Selected quad for the lemma: end_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A07316
|
A nevv eight-fold probation of the Church of Englands divine constitution prooved by many pregnant arguments, to be much more complete then any Geneuian in the world against the contrary assertion of the fifty three petitioner-preachers of Scotland in their petition presented in the later Parliament to the Kings most excellent Maiesty. With a ten-folde probation of the same churches doctrine touching one of the most important points of our creede, which is of our sauiours descending into Hell. By Iames Maxvvell. Master of Artes, &c.
|
Maxwell, James, b. 1581.
|
1617
(1617)
|
STC 17704; ESTC S103373
|
82,870
|
119
|
slay him that is his portion shall bee with hypocrites and the generation of vipers for the old Serpent that wicked viper shall slay his soule hee shall not see the riuers nor the floods and streames of hony and butter that is to say hee shall not taste of the happinesse of the heauenly Canaan Hee on earth shut God from his inheritance on earth but in the end God shall shut him out of the earth and debarre him from heauen hurle him headlong into hell He shall restore the labour and shall deuoure no more euen according to the substance shall bee his exchange Vers 18 19 20 21 22 23 and he shall enioy it no more For he hath vndone many he hath forsaken the poore and hath spoyled houses which hee built not euen Church-mens houses yea Gods house and God himselfe hath he spoiled Surely he shall feele no quietnesse in his body neither shall hee reserue of that which he desired there shal none of his meate beleft therfore none of his shall hope for his goods As if hee should say because hee would needes deuoure Gods meate and the dyet of his Ministers therefore God shal send the deuourer to eate vp his meate For when hee shall bee filled with his abundance that is with Gods portion and Church mens prouision He shall be in paine and the hand of all the wicked shall assaile him that is to say because he was so wicked as to stretch out his hand to spoile God therefore God shall make many wicked mens hands to spoile him He shal be about to fill his belly to wit with Gods Ministers meate but God shall send vpon him his fierce wrath and shall cause to raine vpon him euen vpon his meat As if he should say Gods Ministers meate shall doe him no good for God shall either draw it out of his belly or else he shall turne it in the midst of his bowels into the gall of aspes And not only shall God draw his own Ministers meate out of the God-spoilers miserable belly but he shall also draw the sacrilegious soule out of the deuouring body it shal burne in the fire that is not blowne that is in hell fire that needeth no blowing The heauen shall declare his wickednesse for he was so wicked and impious Verse 26 27 28 29 as to spoile the God of heauen and the earth shall rise vp against him for he was so vngratious as to robbe Gods Ministers and houshold seruants on earth the increase of his house shall goe away it shall flow away in the day of his wrath As if he should say the mans house that is increased builded or reared vp by the decrease or robbery of Gods house it shall not alwaies stand the grease and fatnesse of it shall flow away like water the pelfe and wealth thereof shall vanish and melt away like the fat of Lambes or as doth the snow before the Sun Such is the portion of the wicked from God and the heritage that he shall haue at Gods hands as if he should say desolation and destruction in substance in body and soule shall be the portion and heritage of all impenitent vnrestoring God-spoilers vnworthy of the title of Gospellers men worse then idolaters which doe indeed turne the true God into an idol as the other doe an idol into God and worship feare neither true nor false deitie A false God they know not and the true God they will not acknowledge for otherwise they would stand in awe to spoile God of his portion and to bereaue him of his inheritance And therefore to shut vp this pleading for Gods Priests and their honourable maintenance let me pray beseech all Britaines especially my deere country-men of Scotland that if they desire either to be rich heere or happie hereafter that they would be bountiful liberal to Gods seruants that euery man that hath takē from the Church any thing or withholden from Churchmen their Tithes in whole or in part by sacrilegious impropriation or wicked vsurpation Luk. 19.8 that he would restore with repenting Zacheus fourefolde or at least the principall stocke which he hath in his hands Let him I say listen with all diligence and conscience vnto the precept of the most high vttered by the mouth of his prophet Malachie saying Malach. 3.10.11.12 bring euery Tithe into the storehouse that there may be meate in mine house and prooue me withall saith the Lord of hoasts If I wil not open the windowes of heauen vnto you and powre you out a blessing without measure and I wil reproue the deuourer for your sakes and he shall not destroy the fruite of the ground neither shall your vine be barren in the field saith the Lord of hoastes and all nations shall call you blessed because ye shall be a pleasant land Lastly let vs all listen vnto the godly and graue exhortation of wise king Salomon saying honor the Lord with thy substance and with the first fruites of all thine encrease Prouerb 3.9 so shall thy barnes be filled with abundance and thy presse shall ouerflow with new wine and let vs with our whole hearts applaude our owne Salomons glorious and diuine endeauours tending to the perfit constitution of our Church and to the aduancing of Almightie Gods sincere worship and let vs blesse the God of Iacob for raising vp vnto vs from the North a Iacob to be aninstrument of such blessednesse vnto both North and South according to that which he once promised by his Prophet Isay 4 3 6. Isay 4.1 25. I will say to the North giue and to the South keepe not backe And againe I haue raised vp from the North and be shall come from the east Sunne shall hee call vpon my name and yet againe Vers 8.9 10.11 12 speaking of the conuersion of the Ilands and endes of the earth vnto Christ as if hee pointed at our Iacob Thou Iacob whom I haue chosen I haue taken thee from the endes of the earth and called thee before the chiefe thereof and said vnto thee thou art my seruant I haue chosen thee be not afraid for I am with thee behold all they that prouoke thee shall be ashamed and they that striue with thee shall perish Euen blessed be the God of Iacob for giuing vs a Iacob to be the instrument of so great blessednesse vnto this I le and to the Church thereof and grant that wee may with both hands and hearts lay hold on such blessed occasions as he doth now tender vs by the hand of his blessed Iacob for the amending of the defects of our Church where through all nations may call vs a blessed people Amen FINIS A DEMONSTRATIVE DEFENCE OR TENFOLD PROBATION OF THE DOCTRINE OF THE CHVRCH OF ENGLAND TOVCHING one of the most important points of our Creed necessary to be vnderstood of all Christians which is of our Sauiours descending into hell after death to binde and
of equall dignitie and authoritie or whether or no there ought to bee amongst the multitude of Ministers some superiours to gouerne and some inferiours to be gouerned for good orders sake and to bee called for distinctions sake by different names applying or appropriating the common name of Bishop to the superiour and the common name of Presbyter Priest or Pastour to the inferiour And truly in the time of my owne Puritanisme and Geneuisme I was wont to presse this verball argument asmuch as any man to prooue thereby the paritie of pastours and there is not another argument to that purpose worth a pinne but in the end I found it both fallacious and friuolous for in the Scriptures Kings Apostles Act. 6. Rom. 13 4 1. Cor. 4 1. Colosi 1.25 1. Thess 3.2 1. Tim. 3.8.12 Prophets Euangelists Pastours and Deacous are called by the common name of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ministers or seruants of God and yet their Ministrations and seruices are not of the same nature nor of equall dignitie and the two names of presbyter or elder beeing referred to office and not to age and of Gouernour or Ruler or Ouerseer are conucrtible for euery Elder is a Gouernour and euery Gouernour is on Elder and yet the Elderships and Gouernments are distinct Numb 11 16.17 Ezra 10.8 Luk. 22.66 Act. 20.17 for some are called Lay-elders or elders of the people to wit in temporal matters and those were the Magistrates of the lewish Common-wealth and others are called Elders of the Church to wit Gouernours of the people in spirituall matters as Ministers of the Word and Sacraments so that both the one and the other were Elders and Gouernours and yet they were of different and distinct kindes the one temporall Elders and Gouernours of the people in the Common-weale the other spirituall Elders and Gouernours of the same people in the Church and semblably these spiritual Gouernours of the Church and Ministers of the word both Bishops and Presbyters or Priests are called by the common name of Presbyters Priests and Elders and likewise by the common name of Episcopi Bishops Superintendents or Ouerseers and yet they differ both in the obiect of their office and in their degree for the one are cheife Priests Elders of the Church and the other are inferiour Priests and Elders of the same Church the one are Bishops Superintendents and Ouerseers of the Laitie or people in spirituall things but the other are Bishops Superintendents and Ouerseers of the Clergie as well as of the Laitie and of their inferiour priests and pastours aswell as of the people in the same spirituall things In a word the Church of God being the best ordered Body that can be behoued to consist of Superiours to gouerne and of Inferiours to bee gouerned to wit of these two rankes Clergie and Laitte and as the Laitie was to bee gouerned by the Clergie as the children by the fathers and schollers by their masters so the Clergie being a great multitude was to haue order and gouernement in it selfe and therfore behoued to consist of superiours and inferiours likewise And to these ouerseers of the Church were assigned different names and titles for distinctions sake the Ouerseers or Rulers of the Church in the quarters of the world were called Patriarkes the Ouerseer and Ruler of the Church of a whole kingdome was called a Primate the Ouerseers and Rulers of the Clergie or Church in the seuerall Prouinces of a kingdome were called Archbishops and the Ouerseers or Rulers of the same Clergie in a diocesse or shiere were called Bishops like as the Ouerseers of the Laitie or people in a parish were called Presbyters Priests or Pastours for in the last Section of this worke wherein we doe entreate more at large of the honourable titles and maintenance of the ministerie we show likewise how that the Ministers of the Gospel ought not to disclaime the honourable stile and title of Priests Thus we see how that there must needs bee imparitie and inequalitie amongst Ministers except wee meane to make them a multitude without order and gouernment or else giue them from Geneua Lay-gouernours for amongst them the Elders of the Church which bee lay men being more in number to passe ouer their Lay-deacons doe gouerne the Ministers beeing the smaller number iudge and censure them both in life and doctrine and so are they well serued because they refused to bee gouerned by men of their owne order to wit by Bishops therefore God hath giuen them ouer to bee deluded derided debased and dishonoured by the Lay gouernment of those whom they ought to gouerne and rule as the Shepheard his sheepe the father his children the schoolemaster his schollers for amongst the Geneuians it is quite contrary where the Lay-elders as being more in number doe ouer-rule the Ministers as hath beene said But thankes bee vnto Almighty God for raising vp a Iacob from the North Isay 41.8 9 25. Reuel 1.20 12.7 and calling him from the endes of the earth to doe him seruice in restoring of his Church in the North to the ancient Angelicall forme and in banishing out of it the Grashopper-gouernment of Geneua and let all Britaines North and South Prouerb 30.27 euen as many as doe loue the likenesse of Ierusalems Angels better then of Geneuian Grashoppers say Amen Sect. 16 Thirdly the Church of England is more like the Church in heauen for holinesse then the Geneuian is The Church of England more heauen-like for holines Isay 6.1 2 3 Reul 4. 5.8 12.13 7.15 for in heauen the Angels and blessed Spirits keepe euery day holy incessantly praising God and saying holy holy holy is the Lord of hostes the whole world is full of his glory so saith the euangelicall Prophet Isay in the old Testament diuine S. Iohn in the new saith that they cease not day nor night to say and to sing holy holy holy Lord God almighty which was and which is and which is to come that they serue him day and night in his Temple saying Praise and honour and glory and power bee vnto him that sitteth vpon the throne and vnto the Lambe for euer more and the foure said Amen Now the Church of England is farre holier then the Geneuian because the Geneuians are not so holy as the Iewes were nor haue not so many holy dayes as they had for besides the two and fifty Sabbaths of the yeare Exod. 12.14 15 16 17 18. 13.6.7 20.8 9 10. 23.12 14 15 16 17. 38.18 Deut. 16. Ester 9.17 18 19 21 26 27 28 29. 30 31. 1. Machab. 4.43 44 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59. which are the Geneuian holy dayes they had other holy dayes and festiuities which they did obserue as of the Passeouer of the first fruites of Tabernacles and of Purim instituted by Queene Ester and Mordecai and of the dedication of the Altar instituted by Machabaeus But the English like