Selected quad for the lemma: city_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
city_n	abraham_n	call_v	zion_n	75	3	9.3255	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A22193	The description of heaven. Or, A diuine and comfortable discourse of the nature of the eternall heaven the habitation of God, and all the Elect. Composed in Latine, by Cunradus Aslachus. And conuerted into English, by Raph Iennings.	Aslakssøn, Cort, 1564-1624.; Jennings, Ralph.	1623 (1623)	STC 860; ESTC S113648	21,359	92

first Parents were placed by God in which Garden being planted by God in the Country of Eden was a piece of ground lying neere to Babylonia Sturanitida or rather Edenitida not farre from Mesopotamia watred about with the Riuer Tigris and other fruitfull Brooks and heereupon is the name of paradise often vsed in relating the Heauen of the blessed as Luke 23.43 This day shalt thou be with mee in Paradise But that you should not thinke that Christ speaks here of the earthly Paradise which long before was quite ruined for that most wofull fall of our first parents as Ierusalem and Sion were marke what Sain Paul sheweth you Hee was rapt vp into the third Heauen which hee after calleth Paradise whence may be gathered that the Heauen of the blessed and the heauenly Paradise were all one to him and in this sense it seemes to bee taken by that old King Zoroastres he hauing some insight into this Heauen where he saith Because the Soule being the bright fire of the Father and of an immortall subsistence and the mistresse of life seekes Paradise Thirdly this Heauen by a Metaphor is called Abrahams bosome for as children returning home from their Schoole-taxes at night are as it were closed in their fathers bosome so we also who in this life are the sonns of Abraham who is called the father of all beleeuers are gathered together into a most secure Hauen and as it were the bosome of Abraham that is to say into a place prouided for Abraham and his elect children expecting that ful glory of blessednes which will follow in the last day of Iudgement in which we shall be crowned in most absolute manner with all ioy glory and immortalitie after this lifes dissolution Moreouer it is sometime called the heauenly Ierusalem and the Citie of the liuing God and Sion the heauenly Canaan and by other names of this kinde conducing to the nature of this heauen of the blessed But hauing sufficiently sayd of the names I haste to the distinction and definition CHAP. IIII. The Definition of the highest Heauen and the Analysis thereof THE Heauen of the Blessed is the highest expansion the house of God and of blessed Angels and Men. All the numbers of this Definition are partly declared aboue the rest shall hereafter bee more at large explayned which that we may doe these sixe things are briefly to be handled in a Methodicall order 1. Whether there be any Heauen of the Blessed 2. Whether it were created or not 3. At what time it was created 4. Whether it bee Corporeall or Incorporeall 5. Where it is and in what place 6. What kinde of Heauen it is and how great First no man will doubt whether there be any Heauen of the blessed or not who hath been neuer so little conuersant in the holy Scriptures for there are so many testimonies thereof that no man without great stupiditie and senselesnesse can deny it of which kind these are plaine Psa 103.19 God hath prepared his Seat in the heauens and his Kingdome is aboue all kingdomes Psal 68.34 Hee sitteth in the Heauen of Heauens Psal 115.16 The Heauen of Heauens are the Lordes And Christ himselfe saith Iohn 14.2 In my fathers house are many mansions I goe to prouide you a place and where I shall prouide you a place I will returne and take you ●●i●h me that you may also be where ●am and that wee may carry our solues as free Denizens of heauen from whence wee expect our Sauiour Phil. 3.20 Hence then I re●●●●e those who being damna●●ly conceited deny this heauen 〈◊〉 the blessed If the heauen of ●●e blessed be the Seat House If God wherein hee dwelleth ●●d if it bee the place in which Christ God and Man doeth a●●de and if it bee the Mansion ●●●ce wherein we shall perpetu●lly dwell with Christ certainly it must necessarily follow to bee something but wee haue ●●ooned the Maior by alleadgements both of Scriptures and Authorities therefore also the ●●imor by infallible consequence must follow Secondly there is a very great controuersie amongst very profound Schollers whether this Heauen were created or not Some say it is a voyd or intricate place an emptie space euerlasting immeasurable spirituall and all ouer-spread with most radiant beames of the Deitie and that it is a certaine immense light shining foorth of God himselfe in which God was from euerlasting according to that saying 1. Tim. 6.15 God dwelleth in that light which cannot be approached Of the same minde was Augustine Stenchus the Bishop and some others as Zanchius relates in his first book and fourth Chapter De Operib Dei But on the contrary others and that more truly haue thought that this heauen was sometime made by God and they more correspond to the Scripture for whatsoeuer is in ●●lature vncreate it is needfull ●hat the same be infinite and immeasurable for euery creature 〈◊〉 of a finite constitution God ●●ely is vnmeasurable and infi●●te But who will call the hea●●n immense or infinite as God him selfe when the Scripture makes an eloquent diffe●●●ce betwixt God the maker of heauen and earth and his ●●●t or throne viz. the heauen ●●●after more fully in the ensu●●ng Chapter shall appeare Let them then confesse the Heauen 〈◊〉 be made by him and who is 〈◊〉 impudent that dare contrary 〈◊〉 the apparent truth of the Scriptures deny the whole hea●●n to be made by God when 〈◊〉 the Porch or prime entry in●●● the Bible he may finde Gene. 〈◊〉 In the beginning God created the Heauen and the Earth Heauen in that place euen in that tearme comprehending in it the whole expansion resident aboue the earth and in which the highest heauens is comprehended and must needs follow that also to be formed of God in the beginning yea and God also is nominated manifestly to be the former of this heauen It is said Hebr 11.9 10. By faith stayed Abraham as in a strange land in the land of promise hee stayed in the Tabernacles with Isaac and Iacob coheyres in the same promise for hee expected that sure founded Citie whose former and maker was God What Citie I pray you expected hee Was it not the heauenly Hierusalem the heauen of the blessed of the which the same Abraham afterwards intreats in Chap. 12.22 which ●one but the King of all Kings God himselfe hath founded ●●d builded most artificially It ●●hooueth thee then to confesse ●nd credit this Heauen celestiall ●ometime to be builded by God ●imselfe and him onely Thirdly it cannot easily bee ●ollected out of the holy Scrip●●res when this heauen was cre●ted but it is probable on the ●●●s t day together with the Star●●● Firmament since there is no ●●ntion of the creation thereof in the workes of the other dayes of which mind are ma●y both ancient and later W●i●ers Lactant. Lib. 2. diu inst ca. 1. ●irst of all God made heauen ●nd founded it on high because 〈◊〉 should bee the seate of God himselfe the

Builder and then ●ee framed the earth and set it ●●der heauen which man and all kinds of beasts should inhabite And Danaus on the Phisiques Tract 4. cap. 12. The highest heauen was made on the first day but it consisteth not on the two Elements but of a certaine third more simple Essence And here for our breuitie sake in an apparent cause cease I to induce any more testimonies at all to prooue it Fourthly we are now to consider whether this heauen be of a Corporeall or Incorporeall substance and nature locall or voyd of place totally Wee affirme it to be corporeall since a corporeall nature cannot subsist but in a corporeall subiect and a proportion must needes exist betwixt the place and the thing placed Zanch. Lib. 1. cap. 4. Of the workes of God The humane nature of Christ and of ●●ery person elect which must abide in this heauen is of a corporall nature it is necessary therefore the heauen so to bee ●lso for a body is contained in 〈◊〉 body Therefore Actes 3. the ●eauen is sayd to containe in it ●●e body of Christ but sayest ●hou those bodies are glorious ●●d spirituall as the Apostle ad●onisheth vs when he saith It is ●●en a liuing Body but shall rise ●gaine a spirituall 1. Corint 15.44 and therfore they haue no need of any corporall place I an●were Glorious bodies cease ●ot to be Physical and Natural ●●t they cease to be mortall and ●orruptible that is they retaine ●nd keepe their naturall and es●●●tiall properties and there●ore Iob saith Chap. 19.20 The ●●ne that I am and no other ●●●ll I bee seene and the same eyes shall bee beheld also after that wormes haue eaten that body of mine when I arise againe then I shall see God in my flesh But our bodies doe leaue off accidentall matters as frailties and sundry passions glory therefore is not a destroyer but a perfecter of Nature not annihilating but exalting it But whereas the Apostle saith That the Body shall arise spirituall that must not be vnderstood of the substance but of the qualities namely of the spirituall estate and condition of man after the Resurrection which is plaine out of the very Text where he saith 1 Cor. 15.42 43 44. Our Body is somed in corruption but is raysed in glory and incorruptible it is sowed base but raised glorious it is sowed weake but it is raysed strong it is ●s owed mortall 〈◊〉 it is raysed spirituall The ●●he body shall arise yet en●owed with certaine contrary qualities for that which before ●●s mortall shall bee made im●ortall what was foule and dis●●nourable shall bee made glo●ious and bright what was ●eake shall bee inuested with ●●rueilous valour and egregi●●●s prowesse that that was be●●ee subiect vnto diuers functi●ns and passions as Nourish●ent Generation Sleepe Wea●somnesse Diseases Griefes ●●c shall hereafter haue full im●unitie from all these Paul therefore opposeth not two na●●res or bodies different the Corporall and the Spiritual but the various qualities of one and the same bodies amongst them●elues Therefore since that the glorious bodies differ not from the naturall so farre as their substance that is their essentiall qualities ortiue to wit the manner and the forme but in respect of some peculiar qualities they bee not meerely spirits but spirituall bodies which cannot subsist or stand with a bodily place And moreouer the iudgment of all ancient and modern Writers concurre with this opinion concerning the highest heauen as Damascen li. 2. saith That this heauen containeth all heauenly natures God only excepted whereupon it must necessarily bee a finite and corporeall substance And Zanchius in his Lib. 1. Chap. 4. de Oper. Dei saith I call not that heauen of the blessed a substance totally incorporeall since that I perceiue it not to bee a spirituall thing as are the soules and spirits of Angels for our bodies shall abide in it but then ought there to be some proportion and conueniency betwixt the place and the thing placed which ve●●ly cannot bee betwixt a body placed and a place meerely incorporeall nor doe I simply call it a corporall substance for difference sake c. I conceaue then this Heauen to bee such a body that it may be called spirituall And so Danaeus That highest heauen which was crea●ed on the first day is a most excellent work of God as no man will deny and by and by Although it was created with the ●●rth yet it had matter seperate from it by Gods wonderfull power and that not on the fifth as Aristotle saith but the thrid euely differing in nature from the water and the earth not being subiect to those mutations These things vnderstood and graunted one may easily conceaue whether the heauen merit to be called locall or illocall for if it bee corporall why is it not also nominated locall It is therefore called The place of the blessed the Bosome of Abraham and the Citie of supernall Ierusalem and if Hell be a place as it is said Luke 16.28 why also is not the place of the blessed locall But thou wilt say Aristotle acknowledged no place beyond the Starry heauen nor yet any body Well bee it so but on the contrary Christ affirmes there to bee both place and bodies when he saith I shall goe and get you a place and when I haue prouided it I will come againe and take you to mee that where I am there may yee be also Iohn 14.2 Now leaue I it to your choice to giue credit to Christ who is the truth comming forth of this supreame Heauen or rather to an Aristotelean Ethicke prophane and ignorant of these mysteries Fiftly but now where and in what place this Heauen is it is further to be considered of vs Wee doe affirme as the Scriptures euery where affirme also 〈◊〉 to be exalted aboue both the other heauens fore mentioned for in that very place is the heauen of the blessed Saints where the feat and habitation of God 〈◊〉 and where the blessed Angels haue residence with him euen there the very Elect together with the blessed Angels ioyntly enioy eternall life For Christ him selfe questionlesse nomina●●d Paradise a place of the blessed when he saith This day shalt thou be with mee in Paradise that is as Saint Paul interprets it in the third heauen yea Christ affirmes Hee hath in his Fathers house many mansions prepared for his holy ones Then certainly the Seat of God and of the blessed societie of Angels and men is in the highest aboue both the other heauens for The heauen of heauens is the Lords the earth hee assigned to the sonnes of men as the Psalmist saith this terme heauen of heauens in the Hebrew phrase signifieth the most Sublime and Supreame Center in like manner as these termes God of Gods Lord of Lords and King of Kings are accepted for the highest most eminent God Lord and King This note is also the holy Angels Halelluiah Glory to God in the highest and

peace on earth Where he punctually distinguisheth betwixt the earth and the Lords most holy mansions And againe in Deut. 4.39 God is aboue in Heauen and Psal 113.4 Iehovah is eleuated farre aboue all Nations aboue all Heauens is his glory who can equallize our God Ie●●nah who inhabiteth in the highest Also the seate of Angels and blessed Saints is said to be in the same heauen for the Angels continually see the face of the Father which is in heauen and Paul sayth Our conuersation is in heauen In which heauen In these he addeth whence wee expect our Sauiour into which himselfe is already ascended The heauen therefore of the blessed is planted by God farre aboue all other heauens in the highest altitude Againe hence it followeth the heauen of the blessed to bee there whither Christ himselfe is ascended in his owne body for Christ hath made regresse vnto his Father whence he went out whose seat is in the kingdome of the blessed as is cleare in that of Iohn 7.33 Yet a little while am I with you and after retyre vnto him who sent mee and againe Iohn 16.28 I went out from my Father into the world and againe I leaue the world and retyre vnto my Father And Christ is substantially ascended aboue those visible heauens to wit the ayerie and starry firmaments as Ephes 4.10 He that descended is the same who ascended aboue all heauens that hee might accomplish all things Hebr. 4.14 hee is sayd to haue pierced the heauens and Hebr. 7.26 hee is exalted aboue all heauens and againe Hebr. 1.3 4. and Ephes 1.20 Hee is sayd to sit at the right hand of God in the highest Heauens and as sayth Augustine Christ eleuated his body to heauen he abstracted not his Maiestie yet from the earth according to his corporall and carnall presence which the word assumed hee is ascended into the heauen hee is not heere there hee sits at the ●ight hand of his Father and ●●t he is heere also for his maiesticall presence retyred not And Cyrill on Iohn is consonant ●eereto No man doubts when Chirst ascended to the heauens albeit he was heere by his virtuall presence of the spirit hee is totally absent in his carnall Againe it is requisite that the ●aithfull beleeue that though Christ is corporally absent yet doth hee vertually gouerne vs and all things else being continually present with those that call vpon his name And in the same sense is Vigill the Martyr The Sonne of God quoth he according to his Humanitie departed from vs but according to his Diuinitie hee saith to vs Loe euen I am with you vnto the end of the world for those whom hee left and from whom hee departed according to his Humanitie according to his Diuinitie hee neither left nor forsooke for in the forme of a seruant hee is in heauen absent from vs but in the forme of God wherein hee departed not from vs hee is present now on earth with vs. And this is the iudgement of the Ancient concerning Christ his peregrination into the Heauen of the blessed But as Saint Augustine ad●●onisheth vs It is a needlesse ●ouerlurious fantasie to search ●here and how the Lord pre●●nce is seated in this most high ●ace onely wee are to beleeue 〈◊〉 to bee in heauen for it is not ●●r our frailtie to discourse of ●●destiall secrets but it rather ●●●cernes our faith to bee wise ●odestly concerning the digni●● of the Lords presence It is ●●en cleare that the heauen of ●●e blessed is the most high Pa●●ce of God and the blessed An●●ls placed and confirmed a●●ue the two other heauens to ●●it the ayerie and Syderiall fir●●ments Sixtly It remaines lastly to ●ee surueyed what and how ●●eat this heauen is In qualitie ●●is most eternall incorruptible ●●d cleare I terme it eternall not because it existed without beginning but because it is euer to endure without all end and decay Whence that of Augustine Hence then my soule seeth how farre it is eternall aboue all times when thy house which cannot bee trauersed ouer though respectiue to thee it cannot be coeternall yet vncessantly adhering to thee it admits not the least temporall intermission And as Ambrose Paul saith hee exhorts vs to couet mansions in the highest heauens which are eternall but that is incorruptible which in that eternall time of her durance hath an immunitie from all change and alteration or the least corruption Paul therefore auerres that heauenly Ierusalem which Abraham expected to haue firme fundaments that is most sure and immo●●ueable ●●ounds and as in the Ap●●●●●ps that celest all Citie is made of pure gold and established on 〈◊〉 most firme and precious foundation described also to be cor●●borate with inuincible walls 〈◊〉 which things describe and ●otifie the perpetuitie and incorruptible existence of this ●eauen But their conceit is im●ious and vaine who conceyt this heauen to haue also resided without beginning from eterni●●● If so bee that an eternall habitation must needs be reciprocall to an eternall God alas ●he Lord wants no place since ●hat his extent exceeds al place ●e being of a most simple es●ence which is as well without 〈◊〉 within all things as Zanchlus ●nd the ancient Diuines affirme ●nd most clearely is this Citie celestiall portraytured in the description of the terrent Ierusalem Reuel 21. ver 23. There is want neither of Sun or Moone to yeeld lustre therein for Gods glory giueth it a plenary Illustration namely the heauenly Ierusalem whereof the Lambe is the Lampe and as Augustine aptly saith That most Emperiall City is incomparably cleare where are Victory Verity Dignitie where are Sanctitie Life and Eternitie Nor sings Zanchius any lesse excellently of the splendor of this supernall Citie That most supreame Heauen shall shine with a farre more excellent light it shall want no Sunne nor Moone for the glory of God is the light thereof Againe nor must we suppose as some doe the illustrious Sunne-beame of that essentiall glory to reflect and issue from God as from the Sunne and heauen to be illustrate with it for whatsoeuer is in the essence of God and demeanes therefrom is participator like as the Sonne and Holy Ghost which proceed ordinarily from the Father and this sole title is onely giuen vnto Christ namely that he is the splendour of glory that light therefore whereby the heauen is illustrate as from a cause efficient and whereby the soules of the blessed are illuminate that they may perceiue God is a created subiect or matter But the quantitie of the supreame Heauen is depiete vnder the figure of the holy Citie as Apocal. 21.10 where it is called That great city by which term● certainly he instanceth the latitude thereof to be excessiue the magnitude both incomperable and incomprehensible yet declares he it to be finite when he ●ntimates it also possibly circundate by the Angel it is by Christ also verified to be a most large City when hee affirmes it to haue very many