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
A59781	A sermon preached at a visitation, held at Warrington in Lancashire May 11. 1669. By Ric. Sherlock D.D. Rector of Winwick in Lancashire. Imprimatur, June 18, 1669. Tho. Tomkyns, reverendisimo in Christo patri ac Domino, Dom. Gilb. Arch. Cantuar. a Sacr. Dom	Sherlock, R. (Richard), 1612-1689.	1669 (1669)	Wing S3256; ESTC R214015	8,736	22

A SERMON PREACHED AT A Visitation HELD AT WARRINGTON IN LANCASHIRE May 11. 1669. By Ric. Sherlock D. D. Rector of Winwick in Lancashire IMPRIMATUR June 18 1669. Tho. Tomkyns Reverendissimo in Christo Patri ac Domino Dom. Gilb. Arch. Cantuar a Sacr. Dom. LONDON Printed for Rich. Royston Bookseller to the Kings Most Excellent Majesty 1669. A SERMON PREACHED AT A VISITATION Act. 20.28 Take heed to your selves and to all the Flock IN the context we have S. Paul upon his Visitation at Miletus vers 17. And the Visitation as this which is now holden with us is Provincial all the Clergy of the Province of Ephesus being conven'd by this great Visitor and appear before him vers 18. The Text presents you with a part but 't is the principal part of the Visitation Sermon or as I may rather call it The Visitors Charge to the Clergy of the Province The first part of which charge is 1. Take heed to your selves To you my Brethren of the Clergy is this Charge more strictly given then to the Laity For to the people God hath appointed Pastors who are commanded in the text to take heed to the charge committed to them But who shall feed and Guide the Shepherds who shall watch over the Watchmen or Teach the Teachers Ye are the salt of the earth but if the salt have lost his savour wherewith shall it be salted it is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out and troden under foot of men Mat. 5.13 2. Take heed to your selves is the first part of the Charge And secondly to your Flock The order observed in this Double Charge is the next thing observable which is the same observed by our Lord himself in his charge to S. Peter and in him to all Pastors of the Church saying Luc. 22.32 When thou art converted then afterward stringthen thy Brethren and John 21.15 Simon son of Jonas lovest thou me and if so it then follows Feed my Sheep Implicitly commanding all Pastors of his Flock First to be themselves truly converted unto God and their souls inflamed with the sacred fire of Divine Love and then they may hope that their pains will be succesful for the feeding and strengthening the Sheep of Christ That rule of Righteousness and Charity which is the sum of the second Table of the Law Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thy self commands this order to be observed To love thy self aright in the first place and then thy Neighbor as thy self St. Be●nard thus bespeaks every Shepherd of fouls Tu frater cui nondum est firma satis propria salus cui Charitas adhuc nulla est aut adeo tenera arundinea ut omni statui cedat omni credat spiritui omni circumferatur vento doctrinae quanam dementia quaeso aliena curare aut ambis aut acquiescis And upon Cant. 1.6 They have made me the keeper of the Vineyards but mine own viney ard have I not kept he severely checks and reproves himself that he had taken on him the Cure of other mens souls having not sufficiently cared for and cured his own Et miror I do much wonder saith he at the Impudence of those persons that thrust themselves to be Labourers in the Lords Vineyard whilst their own Vineyard is overgrown with Bryars and thornes The Leper under the Law was commanded to have a covering upon his upper lip Lev. 13.43 ut non docere alios praesumat saith Hesychius that no man presume to open his lips in the Congregation for the instruction of others who is himself infected with the Leprosie either of sinfulness or error for non est cadentis alium erigere Plutarch It is not for a man that lies in the dirt to raise up another thence not for that a man that is a sleep in his sins to awake others from that spiritual sleep of death That Proverb remembred by our Lord Physician heal thy self Luc. 4.23.18 chiefly appliable to the Physician of souls who must begin at home if he will work any cure upon the Souls of others 3. But this is not all for thirdly the Cure of a Pastors soul is a more difficult task as being to be persected in a higher degree then ordinarily can be expected from any of his Flock For as our office of Priesthood is more high more eminent more holy so should our Conversation be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 St. Chrysostom De sacerdotio As Angels above men as Shepherds above their flock as Masters above their Scholars so should a Bishop a Priest a Pastor excell and transcend the people in wholsome doctrine and holiness of life so the great Gregory Tantum debet actionem populi actio transcendere praesulis quantum distare solet a grege actio transcendere praesulis quantum distare solet a grege vita Pastoris with much more to the same purpose De cura Pastorali A book which was once translated by the wisest and greatest of our Saxon Princes King Alfred and by him commended to the Clergy of this Nation and a happy Clergy should we be an holy Priesthood if the Instructions in that Golden Book were well observed amongst us 4. Take heed to your selves and to all the Flock and both these joyntly and severally To your selves As to the Innocence and Holiness of your Lives as becometh good Christians And to your Flock as Shepherds Guides of souls Under the Law the Priests and Prophets of the Lord are frequently called the Angels of the Lord of hosts Jud. 2.1 Mal. 2.7 And under the Gospel the Angels of the Church of Christ 1 Cor. 11.10 Rev. 2.1.8.12 And as we read of the Angels on Jacobs Ladder ascending and descending from heaven Gen. 28.12 so the Priests of the Lord should first take heed to themselves by ascending with the Angels into heaven having their hearts and affections their meditation and Conversation in heaven Phil. 3.20 And withall take heed to the stock by descending with the Angels from heaven enriched with the word of Life breaking unto them that bread which cometh down from heaven and giveth life unto the world John 6.33 But this joynt charge is sadly disjoyn'd and perverted by such as take heed to themselves indeed but 't is not with the Angels to ascend but descend only groveling in the dust and wallowing in the mire of Luxury Riot and Excess Pride and Covetousness the Pomps and vanities of the world and the sinful lusts of the flesh which every one even the meanest of their Flock hath solemnly abjured when by holy Baptism admitted into the Fold of Christ By such as take heed to themselves but 't is not in a spiritual but carnal sense who will look narrowly to themselves as to their worldly concerns their Revenue and Income but are too careless to the spiritual concerns both of themselves and their Flock Who seek their own not the things which are Jesus Christs Phil. 2.21 Caring more for their Families at home