Selected quad for the lemma: earth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
earth_n	church_n	true_a	visible_a	4,507	5	9.4265	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A02531	Contemplations, the sixth volume. By Ios. Hall D. of D.; Contemplations upon the principall passages of the Holy Storie. Vol. 6	Hall, Joseph, 1574-1656.	1622 (1622)	STC 12657A; ESTC S103671	93,503	467

Sion Neither hammer nor axe was heard in that holy structure There was nothing but noyse in Lebanon nothing in Sion but silence and peace What euer tumults are abroad it is fit there should be all quietnesse sweet concord in the Church Oh God that the axes of schisme or the hammers of furious contentions should be heard within thy Sanctuary Thine house is not built with blowes with blowes it is beaten downe Oh knit the hearts of thy seruants together in the vnity of the spirit and the bond of peace that we may minde and speake the same things that thou who art the God of peace maist take pleasure to dwell vnder the quiet roofe of our hearts Now is the foundation laid and the wals rising of that glorious fabricke which all Nations admired and all times haue celebrated Euen those stones which were laid in the Base of the building were not ragged and rude but hewne and costly the part that lyes couered with earth from the eyes of all beholders is no lesse precious then those that are most conspicuous God is not all for the eye hee pleaseth himselfe with the hidden value of the liuing stones of his spirituall Temple How many noble graces of his feruants haue beene buried in obscurity not discerned so much as by their owne eyes which yet as he gaue so he crowneth Hypocrites regard nothing but shew God nothing but truth The matter of so goodly a frame striues with the proportion whether shall more excell Here was nothing but white Marble without nothing but Cedar and Gold within Vpon the Hill of Sion stands that glittering and snowy pile which both inuiteth and dazeleth the eyes of passengers a farre off so much more precious within as Cedar is better then stone Gold then Cedar No base thing goes to the making vp of Gods house If Satan may haue a dwelling he cares not though he patch it vp of the rubbish of stone or rotten sticks or drosse of mettals God will admit of nothing that is not pure and exquisite His Church consists of none but the faithfull his habitation is in no heart but the gracious The fashion was no other then that of the Tabernacle only this was more costly more large more fixed God was the same that dwelt in both hee varied not the same mystery was in both Onely it was fit there should be a proportion betwixt the worke and the builder The Tabernacle was erected in a popular estate the Temple in a Monarchy it was fit this should fauour of the munificence of a King as that of the zeale of a multitude That was erected in the flitting condition of Israel in the desert this in their setled residence in the promised Land it was fit therefore that should be framed for motion this for rest Both of them were distinguished into three remarkable diuisions whereof each was more noble more reserued then other But what doe we bend our eies vpon stone and wood and mettals God would neuer haue taken pleasure in these dead materials for their owne sakes if they had not had a further intendment Me thinkes I see foure Temples in this one It is but one in matter as the God that dwels in it is but one three yet more in resemblance according to the diuision of them in whom it pleases God to inhabite For where euer God dwels there is his temple Oh God thou vouchsafest to dwell in the beleeuing heart as we thy sillie creatures haue our being in thee so thou the Creator of heauen and earth hast thy dwelling in vs. The heauen of heauens is not able to containe thee and yet thou disdainest not to dwell in the strait lodgings of our renewed soule So then because Gods children are many and those many diuided in respect of themselues though vnited in their head therefore this Temple which is but one in collection as God is one is manifold in the distribution as the Saints are many each man bearing about him a little shrine of this infinite Maiestie And for that the most generall diuision of the Saints is in their place and estate some strugling and toyling in this earthly warfare others triumphing in heauenly glorie therefore hath God two other more vniuersall Temples One the Church of his Saints on earth the other the hiest heauen of his Saints glorified In all these ô God thou dwellest for euer and this materiall house of thine is a cleere representation of these three spirituall Else what were a temple made with hands vnto the God of spirits And tho one of these was a true type of all yet how are they all exceeded each by other This of stone though most rich and costly yet what is it to the liuing Temple of the holy Ghost which is our body What is the Temple of this body of ours to the Temple of Christs body which is his Church And what is the Temple of Gods Church on earth to that which triumpheth gloriously in heauen How easily doe we see all these in this one visible Temple which as it had three distinctions of roomes the Porch the Holy-place the Holy of Holies so is each of them answered spiritually In the porch we finde the regenerate soule entring into the blessed societic of the Church In the holy place the Communion of the true visible Church on earth selected from the world In the holy of holies whereinto the hie-Priest entred once a yeere the glorious heauen into which our true hie-Priest Christ Iesus entred once for all to make an attonement betwixt God and man In all these what a meet correspondence there is both in proportion matter situation In proportion The same rule that skilfull caruers obserue in the dutting out of the perfect statue of a man that the height be thrice the breadth and the breadth one third of the height was likewise dulie obserued in the fabrike of the Temple whose length was double to the height and treble to the breadth as being sixtie cubits long thirtie hie and twentie broad How exquisite a symmetrie hast thou ordained ô God betwixt the faithfull heart and thy Church on earth with that in heauen how accurate in each of these in all their powers and parts compared with other So hath God ordered the beleeuing soule that it hath neither too much shortnesse of grace nor too much height of conceit nor too much breadth of passion So hath he ordered his visible Church that there is a necessarie inequalitie without any disproportion an height of gouernment a length of extent a breadth of iurisdiction duly answerable to each other So hath he ordered his triumphant Church aboue that it hath a length of eternitie answered with an height of perfection and a breadth of incomprehensible glorie In matter All was here of the best The wood was precious sweet lasting The stone beautifull costly insensible of age The gold pure and glittering So are the graces of Gods children excellent in their

opinion If we giue almes and fast some will magnifie our charity and deuotion others will taxe our hypocrisie If we giue not some will condemne our hard-heartednesse others will allow our care of iustice If we preach plainly to some it will sauour of a carelesse slubbering to others of a mortified sinceritie Elaborately some will tax our affectation others will applaud our diligence in dressing the delicate viands of God What maruel is it if it be thus with our imperfection when it fared no otherwise with him that was puritie and righteousnesse it selfe The austere fore-runner of Christ came neither eating nor drinking they say He hath a Deuill The sonne of man came eating and drinking they say This man is a glutton a friend of Publicans and sinners and here one of his holy acts carries away at once wonder censure doubt celebration There is no way safe for a man but to square his actions by the right rule of iustice of charitie and then let the world haue leaue to spend their glosses at pleasure It was an heroicall resolution of the chosen vessell I passe very little to be iudged of you or of mans day I maruell not if the people maruelled for here were foure wonders in one The blinde saw the deafe heard the dumbe spake the demoniacke is deliuered Wonder was due to so rare and powerfull a worke and if not this nothing We can cast away admiration vpon the poore deuices or actiuities of men how much more vpon the extraordinarie workes of omnipotencie Whoso knowes the frame of heauen and earth shall not much be affected with the imperfect effects of fraile humanitie but shall with no lesse rauishment of soule acknowledge the miraculous workes of the same almightie hand Neither is the spirituall eiection worthy of any meaner intertainment Raritie and difficultie are wont to cause wonder There are many things which haue wonder in their worth and leese it in their frequence there are some which haue it in their strangenesse and leese it in their facilitie Both meet in this To see men haunted yea possessed with a dumbe Deuill is so frequent that it is a iust wonder to finde a man free but to finde the dumbe spirit cast out of a man and to heare him praising God confessing his sinnes teaching others the sweet experiments of mercie deserues iust admiration If the Cynick sought in the market for a man amongst men well may we seeke amongst men for a conuert Neither is the difficultie lesse then the rarenesse The strong man hath the possession all passages are blockt vp all helpes barred by the trecherie of our nature If any soule be rescued from these spirituall wickednesses it is the praise of him that doth wonders alone But whom doe I see wondring The multitude The vnlearned beholders follow that act with wonder which the learned Scribes entertaine with obloquie God hath reuealed those things to babes which he hath hid from the wise and prudent With what scorne did those great Rabbins speake of these sonnes of the earth This people that knowes not the Law is accursed Yet the mercie of God makes an aduantage of their simplicitie in that they are therefore lesse subiect to cauillation and incredulitie as contrarily his iustice causes the proud knowledge of the other to lie as a blocke in their way to the readie assent vnto the diuine power of the Messias Let the pride of glorious aduersaries disdaine the pouertie of the clients of the Gospell it shall not repent vs to goe to heauen with the vulgar whiles their great ones goe in state to perdition The multitude wondered Who censured but Scribes great Doctors of the law of the diuinitie of the Iewes What Scribes but those of Ierusalem the most eminent Academie of Iudea These were the men who out of their deepe-reputed iudgement cast these foule aspersions vpon Christ. Great wits oft-times mis-lead both the owners and followers How many shall once wish they had beene borne dullards yea idiots when they shall finde their wit to haue barred them out of heauen Where is the Scribe where is the disputer of this world Hath not God made the wisdome of the world foolishnesse Say the world what it will a dramme of holinesse is worth a pound of wit Let others censure with the Scribes let me wonder with the multitude What could malice say worse He casteth out Deuils through Beelzebub the Prince of Deuils The Iewes well knew that the Gods of the heathen were no other then Deuils Amongst whom for that the Lord of Files so called whether for the concourse of flies to the abundance of his sacrifices or for his aide implored against the infestation of those swarmes was held the chiefe therefore they stile him The Prince of Deuils There is a subordination of spirits some hier in degree some inferiour to others Our Sauiour himselfe tels vs of the Deuill and his Angels Messengers are inferiour to those that send them The seuen Deuils that entred into the swept and garnished house were worse then the former Neither can Principalities and Powers and Gouernours and Princes of the darknesse of this world designe other then seuerall rankes of euill Angels There can be no being without some kinde of order there can be no order in paritie If wee looke vp into heauen there is The King of Gods The Lord of Lords hier then the hiest If to the earth There are Monarchs Kings Princes Peeres people If we looke downe to hell There is the Prince of Deuils They labour for confusion that call for paritie What should the Church doe with such a forme as is not exemplified in heauen in earth in hell One deuill according to their supposition may be vsed to cast out another How farre the command of one spirit ouer another may extend it is a secret of infernall state too deepe for the inquirie of men The thing it selfe is apparent vpon compact and precontracted composition one giues way to other for the common aduantage As we see it in the Common-wealth of Cheaters and Cut-purses one doth the fact another is feed to bring it out and to procure restitution both are of the trade both conspire to the fraud the actor falls not out with the reuealer but diuides with him that cunning spoile One malicious miscreant sets the Deuill on worke to the inflicting of disease or death another vpon agreement for a further spirituall gaine takes him off There is a Deuill in both And if there seeme more bodily fauour there is no lesse spirituall danger in the latter In the one Satan wins the agent the suitor in the other It will be no cause of discord in hell that one deuill giues ease to the body which another tormented that both may triumph in the gaine of a soule O God that any creature which beares thine Image should not abhorre to be beholden to the powers of hell for aid for aduice Is it not because there is not a God