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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
city_n	aaron_n	holy_a	lord_n	36	3	3.2835	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A15445	The delights of the saints A most comfortable treatise, of grace and peace, and many other excellent points. Whereby men may liue like saints on earth, and become true saints in heauen. First deliuered in a sermon preached at Pauls Crosse the second day of December, being the second Sunday of the Parliament. And in other sermons within the Cathedrall Church of Saint Paul, London. By Gryffith Williams, Doctor of Diuinity, and Parson of Lhan-Lhechyd. The contents are set downe after the epistle to the reader.	Williams, Gryffith, 1589?-1672.	1622 (1622)	STC 25716; ESTC S102808	185,617	476

their paines the word of God is explained to vs by their blood the truth of God is preserued and sealed vnto vs and by their examples wee are prouoked to sanctity quia sanctorum vita norma viuendi nobis est the liues of the Saints is a rule of life to vs saith S. Ambrose and the history of Ambros to 4. f. 248. the Saints doth induce vs to imitate their examples saith Nazianzen de laude Basilij And therefore seeing wee receiue so much good from them both for illustration of Doctrine and imitation in manners though wee doe not adore them as Gods yet wee doe reuerence and honor them for Saints and as the remembrance of Iosias is like the composition of the perfume that is made by the Art of the Apothecary so the remembrance of the Saints is precious vnto vs their memoriall is blessed wee reuerence their names we loue their pictures more deere then the pictures of our deerest friends and in all respect we giue them as much as either God commanded or themselues required 2. Those that are Saints on earth are taken 1. Primarily for the faithfull Ministers 2. Secondarily for the godly Christians For 1. S. Ambrose in 2. Cor. 1. saith Preachers aboue all mē should excell in sanctitie that by Saints may be vnderstood the Priests or Preachers of Gods word and it is obserued by S. Cyril Maldonat Bernard and others that heretofore the Prophets or Preachers and holy men or Saints were voces conuertibiles equiualent speeches and so it seemes that the name of Prophet in Gen. 20. 7. Luke 7. 16. Iohn 9. 17. doth imply a holy and an vpright man And therefore Dauid ascribeth this Epithete vnto Aaron the Saint of the Psal Lord. For they are as a Citie placed vpon a hill on whom euery eie doth looke and of whom euery tongue doth speake and therefore they should approue themselues to be Sancti 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Saints aboue al others like Greg. Nazianzen of whom Ruffinus testifieth Ruffinus in vita Naz. that ea docuit quae fecit seipsum minimè condemnauit agendo contraria quam do cebat he did the things which he taught and did not condemne himselfe by teaching one thing and doing the contrarie for a true Preacher preacheth not only with his words in the Church but also by his workes in the world and he that preacheth vnto others and doth not the same himselfe is like the Cooke that dresseth good meat for others but tasteth not a bit himselfe But he is a true Preacher that is in A true Preacher should preach both in life and doctrine verbis Chrysostomus in factis Polycarpus the voice of a Cryer in the pulpit and a Saint of God in the world a painfull Preacher and a godly liuer and therefore in the garment of the Priest there were to be a golden Bell and a Pomegranate a golden Bell and a Pomegranate in the skirts of the robe round about And the Law threatned death vnto the Priest if he made not a Greg. Pastor p. 2. c. 4 sound with his Bels i. if he preached not the Gospell as Saint Gregory expoundeth it And you know that in a golden Bell there are two things 1. Matter 2. Sound or 1. Price 2. Pleasure For a golden Bell 1. Pretio valet 2. Dulciter souat It is pretious in estimation and pleasant in the eloquution So should our Sermons be full of profitable matters in a pleasant stile for a good matter slubbered vp in rude termes becommeth loath some to the hearers and elegancie of words without soundnesse of matter is but nicenesse and vanitie and therefore a Preacher should match words of delight with words of truth for the lips of the Spouse i. the Preachers of the Church as S. Gregorie Idē in Cantic expoundeth it nam praedicatores benè labia dicuntur quia per eos populis loquitur Christus populus Christo drop downe hony combes i. excellent matter and that very sweetly And to the golden Bels should be added Pomegranates which is an excellent fruit and was therefore added for a symboll of good workes for he wanteth not Pomegranates to his Bels that ioineth holy workes vnto his heauenly words saith S. Gregorie and all this was to signifie what sanctitie and holinesse was required in the life of the Priests aboue all other men whatsoeuer And therefore the Fathers of the Primitiue Church were wonderfull holy and vpright they had stabilitatem in fide sanctitatem in opere such constancie in their profession and such sinceritie in their conuersation as that none could iustly accuse them as Ruffinus in the life of Nazian Nazianzen in the praise of S. Basil and Possidon in the life of S. Augustine and S. Ierome in the life of the Fathers doe declare But within a short time this sanctitie was changed to iniquitie and that saying was fulfilled qualis Sacerdos talis populus like Priest like people nay saith S. Bernard the Priest became worse then the people and did burne in lust and concupisence so that Mane filium virginis afferunt in choro Legi quotatum ex Innocent 3. Nocte filium Veneris agitant in thoro And then they respected the satisfying of their lusts more then the sauing of their soules and regarded their fleeces more then their flockes for which it was truly spoken Pastores odere gr●gem nec pascere curant Sed tondere pecus pecorique illudere tonso they became most wicked in their conuersations and at last dumbe dogges in their functions worse then all that should be holier then all and therefore the wrath of the Lord was kindled against vs and he deliuered vs into the hands of our enemies and tooke away the rewards of our labours to see if this would make vs seeke vnto his name Wherefore beloued brethren seeing the Lord requireth that the Preachers of his word should be the holiest in their liues it behoueth vs to pray to God with Moses that his Vrim and his Thummim may be vpon the men of his mercie that he would indue his Ministers with righteousnesse that all his people may be ioyfull and that he would giue vs grace to take heede vnto our selues and to all the flocke of Christ whereof the holy Ghost hath made vs Ouerseers for it is most certaine that omnis negligenter pascens toties sibi commendatum dominicum gregem conuincitur summum non amare pastorem Hee that cares not for the flocke cares not for him whose flocke it is as Damascen Epist 4. speaketh 2. All other Christians that doe truly All Christians are Saints in a threefold respect beleeue in Christ that are washed in his bloud and sanctified by his Spirit are likewise called Saints and that in a three-fold respect 1. In respect of their head Christ Iesus into whom they are incorporated for he is the holiest of all holies as I shewed you

that hee commanded Ob. Abraham to sacrifice his sonne and bad the Israelites to rob the Aegyptians and willed the death of his owne Sonne c. but all these are sinnes therefore sinnes proceed from him I answer that whatsoeuer God commandeth Whatsoeuer God would haue done is no sinne to doe to doe the same is no sinne for sinne is the transgressing of his commandement And yet for the fuller vnderstanding of this point viz. the doing of the thing which God willeth or commandeth I say that in some it may be a sinne in others no sinne For It is not enough for vs to doe what he biddeth but wee must be sure to doe it in that verie manner that he prescribeth and to that verie end which he intendeth Quia modus finis actionis constituunt actionem Because the manner and the end of an action doth make the action good or bad And therefore I say that if Abraham The manner of doing and the end of actions makes them either good or euill had killed his sonne meerely because he would obey God and fulfill his will in all particular respects he had not sinned Nor yet the Iewes in crucifying the Sonne of God whereof the other was a type and figure if they had done the same only to fulfill the will of God and in the same manner and to the same end as God had decreed the same But they did not so therefore they sinned for God gaue him out of the depth of his loue to die for vs that we might be redeemed by him but they put him to death out of the depth of their malice and enuie against him and therefore the same act of crucifying Christ was no sinne as it was decreed by God but a most grieuous sinne as it was committed by them And so you see that God which is the author of grace and goodnesse cannot be the author of the euill of sinne and wickednesse 2. As hee cannot bee the author of That God is not properly the author of any punishment the euill of sinne because he is the author of grace so can he not be the author of the euill of punishment because he is the author of peace for peace is a sweet harmonie and consent of all things in their due order without any manner of distraction or diuulsion but punishments are the distracting and disturbing of the quiet dispositions of things contrarie to their naturall inclinations And therefore I say that God cannot properly be said to be the author of the euill of punishment But for the better vnderstanding of this point I desire you to consider that this euill of punishment may be taken two wayes 1. As it is euill and a dissolution of the creature 2. As it tendeth to good either in respect of 1. Man 2. God 1. In the first sense I say God cannot besaid to be author of this euill for hee desireth not the death of a sinner he made all things that they might haue their being Et quia omne agens agit sibi simile And because euerie agent worketh an effect like vnto himselfe therefore God properly worketh the happinesse and not the miserie the saluation and not destruction of his creatures 2. I say that the euill of punishment may tend to good and that 1. In respect of man and that likewise The manifold good of afflictions many wayes but especially these three wayes 1. To make him loath his sinnes and forsake them 2. To make him wearie of the world and despise it 3. To make him long for Christ and desire him 1. As the correction of a childe makes him leaue his faults so the afflictions of the godly make them forsake their sinnes for Before I was corrected I went wrong saith the Prophet Dauid but now I haue learned to keepe thy commandements And therefore It is good for me that I haue beene in trouble that I might learne to keepe thy commandements God therefore may and doth send afflictions that they may hedge in the waies of men and so keepe them in the paths of his commandements And so the Prophet saith Thou hast hedged in my wayes with thornes 2. Our soules are glued vpon the vanities of this world and therefore as the mother putteth aloes or mustard or some like bitter things vpon her teats when she would weane her childe that is so fond of her breasts so doth God anoint the vanities of this world with the bitter ointment of afflictions that we might be euen wearie of the same 3. He sendeth afflictions not only to make vs loath our sinnes and waxe wearie of the world but also to make vs long for grace and seeke to him for peace that we may be freed from these miseries Nam mala quae nos hic premunt Gregor in Moral ad Deum nos ire compellunt For the miseries of this world makes vs long for the happinesse of the heauenly kingdome saith S. Gregorie And so in this respect God may be said to bee the author of afflictions and punishments as they tend to this good to chasten vs for our profit that we Heb. 12. 10. may be partakers of his holinesse as the Apostle speaketh For thus they are like vnto the bitter potions of physick good because necessary for some good end otherwise Bonum necessarium extra terminos necessitatis non est bonum a necessarie good is not good but for necessities sake so is physicke to procure the health of our bodies and so afflictions to procure the health of our soules 2. In respect of God punishments Punishments declare the iustice of God and afflictions tend to good for they are all inflicted vpon man for sinne and are the effects of iustice and therefore must needs be good For whatsoeuer is iust is good But the punishments of the wicked either in this life or in the future life are the iust iudgements of God for sinne therefore in this respect they must needs be good They shew Gods hatred vnto sinne and his iustice in punishing all sinners And so I confesse that in these respects the Prophet might most truly say there was no euill in the city which the Amos 3. 6. Lord had not done and God himselfe say I and none else doe forme the light and create darknesse doe make peace and create euill i. as I doe properly suapte natura of mine owne nature effect that which is good in all respects so ex quadam sequela for diuers respects tending to good I doe willingly suffer all euill yea both the euill of sinne and the euill of punishment for though neither of these be simply good yet either of them tend to good and therefore are suffered of God For God would neuer suffer any euill but that he meant out of that euill to effect a greater good saith S. Augustine as by the suffering Aug. in enchirid ad Laurent of the sinnes of the elect he sheweth the