Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heaven_n	earth_n	power_n	principality_n	1,975	5	10.5828	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

Many shall be purified and made white and tried where the same word is used from which I said before the fullers sope hath its name The Doctrine shall be this Tribulation doth either accompany or follow after the work of Reformation or purging of the house of God So it was when Christ himself came into his Temple Luk. 12.49 I am come to send fire on the earth vers. 51. Suppose ye that I am come to send peace on earth I tell you nay but rather divis●●on So it was when the Apostles were sent forth into the world Peter applieth to that time the words of Joel And I will shew wonders in heaven above and signes in earth beneath blood and fire and vapour of smoke the Sun shall be turned into darknesse and the Moon into blood Acts 2.19 20. The meaning is such tribulation shall follow the Gospel which shall be like the darkening of the great lights of the world and as it were a putting of heaven and earth out of their course so great a change and calamity shall come The experience both of the ancient and now-reformed Churches doth also abundantly confirm this Doctrine Neither must we think that all the calamities of the Church are now overpast Who can be assured that that houre of greatest darknesse the killing of the witnesses is past and all that sad prophecie Rev. 11. fulfilled And if some be not much mistaken it is told Dan. 12.1 that there shall be greater tribulation about the time of the Jews conversion then any we have yet seen At that time saith the Angel to Daniel there shall be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time and at that time thy people shall be delivered every 〈◊〉 that shall be found written in the book I make haste to the Uses and first let me give unto God the glory of his truth if we have been deceived surely he hath not deceived us for he hath given us plain warning in his word and hath not kept up from us the worst things which ever have or ever shall come upon his Church And now when the sword of the Lord hath gotten a charge against these three covenanting and reforming Kingdoms is this any other then the word of the Lord that when Christ cometh into his Temple who may abide the day of his coming and who shall stand when he appeareth so he is like a refiners fire and like fullers sope And for the invasion of Scotland by such an enemy after a reformation is it any new thing May we not say that which is hath been Did not Senacherib invade Judah after Hezekiahs reformation 2 Chro● 32.1 And though after the reformation of Asa and after the reformation of Jehosaphat also the land had a short rest and a breathing time yet not long after a forrain invasion followed both upon the one reformation and the other Nay look what is the worst thing which hath befallen to Scotland as yet as much yea worse hath formerly befallen to the Church people of God toward whom the Lord had thoughts of peace and not of evil to give them an expected end I say it not for diminishing any thing either from the sin or shame of Scotland the Lord forbid we will bear the indignation of the Lord because we have sinned against him we will lay our hand upon our mouth and accept the punishment of our iniquity we will bear our shame for ever because our Father hath spit in our face our Rock hath sold us and our strength hath departed from us But I say it by way of answering him that reproacheth in the gates and by way of pleading for the truth of God Some have objected to our reproach that when the Lord required the Israelites to appear before him in Jerusalem thrice a yeer he promised that no man should invade their habitations in their absence Exod. 34.23.24 which gracious providence of his no doubt saies one continues still protecting all such as are employed by his command yet thath not been so with Scotland during the time of their armies being in England I answer besides that which hath been said already even in this the word and work of God do well agree and that Scripture ought not to be so applyed to us except the Canaanites and the Am●rites and the Jebusites of our time had been all cast out of our borders we find this day too many of them lurking there and waiting their opportunity for the Septuagints and many of the interpreters read that Text thus For when I shall cast out the nations before thee and enlarge thy borders no man shall desire thy land when thou shall go up to appear before the Lord thy God thrice in the yeer And this is the true sence read it as you will For the promise is limited to the time of casting out the Nations and inlarging their borders which came not to passe till the dayes of Solomon it is certain that from the time of making that promise the people had not ever libertie and protection for keeping the three solemne Feasts in the place of the Sanctuary as might be proved from divers forrain invasions and spoylings of that Land for some yeers together whereof we read in the book of the Judges But I go on In the second place let God have the glory of his just righteous dealings Let us say with Job I will leave my comp●aint upon my self and say unto God Shew me wherefore thou contendest with me But by all means take heed you conceive not an ill opinion of the Covenant and cause of God or the reformation of Religion because of the tribulation which followeth thereupon Say not it was a good old world when we burnt incense to the Queen of heaven for then we were well and saw no evil But said the people to Jeremiah Since we left off to burn incense to the Queen of heaven and to poure out drink-offerings to her we have been consumed by the sword and by the famine Jer. 44.17 18. To such I answer in the words of Solomon Say not thou what it is the cause that the former times were better then these for thou diest not enquire wisely concerning this Was the peoples coming out of Egypt the cause why their carcasses did fall in the windernesse or was it their murmuring and rebelling against the Lord which brought that wrath upon them If thou wilt enquire wisely concerning this thing read Zephaniah cap. 1. In the dayes of I siah even in the dayes of Judahs best reformation the Lord sent this message by the Prophet I will utterly consume all things from off the Land v. 2. And I will bring distresse upon men that they shall walk like blind men and their bloud shall be poured out as dust and their flesh as dung vers. 17. What was the reason of it It is plainly told them and