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	power_n	principality_n	1,953	5	10.9253	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A42767	A sermon preached before the right honourable the House of Lords in the Abbey Church at Westminster, upon the 27th of August, 1645 being the day appointed for solemne and publique humiliation : whereunto is added a brotherly examination of some passages of Mr. Colemans late printed sermon upon Job 11.20, in which he hath endeavoured to strike at the root of all church-government / by George Gillespie, minister at Edenburgh.	Gillespie, George, 1613-1648.	1646 (1646)	Wing G759; ESTC R30413	43,318	49

Reverend Brother must either prove from Scripture that Christ as Mediator hath given such a Commission of Vice-gerent-ship and Deputy-ship to the Christian Magistrate or otherwise acknowledge that he hath given a most dangerous wound to Magistracie and made it an empty title claiming that power which it hath no warrant to assume God and Nature hath made Magistrates and given them great Authority But from Christ as Mediator they have it not I finde in Scripture that Church-Officers have their power from Christ as Mediator and they are to manage their Office under and for Christ and in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ do we assemble our selves together Matth. 18. 20. in his Name do we preach Luke 24.47 Acts 4.17 18. and 5.28.44 and 9.27 In his Name do we baptize Act. 2.38 and 4.12 16. and 19.5 In his Name do we excommunicate 1 Cor. 5.5 But I do not find in Scripture that the Magistrate is to rule or to make Laws or to manage any part of his Office in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ And as the Mediator hath not anywhere given such a Commission and power to the Magistrate so as Mediator he had it not to give For he was not made a Judge in Civil affairs Luke 12.14 and his Kingdom is not of this world Job 18.36 How can that power which Christ as Mediator hath not received of the Father be derived from Christ to the Christian Magistrate I know that Christ as he is the eternall Son of God and thought it no robbery to be equall with God doth with the Father and the holy Ghost reign and rule over all the Kingdoms of the sons of men He that is Mediator being God hath as God all power in heaven and earth and this power was given to him Matth. 28.18 both by the eternall Generation and by the declaration of him to be the Son of God with power when he was raised from the dead Rom. 1.4 even as he said to be begotten when he was raised again Act. 13.33 he had relinquished and laid aside his Divine Dominion and Power when he had made himself in the form of a servant but after his Resurrection it 's gloriously manifested And so he that is Mediator being God hath power to subdue his and his Churches enemies and to make his foes his footstool But as Mediator he is onely the Churches King Head and Governor and hath no other Kingdom The Phatinians have defined the Kingly Office of Christ thus It is an Office committed to him by God to govern with the highest authority and power all creatures endued with understanding and especially men and the Church gathered of them But those that have written against them have corrected their definition in this particular because Christ is properly King of his Church onely As for those two Scriptures which the Brother citeth they are extremely misapplied He citeth 1 Cor. 12.28 to prove that Christ hath placed Civil Governments in his Church If by the Governments or Governors there mentioned be understood the Civil Magistrates yet that place saith not that Christ hath placed them but that God hath done it Next the Apostle speaks of such Governors as the Church had at that time but at that time the Church had no godly nor Christian Magistrates This is Calvins argument whereby he proves that Ecclesiasticall not Civil Governors are there meant Thirdly I ask How can we conceive that Civil Government can come into the Catalogue of Ecclesiastical and Spiritual Administrations for such are all the rest there reckoned forth Lastly the Brother after second thoughts may think he hath done another disservice to the Magistrate in making the Magistracy to be below and behinde the Ministery The Apostle puts them in this order God hath set some in the Church first Apostles secondly Prophets thirdly Teachers after that Miracles then gifts of Healings Helps Governments c. How makes the Brother this to agree with his Interpretation Next he citeth Eph. 1.21 22 33. to prove that all Government is given to Christ and to him as Mediator and Christ as head of these given to the Church But this place maketh more against him then for him for the Apostle saith not that Christ is given to the Church as the Head of all Principalities and Powers The Brother saith so and in saying so he makes Christ a Head to those that are not of his Body The Apostle saith far otherwise that God gave Christ to be the Head over all things to the Church which is his Body which the Syriack readeth more plainly And him who is over all he gave to be the Head to the Church He is a Head to none but the Church but he who is Head to the Church is over all God l●●sed forever Rom. 9.5 yea even as man he is over or above all The very Humane nature of Christ which was raised from the dead being set at the right hand of the Majesty of God is exalted to a higher degree of honour and glory then either man or Angel ever was or ever shall be So that he that is Head of the Church is over all because he doth not onely excell his own members but excell all creatures that ever God made It is one thing to say that Christ is exalted to a dignity excellency preeminence majesty and glory far above all Principality and Power and Might and Dominion Another thing to say that Christ is head of all Principalities and Governments and as Mediator excerciseth his Kingly Office over these The Apostle saith the former but not the latter Shall I need to illustrate this distinction Is there any thing more known in the world Will any say that he who excels other men in dignity splendor honour and glory must therefore reign and rule over all those whom he thus excels The Apostle saith indeed in another sense that Christ is the Head of all Principality and Power Col. 2.10 But that is spoken of Christ not as he is Mediator but onely as he is God And the Apostles meaning in those words is nothing but this That Christ is true God saith Tosanus That he is Omnipotent saith Gualther That he being the naturall Son of God is together with the Father Lord of all things saith Bullinger That this is the meaning will soon appear 1. From the scope of the place which is to teach the Colossians not to worship Angels because they are but servants and the Son of God is their Lord and Head 2. The Apostle expounds himself how Christ is the Head of all Principality and power Col. 1.15 16 17. Who is the image of the invisible God the first-born of every creature For by him were all things created that are in heaven and that are in the earth visible and invisible whether they be thrones ord●minions or principalities or powers All things were created by him and for him and he is before all things and by him all things consist Now all

unto us if we do it And for your part should you not establish such a rule as many put a difference between the precious and the vile the clean and the unclean you shall in so far make the Churches of Christ in a worse condition and more disabled to keep themselves pure then either they were of old under Pagan Emperours or now are under Popish Princes You shall also strengthen instead if silencing the Objections both of Separatists and Socinians who have with more then a colour of advantage opened their mouthes wide against some Reformed Churches for their not exercising of Discipline against scandalous and prophane persons and particularly for not suspending them from the Sacrament of the Lords Supper Nay which is yet more if you should refuse that which I speak of you shall come short of that which Heathen● themselves in their way did make conscience of for they did interdict and keep-off from their holy things all such as they esteemed prophane and scandalous whom therefore they called {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} that is accused or delated persons In this manner was Alcibiades excommunicate at Athens and Virginia at Rome the former recorded by Plutarch the latter by Livius I trust God shal never so far desert this Parliament as that in this particular Pagan and Popish Princes Separatills Socinians and Heathens shall rise up in judgement against you I am perswaded better things of you and things that accompany salvation and namely that you will not suffer the Name and Truth of God to be through you blasphemed and reproached Do ye not remember the sad sentence against Eli and his house Because his sons made themselves vile and he restrained them not 1 Sam. 3.13 The Apostle tels us that the Judgement of God abideth not onely those that commit sin but those also who consent with them Roms. 1.32 Aquinas upon that place saith we may consent to the sins of others two waies 1. Directly by counselling approving c. 2. Indirectly by not hindering when we can And so did Eli consent to the vilenesse of his sons because though he reproved them he did not restrain them There is a Law Exod. 21.29 If an ox were wont to push with his horn in time past and it hath been testified to his owner and he hath not kept him in but that he hath killed a man or a woman the ox shall be stoned and his owner also shall be put to death It could be no excuse to say I intended no such thing and it is a grief of heart to me that such mischief is done That which I ayme at is this The Directory which you have lately established saith The ignorant and the sca●d●lous are not fi● to receive this Sacrament of the Lords Supper and therefore Ministers are appointed to warn all such in the name of Christ that they presume not to come to that holy Table It is now desired that this which you have alreadie acknowledged to be according to the Word of God and nature of that holy Ordinance may be made effectuall● and for that end that the power of Discipline be added to the power of Doctrine otherwise you are guilty in Gods sight of not restraining those that make themselves vile In the third and last place I shall apply my Doctrine to the sons of Levi and that in a twofold consideration 1 Actively 2 Passively Actively because if we be like our Master even followers of Jesus Christ or partakers of his unction then our Ministery will have not onely light but fire in it we must be burning as well as shining lights not onely shining with the light of knowledge and of the Doctrine which is according to godlinesse but burning also with zeal for reforming abuses and purging of the Church from the drosse thereof Which made Ang●s●ine to apply propologically to Ministers that which is said of the Angels of heaven Psal. 104.4 Who maketh his Angels spirits and his Ministers a flaming fire Sathan hath many Incendiaries against the Kingdom of Christ O that we were Christs Incendiaries against the kingdom of Sathan If we will indeed appear zealous for the Lord let it not seem strange if the Adversaries of Reformation say of us as they said of the Apostles themselves These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also Yet it shall be no grief of heart to us afterward but peace and joy unspeakable that we have endeavoured to do our duty faithfully Passively also the Application must be made because the sons of Levi must in the first place go through this refining fire themselves and they most of all other men have need to be and must be refined from their drosse I find in Scripture that these three things had a beginning among the Priests and Prophets I Sin error and scandall beginneth at them Jer. 50.6 Their Shepherds have caused them to go astray And Jer. 23.15 From the Prophets of Jerusalem is prophanenesse gone out into all the Land 2 Judgement begins at them Ezek. 9.6 Slay utterly old and young and begin at my sanctuary 3. The refining work of Reformation beginneth or ought to begin at the purging and refining of the sons of Levi So you have it in the next words after my Text and 2 Chron. 29. 4 5. c. where Hezekiah beginneth his Reformation at the sa●ctifying of the Priests and Levites But as it was then in Judah it s now in England some of the sons of Levi are more upright to sanctifie themselves then others The fire that I spake of before will prove every man and his work I am sorrie I have occasion to adde a third Application But come on and I will shew you greater things than these What will you say if any be found among the sons of Levi that will neither be active nor passive in the establishing of the Church-refining and sin-censuring Government of Jesus Christ but will needs appear upon the Stage against it This was done in a late Sermon now come abroad which hath given no small scandal and offence I am confident every other godly Minister will say let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth before I do the like I have done with that which the Text holds forth concerning Reformation The second way how Christ is like a refiners fire and like fullers sope is in respect of tribulation which either followeth or accompanieth his coming into his Temple Affliction is indeed a refining fire Psal. 66.10 For thou O God hast proved us thou hast tried us as silver is tried vers. 12. We went through fire and through water 1 Pet. 1.6 7. Ye are in heavinesse through manifold temptations that the triall of your faith being much more precious then of gold that perisheth though it be tried with fire might be found unto praise c. Affliction is also the fullers sope to purifie and make white Dan. 11.35 and 12.10