Selected quad for the lemma: king_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
king_n	aaron_n	according_a	moses_n	153	3	7.3192	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A75620	Theanthrōpos; or, God-man: being an exposition upon the first eighteen verses of the first chapter of the Gospel according to St John. Wherein, is most accurately and divinely handled, the divinity and humanity of Jesus Christ; proving him to be God and man, coequall and coeternall with the Father: to the confutation of severall heresies both ancient and modern. By that eminently learned and reverend divine, John Arrowsmith, D.D. late Master of Trinity-Colledge in Cambridge, and Professor of Divinity there.	Arrowsmith, John, 1602-1659.	1660 (1660)	Wing A3778; Thomason E1014_1; ESTC R10473	267,525	319

Jewes refused him The Sun is ashamed to behold the Souldiers and the earth quaked as loath to bear the Souldiers Thus far of the Witnesse-bearer the Manner of his witnessing and the Time when 4. The fourth particular remaineth namely The Matter of the Testimony which John here giveth of Christ which 4. The matter of John's testimony of Christ lyeth in these words This was he of whom I spake He that cometh after me is preferred before me for he was before me Let us expound the words first This was He. There lyeth some matter of commendations even in that So that your great Oratour of Greece Demosthenes he accounted it matter of commendations when he went in the streets to have it said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This is Demosthenes Res est magnoperè laudanda It is a matter much to be valued to have one pointed at with the finger and to have it said This is such a man of note The holy Ghost speaks it by way of commendations of Moses and Aaron Exod. 6. 26 27. ye have it twice there These are that Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said Bring out the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt according to their armies These are they which spake to Pharaoh king of Egypt to bring out the children of Israel from Egypt These are that Moses and Aaron Here it is thrice So This was he saith John But the commendations he giveth lyeth more apparent in the following words He of whom I spake He that comes after me is preferred before me for he was before me He that comes after me Quest What is that How doth Christ come after John How is Christ said to come after John Answ In three respects which I frame as a ground from this First In regard of his Nativity Secondly In regard of his own Ministry Thirdly In regard of his attendance upon the Ministry of John First In regard of his Nativity Christ was born of the 1. In regard of his Nativity Virgin Mary some six months after John the Baptist came into the world so he came after him in that respect Luk. 1. 36. You may find that the mother of John the Baptist was gone with child some six months when the Virgin Mary had newly conceived Behold thy cousen Elizabeth hath conceived and shall bear a son and his name shall be called John So saith the Angel that came to Mary and brought the first tydings of Christ our Saviour Secondly Christ came after him In regard of his own 2. In regard of his own Ministry Ministry and the discharge of that Christ did not begin to exercise his Ministry till John had ended his Mar. 1. 14. After that John was put in prison where he lost his head Jesus came into Galilee preaching the Gospell of the Kingdom of God We use to say that seldom comes a better but let not that proverb occasion dispair in any for here Christ comes after John It may be the people may think themselves undone now they have lost such a Minister as John the Baptist After him comes Christ even as Elisha comes after Eliah with a double portion of the spirituall truths of God for all that have to do in the world Thirdly Christ is said to come after John In regard of 3. In regard of his attendance upon the Ministry of John his attendance upon the Ministry of John the Baptist 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That word is seldom or never to be found in Scripture as relating to time but alwaies to place and should not be used for post me but pone me as Beza renders it So it respects time After me in regard of his Nativity and exercise of his Ministry that ye may take in the other But now After me that is In regard of his attendancy upon my Ministry So it was with Christ who was a hearer of John the Baptist Joh. 1. 26. John answered them saying I baptize with water but there standeth one amongst you whom ye know not There standeth one amongst you Therefore Christ was one of John's followers he stood amongst John's Disciples here And in the Scripture-phrase the followers of any Teacher it is usually said of them that they go after such a one because the Teacher was wont to go before and the Disciples after which is the proper notion of the phrase in that place Matth. 16. 24. Then said Jesus to his disciples If any man will come after me let him deny himself and take up his crosse and follow me The Disciple is said to come after and to follow the Teacher Christ here to come after John because he was one of his Hearers Go we on to the next words He that comes after me is preferred before me Namely In regard of his worth and dignity The Prince Christ preferred before John in regard of his worth and dignity comes after the Harbinger and yet is preferred before him The Word comes after the Voice and yet is preferred before it for it was a voice during the time of articulation and not a word till it be articulated Christ was the Prince and John the Harbinger Christ the Sun of righteousnesse and John the Morning-star Christ the Word and John the Voice Though he comes after me he was before me And it is reason he should be preferred before him in dignity because he was before him in regard of his Essence as being God from everlasting to everlasting whose going forth is from all eternity He was not onely before John but before Abraham Joh. 8. 58. Before Abraham was I am Before Abraham was yea before the World was Prov. 8. 25 26. Before the mountains were setled or before the hills were brought forth while as yet he had not made the earth nor the fields nor the highest part of the dust of the world Ye have John the Baptist telling us in this Chapter vers 34. that he bears witnesse to the Divinity of Christ And I saw and bear record that this is the Son of God Now this he doth in this place He proveth and bears record that Christ is the Son of God because he was before all That is a testimony of his Divinity The sum of all then is this John's endeavour is to preferre Christ before him that is the thing I would have you to observe And it should be the care of every Believer to prefer and exalt and set up Christ above himself He that came after me is preferred before me for he was before me John was put upon this because the people had a conceit of him that he was the Messias and therefore he made it his businesse throughly to depresse himself to exalt his Saviour I must decrease but he must encrease I am the friend of the Bridegroom but he is the Bridegroom that hath the Bride I baptize with water but he with the holy Ghost I am the poorest sinner but he is the Lamb of God

that light But the wonder will be over if ye consider that The vast difference between CHRIST and John though these two are eminent lights yet to be that light was a farther business John was the light enlightned but Christ was the light enlightning In him was light and the light was the life of men John had light by participation Christ had light and was light originally John shined for a while then his light was put under a candlestick when he was beheaded but Christ shineth for ever he hath shined in darknesse and will shine to the end of the world John was a light Instrumentalitèr Christ a light Efficientèr John Instrumentally conveyed light into others by Christ but Christ the light Efficientèr Who of himself and by himself by his owne power conveyeth light by way of infusion into the hearts of his servants Therefore to put the difference it is purposely said He was not that light We may note from hence That God cannot endure to have that ascribed Note to any man which is proper to Christ Therefore I will here shew Where the holy Ghost setteth himself to advance John the Baptist yet he would not have him raised too high he would not set him in the Throne He doth purposely prevent all imaginations of his deserving what is Christ's due He was not that Light Look through Scripture and History in all ages Ye shall find how ill God taketh it at the hands of men whensoever they come to usurp any thing out of the hands of Christ As in old time where there rose up a Seducer an Impostor that gave himself out to be that Star which Balaam prophecied of which was a prophecy of Christ Now Numb 24. 17. this fellow called himself Ben-chomar The son of a Star this man professed himselfe to be Christ but he was slain with thunder and lightning from heaven And then the Jews called him Ben cosmar which signifieth The son of a Lie Ye have it said It is the voyce of God It is proper onely to God Never man spake like this man as they said true of Christ But if Herod will take this to himself when the people cry out The voice of God and not of man Herod shall pay for it it cost him his life Act. 12. He was eaten up with worms If ye look into the beginning of that chapter Herod had before this imprisoned Peter and slain James with the sword God putteth up this but if he will come to usurp what is proper to Christ God will put it up no longer then the worms devour him Herod might safelier take-away the liberty of one and the life of another than the glory due to the Son of God This is to be considered by them that take too much upon them and by them that ascribe too much to men Some take too much upon them even so much as Christ himself can take no more It is said of the man of sin that he sitteth in the temple of of God as God and some of the Popes sat down so as Pope 2 Thess 2. 4. Martin the fourth When the people of Cicily had given some offence to the See of Rome and in an humble manner sent their Ambassadors to make their peace it is frequently known in History that those Ambassadors deprecated in these very words Thou Lamb of God that takest away the The Pope usurpeth the title of Christ sins of the world have mercy upon us Was not this a wicked cursed blasphemous thing for the man of sin to have this spoken to him All power saith another Pope is given to me in heaven and in earth It is wonderfull patience that The Pope a Blaspheme● God should suffer the man of sin so long now he hath usurped what belongeth to Christ On the other side some there are that ascribe too much to men even that which is Christ's due and ought to be reserved for him as when people in trouble of conscience go to this or that godly Minister or Friend and do expect they shall have peace spoken to them from such a mouth Here is a great deal of dishonour done to Christ That man whatsoever he be is not that light therefore they that go with this expectation ascribe too much to man God many times sendeth men away without comfort because they come in expectation of more than is in man They come as Mr. Greenham was wont to say not as to Ministers who have nothing but what is derived but as to Magicians as if men could conjure for comfort Who is it that hath the keys of David that shutteth and no man openeth and openeth and no man shutteth This is Christ's prerogative If he open the conscience all the devills in hell cannot shut it and if he shut the conscience all the Angells in heaven cannot open it As for Ministers they are Instruments through whom ye believe yet they are but Instruments therefore are ready to say to all men upon such occasion even as Peter and John said to them when they had healed the lame man Act. 3. 12 13. Ye men of Israel why marvell ye at this or why look ye so earnestly on us as though by our own power and holinesse we had made this man to walk The God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob the God of our fathers hath glorified his Son Jesus it is He that hath done it Look not on us but look to Christ We are not that Light I conclude this with that of the Apostle purposely 1 Cor. 3. 5 6 7. Who then is Paul or Apollos or Cephas but ministers by whom ye believe even as the Lord giveth to every man I have done with the declaration of John the Baptist's Office save onely for what followeth in the end of the Verse which is nothing else but a repetition of what went before namely He was sent to bear witnesse of that Light Vers 8. He was not that Light but was sent to bear witness of that Light Vers 9. That was the true Light which lighteth every man that commeth into the world Let us consider what is said of this eighth Verse He was sent to bear witnesse to that light Amongst other diverse The end of Repetition in Scripture ends of Repetition in Scripture this is one to set on a commendation Exod. 6. 26 27. These are that Moses and Aaron to whom the Lord said Bring up the children of Israel from the land of Egypt These are they that spake to Pharoah King of Egypt These are that Moses and Aaron Here is thrice These are they these are that Moses and Aaron The Repetition heightneth the Commendations So The same came to bear witnesse of that light And Was sent to bear witnesse of the light To teach us this That to bear witnesse of the light and to testifie of Christ is a most Observ honourable employment Of all that are born of a woman as our

even as the Angels It is said of them that they behold the face of God Matth. 18. 20. Christ saith there I say to you that in heaven their Angels do alwaies behold the face of my Father which is in heaven So when men come to be like Angels in a state of glory they shall also see the face of God But no man hath seen God at any time during this life God in his Essence For this we have more than one place of Scripture the same words in the Text are repeated in 1 Joh. 4. 12. No man hath seen God at any time And Paul hath a place to the same purpose 1 Tim. 6. 16. Who onely hath immortality dwelling in light which no man can approach unto whom no man hath seen nor can see There are but three waies that can be imagined by which man in a state of mortality can see God in his Essence either it must be by his Bodily eyes or by the eye of Reason or by the eye of Faith But a man cannot see God by any of these therefore no man can see God in that sense First No man can see God by his Bodily eye for the very 1. The eyes of our bodies cannot behold the Essence of God light wherein he dwelleth is inaccessible to the eye of sense we cannot so much as see our own souls or the Angels that are inferiour spirits How then shall we be able with our bodily eyes to see the Father of spirits the Lord of glory The Israelites could not so much as endure the shining of Moses his face How then can the eye of the body be imagined capable of that infinite glorious light that is in the essence of God And yet there is a place that speaks as if a man in the state of mortality by his bodily eyes had seen God Gen. 32. 30. Jacob called the name of the place Penuel for I have seen God face to face and my life is preserved Here is a man in the state of mortality that saw God face to face For this ye must know that Jacob did indeed see God but God in a representation not God in his essence He saw the Second Person in the Trinity in the shape of a man that wrestled with him This was all the sight of God that he had The Second Person in the Trinity before he took the nature of man took the shape of man such a shape had Christ taken here in which he wrestled with Jacob and this is that God which Jacob saw face to face not God in his essence but God in a representation And that very thing of God appearing in the Old Testament in a representation to the eyes of the body sheweth that he never appeared to them in his essence because his representations are many and his essence is one He appeared in a Bush to Moses and to Eliah in a still Voice to Jacob as a Wrestler to Joshua as a Captain of the Lord's hoast These were all representations that God was pleased to make of himself and thus men saw him But his essence all this while was invisible neither could it be diversified as his representations were being but one That is memorable which Isaiah saith Isa 6. 5. Mine eyes have seen the King the Lord of hosts The Jews took this advantage against him and said he was a false Prophet Why He said he had seen the King the Lord of hoasts whereas God saith to Moses Thou canst not see my face and live Therefore they put him to death No man can see God in his essence and live But Isaiah saw him and he said true but it was in a representation Secondly No man can see God in his essence no not by the eye of Reason Reason hath but three waies by which it 2. The eye of our Reason cannot behold him in his Essence Reason knoweth God three waies 1. By way of Causality comes to the knowledge of God and those are known to Schollars by these names Via causalitatis via Remotionis and via Eminentiae First By way of Causality and so reason comes to gather of God by all the creatures which it seeth lovely and looks at all these as effects of God as the cause of all and so comes to the knowledge of God as the first cause Thus Reason collects of God But how far is this from seeing the essence of God Reason discovers a God but not what God is in his Beeing onely that He is For no effect can shew the nature of its cause fully but either such as manifesteth the whole force of the cause or else such as is of the same kind with the cause as burning that sheweth the nature of the fire because the fire being a naturall agent burns to the utmost of its power Therefore burning sheweth what nature the fire is of as carrying the nature of the force in it As a child sheweth the nature of the father because of the same nature with the father But the creatures cannot shew God because they are of effects different from him These are parts of the way but how little proportion is readd of him The thunder of his power who can understand Neither are the creatures of the same rank and kind with God as the child is with the father they are all of them finite God is infinite So that all that Reason can do this way is to gather that there is a God but not what he is Secondly There is the way of Remotion by looking over 2. By way of Remotion all the creatures and by setting aside whatsoever savours of imperfection in them and ascribing the remainder to God Thus we say that God is Immortall Impassible Impeccable because we say that to die to suffer and to sin are the imperfections of the creature God cannot sin God cannot die God cannot lie God cannot suffer But this still comes short of seeing God in his essence for by this we see what God is not not what he is by this way of Remotion 3. The third way which is a way of Eminency Reason 3. By way of Eminency goeth over the creatures once again and looks whatsoever is good in them and savours of perfection in them and ascribes that to God as the Author of those perfections So when it seeth in Man wisdom and strength and goodnesse Reason can ascribe to God as the cause of them a more eminent goodness and wisdom and strength And this is the nearest and the farthest Reason can go And yet in all these it cometh short of the essence of God because in this way it findeth out what he is rather in regard of his qualities speaking after the manner of men then what he is in his essence Thus we cannot see God in his essence no not by the eye of Reason There is onely one more that is the eye of Faith which ● The eye of Faith cannot apprehend God in his