Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heaven_n	lay_v	steal_v	treasure_n	2,096	5	9.7691	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A19267	An admonition to the people of England vvherein are ansvvered, not onely the slaunderous vntruethes, reprochfully vttered by Martin the libeller, but also many other crimes by some of his broode, obiected generally against all bishops, and the chiefe of the cleargie, purposely to deface and discredite the present state of the Church. Seene and allowed by authoritie.	Cooper, Thomas, 1517?-1594.	1589 (1589)	STC 5682; ESTC S118522	145,211	254

world to his knowledge should haue vsed the sernice and ministerie of Princes Noblemen great wealthie and rich men or of such as hadbene wise learned and eloquent and politique the glorie of his mightie conquest would haue bene attributed to the power and might to the wealth and riches to the wisedome and learning to the eloquence and policie of those which had bene his ministers and so the glorie of God in that worke of mans saluation should haue bene diminished Therefore God to shewe his power in heauenly thinges ouerthwarted the wisedome of the worlde and chose his Apostles poore vnnoble simple vnlerned without eloquence farre from the cunning wisedome and policie of the world by them and by their preaching in fewe yeeres wanne the whole worlde to his knowledge and defaced the kingdome of Sathan consisting in superstition idolatrie and wickednesse And indeede this order of Gods woorking by these poore and vnlearned men preuailed against all the Nobilitie the honour the power the might the wisedome the policie learning the eloquence of the worlde so that it might bee truely sayde Non est potentia non est prudentia non est consilium aduersus Dominum But what hereof is to bee concluded to this purpose forsooth that as Christ thought it fittest to chuse onely poore men to his Apostles and sent them abroade without any stay of Lining in the worlde so hee thinketh it meetest that his Ministers in his Church in all times and places shoulde be in poore estate and not to haue any wealth or riches It is good to consider this reason also that you bee not more ledde with it then the weight force of it requireth The office of the Apostles was to goe from Countrey to Countrey from place to place to plant Churches vnto God so that they could not haue any certaine stay of Liuing It is not therefore like reason that in a setled Church where the Gospel is receiued the Ministers and Preachers thereof may haue no certaine forme of Liuing appoynted them eyther by land or otherwise As Christ chose his Apostles poore so he chose them simple and vnlearned without eloquence or any kinde of knowledge that his glorie thereby might the more be set foorth Shall wee therefore inferre thereupon that it is fittest alwayes for the Ministers of the Church to bee simple without learning eloquence and knowledge It is well knowen that the Anabaptists and some other phanaticall spirits troubling the reformed Churches beyonde the seas vpon the same example of the Apostles haue gathered that learning and knowledge is not to bee respected in the choyce of Ministers because God needeth no such helpes to sette foorth his Gospell yea they say that learning and eloquence are perillous instruments to corrupt the simplicitie of the Gospell and to giue countenance to errour Wherefore such persons doe vsually admit among them to the Ministerie handicrafts men and such as challenge to themselues the spirite of God onely vvithout further knovvledge But the godly I doubt not vnderstand that all things neither can nor ought to bee like in the state of the Church beginning and vnder persecution and in the Church setled and liuing in peace and quietnesse The Ministers and Preachers of our church beside the example of Christ and his Apostles liuing in pouertie are vvilled diligently to looke into the perpetual doctrine which Christ in all the Euangelists doeth teach them touching the state of their liuing namely against riches couetousnesse the glorie of the vvorld care of this life To this doctrine apperteineth that vvhich Christ teacheth Matt. 6. That they shoulde not hoarde vp treasure for themselues vpon earth where thieues breake through and steale them but that they should lay vp treasures in heauen c. That they cannot serue two masters God and Mammon That they shoulde not bee carefull for their life what they shoulde eate what they shoulde drinke or what apparell they shoulde put on but cast all their care vpon God and seeke his kingdome and the righteousnesse thereof for that it is heathenish carefully to seeke after those other things which God of himselfe will plentifully cast vpon his that riches and the pleasures and cares of this life are resembled to thornes which choake vp the good seede of Gods word and make that it cannot prosper That it is as vnpossible for a rich man to enter into the kingdome of God as for a Camell to goe thorowe the eye of a needle That hee cryeth out woe to them that are full for they shall bee hungrie and to them that be rich because they haue alreadie their comfort and consolation yea he willeth them to sell all that they haue and giue vnto the poore with a number of other places wherein he instructing his Disciples followers vtterly willeth them to renounce this vvorld and the treasures thereof Whereupon it is thought it may be very well concluded that the Ministers of the Church may not haue any wealthy liuings and especially by landes and lordships and therefore that our Bishops be not the true follovvers of Christ but walke in the steppes of Antichrist Surely our Sauiour Christ did see that as the perpetuall enemie of mankinde did continually seeke by all wayes to dravve men from God so he did not vse any meane more commonly then by honour glorie riches and vvealth And therefore when he savv that Christ coulde not by other temptations bee ouercome he assaulted him with ambition and desire of principalitie honour and lordship This temptation is therefore the more dangerous because mans corrupt nature is of it selfe greatly inclined to the loue of the world earthly pleasures Wherefore I cannot denie but that our careful louing sauiour did often in many places warne his disciples and by them all vs to beware of this working of Sathan and so much as they could to shunne his snares But shall vvee thinke therefore that hee condemneth principalitie lordship dominion vvealth riches landes in them that bee his true and faithfull follovvers No surely for that is the full ground of the Anabaptists doctrine to be shunned of alright christians And yet before I begin to answere this I must needes protest it is a queisie dangerous matter to speake of wealth and riches of the world for feare of mistaking either on the one part or on the other For vvhatsoeuer a man shall say in that case among the vngodly vvill be dravven according to their priuate affections The rich when they heare the possession of riches the right vse of them defended by and by if Gods special grace stay them not vvaxe more confident and secure and vvith contempt disdaine of other thinke themselues free masters and Lordes of Gods giftes to vse them euen at their ovvne pleasure to the fulfilling of their ovvne fleshly fantasies On the cōtrary part when they that be poore destitute of those gifts shall heare the rich blamed for

AN ADMONITION TO THE PEOPLE OF ENGLAND VVHEREIN ARE ANSVVERED NOT ONELY THE slaunderous vntruethes reprochfully vttered by Martin the Libeller but also many other Crimes by some of his broode obiected generally against all Bishops and the chiefe of the Cleargie purposely to deface and discredite the present state of the Church Detractor libens auditor vterque Diabolum portat in lingua Seene and allowed by authoritie Imprinted at London by the Deputies of Christopher Barker Printer to the Queenes most excellent Maiestie 1589. TO THE READER I Am not ignoraunt Gentle Reader what daunger I drawe vpon my selfe by this attempt to answere the quarrels and slaunders of late time published in certaine Libelles against the Bishops and other chiefe of the Clergy of the Church of England We see the eagernesse boldenesse of their spirit that bee the authors of them we taste alreadie the bitternes of their tongues and pennes The raging furie of their reuenge vpon all which they mislike themselues dissemble not but lay it downe in words of great threatnings I must needs therfore looke for any hurt that venemous scoffing and vnbridled tongues can worke toward me And how should I hope to escape that when the Saints of God in Heauen doe feele it In the course of their whole Libell when they speake of Peter Paul or the Blessed Virgin Marie c whome other iustly call Saintes their phrase in derision is Sir Peter Sir Paule Sir Marie Surely it had becommed right well the same vnmodest Spirite to haue saide also Sir Christ and so throughly to haue bewrayed himself Seeing they haue sharpned their tongues and heartes against heauen we poore creatures on earth must bee content in our weaknesse to beare them The dartes I confesse of deceitefull and slaunderous tongues are verye sharpe and the burning of the woundes made by them will as hardly in the hearts of many bee quenched as the coales of Iuniper But I thanke God I feare them not though they bring mee greater harme eyther in credite liuing or life then I trust that God that seeth knoweth and defendeth the trueth will suffer them Ambrose beeing in case somewhat like sayeth thus Non tanti est vnius vita quanti est dignitas omnium Sacerdotum If I therefore shoulde hazarde the one for the defence of the other I trust the godlye woulde iudge that I did that duetie which I owe to the Church of God and to my brethren of the same function and calling What is the cause why wee bee with such spight and malice discredited Surely because as the duty of faythfull Subiectes dooth binde vs liuing in the state of a Church refourmed we doo indeuour to preserue those Lawes which her Maiesties authoritie and the whole state of the Realme hath allowed and established and doe not admitte a newe platforme of gouernment deuised I knowe not by whome The reasons that mooue vs so to doe are these two First wee see no proofe brought out of the word of God that of necessitie such forme of Gouernement ought to be Secondly that by the placing of the same it woulde bring so many alterations and inconueniences as in our opinion woulde bee dangerous to the Prince and to the Realme Some of those inconueniences I haue in this treatise laid downe and leaue them to the consideration of them whom God hath set in place of gouernment It may be some will iudge that I am wordly affected because I shewe my selfe so much grieued with losse of our credite and hinderance of good name among the people In trueth although a godly Minister shoulde haue no wordly thing so deere vnto him as his credite yet if the hurt went no further then to our selues wee should make lesse account of it But seeing by our reproche and infamie the doctrine which wee teache is greatly hindered we ought by all lawfull meanes to defend it Christ himselfe in this respect answered such reproches as the enemies obiected against him As that hee vvas a friende vnto Publicanes and sinners That hee vvrought his miracles by the power of Beelsebub That hee broke the Sabbaoth day That hee was a Samaritane That hee had a deuill c. Saint Paul also to the Corinthians against his Aduersaries sheweth that hee was not a vaine Promiser That hee was not light and vnconstant and a wauering Teacher That hee did not teache craftily or corruptly dispensing the worde of God That hee did not teach ambitiously as seeking his owne glorie c. The like did a nomber of learned Fathers of the Primitiue Church at large answering those vile and reprochefull Slaunders raysed against the Christians in those dayes Augustine in a whole woorke answered Assertions falsly fathered vpon him and so did many other Wee seeke not therein our owne prayse and commendation If I doe insert particular prayses and commendations I must say vnto the Libellers as S. Paul sayde to the Corinthians Si insipiens fui in laudando vos me coegistis If I haue bene foolish in ouermuch praising your immodest reproches vntrueths and slaunders do driue me to it In this mine answere I seeke not to fatisfie all kinde of men but onely the moderate and godly For the malicious Back-biter Rayler will neuer be satisfied but the more he is answered the worse he will be If my defence may take moderate place with the better sort I shall be glad if not I may not be excessiuely grieued with sorowe but I must say with Paul Gloria nostra haec est testimonium conscientiae nostrae And with Iob Ecce in caelis testis meus This witnesse in heauen and the witnesse of our owne heart and conscience is sufficient to comfort vs. And for our further helpe we must pray with Dauid who was lamentably beaten and bitten with viperous tongues Leade vs O Lorde in thy righteousnesse because of our enemies make thy way plaine before vs. This God I trust will deliuer vs from the daunger of euill tongues and open their eyes and hearts that they may see and vnderstande what hinderance they bring to the Gospel of Christ which they will seeme to professe so earnestly Amen T. C. The Contents of this Treatise AN Admonition to beware of the contempt of the Bishops and other Preachers Page 1. The ende which the enemy of the Church of God respecteth in woorking their discredite pag. 23. Answeres to the vntrucths and slaunders vttered in Martins late Libell pag. 33. Against my Lord of Canterburie pag. 37. Against my Lord of London pag. 51. Against the Bishop of Rochester Lincolne and Winchester pag. 62. 63. c. The causes why the Bishops desire to maintaine the present state of the gouernment of the Church and what inconucniences they feare vpon the alteration thereof will come to the state of the Realme pag. 79. c. Answeres to certaine generall Crimes obiected to all the Bishops without exception as first The Crime of Simonie and Couetousnesse pag. 66.