Selected quad for the lemma: water_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
water_n	great_a	place_n	sea_n	5,022	5	6.4533	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A07678	A godlie mans guide to happinesse A manuell of necessary motiues, holy meditations, and godly prayers, to stirre vp the hearts of men vnapt to pray. To the great comfort of all, that with due and holy attention will practise this most godly and Christian dutie. Written for his owne, and published for the comfort of them that long for trv[e] happinesse. by I.N.	Norden, John, 1548-1625?	1624 (1624)	STC 18608; ESTC S100057	58,821	306

had no maruell then they finde it not and yet perswade themselues they haue in some measure what they desire euery man in his peculiar affection and well may it bee sayd in some measure for that in what measure soeuer they haue that they craue yet they want the fulnesse of what they desire And therefore can there be no full content for where there is wanting some thing the want of the thing desired is a kinde of ineuitable miserie and distraction of the minde These things duely considered a kinde of voluntarie blindenesse or rather desperate madnesse seemeth to appeare in the most who contrarie to the aduice of the Apostle that willeth to vse this world as if wee vsed it not vse onely this world and the vaine pleasures of the same as if they perswaded themselues that either they shall euer remaine here or that after this there will be no other being whereas the contrarie is most apparent For this world passeth away and the glorie thereof and therefore should we so liue as only to passe thorow it as the Jsralites thorow the red-Red-sea that we may arriue in Heauēly Canaan the place of true Felicitie Happinesse and absolute content in deed for the greatest pleasures and deerest delights that this world can yeeld are like the vnsauorie waters of Asphaltis or the sea of Sodome whereof who so drinketh infatuateth or dieth instantly And yet wee see that hee is accounted the happiest man that is euen drunke with this worlds vanities Therefore doe the truely Wise passe by them as it were disdayning to stoope to such deceiuing alurements stopping their eares with Vlisses least these forbidden vanities should inchant them and with their seeming sweet infecting harmony draw them to the gulfe of perdition for the vanities of this world bewitch the mindes of carnall men who though they reade and heare their danger it takes no impression in their obdurate hearts they reade seldome and heare and vnderstand not they yet know too much of that wherof the practice doth shew they are not wise to saluation which indeed is that absolute happinesse that the truely Wise doe onely seeke knowing that it auayleth them not to gaine the whole world and to take all the pleasures and delights of the same to lose their owne soules The best thing then that we are to seeke to be happy is to be assured in this life of the Kingdome of God and our saluation to come and to labour for the righteousnesse thereof for if worldly men take so much paines for the getting of the vanishing things of this world counterfeit happinesse it may well be imputed not onely as a shame vnto vs but a iudgement vpon vs if wee neglect the absolute best thing the saluation of our soules And therefore Saint Paul exhorts vs to the studie of righteousnesse and hatred of sinne the contrary ends of both being set before vs namely as touching sinne wherein the best man hath once defiled himselfe how much more the wicked What fruit had they in it Onely shame and griefe and in the end death eternall without repentance therefore it behooueth vs now to cast off sinne The vanities of the world the lusts of the flesh the pride of life to which things whosoeuer is or hath beene seruant while he liueth therein is free from righteousnesse but now let vs seeke to bee freed from the seruitude of sinne and to become seruants vnto God so shall wee haue our fruit in holinesse and in the end euerlasting life which is the gift of GOD through Iesus Christ which is the greatest happinesse that we can desire or attaine vnto either in this life or that which is to come for the obtayning whereof euery Christian is to be carefull to auoide the vanities of this world and the seruice of sinne in the same indeuoring to become the seruant of God which consisteth in an holy and heauenly conuersation here to which is required the due and diligent hearing of God in his Word and the true practise of the same and faithfull prayer to him By these two rules rightly obserued a man becomes by acceptation perfect and by imputation iust To attaine vnto this degree of perfection and happinesse it lyeth not in our owne powre wee cannot heare without the Word preached and none that heareth vnderstandeth but he whose eares the Lord openeth Carnall men may heare indeed but not profit by hearing vnlesse God open also their hearts as hee did the heart of Lydia for both the Word hearing vnderstanding and practise are all the gifts of God Prayer also is the gift of God so is Gods Spirit by whom wee pray and faith in which we pray and the assurance to obtaine that for which wee pray How many men yet are there of conceit that they can pray when they list and how they list as if earnest and truely cordiall prayer were as familiar with them as to tell a tale Liplabour babling indeed is as easie as to speake any thing else But this kinde of saying prayers is not indeed prayer but prattle a mocking of God and hee deceiueth himselfe that so speaketh prayers A great man would take scorne to haue a tale told him when hee that tells it speakes he knowes not what his minde being vpon some other matter will God then accept of those prayers which onely are from the lippes when the heart thinks of nothing lesse then what the mouth speaketh Their words may bee the words of holy prayer indeed but if the heart consent not nay if the Minde the Will and Affections and the Vnderstanding agree not with the mouth though the words bee good the prayer is counterfeit True and feruent faithfull and feeling prayer will easily bee diserned from cold and counterfeit for whereas a man may fluently without stoppe or stagger powre forth many and good words either by heart or booke thinking that God hath enough if hee haue many and good words he cannot but acknowledge that he doth but flatter God so commits sinne instead of a sacrifice But the prayer that pleaseth God and profits a mans selfe comes from the heart to the lippes or the heart it selfe sighes and groanes vnto God in such vehemencie of spirit as if not with outward teares yet doth the heart rent it selfe within through the feruencie of zeale and power of a liuely faith which kinde of prayer is effectuall and pleasing to God It behooueth therefore euery man to be warie how hee prayeth least hee offer the sacrifice of fooles and so instead of being heard to his comfort hee be reiected with shame Prayer consisteth not in the motion of the tongue onely which is proper as well to the wicked as to the godly But prayer is a diuine exercise of a sanctified heart And therefore before we presume to approch into the presence of God with our Petition we must duely and reuerently consider to whom we speake what we speake and how we speake wherein we may