Selected quad for the lemma: nature_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A03336
|
A sermon preached at Pauls Crosse the third of March, 1610. By Theophilus Higgons. In testimony of his heartie reunion with the Church of England, and humble submission thereunto. Published by command
|
Higgons, Theophilus, 1578?-1659.
|
1611
(1611)
|
STC 13456; ESTC S104096
|
44,137
|
62
|
one death wrought or brought forth another Spiritualis corporalem culpabilis poenalem voluntaria necessariam c. The spirituall a corporall the culpable a penall the voluntary a necessary death But now wee are raised vp from the one and other FIRST we are raised vp from the death of the soule by the spirit of illumination and the spirit of sanctification two works but one and the same spirit enlightning the darkenesse of our vnderstanding and cleansing the corruption of our hearts This is the resurrection of which S. Iohn speaketh Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection for on such death hath no power Apocal. 20.6 For though death remaine in act yet it is destroied in effect Death died in Christ and by Christ O death where is thy sting O graue where is thy victory The sting of death is sinne and the strength of sinne is the law But thanks be vnto God who hath giuen vs the victory through Iesus Christ our Lord 1. Corinth 15.55.56.57 So that Non est malum in morte nisi malum post mortem There is no euill in the first death all the euill that is is in the second Blessed then indeed holy is he whose first life secureth him from the second death SECONDLY how are we raised from the death of the body who are not yet dead therein For the Apostle saith not God will raise vs vp but God hath raised vs vp as though it were not to come but past I answere first that our corporall resurrection is already past in the preuision of God to whom al things which are to come are actually present and in the purpose of God which changeth not I am the Lord and I change not Mal. 3.6 So the Prophets in the Law and the Apostles in the Gospel do speake of things which are yet to come as if they were already past Propter certitudinem euentus for the certainty of the euent Thus Esay the Euangelicall Prophet saith expressely of Christ He hath borne our infirmities He was wounded for our transgressions Hee was afflicted c. Esay 53. These sufferings of Christ were already past in the eternall destination of the Father but were yet to come in the actuall oblation of himselfe J answer secondly that wee are risen in Christ as in our Head betwixt whom and vs there is an indissoluble connexion and an inseparable bond For as there is a naturall vnion in Christ of his body and soule an hypostaticall vnion of the humane nature with his diuine person a sacramental vnion of the bread with his body so there is a mysticall vnion with vs he being the Head and we the members Therefore as in the ceremoniall Law the first fruits being blessed all the residue was blessed therein so Christ who was the first fruits of them that slept 1. Cor. 15.20 being raised from the dead we are also raised vp in him And this is a singular comfort against the feare of death though it bee the most terrible of all terrible things Why should we feare to die who are already raised frō the dead Our life is hid with God in Christ Col. 3.3 Will he not keepe it safely who bought it so dearely Therefore I will lay mee downe and sleepe in peace for thou Lord onely makest mee to dwell in safety Psal 4.8 With which comfortable sentence Gorgonia the blessed sister of Nazianzen commended her soule into the hands of her Redeemer Thus much of the second benefit to wit Resurrection of soule and body The third ensueth namely the Session of both in heauen Before we were quickned then raised now seated in heauen hee hath made vs sit together in the heauenly places in Christ O happy life to be so quickned ô happy resurrection to be so raised ô happy session to bee so placed First hee hath made vs to sit This is a signe of our tranquillity and rest aboue after much trouble and motion heere both in body and soule We are Pilgrimes vpon this earth as all our fathers were We are in via in our way to mooue not in patria in our countrey to sit downe We may not stand still for that is reproued Quid statis hîc otiosi Why stand you here idle Mat. 20.6 We can not sit for that is reserued vnto an other and better life when many shall come from the East and West and shall sit downe with Abraham Isaac and Iacob in the kingdome of heauen Mat. 8.11 SECONDLY then he hath made vs sit together in heauenly places that is to say in the heauen of blessed Angels and Spirits to whom God reuealeth himselfe in the abundance of his glory For though God filleth the heauen and earth with his essence presence and power yet hee sheweth not the like effects thereof in euery place He is peculiarly in his elect by grace peculiarly in heauen by glory which is the Chamber of presence wherein we shall see him as he is and behold him face to face But what the qualities of these heauenly places are or what are the ioies therein as also how the degrees of ioy are vnequall since there are many mansions in heauen Joh. 14.2 and that may be here implied by the plurality places I neither can conceiue them as they are nor yet expresse what I conceiue thereof I will therefore conclude this point with that excellent speech of S. Augustine concerning the ioy of heauen Profectò in me totum non intrabit sed ego in illud totus intrabo truely it will not enter wholly into me by knowledge that I may apprehend it but I shall enter wholly into it by fruition that I may enioy it for euer and euer Now for the matter it selfe We sit in the heauenly places How Not by plenary possession but by the right of inheritance Not by personall fruition but by assurance of faith Finally not in our selues but in Christ our Head So saith my text he hath made vs sit together in the heauenly places in Christ For as Ioseph dreamed Genes 37.9 and it was a true dreame that the Sunne and the Moone to wit Iacob his father and Rachel his mother did reuerence vnto him which yet she neuer performed in her selfe for Rachel died before Genes 35.19 but in the person of Iacob her husband when he came downe into the land of Egypt so wee are already seated in the heauenly places not in our selues but in Christ our Head who as a Man tooke our nature from his mother and as a Redeemer vndertook our persons with his Father and so what he hath receiued for vs we enioy in him He being in heauen we are in heauen also he being ascended wee are ascended thither with him For though he descended alone yet he is ascended with vs. Therefore whereas our Sauiour saith No man ascendeth into heauen but he that descended from heauen the Sonne of man who is in heauen Joh. 3.13 S. Bernard meditateth vpon it in this
confesse that in all probability I framed no such proiect in my thoughts but that I was a real substantial Papist howsoeuer some men led with an honest errour haue seemed to conceiue otherwise of my case If the testimonies of eminent persons may be required or admitted in this kind I would make choice of one singularly aboue the rest to acknowledge whose kindnes towards me it is the least recompence that I owe him yet the greatest that I can make him for the same He then doth know that vpon my return I did expresse a great auersion from this Church pardon me it was more euen a detestation thereof And when hee would seeme to nourish some hope aboue hope of my reduction thereunto I did beseech and request him most affectionately not to sow his fauours vpon the conceit of such an haruest For I was throughly acquainted with the nature and quality of mine owne soile too barren for such fruit Here also I may not forget nor conceale his answere vnto me for it was full of comfort and conscience to wit that I should not be allured nor pressed by his maiesties royal fauour and grace of which he conceiued good hope otherwise then I had the secret testimony and certain perswasion of mine owne heart Wherefore out of his noble and religious disposition he persisted still in his pious and charitable worke J say pious and charitable For what other aduantage did hee seeke or could he find then that which S. Augustine did long since in a like case Quid quaero Quo fructu quaero saith b Coâ—… de â—…gest 〈◊〉 Eâ—…ito hee of a Donatist in his time What is it which I seeke Or with what profit doe I seeke it He answereth Vt aliquando dâ—…tur mihi Frater tuus mortuus erat reuixit perierat inuentus est that once it may be said vnto mee c Luc. 15.31 Thy Brother was dead and is aliue againe he was lost but he is found To this end and purpose J was recommended by his speciall care but against my will for I loued my owne euill and feared the remedy thereof vnto the Reuerend Deane of Pauls a man so rarely qualified with Morall and Intellectual vertues that his worth doth no lesse verifie his name then his name doth signifie his worth And this I esteeme one of the greatest if not the greatest blessings of God vnto me that when I was as blinde in the eies of my minde as d Act. 9. S. Paul was in the eies of his body yea of minde also I should be sent or rather brought vnto this worthy Ananiah nubes Domini the cloud of the Lord so it is by interpretation for the restitution of my sight and bee mollified againe by the sweet showres of his learned and iudicious discourse Thus after a long vnhappy flight I returned with Noahs e Gen. 8.9 Doue into the Arke which J once forsooke and fluttered vpon the swelling waters of Babylon which can giue no true rest but a Lethargie vnto the soule Finally after a long and tedious motion I found rest and repose vnto my soule in the same center wherein I was seated from my tender and more happie yeeres This was the Lords doing and it is maruellous in mine eies What ensued Mutantur suscipiuntur saith f Vbi supâ—…à S. Augustine of the Donatists They relinquish their opinion the Church receiueth them into her vnion againe So it was with mee such was the gratious fauour of God such the great indulgencie of his Church You will peraduenture demand now Vpon what intellectuall motiues I did returne since I had some in my wrong apprehension to depart I will speake the truth in Christ I will not lie my conscience bearing me witnesse in the holy Ghost The only thing wherein J did intend to conforme my selfe vnto the desire of my friends and will of my superiours was to take the oath of Allegiance as it is truly and iustly styled For what else doth it containe in the substance thereof but a ciuill obedience and faith due from subiects vnto their Soueraigne Lord by lawes diuine and humane yea founded in the very principles of Nature and Reason Wherein I did obserue FIRST how carefully the matter of State is heere distinguished from controuersie of Religion In which regard it was the determinate pleasure of his sacred g See his Maiesties Premonition to all Christian Monarkes c. pag. 9. Maiestie to ease the burden of the Papists not requiring them to sweare that the Pope hath no authoritie to excommunicate his Highnesse and to subiect him vnto a spirituall censure but that the power of such excommunication cannot by any meanes extend it selfe vnto the preiudice of his royall Life or Crowne SECONDLY then I obserued thereupon that though there are some circumstantiall points in this oath vpon which some Papists doe principally insist for their refusall thereof yet that they did heerein but gloze with his Maiestie and vse a specious pretense to reiect the substance of the Oath which being abstracted from all circumstances and accessaries therein hath this principall issue to wit that the Pope hath no power directly nor indirectly to depose his Maiestie from the right of his Crowne nor to expose his person vnto the perill of his life So that the refusall of this Oath thus sensed and this is the true sense thereof by any popish subiect in this land doth demonstrate euidently and expresly that he wanteth meanes and not a mind to dethrone our most gratious Soueraigne Lord the KING whom God preserue to his honour and our comfort yea which I tremble to speake but he would not feare to doe to take away his pretious life with sacrilegious hands specially if such be the resolution of h See this particular handled by D. Morton in his encounter against Parsons lib 2. cap. 2. §. 6. our Lord God the POPE To shew therefore my zealous and hearty detestation of such impious and execrable doctrine sent continually from Rome sowen plentifully in the hearts of English subiects and this seed will grow into an haruest of lamentable combustion if our iust lawes be not enliuened by a seuere execution in this behalfe I tooke this Oath vpon such mature deliberation and aduice that I dare confidently pronounce Whatsoeuer subiect in this Land doth pertinaciously refuse to sweare allegiance vnto the King according to the sense and substance of this oath he is a TRAITOR in his heart against the life and soueraigntie of his Prince But now as by this act I gaue testification of my loialty vnto the State so withall I incurred the suspition of heresie and apostasie with others Why what was my offence Oh a great yea a double offeÌ„ce against his Holinesse which euery one that taketh this oath must necessarily commit FIRST he denieth the infallibility of the Popes iudgement yea hee admitteth farther that the Pope erreth not onely materially but formally not in