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A10650 An explication of the hundreth and tenth Psalme wherein the severall heads of Christian religion therein contained; touching the exaltation of Christ, the scepter of his kingdome, the character of his subjects, his priesthood, victories, sufferings, and resurrection, are largely explained and applied. Being the substance of severall sermons preached at Lincolns Inne; by Edward Reynoldes sometimes fellow of Merton Colledge in Oxford, late preacher to the foresaid honorable society, and rector of the church of Braunston in Northhampton-shire. Reynolds, Edward, 1599-1676. 1632 (1632) STC 20927; ESTC S115794 405,543 546

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the land of Canaan which was a type of Christs Church which he should conquer unto himselfe if any people accepted of the peace which they were first to proclaime they were to become tributaries and servants unto Israel So it is said of Salomon whose peaceable kingdome was a type of Christs after his many victories that he bond-service upon all the nations about Israel and that those princes with whom he held correspondence brought unto him presents as testimonies of his greatnesse and wisedome So when the wise men the first fruits of the Gentiles after Christ exhibited came to submit unto his kingdome they opened their treasure and presented him with gifts gold frankincense and myrrh Againe Monetarum leges valores the authorizing and valuations of publike coines belong unto the prince onely it is his image and inscription alone which maketh them currant Even so unto Christ onely doth belong the power of stamping and creating as it were new ordinances in his Church nothing is with God nor should be currant with us which hath not his image or expresse authority upon it Neither can any man falsify or corrupt any constitution of his without notable contempt against his royall prerogative Againe Iudicium or potestas judiciaria a power of judging the persons and causes of men is a peculiar royalty the administration whereof is from the prince as the fountaine of all humane equitie under God deposited in the hands of inferiour officers who are as it were the mouth of the prince to publish the lawes and to execute those acts of justice and peace which principally belong to his owne sacred breast And so Christ saith of himselfe The Father hath committed all judgement unto the Sonne and hath given him authority to execute judgement Againe Ius vitae necis A power to pardon condemned persons and deliver them from the terrour of the Lawes sentence is a transcendent mercie a gemme which can shine only from the diadems of Princes Now unto Christ likewise belongeth in his Church a power to forgive sinnes it is the most sacred roialty of this prince of peace not onely to suspend but for ever to revoke and as it were annihilate the sentence of malediction under which every man is borne There are likewise Ornamenta Regia regall Ornaments a Crowne a Throne a Scepter and the like Thus we finde the Romanes were wont to send to those forraine kings with whom they were in league as testimonies and confirmations of their dignity scipionem eburneum togam pictam sellam curulem an ivorie scepter a roiall robe and a chaire of state And the like honours wee finde in the Scriptures belonging unto Christ that hee was crowned with glory and honour and that hee had a Throne and righteous scepter belonging to his kingdome Thus we have seene in severall particulars how Christ hath his Royalties belonging to his kingdome Some principall of them we finde in this place A throne a scepter ambassadours armies for the right dispensing of his sacred power We will first consider the words and then raise such observations as shall offer themselves First what is meant by the Rod of Christs Strength or his Strong Rod It notes a thing which a man may leane upon or lay the whole weight of his body on in his wearinesse But being spoken of Christs kingdome wee take it for a scepter or rod of majestie I will not hold you with the variety of acceptions in Expositors Some take it for the branch that groweth out of that roote of Iesse Some for the wood of the crosse Some for the body of Christ borne of a Virgin Some for the kingdome of Christs power taking the signe for the thing signified Some for the power of his mightie workes and preaching That of the body and of the crosse of Christ except by them wee understand the vertue of Christ crucified I conceive to be not so pertinent to the purpose of the Prophet The rest agree in one But for the more distinct understanding of the words wee may consider out of the holy Scriptures what things were sent out of Sion And we finde there two things First the word of the Lord or his holy Gospell The Law shall proceed out of Sion and the word of the Lord from Ierusalem Mic. 4.2 Secondly the spirit of the Lord which was first sent unto Sion for at Hierusalem the Apostles were to wait for the promise of the Father Act. 1.4 and from thence was shed abroad into the world upon al flesh Act. 2.17 and both these are the power or strength of Christ. His word a Gospell of power unto salvation Rom. 1.16 2 Cor. 4.7.10.4 and his spirit a spirit of power 1 Cor. 2.4 2 Tim. 1.7 which is therefore called the finger and the arme of the Lord Luk. 11.20 Matt. 12.28 Esai 53.1 so by the Rod is meant the Gospell and the Spirit of Christ. Secondly what is meant by Gods sending this Rod of Christs strength It notes the manifestation of the Gospell we knew it not before it was sent The donation of the Gospell we had it not before it was sent the invitations of the Gospell we were without God in the world and strangers from the Covenant of promise before it was sent The Commission of the Dispensers of the Gospell they have their patent from heaven they are not to speake untill they be sent Thirdly what is meant by sending it out of Sion It is put in Opposition to mount Sina from whence the Law was sometimes sent with thunders and fire and much terrour unto the people of Israel Ye are not come saith the Apostle unto the mount that burned with fire nor unto blacknesse and darknesse and tempest c. but yee are come unto mount Sion and unto the City of the living God the heavenly Ierusalem and to an innumerable company of Angels and to Iesus the Mediator of the new Covenant c. Heb. 12.18.24 and the Apostle elsewhere sheweth us the meaning of this Allegoricall opposition betweene Sina and Sion betweene Sarah and Hagar namely the two covenants of the Law and of Grace or of bondage and liberty Gal. 4.24 25. Sion was the place whither the tribes resorted to worship the Lord the place towards which that people praied the place of Gods mercifull residence amongst them the beauty of holines the place upon which first the gift of the holy Ghost was powred forth and in which the Gospell was first of all preached after Christs Ascension We may take it by a Synechdoche for the whole Church of the Jewes unto whom the Lord first revealed his Covenant of Grace in Christ Act. 3.26 Act. 13.46 Rom. 2.10 Rule Thou that is Thou shalt rule which is a usuall forme to put the Imperative for the future Indicative It is not a command which hath relation unto any service but it is a promise a commission a dignity conferred
for hands are not to bee laid suddenly on any man to preach the word and to administer the Sacraments and to doe all those ministeriall acts upon which the edification of the people of Christ doth depend I have now done with the first of Christs regalities in the Text which was the Scepter of his Kingdome Now to speake a word of the second which is Solium the Throne of his Kingdome The Lord shall send the Rod of thy strength out of Sion Which notes unto us First that the Church of the Iewes was the chiefe originall Metropolitan Church of all others Therefore our Savior chargeth his Disciples to Tarry in the City of Ierusalem till they should bee indued with power from on high The Apostle saith that they had the advantage or precedence and excellencie above other people because unto them were committed the Oracles of God To them did pertaine the Adoption and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the service of God and the promises Of them was Christ after the flesh All the Fathers Patriarchs Prophets Apostles and writers of the Holy Scriptures were of them There is no Church can shew such Priviledges nor produce such authentique records for her precedency as the Church of the Iewes Therefore they are called by an excellency Gods first-borne and the first fruits of the creatures they are called The Children of the Kingdome whereas others were at first Dogs and strangers Their Titles Sion Hierusalem Israel are used as proper names to expresse the whole Church of God by though amongst the Gentiles Christ Iesus though hee came as a Savior unto All yet hee was sent to bee a Prophet and a Preacher onely unto them Therefore the Apostle calleth him the Minister of the Circumcision that is of the Iewes and hee saith I am not sent but unto the lost sheepe of the house of Israel And when hee gave his Apostles their first commission he sent them onely into the Cities of the Iewes the Gentiles were incorporated into them were brought in upon their rejection and refusall of the Gospell tooke the Christians of Iudea for their patterne in their profession from that Church were Rules and constitutions sent abroad into other Churches as binding and necessary things To that Church the Churches of the Gentiles were debtors as having been made partakers of their spirituall things and though they bee now a rejected people yet when the fulnesse of the Gentiles is come in Israel shall be gathered againe and made a glorious Church And in the meane time their dispersion tended unto the conversion of the Gentiles For though they were enemies to the faith of Christians yet they did beare witnesse unto those Scriptures out of which the Christians did prove their faith And there is no greater evidence in a cause than the affirmative testimony of that man who is an enemie to the cause If the Church of Rome had such evidences as these out of the booke of God to prove their usurped primacie by how proud and intolerable would they be in boasting thereof and obtruding it unto others who are now so confident upon farre slenderer grounds And from hence we may learne to take heed of the sinnes of that people which were principally the rejecting of the corner stone and the putting off the Gospell of Christ away from them as every obstinate and unbeleeving sinner doth from himselfe This is that which hath made them of all nations the most hated and the most forsaken and hath brought wrath to the uttermost upon them because when Christ came unto his owne they received him not Because of unbeliefe they were broken off saith the Apostle and thou standest by faith be not high-minded but feare for if God spared not the naturall branches take heed lest he also spare not thee And we should likewise learne to pray for the fulnesse of the Gentiles and for the restoring of this people unto their honour and originall priviledges againe for we are their debtors we entred upon the promises which were made to them and therefore good reason we have to doe for them now as they did for us before We have a little sister or rather an elder sister and shee hath no brests the oracles and ordinances of God are taken from her What shall wee doe for our sister in the day when shee shall be spoken for Cant. 8.8 Secondly this notes unto us the calling of the Gentiles into the fellowship of the same mystery which was first preached unto the Iewes that they might be the daughters of this mother Church that they may take hold of the skirt of the Iew and say We will go with you for we have heard that God is with you The Church of Ierusalem was set up as a beacon or an ensigne or a publike sanctuary to which the nations should flie as doves to their windowes Of this merciful purpose some evidences and declarations the Lord gave before in Rahab Iob Ninive the Wise-men and others who were the preludes and first fruits of the Gentiles unto God and did after fully manifest the same in his unlimited commission to his Apostles Goe preach the Gospell unto every creature And now alas what were we that God should bring us hitherto Saint Paul saith that we were filled with all unrighteousnesse that we did neither understand God nor seeke after him A●l our faculties were full of sinne and the fulnesse of all sinne was in us we were ruled by no lawes but the course of the world the Prince of the aire and the lusts of the flesh without God in this world and without any hope for the world to come Here vessels of lust and poyson and fitted to be hereafter vessels of destruction and misery We were no nation a foolish people a people that sought not nor inquired after God and yet his owne people hath he set by and called us to the knowledge of his love and mercie in Christ. And that not as many other Gentiles are called who heare of him indeed and worship him but have his doctrine corrupted and overturned with heresie and his worship defiled with superstition and idolatry but hee hath for us purged his floore and given unto us the wheat without the chaffe he hath let the light of his glory to shine purely upon us onely in the face of Iesus Christ without any humane supplements or contributions How should we praise him for it and as wee have received Christ purely so labour to walk worthily in him How should we runne to him that called us when we knew him not How should we set forward and call upon one another that we may flie like doves in companies unto the windowes of the Church How earnestly should wee contend for this truth the custodie whereof he hath honoured us withall How should we renue our repentance and remember our