Selected quad for the lemma: water_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
water_n	earth_n	sea_n	see_v	4,259	5	3.9841	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A37077	A motion tending to the publick good of this age and of posteritie, or, The coppies of certain letters written by Mr. John Dury to a worthy Knight at his earnest desire shewing briefly vvhat a publik good is and how by the best means of reformation in learning and religion it may be advanced to some perfection / published by Samuel Hartlib ...	Dury, John, 1596-1680.; Hartlib, Samuel, d. 1662.	1642 (1642)	Wing D2874; ESTC R18081	34,674	40

more gladnesse in my heart then when their Corne and Wine increased Now we know the cheerfulnesse of a mans life by the brightnesse of his countenance and his good or ill will to us by the cleer or cloudy appearance thereof toward sus So then the lightsome countenance of God is the evident appearance of his favourable life and good purpose towards us and if this be lift up upon us that is if we finde this shining over our heads and round about us or going before us to direct us in our wayes then we know that his life is in us for none can perceive the countenance of God to be lift up over him but by the life of God which is in him and when we finde this life to be in us then and never till then are we truly happie because we enjoy a true and permanent good which is the life of Gods presence wherein is fulnesse of joy Psal. 16. 11. This then is that good which every one should seeke to obtaine for himselfe and study to procure through the communion of Saints unto others And he that can serve his generation by the procurement and furtherance of this unto it he doth truly advance the Publique Good but whatsoever else any doth seeke to advance towards his generation if it be not directly subordinate hereunto it is not worth his labour for all what is done besides this end is but labour for the fire and a wearying of themselves for very vanity as the Prophet termeth it who also giveth this reason hereof because the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea intimating that when the knowledge of Gods glory which begetteth in us the powers of his life shall be so abundant in the earth as the waters are abundant in the Sea then all humane works and buildings not agreeing with this life of God appearing in the knowledge of his glory shall be over-flown and drowned and swept away as with a floud ofspirituall waters or rather consumed burnt up with fire and destroyed as meer vanity Therefore we should take heed how we spend our time and employ our selves and bestow the precious talents which God doth give us to profit withall lest we weary our selves in the whole course of our life for a thing of nothing and bestow cost and labour for that which will be lost and do at all no profit either to our selves or unto Posterity For if that which we do undertake be not lasting and permanently leading unto this life which the knowledge of Gods glory doth afford it will not be at all profitable because it will not endure the firy tryall and judgement which God in his wrath will kindle in these latter daies before he raiseth up his owne Kingdome wherein nothing shall be of use but that which shall be built upon the true foundation of life everlasting which is Christ Jesus and that which shall be such for substance and matter which will endure and escape the tryall of the fire See 1 Cor. 3. 12 13 14 15. From all which by way of Recapitulation I will gather these conclusions towards the purpose in hand 1 That a Publique good is nothing else but the universall private good of every one in the life of God for that which serveth the turne of some only although they may be many and even the greater part is not to be counted truly Publique but that is properly Publique which is common and reacheth alike unto all and that reacheth truly to all wherein every one hath alike neere interst and whereof every one may be alike sensible which is the life of God in men for God is the same to all and is but one life in all and all may and should challenge alike interest in him 2 That none can procure this good to others farre lesse to all that doth not seeke it for himselfe and in some measure purchase it at least by attaining to the true love of it and by a willingnesse to do any thing that lyeth in his power for the advancement of it as well towards others as towards himselfe For as it is an universall good none can engrosse it for himselfe alone but every one must seeke to partake of it with another Hence it is that there is no truer way to get it for our selves then by endeavouring that others also may participate of that which we either haue obtained or may hopefully obtaine For Gods meaning is not to be possessed as a peculiar to one because he doth intend to shew himselfe the God of all and he that seeketh God in all and for all shell at last find him for himselfe but he that thinketh as the custome of some is who despise others as impure and unworthy of their society to have him only for himselfe shall loose him in all and himselfe also 3. From whence followeth that all selfe seeking and the affection of some particular thing and way whereby men desire to bee taken notice off amongst other men for procuring a Publique Good which they imagine to be good that I say all such purposes are nothing but carnall Hypocrisie which is inconsistent with the life of God so that except there be a single purpose to seeke this Good absolutely for it self that it may become common to al to seeke nothing with it besides it self least it be not entire but mixed with aimes of another nature to seeke all other things for it least some other thing be valued more then it and it become in our minde subordinate unto matters of a base nature except I say all this bee the indeavour will never reach the end for which it must be undertaken nor receive a blessing from God to come to any perfection because it is impossible that God or Gods worke should be made to serve any mins ends or that he should suffer himselfe and his worke to be abused by men for private ends without discovering the deceit of their practises by some manifest judgement or other And this is the cause why God doth bring the fire triall upon the world namely to make void and without effect all by-ends and worldly imaginations in his worke in his great worke which he is about to performe for we are taught Esa. 2. concerning the Kingdome of God when it shall be raised that the lofty lookes of men shall be humbled and the haughtinesse of men shall be bowed downe and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day that all height and high things shall stoope and all Idolls amongst which our selfe imaginations are to be reckoned shall be abolished at the presence of the glory of his Majesty when he shall arise to shake terriblely the earth Therefore in aiming at this good we must cease from all selfe and cease from all men whose breath is in his nostrils for wherein is he to be accounted in the worke of God Thus having

and Redemption 1 Cor. 1. 30. Therefore the Spirit by which our faces are uncovered doth lead us unto him for to know the things of God he must be known and that he may be known he must be seen and lookt upon for in him all the treasures of life are to be seen and no where but in him Therefore the Prophet when he proposeth the greatest of blessings saith that our eyes shall see the King in his beauty intimating that in the sight of him and his beauty was our happinesse And verily those that once have had a true sight of him cannot but continually seeke to behold him We may see it in David how he stood affected towards him One thing saith he I desired and will feeks after to behold the beauty of the Lord and to enquire in his Temple and Psal. 42 1. 2. As the Hart panteth after the water brooks so panteth my soule after thee O God Oh when shall I come and appeare before God but chiefly Psal. 63. 1 2 8. early will I seeke thee my soule thirsteth for thee my flesh longeth to see thy power and thy glory so as I have seene thee in the Sanctnary Because thy loving kindnesse is better than life If he had never seene him in the Sanctuary of the Spirit he could not have ●●●● carnestly desired him But having once seene him and tasted of his goodnesse he could not but long for the continuance and renewing of this sight and and taste This also may be gathered from the Apostle Peter who exhorteth us to desire the ●in●●re milke of the Word if so be we have tasted that the Lord is gracious The tasting of Gods graciousnesse will not be soone lost out of the sanctified minde but will leave a desire after it to looke after him Now this glory of the Lord is beheld as in a looking-glasse his outward actions which are regished in the Gospel are the looking-glasse wherein all the divine properties of his goodnesse and loving kindnesse do appeare to the full when they are spiritually considered Fourthly Those that behold this glory are changed into the same image This glory is so excellent in goodnesse and lovely to all that behold it that it subdues the soule and drawes it by a sympathy to become comfortable unto it selfe as it is said 2 Cor. 5. 14 15. The love of Christ constraineth us to what to be conformable unto his death For when the soule seeth his great love to us it cannot possibly but it must needs love him again and where love is there is a Symbolizing of affections which is the change here mentioned for through love the thing beloved doth receive a being in him that loveth it and thus our Souls are transformed into the same image which we perceive to be in Christ See concerning this these places Phil. 3. 21. Ephes. 5. 1 2. and 1 Iohn 3. 2 3. and 4. 10 11. Fiftly This change is from glory to glory that is from one step or degree of glory to another For Christ is the ladder which Iacob saw Gen. 28. 12 13. wherein were steps reaching from earth unto heaven that is to say from the lowest estate of a temporall to the highest of an eternall being And upon these steps the Angels ascended and descended these Angels are our spirituall messengers sent up to God and his gracious answers sent down upon us The steps and degrees are in the life which we live in Christ Jesus the motions of spirituall growth wherby in the dayes of his flesh he was daily mortified in respect of the outward man and quickned by the Spirit in the inward to which mortification and quickning we become conformable by proceeding from one state of glory to another because he also in the dayes of his flesh went by the same progresse alwayes from earth to heaven till he came againe to his Father from whence he came forth Sixthly This change is wrought by the Spirit of the Lord in the soule that beholdeth Christ The Spirit of Christ is the Author of the change which is wrought in us for when we see and behold Christs glory the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the holy Ghost which is given to us Rom. 5. 5. So the holy Ghost proceeding from Christ by the knowledge and faith which we have of him and of his life Ephes. ● 5. worketh love in us to him by which we Sympathi●e with him and are changed into the same state of life wherein he did live after the inward man for the spirit which commeth from him taking hold of our spirits draweth the same with it selfe up unto Christ to whom it goeth back again by the manifestation of the life of Christ in us For when it prevaileth over the powers of our soule to bring the same unto the obedience of Gods will then it bringeth us backe to Christ for this was the life of Christ not to do his own will but the will of his Father who who sent him into the world Iohn 6. 38. Thus then when our will is brought to yeeld it selfe by the spirit wholly unto the will of God in all things as Christ did then we are changed and by the Spirit led from one step of glorious conformity to another Then the soule being betrothed unto Christ through love doth desire to be drawn that she may run after him and then the mistery of the song of Solomon is begun in us that it may also in due time be fulfilled through all the degrees of love therein expressed which mistery is not to be understood by any but by such as proceed in the degrees of this change from glory to glory Thus then we see how the life of God is both made known and conveyed to us by the means of Christ from all which by way of Recapitulation we will gather these conclusions First that as the life of God is the only good to be sought for and procured unto all so Christ as he is a Spirituall man is the only meanes to purchase that life Secondly That that life is purchased in Christ by none other way but by the free gift of God through the illumination of our soules with knowledge Thirdly That this knowledge doth reflect immediately upon the glory of God as upon his proper object which is to be manifested in the heart of man Fourthly That to make this glory manifest in our heart the face of Jesuc Christ must be seen by us Fiftly That to behold the face of Christ we must have an open face free from the vaile and then we must looke upon the glorious excellencies of his spirituall life in the glasse of his outward conversation amongst men Sixthly That by this contemplation and apprehension of the life of Christ a new life is begotten in us conformable unto that which is in him by which we are changed into the same image of glory and are led from one degree thereof unto another