Selected quad for the lemma: word_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
word_n	flesh_n	nature_n	union_n	2,793	5	9.6156	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A06193	The mysterie of mankind, made into a manual, or The Protestants portuize reduced into explication application, inuocation, tending to illumination, sanctification, deuotion, being the summe of seuen sermons, preached at S. Michaels in Cornehill, London. By William Loe, Doctor of Diuinity, chaplaine to his sacred Maiesty, and pastor elect, and allowed by authority of superiours of the English Church at Hamborough in Saxonie.	Loe, William, d. 1645.	1619 (1619)	STC 16689; ESTC S105401	92,048	356

reconciled the world vnto himselfe And by taking vnto himself our flesh by Incarnation made it his owne flesh that so of his own albeit from vs hee might haue what to offer to God for vs. And without this our flesh hee could not suffer for the manhood is the proper subiect of passion compassion and feeling pitty which causeth the regiment of Christes Kingdome to bee most amiable exercising dominion ouer all men with a true naturall and sensible touch of mercy The second person therefore of the glorious Trinitie was sent to performe this great worke not the Father who being of none could not be sent Not the holy Ghost who albeit he proceed yet he is not the first that proceedeth And forasmuch as a double Mission was requisite the first person that proceedeth was fittest for the first Mission and the second for the second who also more fitte to make vs the sonnes of God by grace then hee that was the sonne of God by nature And who more fit to repaire the images decayed in vs then he that was the engrauē form of his Fathers person And this was done that man with more assurance and without danger of euer erring might come neare vnto the presence of sacred truth it selfe and settle therein by this manifestation of the Sonne of God And God became man that he whom man was to follow might shew himselfe vnto man and bee seene of him Besides it was done that the humane nature might be aduanced to such an high dignitie and excellencie that no man should any more so much forget himselfe as to defile the same with sinfull impurities Lastly it was done that man might bee deliuered from the slauery and bondage of sinne whereinto hee was plunged For man was punished as Iustice vrged That was p●rformed which God had threatned as Truth required The offender was pittied as Mercy entreated God and Man reconciled as Peace desired Thus Mercie and Truth met together Righteousnesse and Peace kissed each other The manner of this is the astonishment of Heauen and Earth but our holy faith makes it more true then plain vnto vs yet some resemblances may in some part expresse this vnion vnto vs. The vnion of soule and body maketh one man a flaming and fiery sword makes one sword one man may haue two accidentall formes Phisicke and Law and a branch engraffed and a tree is one tree so Christ is one and yet hath two different Natures in them performeth the distinct actions pe●tayning to eyther of them Condemned then be all hereticall cauils of Arr●us Macedonius Apollonarius Panlus Samofatemus Sabellius Photinus Aetius together with the whole swarm of Dimiarr●ans and the like damned heretiques who eyther impeach the truth of Christs Incarnation and Natiuity or the vnion of his natures in one person or his line of Dauid according to the flesh that is according to the weake flesh but not corrupted flesh For the Word was made Flesh and dwelt among vs. There is the whole Nature of man And Christ in the dayes of his flesh offered vp prayers and supplications with strong crying and teares vnto him that was able to saue him from death and was heard in that he feared There is the true affection of our nature So then He that confesseth that Iesus is come in the flesh is of God and he that confesseth it not is of the Diuell There is the triall of our faith For this manifestation of God in the flesh is to vnbeleeuers as the cloud that stood betwixt the Israelites and the Egyptians at the red sea which to the Israelites was a bright shining cloud but to the Egyptians a dark dangerous and portentous Commet And is not this then a Great Mysterie That God who is without beginning and end should haue a beginning with vs by birth and an end by death That God who neither changeth nor altereth should encrease in stature That God who is without commixture or defect should eate and bee an hungry That God who could be no more then he was should take vpō him the shape of a seruant be that he was not that could haue no more then hee had should bee lesse then he was and could know no more thē he knew and yet would feele our infirmities and taste our miseries What tongue what pen can expresse this mysterie that God should bee vnited vnto man not onely in loue grace but in one person for we must obserue that the humane nature of Christ is not a distinct person by it selfe as Peter Iohn and such like but to our vnspeakeable comfort is so vnited to the diuine nature that did assume it as they both make but one person so that all that is in it is truly said to be Gods and al that was don by it to be done by God as Christs bloud was Gods bloud Christs death was Gods death as hath been sayd And the God of glorie may as well be sayd to suffer death as to rayse the dead frō their graues and the sonne of man as well to haue made as to haue redeemed the world Who would euer haue thought that so great a woūd as mans sinneful defect from God should euer haue beene thus healed or that God and a wretched sinner should bee thus reconciled or that heauē and earth should bee thus incorporated or that the veritie of God and the compleate substance of man should bee vnited in one Christ who is truly God perfectly man God and man indiuisibly and both in that one distinctly But yet behold this Great Mysterie of Godlinesse as it is not to be ascēded vnto in the exaltation therof for it is God and as it is vnutterable in the humiliation for it is God in the flesh so it is vndoubted infalible in the demonstratiue manifestation thereof for nothing is more euident to the faith of christian beleeue●s It being not onely prophesied shadowed and portrayed out vnto vs in the old Testament vnder diuers types and sundry formes but also substantially and really performed fi●ished and consummated in the new testament Mark but the diuine paralels of this manifestation in some few particulars and note whether they doe not touch each other and point out to euery beleeuing soule the whole frame and for me thereof from the circumference to the Center Pharaoh kileth the Hebrewe children Herod the true Pharoah killeth the children of Bethelem Both stirred vp by Sathan to murther the Messias if they could and to falsifie the promise of this manifestation purposed before of God from euerlasting Salomon at twelue yeeres decideth the question between the 2. women for the liuing childe Christ the true Solomon at 12. yeares is found admidst the Doctors posing and questioning them doubtlesse of the Iewish Synagogue then dead and of the true Christian Church the liuing child Moses fasted fortie dayes at the giuing of the Law Christ fasted forty dayes at the

commencement of the Gospell Twelue Patriarches the fathers of the Law Twelue Apostles the Patriarches of the Gospel Ten commandemēts giuen on mount Sinay Ten petitiōs on moūt Horeb. Iudah the Patriarch selleth Ioseph Iudas the Apostle traytor selleth for thirtie peeces the true Ioseph Iesus Christ. Christ is taken in a garden by the Brooke Cedron Man sin●ed in the Garden of Eden Ioseph the innocent is imprisoned Pilate im●●●● prisoneth the innocent Lord Iesus At noone Christ suffered at noone man sinned The first Adam by transgression shuts vp heauen the second Adam by his passion openeth heauen to all beleeuers Ioseph the Patriarch burieth Iacoh Ioseph of Arimathea burieth the true Israel Daniel is sealed vp in the Lyons denne the true Daniell Christ is layde in his sepulcher and the Magistrates seale the stone yea the very circumstances of this manifestation are most exactly set downe The time limited to wit When the scepter shall depart from Iuda the place designed At Bethlem in Iudaea The miraculous manner published A virgine shall conceiue a sonne His presentation in the Temple verified The Lord whom ye seeke shall suddenly come into his Temple His price valued A goodly price was I prized at of them saith the Lord. The treason against him foretold That his owne familiar friend in whō he trusted and did eate his bread should list vp his heele against him In a word all things euen to the very vineger and gal in his last suffrings were at sundry times in manifold maner long before certainly prophesied of as they were manifestly in their determinate times of Godperformed So that this manifestation was the accomplishment of vision and prophesie the body of type and shadow the ende of Law and Priesthood the perfection of Sacrifice and Sacrament and the vnion of mankind with God in Christ and thereby life euerlasting Is God then thus abased in● our flesh Oh the great bountie of Gods fauor vnto vs. Oh then let vs submit our selues vnto God For the Lord will haue an eye to none but to such as are of a broken and contrite heart and trembleth at his word But if wee bee meeke and lowly in heart We shall finde rest vnto our soules Yea our chife seruice consists in this To humble our selues to walke with our God Remembring the excellent dignity of our sanctified nature beeing now vnited to our God and pertaking of his holy nature by filiation according to the Euangelicall precept Be mercifull as your heauenly father is mercifull See God is become our father by sanctificatiō For if wee being wretches can giue good gifts vnto our children how much more shall our heauenly father giue graces and blessings to them that all vpon him By adoption For to as many as receiue him he hath giuen power to become the sons of God Let not the vnbeleeuing Iewes demād how this vnion should be or how God could bee manifested in our flesh But let them tell how the dead rod of Aron could beare blossomes how a virgin should conceiue and beare a son how a bush could burne not consume how Gedeons fleece could be wet at one time in the floore all the floore about it dry and another time dry and all the ground about it wet in answer of these this vnion wil be euē vnto thē manifest ●or all these things they v●doubtedly beleeue Let not the damnable Atheist discusse this mysterie asking reasons how and which way but let him tell me this one thing how the Sun beames pierce through the glasse and yet the glasse remains whole And if he cannot tell this let him adore and reuerence in sacred silence not explore in curiositi● this secret Mysterie And let all Infidels and miscreants know that both heauen and earth and hell doe all witnes against them and doe manifest this mysterie which is God in the flesh In earth besides the trembling thereof at Christs passion the rage of the Sea qualified by a word of his mouth the crosse that had the ordinances and hand writing that was against vs fastened vnto it and the life and the death of the Lord Iesus so famoused throughout the Christian world which was as wonders in heauen and earth filling both with the sweet odours thereof the very heathen Emperour Augustus the then Monarch of the world when this manifestation was in the fulnesse of time accomplished ' made a decree in the Senate of Rome not to be saluted by the name of Lord as if he had been taught by some diuine inspiration for the holy ghost ofttimes hath spoken by the mouth of his enemies as in Balaam Caiphas and others that now there was manifested in the earth one that was indeede the Lord of Lords In heauen also appeares at the time of this manifestation as Albertus Magnus citeth out of A●bumaser the great Astrologer in the first aspect of the sign of Virgo a faire and chast virgin hauing two eares of corne in her hand and a childe in her arms which child some natiōs do call Iesus not as if he that made the starres were any way subiect to the motion of the starres but that he which stretcheth out the heauens as a scrole of parchment where he wrote the booke of nature might not want witnesse out of the booke of nature of that which was contained before in the booke of Eternitie which was his secret decree That a virgin should bring forth a child and so he should be described to vs to be a naturall man albeit not borne after a naturall manner Thus heauen and earth witnesse apparantly this mysterie Yea the very diuels of hell beleeue this and tremble confessing in the Gospell Iesus I know and Paule I know but who are ye at what time some counterfeyt exorcists tooke vpon them to call ouer the possessed the name of the Lord Iesus And the Oracle of Delphos beeing the diuels mouth did at the time of this manifestation take their last farewell in these words Me●puer Hebraeus diuos Deus ipse gubernans cedere sede iubet tristemque ridere suborcum Aris regno dehin● tacitus aboedito nostris And in steede of the darkenesse of this kingdome Sathan which had almost ouer spred the whole world this glorious Sunne-shine of Gods manifestation with vs appeared which was so effectuall that euen as in the spring time when the Sunne returneth all things beginnes to waxe greene the earth brings foorth the trees are cloathed with leaues and the whole surface of the earth is renued so at the manifestation of Christ the Sonne of righteousnesse the whole frame and fabrique of the world was spiritually altered For then arose out of the former Hellish darkenesse quires of holy ones men women virgins martyrs confessors Preachers holy people whole nations countries and tongs declare the wonderfull mercies of the Lord in the reuelatiō of Iesus Christ Who is

great glory to iudge both the quicke and the dead Come Lord Iesus Come quickly O holy spirit of purity and power assist my weake and feeble spirit to bee lift vp vnto thee in prayer Oh righteous God and most merciful Father in Iesus Christ to whome the spirites of the iust are always and euery where lift vp remember mee in thy great goodnes For I acknowledge and confesse vnto thee my many and manifolde infirmities wretchednesses and wickednesses both in the sinnes of my body and also in the sinnes of my soule Now a long time O Lord I haue bin grieuously tēptead with the spirits not of infirmitie only which dwell in my flesh but with foule filthy spirits of pride ambition enuie worldly pollicie other vile vaine deceitfulnes of mine own heart and oft times with lothsom and vgly spirits of lust adultry gluttony drūkenes wantonesse many other such like euills which haunt me daily eyther in thought word or deed and seeke to har●our in my polluted flesh giuing me no rest nor respite but are still seeking and daily assayling to ruinate and run ouer me and are dayly fighting and troubling me I haue sinned O Lord I haue sinned I haue done euil in thy fight and these euills are punishments vnto mee for the same It is I Oh Lord it is I and it seemeth to me that it is none but I that euer sinned so hainously against thee I seeme to my selfe of all others to be the most miserable most distressed and most wretched creature on the earth What shall I doe O Creator of heauen and of earth Thou preseruer of mankinde whether shal I flye from these vgly Monsters that thus pursue my soule and daylie seeke to preuaile against me I know not where to be safe from them but onely to flye vnto thee Oh Lord who onely canst still the raging and the roaring of the great waters when they arise and swell who onely canst chaine the Diuell when hee is ●rampant and ready to deuoure and who onely canst cast out the vncleane spirite with a worde that they neuer enter any more Now therefore come I to thee O King of Saints shewing to thee my malady my misery my mo●rning how I lye here among the graues of the deade and torment my selfe being possessed with the rage and hell of my misdeedes and crie after thee O sonne of Dauid haue mercy vpon mee and deliuer mee by the power of thy might by thy stretched out arme and by one touch of thy sacred goodnesse that it may dispossesse Sathan the strong man of his hold that it may heale me and cast out the vncleane spirites and may vtterly abandon sinne shame and Sathan farre from me and from my dwellings Take from mee for Christ his sake mine owne wretched spirit of infidelitie pride mallice and vnconstancie and grant vnto me O Lord in steed thereof thy blessed spirit of truth humilitie charitie and perseuering constancy Oh take from me O Lord mine owne spirit of vncleanenesse couetousnesse flouthfulnesse and bestow vpon me in steed thereof thine holy spirit of purenesse liberalitie and of all carefull and Christian circumspection Take from me deare Father mine owne spirit of crookednesse wherwith I haue beene vexed and bowed together for many yeares and grant mee thy Spirit of power to raise me vp and thy strength that I may resist sinne in these dayes of my combating that I may so resolutely deuoute my selfe to the● and to thy sacred seruice that I may neuer more hearken to subtill and enticing spirits of pleasure of errors of impietie O sacred spirit that didst moue vpon the waters in the creation of the world now moue the streames and fountains of my life in my regeneration and new birth Shake the very foundations of my soule that the image of Christ Iesus may bee repayred in me which I vile wretch by my sinnes haue miserably deformed and defaced O blessed spirit help mine infirmities heale my imperfections compassionate my miseries and make intercession for me with sighes vnutterable which will haue no nay That I may feele my selfe comforted by thee the spirit of consolation in all the wayes of godlinesse that I may perceiue my selfe to bee led on into all truth and veritie and may at the last assure mine owne spirit by thy blessed testimony that I am a child of thy gratious adoption O blessed Iesus that wast declared mightely to be the son of God by the powerfull spirit of sanctification and by rising from the dead that didst vanquish vtterly abandon all the powers all the houres of darkenesse and spirits of error and misbeleefe remoue farre from mee all heathenish Pagan and Popish idolatrie all confidence in any creature all flattering of mine own-selfe that the pure light of thy reuealed truth may shine into my heart that I may euer worship thee in spirit and truth as thou hast commanded And O God make my life holy innocent modest and honest in thy sight that I may see my heart repayred and renued by thy spirit of grace to walke before thee in godly and sincere integritie of conuersation all the remainder of my wretched dayes So am I assured Sathan shall neuer circumuent me nor the world deceiue me or mine owne flesh intice mee or enforce me from thy holy and sacred directions but if I fall I shall rise againe if I turne away at any time I shall returne againe So shall I euer magnifie thy name and multiplie prayses vnto thy maiestie and ascribe vnto thee honor and praise all my life long Grant these mercies vnto me O father of comfort and power for thy couenants sake made vnto mankinde in the iustification of thy Sonne Christ Iesus both for the sanctitie of his life for the suffering of his death and for the continuall intercession and mediation of his eternall priesthood hee now sitting at thy right hand for vs in Mai●stie and great glory and remaining a Priest for euer after the order of M●lchisedech Behold vs wretches O holy Ghost whose soules cleaue vnto the ground quicken vs with thy might and lift vs vp from the grossenesse of our corruption to our spirituall beeing in Iesus Christ that wee may liue in the spirit loue in the spirit pray in the spirit and bee led thereby continually into all good actions being thereby purged and purified both in our spirits soules and bodyes from all dead and damnable workes of the flesh the world and the diuell That so at the last wee may through thy fauour O God bee perfectly vnited vnto thee in the spirit of sanctification in this life and in the euerlasting spirit of thy power be brought to our glorification in the other life through Iesus Christ our Lord Amen GOD SEENE of Angels Explication THis Manifestation of God in the flesh and iustification in the Spirit was so apparant and the glory thereof so great that it filled heauen and earth with the brightnesse of

our daily thankefulnes for thine vnspeakeable fauours both towardes our bodies and towards our soules sowards our selues and children in this lise and in that to come Cause vs O Lord to tremble at thy fearefull iudgements that didst not spare the Angels that sinned but hast reserued them in chaines of darknesse vnto the iudgement of the great day O Lord if thou diddest not spare them for one sin what shall become of vs that haue sinned dayly against thee and do multiplie our iniquities as the haires of our head and as the sands of the sea shores which is innumerable O Father haue pitty vpon vs forgiue vs sweete Father forgiue vs for Christs sake and giue vs thy grace that wee may con●ert and turne vnto thee with all our hearts that those blessed spirites the Angels may haue ioy in our conuersion and repentance and we may ioy●e with them in the celebration and honour of thy great and glorious name for euermore O let vs bee partakers of that grace with thy blessed Angels which winneth infallibly holdeth inseparably and leadeth indeclinably into the wayes of eternall blessednesse Grant vnto vs these mercies O God of mercies for Christs sake our onely Mediator So shall wee that are thy people of thy pasture sheepe of thy flocke and Church of thy Redeemed as thy holy ones of heauen be euer telling of thy praise and magnifying thy goodnesse in Christ Iesus world without end Amen GOD PREACHED vnto the Gentiles Explication THis Mystery of Godlines you see hath been Manifestedin the flesh Iustified in the Spirit Seene of Angels that is It hath bin manifested vnto vs in the persō of Christ in the power of Christ and in the knowledge seruice and ministration of the blessed Angels of Christ. What can we then say for our selues Haue not wee heard of this great mystery of godlines Hath it bin hidde in a corner from vs or whispered in the eare or beene knowne to a few or published to a handful of people in some angle or corner of the world Haue the Iewes onely had this made knowne vnto thē Assuredly God hath beene Preached There is the promulgation or proclamation of this mysterie God hath beene Preached to the Gentiles There is the large extent of this promulgation God preached vnto the Gentils For it hath pleased God by that which the world calleth the foolishnesse of Preaching to make knowne vnto the world his vnsearchable wisdome and the riches of his glorious grace in Christ. Preaching being the gift of the holy Ghost the spirit of prophesie the glad tydings of peace of good things and of saluation caused Esayas an E●angelicall Prophet of the Lord to say That the very feet of them that brought this newes vnto the world were beautifull Preaching being the embassage of our reconciliationwith God in Christ the holy ordinance of God for the ordinary meanes of our sanctificatiō by grace in this world and the cleeare publication of our assured glorification in the other world caused Paul to say Woe is me if I preach not the Gospell so necessary it was for him and all beleeuers Preaching to youth is as Ezechiel his cleane water to asswage the heate of their concupiscence and to purge the old leauen of malitiousnesse It is as Solomon his wine to strengthen and glad the harts of the ancient It is as Saint Peter his milke for children to nourish and feede them vp to godlinesse It is as a soueraigne bath to heale all beleeuers with what disease of sinne soeuer they be ill affected and it is an antido●e or counterpoyson against all the venome of our rottennes For Preaching is the cele●●all chariot wherein the gra●es and gifts of the holy ghost ●●●e continually conueyed ●nto vs. So Christ testifieth when ●●e prayeth thus Sanctifie them O Father ●●rough thy truth thy Word is ●●uth And that we may not ●oubt what this Word is Saint Peter preacheth it That we are ●orne againe not of corruptible ●eede but of incorruptible by the Word of God which liueth and ●bideth for euer For all flesh is grasse and all the glory of man is as the flower of the field the grasse withereth and the flower thereof falleth away but the word of the Lord endureth for euer and this is the word which by the Gospel is preached vnto you Moreouer this Mysterie of Godlinesse God preached vnto the Gentiles Saint Peter had shewed vnto him in his practise of preaching For it is sayd While Peter yet preached these words the holy Ghost fell on all them that hard the Word Obserue this saying The gift of the holy Ghost fell on the auditors as Peter was a preaching Out of doubt preaching is the heauenly talent left vnto the ministers of the Gospell by their Maister Christ where withall they must negotiate and wherein they must imploy themselues vntill hee come againe vnto his great audite in the end of the world And the preaching of this mysterie is the power of our God the glory of our Preachers to the saluation both of Preachers and people Preaching hath the power of edification through God in Christ and worketh ●ightily in those that God ●ath set apart and designed ●o that businesse for the buil●ing vp againe of those ruines which hath beene battered downe by sinne and Sa●han For the brused reede it must not breake nor the smoking flaxe it must not quench if God in Christ direct it but whereas knowledge puffeth vp this buildeth vp vnto eternall life through Iesus Christ our Lord. Preaching is the voyce of God whereby hee preacheth and publisheth his holy will and last testament by men vn-the sonnes of men In a word Preaching is the Manna from heauen to feede our soules the dewe of Hermon to water our barrennesse the lampe and light of God in the darkenesse of this world for our direction the sword of truth to cut asunder the Gordian knots of heresie schisme and controuersie for our satisfaction the wall of fire by Gods promise to encompas vs from enraged beasts for our protectiō the reuelatiō of the rock of our faith to build vpon for thetestification of our ful assurance in Christ the touchstone of our cōuersatiō for our tryalls in all cases of conscience the key that openeth heauen to the ●eleeuers and shutteth heauen to impenitents by Gods dispensation It is the Dauids harpe the musicke thereof so delighteth the soule that it doth not faint neither is altogether wearyed with the tediousnes of our banishment in this world It is the pricelesse antidote more pretious then Nepente or Mol●● so much famoused by the ancient for 〈◊〉 expels by the power of ●●e spirit which accom●nyeth it all euills and 〈◊〉 diuells It followeth next to whom his Mystery was preached ●uen to the very heathen Gen●les Preached vnto the Gen●iles Now it comes to be consi●ered that the time was when ●he dewe of heauen fell onely ●on the

fleece of Gideon and ●he earth round about it was ●rye that is The ●ime was when the world consisted of Iewes that onely had Gods blessed fauours and the Gentiles which were without God The Iewes were Gods peculiar to whom he cōmitted his sacred oracles of trust they were Israelites as preuayling with God more then any other nation To whom onely were granted the priuiledges of Priesthood and the arke of the couenant Of whom came the Patriarkes the Prophets and Iesus Christ our Lord according to the flesh Concerning the priuiledges of those people Moses challengeth the whole earth besides and saith What nation is so great who hath the Lord so nigh vnto them as the Lord our God is in all things that wee call vpon him for And Dauid concludeth it saying God sheweth his word vnto Iacob and his iudgements vnto Israel Hee hath not dealt so with any nation neither hath the heathen that is the Gentiles knowledge of his iudgements That the Sonne of God should be preached vnto the Iewes thus priuiledged and esteemed with God is no great mysterie or maruell but that he should bee preached vnto the Gentiles and that Gide●ns ●●eece should be dry and all 〈◊〉 ground round about it ●et that indeed is the Great ●ysterie of Godlinesse and the ●nspeakeable riches of Gods ●ercie and the exuberance of ●is goodnesse and the glory ●f the treasure of his grace ●owards vs Gentiles For the Gentiles were Atheists A●●hrists strangers from the ●ommon wealth of Israell a●●ants from the promise of God and without hope in the world They were Idolaters ●n the woful alienation from God For they made thē Gods of the hosts of heauen of sinfull man like vnto themselues of mens qualities as Iustice and Prudence and the like of mens perturbations as of Feare and Loue of mens defects for they had their dumbe Goddesse their Bacchus for their Drunkards their Venus for their gallants yea euen for their very limi● of their grounds they ha●● their Terminus and that whic● is vnseemely to bee spoken their very Iaxe house mu●● haue a patronesse Cloacina The word of God tellet● vs sufficiently of Astora● Melchom Chemosh Beelze bub and other such like Idolatrous rable among the gentiles how that euery nati●● made them gods of their owne The men of Babylon made Succoth Benoth and the men of Cuth made Nergall and the men of Hameth made Ashim● and the Anites made Nibhaz and Tirt●cke and Adrammelech and Anammalech were the gods of Sepharuaim These indeede were those dogges the Scripture mentioneth therefore holy things were forbidden to bee giuen to such dogges These were those hogges ●efore whom the pearles of ●eaching must not bee cast ●ea these were those Cymme●●an wretches against whom 〈◊〉 mandate was enioyned 〈◊〉 the Apostles That they ●●ould not so much as goe into the ●●ay of the Gentiles nor once en●er into the citie of the Samari●●ns who were Gentiles ●ā it be imagined by the wit ●f the wisest man that these ●hould euer haue a redeemer ●hat they should haue a God ●o be good vnto them For neither Iupiter Optimus Max●mus Iupiter Hammon Iupiter Capitolinus nor Apollo the O●acle of wise dome for his ●mouth was stopped nor great Pan for a voyce was heard Pan is dead nor the Hecatombes of Caesar no nor Pluto himselfe albeit he might harrow hell as some speake could help or doe these Cymmerian wretches any good But with our Lord Iesus Christ there is plenteous redemption He Prophesieth this blessings vnto them he performes it He prophesieth it long before by Esayas his Euangelicall Prophet But in the last dayes it shall come to passe that the mountaine of the house of the Lord shall bee established in the top of the mountaines and it shal be exalted aboue the hils and the people shall stowe vnto it and many nations shall come and say Come let vs goe vp vnto the mountaine of the Lord and to the house of the God of Iacob and he will teach vs of his wayes and we will walke in his pathes For the Law of God shall goe foorth of Sion and the word of the Lord from Ierusalem And againe I am sought of them that asked not for me and I am sound of them that sought me not I sayde Beholde mee Behold mee vnto a nation that was not called by name And yet againe God sayth vnto his Son Aske of me and I will giue thee the ●eathen for thine inheritance and the vtmost parts of the earth for thy possessiō Did God promise this and did hee not performe Performed this was in Melchisedecke king of Salem in Abimilech in Ruth the Moabitish in Rhahab the Cananite in the Queene of Sheba in Hiram King of Tyre in Naaman the Assirian in Iob the Easterling and in the King of Niniute the Sprians chiefe Cittie as in the first fruites of the Messias purchased by his bloud vnto God the Father This redemption of the Gentiles was also Prophesied in the New Testament to wit That they should come from the East and West and sit downe with Abraham Isaack and Iacob in the kingdome of heauen and that the Gospel should bee preached to all the world This was performed as in the first fruits thereof in the wise men that came to adore in the Centurion in the designement of Saint Paule to be the minister and doctor of the Gentiles and in Peters vision wherein hee was taught to call nothing common or vncleane that God had cleansed at what time hee was sent to preach this mysterie vnto Cornelius and to his friendes being Gentiles Yet men and brethren behold see with amazement how vile Preaching Preachers are esteemed with many miscreants For to a Iewish spirit preaching is a scandall to a Greek Phylosopher it is folly to an Atheist babling to a Papist praching to an Infidell intol●erable tediousnesse to the desperately damned a scarre-Crow and to the worldling and hypocrite a cloake of dishonestie And as the Preaching of the Gospell is thus vilified so Preachers also are contemned But vouchsafe Blessed in the Lord to cast downe your eyes vpon the Preachers and consider well that albeit their high Commission is from the Lord yet obserue their contemptible despicable and meane condition among the sonnes of men By office Preachers are the Angels of God and the Angels of the Church appoynted interpreters of God to his people of the people to God Of God to the people in the explication and application of his reuealed will wherein the Preacher is the mouth of God vnto the people He is also the peoples remembrancer to their God when he confesseth for them and when hee prayeth for them and herein hee is the mouth of the people to their God The end of his Ambassage is to deliuer himselfe and his hearers from hell God indeede hath sayde to the Artizan Build man an