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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

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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

he doth incline the heart of this man and order things of an inferiour nature to divine purposes Whether it were so that this good man the Master of the House had provided this Chamber for the Passover for his owne celebration whether it were a Roome already furnished to civill respects here it is that the providence of Christ appeares as God that even that which was for civill and ordinary respects he orders so as it shall serve for religious uses It is his providence that Governs the World that takes notice of all things and brings glory out of the least effect of what kind soever of what condition and note soever the creature and action be it is within the compasse of Gods providence and the providence of God so regulates it Let the Epieures and Atheists of the World dispute against it that it is a disparagement to God to know the least things Shall his providence goe so low as to number our hairs to take notice of the leaves of the Trees that fall We see not his end in it but God knowes it Nay in our selves we may see that it is no dishonour to God that these things fall within his providence how must not he take notice of that of which he cannot be ignorant but it is no disparagement A godly man can draw wise conclusions out of things of lesse note The falling of a Leafe from a Tree the going out of a ●ubble in the water there is nothing of lesse note then this yet a wise man will draw holy conclusions hence he sees the leafe of a Tree fall thinks he so must my life he sees the bubble breath out and sayth he so must my soule If a wise man take notice of these things to draw them to religious purposes Shall we not think that God can draw infinite conclusions from such meane things St. Austin in his Commentary upon the Psalmes he takes the ●pi●ures and reasons with them those that disputed against Gods providence as if it were a disparagement for God to take notice of inferiour things One Argument that they brought was what the reason was that it should raine on the Sea The Sea needs no Water there is the concourse of water they make the argument thus how this should come to passe that the Earth gapes for raine and gets it not and the Sea hath abundance of water and yet it raines upon it at the same time where is providence Poore Creatures sayth he that doe not consider the end of things Is there no end that God raines upon the Sea though men could not find it out but we may find it there are Fishes in the Sea for God to nourish living in the salt water how doe they leap and rejoyce at the sweet raine How doe they leap at the sweet water they can fetch it out of the salt Sea Then here is the reason sayth St. Austin it raines upon the Sea where there is water enough for the feeding of the Fishes it raines not upon the Earth where there is need of water for the punishment of man Another Argument they brought was this what was the reason that the lightening should strike the Mountaine and yet not strike the Robber that is at the foot of the Mountaine that is by the way that takes a Purse at the same time where is Gods Providence what is the Mountaine the better or the worse for the striking of the lightening If Gods providence were manifested he would strike the Thiefe the Mountaine hath done no evill See their vanity sayth he that will search into the depth of that providence Percutiuntur montes c. Therefore the Mountaines are smitten that doe not feare that men might feare that should have beene smitten Among your selves doe none of your Wives beat the ground when the Child cries to make the Child affrayd Ye your selves will beat the Earth that the Infant may be afraid and tremble and will you not suffer God to make lightening to fall upon the Mountaines to make men afraid that they may be warned Another Argument was this what was the reason that Gods judgements doe overtake and fall upon the heads of godly persons sometimes and doe not take the wicked where is providence Nay there Gods providence is seene in that that seems a judgement to us that falls upon the head of a righteous man God knowes him to be ready he takes away those that are fitted and it falls not upon the head of the impenitent God spares him that he may repent here is the Argument of Gods providence while we reason against it But see the iniquity of these men if they come into a Smiths Shop and see here the Anvill and there a Hammer and here the Trough and there the Fire they would not take upon them to dispute and aske the reason of the Anvile being here or the Trough there why Because they are unskillfull and ignorant and they would say within themselves the Smith knowes the reason of all these things though I doe not that am ignorant Look but on the iniquity of these men they will not find fault with the Smith in his Shop in the Mysteries of his Trade because they know them not yet so presumptuous are they as to call Gods providence in question that they are ignorant of It is just so in other questions that they propound what is the reason that God should take notice of inferiour things Nay all these inferiour things God can extend them to holy purposes What is of less moment then a Crow or a Raven Yet God by his providence feeds them and made them feed Elias What is of lesse value then a haire of ones head Yet even from them God drawes an argument of his providence the Haires of the head of the three Children were not singed in the Furnace What is of lesse moment then for a man to beare a Pitcher of water What is a Pitcher of water to Gods providence Yes God guided it to a good end to the Disciples shewing them hereby where they might eat the Passover What is of lesse notice then the rubbing of a Floore then the dressing up of a Chamber Christ by his providence saw this and ordered it at the same time for the place where he would keep the Passover and bring glory to God So though we see not the reason of these inferiour things God doth he can draw great conclusions out of meane things there is not the meanest Creature in the World but God takes notice of it But there is a difference and so I conclude the point Saith St. Ambrose we are not such flatterers of Gods providence as to think that it is equally communicated to all He regards other Creatures in generall but man in speciall God takes care even over the lowest Creatures of every Worme but it is for the governing of them He gives inferior Creatures no precepts Doth God take care for Oxen sayth the

Philo calls him but of Grace too in pledging for them that which was more worth then his life his very salvation It was a rare example of Castor and Pollux so highly magnified by Authours That being twinnes and as the Poets feigned one born mortall the other immortall Pollux to shew his love to his brother yielded so farre as to take to himself a part of his brothers mortalitie and to lend him as much of his own immortalitie being better pleased to enjoy a half immortalitie with the good of his brother then a whole one alone by himself It is known by all to be a fiction yet if it were true it is farre short of this proffer of Moses He knew full well what belonged to immortalitie and to the ●avour of God yet in effect he beseecheth God either to take them into his favour or to put him out of it as content to hazard not half his immortalitie but all out of his love to the Israelites notwithstanding they were a people ungratefull both towards him and towards God After this of Moses I know no example so tran●cending as that of the Prophet David who besides that he urgeth it almost in every Psalme The peace of Jerusalem The salvation of Israel The felicity of Gods chosen The blessing of the people in one place he argues for it even to his own destruction You have it 1. Chron. 21.16 17. It is there recorded that seeing the angel of the Lord with his sword drawn over Jerusalem to destroy it he thus reasons with God for the safeguard of the publick Me me adsum qui feci IT IS I EVEN I IT IS THAT HAVE SINNED In me convertito ferrum LET THY HAND BE AGAINST ME AND AGAINST MY FATHERS HOUSE NOT ON THY PEOPLE FOR THESE SHEEP VVHAT HAVE THEY DONE He that considers these words will hardly be able to tell what most to wonder at the condescending of his love or the overflowing He declared here saith S. Chrysostome a depth of love 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an affection more spacious for love then the sea for water and for tendernesse softer not onely then water but then oyl To lay down as it were his own royall neck under the sword of the Angell when he saw it hanging over him by a lesse thrid then that of Damocles To open his own religious breast to receive the blow that he might ward it from the people To value the peoples safety so farre aboue his own as to interpose himself betwixt the sword and the slaughter O how farre doth he here renounce himself and recede not onely from royalty but from life it self It is much which is mentioned in the text that he should name the people first to the happinesse more that he should offer himself first to the punishment very much that he should put the people betwixt himself and the blessing farre more that he should place himself betwixt the people and the curse He made himself in this SPECULUM PRINCIPUM the mirrour of Princes a mirrour into which as we may well presume our Gracious Sovereigne King CHARLES hath made frequent and usefull inspections for it is manifest by many passages of his reign and happy government that the tendernesse of his love towards his people if it doth not fully reach yet it comes close up to the recessions of David It is the more remarkable for that he hath this virtue as it were in proper and by himself he is almost the sole possessour of it The most of ordinary men as living more by will then reason are all for holding so stiffe and inflexible so tenacious and unyielding even in matters of small moment that they will not stirre a hair-breadth Entreat them persuade them convince them still they keep to this principle and 't is none of the best O●tein all Yield nothing It is a nobler spirit that resides in the breast of our Sovereign as appears by his manifold yieldings and recessions Of such recessions we have many instances in the course of his Majesties government I might go as farre back as his first coming to the Crown when he receded from his own profit in taking upon him the payment of his Fathers debts which were great and but small supplies to be expected from an empty Exchequer yet the love of justice and his peoples emolument overswayed him and armed him with Epaminondas his resolution Totius orbis divitias despicere prae patriae charitate Having but glanced at that I might draw a little nearer to the third of his reign when in that Parliament of Tertio he was pleased to signe the so much desired Petition of Right a Title which I confesse takes me much both because it speaks the dutifulnesse of the subject in petitioning although for right and the great goodnesse of a Gracious Prince who knows how to recede from power and in some case even from prerogative when besought by prayers and rejoyceth not to sell his favours but to give them For I have heard some wise men say That that single grant was equivalent to twenty subsidies But the time will not give me leave to dwell as I should upon particulars therefore I will call you nearer to the transient remembrance and but the transient for it is no pleasure to revive it of the commotions in the North. The eyes of the whole world were upon that action and they all are witnesses what pains and travell were taken what clemencie and indulgence was used what yieldings and condescentions both in point of honour and power to purchase as it were by a price paid out of himself the peace and tranquillity of both kingdomes Whereby he made all men understand how much more pleasing it was to his Princely disposition with Cyrus in Xenophon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and to conquer not by might but by clemency By clemency I say the word which I named before and I cannot name it too often It is the virtue God most delights in to exercise himself and 't is the copie also which he sets us to write after It is the virtue which draws both eyes and hearts unto it in that it maketh Royalty it self which is so farre above to become beneficiall and sovereign It corrects the brightnesse of Majestie calmes the strictnesse of Justice lightens the weight of Power attemperates whatsoever might cause terrour to our mind and liking If we never had known it before yet the onely time of this Parliament would teach us sufficiently how much we ow to the King's clemencie The laws and statutes which have been made this last year are lasting and speaking monuments of thefe royall recessions as well to posteritie as to our selves Surely if the true picture and resemblance of a Prince be in his laws it cannot be denied that in the acts for trienniall Parliaments for the continuation of the Parliament now being for the regulating of impositions pressing of souldiers courts of Judicature and others not a few

had one tongue in their hearts and another in their tongue God looks to the language of the heart As we must bring naked open hearts so we must bring simplicity of speech All the confessions in Scripture run thus with naming the sins not in generall onely but in particuler So the Israelites Numb 21. We have sinned in that we have spoken against the Lord and his servant Moses they name their sin So in 1 Sam. 12. when Samuel presseth them home and layes to their heart all the sins that they had committed then they make confession in naked simple words We have sinned and added this to all our sins to aske a King They did not onely confesse in generall we have sinned but in particuler this is that sin that wee have provoked God by As Davids heart smote him when he had numbred the people presently he tells God hee had sinned in this sinne of numbring the people while his heart was hott and the sinne lay upon him hee opens it to God in simple naked words That is the third sort Last of all There is another bring with you forcible words weighty words aggravating words such words as may exagerate your sins against your selves such words Lay them not onely open but make them more if it were possible though it be a sinne to lye to God but though a man say with Paul Of whom I am cheife it is farr from dissimulation he that knowes his owne heart is able to say hee is the cheife of sinners though the World be able to lay nothing against him because every man knowes the sinne of his owne heart Therefore he that comes to confesse will not bring cold words but aggravating words So run all the formes in Scripture because when we aggravate God extenuates and when we make more God makes lesse but we cannot make them more but aggravate our sins in confession Looke to that in Nehemiah how he aggravates with words after words We have dealt proudly and stoutly with the Lord. So saith Ezra Wee have hardned our hearts and refused to obey wee have not hearkned to his Commandements we have rebelled against him we and our Kings our Princes our Preists and our Fathers And Daniel in his confession adds The men of Judah and the people of Israel There are all aggravations against the persons and against the sins Wee have dealt proudly wee have hardned our hearts we have not hearkned to Gods Law we have rebelled against him And such were the confessions that David made one we have in Psal 106. We have sinned and dealt wickedly and committed iniquity as if he wanted words to expresse himselfe and it is the very same words with Daniel and Ezra in their confessions David in Psal 51. My iniquities are gone over my head and are as a burthen too heavy to beare See how could he exagerate more they are over my head above my reach I cannot compasse them as the flood that overwhelmes a man in the bottom of the water and he sees nothing but destruction so my sins are gone over my head I cannot look to the top or bottome or reach them and they are too heavy a burthen I cannot beare them thou alone must ease me of them Daniel and Ezra aggravate sin in the same words Our sins are increased up to Heaven here was a high pitch he tooke to himselfe not onely in the knowledge of them so every sin grows up to Heaven because God knows them but for multitude and increase we have piled sin upon sin As the Giants of old set Pelion upon Ossa and Parnassis upon both so we have set one sin upon another that they are heaped up to Heaven the Earth is weary with bearing of them they reach to Heaven So here is the form of words bring naked simple humble forcible aggravating words And after all this when wee looke upon all these formes of confession and see the practice of the Saints of old and see the burthen of sin and of the commands are we not all stirred up are we not all ready to burst Is it possible to hold but to cast off such shame almost and in the middest of much people to acknowledge wee have sinned Lord we have sinned and for our iniquities and transgressions these troubles are come upon us If wee want words of our owne let us borrow of those confessions in Scripture We have need to take all helps sin lyes close all helpes of discovery of removall and of comfort so we shall be able to expresse our selves when we see those formes that they exprest themselves in that was the end when the Prophet bids them take words that is get the language of repentance goe humble your selves and your soules to God take words and goe and confesse to him that is the first thing I see the time is spent and the weather is hot yet points that are depending one upon another are best applyed when the heart is warme and sometimes the dependance adds so much grace to a point that the grace of it is lost if the season be not taken Take to you words The language of confession and the language of prayer Take words to you when you turne to the Lord by repentance then take words and when you turne to the Lord by prayer then take words These two goe together confession and prayer In Nehem. 1. there they be joyned I prayed before thee for the Children of Israel and confessed to thee the sins of the Children of Israel And in Dan. 9. I prayed to my God and made my confession before him There must be no prayer made to God where there is no confession of sin for if we multiply our prayers and pray every houre yet there goes sin betweene and though it be a sin repented of and though it be a sin that is pardoned before yet David confessed his sin after it was pardoned nothing moves so much to confession as the knowledge of pardon Prayer will not availe without confession therefore I first spake of the other Prayer without confession saith Chrysostome it is as if a Bird should have her wings at liberty and her feet be tyed Confession is as the feet and prayer as the wings if a Bird have the wings free and the feet in a snare it cannot get up so though the heart pray yet if the foot of confession be in a snare there is no hope that the heart should flye to God it is as a Bird that hath the wings at liberty and the foot is in a snare therefore these must goe together take to you words of confession and prayer I must be breife therefore I will reduce them to three heads There are three things the Prophet aimes at in this exhortation Take to you words of prayer He shewes the necessity of vocall prayer Take to you words He shewes the necessity of preparation to prayer Take words It is not onely use words and pray but take them

not faith if it faint not love if it decline and wax cold not obedience if it give over not repentance or humility or patience or meeknesse if they have not their perfect work Faith that will hold but that it holds out it is from perseverance Love will take its flight and mount up but that it mounts up to the highest to Heaven it must be from perseverance Obedience will follow after Christ but to hold to the end in obedience to be carried to the full length it 's from perseverance So every grace hath that that is the accomplishment of it from the grace of perseverance Without it as St. Bernard sayth very well neither he that fights can hope to overcome at all or if he overcome and conquer a little he cannot look for the Crowne unlesse he conquer still and goe on There is the second excellency of perseverance The third and principall excellency of perseverance that that more expresly toucheth upon the Text it is the continuation of the motion of a Christian that that keeps a man still going And motion is excellent in every Creature the Creature the more excellent it is the more excellent it is in its motion The Earth that is the lowest Element and the basest moves not at all The Water that is next above the Earth moves but not so fast as the Aire that is above the Water and the Aire though it move faster and more constantly then the Water yet it moves not so nobly and constantly and so fast as the Heavens the celestiall bodies and the Star● of Heaven Take but one instance the Moone hath two motions which shee dispatcheth at once with a great deale of swiftnesse and constancy Let men that are below blaspheme and curse let Dogs bark let the Winds blow let stormes bluster and the Clouds frowne the Moone goes on to finish her course So a Christian if he be of a heavenly temper there will be the motion of the Heavens perpetuity of motion Perseverance makes the motion perpetuall it gives perennity to the motion of a Christian that though a Christian meet with many disc●uragements in the way of piety temptations and tribulations and persecutions yet for all this as the Sun and Moone and Stars he keeps on his motion though wicked men oppose themselves though St. Pauls Dogs doe more then bark though the stormes of temptation bluster and the winds of persecution gather themselves together though Heaven and Earth oppose yet perseverance will carry a Christian strait on his way through all impediments and make him leap over all discouragements it will bring his motion to the end that is the excellency of perseverance That is the first thing if we take the phrase under the similitude of locall motion They goe on Secondly consider it under the similitude of Vitall motion for as I said their going on is their growing on Growth is a vitall motion for properly nothing is said to grow but that that hath life Therefore Scaliger observes there is a great deale of difference betwixt those two words augmentation and extention things inanimate that want life may receive extention and dimension but they are not properly said to grow but things that have life Plants and Trees and living Creatures Growth therefore properly is a vitall motion and that vitall motion is remarkable in Christianity in a spirituall sence there are many words whereby 〈◊〉 Scripture sets out these advances of Piety When it considers us in the way of piety it is called proceeding when it respects the emulations of piety it is called excellency when it respects the operations of piety it is called abounding when it respects our progresse in piety it is called persev●ring when to the state of piety it is called growth And all these there is good reason to be given of them in respect of the severall relations a Christian hath in this World We are viatores in this World we must proceed and goe on We are Work-men in the Vinyard of the Lord we must persevere We are lights in the World lights must excell that is their commendation We are Rivers as David makes the similitude Rivers of God they must swell and abound Christians they are the Babes in Christ that are to come to the stature of spirituall Man-hood being Babes they must grow Of all other expressions those two are remarkable when it is called abounding and growing David useth both these the word of abounding or excelling All my delight is in those that abound or excell in vertue Psal 16. The other word of growth is in Psal 92. speaking of the righteous man He shall grow up as a ●edar in thine house St. Paul makes use of both those words too sometimes he exhorts to grow in grace sometimes to abound and excell Strive that you may excell to the edifying of the Church Alway abound in the work of the Lord. The phrase or word of abounding is a metaphor taken from Rivers Rivers that get encrease by running A man would think a River in continuall motion should doe nothing but spend it selfe and not get but lose but the longer it runs the more accesse of water flowes to it and the further its progresse the greater it is It is little at the head but it is great at the foot the longer it goes on So should a Christian be like Ezekiells waters that at the first were but up to the Ancles and then ascended till they came to the Neck till at last they covered the whole man such is the swelling Spirituall the excelling and abounding in grace The other word of growing is a metaphor taken almost from all sorts of vitalls It is taken sometimes in Scripture from building as a building from a small beginning growes to a great vastnesse and magnitude so a Christian being built on the Foundation of the Prophets and Apostles our blessed Lord being the Corner stone he growes up to a holy Temple in the Lord Ephes 2. Sometimes it is taken from the similitude of Plants and Trees Hosea 14. They shall grow up as the Lillie and as the Vine their Root shall be like Lebanon Sometimes againe it is taken from the similitude of other Creatures in Mal. 4. speaking of righteous men he sayth They shall grow as the Calves of the stall Sometimes it is taken from our selves from the similitude of the growth of the body corporall growth So in Ephes 4. he speaks of Growing up to the fullnesse of stature to a perfect man in Christ As the body first hath seed and then life and then supply of nourishment and then by it it comes to height and stature So it is in the state of grace there is first the seminall being of a Christian in regeneration or the new birth then after come the supplies of nourishment by the influence of grace and receiving the sincere milke of the word after these supplies of nourishment comes this spirituall growth That you may