Selected quad for the lemma: saint_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
saint_n	bishop_n	paul_n	timothy_n	1,948	5	11.2588	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A27497	The penitent death of a woefull sinner, or, The penitent death of John Atherton, late Bishop of Waterford in Ireland who was executed at Dublin the 5. of December, 1640 : with some annotations upon severall passages in it : as also the sermon, with some further enlargements, preached at his burial / by Nicolas Barnard ...	Bernard, Nicholas, d. 1661.	1642 (1642)	Wing B2015; ESTC R3687	79,120	190

Apostles Commission you see here is Preaching which we shall according to the Text consider First in it selfe And then its severall parts First in the Generall from the Summe of the Apostles Message observe this viz That Preaching and converting the soules of men of all the Acts of the Ministry is the most APOSTOLICALL For further proofe see 1 Tim. 2.7 both put together I am ordained a Preacher and an Apostle ● Teacher of the Gentiles c. The very same words againe 2 Tim. 1.11 in both see how the Apostleship is supported on each side with this imployment 'T is preferr'd before the Administration of Sacraments 1 Cor. 1.17 Christ sent mee not i. e. not so much to baptize but to preach the Gospell Nay above Miracles gifts of tongues government c. See 1 Cor. 12.28 29. God hath set in the Church first Apostles secondly Prophets thirdly Teachers after that miracles then gifts of healing Government Diversities of Toungs c Now wherin hath it so offended that lately it should be compelled to take the lowest roome 'T is a speech of Gregory We account those to beare the Image of the Apostles who are Preachers And if so why heare we no more of it from him who boasts his Sea to be only Apostolicall who hath not bin known so farre to disparage himselfe these many hundred years The more we draw back in it the nearer we shall draw to him There were some in the Church of Ephesus that said they were Apostles and were not Let this one thing be their tryall which if admitted the former would bee found a lyar Now if preaching be the most Apostolicall certainly this conclusion following must be undeniable viz. Then the most Episcopall whose Successours they are For which who knows not that in the 1 Tim. 3. which S. Hierome well cals Speculum Sacerdotij the prime quality of a Bishop is to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. not only able and fit but apt and ready to it The like Tit. 1.9 Thomas Aquinas could say that preaching was the most principall and proper act of a Bishop and accordingly applies eight Titles to them that imply that labour Nay so proper to a Bishop that before S. Augustine● time it was not usuall for a Presbiter to preach in the presence of a Bishop at least it was against the custome of the Africk Church We reade Valerius than Bishop of Hippo was much censured by other neighbouring Bishops that he should permit S. Austine being then but a Presbiter to preach so often before him and not to do it himself and yet there was some reason for it Valerius being a Graecian was not so perfect in the language as S. Austine was And from his example it began first that Presbiters got the honour to preach the word of God in the Bishops presence Which former custome howsoever S. Hierome from another ground pleads much against as inferring that the Bishop should delight to heare such of his own Election to perform their office Yet he acknowledgeth it to have been the custome then also But to return to S. Augustine when he was made a Bishop did he then give it over No then 't is said he preached much more then he did before whersoever he came whensoever asked The like of S. Ambrose by whose frequent Preaching St. Austin himself was converted the introduction into whose first Sermon after his Election was the affirming this to be his proper and necessary function St. Chrysostome cals preaching Omnium bonorum summa and according to his own practice would have a Bishop preach every day with whom ye have often cras heri as if he were rather a daily Preacher than a weekly S. Hieroms speech a Bishop should be for the Church as t is said of Moses and Aaron for the Tabernacle they departed not from it always either preaching or studying for it either with Peter and Andrew fishing or with James and John amending their nets Well me thinks when I reade of Saint Pauls charge for this particular to Timothy the first Bishop of Ephesus and not Parochiall neither 1 Tim. 4.1 and a sickly man too and in what high terms he gives it J charge thee before God and the LORD JESUS CHRIST who shall iudge the quicke and the dead at his appearing and in his Kingdome Preach the Word be instant c. It should make many a mans eare to tingle that hath wholly neglected it the like you have again Tim. 6.13 For Excuses if a not being bound to any particular charge be pretended let them consider S. Pauls free preaching which he so much glories in 1 Cor. 9.19 though he were free from all yet had voluntarily made himselfe serviceable to some 'T is possible for some urgent cause the maintenance out of one place may be imployed for the upholding Gods service in another Like S. Paul 2. Cor. 11.8 who saith he had robbed other Churches taking wages of them to do the Corinthians service for it but to be wholy idle in all places is robbery indeed If imployment in government be alleadged for an exemption let them again think of what S. Paul saith of himself Vpon whom came daily the care of all the Churches 1 Corinth 9.16 Yet necessity is laid upon me and wee unto me if I preach not the Gospell and Paul aged too If disputing and writing c. be produced as the best for a dispensation let them still remember it was S. Pauls work also as writing not a little So disputing daily with the Jews and Greeks Apollo's and Barnabas did the like with the false Apostles S. Peter with the false teachers S. Iohn confutes Antichristian Doctrine and for convincing gain-sayers none are freed from See but what is recorded of Saint Augustine how many Hereticks he had a daily contention with Arrians Manichees Pelagians Donatists one of which was converted onely by a digression in his Sermon against whom and of divers other subjects he wrote so much that if all were extant he that writes his life saith The greatest student would have his fill in reading of them only Yet notwithstanding how did he labour in a constant preaching to his last and the like might be related of divers others So that no pretence whatsoever can excuse them from the performance of this function to what dignity soever advanc'd what burthen soever travelling under I have often wondred at that in Iothams Parable that when some of the Trees were desired to rule over the rest saith the Olive why should I leave my fatnesse wherwith by me they honour God and Man c. saith the Fig-tree Why should I leave my sweetnesse and my good fruit c. and goe to be promoted over the Trees Why should promotion over Others make men barren in themselvs Could they not beare rule and beare Fruit

Tusser that he wrote excellently well of Husbandry but himselfe was the worst Husband that ever water wet 'T is true of many in this sense who can preach very well to save others but cast away themselves In a word let us so teach and so doe that wee may both save our selves and them that heare us And Thomas Aquinas makes it a greater difficulty for a Prelate to bee saved than another man for this reason Because hee hath other mens sinnes lying upon him besides his owne and for the same cause Saint Chrysostome saith the like of Ministers also and that seriously That he thought few of them would be saved both because more is expected from them than from others and their sinnes greater than the sinnes of others The hazard of which Saint Augustine saith was the cause hee so wept at his Consecration The like saith Saint Ambrose No Office more excellent and if they fall none more dangerous A great honour saith Saint Hierom but if they sinne a great fall the one is not such a ioy as the other a sadnesse The nearer wee approach to GOD in our service the greater is the offence if wee shall runne into rebellion See the Apostles Argument Rom. 2.21 22 23 24. Thou that teachest another teachest thou not thy selfe Thou that Preachest c. In the Law 't is observed the measures and weights of the Sanctuary were double to the Common and so are the sinnes of the Officers of GODS Sanctuary that draw nigh to him double and treble to the same sinnes in the Common-people If the Priest annoynted did sinne his Offering for expiation was to be as much as for the sinne of the whole Congregation So the sinnes of such as are consecrated and set apart for GODS service require a deeper measure of repentance a greater portion of sorrow than might suffice for many others by how much they are the more scandalous And hath not this of late beene the cause of the contempt of our calling that the Vulgar though erroneously have argued from the persons to the Offices according to that of Malac. 7.8 Because yee have departed out of the way and corrupted the Covenant of Levi therefore have I made you base and contemptible before all the people according as you have not kept my wayes A good strict life needs no other helpe to gaine respect Vice usually stands in awe of vertue See but that instance in Herod who feared John and observed him because he was a iust man and a holy c. T is the prescription of Saint Paul to Timothy and Titus for it I speake the more of it in regard the contrary hath been pretended as the Originall of all these stirres A present lamentable example wee have in this person the fruit of whose life hath beene this ignominious death both scandalous both lamented Yet in this differing his life a continuall spirituall death his death a beginning and a great progresse of a spirituall life Let him die in your thoughts for his life But let him live in your memories by his penitent death forget the former and imitate the latter And thus we have considered the second part of the Text applicatory to this our Brother as it was to have beene his employment towards others A word of it only as it was effectually found in himselfe and so wee shall have done with it Yee have heere a threefold Metaphoricall description of the sinfull state of nature before Conversion and the state of Grace after it The former by a 1. Blindnesse 2. Darknesse 3. Slavery The latter by a 1. Sight 2. Light 3. Liberty The Division of the former is somewhat like Saint Johns Tricotomize c. referring all in the world to the Eye the Flesh and Life according to the usuall distinction of sinnes into those of the Heart Fact and Custome The first ex Ignorantiâ the second ex Infirmitate the third ex Studio As this sinfull condition by nature is a dead estate you may perceive three degrees of it according to a distinction of Saint Augustines The first Blindnesse is like the man dead in his Bed The second Darknesse put into his Coffin The third Vnder the power of Satan layd in his Grave Three such our Saviour raysed to life Jairus his daughter in her bed within doors The Widdow of Naims Sonne in his Coffin carrying out And Lazarus putrifying in his Grave all were miracles but the last the greatest Such severall Degrees of sinners is Saint Paul here sent to rayse from the death of sinne to the life of Grace to the last degree of which to magnifie GODS mercy the more was this our Brother fallen and raysed againe by repentance 1. The first Degree of our wretched estate before Conversion is set out by a Blindnesse to open their eyes therfore blind before which indeed is like his John 9.1 from our very birth And yet in many things this of the Soule is worse than that of the Body He that is blind in body is glad of a guide these often scorne instruction the former thinkes them happy that see and desires it These despise such and will not see though they might The one beleeves he is blind and laments it The other thinkes hee sees well enough like the Pharisees John 9.41 The Corporally blind sometimes excell in parts of the minde as Memory c. But a man spiritually blind hath no good thing in him at all 2. The second by a darkenesse as the world the first day of the Creation was empty and voyde wrapt up in a confused darknesse such is our estate as we are borne at first voyd of all good Rom. 7.18 Darkenesse in the Vnderstanding Confusion in the Affections and Conscience And there is some similitude between them First a man in Darkenesse is subject to errour so are such to go astray resembled in the lost Groate and Sheepe Secondly subject to stumbling so are these to dangerous fals and scandals in their lives till they slip at last into that Pit of darknesse Thirdly insensible of any evill before them So are these of Hell and damnation let them be never so often warned Fourthly subject to mistakes to thinke they are right when they are wrong So are such often strongly conceited they are in the way to Heaven and yet Posting the contrary Lastly subject to feares and frights such is the Case of those who live in the works of darkenesse they have many horrours and scarres within their Consciences especially if they fall into any danger of death by sicknesse or any other accident The same which this our Brother often acknowledged to have beene his condition before his Conversion 3. Thirdly by a slavery and the worst of any omni malo exitio peior under the power or thraldome of Satan 2 Tim. 2.26 An Emblem of it ye have in Sampson who had his eyes first