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
A94352	Demetrius his opposition to reformation. A sermon very necessarie for these times. As it was delivered (this last vvinter) before a great assemblie in the city of London. by John Tillinghast, sometimes rector of Tarring-Nevill, now rector of Streate in the county of Sussex.	Tillinghast, John, 1604-1655.	1642 (1642)	Wing T1169; Thomason E151_26; ESTC R12132	52,893	59

pollutions like beds of Eeles are so knotted together that no lesse then a clap of thunder can dissolue them To prevent Reformation we have great beasts and huge bulls of Bashan that will be pushing and goring sons of Anak who are strongly set to maintain their gainfull corruptions as here Demetrius his Temples of Diana insomuch that there is little hopes of amendment by a voluntarie relinquishing of them unlesse the Lord come with a mightie hand qualifying the Instruments appointed for this purpose as were the brethren of Gideon u Iu●g 8.18 each one resembling the son of a King making them strong and a●●●e like Davids Worthies w 1 Ch●●n 26.30 31 32. men of valour to turn the wheele of Justice upon the back of the wicked and to smite them that shall oppose it as Sampson did the Philistines both x Iud. 15.18 hip and thigh Experience in the beginning of the reformation in the time of Henry the eight in the violent overthrow of the Abbies doth evidently demonstrate this truth unto us as also under the reigne of that gracious Instrument of Gods glory Edward the sixth in whose time the reformation was encumbred not onely with seditions of the Subjects and umults of the Commons but also with much hurrying and banding of the Nobilitie It was prophetically spoken by that reverend man Robert Gnosted sometime Bishop of Lincolne who lived in the reigne of Henry the third and died in the yeer of our Lord 1253. a man who as y Cambden Britan. ex Matt. Paris Anonym Chronograph Cambd●n describes him from the words of one then living was a terrible reprover of the Pope an adviser of his Prince an instructer of the Clergie a maintainer of scholers a Preacher to the people a diligent searcher into the Scriptures and a Mallet of the Romanists This man a little before his death complaining of the wicked courses that were held by the Romanists said the Church should never find any ease from the oppressive burthens laid upon her nor be delivered from the Aegyptiacall bondage she was holden in till her deliverance was wrought In ore gladii cruentandi in the mouth of the Sword all bathed in blood What crueltie and barbarisme these hellish monsters have of late executed and do yet upon our distressed brethren in Ireland is not unknown to most of us in this Kingdom and all to oppose the reformation I do not say that either we or they are of the number of those Saints mentioned in the Revelations which shall z Rev. 7.14 come out of great tribulation having their robes washed and made white in the blood of the Lambe Neither is it my interpretation but a Marl●r in Rev. c. 7.14 Marlorates who makes it a periphrasis of the last persecution of the Church by Antichrist which of all others will be the most grievousest to such as are minded to live godlily in Christ Jesus as the last assault of Pharaoh was to the departing Israelites and the last endeavour of nature is to the dying patient though b Veniuntenim omnibus aetatibus nec desinunt quamdiu durat hic mundus Aret. in Loc. others understand it of the persecution and affliction of every age which shall be from the time of Christ to the end of the world But this I am sure of and experience to the great detriment of forreine Nations hath made the truth of it knowne unto us that where Religion setteth an edge upon discontent there not onely mutinies heart-burnings and jealousies but also bloudy frayes and massacres are much to be feared In Rome when the fire tooke hold of the Temple of c Ardebāt sancti sceleratis ignibus ignes mysta est flammae flamma prophanapiae Ovid. fast lib. 6. Vesta and mingled it selfe with the sacred flame then was the greatest mischiefe done Even so where the wild fire of contention mixeth it selfe with the sacred fire of zeale and both burne within the bowels of the same Church it s verily thought that scarce a river of bloud will be able to quench this direfull flame But the Lord of his mercy in his good time quench these coales of contention that they may never come to smoother the flame of our zeale And this is the second thing which this point may make knowne unto us viz. That reformation is neither easily nor suddenly effected 3. To informe us of the difference betwixt the militant Church here on earth and the triumphant Church in heaven here it is subject to opposition on every side the covetous the superstitious the licentious daily assault it it is in a continuall warfare and therefore called the Church Militant the gates of hell oppose themselves against it i. not onely persecutions and speciall sinnes but all manner of evills sweet or sower faire or fowle of what condition s●ever as the e Origen in Math. tract 1. Chrysost cont Gent. Quod Christus est Deus Greg. in 5. Psal paenitent The opbilact in Matth. 16. Hieron Rabon Comm. in Matth. 16. Raynold conf cap. 7. divis 8. learned well observe But in heaven nor Satan nor any other enemy of the Church can enter there to assault it none of all these opposers come neare unto heaven nor covetous nor superstitions nor licentious the Church hath there no disturbance no nor yet noise unlesse it be the Songs of Saints and Angells and the shouts of prayses tuned forth in the sweet melody of Hallelajah which so many glorified voyces shall sing unto God there is nothing but tranquillitie and eternall peace and comfort within those blessed doores There our eyes shall not be dimmed with teares nor our soules surprised with feares nor our hearts dejected with sorrowes nor one eares disturbed with cryes nor our senses distracted with paine There are possessions without impeachment Kingdomes without cares length of yeares with strength of delights greatnesse of state without conscience of corruption love of all without jealousie of any there men shall be good and not persecuted truly religious and not opposed happie and not envied rich and not robbed Kings and not flattered Oh glorious Chu●ch triumphant who would be unwilling to be dissolved when it shall seeme good to the divine Providence that he may be translated thither where is freedome from all assaults and oppositions f 〈◊〉 August 〈…〉 Dei cap. 22. Cl●●mbrotus reading Platoes Booke de immutalitate animae cast himselfe downe from a Wall and so ended his dayes hoping thereby speedily to come to that blessed estate which is prepared for good men after this life But for all his hast his fact is rather to be lamented then imitated we may desire the fruition of this blessed happinesse in the Church triumphant but we must waite and stay Gods leisure for it possessing our selves with patience in the meane time under the manifold oppositions that wee are here likely to meete withall in the Church Militant And this is the third and last thing which we may here be informed of viz. the difference betweene the Militant Church on earth and the triumphant in heaven A

in his first Booke to Thrasimund King of the Vandalles affirmeth i Pene id esse fidem nolle asserere quam negare uno codemque silentia firmat errorem qui terrore seu tempore possessus silendo non astruit veritatem to deny the faith and not to stand for it and maintaine it because as he there reasoneth a man by one and the same silence strengthneth errour who through feare or negligence holding his peace affirmeth not the truth And thus of the first thing which this point may move us to considered in this use of Exhortation viz. to stand fast in the times of opposition 2. It may serve to stirre up every one to the best of his power to endeavour the furtherance of the Reformation A dutic belonging indeed 1. Principally and particularly unto those that are put in authoritie for this purpose who by their k Non quod natura sint Dej sed quod officium corum sit ordinatio div na Bern. in Joan. 10. office and Ob communitatem ipsis potentiam potestatem Zanch. de natu Deilib 1. cap. 12. communication of power are m Exod. 22.8.18 21.6 Psal 82.6 Acts 23.5 Gods upon earth into whose hands the God of heaven hath committed the n Rom. 13.4 sword of justice that it may be drawne out of the Icabberd to wound the o Psal 68.21 hairie scalpe of such persons as are the greatest enemies to the Church of Christ and who more then our s●ducing and seduced Papists the pestilent disturbers of this Kingdome the sworne enemies of our Church and State the maine opposers of an hopefull Reformation How shall Israel enjoy the Land of Canaan in quiet if those cursed Cananites be not subdued What safetie can wee be in when such miscreants lurke in our dwelling When Priests and Jesuites shall be suffered to run from house to house and seduce whole families When neither Countrey nor Citie nor Court shall be free of such conspiratours who have not onely foveas but foventes their holes but friends and fautors to protect them But blessed be the God of Heaven who hath so furnished those Heroicall Spirits now at this present assembled in the Honourable Court of Parliament with p Eccles ● 9 stout hearts and undaunted q Exod. 18.21 courages that they feare not to execute Justice boldly upon the great and proudest offenders Goe on yee noble Worthies with the Spirit of fortitude well tempered zeale and godly constancy to brandish the sword of Justice and to run through as I may say the very heart of farre-spreading Popery Atheisme and all manner of Superstition to strike at the very roote of all those abominations which you are daily petitioned to redresse Not fearing the faces of men though their faces be as the faces of Lyons and their visages never so terrible What should hinder you in this course of reformation You have the prayers helpe and approbation of all good men the assured assistance of God himselfe the supreame Magistrate who will reward your care and crowne your diligence the Law Religion and Conscience is on your side You cannot want seconds while these take your part Proceed then as you have begun you blessed Instruments of this happie Reformation not onely severely to censure but utterly to suppresse the raging ranging and roaring sinnes both in Clergie and Laitie Let such be placed in Authoritie over either as may not onely by the dutie of their calling seeke earnestly the reformation of those things that are amisse but also may by their well ordered holy lives be Lanternes and spectacles of vertue and godlines patternes and presidents of well-doing grace and goodnesse to all others That the people by them as by a glasse even as the youth of Greece did by Epaminondas may learne to trim and adorne themselves with all vertuous ornaments This this will be the most hopefullest course to rectifie things that are depraved to unite things that are divided to set in order and reforme things which had need to be amended Besides greater love you cannot shew to the Church of Christ more loyaltie to your Prince more safetie to the State and Kingdome that it may continue in peace a greater encrease of joy and comfort unto your owne lives and livings your wives and children your pleasures and contentments than in taking the Romish Foxes and abandoning those Lyons-Whelpes which hitherto have been nursed in this Kingdome for our owne destruction proceeding according to your just Lawes and wholesome Statutes to confiscation of goods to imprisonment banishment or death it selfe according to the quantie of their offences for where lenitie will not recover nor smaller punishments worke any correction with them to move or remove them from their heresies and other corruptions no further clemency is there to be shewed since as Lypsius hath well observed r Ipsa clementia est in desperate malos non esse clementem Lyps lib. de unareli It is good demencie not to shew any clemencie unto those that are desperately evill And thus principally unto whom this duty belongeth viz. unto those that are put in authoritie for that purpose 2. More generally it belongs unto all every member of the Common-weal ought to endeavour it and that two manner of wayes viz. 1. Privatively 2. Positively 1. Privatively by avoiding all such things as may hinder it I will omitting many others onely name these three 1. Diversitie of Religions there is no greater impediment to a blessed Reformation then a gallamaphry of religion when everie man shall be suffered to worship God his own way Symmachus indeed the Oratour laboured by way of argument to procure a generall toleration of Religion and thought of no such inconvenience in it ſ Quia Deus immensum quiddam est infi●●tum cujus natura profecte cognosci non potest equum e●go est ut diversa ratione colatur pro ut quisque aliquid de Deo percipit aut intelligat Epist Sym. Because God said he is immense and infinite and his nature cannot perfectly be known it is convenient he should be as diversly worshipped as every man shall conceive or understand But he was deceived and so was Th●mistius that laboured to perswade Valens the Emperour that God was well pleased with variety of Sects t Dum ita pluribus modis colitur c. Socrat. Ecclesi lib 4. ca. 27. because by this tolleration of divers Religions he is worshipped after divers manners And so the Papist that sometime would have perswaded our late Soveraigne James of happy memory the great King of Britaine that it was not onely lawfull and expedient but also honourable for him to permit the publike profession and practise of the Romish Religion within this Kingdom as Parsons Allen Bishop and others of that hereticall crew have endeavoured to maintain But who may not see their ayme in this which is not so much to get harbour for their own

malefactors or ought else belonging to a Magistrate as to do what they do The which if it should be granted who sees not but that the end would be no other then a vast anarchie and confusion both in Church and commonwealth whereupon must unavoidably follow not onely an opposition to reformation but a speedie subversion both of Religion and State For if every man saith d Si suoquisque feratur impetū non plane uni●as erit sed magis confusio Bern. in Cant. serm 49. Bernard shall be carried according to his own motion after that spirit which he hath received and do flie upon every thing indifferently even as he is affected and do not hasten to it by the judgement of reason while no man is contented with the office assigned unto him but all will attempt all things alike by an indistinct administration it will not be an unity but rather a confusion God for bid then that any of those who wish well to Zion should be found in the least respect to hinder the building of the walls of Jerusalem what though things be much amisse as I beleeve no State in later ages more c See the Remonstrance lately set forth by the House of Commons corrupted we that are inferiour persons must lament it shew our dislike and detestation of it both in publique and private sigh and pray for redresse of it and as occasion serveth and our condition and calling permitteth soberly and discreetly put those in mind of it to whom the reformation belongeth as our Knights of the Shire Burgesses and such like are from all severall parts of the Kingdom chosen for this purpose but we must not take their office from them to reform it this were as was said afore rather to oppose and hinder then any wayes further the Reformation And thus have I done with my first Use the Use of reprehension Vse 2. Vse 2 A second Use may be for Information and so it may serve 1. To acquaint us with the estate and condition of Christs Church militant here upon earth it hath evermore been subject to opposition no age from the beginning of the world till this present but shews as much if we consider her oeconomically while she remains in a familie or naturally being dispersed through the countrey of the Jews or ecumenically dispersed through the whole world we shall find that she never had any long setled vacation from these turbulent stormes of opposition 1. While she remained in Adams familie righteous Abel a principall member was unnaturally f Gen. 4.8 murthered by the bloody hand of his elder brother here began the tempest against this boat and little bark of Jesus Christ and so it continued under the families of Abraham Isaac and Jacob. 2. Afterward when farther disperst yet onely limited to the Nation of the g Psal 147.19 20. Joh. 4.22 Jews she was still exposed to eminent danger as in the time of Moses tyrannized by Pharaoh distressed in the wildernesse and diversly tempted before she could take possession of the Land of Promise and then what with the Philistines Ammonites Midianites Babylonians Persians c. in one day of faire weather she had an whole yeer of stormes and tempest 3. Last of all under the times of the Gospel since the times of Christ being now enlarged to all the Gentiles not one or two Nations of them but all the world her opposition hath been much more increased being afflicted as h Loc. com tit de persecut verae Ecclesue Luther out of Austin observeth by a threefold oppression one violent by persecuting Emperours another fraudulent by subtill heretiques and a third both violent and fraudulent by pestilentiall Antichristians Amora prius in nece Martyrum c. saith i Serm. 33. super Cantic Bernard her opposition or oppression in the beginning was great by the persecution of Tyrants afterwards greater by the conflict of Heretiques but now greatest of all by the dangerous positions and practises of Antichrist in the Kingdom of Popery whose k Dr. Boys Exposition of proper Psalms Psal 110. very Masses are sometimes for massacres and their sacred sacrifices offerings of blood Every one of these like those three regiments which came out of the l 1 Sam. 13.7 Camp of the Philistines though taking severall wayes one to Ophrah another to Bethoron a third to Zeboim yet came all with a purpose to destroy as those times which immediately followed Christ wherein Stephen was stoned Peter was imprisoned c. and those w●● after followed which endured for the space of three hundred yeers the monuments of which dayes and Ecclesiasticall Histories do abundantly shew how that a man could no sooner make profession of his faith but he was either o Eutch Ecclesiast hist li. 1. ca. 8. maimed racked or scourged or burnt to ashes or drowned in the Sea or hanged on the gallows or sowed in the p Sulp. Severus lib. 2. Tacit. li. 15. cap. 10. skins of wild beasts and so cast to the dogs or burnt in the night for lights or made away by some means or other with more exquisite and more tragicall torments if that be possible then the Perilli of our time have invented to gratifie the Romish Phaleris Surely then Bellarmine Sadell Stapleton and divers others of that Antichristian sect were much deceived in making q Quicunque florent prosperi ii sunt vera Ecclesia c. vide Bellarm. controver 2. l. 4. c. 4 de not is Eccles prosperitie and outward happinesse a speciall note of the Church of Christ though Austin say whose judgement they refuse not in other things to subscribe unto r Vsque ad hujus se●ulifinem inter persecutiones mundi consolationes Dei peregrinando procurrit Ecclesia August de Civit Dei li. 18. ca. 51. so long as the world endureth she will go on but as it were in a pilgrimage between the persecutions of the world and the comforts of God yea though Christ himself compare her to a s Cant. 2.2 Lillie amongst thornes not onely for her beautie surpassing all other Churches and congregations of the wicked but also for her adversitie being assaulted on the one hand by the contentious oppositions of Schismatiques and on the other by the blasphemous propositions of Heretiques openly wronged by cruell Tyrants secretly wringed by backbiting hypocrites These as the Psalmist speaketh t Psal 94.5 break in peeces thy people O Lord and afflict thine heritage And this is the first thing that this doctrine may acquaint us withall viz. the estate and condition of the Church militant 2. To make known unto us that Reformation is neither easily nor suddenly effected the more corruption the greater and longer time for the purgation of it A disease which hath been long a breeding will not presently be cured how much our Church and State is corrupted doth evidently appeare by those manifold grievances that are daily exhibited our