Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n
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A28673
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A new constellation discovered in a sermon preached at the visitation held at Leicester the 29th of April, 1674 / by Joshua Bonhome.
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Bonhome, Joshua.
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1675
(1675)
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Wing B3594; ESTC R24665
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12,478
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32
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own Son Heb. 1.2 Whom he hath appointed heir of all things to the end we might lay apart all superfluity of naughtiness and receive with meekness the Word which is able to save our Souls as St. James speaketh Jam. 1. vers 21. he hath given the Church an infallible Witness and an undoubted Proof that though He appeared in the form and likeness of a Servant Phil. 2.7 yet He was the brightness of the glory of the Father and the express image of his person Heb. 1.3 which appeared in the Miracles and Wonders that he wrought upon several occasions but especially when in the Holy Mount of Tabor he received of God the Father honour and glory in his Transfiguration a voice coming to him from the Excellent Glory saying This is my beloved Son 2 Pet. 2.17 in whom I am well pleased And to say nothing at present of the Wonders that accompanied his Death as the renting of the Vail of the Temple the Eclipse of the Sun the cleaving of Rocks the raising of the Dead and the quaking of the Earth when this blessed Saviour had by himself purged our Sins Heb. 1. and sate down on the Right Hand of the Majesty on high his sending down the Holy Ghost upon his Apostles Act. 2.3 in the appearance of Cloven Tongues like as of Fire and the sudden Gift of speaking many Languages were no less powerfull nay more convincing Arguments for the receiving of the Gospel which brings and offers Salvation to all men But because naturally Man's Infidelity is such that unless they see a special Character on those by whom the Lord is pleased to send unto them the glad tydings of the Gospel they will no more believe them than the Jews did our Saviour therefore this blessed Redeemer the Author and Finisher of our Faith hath bestowed on his Servants the Preachers and Ministers of the Gospel not only the inward assistance and presence of his Spirit but also glorious and honourable Titles that those as are to be led by them into the ways of Truth may with a more cheerfull spontaneity suffer themselves to be presented by their Ministry Holy and unblameable Col. 1.22 and unreprovable in his sight Of which glorious Titles as well as of the special care he hath of his Servants the Ministers of his Holy Word and Sacraments you have an excellent Proof and Warrant together in the words of my Text wherein you see the Alpha and Omega the first and last Rev. 1.11 Col. 1.15 Isa 9.6 the Image of the invisible God the First-born of every Creature whose name is called the Wonderfull the Counsellor the Mighty God the Everlasting Father and the Prince of Peace appearing to his holy Apostle walking in the midst of seven Golden Candlesticks the lively Image and Representation of the several parcels of his Church and of his Gospel the true Lamp of this Spiritual Sanctuary Having in his right hand seven Stars Which words though they set forth and represent to our Understanding at first sight the Idea of a Mystical sense yet will make it appear as clear and bright as the things it is borrowed from if in the handling of them you will be pleased to consider and examine with me First What is meant by the Stars and why they are so called And secondly Why and how they are said to be in the right hand of Christ And he had in his right hand seven Stars For the First As the words are spoken Mystically and not Literally we are not to conceive the Lord Jesus as really holding in his right hand seven of those Celestial lightsom Bodies which commonly we call Stars for he might not have appeared on Earth with them for many Reasons but chiefly for this That if we do believe Astronomers the least Star is Eighteen times bigger than the whole Earth therefore we may safely conclude this Vision of St. John to have been nothing else but an Aenigmatical and Mystical Representation of the Ministers Calling I mean a Lawfull Calling to be of Christ of his special care of them and of the Obedience men over whom they Rule are to yield to their wholesom words and Doctrine as being the saving words of him who is called the Sun of Righteousness and by whose divine light they see and receive light as the Prophet David saith Psal 36.9 that others may be cheared up by their borrowed light in the Spiritual darkness of this World as men in the Natural darkness are comforted by the light the Stars receive and have from the material Sun In Holy Scripture those things are called Stars which have an outward glory dignity and splendor So David's Kingdom is called a Star Numb 24.17 even by Balaam in the Book of Numbers chap. 24. vers 17. There shall come a Star out of Jacob and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel And in the Prophet Isaiah chap. 14. vers 12. the Kingdom of Babylon is called a Morning-Star How saith he art thou fallen from heaven Isa 14.12 O Lucifer son of the morning And in the Book of Genesis chap. 37. vers 10. the Sun and the Moon and the Eleven Stars in Joseph's Dream are interpreted by Jacob to be Joseph's Father Mother and Brethren But in our Text the seven Stars in the right hand of our Lord and Blessed Redeemer Jesus Christ do represent the seven Angels of the seven Churches of Asia the Less as Christ witnesseth himself in the last verse of this Chapter and in them the whole Body of all the Ministers of Christ and Preachers of his Gospel Which Interpretation if any man thinks to be too honourable and too high for the Ministers of the Church of Christ because the Apostle in the second Epistle to the Corinthians chap. 4. vers 5. speaking in his own name and of all other Ministers saith 2 Cor. 4.5 We our selves are your servants for Jesus sake And in the last verse of the first Chapter of the same Epistle We have no dominion over your faith but are helpers of your joy I would have him to reflect upon the glorious Titles the Holy Scripture attributes to these Servants of Christ and of his Church for they are called Angels as well as Stars in the three first Chapters of this Revelation In the first Epistle to the Corinthians chap. 4. vers 1. 1 Cor. 4.1 they are to be accounted of all as the Ministers of Christ and the Stewards of the Mysteries of God in other places they are called the Ambassadors of Christ and Co-workers with God In the Gospel of St. Matthew chap. 5. vers 13 14. they are said to be the Light of the World Mat. 5.13 14. and the Salt of the Earth because they are in the hands of Christ not only as lightsom Stars but as an excellent Salt to keep from Spiritual corruption those that embrace and believe the Gospel And in the same Gospel chap. 10. vers
but was sent to bear witness of that light Joh. chap. 1. vers 8. Eightly The Stars have no power or influence upon Superiour and Nobler things as the Soul Mind and Will of man The Ministers likewise have not of themselves the strength and power to change and convert the Souls of men it is the proper work of God and his own prerogative Ninthly There have been Stars seen in Heaven at several times which never appeared before or after as that which appeared to the Wise-men at the Birth of our Saviour Mat. 2. another in the year 1572. that caused a general admiration all the World over And so hath God caused many extraordinary Stars that is Ministers and Witnesses of his Truth to appear at several times in the Church for the special setting forth of the Truth of Christ and convincing the World and the Church that though many false Teachers disturbers of the Peace and Tranquillity of this New Jerusalem pretend to be the only Stars of this Spiritual Firmament yet are they nothing else but Airy impressions and apparitions who like Blazing-Stars leave nothing behind them and infect the World with nothing else but corrupt and stinking Influences Now as in all these particulars Ministers are fitly compared to Stars so there are many others wherein they do differ one from another As First The Heavens cannot be deprived of the Stars But the Church may be deprived of faithful Ministers by the fury and malice of Satan and the World but especially by the Craft and Ambition of such false Brethren and Teachers who under pretence of Purity and Reformation bring in Anarchy and Confusion and cause this Spouse of Christ to groan and lament as once the Old Church of the Jews We see not our signs there is no more any Prophet neither is there among us any that knoweth how long Psal 74.9 As it was our Case not many years ago Secondly It is an Opinion generally received that the Stars do follow the motion of their Orbs But it must not be so with Ministers else would we soon see bad work in the Church as by our late sad and lamentable Experience it is too too evident Thirdly The Stars shall lose their Light and fall from Heaven at the last day as Christ saith Matth. 24.29 The Sun shall be darkned Matth. 24.29 and the Moon shall not give her light and the Stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of heaven shall be shaken But for the true and faithful Ministers of Christ and his Church They shall shine as the brightness of the Firmament and they that turn many to Righteousness as the Stars for ever and ever as you may see Dan. chap. 12. vers 3. And then that excellent word of David shall be fulfilled in them At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore Psal 16.11 And because even in this life the Mystical Stars receive from the Mystical Sun of Righteousness Light Honour and Protection therefore are they said to be in his Right Hand And he had in his right hand seven Stars Which leads me to my Second Observation on the Text Why and how they are said to be in the Right Hand of the Lord Jesus Now our reflecting upon the following Observations will give light and evidence to the Quaere For the First They are said to be in his Right Hand because they are in his own power and disposing and receive every one from him Grace according to the measure of his Gift Phil. 4.7 'T is in Mercy and Love he is pleased to send them unto men to help them forward in the ways of Salvation 't is an effect and fruit of his being on high at the right hand of the Father When he ascended he led captivity captive Ephes 4.8 and gave gifts unto men for he gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry and for the edifying of the Body of Christ 'Till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God as St. Paul saith in the same Epistle the same Chapter vers 11 12 13. Secondly They are said to be in his Right Hand because it is he that in the performance of their Duty leads them by the assisting Grace of his Spirit and giveth power and efficacy to their Words dealing with them as with his Prophets Esay and Jeremy when he caused one of the Seraphims to touch Esay's lips with a live Coal taken from off the Altar Isa 6.6 and when he put forth his hand and touched his mouth saying Behold I have put my words in thy mouth Jer. chap. 1. vers 9. Thirdly They are said to be in his right hand because he loveth and cherisheth them above all other things as we do those things we have in our hands and are dear unto us For though they be his Servants yet he calls them his Friends and saith unto them as he said to his Servants of old Thou shalt be a crown of glory in the hands of the Lord and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God Isa 62.3 In the Fourth place They are said to be in his right hand because the Lord's protection and care of them is wonderful his Eyes and his Heart is continually upon them as he said of the Temple of Jerusalem and in their Spiritual War against the World Satan Heresie and Errour he is present with them though invisibly as the Captain of the Host of the Lord as he was with Joshua and the whole Camp of Israel before Jericho as you may see in the Book of Joshua chap. 5. vers 14. Fifthly Because he is always at hand to comfort and keep them against their Enemies and if their Malice and Oppression reduceth them to good King Jehosaphat his Case we know not whither to turn our Eyes for help or with the Church in Isaiah chap. 49. vers 14. to complain and say The Lord hath forsaken us and Our God hath forgotten us then speaks he unto them as to his Church and Servants in those days I have you graven upon the palms of my hands vers 16. Thus did he protect with his right hand Moses against the fury of Pharaoh the contempt and rebellion of the People Jeremy and Baruch against the Decree of Jehoiakim Jer. 36.26 the Prophet Elias against the rage of Ahab and Jesabel and St. Paul from many dangers and deaths 2 Cor. 1.10 To these we may add that by their being in the right hand of God or Christ may be understood that they are in favour with Christ that he honoureth them and will at last for a merciful Recompence of their Labours make them partakers of the Glory he hath received of the Father and that he promiseth them Rev. 3.21 To him that overcomes will I grant to sit with me in my throne even as I also overcame and am set down