Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	brethren_n	honour_a	reverend_n	3,265	5	16.5287	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96371	A method and instructions for the art of divine meditation, with instances of the severall kindes of solemne meditation. / By Thomas White minister of Gods word in London.	White, Thomas, Presbyterian minister in London.	1655 (1655)	Wing W1847B; Thomason E1700_1; ESTC R209375	88,694	345

A METHOD AND INSTRUCTIONS for the Art of Divine Meditation WITH Instances of the severall Kindes of Solemne MEDITATION By THOMAS WHITE Minister of Gods Word in London May 28. 1655. Imprimatur Edm. Calamy LONDON Printed by A. M. for Joseph Cranford at the Signe of the Phoenix in St Pauls Church yard near the Little North. Do ot 1655. To the Reverend and my much Honoured BRETHREN FATHERS the Presbyterian Ministers Of the GOSPEL within the Province of LONDON Brethren and Fathers I Have long since seriously considered since the Church hath been so much divided among us with whom to close and where to fix and I have endeavoured to observe both the publique and private actions the Tenents and conversations of those Ministers that were of divers judgements and I doe publikely profess that those Ministers which have and still doe own Provincial Assemblies are for their Piety Orthodoxness Christian Simplicity for their powerfull spiritual frequent practicall Preaching eminent These are the things which long agoe have made me cordially to honor you though since my intimate acquaintance with many of you hath much encreased and confirmed my high thoughts of you and I think I may confidently say that under the whole Heaven there is not any City or Nation to be found that may be compared to London and England for powerfull spirituall practical Preaching And I may say that the Ministry of England is the Glory of the world and that London is the Paradise of England yet though I have long honoured you I have not had any opportunity to testifie it therefore I thought good having this small Treatise to publish with it to publish how much I honor you Though I am very sensible how little my judgement can adde to the just esteem that the people of God have of you My desires and prayers to God are and shall be that as to your enemies you may be as John Baptists that though they love you not they may fear and reverence you being aw'd by the Image of God that appears in the Majesty and power of your Preaching and in the holinesse of your lives and conversations and that all the people of God may more and more highly esteem you in love for your works sake and that the Doctrine which you preach from the word of God may be delivered with such evidence and demonstration of the Spirit that the mouths of gain-saiers may be stopped and that your lives and Conversations may more and more abound with such Sincerity Simplicity Meeknesse Gravity Humility and Christian Prudence that the faces of those may be covered with shame that speak evil of you These are the desires of him who is Your Fellow-Labourer in the Work of the Lord Thomas White A METHOD OR INSTRUCTIONS for the Art of Divine Meditation CHAP. I. What Meditation is FIRST It differs from occasionall Meditation such as these If one heareth the clock strike to think with ones self how many thoughts have I had of God this hour 2. I am one hour nearer my grave and the Lord onely knows whether I may have another hour to live or no. 1. These are farre shorter like ejaculatory praiers which though they are as Parenthesises in our worldly employments yet they signifie more then all the rest of the businesse we are emploied in but meditation is generally of longer duration then ordinary solemn praier 2. Such occasional Meditations are things that we have in transitu and this that I speak of is a solemn set duty 3. The Subject from which occasionall Meditations arise are very frequently things artificiall civill or naturall indeed any thing that we see or hear but the Subjects of Meditation are onely spirituall Secondly It differs from study 1. In respect of the Subject Wicked men study and it may be more then Godly men Wicked men study and Godly men meditate Nay it is the very distinguishing signe between Saints and others Psa 1.2 and I beleeve 't is a thing far more rare for a meditating Christian to be an hypocrite then for a Christian that spends much time in praier especially if it be publike 2. As for the matter of praier and study they are very different 1. Study is of all manner of things whether naturall civill mathematicall c. but Meditation is onely of matters that concern our eternall welfare 2. The matters that we most study are those Truths that are most knotty and difficult and generally such as afford little spirituall nourishment as Criticismes Chronologies Controversies c. but the matter of Meditation is plain and of great spiritual advantage 3. The end of Study is knowledge the end of Meditation is holinesse If one sees a Learned man one may conclude that that man hath studied much If one sees a devout holy man one may conclude that that man hath meditated much Thirdly It differs from Contemplation 1. Contemplation is more like the beatificall Vision which they have of God in Heaven like the Angels beholding of the face of God Meditation is like the kindling of fire and Contemplation more like the flaming of it when fully kindled The one is like the Spouses seeking of Christ and the other like the Spouses enjoying of Christ 2. Contemplation is one effect and end of Meditation 3. Meditation is like the Bees flying to severall flowers or one smelling to flowers particularly or severally and Contemplation is like the smelling of them all in a Nosegay or like the water that is distilled from them all The Spouse in her description of Christ is like to Meditation her concluding that he is altogether lovely is like to Contemplation Therefore to conclude Meditation is a serious solemn thinking and considering of the things of God to the end we might understand how much they concern us and that our hearts thereby may be raised to some holy affections and resolutions Now there are four kindes of solemn Meditation according to the four severall Subjects of it 1. Some solemn Meditations are on Sermons that we hear which is a very usefull and necessary practice for Christians and it is better to hear one Sermon only and meditate on it then to hear two and meditate of neither but for setting down a method for meditating on Sermons is neither necessary nor possible since the method of Sermons are various and they are to observe in their Meditation the method of the Sermon they meditate upon All that I shall say therefore in this particular is onely this that the end of such Meditations is neither onely nor chiefly that we may the better fix the Substance and heads of the Sermon in our memory nor that we may the better understand and fuller be instructed of the truth of that point that is preacht upon but especially to work those truths advices and motives c. upon our affections that are proposed to us in the Sermon 2. The second kinde of Solemn Meditation is when upon some providentiall occasion or upon