Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	hear_v	heathen_a	publican_n	4,379	5	11.4435	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A04187	Iustifying faith, or The faith by which the just do liue A treatise, containing a description of the nature, properties and conditions of Christian faith. With a discouerie of misperswasions, breeding presumption or hypocrisie, and meanes how faith may be planted in vnbeleeuers. By Thomas Iackson B. of Diuinitie and fellow of Corpus Christi Colledge in Oxford.; Commentaries upon the Apostles Creed. Book 4	Jackson, Thomas, 1579-1640.	1615 (1615)	STC 14311; ESTC S107483	332,834	388

continuance of contrary practices will then argue as formall a deniall of him and as damnable shame of his Gospell as if with Peter we had said wee know not the man or wee like the Alcaron better then his testament because Mahomet was a good fellow and loued feasting 9. Not to be sensible of euery wrong or not forward to wipe of the least aspertion of disgrace though with their owne or others blood is held the onely badge of a braue and resolute minde On the contrary to seeke or tender Christian submission for wrongs done priuately or publikely before the Priest or in the Church or congregation is held as base and odious as it a Souldier should seeke the peace of an old impotent woman or as if a married man should proclaime himselfe ●uckould at the market crosse Yet what resolution could any heathen maintaine worse consorting with these precepts of our Sauiour without whose obseruance his death and passion nothing profit vs euen our praiers for mercy become prouocatiue of his fathers vengeance for bee that turneth away his eares from hearing the Law euen his praier shall be abhominable Now it is a law for euer to be obserued by euery Christian If thy brother trespasse against thee go and tell him his fault betweene thee and him alone if he heare thee thou hast won thy brother But if he heare thee not take yet with thee one or two that by the mouth of two or three witnesses euery word may be confirmed And if he will not vouchsafe to heare them tell it vnto the Church and if he refuse to heare the Church also let him be vnto thee as an heathen man and a Publicane So is that also else where deliuered euen where our assurance for obtaining what we pray for seemes most ample d What things soeuer ye desire when yee pray belieue that yee receiue them and ye shall haue them And when yee stand praying forgiue if yee haue ought against any that your father also which is in heauen may forgiue you your trespasses The consideration of these and like iniunctions of our Sauiour hath often made me wonder in what forme their prayers which present themselues in open fielde with purpose to reuenge or be the obiects of reuenge by killing or being killed are conceiued or through whose meditation presented to their heauenly Father But blessed be the Lord our God whose hand hath led our Soueraignes penne to dash the bloody lines of desperate challenges for which euen Dracoes lawes had been too milde and Rhadamanthus too meeke a Iudge Lord let thy spirit alwaies enspire the heart of thine anointed with like wisdome to discerne thy Angels assist him with power and courage to execute thy righteous iudgements vpon the proud and scorne full sinner that measures the greatnesse of his spirit by his strength to breath out blasphemies or seekes by clamorous noise of his audacious associates in vnhallowed Ethnicke resolutions to drowne the soft and pleasant voice of thy beloued Sonne to outcountenance or ouer-aw his placide and gentle inuitations to peace humilitie and meeknesse of spirit by haughty fierce disdainfull lookes or any waies to crush and choake the vertue and efficacie of his Gospell by multitude of riches friends or whatsoeuer other sinewes of earthly potencie 10. The best apologie most can make either for indulgence to vnsatiable vaste desires of gaine or honor or dispensing with themselues for the vse of sinister meanes for their accomplishment is it not some branch of these generalls Others haue so done before vs and will doe after vs more are for vs then against vs and these of better place and iudgement Why should wee be precise or singular to the preiudice of our betters Yet if a man without reference to this their present resolution or further notification whereto his speeches tended should directly aske them what way they thought those many wise mighty or noble men after the flesh did make choise of or finally tooke I am perswaded it would not be replied they stroue to enter in at the streight gate being thus laden with sollicitous thoughts or incumbred with vaine desires of earthly dignities but rather held on the broad beaten way and did not all the Gentiles run the same race Wherein then do they glorifie God more then these Heathen did By taking his sonnes names vpon them Rather God herein glorifies them more then the other and they must haue their portion with the incredulous Iew vnlesse in workes in liues and conuersation they render praise glory and honour to their God according to these prerogatiues of their calling What Law or statute though either so good and commendable in it selfe as to win voluntary obseruance of the well disposed or exacting obedience of all subiect to it vpon the most strict and forcible tearmes the Law-giuer could deuise as vnder penalty of periury supplications in the bowels of Christ adiurations by his body and blood or by our plea of mercie through them at his fathers hands but may be fowlly preiudiced if not inuerted by the ouersight of predecessors or long custome first vsually in these cases begun either vpon meere negligence in searching the truth or conniuence vpon extraordinarie and speciall occasions at some particulars perhaps conceiued as cases more then halfe omitted afterwards continued through ignorance of successors but finally maintained for priuate aduantages by wicked cunning or worldly policy alwaies vigilant to defeate all solicitations for rectifying what hath been long amisse or reexamining late practices by the Law-giuers principall intent or meaning The aduise would either seeme too bitter or too light if I should counsell the authors or chiefe abettors of these abuses whether committed in Church or Common-weale to preferre a supplication with ioint consent vnto the almighty that he would grant them his grace or continuance of his wonted fauours non obstante praecepto de votis Deo per soluendis or conceiue such a formall Palinodie of their protestation made in baptisme as Stesicorus did of his dispraise of Helen turning euery affirmatiue promise into a negatiue And yet I dare not auouch ought to the contrary but that it were much better finally to renounce the profession of Christianitie then to retaine it without absolute renouncing such resolutions It is therefore our Sauiours aduice not mine either make the tree good and his fruit good or else make the tree euill and the fruit euill Thus to professe CHRIST entertaining strong conceits and making proffers of great loue and loyall affection towards him bent in the meane time to do as most do and follow the fashions of the world is to walke with a heart and a heart euen that crookednesse of heart which cannot be squared vnto the streight rule of life Many enormities like to these mentioned there be sometimes secretly or vnwittingly practised onely otherwhiles openly auowed and maintained as lawfull whose discouery or prosecution with such indignitie as befits

of vs haue a naturall blindnesse from our birth which he alone cantake away that gaue bodily sight to such as had been shut vp in darkenesse from the wombe The first thing wee apprehend directly and euidently vpon this change is the difference betwixt the state of the sonnes of darkenesse and the sonnes of light and this appeares greater and greater as we becom more conuersant in the workes of light whence springs an eager longing after that maruellous glorie which in the life to come shall bee reuealed whose apprehension though in this present life distinct and euident it cannot possibly be yet from a cleere and certaine apprehension first of the prophets light then of the day-starre shining in our hearts it is euident vnto vs that in due time reuealed it shall be as fully as our soules could wish Beloued saith Saint Iohn now wee are the sonnes of God and yet it doth not appeare what wee shall be but wee know that when he shall appeare we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is 8. Euen vnto this great Apostle that had seene the glory of Christ as of the onely begotten Sonne of God the ioyes which hee certainely beleeued to be prepared for the godly and of which he stedfastly hoped to bee partaker were as yet vnseene But was either his beliefe or hope for this reason lesse euident then certaine Not vnlesse wee make an vnequall comparison or measure them partially referring euidence to one part or quality of the obiect belieued or hoped and certainety to another As well the manner or the specificall quality as the distinct measure of those ioyes hee belieued were vncertaine because not euident or apprehensible But that God had prepared such ioyes for his Saints as no eie had seene such as their conceipt could not enter into the heart of man whilest inuail●d with this corruptible flesh was most certaine to him because most euident from their present pledge that peace of conscience which passeth al vnderstanding yet kept his heart and minde in knowledge and loue of Christ Iesus being an infallible euidence of those ioyes which were not euident the sure ground of all his incomprehensible hopes This cleere apprehension of our present estate wee may call an euidence of spirituall welfare or internall sense directly answering to that naturall euidence or certaine knowledge men haue of their health or hearty cheerefulnesse when their spirits are liuely and their bodies strong not disturbed with bad humours their mindes not cumbred or disquieted with anxious carking thoughts Of errours incident to the intermediate state beetweene the sonnes of darkenesse and the sonnes of light if any such there be or to our first apprehensions of this change and of the meanes to auoide them the Reader shall finde somewhat in the two next Sections of this Booke but more particularly in the Treatise Of the triall of Faith or Certainety of inherent grace In this place wee onely suppose as there is no liuing creature indued with those animall spirits that quicken the organs of bodily sense but euidently feeles paine or pleasure so is there none truely partaker of the Spirit of God but hath or may haue an euident feeling of this ioy and griefe of conscience which is to other obiects of knowledge truly spirituall as is the touch to the rest of our senses yet may we not thinke this feeling to bee alike euident in all For one liuing creature excelleth another in apprehension of proper sensitiue obiects all alike euident in themselues but so are not the senses or apprehensiue faculties of seuerall creatures alike nimble quick or strong 9. But for mine owne part the opinion generally receiued amongst the schoole men and other learned Clarkes that faith in respect of speculation or discourse should bee an Assent vneuident hath made mee often to suspect my dull capacity in matters of secular knowledge Aristotles Philosophy I had read ouer and yet could I hardly call any conclusion in it to minde that might with greater euidence be resolued into cleere vnquestionable principles then most effects or experiments reuolution of times affoord may bee into the disposition of a prouidence truely diuine And considering with my selfe how grosly hee should often faile that would vndertake to set forth a comment of my inward thoughts by obseruation of my outward actions when as no alteration of times of persons or places euer swarued from the rules of Scripture I rest perswaded that the same diuine prouidence which guides the world and disposeth all the actions of men did set foorth these euerlasting comments which neuer change of his owne consultations or decrees concerning them Againe acknowledging this eternal diuine power alike able to effect his wil purpose by ordering the vnruly wils of this presentage though their pollicies be of a contrary mould to such as heretofore we haue heard hee hath defeated the former inference as it seemed more religious so more euident then our aduersaries make when from a supposition onely of some infallible authoritie in some present Church they presently assume it must reside in the visible Romish Church representatiue yet this collection they hold euident by the habit of Theologie albeit they admit no discourse in Assent of Faith which is their second fundamentall errour in the doctrine of life another maine roote of Romish witchery For thus farre at least all the Sonnes of God make faith to bee discursiue that fom euident experience of Gods fauours past or present they alwaies inferre a certainetie of the like to ensue To the most of them in their distresse it was euident deliuerance should be sent them although the deliuerance it selfe were not so although they distinctly apprehended not by what meanes or in what manner it should bee wrought The immutability of Gods decree concerning the saluation of his people whether generall or particular being as well knowne as the stability of his couenant for vicissitude of day and night or other seasons the godly euen while they were themselues beset with sorrow and euery where enuironed with calamity or sawe the Church almost ouerwhelmed with vniuersall deluges of affliction might resolue for the generall that all in the end should turne vnto their good that continued in faith and loue to the Redeemer as vndoubtedly as men at mid-night may gather that the Sunne shall arise though they know not in what manner whether vnder a cloud in a mist beeset with vapours or appearing in his naturall brightnesse Thus saith the Psalmist Heauinesse may lodge with vs for a night but ioy commeth in the morning Yea thus saith the Lord which giueth the sunne for a light to the day and the courses of the moone and of the starres a light to the night which breaketh the Sea when the waues thereof roare his name is the Lord of Hoasts If these Ordinances depart out of my sight then shall the seede of Israell cease from being a nation before