Selected quad for the lemma: sense_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
sense_n	church_n	particular_a	visible_a	2,389	5	9.4183	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A04076	Lawes and orders of vvarre established for the good conduct of the seruice of Ireland.	England and Wales. Army.; Falkland, Henry Cary, Viscount, d. 1633.	1625 (1625)	STC 14131.5; ESTC S3834	114,882	2

shut none can enter though many seeke to enter So our Saviour instructs us in the twenty fifth verse of this Chapter When once the master of the house is risen up and hath shut to the doore and yee beginne to stand without and to knock at the doore saying Lord Lord open unto us and hee shall answere and say unto you I know you not whence you are This is the generall end and scope of the parable in my text and of the parable of the foolish Virgines For the more cleere explication of this parable's particular contents yee are in the first place to know the meaning of the single termes as first who is in speciall meant by the certaine man which hath planted a figtree in his vineyard Secondly who is in speciall meant by the dresser of this vineyard Thirdly what is meant by the figtree planted in it Lastly what is meant by the three yeares wherein fruit was by the owner expected and the fourth yeare wherein the dresser of the vineyard did petition for the sparing of it upon further triall The owner of the vineyard and of the figtree planted in it as best interpreters agree doth represent God the Father or first person in Trinity He it is that exacts satisfaction for all sinnes committed against the Deity or divine nature and he it is which demands fruit of whatsoever the divine nature hath planted that is thankefulnesse of man in speciall for his benefits bestowed upon him but specially of his Church wheresoever planted By the dresser of the vineyard yee are to understand the Sonne of God or second person in Trinity For hee it is which tooke our nature upon him to till and dresse it for his fathers service and that portion of our nature which hee tooke upon him is as the roote or stemme to all the residue which shall bee freed from cursing So our Saviour tels us I am the true vine and my father is the husbandman or the owner of the vine It is againe the Sonne of God or second person in Trinity which doth mediate betwixt God man and by his mediation and intercession our first parents the whole nature of man was reprieved from death By his mediation and intercession the execution of Gods dreadfull and exemplary judgements upon the seed of Iacob or people of Israel was for many ages deferred though in some part executed upon them in every age but never fully executed upon the nation untill their contemptuous neglect of these forewarnings By the figtree planted in the vineyard you are to understand the Kingdome of Iudah or the Church of the Iewes as they stood affected for this present For in respect of Gods chosen people then living on earth or of that one holy catholique Church which was then in planting and was afterwards to be propagated throughout the world the Iewish Church or Synagogue then flourishing was but as a figtree planted in a vineyard but as one figtree for quantity and a most unfruitfull one for quality in respect of the charges care and paines which had been bestowed upon it and of the speciall care which the dresser of the vineyard had taken of it By the three yeares wherein fruit was expected from the figtree but not yeelded wee are in the historicall literall or punctuall sense to understand the three yeares of our Saviours propheticall function here on earth which were before this time compleat and ended By the fourth yeare wherein the figtree was permitted to grow upon further triall wee are to understand the yeare current wherein this parable was uttered in the midst of which yeare our Saviour was consecrated here on earth to his sacerdotall or priestly function And forty daies after his consecration admitted to excercise this function in his heavenly sanctuary But here it may bee demanded why this figttee that is the Iewish Church was permitted to stand after this fourth yeare was ended since it continued this yeare more unfruitfull than the former for it is imported in the parable that unlesse it did beare fruit within this fourth yeare it was to bee cut downe To this demand wee answer that the meaning of the parable is not that this figtree instantly was to bee cut downe at the fourth yeares end but that the dresser of the vineyard would not intreat the owner any longer for it in such manner as hee had done before but would leave it wholly to his wisdome how it should be disposed of or in what time or by what degrees it was to bee cut downe True it is that it was not utterly cut downe at this fourth yeares end for the Church and the common weale of the Iewes represented the figtree did continue almost forty yeares after this fourth yeare ended but stood like a tree or stemme of a tree marked to bee felled There did not passe one yeare of forty wherein it did not receive some chops or deepe incision in the roote or stemme not one yeare wherein it was not despoiled of some principall branches And during this time the Sonne of God here represented by the dresser of the vineyard stood as a spectatour made no intercession for it For after this people had reiected him from being their King and and protector Gods fearefull judgements often threatned and denounced against it tooke their ordinary processe without any prohibition This Church or people were not to expect any extraordinary favour or more favourable signes than other Nations had yet signes they had many of their miserable ruine and desolation of their countrey which they might have observed which if they had observed but in such measure and manner as many heathens did the like they might have beene acquitted à tanto though not à toto their ruine and destruction after it became in a manner necessary was not necessarily decreed to bee so inevitable as by their owne stubbornenesse they made it in the issue Thus much in generall of the sense and meaning of the owner of the vineyard and the dresser of it of the figtree and of the three yeares wherein it continued fruitlesse and of the fourth yeare wherein it was to be cut downe But as for the figtree and the yeares wherein it was permitted to stand besides the former punctuall or historicall sense they have an exemplary or indefinite sense That which is fore-prophecied of this particular figtree or Church of the Iewes holds true in proportion of every particular visible Church on earth Every one of them have their severall forewarnings or appointed times for bringing forth fruit within which time if they doe not repent they are exempted from our Saviours speciall protection and left open to the ordinary processe of Gods judgements as this particular figtree was This is the only difference that the forewarnings of other Churches and Nations are not in respect of the time so expresse so determinate and punctuall as this figtree had Now are they mark't to the fall by the selfe same

take it was because S. Iohn of all the foure Evangelists did out-live both sorts of the signes for hee was alive in the dayes of Trajan the emperour betwixt whose raigne and the raigne of Titus in whose dayes these signes in my text were exhibited Domitian and Cocceius Nerva did successively raigne over the Romans And it may be S. Iohn did purposely omit the Relation of our Saviours prophecies concerning these signes or prognosticks whether of Ierusalem's destruction or of Christ's comming to judge the Nations because he knew when hee wrote his Ghospell hee was to out-live them and for this reason his relation of them would have beene more lyable to suspition or to the exceptions of the Iewes or heathen than the relations of S. Matthew Marke or Luke were seeing they all dyed before the destruction of Ierusalem But did S. John know or what presumptions have we to thinke he did know that hee was to continue his pilgrimage here on earth untill this prophecy of my text were fulfilled that is untill Christ's comming to give all the Nations of the world as well as Ierusalem a solemne warning of of his power and purpose to judge the world This S. Iohn might know or this he could not but know from our Saviour's speeches to him and S. Peter related by him Iohn 21. v. 18. to the 23. Our Saviour had signified or intimated to S. Peter by what manner of death hee should glorifie God and bid him follow him the meaning is that he should be crucified as our Saviour had beene But Peter not content to know the manner of his own death turned about and seeing S. Iohn saith to Iesus Lord what shall this man doe And Iesus said unto him if I will that he tarry till I come what is that unto thee The rest of the brethren that is of Christ's disciples made a false descant upon this sure ground for they hence collected that S. Iohn should not dye at all but this misconstruction of our Saviour's words S. Iohn himselfe v. 23. of that Chap. plainly refuses Iesus said not unto him he shall not dye but if I will that he tarry till I come what is that to thee Yet this his annotation or comment upon our Saviour's words did better refute errors past then prevent the errors or misconstructions of times ensuing For surely they erre which interpret our Saviours words as a meere put-off to Peters curious question or as if they contained no such prediction or prophecy concerning Iohn as the former did concerning Peter And there is a medium betweene the construction which the Disciples then made of our Saviours words and that construction which others have made since The Disciples hence collected that Iohn should not dye at all others collect that our Saviours speech was meerely hypotheticall or conditionall yet being proposed by way of interrogation it is equivalent to this assertory or affirmative It is my will that hee should tarry till I come doe not thou grudge at this but follow me Now as you have heard before there is a two fold comming of Christ the one typicall or representative which is the comming here mentioned in my text and meant by our Saviour in his answer to Peter Iohn 21 v. 22. the other reall or consummative to wit his last comming to Iudgement The Disciples did erre only in this that they understood our Saviours words unto S. Peter of his last comming to judgement And if Iohn had beene to tarry on earth till that time the consequence had beene true hee should not have dyed but as S. Paul speakes he should have beene changed But our Saviour speakes of his comming here mentioned in my text of which comming S. Iohn and others then living were to bee witnesses and spectators And of this comming the destruction of Ierusalem was a signe by which his Disciples then alive might prognosticate or expect it before they dyed But of his last comming to judgement at least of the time of the worlds end our Saviour in my text gave no signe but rather inhibited his Disciples to enquire after it seeing it was then reserved to his father only And if any bee disposed to seeke after the signes of that day these he must learne of S. Iohn in his revelation who saw his first comming to judgement in such a sence and manner as he had seene the Kingdome of heaven come with power and glory at his transfiguration upon the mount But though the time of Christs comming to judgement bee uncertaine though wee may not expect that hee should come unto us in such visible manner as hee did to this generation yet hee dayly comes to us in a more reall manner if wee will prepare our hearts to entertaine him For so hee comes to us in his word and in the sacraments and this his comming shall bee unto judgement unlesse wee examine and judge our selves But if wee will judge our selves we shall not bee judged of the Lord yea hee comes unto us in mercy and loving kindnesse One way or other hee comes to all Behold saith hee I stand at the doore and knocke if any man heare my voice and open the doore I will come in to him and will sup with him and he with me Revel 3. 20. Yet he which thus knocketh that we may open hath commanded us to knocke that it may be opened to us And indeed the only way by which wee can open the doore to him is by continuall knocking at the gate of mercy that he would open that unto us that hee would come unto us by his grace by the sweet influence of his owne everlasting sacrifice Lord heare us when we call upon thee and open unto us and so come unto us yea so come quickly A briefe appendix to the former treatise of the signes of the time or divine forewarnings OF omnious presagements or abodings good or bad whether given taken or affected and of prodigies or portendments which are for the most part publique signes of the times wherein they are exhibited I had in my younger and better dayes written a large treatise which hitherto I have not had the opportunity or leasure to publish out of which I have borrowed two or three instances in the former treatise But amongst all the forewarning signes given to this land as so many summons to repentance none which have beene given within my memory did make so durable impression upon my heart and thoughts as that late mighty winde which having begun his terrible visitation from the utmost point of the South-west did continue it in one night unto the North-east corner of this Southerne province This was more then a signe of the time Tempus ipsum admonebat the very time it selfe wherein it hapened being the vigils of that great anniversary Novemb. 5. was a signe to my apprehension most significant and doth interpret the meaning of this terrible messengers inarticulate voice much better then any linguist living this day as well as the Prophets were any such now alive could doe Both the messenger and the time wherein he delivered his message doe teach us that truth which hath beene often mentioned in these former meditations more punctually and more pithily than I could then or can yet expresse it Thus much of his meaning the serious reader may understand that albeit wee of this Kingdome were in firme league with all Nations of the earth with whom we have had any time commerce although our greatest enemies should become our greatest freinds yet it is still in the Lord almighty his power and as wee may feare in his purpose to plague this Kingdome more grievously by his owne immediate hand or by this invisible but most audible messenger or by other like stormes and tempests then at any time he hath done by the famine by the sword or by the plague of pestilence to bury more living soules as well of superior as of inferior ranke in the ruines of their stately houses or meaner cottages then the powder-plotters did intend to doe or the powder-plot it selfe had it taken effect could have done God grant every member of this Church and Kingdome grace to looke into his owne heart and purposes and to all in authority whether superior or inferior from the highest to the lowest to looke not only unto their owne but unto others waies of whom they have the care or oversight that these may runne parallel with the waies of God which if we shall continue to crosse or fall foule upon them or his most sacred lawes it is not any parliamentary law not any act of state or decrees of Courts of Iustice that can breake the stroake of his outstretched punishing arme and hand or fend off his dreadful Iudgements threatned from falling more heavy upon us then at any time hitherto his name bee praised they have done Finally although our publique fasts or solemne deprecations for averting his judgements from this land 〈◊〉 or the time being ceased by the same authority by which they were begun yet no authority no act of state doth prohibite any private man to fast upon the daies appointed by the Church whose Canons injoyne though not whole families yet of every family some one or other to resort unto the house of the Lord to offer up prayers and supplications appointed by our Church upon two other speciall dayes in the weeke besides the Lords day Nor are any prohibited upon these dayes to offer up besides their supplications for averting his judgementt the sacrifice of praise and thankesgiving for our many deliverances past unto him to whom all praise power dominion and thanksgiving are due FINIS Lib. 4. num 107. Vid. plura apud Claudianum initio belli Gildonici Rupertus Angelomus Amongst other writers of those times see that noble French Historian Martin Fumèe Lord of Genillè Histor. Hungar lib. 1. pag. 32. Silus Italicus Valerius Maximus The extraordinary blessings which our Saviour prayed for were the visible endowments of the Holy Ghost and that admirable union of soule and mind and community of goods and possessions c. mentioned Act. 2. 3. 4. c. All which gifts were peculiar to these primitive times Iam. 4. v. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lib. 1. comment in Symbolum Apostolicum