Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heaven_n	church_n	earth_n	militant_a	5,036	5	12.4963	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A18036	The conscionable Christian: or, The indeuour of Saint Paul, to haue and discharge a good conscience alwayes towards God, and men laid open and applyed in three sermons. Preached before the honourable judges of the circuit, at their seuerall assises, holden in Chard and Taunton, for the county of Somerset. 1620. By Richard Carpenter, Doctor of Diuinity, and pastor of Sherwell in Deuon.	Carpenter, Richard, 1575-1627.	1623 (1623)	STC 4681; ESTC S107676	65,416	130

in the duties of holinesse and piety towards God or of righteousnesse peace or equity towards men And heerein c. which words being thus expounded by way of diuision offer to the duty of our consideration Three remarkable points of obseruation 1. The first S. Pauls Christian practice and actuall imployment grounded on the hope of the resurrection Heerein therefore doe I exercise my selfe 2. The second is the matter subiect of his Diuision imployment and exercise to haue and preserue an vpright conscience 3. The third is the latitude extent of the same either In respect of time to haue a good conscience alwayes In respect of the obiects to haue and discharge a good conscience towards God Men. THe blessed Apostle confesseth in the verse Illustr Text. foregoing my Text that he confidently beleeued the doctrine of the Resurrection and therfore in a well groūded expectation therof professeth himselfe heere studious of a godly life and vnblameable conuersation Hee had well learned that Christianity consisted not in idle speculation but industrious negotiation and therefore sets to the worke not doing it by a Deputy or putting it ouer to after-times but for the present without doubt or delay exerciseth himselfe Heerein I exercise my selfe He vnderstood well enough that the best duties required the greatest diligence and therefore vltimata voluntate with all might and maine exerciseth himselfe in this to haue alwayes an vpright conscience Hee knew that to make a shew of deuotion and piety towards God and not to procure things honest in the sight of men sauoured of hypocrisie and on the contrary to obserue a kind of peaceable truth and plausible equity in our dealing with men and to be regardlesse of Religion and Zeale in matters of Gods worship was no other then prophane formality and therefore with a settled resolution indeuoureth to hold a concurrence and correspondencie of both in their order that is first to approoue the truth and sincerity of his seruice in all duties Diuine towards God and then with all diligence and dexterity to performe all humane dues and duties towards men These Right Honourable and Beloued are the seuerall bounds and limits of my intended Meditations on this Text answerable to the seuerall limmes and lineaments of S. Pauls holy practice and profession shaddowed forth therein for the more liuely describing and portraying of which in their proper colours and proportions three generall doctrines and instructions 3. Doct. obs are principally to bee obserued Whereof the first resulteth and issueth from the motiue The second from the manner The third from the matter of Saint Pauls religious exercise and imployment as in order they offer themselues to bee handled The first Doctrine arising from the motiue 1. Doct. to wit the hope Saint Paul had of the resurrection of iust and vniust is this That the assured hope and settled expectancy of the day of Resurrection and Iudgement to come when we shall render account and receiue a reward according to our deeds is and ought to bee a forcible allectiue to draw on Christians to the earnest pursuit of godlinesse and constant practice of true Religion Tolle spem Resurrectionis Chrys in 24. Mat. saith golden-mouthed Chrysostome resoluta est omnis obseruantia pietatis Take away the hope of the Resurrection and the building of piety wanteth her foundation For vpon this foundation all the Apostles haue builded their exhortations to amendment of life and sanctification as Saint Paul Acts 17. Now God admonisheth Acts 17. 30. 1. Thes 4. 2. Tit. 11. all men euery where to repent because he hath appointed a Day in which he will iudge the world in righteousnesse And 1. Iohn 3. 1. Ioh. 3. 3. Wee know when Christ Iesus shall appeare wee shall bee like him and euery one that hath this hope purgeth himselfe as he is pure So S. Peter Seeing the Heauens shall passe with a 2. Pet. 3. 11. noise the Elements melt with heate and all these things be dissolued what manner of persons Vers 14. ought yee to bee in holy conuersation and godlinesse Yea seeing that ye looke for these things be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace and blamelesse in that Day The expectation of which Day called the Day of Restauration Acts. 3. 21. of all things hath euer beene is and will be to such as feare God a forcible prouocation to vertuous atchieuements and religious actions Then then indeed runs a man cheerefully in the Race of Christianity when hee knowes that he runs not at vncertainety Tolle Bernard viatori spem perueniendi continuò franguntur vires ambulandi He blunts the edge of industry that denies recompence and where there is no apprehension of a Day of remuneration there is little care of proficiency or striuing to perfection For to reason as the Apostle doth Reason 1 Phil. 3. How can we dwelling on earth desire Phil. 3. 20 21. to haue our conuersation in heauen if we looke not for the second comming of our Sauiour and how can we looke for his comming except we beleeue the Resurrection and how can we beleeue the Resurrection vnlesse wee acknowledge that power by which he is able to subdue all things to himselfe Againe How doe wee acknowledge our God to bee Almighty in power without the faith of the Resurrection and how can wee haue the faith of the Resurrection without the hope of a Sauiour and how can we haue hope of a Sauiour without an heauenly conuersation So that the life of this conuersation is hope by which wee expect the comming of a Sauiour and the ground of this hope is faith by which wee are assured that at his comming hee will change our vile bodies and make them like to his glorious Body and the reason of this faith beyond reason is his power by which hee is able to accomplish all things after his good will and pleasure All these be linkes so diuinely hanging and depending each on other in that golden chaine of the Apostle that if we let slip one we lose the comfortable hold-fast of all but good Christians misse not of any but established in faith rooted in hope and abounding in loue set forward in an holy course of life and follow hard towards Phil. 3. 14. the Marke for the price of the high calling of God in Christ knowing that they are begotten by the immortall seed of the Word in the bosome 1. Pet. 1. 3. of the Church Militant on earth to a liuely hope of an inheritance immortall and vndefiled in the Church Triumphant in heauen Reason 2 This hope as it giueth vs an edge that wee should earnestly affect couet spirituall things so doeth it giue vs a backe also to indure all things for why doe the seruants of God beare crosses and losses so patiently abstaine from euill so carefully pursue the things that are good so cheerefully but because

his part in Paradise exercise themselues wholly and their greatest wit cunning and policy to gaine and retaine good estates good Farmes good fields good friends good houses good horses good clothes good euery thing else but care not for this onely permanent and Paradisaicall good of an vpright conscience let all of vs that would be accounted godly wise prouident for a better world make it our principall care and study to get this choyce Iewell of admirable vertue and operation and to set it in the best and chiefest roome of our holy and hearty affection as a blessing of all blessings sufficient for present maintenance Psalm 84. and future Psal 84. 11. inheritance Luk. 12. 31. With which that wee Luk. 12. may be really possessed and so royally blessed it is generally required of vs all as in part it hath and shal be more fully declared hereafter that we be according to our seuerall callings much exercised in prayer in thankesgiuing in hearing reading and meditating of the Word much in patience temperance repentance obedience Gods mercies and iudgements on our selues and others must be daily considered his Temple on publike solemne assemblies duely frequented his Throne of grace in priuate deuotion often sollicited his distressed seruants pitied and relieued especially wee must be inured to a daily diligent search and examination of our soules by that scrutiny in Seneca Anima Seneca mea quid fecisti hodie O my soule what hast thou Ier. 8. 6. done to day that so comming to a true sight and sorrow of our sinnes and corruptions wee may humbly confesse them feruently craue pardon for them and by faith in Christs blood be assured of the forgiuenesse of them and so with peace of conscience and ioy of heart walke on cheerfully in the religious race of godlinesse and vertue to the iourneys end of endlesse felicity Herein and therein ought we to be exercised if we would inioy the comfort and credit of conscionable Christians And as these generall duties of Christianity are carefully to be performed so the particular offices whereunto we are called for the propagation of Religion and piety or the preseruation of order iustice and equity in Church or Commonwealth are seriously to be attended and executed Hoc agite in the sacrifices of the heathen gods was a precept much vsed and obserued how much more in the seruices of the God of heauen especially in that great businesse of Iustice and Iudgement whereunto by God the King and the Countrey the most of you are now designed should the said precept Doe yee this that is intend and apply all the faculties of your mind to the doing of it be kept inuiolable and that not only of you the chiefe agents and ministers but of all others the instruments and assistants of Iustice whether witnesses who are faithfully to prooue the action or counsellours who are formally to plead the cause or Iurators who are vprightly to censure the allegations These and euery of these for the discharge of a good conscience herein and therein according to Saint Pauls practice must exercise themselues and that ingeniously without sinister affection and that instantly as the occasion is giuen without put-offs to after-times or any tedious protraction Vse 2 So that to come to a second vse of the doctrine proposed me thinkes here come within compasse of iust censure diuers Christians as they esteeme themselues to be sharpely reprooued for their security and grosse stupidity in slighting neglecting and procrastinating necessary duties who thinke and speake much of doing but leaue to doe the effect of their thinking who mention and motion many things fit to be acted and done for the reformation of disorders and matters amisse in themselues and family at home in the Church and Common-wealth abroad but as weaklings and slacke-graces set not their hands to the worke thrust not themselues forth with Dauids resolution Psal 101. tot Psalm 101. to the speedy execution of the same Farre be they from the Prophets and our Apostles spirit and resolution farre from the obedient disposition which was in Father Abraham who according to Gods Commandement forthwith circumcised his family Genes Gen. 17. 17. put away the bond-woman and her sonne Gen. 21. Gen. 21. yea readily and betimes went on his Gen. 22. iourney to sacrifice his onely beloued Sonne Isaac Gen. 22. and not asking a reason for it which he thought to be presumption or opposing any carnall reason against it which hee knew to be rebellion instantly did that hee was called vnto and commanded to doe with all expedition But alas these and are not some of you Fathers many of you Brethren such either in fauour to themselues or for feare of others stand still with the idlers in the market and doe nothing or hauing begun well reuolt Math. 20. 1. Tim. 4. 10. Iudg. 5. with Demas disappoynt with Meroz or follow a farre off as Peter did Christ and doe not put themselues forward to the reforming of any course that is euill or the furtherance of any cause that is good Yea whereas the places and callings of some require that they should as State-Physicians purge themselues of all distempered humours that they might the more effectually worke on the humorous distemperatures of others and that they should bee patrons of peace and piety and patternes of temperance and honesty that so they might the more boldly reproue and soundly represse the lewd and lawlesse irregularities of the sonnes of Belial wherwith these times swarme They on the contrary runne a race of the like excesse of riot with others and as if it were no disparagement but rather an ornament vnto them sweare by authority oppresse and extort by licence drinke that I may not say drab it too without controll without feare care or conscience Such and such with shame and griefe I speak it are more then a good many of our neuter-passiue Magistrates scar-crow Constables and meale-mouthed vnder-officers in Towne and Countrey who resembling Ostritches which Plin. haue great feathers but no flight or Iupiters Blocke cast amongst the Frogs to bee the king whom they feared at first for its greatnesse but despised at length for its stilnesse suffer many hainous and hidious enormities of whoredom blasphemy drunkennesse prophaning of the Sabbath and wilfull recusancy to passe by them vncontrolled and are loth lest they might bee accounted precise and pragmaticall to exercise themselues in this to see these and the like abuses punished or reformed So that as Demosthenes Plut. sometimes complained that by the Athenians slothfulnesse the power of their aduersary Philip King of Macedon was greatly augmented so may we that are Ministers iustly complaine that by the remisnesse of the aforesaid Magistrates and Officers the kingdome of Satan in those his vicious vicegerents is exceedingly inlarged And therefore we doe the more humbly intreat you my Honourable Lords according to the great measure of