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
A64566	The regulating of law-suits, evidences, and pleadings an assize-sermon preach't at Carmarthen, March the 16th, 1656 / by William Thomas ...	Thomas, William, 1613-1689.	1657 (1657)	Wing T981; ESTC R1308	25,954	42

might be defended no justice executed Whilst God brands and sorbids a false testimony he allowes injoyns a true My Text explodes a false testimony expresly at the first blush that is pernicious but secondarily consequently a false testimony that is officious also An Evidence is not to be byast by favour but truth It is taynted not by the damage which accrewes to another but the falshood which the Witnesse himselfutters As the expression of the Act so of the Object challengeth our consideration recommended by a propriety of relation Thy neighbour There is much emphaticall Divinity in Pronounes The relation it self is presented in the widest latitude of sense though the softest dresse for language Reang a friend a neighbour A name that is a charme of truth This expression endeares but restraines not A Neighbour not for nearnesse of place of situation but of nature of constitution According to the Fathers glosse Every man is a neighbour to every man I have thus broken the shell the better to discern the kernell in my Text I shall not critically enlarge any nicetyes of observations on the words lest I be censur'd like Antoninus Pius to be a cutter of cummin-seed or to deal with my Text as the Levite did with his Concubine to divide it in pieces But I shall humbly conduct your attention from the manner of the expression to the matter of the Prohibition The offence forbidden is a false testimony which is brancht out to be extrajudiciall or judiciall I shall entirely wave an extrajudiciall false testimony in discourse without the pale of justice and shall confine my meditation to a judiciall false testimony as most sutable to the occasion of this present assembly God grant the meditation may be as profitable as it is seasonable This judiciall false testimony at the first view is not unlike the little cloud ken'd by Eliah's servant but it will spread like that cloud which quickly darkened the heaven This will eclipse the whole Orbe the Court of judicature and showre down drops of guilt to every corner of it it extends to the injustice of the Cause to the injustice of the Evidence to the injustice of the Pleading to the injustice of the Verdict to the injustice of the Decree to the injustice of the Record As many of these parts as the time will conveniently permit are the boundaries of my present meditations This is a varyed gradation of transgression a Climax a ladder of sinne not like Iacob's that reacht from earth to heaven for blessed Angells ascending and descending but a ladder it is that reacheth from earth to hell for lewd men descending in their corruptions for damned Spirits ascending in their temptations The first Round in this ladder is the injustice of the cause A Generation of men there is who with more grains of zeal then knowledge disallow all Courts of judicature all suits of Law without distinction without moderation Whose inconsiderate tenet is like a desperate Chymicall pill that worketh not on the humors but the spirits that purgeth out of the body politick not corrupt manners but precious lawes It were piety exhaled refined to phrensy holynesse strained to madnesse This were to sacrifice sheep to wolves to invite those wolves to worry them to open a gap to prophanenesse to licentiousnesse to encourage to tempt all exorbitancies of tumults of rapines of murders to leave the innocent in the eye of man without defence or redresse and the violent without check or controll It is truly alleadged Vengeance is Gods prerogative and it is as truely replyed that he executes it not onely immediately by himself but mediately also by his Vice gerent the Magistrate supreme and subordinate He is Gods Deacon to officiate for him in the administration of justice the fort of good men to secure them from the assaults and outrages of the evil He bears not the sword in vain the sword being the emblem the rhetorick of greater punishments as the rod of lesse to which end both were carryed before the Roman Consuls In the one and the other the Ordinance is Divine but the exercise humane God onely can empower man may execute it But not to scrue this string too far Though the lawfullnesse of Magistrates and Tribunalls may clearly abundantly be vindicated demonstratively maintained yet law-suits are not indefinitely and peremptorily to be justifyed unlesse we will run counter with the Apostle There is utterly a fault among you that you go to law one with another The scandall of the Church at that time the reflection upon Christian religion in exposing it by law-suits to the censure of unbelievers is recited in the former verse as Theophylact observes but in this 7. v. the Apostle condemns the action it self being not rightly qualifyed displayes it's guilt in the fullest dimensions Some Divines start a Criticisme to mince it That it is not exprest {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} a default but {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} a defect a diminution a lessening of Christian perfection an impotency a frailty whereas both Greek words appear in the same uncomely hue in the same unholy strain Rom. 11. 12. There is an enhancing aggravation prefixed by the Apostle It is utterly a fault An errour according to the Arabick a sin according to the Syriac Translation The softnesse of the Greek word savours of the sweetnings of the Apostles style not of the abating of the sin at Corinth If we render this {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} a defect it is a want of humility of charity in most men This defect will amount to a full default This diminutive this lessening of grace without speciall caution will administer fewell to the increasing of sinne This impotency this spice of weaknesse will quickly be heightned to impiety to a strain of wickednesse to be subdued by a mans own passions to be a captive to a solemn revenge Moses entirely cancell'd private revenge but Christ warily restrains the publick You have heard it hath been said An eye for an eye a tooth for a tooth The law talionis of returning like for like wherein the sinne was made a pattern for the doom a law establisht among the Iewes approved by the twelve Tables eminently reputed anciently practised by many nations did not allow the parties themseves to carve out their own reparation but the Magistrates onely But our blessed Saviour pronounces a repeal to this judiciall Iudaicall redresse as to the formality of it not without a check to our fierce rancor to our eager desire and pursuit of such rigour But I say unto you Resist not evil not {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} according to the Septuagints use of the word forbids the forwardnesse to prosecute in Law to implead in judgement I shall not too confidently presse this sense However it is unquestionably the excellency of Christianity to overcome evil