Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	apostle_n	bishop_n	timothy_n	4,167	5	10.7647	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17297	Conflicts and comforts of conscience a treatise, shewing how the conscience, in cases of deepest distresse and distraction, may recollect it selfe, and recouer solid and sound comfort / collected from priuate proofe, for publike profit, by H.B. ...	Burton, Henry, 1578-1648.	1628 (1628)	STC 4140.4; ESTC S259	75,671	324

his balme but by small drops and as patients newly recouered from a strong feuer diets vs with small bits and pittances at a time least by ouerfull a diet the weake stomacke of the soule be ouercome with a surfet and so fall into a relaps Secondly to obserue the strength and ability which God hath left vs I meane of spirituall grace whereby we are assisted in the performance of spirituall duties publike and priuate domesticall or Ministeriall Herein may hee comfort himselfe when vpon his repentance he findeth the graces of Gods spirit no way abated but rather by prayer increased and his zeale to Gods glory and his truth more inflamed now then formerly as being incensed by a kinde of holy indignation and reuenge for his sinne to expose himselfe to the greater malice and obloquy of the world whose malice is doubled against those who are most couragious and zealous for the truth So that when a man obserueth how the Lord prospereth his indeauours and labours with a rich successe of the seruice of Gods people he may with the greater comfort and courage goe on this being a notable euidence of grace of his reconciliation with God of that well of liuing water in his soule springing vp vnto euerlasting life Notwithstanding by the way all along he meete with many rubs and obstacles difficult to incounter with but more difficult to ouercome as will appeare in the insuing Conflicts For being reconciled to God yet the penitent shall finde a world of discomforts or the discomforts of the world to exercise his patience meekenesse and humility Euen as a Ship riding at anchor in the Rode or Harbour hauing escaped the stormes in the main Ocean yet is tumbled and tossed with sundry proud waues and billowes that it hardly findes any steddie rest The second thing is to obserue certaine infallible marks and tokens of grace in the penitent soule and these are besides those reckoned vp by the Apostle 2 Cor. 7.11 first a sincere purpose of heart with prayer to please God in all things hauing respect vnto all his Commandements Ps. 119. Nor are we to rest in a purpose and desire thogh neuer so sincere but to add a most carefull indeuour in the vse of all means tending thereunto as prayer publicke and priuate hearing of the Word reading meditating conferring communicating and the like all singular and necessarie helpes to our Christian obedience being as the Oyle to cause our Lampe to flame forth and withall to be no lesse carefull of auoyding all those meanes and occasions which might lead a man back again to the seruice of sinne least also by comming neere to danger hee tempt God and expose himselfe to Sathans temptations Hast thou fallen by lust Hast thou repented of it abandoned it not onely in resolution but practice of all good meanes Yet if thou fearest not occasions how apt is the new cured wound to be offended Hieron ad Nepotian Nec in praeterita castitate confidas There is no trusting to thy former chastity Nec Dauide sanctior c. Thou art neither holier then Dauid nor stronger then Sampson nor canst thou be wiser then Salomon Hieron regulae c. 4 Cum proximat stipula accendit ignem And he saith of himselfe Creditas experto c. Belieue him that hath had experience c. Much lesse trust we to the facility of repentance if we be ouertaken Hee that once hath knowne truely what repentance is will not readily come into the fire againe They that sin and repent and repent and sinne doe but dally with repentance as they doe with sinne they neuer knew yet what true repentance meant Nec statim nobis poenitentiae remedia blandiantur Hier. reg c. 22. quae sunt infaelicium remedia Cauendum est vulnus quod dolore curatur Nor let vs be readie to flatter our selues with the remedies of repentance which are the remedies of miserable men Beware of the wound which is cured with griefe But on the contrary if being conscious to thy naturall corruptions which way they bend thou art carefull to shun the occasions not onely reioycing for ouercomming them but for not comming into them Though Nulla est laus ita esse integrune vbi nemo est qui aut velit aut conetur corrūpere● Cic. Yet Ego arbitror securionis esse cōtinētiae nescire qd quaeras Hieron this is a sure signe of grace raigning and remaining in thee For though it be a greater glory to ouercome temptation by buckling with it yet it is greater safety not at all to come into it The cold Iron void of motion yet comming where the Load-stone is how quickely is it drawne towards it and affected with it so forcible are dispos●tions and obiects when they sympathize together Therefore he that best knew our weake temper taught vs to pray first lead vs not into temptation but if led Deliuer vs from the euill And Pray that ye enter not into temptation He is fairely blest that hath hardly escaped shipwrack from amidst the sands and Rockes But hee that dwels safely on Land and neuer tryed the Sea hath he not cause to blesse God for keeping him farre from danger into which many run wilfully some of necessitie In a word he must euer be bewailing his defects and contending after perfection and the more slips or trips or falls he hath taken in the Race the more must he mend his pace So running that hee may attaine the price CHAP. III. Conflict with Gods people offended specially when the faithfull Pastour is afflicted for the least offence giuen by him to his Flocke THIS conflict next to that wherein the Conscience wrastleth with the wrath of God may challeng precedencie of all other in afflicting the soule and plunging it into infinite perplexities For to a faithfull Minister who makes a conscience of his Calling and so of his answerable conuersation to whom nothing in the world is more precious then the Spirituall well-fare of that Flocke committed to his charge what can bee a greater corrosiue then to haue a stumbling blocke cast before his people and that which is most grieuous of all by his owne carelesse procurement How many sentences now stand vp against him Wo bee to that man by whom the offence commeth better a Mill-stone were hanged about his necke and hee cast into the bottome of the Sea then hee should offend one of these Little-ones Whereupon the Conscience inferreth Then what woe is due to me to me a Minister for giuing offence and that not to one alone but to the whole Church of God but specially which most neerely toucheth mee to mine own Flock Againe the Apostle admonisheth Timothy Let no man despise thy youth And A Bishop must bee blame-lesse But the Conscience inferreth I haue been obnoxious both to contempt and blame Againe Ministers must feed their Flockes by the Word by Hospitaltie by Example But the Conscience inferreth I haue beene faultie in the