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	rule_n	scripture_n	4,939	5	6.5358	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A61477	The way of God with his people in these nations opened in a thanksgiving sermon, preached on the 5th of November, 1656, before the Right Honorable the High Court of Parliament / by Peter Sterry.	Sterry, Peter, 1613-1672.	1657 (1657)	Wing S5487; ESTC R14198	34,785	58

to shew That the Mystery of these Riches in which al Saints and Holy Spirits have an immortal Fellowship one with another as in a retired Paradice is that secret Wheel hidden in God on which the whol Creation is turned from the beginning to the End And to make al men see what is the fellowship of the mystery which from the beginning of the world is hidden in God who created al things by Jesus Christ Verse 10 We are taught that the intent of God in the Riches of Christ is that the Angels themselvs who rule the whol world as the Heads of al Created Beings Power and Operations even the highest of them and that in the midst of their Heavenly Glories should have new Discoveries of the Wisdom of God in the variety of its Wayes and Contrivances by the workings of God according to Christ in the Church and from the Church upon the World To the intent That now unto the Principalities and Powers in Heavenly places may be known by the Church the manifold wisdom of God Verse 11. According to the Eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord The only Rule and Line by which God walks and works is the eternal Draught or Platform in the Person of Christ Let us now lay to this Scripture that of Matt. 28. 18. All Power is given unto me in Heaven and Earth They are the words of our Savior being risen from the dead The word Power as it is in the Greek signifieth Eminency Authority Magistracy Rule Heaven and Earth have Four Senses which are all intended here First These Heavens and Earth which we see with our Eyes Secondly Things Visible and Invisible Thirdly Grace and Nature or the things of God and of the Creature Fourthly The Church and Common-wealth Civil and Religious Affairs if this be a distinct Sense from that before it You see by this Scripture what use Jesus Christ hath for those Vnsearchable Riches mentioned in the former Scripture and to what imployment he puts them even to rule All in Heaven and in Earth among Spirits Angels and Men in Grace and Nature in Church and Common-wealth I intreat you now to make a stand for a little while and to look back upon the joynt sense of these two Scriptures the Riches and the Rule of Christ that we may see how they make for our present purpose for the opening and proving of our Point that God ●●lights to go new waies with his Church and with the World as also that we may be affected with them in our own hearts The Lord saith in the Gospel That a good man out of the good Treasury of his heart bringeth forth good things We know that if a man speak who is full and hath much to say he speaks quick passeth with a freshness from one thing to another and is still saying new things What Rarities then what great what new things may we expect every day in the Affairs of the world for the Interest of the Church when as the Person who hath the Government of All is Hee who hath in himself Vnsearchable Riches What Comforts is this to afflicted ones what allurement to sinners what ground of Hope and rejoycing to Beleevers what Light and Direction to States-men what Humiliation in themselves what Exaltation in Christ unto all It is Jesus Christ who hath all Power in Heaven and Earth in Spiritual Civil and Natural things who rules them all according to the Vnsearchable Riches which he hath in himself of Mercy Righteousness Holiness Life Joy Glory Wisdom and Power Let every one now that is weary and heavy laden with any burden of sin guilt wrath sickness or sorrow cry out O the Preciousness of the Love and Vertue of Christ how unvaluable are they O the Plentifulness of those Precious Loves and Vertues how are they more for number than the Sand on the Sea-shore or the Stars in Heaven I will no more look down upon the Darkness of mine own condition nor round about for Help or Happiness from the Creature I will wait upon him for visits every morning for influences every moment upon my Soul Body Relations Affairs and those Great above my Understanding or Expectation New without Number or End There is a third Scripture which concurrs so fully with these Two mentioned before which so comprehends the sence of them both which gives so much light and strength to our present buisness that I may not omit it Ephes. 1. verse 20 21 22. Which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and set him at his own right hand in heavenly places Farr above al principality and power and every name that is named not only in this world but in that which is to come And hath put al things under his feet and gave him to be the head over al things to the Church Pray observe some few short Particulars which lye faire in the very outside of the words First The Lord Jesus stands not now in any Root of Nature but upon a supernatural Root in the Resurrection from the dead by the Almighty power of the Father Secondly He is not in the Capacity of his Humane but of his divine Nature He is at the Right Hand of God that is in the Love strength Joy Glory of the God-head As the Left Hand of God is his wrath his strange work his Disguise so his Right Hand is Love his naked Face his proper form where he is seen as he is as the Saints shal behold him Thirdly He is not rank't in any order of the Creatures He is set above al ranks and orders of Created things both men and Angels with their several dignitys and degrees Farr above principalitys and powers Fourthly He is cloath'd with an Image a form which hath no Proportion Similitude or Agreement with any thing of the Creature He hath a Name above every Name that is Named in this world and that which is to come The Name of Christ which is the Image of his Nature is not only above Sun Moon and Starres with al the powers of these Visible Heavens and Living men upon the Earth but also above the Angelical world in its freshest glory as it is that world which is next to be unvailed and come forth upon the stage before the Eyes of men when the Saints shal be as the Angels of God Fifthly Jesus Christ as his Person is thus stated and in this Capacity is made the Head over al things to contrive command work al every where as the Head doth in the body which is the seat of the understanding the fountaine of sence and Motion Sixthly Al this is in order to the Church for the Churches sake He is given to be head over all to the Church that the Propriety the pleasure the Profite in his Person Power and Rule might be the Churches A Miracle is defined to be that which is Supra ordinem totius naturae creatae Above the order of

to the world for the Churches sake I come now to the Uses Use 1. The first Vse is of Thankfulness God makes it his delight and praise to go new and extraordinary waies with his Church and with the world in order to his Church Let us then raise our delights and his praises from the sense of those new and extraordinary paths in which the Lord hath walked forth before our Eyes in the midst of al the nations round about us for our sake That the Newness of the divine footsteps in our dais and in our Land may leave the deeper print upon our spirits let us consider it in these Six Particulars 1. Our Changes 2. The Quickness of our changes 3. The Freshness upon our Changes 4. The inward Life whence our Changes spring 5. The Seal upon our Changes from their Living Principle 6. The Spirit of Grace evidencing it self as the Principle and the Seal First The Changes Which have been upon us shew the Newness of the Lords way with us Jerem 48. 11. The Lord complains Moab hath been at ease from his youth and he hath setled on his Lees and he hath not been emptyed from Vessel to Vessel therefore his tast remained in him and his sent is not changed How often hath England been changed from Peace to Warr from one Warr to another from one form of Government to another from Extremities to Enlargements from Enlargements to Extremities again These Changes have been as so many Vessels out of which and into which we have been emptyed Are we stil upon the Lees of Carnality and Corruption If we discern not God in a new Glory if we discern not Jesus Christ with his new name if we discern not the Newness of the Operations of the Spirit in al these things then doth our Earthly tast hitherto remain and our fleshly sent is not changed O for a refinedness of Soul now from the Lees of Earth to a pure wine of spirituality O for a heavenly tast a heavenly sent How should we rellish this feast of new delicacys which the Lord sets forth for us How should we love Jesus Christ for the Savor of his new and good Oyntments in which he powrs forth himself into the midst of us Revel. 6. 12. We reade of the Sun turning black as Sack Cloath of Hair the Moon as blood vers. 13. Stars of Heaven fel unto the Earth even as a Fig-tree casteth her untimely Figs being shaken by a mighty winde Verse 14. Heaven departed as a Scroule rolled together Verse 16. The reason of al this i. e. The Face of him that sits on the Throne and the wrath of the Lamb Many times over in this our little world of these divided Islands we have seen the Sun of our Religious Formes our Church-state becomming black as a Sack-Cloath of Hair which is a mourning weed the Moon of our Civil affayres as Blood Nay al Blood we have seen the Heaven of the Supream power pass away as a scrol of Parchment roled up and laid by our Eminent Persons which were as Stars in the Heaven of that Power shining with a Lustre and ruling with an Influence of universal Authority yet on a soden falling from this Heaven to the Earth of a common rank and obscure condition Do we not thorow al this perceive the Face of God sitting upon his Throne among us a Throne of most exalted Grace and loving kindness to his people but of the most exalted vengeance and wrath to his enemy observe those two things the Face and the Face of God sitting upon the Throne What unvailings of new and extraordinary glorys do these Expressions speak forth Are not these the Seal to which these Nations as Wax are turned and changed Blessed are they that stand within these Wheels to be carryed a long by them and move together with them Over others who see them not these Wheels pass and break them to pieces Joel 2. 30. The Lord saith I wil shew wonders in the Heavens and in the Earth Blood and Fire and pillars of smoake Verse 31. The Sun shal be turned into darkness and the Moon into blood before the great and terrible day of the Lord come There are three daies of the Lords comming First To a Particular Nation Secondly At his Incarnation Thirdly To the last Judgment Al these are Capable of having this Scripture applyed to them especially where the first of these daies the Comming of Christ to a Nation follows after the Second day of his Incarnation and borders upon the Third day of his last comming This Scripture hath been litterally fulfilled in our times in our land What frequent Eclypses of Sun and Moon have we seen What Comets Concussions and Prodigyes in al the Elements Earth-quakes Tydes changing their Courses Meteors of al sorts in the Ayre Devouring Fires Behold the Earth the Air the Waters the Fire the Heavens see the Lord and are troubled shal his Saints be insensible of him shal not they shout and say This is the day which no Created or usual light but the Lord hath made by his shinings forth It is wonderful in our Eyes beyond the whol Course of Nature we wil rejoyce and he glad in it Secondly The Quickness of our Changes This is the Second thing that argues the Newness of Gods way with us I intreate you here to compare 2 Scriptures Hagg. 2. 6. For thus saith the Lord of hosts Yet once it is a little while and I wil shake the Heavens and the Earth and the Sea and the dry land verse 7. And I wil shake al Nations and the desire of al the Nations sh●l come and I wil fil this House with glory saith the Lord of hosts Hebr. 12. 26. Whose voyce then shook the Earth but he hath promised saying Yet once more I shake not the Earth only but also the Heaven Verse 27. And this word yet once more signifieth the removing of those things that are made that those things which cannot be shaken may remaine The comparing of these two Texts affords us these Particular Observations First This word Once signifies one continued act of shaking unto an universal and Total Change Secondly That which maks this shaking is the Newness of Christs comming forth in the unchangable Glory of his Father and of the Spirit For the Prophet Haggi seeming to speak of the first comming of Christ in the flesh to fil that present Temple which was then building with the Glory of his Doctrine and Miracles is by the Author of the Epistle to the Hebrews interpreted of the comming of Christ in Glory as being the truth and the end to which the other comming was only a Type and a Preparation So also that which the Prophet calls The Desire of the Nations is in the Hebrews called Those things which cannot be shaken in opposition to things that are made and to be taken away Both together cleerly describe Jesus Christ in the Newness of a Heavenly Glory which can never