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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
reason_n	church_n	true_a	visible_a	5,618	5	9.6083	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A57353	A sermon prech'd in the cathedral church of Norwich, at the funeral of the Right Reverend Father in God, Edward, Lord Bishop of Norwich, who departed this life, July 28, 1676 by B. Riveley ...	Riveley, Benedict, 1627 or 8-1695.	1677 (1677)	Wing R1548; ESTC R14652	19,829	38

he had a comely countenance a gentle disposition a pleasantness of conversation there was no monstrosity in his Body nor inversion of Natures order in his Soul Reason sat as Queen there and Passion and Appetite were as Handmaids in their natural places and measures There were no brutish lusts no unreasonable desires no furious transports to be found in him he neither eagerly sought any dignity nor declin'd any capacity of doing good But II. He was a good Christian Revelation was a great Mistress with him and he was a great Adorer as well as Practiser of the Will of God Religion sanctified his Reason and Grace his Nature and of all Accomplishments he counted it his glory to be a Disciple of Christ The fear of the Lord was to him the top of his wisdom He put on the Lord Jesus Christ in all his integral parts and endeavoured that his wayes might be found perfect before God He was none of the lame and criple Christians of these dayes that hope to go to Heaven with one wooden Leg. He was careful to maintain good Works I speak it knowingly as the necessary fruits of Christian Faith and such Works as are due to Men as well as those that have a more immediate respect to God To honour his King to speak well of his Superiors to be obedient to Laws in Church and State to govern his Tongue to love his Neighbors and to take the worst Enemies he had in the world into the number this was his Religion 'T was a piece of his Conscience to do these things as well as to Preach and to Pray and to frequent the Worship of God III. He was a good Minister of the Gospel For this he had a great name all his undignifyed time and when he came to the High-place he did not make an end of Prophecying as 't is said Saul did 1 Sam. 10. 13. He was a true Labourer in the Word and Doctrine He was not onely the Light but the Salt of all the places he came in He did much good in that his Office and receiv'd the Seal of his Ministry in the sober and grateful acknowledgements of a great many He was built and fram'd on purpose as it were to be an Instructor and Curate of Souls for he was sober and wise able to solve difficulties to determine cases to quiet Consciences He was an interpreter one of a thousand Another Apollo's Mighty in the Scriptures He always sought to find out acceptable words and upright even words of Truth He was of a sedate mind of a tender compassionate Spirit heartily desirous of mens Eternal Good and not onely his Industry but his delights ran out that way viz. how to bring it about The Throne of Grace his Study and the Pulpit had the most of his time divided among them In all probability he contracted his fatal diseases of the Stone and Strangury with his sedentary Studies and vast Labours in the Priestly Function yet to his dying day Preaching was his desirable Work Praelucendo peribat might be his Motto for he wore out with Vse and not with Rust IV. He was a good Bishop And now I am come to that onely part of his commendation that ever was deny'd him There was two sorts of people and they differ among themselves toto coelo that can hardly allow him to have been a good Bishop the one sort think him not good because a Bishop at all making those terms Good and Bishop inconsistent but these are absurd and unreasonable men and their tongues is no slander and I trouble my self no further with them the other can't afford him to be good in his capacity because he was not so much a Bishop as they would have had him that is to say because he would not drive their pace he would not govern by their Rules not execute Censures at their heights not interpret Canons in their sence Phaebus must let Phaeton have the Reins and then the Chariot shall be better manag'd David must give place to Absolon and then there shall be no lack of justice if there be any here of this kidney that love thus to be pecking at the little Mote not only in their Brothers but in their Fathers Eye I would desire them first to cast out the great beam that is in their own Eye Prejudice and Envy Pride and Pragmaticalness despising of Government and speaking evil of Dignities and then when they have done this they will be better able to discern of a good Bishop by St. Pauls Canons and the Churches the best rules that I know of whereby to judge of such a one 1 Tim. 3. 2 3. c. Tit. 7. 8 9. And first let 's lay our Prelate to the Apostolical Standard in the Epistles to Timothy and Titus it is caution'd there that a Bishop must be blameless that is free from scandal the Husband of one Wife moderate in all his actions as it is oppos'd to distemper and giddiness so I find Doctor Hammond upon the place rendring the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that he must be attending on his Offices of Grave Venerable Aspect and Behaviour apt to receive strangers and a Lover of good Men. That he must be no Hector nor Tavern-haunter no Usurer of unjust Arts for gain no Bowtefeau or Incendiary ho smiter with Hand or Tongue no Upstart or Novice but a Veterane Soldier in the Faith of Christ He must be apt to Teach and have Learning sufficient for Communication to an Order of Men he must have clean Hands fit to lay upon all Heads he must have great wisdom to deal out portions to every Child and Servant in Gods House and in his own House too there must be his godly example and prudent influence In a word he must be one of a good report within and without able able to stop The mouths of all Gain-sayers by sound Doctrine and a sober righteous and Godly Conversation Now in the judgement of Charity you ought to be perswaded that your deceased Bishop is already come out off at Christs Barr according to this rule and shall he not then much more do so at your petty Sessions But I know your Evasion it is the Churches Canons and Laws you would have your Ecclesiastical Governor to stand and fall by and so he shall if you will but leave your singular dogmatical Commentaries at home and be so candid as if you can find no fault to make none What truer Judication would you have of wise and good Government than from its natural and proper effects And for that matter I dare appeal to your own observation whether in any other Diocess of the Kingdom Caeteris puribus there be to be found a more sober regular and Loyal Clergy a more Conformable People more decent and well repaired Churches and a greater alteration both of the Judgements and Manners of Men since the late times of Anarchy and Confusion which is especially visible in the matter

of the Sacrament than in this Diocess Resolve this into its true Reason and continue malevolent to the memory of him that 's gone if you can I have oft heard him express his desires that the Churches Rules might be strictly observed by himself and those about him and wherein there was a wilful failure you nor I can't tell unless you will pertinaciously insist on the incision of the seasons of Visitation and Confirmation which yet you all know are Offices he did discharge when he was able to travel and when he was not that should one would think serve as a sufficient excuse unto reasonable Men But what need I say more now I think on 't the length of his Government is the only argument against it I tell you to sit sixteen years in the Chair is a great fault and if it was true which one said of any Long-liver Miraculi instar vite iter si longum sine offensione percurrere That it was half a miracle if such a one should live without offence How much more is it likely to be true of Men in high places especially Churchmen who have an inseparable Envy attending upon them Therefore I pass from the Bells and Pomegranats on the skirts of his cloathing to the glittering Jewels of Aarons Breast-plate From his Goodness to his Excellencies which may be thus reckoned his Learning Writing Preaching Living 1. He was an excellent Scholar he had a great stock of Natural Parts and Endowments to which he added an indefatigable Industry and God gave a plentiful Benediction What Melancthon was us'd to say That himself was a Logician Pomeranus a Gramarian Justin Jonas an Orator but Luther was all might be in a fuller way applyed to this person we are speaking on There are few kinds of Literature but he was a Mystes in them His skill in the Greek Tongue got him his Fellowship in Merton Colledge in Oxford in Sir Henry Savil's time and what a rare Humanist he was and how well vers'd in the Polite parts of Learning his Juvenile Piece upon the Passions abundantly testifies 2. And indeed he was an admirable Writer for Wit Judgement and Fancy of all which there seems to be a curious mixture in his Books maugre that observation of a great Virtuoso that there is required a several Complexion for them 3. Moreover he was a Great Divine and in his time a most celebrated Preacher For his Divinity I need onely to say He was a true continuer of the name of Reynolds in the Church of England and for his Sermons they have run the Gantlett through the Universities Inns of Court and City They have met with the approbation both of the Prince and his People Scholars Gentlemen and Citizens all ranks of Men have given their Honourable testimony to them In summ I may reckon him among those happy men Caius Plinius speaks of Quibus Deorum munere datumest aut facere scribenda aut scribere legenda that either doe things worthy of Writing or write things worthy of Reading for he has done both he was a man of God throughly furnished to every good Word and Work he had the Art of Saving Souls and the skill of making Sermons if ever any had 4. But above all I must not forget the Virtues Prov. 16. 31. and Graces wherein he did excel for he was as good a Liver as he was either a Preacher or a Writer All his other good qualities were adorned and both his greener and riper years were season'd with the Piety of a Saint his Youth was not observ'd to be stain'd with the Vices of that age and when the Church brought him her Mitre God had crown'd his Head before according to that of Solomon The hoary Head is a Crown of Glory if it be found in the way of Righteousness But more particularly his Humility are remarkable unto us But more particularly his Meekness are remarkable unto us But more particularly his Patience are remarkable unto us But more particularly his Charity are remarkable unto us 1. He was cloathed with Humility as the Apostle 1 Per. 5. 5. Peter exhorts yea 't was his upper garment and cover'd all the rest of his accomplishments He had mean thoughts of himself and was content that others should have so too and though his face shone yet he would not know it There was no Leaven of pride or ill humor or surliness or ambition in him no difficulty of access nor affectation of distance if you had but the face of a Gentleman or the habit of a Clergyman all Ceremony must be laid aside in order to converse Doubtless he was a great Judge of Learning and yet the most candid Auditor of Sermons in the world He was never heard to censure any body though he himself has not been spared In this Virtue he was a true Nazianzen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 High in place and merit but lowly in mind and disposition 2. Neither was there wanting to him the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit whereby he became a true Copy of the grand Exemplar and Bishop of our Souls Christ Jesus whose word is Learn of me for I Matth. 11. 29. am meek and lowly 'T is an usual saying among some Such a thing would vex a Saint But truly what would vex or ruffle or discompose this holy man was a hard matter to determine 'T is scarce remembred that ever he was seen in a passion For 49 years together wherein he and his Consort liv'd in marry'd state not many words worthy of the denomination of angry have been observ'd to drop from him And now that this might not be put purely upon the account of natural temper or voidness of gall as some late Inquirers into his Body did observe from that part it would be consider'd whether he that understood the passions of the Soul so well as to write so learnedly on them as he did could not also have practically thrown their force and vigor upon occasion if there had not been a superior principle and sway of the Religion of Christ within him This I can assure you he had his share both of injuries from Men and of afflictions from God and he was sensible of them but alwayes with the preservation of his Religious integrity and the exercise of meekness towards Men and of patience towards God 3. And now I am fallen upon that virtue too I may truly say that in him Patience had her work In this he seem'd to exceed the great pattern of my Text though towards the latter end of his Life his dayes were like Jobs dayes of pain and his nights like his too nights of weariness yet he never was heard to say to God O that it would please God to destroy Job 6. 9. cap. 7. 15. me that he would let loose his hand and cut me off My Soul chooseth strangling and death rather than life He knew that by Patience he was as well to wait as to