Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
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A02054
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Heauen and earth reconcil'd A sermon preached at Saint Paules church in Bedford, October. 3. 1612. At the visitation of the right Wor. M. Eland, Archdeacon of Bedford. By Tho. Adams ...
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Adams, Thomas, fl. 1612-1653.
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1613
(1613)
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STC 122; ESTC S100418
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32,838
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52
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Thunder we were not able without him to turne your heartes to Righteousnesse Indeed the Word is strong in operation diuidyng the marrow and the bones and our ministrie is not of the Letter but Spirit sayth S. Paul thus farre exceeding the externall commaundement of Moses wherevnto he could not conuert his owne soule that it shall not onely require Fayth but giue it yet still Virtus a Deo the vertue life spirit is from God This cleares vs from that Popish imputatioÌ„ that we build our Fayth on a silly Minister we build it on the testimonie of the Spirit the Word of eternall truth deliuered to vs by such an organ The trueth examined they rather build their saluation on a silly Minister Thus farre they and we goe hand in hand we agree that Fayth conuersion is wrought in the heart by an especiall grace of Gods spirit But heere wee part They say the holy Ghost vseth the authoritie of the Church to beget Fayth in our heartes Wee say hee vseth the Ministrie onely not the Authoritie Thus whereas they rayse the credite of the Doctrine from the Minister wee rayse the credite of the Minister from the Doctrine so that of both Papistes may be trulier sayd to build their Fayth on the credite of Men yea and such men as some of them haue been Sodomites some Coniurerâ— some Murderours and scarce inferiour to Deuils vnlesse now perhaps they lie as deepe and low in Hell Thus are their blinded soules bound to beleeue not by their Ministrie as Christians but by their Authoritie as Pythagoreans I confesse the Word caryes Authoritie with it in any lippes which God hath touched with a Coale froÌ„ his Altar and woe to the soule that disobeyes it There is an easie Distinction sayth that excellent Pâ—still betwixt the Lawyer the Physitian and the Diuine The Lawyer begins with Reason and so descends to common Experience and Authoritie The Physitian begins with Experience and thence proceedes to Reason and Authoritie The Diuine begins with Authoritie and so to Reason and Experience Our personall Authoritie then is nothing the Authoritie of Gods word not to be withstood These then are the Copulatiues and this the meanes to bring you to Righteousnesse or else despaire it If thou liuing within the sun-shine of the Gospell wilt not be enlightned by it thou must perish in darknesse If the Preacher conuert thee not to Righteousnesse God must worke Miracles or thy soule is in hazard Wee should now come to our Reward our Blisse our Heauen Shall shine as Starres for euer and euer But I find it Reu. 1. The seauen Starres are the Angels of the seauen Churches Ministers shall be Starres hereafter sayth the Prophet Daniel they shal be Starres heere too sayth S. Iohn Without question both speake trueth and there is a shining of this world goes before that Heauen Wee must be Starres in Grace that looke to be so in Glory It was directed to the Apostles Vos estis lux mundi you are the light of the world And Let your light so shine before men c. So God hath disposed that Lumen gracia antecedat Lumen gloria the light of Grace shall preceed the light of Glory And none shall shine hereafter that haue been darke heere First then consider what kind of Starres we are then what we shall be Ministers are sayd to be Starres in fiue repectes in Name Substaunce Sight Motion Effectes 1. In Name Stella astando dicitur a Starre quasi not stirre further then the Orbe carries it God hath fixed them in their Spheares and confined them to Stations like good Souldiers they know their Rankes and their Orders and obserue their Non vltra The Sunne knowes his rising and his going downe Ministers must be like Starres fixed in their orbes ours is a stable profession not a gadding Ministry It was S. Peters counsell or rather the holy Ghosts charge Feed that flocke that dependeth on you He spake merely the Tribe of Leuj must haue no minde to the Tribe of God The Apostles indeed went through the world but they had their Pasport for it Goe teach all nations c. It must not be so with vs not that you which are full should grudge the hungry soules some Crummes from your Tables How many are yet in this Land that would be heart-glad of those Sermons which you sleepe out and despise How many would close the Minister in the armes of ioy whom you contemne So easie is it for a full stomacke to forget the benefite of Meate The feete of those that bring good tidinges of peace are no where lesse beautifull then in their most frequented streetes Neuer found Prophet lesse honour lesse welcome then where his perpetuall paines haue best earned it Like pamper'd children you play with your Meate Giue vs leaue to gratifie with some comfortes I say not with our Sauiour the Doggeâ— but the Children of our owne Father which want them Theodâ—râ—t writes that when Valent with his Arrian heresie had bepesterd the Christian world and stroke a deepe wound in the white boosome of the Church Aphrâ—â—dâ—â— a certaine Monke contrary to his order came foorth of his vowed and confining Monastery to succour the endangered trueth being asked by the offended Emperour What he did out of his Cell I did keepe it sayth he so long as Christes Sheepe were in peace I can not be coop'd vp and suffer them in hazard of ruine If being a Virgin I were confined by my Father to a Closset yet seeing the House on fire I were bound to come foorth to quench it Thus it is when the affayres of the Church call vs foorth our owne may not finde vs so ready They are wretched Starres that will be fixed in no Orbe admit of no certaine Charge nay not Starres but meere Meteors Exhalations Ignes fâ—tuj Commets portending delusion to others confusion to themselues vnstable Lightes Câ—râ—ed about with euery wind of doctrine Wandring Starres as Jude sayth for whom is reserued not this shyning in glory but the blacke darknesse for euer They were such Starres that the redde Dragon with his tayle swept from Heauen and cast downe to the Earth that had no true location in the Orbe of the Church Stellae erratiâ—a following their owne phantasies Let vs beware of such wandringes least it be sayd of vs as the Poet of that Starre Etsi non câ—cidit poterit cecidisse viderj though we haue not fallen away yet we haue seemed so Let no stormes blow vs from our Charges Menaces Miseries Gustes Waues shall beat vpon vs yet Sâ— fractâ—s illabatur orbis impauidum ferient ruinae let vs sticke closse fast to our Spheres when Gods general afflictions of plague famine mortalitie are most frequent our councels are most seasonable Oh when wil the iron heartes of men bow if not when they are heat in the flame of iudgements They are wretched Starres then and vncapable of this
be due to vs iure diuino by the law of God or whether the with-holders come within the compasse of that Curse Ye are cursed with a curse because ye haue spoyled me in Tithes and Offrings Since the Law present allowes no power to sue such on an action of detinue to omit that Melchisedeck had Tythes and that of Abraham euen by the law of Nature besides the Leuiticall of the Iewes which they say is abrogated that would say no lesse of the morall law of God for an aduantage Yet Paul◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in all his goods must needs euince that the Minister must haue some share in his peoples substaunce if any why not that portion which in all ages and Churches hath been giuen them If they be consecrated to Iesus Christ I say not by blinded superstition but by true and warrantable deuotion before the Pope euer put out his apparant hornes who dares robbe our Sauiour of them that neuer passed fine of his royall prerogatiue to any purchaser If they were his whose are they let them prooue he hath assigned them to Gentlemen and I will cleare them from that menace of Salomon Jt is a destruction to deuoure holy thinges c. Ministers were once helde Angels now vnlesse they doe bring Angels in their purses Ibis Homere foras for all their musicke they are shut out of dores They say the Italian Ducades make their Priestes Duces Princes Captaines braue fellowes The Spanish Pistolets make their Priestes terrours to be feared the word signifying Tormentigenus a kind of torment witnesse the Jnquisition The French Crownes crowne their Priestes with wealth and dignitie but Defectuâ— Angelorum Anglicorum the want of English Angels leaues our Ministrie in the dust The wordes of so reuerend and honourable a Prelate come heere to my minde Time was Religion did eate vp Policiâ— and the Church deuoured the Common-wealth but now Policiâ— eates vp religion the Common-wealth deuoures the Church Men are profest Politicians Floreat respublica copijs referta c. et quid ad nos Let the Common-wealth prosper and what care we for the Church If we had no soules this might be some shadaw of equitie but seeing we haue it is the substaunce of rancke impietie And let me say if men would imagine and plot a course to loose the soules that Christ hath bought they could not find a directer for if Learning begge studie Artes that list will be the generall voyce If there be none to preach there will be no beleeuing if no beleeuing 〈◊〉 sauing Neuer plead your Fayth in the Gospell whiles you rewarde it not perhappes you can afforde Desert some bare and naked commendations but we are not Camelions to liue on the ayre of commendations It is certaine and inuincible trueth not relieue the Gospell not beleeue the Gospell God graunt that our corruption this way bringes not Paganisme and flat Atheisme in the end Needes must you loose con sci Deuotion and Knowledge when you take from vs entia our Liuinges It is a shame that we should cease studying of Sermons and be driuen to study for Bread to put in our mouthes the mouthes of our Families It was a sinne in the old Law to destroy Matrem cum filijs the old with the young and can it be lesse in conscience to pine to death those two fruitfull Mothers the Vniuersities and starue the Children in their bosomes At which two Fountaines of learning before we are suffered to drinke how many miserable and wearie a day doe we passe ouer in the inferiour Schooles then not without much paine to our selues cost to our Parentes we are sent to one of those glorious Sunnes to ripen our bâ—ddes the exhibition they there allow vs they charge vs to take for our Patrimonie and to expect no further meanes at their handes We restraine our thoughtes I say not onely from pleasure whereof to haue no small measure is some Vnhappinesse vnder the Sunne but euen from competent experience in the world who had need be wise as Serpents in these Machiauellian dayes We subiect our bodyes to many Diseases and groue out our remayning dayes vnder the burden of some wasting sicknesse at last Cruâ—â—â—hymâ— Plena hauing stored our selues with the riches of Art we come into our Countrey to exchange them for their riches of earth and yet how vnworthy a thing is Calestibus mercari terrena to buy corporall things with spirituall and to choppe Heauen for Earth After all this how hardly is any thing attained without paying to the Patron either a Fine or an annuall Rent or reseruation of his owne Tythes or some way aboue the rate of a Copy-hold to haue a Lease during a sickly and spent life Were the Goodes of the Church for this intrusted to Gentlemen and Lordes of the Mannours that they should set them to sale and turne the Benefite into their owne Purses Why were not the Donations in the handes of the poore who haue more need It is supposed Gentlemen by nurture well instructed can make the fittest choyce for Gods glory and not for their priuate gaine Must we then runne Per variâ—â— casus per tot discrimina rerum through so many dangers and difficulties cares and troubles and in the end arriue at Beggars hauen a necessary and enforced penurie Oh! Jnuitatus ad haec aliquis de ponte negabit a Beggar in the high way will in the end scorne to be a Minister There is no vocation in the land honest in it selfe and industriously followed by the professour wherein a man may not liue well except onely in the Ministrie and heere like the Jewes vnder the tyranny of Egipt when we should make Bricke worke in our profession we are forced to gather Straw labour for sustenaunce But in vaine we speake the Sonnes of Zeruiah will be too hard for vs there is small hope to stench this bloody issue till Christ touch their heartes by Fayth But you will say many of the Clergie are rich they are few if any one of these foure sortes 1. Either enriched by some Patrimonie or gift of Friendes 2. Or else such as distill a dry Rose-cake for Water I meane by Parsymonie and miserablenesse get something out of Gentlemens leauinges like the gleaning after the Vintage for others carry away the croppe 3. Or else such as haue lighted on the vnruined thinges of this Land which stood out of the Popes way and in that sicknesse of Superstition scap'd the plague of Impropriation Benefices which the Deuils Surgion Sacriledge hath not let blood by custome composition enclossing depopulation though the Grape gatherers come would they not leaue some Grapes if theeues come in the night they will but destroy till they haue enough 4. Or lastly they are those Antiqui Heroâ—â— nati meâ—â—oribus annis that came to their Liuinges when that good Queene Elizabeth came to her Crowne at which time