Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	apostle_n	church_n	word_n	1,664	5	4.2322	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A86501	The nevv world, or, the nevv reformed church. Discovered out of the second epistle of Peter the third chap verse 13. First opened briefly, and some points pourtrayed and propounded before some of the nobilitie and others in the country. Afterwards more fully delineated, and prosecuted before the Honorable House of Parliament; May 30. An. Dom. 1641. And upon the request of some of them, desiring coppies, was limbed up for the presse, according to the maine parts then, and there delivered. / By Nath. Homes Dr. in D.	Homes, Nathanael, 1599-1678.	1641 (1641)	Wing H2570; Thomason E171_4; ESTC R8246	64,684	86

most easily pointed at 3. Probation wee goe no further for proofe then Saint Iohn Coeve and of the same time with Saint Peter who also was told by the spirit of God that though the promises of the Prophet Isaiah touching the new created heavens were to be fulfilled in this life that yet the events were yet to come And therefore that the Church might know them more distinctly Saint Iohn sets them downe more largely so as in every verse throughout that 21. chapter of the Revelation wherein hee handles the point there is a plaine argument that Saint Iohn cannot bee understood of heaven above as some would but of the new heauen here below 4. Demonstration the reason why the Church hopes is in regard of God The reason why the Lord gave the Church that ground of hope is in regard of the Church The Church hopes in regard of God i.e. in regard of his promise to the Church There would be no looking no sight if there were no colour and light no ground of word and a Prophet or an Apostle from heaven to give light of it And the Lord makes those promises by the Prophet Isaiah and gives us more light of them by his Apostles in regard of his compassion to the Church To remove her evills To promote her good To remove the evils of the Church viz. Nothingnesse Childishnesse Rustinesse That the Church might not decline either towards nothing or childishnesse and foolishnesse or rustinesse and sinfulnes For what is originall to the Church the Church is inclined to be actuall in if she be in her declension not in her spirituall augmentation By Adams fall was the grand wound given the Church to make her decline to breake her and imprayre her perfection yea and at first almost brought her to nothing So then God made the Church the first grand promise to put her in hope that as long as the world stood shee should not turne into nothing she should not bee annihilated After this all the times of the old Testament espectially of the Fathers the Church grew so childish that nothing but rudiments the rattles of the ceremoniall law the guilded corners of things shaddowed landskips of things would give her content Of these the Apostle speakes in his Epistle to Galat. Chapters 2.3.4 Therefore least the Church should rest in these the Lord by his Prophts in the old Testament prophesied and promised a more excellent estate under the New Testament Finally when this time was past that the New Testament was begun the Church no sooner obtained some rest from persecution but shee grew rusty with ambition contention and other aberrations both of opinion and practise See Fox Acts and Mon. in Constantine As is apparent soone after Constantine the great his time and neerer both of times and places how restinesse causeth the Churches rustinesse Therefore that still the Church might hold up her head and looke beyond all these things to a more glorious condition then the world could afford the Lord by the Apostles sét before them the promises of the new heaven and earth 1. By Saint Peter in text 2. By Saint Iohn inlarging and inculeating them in Revel Because vice versâ by a retrograde motion from rustinesse the Church will decline to childishnesse Rust weakens the mettle sinne weakens the soule And rusty old age makes a man twy-child And from childishnesse will the Church decline towards nothingnesse In Rome if not nearer this may be seene From abundance of sinfulnesse through ease and idlenesse the Church grew to abundance of ceremoniousnesse From thence she fell into idolatrousnesse and so farre she went there shee became utterly nothing To prevent therefore such a gradation and dissolution of the Church both in regard of his owne Compassion and in regard of that impression hee hath made upon the Church hee hath promised to lend her his assistance to raise her to this glorious condition In regard of his Compassion for if when the Church wanted no goodnesse he promised her greatnesse in Para●lise much more now in more distresse that shee hath i●oulke a greatnesse but wants goodnesse will hee promise it and performe In regard of that impression the Lord hath made upon the Church for if God hath stampt on nature a generall abhorring of vacuum of a voyde place emptie of any naturall body for that would breake off some linckes of the chaine and fast dependance of the naturall universe and cause a selfe annihilation of nature more or lesse And therefore nature hath devised many changes generation corruption alteration augmentation diminution locall motion and that of particular bodies contrary to their owne proper natures as water to ascend in a pumpe Aire to descend into the earth in an earthquake to shift her naturall sonnes out of the way upon attempts of vacuum that none of them may perish how much more is there an impression of grace on the Church of abhorring this least selfe annihilation or loosing any of its spirituall perfection and is most loth to be worse but desires to be as much better as shee may Therefore as the Lord helpeth the naturall world to conserve it selfe so hee helpeth the Church by efficacious promises to sustaine her spirituall condition 2. To promote the Churches good viz. To draw on the Church To draw up the Church To draw on the Church in patience and holinesse So runnes the context with the succeeding verse Wherefore beloved seeing that ye looke for such things i. e. promised new heavens earth as it is in the text be diligent that ye may be found of him in Christ without spot and blameles Heb. 12. i. 2. Compare with this that of the Epistle to the Hebrewes Wherefore seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses let us lay aside every weight and the sinne which doth so easily beset us and let us runne with patience the race that is set before us looking to Iesus the authour and finisher of our faith As aparent promising his married children to bee a daily friend to them to build their decayed house new for them and to make every thing new is a great incouragement to them more patiently to beare the deprivation of their parents personall presence and the combrance of the many cares and troubles in the flesh 1 Cor. 7.28 as the Apostles speakes attending on marriage so Christ personally being gone into heaven till the full restitution of all things promising his children to build them a new world Revel 21. or a new citie i.e. many houses and to make all spirituall things new for them it doth much stay their hearts It makes them hold up their heads as after a redemption drawing nigh as after a recovery to life after a lying at the point of death Rom. 11.15 As a travellour the more hee sees the approach of his journeyes end the more hee is cheared so spiritually in this 2. To draw up the