Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heaven_n	almighty_a	earth_n	power_n	2,541	5	4.6467	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A20820	Abjuration of poperie, by Thomas Abernethie: sometime Iesuite, but now penitent sinner, and an unworthie member of the true reformed Church of God in Scotland, at Edinburgh, in the Gray-frier church, the 24. of August, 1638	Abernethie, Thomas, fl. 1638-1641.	1638 (1638)	STC 72; ESTC S100404	27,560	50

the Papists errour who confesse their sins to earthly men and not to God receiving forgivenesse of their Priest I said and not to God whereat I know they will take exceptions but they need not for millions of them confesse who scarcelie know any other God but the Priest who hath his stile booke of interrogatories where to they answere and thereafter are absolved moreover although they know GOD yet I am perswaded that confessing to the Priest they confesse not to GOD because GOD desires not the Priests help for he sayeth Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavie loaden and I will give you rest c. and yee shall finde rest unto your soules And the Royall Prophet sayeth I acknowledged my sin unto thee and mine iniquitie have I not hid I said I will confesse my transgressions unto the LORD and thou forgavest the iniquitie of my sin The ●poore Publican said not Ghostlie father but GOD be mercifull unto me a sinner And John giveth us this assurance that if we confesse our sins he is faithfull to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousnesse Thirdlie all the Jesuits that ever have written scholastick divinitie agree in one voice that the remission of the confessed sins to the Priest is done by the contrition of the heart which contrition must preceed as they confesse the Priests absolution either by prioritie of time or of nature and therefore absolution and confession of and to Priests are altogether unnecessarie except it be to informe that Man of Sin of all his clients intentions of heart and actions whatsoever for they must confesse to their Parish Priest all their thoughts words and deeds once at least in the yeere under the paine of eternall condemnation or else to gather in moneyes by restitution almes penance for great sins to the Cloisters and such like ends but heere I will not insist upon the knaverie of auriculare confession hoping in GOD to let it be better known heereafter to the world They serve for admonition of my ingratitude towards my good GOD and gratious Lord against the Lord I have sinned who elected me to glory before the foundation of the world who created me in time to thy owne similitude and likenesse who by withdrawing of thy helping hand might have redacted me to nothing againe and yet by thy Divine providence thou hast conserved me so long from many perils and dangers and given me so large time of repentance who furnished me with good education and bestowed severall good gifts of nature upon me O more than brutish ingratitude Thou gave thy only begotten Son for my sins when I was thine enemie and I have gone about to destroy thy glory and his kingdome but yet my comfort is that If when we were enemies we were reconcealed to GOD by the death of his Son much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his life Thirdly I must relate the sins themselves which I have committed against this gratious GOD. Alace LORD I have sinned against thee neglecting that precious time of my youth wherein I imployed more my understanding to learning then my will to pietie attending rather to become a good scholler then a good Christian conferring more with Aristotle and his followers than with Christ and his Apostles I have sinned by curiositie exposing my self in forraine Countries especiallie in Italie to occasions in conference and disputing with the Jefuits who knew cunninglie how to circumveene me and can worke their owne ends I have sinned by weake and inconstant facilitic yeelding too soone to their alluring delusions I have sinned using too much diligence in drinking the cup of their pestiferous doctrine the space of nine yeeres both in Italie and France where I studied three yeeres to their deceitfull philosophie foure yeeres to their sophisticall divinitie and two yeeres to their hypocriticall superstition or superstitious hypocrisie in their Novitiate at Rome I have sinned desiring so earnestlie after my studies to returne to my countrey for seducing of others as I had beene seduced my self using all the tricks and conceats which the wit of man or hell could affoord me to deceave the Godly True it is that I had rare masters in this calling and good help to performe my duetie to wit an ample power to difpense with all things both to my self and others I have sinned imploying my wits and travels to seduce GODS elect the space of two or three years for the most part in the North amongst my friends in and about Aberdeene Elgin and Ban●ff as likewise in Cathnes where I lived more as an yeare Chamerlane and Baillie to my Lord of Berriedail this office I made choice of that by the frequent varietie of people I might worke my owne ends without suspicion I have sinned by wresting of Scriptures perswading others to believe that whereof I had no evidence in GODS word I have sinned distilling my braines to finde out meanes make great journeyes to obtaine them and propone them to high personages for the extirpation of GODS true religion in Scotland I have sinned by not living so duerifully to my GOD these three yeeres bygone for so long time have I beene a seeming member of the true reformed Church of God as became a true and sincere reformed Christian These and many more are the grievous sins wherewith loaden with the Publican I stand afar of not worthie so much as to lift up mine eyes unto heaven but smitting my breast say GOD be mercifull unto me a sinner Fourth and lastly the word against drawes me to a consideration of my madnesse opposing my self against so strong a partie as God What! knew I not that it were hard for me to kicke against the pricks Knew I not poore Nadab and Abibu notwithstanding they were the sons of Aaron were destroyed for offering strange fire And there went out fire from the Lord and devoured them and they died before the Lord. Knew I not that Vzzah was smote to death for laying his hand of good intention to uphold the Ark from falling being shaken with the oxen that drew it And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah and GOD smote him there for his errour aud there he died before the ark of GOD. Knew I not that Corah Dathan and Abiram although they were Levits were swallowed up quicke for murmuring against Moses And the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up and their houses and all the men that pertained unto Corah and all their goods Knew I not thy almightie power by the Prophet speaking this of thee And I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land Knew I not that thou art the GOD of hosts having infinite multitude of Angels for thy souldiours with all the rest of thy creatures as instruments of thy just wrath and indignation against sinners O intolerable madnesse of mine This all and much

life in publick of their ghostly Fathers and their odious licentious lives in their private cloisters and chambers I know my old fellowes the Jesuits will exime themselves from this my censure casting it upon the bellygod friers pretending puritie from such things in themselves but let a judicious man consider their dayly good entertainment weekly feasts in their houses of pleasure in the fields and their frequent banquets upon their saincts dayes thorow the year the goodnesse of their wines that they are young noble and gentle quick witted youths for the most part having thereafter great notice of sins by auricular confessions and almost hourely familiar conference with women of all conditions both publickly and privately and then judge what they are or what they may bee The third point which I proponed in the beginning was to crave pardon of these my rehearsed errours What then shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits towards me I will take the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord I will pay my vowes unto the Lord now in presence of all his people My vowes are first to crave humble pardon at God almightie as I do from the bottome of my heart crying with the Prophet David Lord be mercifull unto me heal my soul for I have sinned against thee And with the forlorne childe Father I have sinned against heaven and before thee and am no more worthie to be called thy son make me as one of thy hired servants Againe O Lord truely I am thy servant I am thy servant and the son of thine handmaid thou hast loosed my bonds I will pay my vowes unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people Craving pardon at my Countreymen in Scotland in generall at You right Honourable Reverend and Welbeloved in Christ Jesus that be here present and all these wheresoever they be that professe the true reformed religion according to Gods word for the scandall which I have given you and them by living so long in poperie requesting you to pray my sweete Saviour for the remission of these my enorm sins and that as his divine Majestie hath begun this good work in me likewise he will be pleased to perfect it and I shall never cease to cry Lord be mercifull unto me heal my soul for I have sinned against thee And with the same Prophets saying I will conclude this point Blessed be the Lord who hath not given me as a prey to their teeth my soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers the snare is broken I am escaped my help is in the name of the Lord who made the heaven and earth Fourth and lastly against thus my sincere confession and cordiall resolution there bee three sorts of persons who oppose themselves some friends enemies some and some adiaphorists The first proceede out of love and zeale the second out of malice and rage the third out of policie and craftinesse to every one of these three classes must I answere before I closse this my abjuration The first sort then may say that it is heard to believe than I who was so fullie possessed with poperie can be truely converted in my heart having so many allurements and occasions of tentations to continue slave to the purpurat whoore and therefore it were good to try me before I be trusted My answere is first that I had many snares to hold me fast in poperie one was that I was obliged by their tyrannous Lawes to reject and cast away any doubt that came unto my minde against the Romish profession under no lesse paine than mortall sin and eternall condemnation no lesse than the thoughts of murther treason filthinesse leacherie c. Where it is to be remarked that the Turks do only forbid hearing or disputing of any other religion but their own under the paine of death which they and we thinke very heard but these Romanists are much worse condemning both body and soul to hell eternally for a thought only against their profession This snare is the strongest wall of Poperie Another snare is that which intangleth the Doctors and learned men who examining the doctrine of their church and finding their conscience touched with the evidencie and trueth of Gods word resolve that these tentations proceed of weaknesse of their understanding and therefore conclude seeing their church can not as they alleadge erre that the resolution of the church is only true and Gods true light inspired in them but only tentation of Sathan and so preoccupied with a prejudged minde continue in their errour This is the secondwall of that babylonish tower I speak nothing of riches and pleasure contentment of minde for worldly things for it is knowne that the Jesuits whereof I was one have the most contented life in this world of any men whosoever and therefore if I had looked to my particular commodities more than to the light of Gods word and my own conscience which did presse me I had never come out of poperie Secondlie I answere that it is no wonder if they do not give me full trust as yet because Paul after his conversion although he was a chosen vessell to beare Christs name before the Gentiles and Kings and the children of Israel was not trusted in the beginning yea neither did Ananias believe Christs own testimonie of him then Ananias answered Lord I have heard by many of this man how much evill he hath done to thy Saints at Jerusalem What reason then should they have to trust me poore sinner a stranger in a manner to them untill they try me In the meane time I request these my friends to suspend their judgements for a time seeing exitus acta probat the event prooves the deeds And take Christs way a tryall by their fruits yee shall know them And pray for me that as I was a persecuting Saul so I may bee a preaching Paul The second my deadlie enemies for rage and despight that I have left them will I know spew out all the venemous poyson that malicious hearts can invent especiallie that I have not left the Jesuits but that for my odious and detestable life I have beene cast out from among them To these I answere first that benifaciend● ne●lnem timeo doing well I am feared for no man Secondly their evill speeches and misreports are an evident token that Christ my loving master favoureth me giving me occasion although innocent to suffer calumnies as he did he was both God and Man and yet he was said to cast out Devils in Beelzebubs name And that he had a devill That he was a eater and drinker and keeper of companie with publicanes and sinners What then should I expect poor sinfull wretch from viperous tongues but all what hell can devise against me Thirdlie I answere that they wrong themselves much more than me objecting thus for either they must make me vitious