Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	church_n	old_a	testament_n	6,574	5	8.1314	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65835	Wadsworth's remains being a collection of some few meditations with respect to the Lords-Supper, three pious letters when a young student at Cambridg, two practical sermons much desired by the hearers, several sacred poems and private ejaculations / by Thomas Wadsworth. With a preface containing several remarkables of his holy life and death from his own note-book, and those that knew him best.	Wadsworth, Thomas, 1630-1676.	1680 (1680)	Wing W189; ESTC R24586	156,367	318

that shall keep the Angels of Heaven company to all eternity in the Heavens to glorifie the Maker and the Redeemer of the world This is the Church a Church in a Kingdom is the glory of the Kingdom and God in the Church is the glory of the Church When God leaveth a Church or Kingdom you may name it this name the glory is departed the glory is departed from a Town or Kingdom when the Church of Christ is departed If it be so it will be worth our while to inquire which is this Church of Christ for there are many pretensions laid to the Church many would call themselves the Church the Jews they would be the Church of God the Turks would be a Church of God for they profess to worship the God of Heaven the Papists they would be a Church of God and in England there are many parties laying their claims to the Church of God No wonder my brethren that every one is so desirous to bear that title of being the Church of God 't is the most glorious title of the world as I have shewn you 't is the glory of the world But to help you to find out this Church in the midst of all these claims that are laid to it I have chosen this verse wherein the Holy Ghost giveth a description of it for by these characters you will be able to find it out for this verse is nothing else but a characterizing of the nature of the Church of God And there appeared a great wonder in Heaven a Woman clothed with the Sun and the Moon under her feet and upon her head a Crown of twelve Stars The Church is described two ways First In General Secondly More Particularly First in general There appeared a great wonder in Heaven that is in this Vision of John he did seem to see a very strange and unusual sight we call things wonders that are strange things it is no wonder to see the Sun shining because it is common and the Stars to give light because common but when we see a Blazing-star we call it a wonder so the meaning is I saw a great wonder saith John and what of that I saw a Woman I saw a Woman in the Heavens It is common to see the Sun and Moon and Stars there but to see a Woman is a wonder and so the Church is a wonder to see a fire keep alive in the midst of the Sea to see a people keeping themselves holy in the midst of a wicked and perverse generation to see a people live to the glory of God in a wicked and debaucht Kingdom is a wonder for in spite of all the wrath and rage of the Devil they are resolved to love God and follow the Lamb where ever he leads them this is a wonder and in many respects the Church may be said to be a wonder a wonder to Angels a wonder to Devils and a wonder to the wicked world A wonder to Angels we read they desire to peep into the mystery of Redemption of Christs coming into the world to die for a company of sinful creatures that deserve no better a condition than the dungeon of Hell but for you Angels to see God taking poor sinners from the dungeon of sin and wrath and raising them upon Thrones by giving them repentance and faith in Jesus Christ and adopting them Sons and Daughters and taking them to be his friends this the Angels wonder at And why may I not guess a wonder to the Devils for them to see the Son of God come and themselves to be past by to be forsaken eternally reserved in chains and to see such creatures as we are to be brought into a state of fellowship and communion with God may make them stand and wonder And truly how can it chuse but be a wonder to our selves if David in seeing the Heaven Sun Moon and Stars could cry out Lord what is man that thou art mindful of him How can we chuse but wonder when we look upon our selves being guilty of all manner of sins either in heart or life to see God take us and wash us like swine out of the mire and cleanse us and make us live like his children and call us his own and write his name upon us and seal us up for an eternal state in the Heavens And so the wicked world do wonder that we do not follow them in the same excess of riot drunkenness and singing and ranting in the Taverns and Alehouses they wonder at it Well I saw this wonder in Heaven that is in a most exalted state and so my Brethren it is in its own self in its nature it is highly exalted in the heavens of Gods favour and affections and when the time shall come that God will perfect his Church she shall shine in glory as in a most exalted state and condition and it is this she expecteth and for this she saith Come Lord Jesus and for this he saith I come quickly But more particularly to the nature of this wonder What is it 1. It is described by a Woman 2. The Attire And 3. the place of her standing First A Woman and her attire and that is first of her head a Crown of twelve Stars 2. The attire of her body clothed with the Sun And then 3dly Here is her standing She standeth upon the Moon trampleth that under her feet and this is a description of you so many of you as are true members of the Lord Jesus Christ what great things are here spoken are spoken of every believer here First a Woman why is the Church compared to a Woman that the Church is compared to a Woman in Scripture that is plain the Book of Canticles which is Solomons Song is a Song of the Church represented as a Spouse to Jesus Christ the Prophets frequently compar'd the Church to a Woman in the Old Testament and God is her Husband the Apostles compared it to a Woman I have endeavoured as a Virgin to present you to God without spot And the Church is called the Lambs Wife But for what reason does the Holy Ghost compare the Church to a Woman For these four Reasons 1. For her Beauty 2. For her Affection 3. For her Fruitfulness 4. For her Weakness For these four she may well be compared to a Woman 1. For her Beauty I speak not of that outward that skin-deep beauty which a little time will bring to wrinkles but I speak of an inward beauty a soul beauty the Church of Christ is beautiful that is soul-beautiful the Graces of the Saints upon the soul of the Saints is the red and white nothing enamours Christ so much as your faith in his Promises love to his Glory patience in afflictions obedience to his Commandments Thou art fair my beloved saith Christ to his Spouse The Church is compar'd to a Woman for her beauty and therefore the Apostle saith I have endeavoured to present you as a Virgin how not

earnestly beg of God on thy knees as if thou wert pleading for thy life that God would humble thee and give thee more love to himself and to the rest of thy brethren and take heed likewise of angering them O that thou wouldst but practise this truly truly I should rejoice Angels in Heaven would rejoice as it is written The Angels rejoise at the conversion of a sinner Secondly Look that thou readest the Scriptures diligently every day and let this be thy first work in the morning and the last at night And if thou canst not understand go to God and beg that he would give thee more light and if thou dost this likewise happy shalt thou be And seeing it is late before you go to supper and bed therefore thou maist set apart some time for this duty in the afternoon And this you must do and then wait upon God for a blessing And truly do but reflect on your self and tell me what 's the cause of all that gross ignorance which is in you Truly 't is because you read little in the Scripture and other good Books And if perhaps you read a Chapter now and then it is either because you are forc'd to it or because you would read some story in the Old Testament only to recreate your carnal mind Let me but ask you this one question Do you when you take the Bible in your hand consider it is the book of God and if you do not practise what you read it will turn to your condemnation Do but consider this thing seriously and the God of Heaven bless it to your soul Now I pray and entreat you not to slight this which I have said but turn it into practise And it will be my desire th●t you will write this out fair that thou maist read it sometimes and maist know that thy brother loves thy soul as dearly as his own What I have now writ unto thee in particular thou wilt do well if thou communicatest it to all thy brethren that they may not be wanting in these things which I have here desired of thee in particular for I could desire that thou mightest begin to lead the way to Heaven in that family but especially let this be known to my Sister Anne I pray her not to think much that I direct this to you and not to her for I thought you would write to me and I questioned whether she hath not forgot but if she doth write I assure her if my soul and body can do her service it shall I shall not mention my Sister Mary because I have hinted her case in my Fathers Letter The God of Heaven be with you So I pray who am Your tender and most affectionate Brother Tho. Wadsworth Dear and Loving Sister IT hath been such a great interval of time since we last exchang'd Letters with one another that I know not whether to charge you or my self with negligence but I hope neither of us are guilty of forgetfulness God is my witness that I daily make mention of you in my prayers and I assure you it will exceedingly raise my heart in praises if God will but answer them upon your soul And truly my expectations are very great towards you and the rest of my friends I know not who they shall be either in that family or some where else but rather there for God of late hath shewn me much of his goodness as to the answering of my prayers as to particular persons And I am assured that he hath several times drawn out my heart as much if not more for that family So that I live in continual expectations of hearing of the Sun of Righteousness to rise among you and the day star of holiness and purity to break out of some of your souls And to this purpose I have sent you this Letter that you among the rest might be one that may fulfil my joy in the Lord. I am sorry that all this while I have not heard from my Brother John I hope that the Lord will stir up his heart likewise Heaven-ward Tell him that I would have writ to him but that I had so much to write to others so that I was fain to steal a little time to write these few lines As for your self for the present I shall only desire you to read Scripture much and pray constantly if possibly you can twice or three times a day For directions herein I desire you to peruse seriously my Sister Anne's Letter which I have here sent her Lastly Take a special care of my Sister Mary labour to get her to pray though she can but chatter God can hear He hears the young Ravens when they cry and feeds them and will he not much more hear a young child To whom I pray you commend my love very kindly I have no more at this present but that I am Your ever Loving Brother Tho. Wadsworth Loving Sister AS the Letter was with great affection desired so was it as gratefully received by me Neither was it so much because that you did write but because you writ so well and heartily And I shall here assure you that you cannot rejoice me more than in letting me see such sentences dropping from your pen as did in the last Letter And I am likewise as certain that your discovery of them proceeding from your heart carries in it a far more exceeding weight of joy to your own soul I shall have but one or two things to you at this time and I shall conclude First Be constant in Prayer morning and evening and labour not only to speak words but let your words express your heart Secondly Before and after Prayer join reading of the Scriptures Thirdly Take heed of vain and foolish discourse be as little in talk as may be without it is in good discourse I shall now only desire you to write to me every week or fortnight and I doubt not but you will find your parts encrease and abour but to put Letters in practice and you shall find likewise your graces encrease And with this I conclude only desiring you to remember me to your Brother and Sisters and I shall be as I ever was Your Loving Brother T. W. A SERMON PREACHED BY Mr. THO. WADSWORTH Taken in Short-hand REV. XII 1. And there appeared a great wonder in Heaven a Woman clothed with the Sun and the Moon under her feet and upon her head a Crown of twelve Stars IN these words you have a description of the Church of Jesus Christ on earth the Church of Christ is of all Societies of the world the most glorious it is a Society founded by the Counsel of the great God a Society that is purchased and bought by the blood of the Son of God 't is a Society called out of this wicked world to worship God in spirit and in truth 't is a Society that is to God himself as the apple of his eye 't is a Society