Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heaven_n	bread_n	life_n	manna_n	4,497	5	12.2368	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A19485	The brazen serpent: or, the copie of a sermon preached at Pauls Crosse, Decemb. 31. 1620. By Iohn Andrevves, priest and preacher of the VVord of God at Saint Iames Clerkenwell in Middlesex	Andrewes, John, fl. 1615.	1621 (1621)	STC 591; ESTC S122344	23,076	64

by fiery Serpents verse 6. 3. Their Repentance was in Peccauimus We haue sinued in speaking against God and thee verse 7. 4. Their Remedy was a Serpent of Brasse set vp for a Signe verse 9. First The People of Israel being ouer-wearied with long trauaile and tedious iournies betwixt Aegypt and Canaan thorow the wild Wildernesse of Arabia the stonie fell into impatiency and complained against God and his seruant Moses as if God had dealt cruelly with them as if Moses maliciously and cunningly had drawne them forth of Aegypt from a sweet contented state of life with a purpose to plunge them into a depth of misery and distresse Wherefore the people forgetting their no lesse gracious then maruailous deliuerance from the tyrannie and thraldome of Aegypt which was no lesse grieuous to be borne then death it selfe doth now vpbraid the Lord Moses their gouernour with it misconstruing the Blessings of God and accounting the greatest happinesse that euer Nation receiued to be their greatest curse and malediction and not only so but they grew so queazy-stomackt that they disdained Manna the food of Angels which God most miraculously showred down from heauen vpon them for so they say in plain terms Nu. 21. 6. Our soule loatheth this light Bread Which notwithstanding at the first they desired most earnestly and receiued most ioyfully Exod. 16. Such was the inconstancy and ingratitude of that people euer whining euer complaining neuer contented And in them as in a glasse we may behold our selues euen to the life When the light of the Gospell of Christ which for long time had beene beclowded with fogs of superstition and darke mysts of error and ignorance began first to dawne to vs in this Land with what generall joy of heart was the blessing welcōmed euery mans mouth was filled with praise and thankefulnesse to God for it no lesse then if they had beene deliuered from the Aegyptian seruitude nay from the Gulph of Hell But see the vngratefull mutability and gracelesse inconstancie of the many among vs who can neuer constantly affect any thing that is truely Good Many now adaies either fainting vnder the Crosse or growne wanton with too much happinesse and prosperitie doe barke against Heauen and complaine because they are freed from Romish tyranny insomuch that they open their mouthes against God and his Gospell his Messengers and Ministers as if they were the Originals of all the euils and curses that euer happened to this Land They disdaine and lothe the Bread of life the true Manna the Gospell of God it is but light meate to them they cannot rellish it The Garlike and Onions of Aegypt any fabulous tale out of the Leaden Legend hath better taste with them and edifies more to saluation Lord Iesus lay not this sinne to their charge for they know not what they doe So much briefely for the fault which prouoked their punishment Secondly Now follows their punishment ver 6. Wherefore the Lord sent fierie Serpents among the people so that many of the people of Israel died See how iust how fitting and proportionable the punishment is to the sinne As the sinne increased by little and little and spred it selfe like the poison of Serpents flaming vp more and more till it came to the highest euen an high contempt against God himselfe So the punishment by the stinging of those fiery Serpents crept and spred it selfe by little and little Then the burning heate of their sting increasing their thirst it augmented till at last with a pestilentiall flame it deuoured and consumed the transgressors For as the People like to Serpents sharpened their tongues spitting out their poison and venom against God and Moses So God sent Serpents that disgorged their deadly poison vpon them that like might be punished with like Poenâ talionis For God in wisedome doth so temper his punishments to the offence that alwaies there appeares some proportion betweene the sinne and the punishment Not that any punishment in this world is able to satisfie fully for any sinne whereby the infinite Maiestie of God is offended but that the Temporall punishment heere may be as it were an earnest of eternall punishment otherwhere Thirdly Vpon their punishment in the third place followeth their Repentance ver 7. Therefore the people came to Moses and said We haue sinned because we haue spoken against the Lord and Thee pray to the Lord that he will take these Serpents from vs c. As plagues and punishments doe put men in minde of their sinnes so sinne and the smart for sinne led them to Repentance For as God doth receiue to mercy such as are vnfainedly penitent and heartrent for their transgressions so impenitent and obstinate offenders he reserueth for his iudgement of horrible vengeance in another World I leaue this because I hasten to the remedy which God gaue them vpon their Repentance Fourthly verse 8 9. The Lord said to Moses Make thee a fiery Serpent and set it vp on a pole for a signe that as many as are bitten and stung may looke vp on it and liue So Moses made a Serpent of Brasse and set it vp for a signe and when a Serpent had stung or bitten any he looked vp to the brazen Serpent and liued So many as looked vp to the brazen Serpent recouered but such as did not looke vp to it died But as it is most wisely and truely spoken by the Wiseman Sap. 16. 7. He that turned towards it was not healed by the thing he saw id est by the Brasse piece vpon the pole but by thee ô Sauiour of all For this we must lay down as an vnmoueable ground That the Brazen Serpent being a thing without life or motion or sence in it selfe had not in it selfe of it own nature any power or vertue by being only lookt vpon to cure actually and really to conuay health to such as were stung to death by fiery Serpents but all the power of healing was in the Ordinance of God God had ordained and promised that whosoeuer being Serpent-stung should looke vp to it should be healed Therefore such as beleeued that God would be as good as his word and keepe his promise inuiolable they did looke vp to it and were healed Others that beleeued not the truth of Gods word nor stedfastnesse of his promise but distrusted him and gaue no credit vnto him they did not looke vp to it and therefore were not healed but dyed of the sting This is to teach vs that a thing which is once commanded and ordained by God to such and such an end and vse must not be valued and prized by the outward shew it hath which presenteth it selfe to our outward senses but it must be estimated by the Decree of Gods will who by his singular wisedome hath ordained and appointed things to our vse as he best knew was most expedient for vs. Our dutie it is to do that which he bids and inioynes vs and to rest

perswaded that what hee commands he doth will and what he promiseth he will most assuredly performe The Causes why all promises of men are not alwaies kept I haue obserued to be commonly two viz either want of power and ability to performe or want of will to bee as good as their word neither of which can be said of Christ For he is God omnipotent potent and able to doe whatsoeuer hee promiseth And he is Optimus of a good and gracious disposition willing to performe whatsoeuer hee promiseth So that as I told you though the Brazen Serpent considered in it selfe be but a very weake and vnlikely meanes to heale such as were stung to death by fiery Serpents yet because God did ordaine it to that end and purpose as a Morall Instrument to conuay health to all such as did looke towards it Hee being able to doe what he will by what meanes how weake soeuer it pleaseth him to make choice of therefore whosoeuer looked towards it was actually healed Consider the like to this in the Cursed water drunke by the suspected Wife Num. 5. 27 28. If shee were guilty of breach of wedlock the water being drunk caused her thigh to rot and her belly to swell if not guilty she vpon the drinking thereof conceiued with child I demand then Whence had the water power to distinguish betwixt a chast and an vnchast Wife how chance it did not rot the thigh of the woman that was not guilty as well as of the other The simplest may perceiue it did not these things by any vertue or power it had in it selfe but because God had ordained and appointed it so that it being thus vsed should produce such effects And this will giue some light vnto vs in the matter of the Sacrament so much controuerted betwixt vs and the Church of Rome from whom as in diuers other points of Religion so also in this wee suffer slander They would faine beare the World in hand that we make the Sacraments of Christ but bare emptie signes of certaine graces and no more But heerein they doe vs great wrong For howbeit we say truely that they are Signes yet not bare signes but f Confessio Anglicana articulo de Baptismo morall instruments and meanes by which God doth confer those graces really and truly on vs which those signes doe represent So saith the Catechisme of our Church What doest thou meane by this word Sacrament Ans I meane an outward and visible signe of an inward and Spirituall grace giuen vnto vs ordained by Christ himselfe as a meanes or Instrument whereby wee receiue the same Grace and a pledge to assure vs thereof Indeed a man would thinke that a little Bread and Wine consecrated with solemne benediction were but poore and feeble meanes to conuay vnto vs the Body and Blood and Godhead of Gods eternall Sonne together with all his benefits purchased for vs as namely to free vs from the wrath of God from the endlesse torments of Hell from the curse of the Law to cloath vs with the righteousnesse of Christ and to conuay vnto vs a sure firme title to the Kingdome of Heauen and euerlasting life one would thinke this were impossible to be performed by a morsell of Consecrated Bread and a sup of hallowed Wine And so it is if wee consider the things as they are in their owne nature But if we weigh with our selues that Christ himselfe being God omnipotent hath ordained and appointed them to this end that we by them shall receiue such Benefits and hath faithfully promised that He by them as by a morall instrument will bestow such vnconceiueable graces vpon vs though those Graces be not Naturally contained in the Symboles and outward Elements of Bread and Wine themselues It remaineth that we doe but fit and prepare our selues to receiue them and so to beleeue vndoubtedly that he is and will be as good as his word in bestowing all them vpon vs at the very instant that we receiue the Bread and Wine into our bodies As whosoeuer was fitted for it and as God had commanded did but looke vp to the Serpent did immediatly recouer his bodily health Not because a piece of molten Brasse had that power in it selfe to giue life hauing none in it selfe but because God had ordained it to that end and did really performe what he did promise Let me torment your patience a while longer vpon this point I haue often compared those Holy mysteries to a Lease which is a morall Instrument A Gentleman makes seales deliuers a Lease to a Tenant of a Farme containing two or three hundred Acres of Land lying butting and bordering thus and thus vpon condition that the Tenant shall pay him so much Rent The Tenant receiues the Lease and hauing it in his hand shews it to his Friend and tels him that he hath there two hundred pounds a yeere three hundred Acres of Land The Parchment and Inke and Waxe of the Lease haue not the very Acres of Ground nor Trees nor Houses growing in them and yet by that Parchment or Lease the Tenant will possesse so much I demand then how commeth it to passe that this piece of Parchment and these drops of Inke This Lease hath power to conuay so much ground Really and actually to mee to a Tenant It hath no ground growing within it whence then hath it power to giue it to me The answer is that the Power it hath to performe this commeth not from the Waxe Inke and Parchment but from the legall Power and Authoritie of the Law-maker who did decree and ordaine that a Deed conceiued in such and such forme of words should be effectuall and powerfull to giue to a Tenant reall possession of such Lands and Houses So it is in the Sacrament euen as in an Indenture By it Christ doth giue vs his very Body and Blood his Merits his righteousnesse By it he passeth ouer to vs a Deed of all the Ioyes of Heauen he seales vnto vs a pardon of all our sinnes and of all the punishments belonging vnto them Mary on this Condition that we doe truly pay to him his Rent viz. True Repentance of all our sinnes True Charitie with our Neighbours True Faith in his Blood and a New sincere Obedience to Gods Commandements When we receiue this wee say This is the Body and Blood of Christ heere haue I Remission of all my sinnes and the Kingdome of Heauen passed ouer vnto me Yet that bit of bread hath not the Kingdom of Heauen contained in it nor the Body of Christ growing in it or conuerted into it neither hath the Wine the Blood of Christ within it and yet by That Bread and Wine the worthy Receiuer doth really and truly receiue whole Christ with all his Graces and benefits mentioned Whence haue they this Power In their own Nature they haue it not Whence then can they conuay All this to me I Answer The power which they haue comes