Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heaven_n	angel_n	descend_v	ladder_n	1,870	5	11.7110	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A57477	The preciousnesse of Christ unto beleevers. Or, A treatise wherein the absolute necessity, the transcendent excellency, the supereminent graces, the beauty, rarity and usefulnesse of Christ is opened and applyed. By John Robotham, preacher of the Gospel	Robotham, John, fl. 1654.	1647 (1647)	Wing R1733; ESTC R208474	115,896	303

their abused rule power and authority and quite abolished death the last Enemie so that then Christ shall cease to reigne any longer as Mediatour he shall then cease to reigne according to the present dispensation and administring of his Office but not as one God co-essentiall with the Father for his Kingdome according to his God-head shall then be compleate consummate and perfect yea and his humanity also shall reigne then not as by or of it selfe but as joyned in one person with his Godhead and as the common head of all those whom he hath redeemed and sanctified and brought toglory through taking their nature upon him and suffering in it So that the forementioned place in the Corinthians doth not speake of the abolishing of Christs Kingdome but of the perfection of it rather when God whose glory is now much obscured and darkned by Enemies shall be all in all among his Saints and the eternall Father shall triumph eternally in his Sonne as a finall Conquerour The like answer also must be given to the objection which may bee made from the words of the Apostle 1 Cor. 15. 28. where he saith that the Sonne also himselfe shall be subject unto him that did put all things under him These words are not so to be understood as if the Father were not for the present well pleased with the Sonne or as if the Sonne were not already subject to the Father as Mediatour but the meaning of them is this that when all things which doe now during the present forme of his administration make opposition and resistance against Christ shall bee subdued unto him and brought under his feet then Christ himselfe also as touching his Mediatorship shall be subject unto the Father and God shall be all in all neither doth this subjection imply a depressing or pulling downe lower but rather Christ and his Saints shall be at the height and top of their glory when they shall be so subject as on the other side whosoever shall not then be so subject they shall be at the bottome of all remedilesse misery and wretchednesse Before I passe away to another head I must needs touch againe upon a place of Scripture before cited 1 Tim. 1. 17. Now unto the King eternall immortall invisible c. Here be two words that doe expresse the perpetuity and everlasting duration of Christs Kingdome eternall and immortall and neither of them is idle or superfluous the Holy Ghost doth not use tautalogie or vaine repetition in them I have shewed you already what is meant by immortall namely that the Kingdome of Christ is not subject to succession it is not liable to be devolved and rould downe to after comers which Daniel expresseth thus his Kingdome shall not be left unto other people as the Monarchies of the Babylonians Medes Alexander and the Kingdomes of the Seleucidae which the Prophet had spoken of were they were translated from Nation to Nation and from man to man and at last quite dissolved But Christs Kingdome shall not be pluck't up for others beside himselfe but it shall hold on constantly through all ages and centuries of the world unto the end and when the end commeth it shall not expire and give up the Ghost but it shall attaine to its full beauty and perfection it shall come to its meridian or verticall point as I may say and shall never decline never decay it shall last beyond the world and beyond all time for ever therefore the Apostle calls Christ not onely an immortall King but also an eternall King Thus you see that the Spirit of God doth to good purpose use two words somewhat of kinne i● signification one to the other that thereby hee might set forth the excellency of Christs Kingdome above all other Kingdomes by the one word is shewed the course of his Kingdome through this world during the time of his Mediatourship● and by the other word is declared the lasting of it unto all eternity after his Mediatorship is laid downe Lastly Christ is matchlesse and eminent above all other Kings in all Royall vertues endowments and accomplishments First he is a most sapient and wise King called therefore Counsellour by the Prophet and onely wise by the Apostle the wonderfull Numberer he that sealeth up the summe full of wisdome none essentially wise but he none but are depending and beholding for their wisedome but he his foolishnesse is wiser then men they be all doters to him Earthly Kings have their Counsellours but he needs none Solomon was the wisest among them but a greater then Solomon is here Secondly he is Rex armipotens bellicosus a most puissant and warlike King called therefore a man of Warre the Lord of Hosts the Captaine of our Salvation the armies in Heaven Angels and righteous men follow him he is the stone cut out of the Mountaine without hands sent from heaven and acting by no humane but meerely Divine Authority which smote the Image and brake in pieces the iron the brasse the clay the Silver and the Gold the great Monarchies and Kingdomes of the world to make way for his owne Kingdome he is terrible to all the Kings of the Earth that withstand him he is so mighty and so politick that he gets ground of his enemies by giving ground to them The world Hell Death sinne the Accuser of the brethren the enmity of the carnall mind all these are in the Trophes of his victories All his foes are and shall be made his footstoole he will make even the proudest of them to stoope and to hold his stirrup yea he will make them his very stirrup to get on horse-back by as once S●por the Persian served Valerian the Romane Emperour Thirdly Christ is as eminent in peace also as he is in warre called therefore the Prince of Peace When hee was borne warres were husht every where and all the world was at peace Jacob beheld him as a ladder reaching from Earth to Heaven and what was this but the Image of a Peace-maker between God and man the Angels of God ascended and descended by that ladder signifying that by Christ wee have the benefit of the Ministry of Angels they ascend to receive new commission from God concerning the Saints and again descend to execute it by Christ also our prayers as Intelligencers and signifiers of our wants doe ascend into the presence of God and againe his blessings as Angels and Messengers of his good will towards us doe descend and light upon us Thus is Christ a ladder reaching from Earth to Heaven partaking of both God and man in one person our blessed Reconciler and Peace-maker he died to purchase peace for us when he went away he left his peace with us and he reignes for ever to maintaine our peace Melchisedec was King of Salem that is King of Peace nominally and in a figure onely but Christ is the very body and substance of that shadow Fourthly Christ is a most just and righteous

without any Light lying under shame and dishonour under the guilt of sinne and not able to deliver it selfe this cannot but make it looke out for it selfe and seeke with great importunity for a Saviour The Dove could find no rest for the soale of her foot till she returned into the Arke It is a perfect hyeroghyphick or resemblance of a wounded Spirit as Solomon calls it when it is as the blessed Redeemer was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 surrounded with sorrow and it is full of restlesse vexations fluctuating and tumbled up and downe in a whole Ocean of perplexities and feares and can see no shoare no Land no creek or haven of comfort then it must into the Arke then it uses the soliloquie of the Psalmist returne unto thy res● ô my soule then it cries out with the blessed Martyr ô none but Christ none but Christ there 's my Arke ther 's my rest there 's my refuge there I shall find reliefe and refreshment or else no where Christ will be a calme to me after a storme he will dispell and drive away all these clouds he will hold my head above water and keep me from sinking he will be light and joy and unspeakable solace after all these distempers thus the poore affl●cted soule as a prisoner of hope as the Prophet speakes Zach. 9. 12. returnes unto Christ as to its strong hold The mis●rable soule seeks for cure the whole need not the Physition saith Christ but the sick sin-sick sinners will enquire and seek after the Physition of soules The sense of misery is the primum mobile the first mover that sets us on seeking for Christ The more wee know our owne misery the more we know how to prise Christ and set a true value upon him Againe Beleevers are likewise convinced of the impotency and weaknesse of the creature in respect of any help or succour that it can afford None can by any meanes redeeme his brother nor giv● to God a ransome for him Psal 49. 7. i● not redemption from temporall death much lesse from eternall Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of Rammes saith the Prophet or with ten thousand rivers of oyle shall I give my first borne for my transgression the fruit of my body for the sinne of my soule The truth is should all the Angels in Heaven and righteous men upon Earth joyne their goodnesse together and offer it up to God as a sacrifice it would not be sufficient to expiate so much as one sinne Now when the soule is sensible of this it crieth out as Peter in another case help Lord or else I perish Solomon saith that as good newes from a farre Country so is cold water to a thirsty soule Prov. 25. 25. So it is with a poore distressed soule when it seeth it selfe as it were in a farre Countrey farre from God farre from ●oy and farre from any deliverance in it selfe or in any other then if one bring him newes of a Saviour of a Redeemer this is welcome newes indeed this is as cold water to a thirsty soule An instance of this is seen in the Prodigall who when he came to himselfe that is when he saw what a wretched and helplesse creature he was he cast his thoughts upon his Fathers house he loathed any longer to feed upon the huskes and hogs meat of the world then he desires the bread of his Fathers hired servants Nothing but home will content him farewell feasting and revelling and all filthy pleasures that I have lived in I have gotten nothing by them but wounds and sorrowes and vexation of Spirit I will home to my Fathers house there is bread and durable cloathing there is whatsoever I can wish or desire here I starve and die there I shall live and sweetly enjoy my selfe here I want all things but there I shall lack nothing This is a lively pourtraiture of a thirsty and wearied soule flying unto Christ for ease and comfort This then is one reason why Christ is precious to Beleevers namely because they are in some measure convinced of their misery with him and of their owne impotency and utter inability to help themselves therefore Christ is precious unto them Secondly Beleevers are not onely Reas II convinced of their owne misery without Christ and of their impotency and inability to help themselves but also they see and apprehend an infinite treasure of good and happinesse that God hath treasured up in Christ and that to be joyned unto him is the onely way to obtaine these blessings Viz. the Fathers Love Pardon of sinne Manifestation of Gods face The love of God being infinite like himselfe cannot be conferred upon any creature for its owne sake the causa procuratrix or the procuring cause of this love must of necessity be infinitely meritorious now this is not found among the sonnes of men but onely in Christ the eternall Sonne of God onely in Christ who was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God-man as I may say Immanuel God with us or God in our flesh God that he might be a fit object for the infinite love of his Father and man that he might derive and bring that love to us God first loves his Sonne and then Beleivers through him It is impossible that the infinite love of the infinite God should bee drawne out but by an infinite motive and where is this motive but in the second person coe-eternall co-essentiall and co-equall with the Father were it not for his Sonne God should have no object for his love in the world Love is as fire which must have fewell to maintaine it Now let all the Creatures men and Angels be set before God yet they all with all their excellencies and lovely parts cannot deserve the least minute or tittle of his Love God loves himselfe in his Sonne and his creatures for his beloved Sonnes sake God will supply saith the Apostle all your need according to his riches in Glory by Jesus Christ Philip. 4. 9. The treasures of Gods love and riches are first in Christ and by our union with him wee come to enjoy them So Ephes 1. 6. To the praise of the glory of his grace wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in which he hath ingratiated us through that Beloved Gods love and his favour is undeserved on our parts wee finde grace in his sight through Christ Notable to this purpose is the order of the three persons which the Apostle sets Cor. the last and the last The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the Communion of the Ho-Ghost be with you all Amen You must know now that this is not a right naturall order for by order of nature the Father whom the Apostle cal's God in a personall sense as John 1. the word was with God that is with the Father I say by order of nature the Father is first of himselfe not begotten the Son is from the

so an Advocate with the Father as that the Father is made ours fully and perfectly and so the eager and malicious adversary can doe nothing against us Fourthly Our Advocate is Jesus a most sweet and heart refreshing name it signifieth a Saviour one that doth not onely intreate for us but perfectly save us other Advocates may intreate and not prevaile but Christ intreates and prevailes and so saves his people from their sinnes Fiftly He is called Christ there 's an addition and increase of comfort in this name it signifies anointed Christ was anointed to be our Prophet to shew us the waies of life and salvation he was anointed to be our Priest to offer a reconciling sacrifice for us And he was also anointed to be our King to protect us and to destroy all our enemies Sixtly Our Advocate is called the Righteous by an eminency none so righteous as he he is perfectly righteous so that he needs not as other Advocates to plead for himselfe he pleadeth onely for us and he must needs have good successe in his pleading because he is righteous himselfe he is the Righteous just and a justifier absolutely and compleatly righteous by his own inherent purity and conveying righteousnesse to us by imputation Lastly our Advocate is such an one as stands in our roome and takes the whole penalty and punishment due to us for our offence upon himselfe therefore the Apostle addes that he is the propitiation for our sinnes that is he is the sacrifice that implores and begs pardoning Mercy for us Hence the bloud of sprinkling that is the bloud of Jesus Christ is said to speake better things then that of Abel Heb. 12. 24. for of Abels God speaks thus the voyce of thy brothers bloud crieth unto me from the ground Abels bloud cried unto God for vengeance to be executed upon Caine that murdered him but the bloud of Christ crieth unto God for mercy to be shewed unto poore miserable sinners Now then if Christ be our Advocate if he be an Advocate with the Father alwayes in his presence alwayes neere and deare unto him if he be an Advocae mighty to save if he be an Advocate separated and sanctified of God himselfe and anoynted to beare Office for us if he be an Advocate perfectly righteous and blamelesse in his owne person if hee be such an Advocate as is willing to stand in our stead and to beare the burden of our deserts like him that cried out when he saw his friend ready to be sl●ine Me me Adsum qui f●ci in me convertite ●er●ū Me mee I am he that did the fact turne your sword upon me Lastly if he be such an Advocate as refuses none but receives all without exception that come unto him if Christ I say be such an Advocate such a days-man so every way qualified and furnished to doe us good then surely it cannot be but that the prayers which we present unto God in his name must finde acceptance and obtaine a glorious returne Whatsoever you aske the Father in my name he will give it you saith Christ Joh. 16. 23. Christ puts incense upon our prayers and mingles them with the sweet odours of his owne merits he is the onely Altar of Christians sanctifying all their gifts and sacrifices Thus you have a taste of the excellent priviledges of Beleevers through Jesus Christ they have accesse to the Throne of Grace and all their petitions find acceptance with God returning as the Spies did out of Canaan with great and weighty clusters of blessings or as Jacobs sonnes did from their brother Joseph full and loaden with good things Oh then how precious how lovely how longed for ought Jesus Christ to be who accumulates and heapes such royall favours upon us who stores us with such rich and inestimable gifts who gives us free ingresse into the presence of God and regresse from him with joyfull hearts who makes way for our prayers that they may come as things of worth unto his Father and sends them back againe with good newes and glad tidings of blessed successe how precious I say and how highly to be esteemed and regarded is such a Benefactour as this how ought wee to draw out all our love and the very strength of our affections to cast them upon such a lovely object as this and to embrace Jesus Christ who hath done for us above all that wee can either name or thinke I passe now to some meanes by which we may awaken and stirre up our affections unto Christ And herein I shall give no other directions then the Church doth to the daughters of Jerusalem in Cant. 5. 10. c. And the occasion was this The Church was seeking Christ earnestly and diligently and in her seeking enquires of the daughters of Jerusalem for her beloved upon which the daughters utter these words What is thy beloved more then another beloved ô thou fairest among women The Church for answer and as a meanes to draw forth the affections of the daughters sets forth exactly the high perfections and excellencies of Christ shee doth anatomize him in every part and particularize him in every excellency setting him forth thus First the Church describes Christ in generall and that two wayes 1. Positively 2. Comparatively First positively my beloved is white and ruddy verse 10. that is he is of the most compleate perfect healthy constitution The strongest complexion and constitution is noted by these two colours white and ruddy and it denotes unto us the power and omnipotency of Christ whereby he is able to doe the greatest things in the world Also his whitenesse denoteth his purity and Righteousnesse and ruddy his owne bloud and sufferings and likewise his vengeance on his enemies for he hath his garments dipt in bloud Isaiah 63. 2. Secondly comparatively he is the chiefe of ten thousand or having 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the banner above ten thousand Christ is the Standard bearer of ten thousand that doth excell all men and Angels and all other creatures in the world Now in Armies the goodliest men use to carrie the Ensigne or banner so Christ is incomparable beyond all other and hath the perfections of Angels of men and of all creatures beside Againe the Ensigne is a warlike Instrument and the bearer thereof one of the chiefe so Christ is for the Ensigne of his people Isa 11. 10. And all the Armies in Heaven and earth doe follow him Rev. 19. 11. the Saints they worship him the Angels they adore him for he is the Lyon of the Tribe of Judah and he is the first-borne of God set above all the Kings of the Earth Secondly the Church descends from her generall commendations of Christ to that which is more particular setting him forth by all the members and lineaments of his body First the Church begins with Christs head which is the most eminent part of all the body His head is as the most fine gold verse 11. that is