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
A44318	The fatall doom, or, The charms of divine love by R.H.	R. H.; Hooke, Robert, 1635-1703.	1655 (1655)	Wing H2615; ESTC R3487	45,812	224

loves thee that rather then fail he will die to winne thy love No fond wanton lover of them all sayes Saint Chrysostome though his brain be by the heat of love enfeavered to an high degree of frenzie that is so all on fire with the love of his Mistress as the Lord Iesus is with the love of thy Soul He so loved thee as that he exposed himself to thousands of Wounds not onely made by Men or Devils but by the heavie hand of Divine Justice and interposed his own sacred breast to receive so to stave them off from thee Homines Quid miramini nisi stupes citis quod Deus tam affectuose amet creaturas Euseb Niremberg St. Bern. quid miramini Ah Men what is it that ye can stand amazed at if you do not at this that God should so affectionately love his creature that Deus tantus tantillos tantum tam gratis so great a God should so much love such little inconsiderable worms Shew me such another wonder of love if you can That condescension of Iesus sayes Nirembergius that stupendious humbling of himself to Death Philip. 2.7 and emptying himself of Glory was such a transcendent master-piece of Love that should any man have either imagined any such thing or wished that so it might be before himself was pleased to reveal that great secret The seed of the woman shall break the Serpents head preces blasphemiae crederentur votum sacrilega voluntas that thought of his had been blasphemy and that wish horrible sacriledge What an impudence were it if a Rebell justly sentenced by the Judge to tortures death should put up a Petition to the King to lay down his life and to suffer the penaltie of the Law for him what rude and prodigious Impudence were this And yet such was the Love of our Redeemer Jesus Christ the King of Kings he humbles himself to Death nay the death of the Cross the most ignominious and cursed kind of death and that for us Men who for our Rebellion were damned to eternall death nay and that before we ever what did make it our suit to his Majestie nay and before we ever durst have thought of any such horrid request It was a love unto death it self and that is the strongest of all Loves Greater love then this sayes my Apostle can no man have then to lay down his life for another That is the Grand Love without all doubt and all compare that is the charitas superlativa the greatest of all And yet here is one circumstance that makes this superlative love of Christ to us Men more then superlative it was a love of anticipation such a love that not onely exceeds all imaginations and desires but prevents all which is the most kindly of all loves the best kinde of love And sure it must speak us the worst of all creatures Nimis durus est animus qui si non impendere nec rependere vult S. Aug. if we should not answer such a love as this with love If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ How not love him who so loved Man as to die for him rather then Man should die the death That were brutish Brutish nay worse for the most savage of Brutes love those that love them the very Lions and Tigres do so Amant a mantes Leones amant Tigres S. Aug. and yet If any man not love the Lord Jesus Christ who so loved man as to die for him that were devillish Devillish nay worse then devillish sayes Nirembergius for there is not so great a tie or ingagement of love upon the Devils as there is upon us Men the Lord Jesus did not die for them but for us Men and for our salvation eripere de faucibus to rescue us out of their furious jawes If they hate him they hate onely their Creatour but if any of us men be so wretched we do not onely hate our Creator but our Redeemer we hate him that poured out his own bloud to redeem us Say now thou Monster whether thou beest not confounded with shame and whether my Apostle could do less then to thunder out his confounding Anathema against thee Which is my first kind of Arguments for the shaming of thee out of that thy peevish and more then devillish humour viz. the condescensions of Christs Love to us 2. If thou beest not shamed if thou please to take a view of those supereminent Glories Superexcellencies that shine in him I shall challenge thee if thou canst choose do not love him But now my sweet Jesu how shall I be able to display the radiant beams of thy Glories whose Intellect is cloathed or rather clouded with Reason and Reason with Phansie and Phansie with Sense 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which seeth nothing but shadowes and delusive dreams Alas the brightness of thy Glory dazels me and the more bright that shines the more it leaves me in darkness nay 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dionys Areop and the more that my eye is thus dazeled and darkned so much the more clearly does it see thee I can never more fully see thee then when I see thus much that I cannot see thee never till then do I comprehend thee indeed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Damascen but when I comprehend that thou art altogether incomprehensible Reader I beseech thee help me out in admiration The Prophet sayes He shall be called wonderful Esay 9.6 and so well he may sayes Hierotheus For howsoever that glorious Majesty condescended to be clad with the base rags of our flesh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yet which is the wonder of wonders in the very naturals which he borrowed from us he was super-naturall in our very estentialls he was super-essentiall as his walking upon the Sea testifies to the astonishment of all No wonder he is stiled Wonderful for indeed there is nothing spoken of him but speaks a Wonder That he should be born 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 S. Chrysost who is Eternitie it self be made Flesh by whom not onely all Flesh but all Principalities and Powers were made nay made of a woman nay and that a Virgin this is such a Wonder that the very Angels descend from Heaven to see a greater wonder below nay such that God himself seemeth to wonder at it Ier. 31.22 The Lord hath created a new thing upon earth a Woman shall compass a Man A new thing why is that such a wonder Yes and thy self shalt say there was never any such if once thou see what woman that is and what that man That woman is such a woman as is a Virgin saith the Prophet Esay such a woman as never knew man Esay 7.14 You may think this strange for so did that Blessed Virgin her self when an Angel told her she should bring forth a Son 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 how can this be seeing I know not a man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉

and perfect and yet If any man not love him who is happiness it self and perfection it self What sad contradictions are these and how irrationall What thinkest thou now of it Is it not reason that thou shouldst love the Lord Jesus Christ Art thou not enforced to it when every thing in nature crieth out upon thee if thou do not Thou must either shew some other object that can perfectionate thy love and ennoble it or thou must renounce thy naturall reason or else love him thou must for that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sayes Epictetus an inviolable law of reason 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that whatsoever appeareth the best that be loved best and then sayes another Heathen thou must know that that only may be esteemed best 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Marcus Imperat. which makes thy self best that is just wise free holy and without all doubt saith a third that is a truth that is evident to every man * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Proclus what that whatsoever it is that makes man happy it must be something that will assimilate him unto the Deitie rather then what will make him un godlike and that must needs make the man therefore happy because by that assimilation he riseth up into the highest perfection sayes another Heathen as if a liveless picture should be assumed and advanced into the same vigorous degree of liveliness and loveliness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plotinus with that majestie which it resembleth All this is reason is it not Now point me out or single out any one object here below if thou canst that will raise thee to that divine perfection I will tell thee what one of these Heathens saith in this case If the rationall soul stoop to the love of these materiall treasures or brutish pleasures 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plotin it descendeth and debaseth it self infinitely and its an unhappie fracture of her noble wings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and precipitation of the soul If thou doubtest the mans judgement yet what can be more infallible when it is the very nature of love Transformat in imagines istarum rerum quas amamus Raym. de Sab. to transform the soul into the image of those things which it loves and there is a Text that implieth so much They are become 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hos 9.10 abominable like those things which they have loved Si terram amas terra es If saith Saint Augustine thou lovest Earth thou art Earth and so whatsoever else And if that be not an embasing of the soul to degrade it and transform it into such low elements of such inferiour natures to it what is What is it then that will beatifie and elevate the soul into its primordial state of perfection Why saith he its a wise recess and retreat of the soul from all loves of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plotin and affectionate converse with these things below and an holy flight and retiring unto him onely who is onely Christian dost thou hear this without a blush Le ts see now what canst thou pretend to love that 's worth the while besides Jesus Christ Whatsoever it is that is less then a God Quicquid minus Deo mentē Dei capacem non implet Bern. Si aliud praeter Deum habeo nec aliud plene possideo nec Deum Deus qui non deficit solus mihi sufficil Euseb Niremb Et hoc adepto beata quo amisso misera fit anima S. Aug. that cannot possibly fill up the vast chasms and immense capacities of the soul that 's sure and if so then take joy in it it cannot that 's as certain no nor can it be said properly to enjoy it saith S. August for that onely can it enjoy which can terminate the restless motions of its desires and which being once attained the soul is happy which being lost it is miserable and wretched And if there be any thing else then the Lord Jesus the loss whereof will undo you then go and love it with all thy heart and soul strength and spare not But say in sober sadness is there any such indeed There is little signe saith Longinus when it is the greatest argument of a great mind 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Longinus to look upon them with the eye of disdain and contempt as poore small nothings and he instanceth in those things which the world adores as the great gods Riches Honours Principalities If there be any thing that will satisfie the soul it is more then Solomon could see who had his eyes in his head and could tell better then another as having a full experiment of all He cries out Vanitie of vanities emptiness of emptinesses and all things are vanitie and vexation of spirit Vexation of spirit that they must needs be because First they are emptinesses ● they can no more fill up the spirit or soul then a drop of water can fill up the huge Ocean no mor● quench the natural desires of the soul then a little water can the thirst of a man inflamed with a feaver nay they are so far from that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Isid P●lus as that they inflame the more they vex them as the Tick vexeth the Oxe or the Indian Gnats do the Lions which sitting on their eye-browes cause them to scratch themselves blind Secondly A vexation of spirit they are because they delude the man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arrianus which no man can endure and put a cheat upon him promising huge contentments and pleasures and when he hath run through them all he findes no more satisfaction in them then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an hungrie stomach doth in the reaking fume of a ladle or dreaming of a banquet The spirit must needs be vexed to be thus deluded and gull'd in its expectation And thirdly A vexation of the soul they must needs be because they are of an heterogeneous and extrinsecall nature to this our spirituall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is a gross mistake saith Plotinus if thou takest any of these material things to be the good which thou naturally seekest or to be thy good indeed or to be loved by any but fools and if sayes Marcus Antoninus thou be drawn to any of their loves thy motion is violent 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as those Puppets that are set on motion by gins of iron or wire that are of another and extrinsecall nature That soul that is moved by any other principle then God who onely can move it naturally because he onely i● that soveraign Good and Truth wherein the Will and Understanding can acquiesce is dragged by unnaturall principles and therefore by violent No wonder then he calls it a vexation of spirit that puts the soul to a most torturing violence and turneth it out of its naturall biass Nay Epictetus will tell thee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that as none but base and servile spirits wil desire things impossible so none but such as dare proudly to fight with God will love any thing that is of a distant and strange nature from him And yet what saith the Apostle If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ How not him such an incomparable and comprehensive perfection that all things else are but mere emptie Vanities and Nothingnesses Not love him that is that absolute necessarie One that is both the Principle and Middle and End of all Pluralities all the myriads of all created Beings and entities both in Heaven and Earth that absolute One or Unitie Qui habet hoc unum habet unum universale that is so one that he is all so that if any man seek rest in any thing else he cannot possibly find it because he seeks it not where it onely is he seeks it not in one but in another and therefore otherwise then he should and otherwhere then it is What folly what madness is this For so the Prophet putteth them both together Psal 75.5 I said unto the fools deal not so madly Here is the folly and madness of men they runne after Riches and Pleasures and Honours and run themselves out of breath in their hot pursuit after them and the more they runne after them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plot. the more they runne from him who is the veritie and realitie of them all Which is that frenzie that himself inviteth the Angels to stand agast at Jer. 2.13 Be astonished ye Heavens They have forsaken me the Fountain of living Waters and have digged unto themselves Cisterns that will hold no waters As if he had said If there were any other Fountain besides my self that could stay or satisfie their thirst I could dispence with that their revolt from me but now that there is no other such but my self that they should forsake me and run to the Creatures that are mere emptinesses this is that offendeth and astonisheth me Ah wreched and mad man sayes Cusanus no man that seeketh any thing but pretendeth to seek something that is good and he that seeketh good and forsaketh God what doth he but run away from that which he seeketh And if this be thy case I cannot but wonder at thee nay I hope thou wilt now begin to wonder at thy self to be sure thou mayest not canst not any more wonder at my Apostle for his Anathema Maran-atha nor at me if I dismiss thee with the saying of an honest Philosopher 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Diogenes Why pretendest thou to live if thou think much to love him by whom thou livest FINIS