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A68091 A preparation to the most holie ministerie wherein is set downe the true meanes to be well prepared to the same, by an exact description, and consideration, of the necessitie, excellencie, difficultie, and great profit therof; with the maruellous effects of the same: also a liuely exhortation to all youth, to giue themselues to the studie therof: and a confutation of the obiections which may be brought in any sort to touch the same: verie profitable and necessarie in these our times, ... Diuided into two bookes. Written in French by Peter Gerard, and translated into English by N.B. Gerard, Pierre. 1598 (1598) STC 11754; ESTC S108635 151,047 320

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is necessarie that he be of sufficient age Gregory Nazianzene hath very well said that great aduise must be taken of what age he is that goeth about the office of a preacher for feare least if any come vnto it before their time they may come short in dooing their dutie when time requireth as if he would say he hurteth himselfe in entring into this function before hee commeth to mature age And further he addeth that as birdes will flie before their feathers be growne in steed of flying aloft they fall to the ground Also as a woman hauing conceiued in her wombe if she suffer abortion and is deliuered before her time shee filleth not the house but the graue that is her fruit dyeth assoone as it hath life So those that take vpon them this charge before conuenient time or to say better before they be furnished with sufficient gifts fit for that calling they do more go backward thē forward God in olde time ordained At what age the Leuits began their office that the Leuits which shuld be admitted to his seruice and bee employed in the Tabernacle of the cōgregation should be of the age of twentie fiue or aboue as we may read in the book of Numbers Numb 8. in the fourth chap. we may read that the same Leuites shuld be thirtie yeares old or vpward but in the fourth there is a question made of thē which were sufficiently made fit who were 30. yeares old But those that were but 25. it was to shew the those that were of this age they should bee framed and made fit for the Leuitical priesthood for whose instruction it seemeth that Ged appointed 5. yeares that in that time they might be made fit It seemeth that our sauior Iesus Christ had regard hereof seeing that he preached not before he was 30. yeares old And to this ende Greg. Nazianzene saith that none must preach when they are too yong because they cannot be stored with competēt knowledge for this charge vntill they come to ripe age setting before vs the example of our redeemer who did not execute this office before the age of 30. yeares although without blame hee might very well haue done it before howe much more sinful men ought to take heed how they take vpon thē the executiō of this charge falling into many faults before they come to perfect age But because God hath not cōmanded in his law that the Leuits should be 25. or 30. yeares of age to the ende that all those that aspire to the office of the Ministrie should follow them neither did our sauiour Iesus Christ enterprise this charge at thirtie yeares to the end that they that publish the wil of the Lord should imitate him but that the one and the other was done for many reasons which are too long to recite We say that now wee must not regard that age but principally the gifts of god bestowed vpon them whom he wil haue to serue in this functiō for this cause god hath no respect neither of age nor youth for the setting forth of his glorie It is wel said in the booke of VVisedom In making Ministers there must be greater regard of the gifts of God then of age VVisd 4 Age is not alwaies a signe of wisedom Iob. 32. that The honorable age is not that which is of long time neither that which is measured by the number of yeares but wisedom is the gray haire and an vndefiled life is the olde age And to this agreeth that which Elihu saith in Iob who perceiuing that the three friends of Iob had not spoken to the purpose of the iudgemēt of god cōcerning Iob he saith that Great men are not alwaies wise neither do the aged alway vnderstand iudgement as if he would haue said it is not age alwaies that bringeth wisdō but the grace of God For seeing that youth is ordinarily subiect to contempt or to enuie towards all sorts of men wee ought wisely to regard that the graces of God which are in yong mē be not made lesse profitable by the contēpt enuy of the aged as it cōmeth to passe too often This is that which Paul had respect vnto writing to Timothy when he saith Let no man despise thy youth 1. Tim. 4. this precept he giueth In whom enuie preuaileth most because that many times the glory of God which might be greatly aduanced by yong men is beaten back very often by contempt or excessiue enuie with which they are secretly persecuted by thē which are in some authoritie and credit In his book de verb. dom S. Austen saith the enuie is engendred cōmonly amongst three sorts of men that is those that be equal do enuy one another for their equality those that are in base estate do pursue with enuie those that are greater then themselues because they are inferior vnto thē those which are in great estate do bite with enuie those that be vnder them being endued with excellēt graces for feare least they be like vnto them or that they do surpasse thē Beza vpon the life of Caluin The great light of the church Caluin being ready to yeeld vp his soule vnto God amongst many lessōs which he gaue vnto thē that came to visit him he did grauely admonish yong men Many times old men do enuie yong men to carry thēselues modestly to eschew pride vainity and follie which are the vices to which they are subiect but hauing perceiued that old men did enuy yong mē whō they knew to be adorned with singular gifts A graue admonition of Caluin as well to old as yong he exhorted thē liuely to expel out of themselues this accursed passion The lesson of such a man ought to bee of great weight as well with young men as with the aged with young men because it may bee vnto them of one side an wholsome medicine to cure them of vaine opinions which oftentimes they do conceiue of themselues and on the other side to be an exercise of patience vnto them that seeing thēselues beset with the enuie of the aged in respect of their gifts vnto which they cānot attaine With the aged to make them diligētly to cōsider in that God doth freely distribute his gifts vnto all men they must take heede that they depriue not the Church of God of thē for the edification whereof he doth communicate his blessings the which they ought aboue all things to prefer before their particular affectiōs We will alleage here a most memorable history which ought to be wel considered both of yong and old the which we our selues pray you to weigh exactly There was a yōg mā named Pōponius Algier an Italian born of the towne of Nola in the kingdome of Naples of whom it is reported that being taken at Venice where hee studied A notable example of a yong maà which olde men shuld consider not to despise youth
and being brought before the Senate of the citie for the profession of the truth hee disputed with so great admiration against the aduersaries of the same that he was carried frō thēce vnto Rome to Pope Paulus the fourth where being assaulted with disputatiō he answered so to the purpose in the Popes court that all they which were present were rauished with a●miration obiected to him that they were ashamed that hee shoulde correct the church for they disputed about the church seeing that he was not yet 24. yeares of age he answered to this obiection that we reade in the scripture That vnderstanding is not giuen by age Luk. 1. Dan. 2. but that the spirit breatheth where it listeth Iohn Baptist receiued the holy ghost in his mothers wombe Daniel was a yong child when hee was brought before Nabucadnezer yet neuerthelesse the scripture saith that he was filled with wisedome and vnderstanding the three Hebrewes which were with Daniel wer likewise yong for they were called children yet they were wise of vnderstanding in diuine matters Timothy and Titus were not verie olde when they were chosen Bishops Gal. 4 And dooth not Saint Paul say that they are in bondage the obserue daies and times moneths yeares what answere you to your own laws which cōmandeth the bishop being aged The last Chapter distinc 38 not to refuse to learne of those which are yonger learneder thē himselfe If this be so why doo you blame my youth I pray God that this and such like words may be wel practised especially by old men thē the church of god shuld recciue such cōmodity oftentimes as it is hindered in many places because these things are not so well marked Wherfore let vs conclude in one word that whē question is made of the choise of a minister that no regard is to be made so much of the multitude of yeares as of the graces of God which are in them by whom God will bee serued prouided alwaies that these graces be accōpanied with a modest grauitie which doth recompence the default of age which may bee thought to cause some contempt of those that be yong CHAP. IX The third part of the difficulties of the ministrie which do consist in diuers maners of afflictions vnto which ministers be subiect LEtte vs come now to the sixt and last difficultie which may bee of great force to make al mē loath the ministrie which beareth any loue to the same and that is cōtempt opprobries ignomynies iniuries vnto which ordinarily pastors are exposed But because these accidents be almost infinit we will recite only the greatest we will reduce them all to eleuen or twelue in number the which we wil set down in order The principall afflictions vnto which the Prescher of the w●t be subiect as we haue done in other matters which we haue handled before placing the least more tollerable first afterwarde those which are more hard troublesome to suffer Not that we say that the Pastors alwaies shall fall into these accidents but because they haue happened vnto the prophets and Apostles the Ministers also which do succeed them in the preaching of the Gospell may fall into them as they do indeede when it shall please God so to try them 2 Chro. 32 First they are exposed to laughter and mocking as we reade of the messengers of God who hauing reprooued the people of Israel because they had forsaken the Lotd and had giuen themselues to the abhominations of the gentiles it is said That the Princes Ezech. 12 24. 1 Cor. 4 and the priests the people mocked the messengers of God and despised his words and misused his prophets vntil the wrath of the Lord arose against his people and till there was no remedy Saint Paule saith speaking of the Apostles we are made a gazing stock vnto the world and to the Angels and to men 2 Chro. 8 Secondly they are deadly hated of prophane men and euen of Kings as wee may read what Ahab answered Iehosophat the King of Iuda when hee had demaunded of him whether there were any other prophet of the Lord to enquire of him whether God woulde deliuer out of their handes Ramoth Gilead or no which they both beseeged Psal 109 hee aunswered I say to Iehosophat that there was one Michaiath the sonne of Iuda but he hated him These be those of whom Dauid complayneth calling them traytors and flatterers who haue rendred euill for good and hatred for loue Thirdly they are iniuried sometime one way sometime another way The good Elizeus going vp to Bethel heard the children that did iniurie him calling him Ball pate hall pate 2 King 2 The Prophets are called men of contention that striueth with the whole earth Fourthly Iere. 15 Ose 4 they are subiect to false accusations Osea was persecuted after this manner and almost all the other prophets Fiftly Iere. 29 they are subiect to be most villainously betrayed as Ieremias was by Semeias the Nehelamite because of a booke that he sent into Babilon Sixtly they are subiect to many ambushers which are prepared for thē as we may read how Elyas complaineth that he was left alone 1 King 19 of the Prophets of the Lord and that they sought to take away his life Seauenthly they are subiect to slanders as that they are seditious turbulent blasphemers This is a reproach to Elyas also to Ieremias Eightly 1 King 18 Iere. 43.5 that they are subiect to imprisonment Examples whereof we may see how Ahab imprisoned Michcas 1 King 22 Also by Ieremie who was at diuers times put in prison when Nabucadnezar besieged Ierusalem Iere. 20.32 by Zedechias the King of Iuda Hanani the Prophet hauing reprooued the king Asa for making allyance with the King of Syria 2 Chro. 16 he was imprisoned by him The Apostles also were often thus vsed as wee my reade in the booke of the Acts. Ninthly they are brought vnto iudgement to bee condemned as euill dooers we may see this in the prophesie of Ieremias Iere. 26 who when he exhorted the people to turne vnto god he was made a prisoner by the false prophets finally broght to iudgement S. Paule was vsed liwise after the same maner Tenthly they are subiect to blowes as we read of Micheas who receiued a blow vpon the cheeke of Ziakiiah the sonnne of Chenaanah also of Ieremiah who was stroken by Pashur and the other Apostles passed by this way Iere. 20 Eleuenthly we may ad the they must bear also which is most hard intollerable to be reuiled of wicked mē 2 Sam. 6 2 King 9 Wisd 5 Mark 3 whē they are enraged as Dauid Iehu iust mē S. Paul Iesus Christ himself And to this we may ioine another difficultie which is not lesse greeuous then the other The prophes are subiect to famine that they are subiect to famine Elias was