Selected quad for the lemma: earth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
earth_n	common_a	general_n	great_a	41	3	2.1025	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A42389	Moses and Aaron brethren, or, The excellencie, necessity, consistencie, and vsefulnesse of magistracy and ministery under the Gospel opened in a sermon preached at the assizes held at Darby the eighth of March, MDCLIII / by Samuel Gardiner ... published not for contention, but satisfaction.	Gardiner, Samuel, 1619 or 20-1686.	1653 (1653)	Wing G247; ESTC R30401	15,886	26

have a publick outward standing Magistracie and Ministery to rule and direct his people and he that presumptuously and contemptuously opposed their directions Deut. 17.12 was to die the death so far was God from leaving every one to his own humour and self-government even of his own people who were a Kingdom of Priests holy and deare unto God as well as any now under the Gospel But says the Socinianiz'd Anabaptist There 's great difference 'twixt the Jews and us Gradu non substantia Iten Euseb was the Jews 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lib. 1. § 5. we are Christians You must not urge legal adminstrations and institutions in Gospel-times I answer The Jews were Christians as well as we were they not believers saved by faith Heb. 11. Was not Abraham one who was the father of the faithful The Jewish and Christian Church differ not in substance but in degree of perfection onely in time and growth not in nature Can they prove Magistracie Ministery or Tithes either Ceremonials things that have in them any thing peculiar typical proper to the Jews as such no way allowable under the Gospel if not their exception is vain and frivolous But who were they to whom Saint Paul writes Rom. 13.1 to be subject to the higher powers Were they not Christians Does he not enjoyn Titus to put Christians in minde Tit●s 3.1 to be subject to principalities and powers to obey Magistrates This is New Testament-doctrine and is not that a Christians 1 Thess 5.12 We beseech you Brethren to know them that labour amongst you and are over you in the Lord surely without self-exaltation and love of pre-eminency and to esteem them very highly for their work sake What work for admonishing you Isaiah 29.21 But men of this spirit most scornfully mis-esteem them hating them whose special ofice it is to reprove in the gate And no question they that hate Ministers for admonishing them of their sinnes and errours do however they hide it hate Magistrates much more in their hearts for punishing their persons But if such principles of levelling Anabaptisme prevail it 's no great matter whether men be Magistrates or Ministers they 'l make a perfect parity which if it be the Gospel-Reformation it 's just it should be a thorow one But I shall close up this with the serious and seasonable admonition of Saint Peter Wherefore Beloved seeing ye know these things before 2 Pe● 3.17 what they tend to take heed lest ye be carried away as with a land-flood with the errour 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the lawless ones or as we read it wicked ones And they may well stand together for lawlesse persons are wicked persons either they must be so or the lawes Such they have formerly prov'd witnesse the Circumcelliones or rigid Donatists of old and the Anabaptists in Germany of late But lest any should surmise as the world is full of jealousie and mistake that I have spoken all this while covertly for ryranny oppression or persecution of quiet and harmlesse persons for insolent domination over Gods people either by Moses or Aaron Magistrate or Minister let me request your patience to the last particular The temper or manner of this Government which I have hitherto vindicated and commended expressed in this Metaphor like a flock There 's two things it Lenity Unity I am for both 1 Lenity like a flock not like an herd of Swine or drove of Oxen that are driven by violence and rigour but like a flock of sheep that must be gently and tenderly led The Romanes sometimes took their Generals from the Plough Duci volunt n●n cogi which rips up the bowels of our common mother the earth but God when he chose a man after his own heart to govern his people Flotu lib. 1. David from following the Ewes great with young a condition requiring all tendernesse he took him that he might feed Jacob his people Psal 78.72 and Israel his Inheritance He brought him up a tender Shepherd over sheep that so he might make him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Homer calls his Prince a fit Shepheard of men Moses was a man of the same occupation a Shepherd and of the same temper and disposition too Numb 12.3 the meekest man upon the face of the earth as soft as the wool on his Sheeps backs his gentle hand it is by which God led Israel no Phaeton's or Furius's Thou leddest thy people by the hand of Moses 2 It notes as a leading with lenity so in unity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sicut pecudem like one sheep in respect of unity like a flock in respect of society and communion Our Saviour often compares his Desciples to sheep it 's his usuall Hieroglyphick Joh. 10. Matth. 25. Sometimes to a flock Luke 12.32 Fear not little flook Heb. 10.25 Sheep are animalia aggregativa Love the flock 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to synagoguize to assemble together Beasts of prey as lions and beares are solivaga love to wander alone It 's true sheep are apt to go astray and therefore Shepherds are necessary but it 's never more then when they leave the Shepherd and the sheep-fold I have gone astray like a sheep that 's lost Psal 119. ult We read in the Gospel of a sheep lost seldome or never of a flock lost There 's great security as well as comfort in the communion of found and honest Christians The communion of Saints is indeed an article of our faith but we have disputed it almost to nothing I care not to graspe shadowes But certainly God delights not in subtle nice and unnecessary separations and divisions It pleases him little to see his people scatter'd up and down in holes and hedge-bottoms He loves to see them tanquam gregem like a flock Thou leddest thy people like a flock And ô that Gods people would be like Gods people here like a flock And to that end that they would without peevishnesse or prejudice be led Ezek. 13.7 Matth. 26.31 as God in all ages has led his people by Moses and Aaron Magistrates and Ministers for seeing there is no infallible spirit to direct us in our dayes unlesse in the Popes chair or the Anabaptists stool it 's the surest and best way of government God has now left us to follow at least to submit to the judgements of such men as God in the way of providence has according to the judgement of men able to discern endowed with gifts suitable to places of publick instruction or direction For self-conceited fancy and pretended revelation or authorization by the Spirit onely is the mother of all confusion and delusion And ô that Magistrates whom God has designed to rule would lead his people like a flock in unity with lenity So as to be neither Jehu's driving too furiously lest they over-drive the sheep nor yet Gallio's ruling too negligently betraying their own authority together with the peoples security That Ministers would study Unity the end of their Office Ephes 4.16 Ephes 4.16 that the whole body of the Church being compacted not distracted into factions and fractions which we know hinder thriving by dislocation may grow to the increase of it self in love And that people would know them that are over them as Pastors and Shepherds in the Lord hearken to them Heb. 13.7 17. 1 Pet. 5.4 following their faith and sound Doctrine seeing they must render an account of their soules to the chief Shepherdat the last day that they may do it with joy not grief of heart which will not be profitable for them My Lords ye are this day to drive the chariot of the Sun of righteousnesse betwixt these two Tropicall points Lenity Vnity ye are to sing Davids song in the me●n of mercy and judgement will I sing Psal 101.1 Let mercy have the precedency go before but let judgement pursue and overtake evil doers To take out the Prophet Micah's lesson Micah 6.8 To love mercy and to do justice so to love mercy as to do justice so to do justice as still to love mercy To which purpose forget not Aaron he 's your brother The benefit of the Clergy as it 's commonly called is as I conceive under your Lordships favour a prudent mitigation of the severity of our Lawes wisely intwisted into the administration of justice by our fore-seeing fore-fathers Net totam se● vitutem ferre possumus nec totam libertatem who knew our temper that we could endure neither all lenity nor all severity Too much liberty will make us wilde too much severity will make us mad Medio tutissimus ibis the mean is safest best Lead us then in a word like a flock with lenity lest we be worried by our keepers with unity lest we worry one another So aime at unity as to use lenity so exercise lenity as still to preserve unity So shall ye be as gods knowing good and evill fit Instruments and Representatives of him that led his people like a flock by the hand c. FINIS June 25 1653. Imprimatur Edmund Calamy

punishments of wise laws and sometimes upon trespass impounded Psal 119. last And men have their errours too I have gone astray like a sheep that 's lost says the Kingly Prophet The far greater part of men are born not to rule but to obey to be led and directed by others seeing they have not a sufficiency of reason and understanding much less of grace and honesty to carry themselves inoffensively toward God and man The people of Israel Gods own people never strayed farther from all Piety and Justice then when every man was left to his own government and self-direction doing what was good in his own eyes As we may see in the story of the Levite and his Concubine and such times usually make bold with the Levite recorded in the last Chapter of Judges and the last Verse Government a singular mercy in respect of direction that 's the first 2 In the Shepherds leading his sheep as there 's direction so provision Praeit ut prosit he goes before them but it 's to feed them he leads them but it s to green pastures and cleer still waters Psal 23.2 Government a singular mercy in respect of provision in regard it provides for all takes care of all even of the poore of infants and out-casts that else would perish it regulates trade it forbids Monopolies ingrossures depopulating inclosures 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Aristotle wrote to Alexander Psal 50 1. Divúm Pater that so all may live in imployment Governours and Magistrates the powers mentioned Rom. 13.1 as they are ordained of God so it 's in bonum for good to be not flagella ira Dei the plagues and scourges but rather provisores to provide for the people committed to their care To be like God whom they represent optimi as well as maximi best as well as greatest and first best and then greatest The hunger-starv'd Aegyptians run to Pharach and he sends them to Joseph and what would they have done if they had not had a Joseph to provide for them 2 Kings 6 26. The woman in the siege of Samaria cryed out to the King Help my Lord ô King Hence the Heathen placed the Images of their Magistrates by their spring-heads which refresh all comers Caussinus H●ero Gen. 20. Haurite ex me tanquam ex Nilo vestro Vespasian to the Egyptians in Sueton. Patres Conscripti 1 Tim. 5.8 the poorest and meanest The King of Gerar is styl'd Abimelech that is My father the King and the Roman Senators were usually styl'd Fathers Now it belongs to Fathers as to guide and govern so to provide for their family Government as it 's a direction of all so it 's intended by God as a provision for all and therefore in it's own nature a singular blessing to all 3 In the Shepherds leading as there 's direction and provision so protection as he guides and feeds so he defends his flock To this purpose he has his staff and chiefly his Dog not to worry weak sheep but abigere lupos to drive away the Wolves and beasts of prey from the fold Otherwise he 's a hireling one that cares not for the sheep but the wooll Tondere non tueri Government a singular mercy for as it directs men where they are apt to erre provides for such as are most exposed to want so it protects all in what they enjoy Pluck up the hedge of Government and all things are common No man has any thing which another may not say is his if so be he have the longer sword Magistrates are therefore styled the shields of the earth Psal 47.9 The shield is a weapon of defence not offence it keeps off blows it interposes it self twixt harm and the body Codrus in Just The Fabii and Decii in Florus 2 Tim. 3.1 2. All stories divine and humane are full of the names of such as have sacrificed themselves to certain death for the safety of the Common-wealth But alas we are fallen into the very dregs of time men are lovers of themselves and that 's a signe of perillous times yea a cause The King of Tyre is called an anointed covering Cherub from the tender protection he gave his people quasisub alis Ezck. 28.18 as it were under his wing Magistrates when worthy of their place and calling are Angeli Custodes Guardian Angels of the places they presule over like the Cherubims that covered the Arke the Law and the Testimony from prophane irreverence Exod. 37.9 or like those Cherubims in Paradise that with the flaming sword of Justice defend the lives and possessions of their people in peace and security And is not this my beloved a singular mercy have ye so soon forgot lawless and plundering times Feare lest a worse thing happen unto you Doubtless to be deprived of the benefit of good Laws and the protection of Government is nothing else then with Nebuchadnezar to be driven to live amongst beasts of if amongst men under the curse and trembling of Cain that omnis homo lictor every one that meets us will slay us Government then a singular mercy in respect of protection Let there be none amongst us then that may deserve the brand of Saint Peter 2 Pet. 2.10 Jude 8. and Saint Jude set on some in their days so ancient is the mistake of true Christian liberty They despise dominion and speak evil of dignitie presumptuous and self-will'd persons Legibus servire libertas Cicero Aquinas Yenophon Cyrus We should be most ungrateful to God and men for so excellent a blessing if we should look upon all Government as tyranny and slavery on just Laws as bolts and shackles It 's true liberty to obey good Lawes For good Lawes are nothing but recta ratio right reason and he 's a beast or a bedlam that will not be rul'd by reason The Persians taught their children the knowledge of Laws assoon as of Letters And the Cretians and Agathyrsi were so in love with their Laws Concentu quodam Musico Aelian Var. hist Deut. 32. that they taught them their children in Songs with Musick An imitation possibly of Gods own prescription who taught his people the sum of his Laws in a Song Saint Paul gives order that Prayers and not onely Prayers but Thanksgivings also should be offered up to God for all in authority 1 Tim. 2.1 that under them we may live a peaceable life if that we may surely much rather when we do or may if we please And great reason thanks should be offered up to God in this behalf in regard Deus nobis haec otia fecit God is the principal authour of this mercy whosoever be the instruments Thou leddest though by the hand of Moses and Aaron God was the Shepherd of Israel Psal 80.1 that led Joseph like a flock even he that sits between the Cherubims Thou leddest sayes Isaiah thy people with thy glorious arm by the right hand of