Selected quad for the lemma: soul_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
soul_n	angel_n	body_n	heaven_n	5,423	5	5.4149	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A22193	The description of heaven. Or, A diuine and comfortable discourse of the nature of the eternall heaven the habitation of God, and all the Elect. Composed in Latine, by Cunradus Aslachus. And conuerted into English, by Raph Iennings.	Aslakssøn, Cort, 1564-1624.; Jennings, Ralph.	1623 (1623)	STC 860; ESTC S113648	21,359	92

thou shalt atriue thither and see God face to face To shut vp all now wee see through a glasse darkely then face to face now knowe wee in part then shall wee know euen as wee are knowen Let vs therefore for a while vse the Glasse of the Scriptures vntill after this life we may both see and enioy it in the perfection thereof CHAP. III. Wherein the diuers Names of this most supreame Heauen are recited and explayned BVt before wee relate further what this Heauen is it will bee worthy our labour to lay downe and weigh the seuerall appellations thereunto attributed in by the Scriptures and of these some are proper and some are assigned vnto it by a comparatiue similitude thereof to other things Of the first kind are these The third heauen 1. Cor. 12.2 And the heauen of heauens 1. Kings 8.27 First it is nominated the third heauen in respect of the two inferiour and lower heauens the ayerie and starry firmaments aboue both which it is highly exalted as is extant Chap. 2. Next it is named the heauen of heauens in regard of the sublimitie thereof because it is raysed aboue all other Heauens which is well extant in the Etymology of the word as shall be further noted hereafter But after a figuratine speech and after a similitude drawne from lower things it hath these names First it is called a house Iohn 14.1 also a dwelling place Psal 2.4 and throne of God Esa ●6 1 because God doth more especially dwell therein as in his Court and prime Citie of residence What then say you can God who is infinite and immeasurable bee comprehended and inclosed in Heauen By no means for as Salomon saith Behold the heauen of heauens cannot ●●ntaine thee how much lesse this ●ouse that I haue builded 1. Kings ● 27 and Dauid confesseth the ●●me when he saith Whither shal ●●goe from thy spirit or whither ●●all I flye from thy presence If I ●●scend vp into heauen loe thou art ●here or into hell thou art there al●● Psal 139.7 8. The same thing 〈◊〉 some measure was also know●●● to the Philosophers lambi●●●s saith He is present sudden●● wheresoeuer it pleaseth him 〈◊〉 incorporeall subsistence hath ●othing of force any where to ●●nder it and much more the di●●ne nature cannot bee so detai●ed by any circumscripture of ●lace that it should not bee e●ery where And Porphyrius ●●eakes excellently to the same ●●rpose That that hath a body ●●●nes not whither it will by a ●●●call condition and estate for a place standes together with a heape Nor againe is it withheld in corporeall bounds for that which in some kind lyes in a heape may bee forced into a narrow place and may be a locall condition be changed but what is compact and free from accumulatiue magnitude this cannot bee contained of those things which are accumulatiue and exists from all locall motion Therefore God is not included in any bound or place but is wholly within and without all things no where shut in or out solely containing all things yet contayned of none Neither is hee therefore commixt in created substances but he is wholly in euery thing and yet wholly in himselfe as saith Instin Martyr which is more fully confirmed and explayned in these words Epist. ●7 Ad Dardanum God is euery where wholly in himselfe How euery where in himselfe Euery where because 〈◊〉 hee is absent in no place but ●holly in himselfe because he 〈◊〉 not contayned in those things 〈◊〉 which he is present as if hee would not be without them But that the Scripture often times ●ttributeth vnto GOD who is ●●measurable Infinite as it were ●●finite habitation as where it is sayd The ●ord hath prepared his Throne in the heauen Psal 103.19 and hee sitteth in the heauen Psal ● 4 It is done for these causes especially First because God hath made choyce of this high●●t heauen as his chiefe Seat and ●●gall throne for his Maiestie out of which notwithstanding hee is present to all sees all and mightily and wisely gouerneth all things Who is like to the Lord our God who dwelleth on high and humbleth himselfe to viewe the things that are in heauen in earth and in euery place Psalm 113.5 6. And hence it is that wee pray not Our Father which art euery where albeit that bee true but Our Father which art in heauen Secondly because God doeth without all meanes of temporal life manifest in Heauen himselfe his eternall good things to the blessed societie of Angels and men and there doth affoord himselfe more fully to be enioyed and knowne yea there hee is all in all 1. Cor 15.28 For example The soule of man although it bee spread through the whole body yet is sayd chiefly to reside in the braine as in her prime receptacle because that sitting here as in her Palace shee doth ●●ect her speciall functions the ●●se and motion to which the ●●newes arteries and veynes are ●eruitours and performe the ●●nction of Embassadours and ●ttendants to the well ordering of all other parts of the body in a like manner conceaue God as of the mindes vniuersa●ties whence Augustine in his Questions of the Trinitie If God bee in euery place totally why is hee sayd to dwell in the ●eauen more th●n in the earth Because the knowledge of the Diuinitie is greater in the holy Angels and in the Soules of the Saints when they are with God in heauen then being on the earth for as in this mortall body some more vnderstand the Diuinitie some lesse so God is sayd more to bee in heauen then in earth because there his substance is more fully vnderstood of the heauenly Inhabitants then of the earthly Region Lastly because God would withdraw the mindes of his Elect from the things of this life and eleuate their minds and cogitations vnto that Kingdome prepared for them from the beginning of the world in which he now sitteth at the right hand of Maiestie viz. God and man continually making intercession for them to the Father wherevpon with good reason Saint Paul exhorteth vs that we should seeke after heauenly things where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God Coloss ● 1 2. And hence it is that when Christ and all holy ones pray they lifted vp their hands towards heauen because there is the glorious dwelling place of God The other appellation of the highest heauen is Tropicall and Heauen by a figuratiue speech is called Paradise and this tearme is deviued from the Caldean word Pardes whence the Grecian deriueth the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Paradise which properly signifieth a greene plot an Orchard or Garden bearing fruit or set with fruit-bearing trees delectable to man as Cant. 4.12 a Paradise of Pomegranats and in olde time the Grecians vsed to call those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which now the multitude call Fish-ponds But more especially Paradise doth signifie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that most pleasand Garden wherein our

first Parents were placed by God in which Garden being planted by God in the Country of Eden was a piece of ground lying neere to Babylonia Sturanitida or rather Edenitida not farre from Mesopotamia watred about with the Riuer Tigris and other fruitfull Brooks and heereupon is the name of paradise often vsed in relating the Heauen of the blessed as Luke 23.43 This day shalt thou be with mee in Paradise But that you should not thinke that Christ speaks here of the earthly Paradise which long before was quite ruined for that most wofull fall of our first parents as Ierusalem and Sion were marke what Sain Paul sheweth you Hee was rapt vp into the third Heauen which hee after calleth Paradise whence may be gathered that the Heauen of the blessed and the heauenly Paradise were all one to him and in this sense it seemes to bee taken by that old King Zoroastres he hauing some insight into this Heauen where he saith Because the Soule being the bright fire of the Father and of an immortall subsistence and the mistresse of life seekes Paradise Thirdly this Heauen by a Metaphor is called Abrahams bosome for as children returning home from their Schoole-taxes at night are as it were closed in their fathers bosome so we also who in this life are the sonns of Abraham who is called the father of all beleeuers are gathered together into a most secure Hauen and as it were the bosome of Abraham that is to say into a place prouided for Abraham and his elect children expecting that ful glory of blessednes which will follow in the last day of Iudgement in which we shall be crowned in most absolute manner with all ioy glory and immortalitie after this lifes dissolution Moreouer it is sometime called the heauenly Ierusalem and the Citie of the liuing God and Sion the heauenly Canaan and by other names of this kinde conducing to the nature of this heauen of the blessed But hauing sufficiently sayd of the names I haste to the distinction and definition CHAP. IIII. The Definition of the highest Heauen and the Analysis thereof THE Heauen of the Blessed is the highest expansion the house of God and of blessed Angels and Men. All the numbers of this Definition are partly declared aboue the rest shall hereafter bee more at large explayned which that we may doe these sixe things are briefly to be handled in a Methodicall order 1. Whether there be any Heauen of the Blessed 2. Whether it were created or not 3. At what time it was created 4. Whether it bee Corporeall or Incorporeall 5. Where it is and in what place 6. What kinde of Heauen it is and how great First no man will doubt whether there be any Heauen of the blessed or not who hath been neuer so little conuersant in the holy Scriptures for there are so many testimonies thereof that no man without great stupiditie and senselesnesse can deny it of which kind these are plaine Psa 103.19 God hath prepared his Seat in the heauens and his Kingdome is aboue all kingdomes Psal 68.34 Hee sitteth in the Heauen of Heauens Psal 115.16 The Heauen of Heauens are the Lordes And Christ himselfe saith Iohn 14.2 In my fathers house are many mansions I goe to prouide you a place and where I shall prouide you a place I will returne and take you ●●i●h me that you may also be where ●am and that wee may carry our solues as free Denizens of heauen from whence wee expect our Sauiour Phil. 3.20 Hence then I re●●●●e those who being damna●●ly conceited deny this heauen 〈◊〉 the blessed If the heauen of ●●e blessed be the Seat House If God wherein hee dwelleth ●●d if it bee the place in which Christ God and Man doeth a●●de and if it bee the Mansion ●●●ce wherein we shall perpetu●lly dwell with Christ certainly it must necessarily follow to bee something but wee haue ●●ooned the Maior by alleadgements both of Scriptures and Authorities therefore also the ●●imor by infallible consequence must follow Secondly there is a very great controuersie amongst very profound Schollers whether this Heauen were created or not Some say it is a voyd or intricate place an emptie space euerlasting immeasurable spirituall and all ouer-spread with most radiant beames of the Deitie and that it is a certaine immense light shining foorth of God himselfe in which God was from euerlasting according to that saying 1. Tim. 6.15 God dwelleth in that light which cannot be approached Of the same minde was Augustine Stenchus the Bishop and some others as Zanchius relates in his first book and fourth Chapter De Operib Dei But on the contrary others and that more truly haue thought that this heauen was sometime made by God and they more correspond to the Scripture for whatsoeuer is in ●●lature vncreate it is needfull ●hat the same be infinite and immeasurable for euery creature 〈◊〉 of a finite constitution God ●●ely is vnmeasurable and infi●●te But who will call the hea●●n immense or infinite as God him selfe when the Scripture makes an eloquent diffe●●●ce betwixt God the maker of heauen and earth and his ●●●t or throne viz. the heauen ●●●after more fully in the ensu●●ng Chapter shall appeare Let them then confesse the Heauen 〈◊〉 be made by him and who is 〈◊〉 impudent that dare contrary 〈◊〉 the apparent truth of the Scriptures deny the whole hea●●n to be made by God when 〈◊〉 the Porch or prime entry in●●● the Bible he may finde Gene. 〈◊〉 In the beginning God created the Heauen and the Earth Heauen in that place euen in that tearme comprehending in it the whole expansion resident aboue the earth and in which the highest heauens is comprehended and must needs follow that also to be formed of God in the beginning yea and God also is nominated manifestly to be the former of this heauen It is said Hebr 11.9 10. By faith stayed Abraham as in a strange land in the land of promise hee stayed in the Tabernacles with Isaac and Iacob coheyres in the same promise for hee expected that sure founded Citie whose former and maker was God What Citie I pray you expected hee Was it not the heauenly Hierusalem the heauen of the blessed of the which the same Abraham afterwards intreats in Chap. 12.22 which ●one but the King of all Kings God himselfe hath founded ●●d builded most artificially It ●●hooueth thee then to confesse ●nd credit this Heauen celestiall ●ometime to be builded by God ●imselfe and him onely Thirdly it cannot easily bee ●ollected out of the holy Scrip●●res when this heauen was cre●ted but it is probable on the ●●●s t day together with the Star●●● Firmament since there is no ●●ntion of the creation thereof in the workes of the other dayes of which mind are ma●y both ancient and later W●i●ers Lactant. Lib. 2. diu inst ca. 1. ●irst of all God made heauen ●nd founded it on high because 〈◊〉 should bee the seate of God himselfe the

peace on earth Where he punctually distinguisheth betwixt the earth and the Lords most holy mansions And againe in Deut. 4.39 God is aboue in Heauen and Psal 113.4 Iehovah is eleuated farre aboue all Nations aboue all Heauens is his glory who can equallize our God Ie●●nah who inhabiteth in the highest Also the seate of Angels and blessed Saints is said to be in the same heauen for the Angels continually see the face of the Father which is in heauen and Paul sayth Our conuersation is in heauen In which heauen In these he addeth whence wee expect our Sauiour into which himselfe is already ascended The heauen therefore of the blessed is planted by God farre aboue all other heauens in the highest altitude Againe hence it followeth the heauen of the blessed to bee there whither Christ himselfe is ascended in his owne body for Christ hath made regresse vnto his Father whence he went out whose seat is in the kingdome of the blessed as is cleare in that of Iohn 7.33 Yet a little while am I with you and after retyre vnto him who sent mee and againe Iohn 16.28 I went out from my Father into the world and againe I leaue the world and retyre vnto my Father And Christ is substantially ascended aboue those visible heauens to wit the ayerie and starry firmaments as Ephes 4.10 He that descended is the same who ascended aboue all heauens that hee might accomplish all things Hebr. 4.14 hee is sayd to haue pierced the heauens and Hebr. 7.26 hee is exalted aboue all heauens and againe Hebr. 1.3 4. and Ephes 1.20 Hee is sayd to sit at the right hand of God in the highest Heauens and as sayth Augustine Christ eleuated his body to heauen he abstracted not his Maiestie yet from the earth according to his corporall and carnall presence which the word assumed hee is ascended into the heauen hee is not heere there hee sits at the ●ight hand of his Father and ●●t he is heere also for his maiesticall presence retyred not And Cyrill on Iohn is consonant ●eereto No man doubts when Chirst ascended to the heauens albeit he was heere by his virtuall presence of the spirit hee is totally absent in his carnall Againe it is requisite that the ●aithfull beleeue that though Christ is corporally absent yet doth hee vertually gouerne vs and all things else being continually present with those that call vpon his name And in the same sense is Vigill the Martyr The Sonne of God quoth he according to his Humanitie departed from vs but according to his Diuinitie hee saith to vs Loe euen I am with you vnto the end of the world for those whom hee left and from whom hee departed according to his Humanitie according to his Diuinitie hee neither left nor forsooke for in the forme of a seruant hee is in heauen absent from vs but in the forme of God wherein hee departed not from vs hee is present now on earth with vs. And this is the iudgement of the Ancient concerning Christ his peregrination into the Heauen of the blessed But as Saint Augustine ad●●onisheth vs It is a needlesse ●ouerlurious fantasie to search ●here and how the Lord pre●●nce is seated in this most high ●ace onely wee are to beleeue 〈◊〉 to bee in heauen for it is not ●●r our frailtie to discourse of ●●destiall secrets but it rather ●●●cernes our faith to bee wise ●odestly concerning the digni●● of the Lords presence It is ●●en cleare that the heauen of ●●e blessed is the most high Pa●●ce of God and the blessed An●●ls placed and confirmed a●●ue the two other heauens to ●●it the ayerie and Syderiall fir●●ments Sixtly It remaines lastly to ●ee surueyed what and how ●●eat this heauen is In qualitie ●●is most eternall incorruptible ●●d cleare I terme it eternall not because it existed without beginning but because it is euer to endure without all end and decay Whence that of Augustine Hence then my soule seeth how farre it is eternall aboue all times when thy house which cannot bee trauersed ouer though respectiue to thee it cannot be coeternall yet vncessantly adhering to thee it admits not the least temporall intermission And as Ambrose Paul saith hee exhorts vs to couet mansions in the highest heauens which are eternall but that is incorruptible which in that eternall time of her durance hath an immunitie from all change and alteration or the least corruption Paul therefore auerres that heauenly Ierusalem which Abraham expected to haue firme fundaments that is most sure and immo●●ueable ●●ounds and as in the Ap●●●●●ps that celest all Citie is made of pure gold and established on 〈◊〉 most firme and precious foundation described also to be cor●●borate with inuincible walls 〈◊〉 which things describe and ●otifie the perpetuitie and incorruptible existence of this ●eauen But their conceit is im●ious and vaine who conceyt this heauen to haue also resided without beginning from eterni●●● If so bee that an eternall habitation must needs be reciprocall to an eternall God alas ●he Lord wants no place since ●hat his extent exceeds al place ●e being of a most simple es●ence which is as well without 〈◊〉 within all things as Zanchlus ●nd the ancient Diuines affirme ●nd most clearely is this Citie celestiall portraytured in the description of the terrent Ierusalem Reuel 21. ver 23. There is want neither of Sun or Moone to yeeld lustre therein for Gods glory giueth it a plenary Illustration namely the heauenly Ierusalem whereof the Lambe is the Lampe and as Augustine aptly saith That most Emperiall City is incomparably cleare where are Victory Verity Dignitie where are Sanctitie Life and Eternitie Nor sings Zanchius any lesse excellently of the splendor of this supernall Citie That most supreame Heauen shall shine with a farre more excellent light it shall want no Sunne nor Moone for the glory of God is the light thereof Againe nor must we suppose as some doe the illustrious Sunne-beame of that essentiall glory to reflect and issue from God as from the Sunne and heauen to be illustrate with it for whatsoeuer is in the essence of God and demeanes therefrom is participator like as the Sonne and Holy Ghost which proceed ordinarily from the Father and this sole title is onely giuen vnto Christ namely that he is the splendour of glory that light therefore whereby the heauen is illustrate as from a cause efficient and whereby the soules of the blessed are illuminate that they may perceiue God is a created subiect or matter But the quantitie of the supreame Heauen is depiete vnder the figure of the holy Citie as Apocal. 21.10 where it is called That great city by which term● certainly he instanceth the latitude thereof to be excessiue the magnitude both incomperable and incomprehensible yet declares he it to be finite when he ●ntimates it also possibly circundate by the Angel it is by Christ also verified to be a most large City when hee affirmes it to haue very many