say if wine and water be poured into them will leak out the wine and keep in the water Others hear and admire but Reader if thou wouldst not have the word to witness against thee when thou shalt be judged by it for thine everlasting life or death