Selected quad for the lemma: earth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
earth_n	angel_n	creature_n	heaven_n	6,467	5	5.4379	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85942	Ippos pyrros = The red horse· or The bloodines of vvar, represented in a sermon (to perswade to peace) preached at Pauls, July 16. 1648, at five of the clocke in the afternoone. / By Jo: Geree, M.A. and pastor of St Faiths under Pauls. And now published to cleare the preacher from malignancy imputed to him by some left-eared auditors.	Geree, John, 1601?-1649.	1648 (1648)	Wing G596; Thomason E458_28; ESTC R23122	20,154	35

was given him to take away peace without which he could do nothing observe That Peace never is nor can be taken away without speciall commission from God Obs 3 Thirdly In that a great sword was given to the Rider who was to do these feats we may observe That when God intends any worke he usually raiseth up meanes answerable Obs 4 Fourthly And againe All the power that men have to act or accomplish designes they are furnished with it by the providence of God it is he that endues with power to hurt or help but on none of these shall I insist but on two others the one gathered from the thing represented an Horse another from that part of his worke that by taking away peace from the earth he should ingage men in mutuall slaughter First from that God revealing what judgement he would bring on the world for the contempt of the Gospell doth typifie this by a red horse we learne Sect. 4. The first Doctrine handled That the judgements that are designed of God against any people will when Gods time is come rush in upon them speedily and irresistably notwithstanding all the opposition that can be made The frequent use of this type by the holy Ghost may be a full proofe of this point So Psalm 106.29 Thus they provoked him to anger with their inventions and the plague broke in upon them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The plague made an irruption upon them like the waters upon a se a-banke or a troupe of Horse upon a band of Foot So on Senacharib when the Angell of the Lord went forth and smote in one night an hundred fourescore and five thousand Isa 38.36 So on Pharaoh when God with an high hand brought out his people out of Aegypt that very day of his designment Exod. 12.14 notwithstanding the hardnesse of Pharaohs heart and the might of his hand for in what they dealt proudly God was above them Exod. 18.11 Rea. Further to convince this this one reason may be sufficient because the judgements that are designed by God are also effected by him he hath an oare in the boate an hand in the execution and he is an Agent of that power that he can neither be resisted nor delayed longer then he pleaseth for he can worke immediately and he that can worke without meanes there is no possibility of resisting or delaying him humane resistance is by opposing meanes to meanes no resistan●● then against an immediate hand nor delay neither for he that needs no meanes whose willing is effecting he is ready to worke every moment and in what moment he will can make the plague begin thus dealt he with Naball 1 Sam 25.38 The Lord smote Nabal that he dyed So with Nebuchadnezzar while the word was in his mouth though he were the only Potentate on earth the word was spoken from heaven and the same houre the designe was executed Dan. 4.31 33. Secondly God can worke by Angels that come upon us invisibly and with greater might then we have to oppose It is true in a spirituall sence we may resist the devill a cursed spirit so as he will be put to flight Iames 4.7 But in a corporall way if God let them loose we can neither make resistance against good or evill Angels What way or meanes was there for that huge host of Senacharib to make resistance against the Angell that slew them what are Swords or Guns or Armour of proof to a spirit that cannot be annoyed by the one but can come within the other and destroy 3. He can worke by the heavens to make them as brasse that the earth may become as Iron or open the windows of heaven to corrupt the creatures on the ground and what resistance then Who can bind the moist influence of the Pleyades c. see Iob 38.31 Ier. 14.22 4. If he will worke by meanes that are in their nature resistable yet he can cloath them with such power and put such spirits into them that all shall bow before them as he did first raise up Nebuchadnezzar and strengthen him Ezek. 30.24 25. and after him Cyrus Isa 45.1 c. 5. If he will use weake meanes he can make them beare downe the strongest resistance He can make a barly cake overthrow a Tent and Gideon and 300. with lamps and trumpets discomfit an Army Iudg. 7. And deliver a great Army into the hands of a small company of men 2 Chron. 24.24 that so they may execute his judgements 6. If there be rubs in the way and those as great in mans eye and as immoveable as mountaines yet God can and will make them plaines Zech. 4.7 God rules in and over all those that should make opposition They live move and have their being in him and he can take them away he can strike them with sicknesse as he did that politique Nephew of the Popes Caesar Borgias and frustrate their strongest contrivances * Mihi dixit saith Machiavell se ad omnem rerum eventum quem a patris morte futurum putaret longe in posterum prospexisse atque remedia comparesse illud uaum duntaxat se praeteriisse quod scilicet nanquā putarat sub ejus morte sibi etiam cum morte esse consligendum Nich. Mach. prin Cap. 7. Who would have thought said he that I should have been sicke when my father dyed He can strike them with terrour that their hearts shall melt and their hands be weake as those Nations mightier than Israel Iosh 5.1 He can befoole them and make them hasten that ruine which they would avoyd by that meanes which they thinke to avoid it Thus did he Absalom 2 Sam. 17.14 yea he can turne their owne force upon themselves as now upon England if he purpose to make them miserable See Psal 37.14 15. In a word God hath not only such wisdome and power over all that none is able to resist but he hath that rule in all that none shall have a will to resist what he designes shall come to passe further than he orders the resistance to be made Now put all these together and may we not well conclude that his judgments are fitly represented as speedy and irresistable This may be improved three waies Sect. 5. The Uses of the Point Use 1 First this may be for the just terrour and usefull awakening of all such as carelesly rush into sin to make themselves lyable to Gods judgements see what their condition is how quickly and surely their judgements will come when God appoints Gods judgements come on horsebacke and so make speed and are unavoidable If I whet my glittering sword saith God and mine hand take hold of judgement I will render vengeance to mine enemies c. Deut. 32.41 42. It is true God is long suffering and not quick in designing judgments and this men usually abuse Eccl. 8.1 Because sentence is not executed speedily the hearts of the sons of men are set in them to do evill but when God once

men or devills can make Gods designes shall be speedily and irresistably executed 2. Why was this horsered what doth this colour import By this colour Interpreters generally agree Bloud is meant for Bloud is red and it dyes red that which it toucheth or lights on and so it is used in other places to represent bloud Who is this that commeth with dyed garments from Bozrah c. Wherefore art thou redinthine apparell c. I have troden the winepresse alone and of the people there was none with me for I will tread them in mine anger and trample them in my fury and their bloud shall be sprinkled on my garments and I will staine all my rayment Isa 63.1 2 3. Here red doth evidently import Bloud but the greatest difficulty is what bloud is here meant Paraeus by bloud here understands the bloud of Saints shed in Martyrdome Equus rufus est Ecclesia rubens martyriis The red horse saith he is the Church dyed red with martyrdome which Lyra seemes to restraine to that Christian bloud which was drawne by Nero but this Paraces dislikes as too narrow and therefore extends it to the bloud of the ten persecutions and concludes Haec est communis interpretatio minimè incommoda This is the common interpretation no waies inconvenient But our learned Countryman Brightman is of another opinion interpreting this red colour to import bloud but the bloud of war Igneus iste color bellum pugnas cades sanguinem designat c. That fiery colour doth import War Conflicts Slaughters Bloud and he is seconded by another learned and godly Countryman of ours Gyffard This representeth saith he the bloudy wars tumults and cruell slaughters of the earth and to the opinion of these do I incline for the reasons of Brightman seeme to me cogent For first this bloud that was to be shed was to be by taking away peace from the earth Earth we know is opposed to heaven and in this booke saith Brightman Coelum veram sanctanique Ecclesiam denotat Terra contra significat impium mundum Heaven notes out the true and holy Church but the earth signifies the wicked world Now the bloud being to be shed by taking peace from the earth which denotes the world he gathers the slaughter is by War not by persecution which takes away peace from the Church not the world He addes that this is further manifested by the declaration of the power given which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and that they should kill one another mutually or reciprocally but the Church revengeth not her selfe on her enemies much lesse is she transported with rage of slaughtering her own no that is the stain guilt and madnesse of our times to be bewailed with teares of bloud he therefore rationally concludes that this bloud that dies red is not to be understood Depersecutione sed de bellorum tempestate not of a tempest of persecution falling on the Church but of war on the world And this is lastly confirmed by events for in the daies of Antoninus Verus after the Roman Empire had been long quiet from any remarkeable war for their rejecting and persecuting the Gospell of peace Pax aufertur hominibus illico and omnia ardent bellis peace is taken from men and all are on fire with warre First the Persian and next the Marcomannian war which was one of the forest the Romans had met with compared by Eutropius to the Carthaginian war which brought Rome to her lowest ebbe 3. But who is meant by the Rider Paraus thinks it probable to be Christ whose Gospell not of it selfe but accidentally through the corruption of men takes away peace Thinke not that I am come to send peace on the earth I came not to send peace but a sword Mat. 10.34 Others understand it of Nero others extend to all the authors of the ten persecutions but these understand the bloud to be the bloud of Martyrs not of war Others interpret this Rider to be the Devill himselfe So Gyfford in his Paraphrasticall Sermons on the place The Rider upon this horse is the devill himselfe for he is most fit for such a turne he is a cruell murtherer from the beginning c. And no doubt but he is the prime stickler or instigator in all such bloudy designes and therefore we must understand it of him or of the Persians and Marcomanni instigated by him 4. What is meant by his worke This is twofold Power was given him to take away peace from the earth that is to throw a ball of contention among men to interrupt their tranquillity and hurry them into a bloudy war but marke power was given him for this quia non rem gereret suo arbitrio sed alieno imperio to shew that he did not mannage the matter after his owne arbitrement but at the command of another he had had no power had it not been given him from above but then he could set all on a flame And that they should kill one another this is plaine peace is taken away by war and in war mens worke is mutuall slaughter 5. But what is lastly meant by the great sword Paraeus understands it of the sword of the Spirit the Word of God which doth accidentally by separation made in converting some not others and by sharpe reproofes irritate men against the Church but this supposeth the bloud here to be the bloud of persecution which being above manifested to be the bloud of war This great sword must needs import that power that was given by confederacies and all requisites of slaughter by the providence of God to those that should be Actors in this Tragedy And so you have the meaning of the words Sect. 3. The division of the Text with the severall observations arising from it In the words thus opened you have represented 1. an Horse 2. His colour red 3. His Rider 4. His worke to take away peace from the earth amplified with the consequent of it that men might kill one another 5. His commission 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 power was given him 6. His furniture there was given unto him a great sword Many usefull observations are held forth to us in these words I will only name some of them and insist on two with reference to the time Obs 1 First then in that you have here a red horse following a white as afterward a black one going out after this red we may observe That the Church continues not long in any condition but is subject to variety of changes That she may not surfeit on any administration that she may have opportunity to exercise every grace and learne to beare every condition Strange not then at changes but rather still expect vicissitudes of peace and trouble prosperity and adversity that in the one you may not be proud for feare of a fall and that in the other you may be kept from fainting by hope of raising for changes are not long away Obs 2 Secondly in that power