Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	earth_n	heaven_n	militant_a	4,766	5	11.7120	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A45566	The safest convoy, or, The strongest helper declared in a valedictory sermon before the Right Honourable Sr. Thomas Bendish, Baronet, His Majesties ambassadour ... / deliverd by Nathanaell Hardy.	Hardy, Nathaniel, 1618-1670.	1653 (1653)	Wing H746; ESTC R28060	22,044	37

alwaies rejoycing Thus have the Saints found life in death comfort in sorrow safety in danger and though the waters have been about them yet they could not come over them true it is we finde the Prophet complaining that the waves and billows were gone over him Psal. 42.7 And the Church useth the like expression where she saith the waters flowed over my head Lam. 3.54 So may you have sometimes seen the surly waves over-topping the ship and yet at last the ship arising above the waves or a skilfull swimmer diving into the River but coming forth again and thus the Church though she be not only wet in the shallow but cast into the deep bound in the prison but thrown into the dungeon yet all this is only for a time and after all she shall come forth gloriously indeed like the palm tree the more she is opprest the more she spreads like the Camomil the more she is trod upon she groweth the faster and her greatest sufferings prove not exitiall but medicinal Nor is this lesse true of every Saint in particular then of the Church in generall In the flouds of many waters they shall not come nigh him saith David of a godly man Psa. 52.7 And surely if they shall not come nigh him much lesse shall they overflow him they may come nigh his but not him these waters may sink his state his goods his comforts nay his life but not his soul which is himself Anaxarcus told the Tytant when he beat him in a mortar it was only the casket he could not touch the pearl such is all the power that wicked persecutors have over ours not us the body not the soul they are but flesh and can do nothing but to the flesh our better part remains secure so that though they may sometime foyl yet they shall never wholly overthrow the Saints To apply this Hence then all carnall fears distracting thoughts and despairing terrors afflictions may rise high but we shall still rise above them nay let us know to our comfort that when the night is darkest the day-break is nearest and when the waters flow the highest they will beginne to ebbe What need the Mariner fear the greatest storm when he knows it shall not split his Shippe Why should the Souldier be dismayed at the sharpest combate when he is sure to win the field Why should any the greatest dangers distract the Saint when he hath a promise they shall not overtop him True it is the rod of the wicked may be painfull to the righteous but it shall not rest upon him Exercemur sed eripimur impetimur non obruimur God may suffer tribulations to exercise our graces he will not suffer them to overwhelm our persons To end this O see the happy condition of the godly Wicked men are drowned in sweet honey while the righteous escape through the bitter waters the prosperity of the fool slaies him the adversity of the wise betters him good things prove offensive to the bad the worst things shall not be destructive to the good Well might Saint Paul say in the name of himself and the rest of the Saints Nay in all these things we are more then conquerours Rom. 8.37 and if we will know the reason of all this he addeth in that verse through him that loveth us and the Text speaketh not much unlike God is with us which leades to the Third and main part of the Text Gods gracious presence the effectuall cause of the Churches preservation I will be with thee There is a double presence of God the one generall the other speciall the one with the world the other with his Church the one quatenus immensus by the immensity of his Essence the other quatenus benevolus through the benevolence of his love the one is a Monitor to duty the other a cordiall against misery In the former sense God is not only with the good but the bad yea all his creatures According to the latter he is only with his Church to her its only promised and on her it 's only conferred it is the name which the Prophet giveth the holy City 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the LORD is there and JOHN saw Christ in a Vision walking in the midst of the seven Candlesticks the Church being alwaies the place of Gods peculiar residence and according to the double consideration of the Church God vouchsafeth a double presence she is either triumphant or militant reigning or warring and God accordingly is present by glory and grace majesty and mercy that he manifesteth to her in heaven this on earth that in the caelestiall Countrey this while she is sayling on the tempestuous Sea When thou passest through the waters I will be with thee The end of Gods merciful presence with his people is not to be as a bare Speactator but as an active worker and he so looks on as that he acts for his peoples good when they are under evils Adest omnibus suis ex aequo verum operationes praesentiae diversimodè se habent The operations of this presence are various and excellent according to the determination of his wisedom for his own glory and our good the severall acts which by being present with he exercises towards us may be justly and are fully enumerated in these five particulars He is with us in these waters cohibendo conservando consolando dirigendo eripiendo What the banks are to the Sea that his presence is to these waters in bounding them what the plank is to the shipwrackt Marriner that is Gods presence to the Saint carrying him safe to shore Finally what a Convoy is for the guarding a Pilote for the guiding or the Shippe and a faithfull friend to comfort in a storm all this is Gods presence to the Church in her afflictions 1. God is with us in the waters cohibendo to bridle the rake of these waves and bound the fury of these waters he that sets bounds to the sea saying Hitherto it shall passe and no further restrains the power quiets the rage of wicked men and saith Thus much they shall do and no more These waters ebbe and flow at Gods pleasure he keeps the Sluce to let them in and out as he will So true is that of the Psalmist Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee and the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain Psal. 76.10 Persecutors are a rod but in Gods hand they are Lions and Wolves but chained by his Providence swelling waters but bounded by his commandment The accomplishment of this as an effect of Gods presence is plainly intimated by the Psalmist Psal. 46.9 11. In the 9. verse he assures the ceasing of warres the breaking of the bowes the burning of the Chariot that is to weaken the strength and bridle the malice of Zions enemies and if we would know how this should be effected the answer is given at the 11. verse The Lord of Hosts

Every dart you throw against this wall will retort upon your selves and the fire will flash in your own faces tremble then oh tremble to think that those whom you are against God is with The waters saw thee G God the waters saw thee they were afraid Oh that you would take notice of Gods powerfull presence and abate your swelling waves but alas what do I spend my breath upon these waters which is likely to prove but as a contraty winde and make them rage the more I leave them therefore and betake my self in a word of comfort and counsell to the passengers through these waters And 1. See hence what a faithfull God ye have to stand by you one that will not fail in greatest need no such triall of a friend as in the time of trouble it is the too usual course of the world to deal with their friends as men do with Sun-Dials only look upon them while the Sunne of prosperity shines or as women do with flowers while they are flourishing they put them in their bosomes but when once withered cast them to the dunghill but the Almighty deals not so with his friends yea when our danger is greatest his help is nearest oft times the case is so desperate that friends society can only afford pity not succour they may look on they cannot take off but the presence of God is ever active and powerfull and whereas toe most faithfull friends part at death this friend will not then leave us David knew he would be with him in the shadew of death and Saint Paul assureth us neither death nor life shall separate his love not onely when we walk through the pleasant meadow of prosperity but when we go through the salt waters of affliction nay when we passe through mare mortuum the Sea of death he will be with us it is the deriding question which the Saints enemies put to them in affliction Vbi Deus where is now their God but they may return a confident answer hic Deus our God is here nigh to us round about us in the midst of us It was his promise to Joshua and is repeated by Saint Paul as belonging to all the faithfull I will never leave thee nor forsake thee a double negation among the Greeks denies more vehemently much more a five-fold negative and yet so emphatically doth the Originall expresse it to assure us that there is no time nor place nor want nor streight nor affliction wherein God will leave or forsake his people 2. Learn hence the blissefull state of a Saint who hath Gods presence ever with him nothing makes affliction truly uncomfortable but the want of Gods face indeed the most prosperous estate without God is a curse and the greatest affliction with God is a blessing the Saint when he wants most he wants nothing because he hath him that hath all things not the brightest star can make it day when the Sunne is set not the thickest clouds can make it night while the Sun shines Oh Divine presence thou turnest night into day stones into bread and drosse into gold thou makest the Wildernesse a Paradise the Cottage a Palace and the Prison a Mansion thou art riches in poverty wealth in want a cordiall in sicknesse an antidote against poyson light in darknesse and life in death Shew us the Father saith Philip and it sufficeth give us thy self Lord and it is enough hell would not be hell if God were there much lesse can these waters make the Saint miserable while God is with him 3. Say to thy self with David Oh thou distressed Saint Why art thou cast down O my Soul why art thou disquieted within me hope thou in God and that not only when the waters are low but when they rise to the height Thy way O God is in the Sea saith the Psalmist not onely in the shallow River but in the deep Sea not only in the lesser troubles but in the greatest exigences Saeviat mare conturbentur montes Deus in Ecclesia non dimovebitur if you please the Psalmist will English it Though the waters roar though the mountains shake God is in the midst of her she shall not be moved If God be with us all in God is for us favour ●ffecting power effecting wisedom directing providence protecting and faithfulnesse perfecting deliverance for us If God be with us all the creatures are for us what Jehoshaphat said to Ahab that God saith unto his Church I am as thou art my people as my people and my horses as thy horses 2 King 3.7 It was the comfort Saint Paul gave the Corinthians and in them all beleevers Whether Paul or Apollo or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come all are yours and ye are Christs and Christ is Gods 1 Cor. 3.22 23. The Angels are ours to guard us the Ministers to comfort us all creatures to serve us and surely he need not fear the waters that hath the winde and tide on his side what trouble should dismay a Christian that hath heaven and earth to support him no wonder then that we finde the Scripture so often disswading from carnall fear upon this ground of Gods spiritual presence Not to multiply instances view Isa. 10.15 14. where no lesse then four times God cals upon his Church not to fear upon this argument because he was with her and would help her Chear up then thou disconsolate soul doubt not of the Churches safety in generall The Lord in the middest of her is mighty he will save he will rejoyce over her with ioy Zeph. 3.17 Despair not of thine own preservation in particular Maior est Dominus ad protegendum quàm diabolus ad impugnandum God is more powerfull to protect then Satan and his instruments can be malicious to destroy So true is that of the Psalmist The Lord on high is mightier then the noise of many waters yea then the mighty waves of the Sea Psal. 93.4 In persecutionibus nemo cogitet quod periculum Diabolus importet sed consideret quod auxilium Deus praestat nec mentem labefactet humana infestatio sed corrohoret fidem divina protectio Consider not so much thy distresse as thy deliverer and when mens malicious combination may affright thee let divine association support thee the danger may exceed thy resistance but not Gods assistance the enemies power may surpasse thy strength their subtlety out-wit thy prudence but neither can excell the wisedom and might of God that is with thee Oh learn therefore to try God in his strength to trust him in difficulties and when the mercilesse waves are ready to swallow thee commit thy self to his custody Mos est naucleri coelum aspicere The Mariner in straights looks up to heaven do thou so and remember that when the waters are about thee the Sunne shines upon thee But now me thinks the despairing soul replies