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	militant_a	triumphant_a	4,249	5	10.5933	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A94261	The crovvne of righteousnes: or, The glorious reward of fidelity in the discharge of our duty. As it was laid forth in a sermon, preached in S. Botolphs Aldersgate, London, Sept. 25. 1653. At the solemn funerall of Mr. Abrah: Wheelock, B. D. the first publick professor, and reader of Arabick, and of the Saxon, in the University of Cambridge. Whereunto is added, an encomium of him. / By William Sclater Doctor in Divinity, now preacher of the Word of God in Broad-street, Lond.	Sclater, William, 1609-1661.	1653 (1653)	Wing S916; Thomason E221_6; ESTC R4044	30,757	39

the positive assertion of our Saviour himselfe John 15.5 Without me ye can doe nothing He meanes k 1 Pet. 2.5 Acceptably He doth not say as Saint Austin observes sine me difficulter potestis or non potestis perficere without me ye can hardly doe any thing or ye are not able to bring any act unto perfection but simply and expressely thus Without me that is without l Cant. 8.5 leaning upon me having my speciall and gracious assistance Ye can doe nothing at all that is good and gracious and our Apostle also elsewhere professeth that all our sufficiency namely in things supernaturall is meerly and solely of God alone 2 Cor. 3.5 Therefore we may well conclude that whatsoever good workes there are in us they be none of our owne Secondly As they must be our owne so likewise are they in the sense of those grand Impostors of the Christian world to be perfect as in which nothing is to be found defective nothing redundant whereas all our righteousnesse as it is inhaerent in us Alas it is but as a defiled nasty and polluted menstruosity Isa 64.6 the highest pitch or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of perfection that whilest we are clad with the raggs of our m Pyil 3.21 vile flesh we the very best of us all can attaine to in this life is as I have shewne n See my Sermon styled The Remedy of Schisme preached at Pauls Lond 1640 p. 18 19. elsewhere but to see and to acknowledge our imperfections as in the clearest serenity of the Firmament some speckling cloud may be discovered so in our most accurate and exact performances either in the Matter or in the Manner or in the Degree measure or end of doing we all prove some way defective even the very best things that we doe have enough in them to be pardoned if the Lord should discusse them without mercy in a rigorous severity and be so extreme as to o Psal 130 3. mark what in them is done amisse To this effect the forementioned School Divines have styled the greatest Saints as they are yet Members but of the Church militant on earth but Viatores walkers in the way whose motion is but only progressive not Comprehensors till actually instated Members of the Church Triumphant above in glory in the meane while that maxime in Divinity is Orthodoxe and solid Successivorum non simul est esse perficere Those things which admit of a succession in their motion or degrees of growth their being and perfection is not all at once nor altogether wherefore our very Apostle elsewhere Phil. 3.12.15 professeth though he were perfect in regard of sincerity and uprightnesse yet not so in regard of the full measure He was so in respect of Parts he was not so in respect of Degrees therefore he said that he had not as yet fully apprehended Fuit perfectus spe futurae glorificationis Fuit Imperfectus onere Corruptionis Fuit perfectus expectatione muneris Fuit Imperfectus fatigatione Certaminis as most appositely to our present purpose p Fulgent lib. 1. ad Mo●im Fulgentius perfect he was in the Hope of future Glorification he was imperfect under the burthen of present corruption He was perfect in the expectation of his reward but yet imperfect being tyred under the great conflict and encounter that he had with the opposers of the Gospell of Truth compleate perfection he professed not much lesse may others so farre inferiour unto so great and most illustrious a Saint as S. Paul was 3. Workes meritorious as they must be our owne and perfect so also in their sense Indebita more than due supererogatory transcending the Command whereas proud Catharists and brittle pot-sherds as they are they might observe what the great Law-giver hath declared in that Case Luk. 17.10 When we have done all that we are able to doe we remaine still most defective and most unprofitable servants and have at the utmost if we could reach to that done but duty 4. Lastly Works meritorious must be proportionata ad mercedem exactly proportionable unto the just Reward but surely if as they cannot our Passions and q Rom. 8.18 Sufferings cannot equall the Reward much lesse can our Actions or our imperfect doings sweetly singeth the Psalmist God Crowneth indeed but it is in his owne mere mercy and loving kindnesse not for any possible desert in the primest Creature yea Meritū meum miseratio Domini Be●n it 's a maxime in the very Schoolmen themselves That Principium meriti prius est merito and that principium is Gods free Grace Mercy favour Quaer So then yeild all this But How then is it free and yet a Reward of Justice Answ Answ Some answer thus namely by understanding Justice in this Text of Gods Fidelity and faithfulnesse in keeping promise as in that Text 1 John 1.9 where 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are joyned together if we confesse our sinnes God is faithfull and Just to forgive us our sinnes And in this sense rightly apprehended its true indeed to say that its Debita merces A reward of Debt because God hath after a sort bound himselfe by his owne promise to give it unto us Promittendo se fecit Debitorem saith r S. Aug. de verb. Apost Serm. 16. Debitor Deus factus est Non aliquid â nobis accipiendo sed quod ci placuit promittendo illo ergò modo possumus exigere Dominum nostrum ut dicamus Redde quod promisisti quia fecimus quod jussisti hoc tu fecisti qui laborantes juvisti Non dicimus Deo Redde quia accepisti sed redde quid promisisti Gonr Dieteric Dn. 9 post Trin. in Fine Augustine he hath made himselfe a Debtor to his Church by promise in which only regard it is that we may exigere Dominum as he speakes urge and presse the Lord upon his word so we reade the Church under affliction did Jer. 14.21 Remember breake not thy Covenant with us compare herewith Neh. 1.8 Deut. 9.5 Others more directly give us this answer Aeternall life is in respect of us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a mere Gratuity or free gift But in respect of the personall merit of Christ it s a reward of Justice The Lord Christ Jesus having purchased unto all his true Believers by his Humiliation and Obedience this Crowne of their Imputative righteousnesse how imperfect soever their owne personall Righteousnesse was And from this title of the Lord his being a righteous Judge all his faithfull Servants may assuredly rest upon the Infallibility of the reward of their Service and Fidelity sith the Lords owne word aequity and faithfulnesse is ingaged for it Surely he is faithful who hath promised Heb. 10.23 nor can he faile or deny himfelse 2 Tim. 2.13 Yea he himself is our shield and our exceeding great reward Gen. 15.1 and indeed in enjoying God we enjoy all happinesse and soule-satisfying Contentation wherefore it s not impertinently

observed by the Hebrews that in the Essentiall Name of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all the Letters are Litera quiescentes Letters of Rest to denote that without God there can be no solid joy or quietnesse of Soule which will still be tossed in a kinde of restlesse inconsistency till it doe indeed terminate at last in him which made that man so much after Gods owne heart as in a flame of fervent zeale experimentally to put the question Psal 73.25 Whom have I in Heaven but thee and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee The next particular that fals under my consideration is the time of donation when this Reward is to be actually conferred expressed to be in That Day and at the Lords appearing These s 1 Tim. 4.1 and 2 Tim. 3.1 latter times into which the t 1 Cor. 10.11 ends of the world are fallen abounding as men in old age with variety of u Mund●● senescens patitur phantasias Gerson phancies have given us occasion to enquire what Day of the Lords appearance it is which is here meant whether it be the great and w Act 2.20 2 Tit. 4.1 notable day of the x Joh. 6.39 40 41. last generall Judgement or else of some other manifestation of the Lord Christ upon earth before that last day of all doth come There are some otherwise abundantly knowing whose wits have herein proved more wanton than their judgements solid whose apprehensions have led them to conjecture if not to believe an appearance of the Lord Christ personally in a way of raigne and triumph to be manifested upon earth a thousand yeares before the last day of the Generall Judgement such in the Greek expression are called Chiliasts and by the Latines y Vid. Aug. lib. 20. De Civ Dei c. 7 Philastr c. 59. De Heres Aug. De Heres c. 8. Mistenaryes some have fetched the name and conceit so high as from z Euseb 1.3 c. 25. Histor Ecclesiast Cerinthus a blasphemous Heretick even in the dayes of the Apostles themselves who daringly avouching the Lord Christ to be no more than a meer man and borne after the common way of humane generation which gave occasion to S. John that soaring a Euch. 1.10 Eagle to write that his so sublime Gospel wherein in the very b Joh. 1.1 2 c. entrance of it He proves his Divine Nature He gave out that after the resurrection there should be in the great City Jerusalem an outward way of pomp and a kinde of voluptuous indulgence to corporall vanityes and delights during the terme of a thousand yeares which opinion He was thought to have sucked from the Breasts of the Jewish Synagogue that people mistaking the nature and quality of Christs c Mat. 20.21 A 1.6 Kingdome thinking it to be after an externall glory and not as it is indeed consisting d Luk. 17 21. within in the soule after a e Rom. 14.17 spirirtuall manner ruling and raigning over the spirituall part of man But this Blasphemer being exploded and cryed down by all the Primitively-Orthodox Fathers and Christians as the Historyes of those Times informe us The next who most clearely speak of it or was indeed supposed the first who more directly vented the opinion was one Papias Bishop of Hieropolis as f Euseb l. 3. c. 36. Eccl. Hist Eusebius acquaints us a man of a weak and slender judgement who if not utterly neglecting yet but slightly valuing the Authority of the Holy Scriptures pretended for his conceit Apostolicall Traditions and by reason of the venerable name of Antiquity it is not to be denyed but that some of the ancient Fathers received some tang of the same opinion from him as may be seen or collected of g Justin Martyr Dialog Cum Triphon Jud pag. 239 Justin Martyr and in the end of Trajans time h Baron in Annal. Ann 118. sect 2. Hieron in Catalog illustr cap. de Papiâ Apollinarius i Tertul. l. 3. advers Marc. c. 24. Tertullian too much misled by Montane and Lactantius who were in part spiced with this Millenarisme so perilous a thing it proves to the Supine and out of a secure or carelesse disregard to suffer Humane Tradition to become a Diotrephes and to have the l 3 Epist John 9. preheminence above the infallibity of the undoubted Scriptures which sacred and unerring written Word of God doth hold forth as of certaine credibility inspired by the Divine and first verity that can never deceive no such clear truth that the Lord Christ shall in Person before the General Resurrection come visibly and corporally upon the earth and as by a m Re 20.6 first resurrection cause all those who dyed n Re. 14.13 in and for him to arise and with him in a peacefull tranquility and glory to reigne and to beare sway over the wicked as Vassals for a thousand yeares which date of time being expired immediately shall ensue the General Resurrection and the day of the last Judgement No such evidentiall verity is demonstrated in Holy Writ as of Absolute Necessity to be believed unto salvation But whatsoever is alledged out of the prophetick Scriptures for the stablishing of that opinion is to be understood either of the first coming of Christ in the flesh or of the state of the N. T. in generall or else of the glorious estate of the Church triumphant to be expected hereafter in the eternall Kingdome for ever in Heaven as o Joh Gerard loc com To. 9. c 7. sect 80 Gerard judiciously I have not time to alledge or you patience to heare on this occasion the severall Texts cited by the Chiliasts or of the Orthodox many p See Bish Hall in his Revelations unrevealed edit 1650. D. Prid serm on 2 Pet. 3.13 serm on Joh. 6.14 Per. Dem. of Probl. vid. Dierer In die fest Bar. Ap. p. 7 14. c. vol. 4. Bul. l. 2. c. 11. con●r Anabapt sixt Senens l. 6. Annot. 347. reverend and renowned Divines have eased us all of that labour let it suffice at the present to take notice from our Saviours own lips that his Kingdome is not of this world John 18.36 but within us Luke 17.21 and from Heaven and besides we finde in our Creed which is founded on k Lactant. l. 7 c. 24. Institut the Scriptures and may in every article thereof be q Art 6. of the Ch of England proved by them we finde I say in our Creed mention made but of two visible comings of Christ the first in r Phil. ● 8 Mat. 21.5 Humility to suffer and to be judged the other at the end of the world but not before in the s 2 Pet. 1.17 glory of his Father to t Acts 17.31 2 Tim. 4.1 1 Pet. 4.5 judge the world both quick and dead in righteousnesse and unto them that look for him