Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	aaron_n	people_n	think_v	24	3	4.1098	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A74698	Logoi Ōraioi. Three seasonable sermons the first preach't at St. Mary's in Cambridge, May 31. 1642. The others designed for publick auditories, but prevented. / By Tho. Stephens, M.A.	Stephens, Thomas, fl. 1648-1677.	1660 (1660)	Thomason E1839_2; ESTC R210165	57,540	136

up all the Synagogues in the Land 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 say the Septuagint changing one letter they will forbid all his festivals But the first part of the verse reconciles both Let us say they destroy them altogether so that no Sanctuary no budding rod on budding rod no Aaron no Aaron no worship of God Thus we have dispacht the history of the Text with such inferences touched upon by the way as could not well be bauk'd Now since whatsoever was written of Old was written for our instruction it will not be amiss to see how this rod of Aaron points down to us and is laid up to testify against these latter dayes And first I must not baulk the next high Priest next in time though first in honour our Saviour Christ who although he succeded not of Aarons order but of Melchizedecks yet he is the Architype and substance which that other Priesthood shadowed The Author to the Hebrews his saved me the labour of making an Analogy between them And I hope his Offices without dispute will furnish him with a rod as a King a rod of power and correction as a Prophet of guidance and instruction as a Priest of comfort and sustentation In vain was that scape-goat of the Jewes upon whose head was laid the sins of the Congregation if it were not for this Lamb slain from the beginning this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this high-Priest which sacrificed himself and laid the burthen of all our sins upon his own shoulders He it is that took the censer in his hand as Aaron did when the fire of Gods wrath was gone out against us and stood between the living and the dead nay he fell down amongst the dead and was numbred among the transgressours that by his stripes we might be healed He he it is who in the last act of his life erected his crosse the rod of his exaltation that rod upon which his name was wrote which bore most precious fruit the fruit of his own Body which whosoever can lay up in a sanctifyed heart the Temple of the holy Ghost may be sure to have it testifye for him in the latter day But being thus gone up on high and lead captivity captive and received guifts for Men is he grown a niggard of them and bestowed none upon his Church which he hath left behind him Were the Jews better provided for who were only ad memoriam but types and figures of him that was to come then we which are a memoria his remembrancers and Priests in his stead in persona ejus sayes the vulgar his deputies which here personate him and act him over again No his Church has Aarons still and the Aarons have their rods too Nay the Aarons of the Gospel shall be refined too sayes Malachi 3. Chap. 3. God shall purge the Sons of Levi which St. Hierome interprets the Evangelical Ministers If the Testament be above the law God forbid the Ministration should be beneath it St. Paul 1 Cor. 12. tells us of divers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 free graces or gifts proceeding from the Spirit verse 4. and that we may not think them to be heaped confusedly all upon one in the next verse he speaks of several 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 administrations and offices among which they are devided the graces are reckoned up verses 8 9 10. Some peculiar to the A postles some streaming down upon the skirts of the Church The offices are recounted v. 28. and of them likewise some meerly Apostolical some permanent and perpetual namely those three Teachers Helpers Governours Perpetuall I call them for besides that the light of nature instructed the heathen so far as the morality of the service of a God carried them to the same division of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their helpers their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their teachers and the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their governours they are the very same which God prescribed his own people the Jews in their Levites their Helpers and as it were their Deacons their Priests their Teachers and instructers the sons of Aaron their Praelates and Governours And thus we find the oyntmentt powred upon Aarons head has run down o his beard and wet the borders of his garments But this quick sighted generation amongst whom we live has seen farther into the words then any of the ancient Fathers and out of the word Governours has extracted an Elixar their ruling Elders A Government it is indeed but such as Jothams bramble was which burnt down the Cedars of Libanon the pillars of the Temple An opinion so full of novelty and void of authority that fourscore years ago it scarce had a being As if Gods Church all the time before had been hid with Eliah in his cave or fled with the woman into the Wildernesse Some there are I know which have deeply strained their wits to fetch this Government out of the Scriptures and pinch hard upon that text 1 Tim. 5.17 when all other fail them The Elders that rule well are worthy of double honour especially they which labour in the word and Doctrine Ergo by implication Elders there are say they which labour not and those are lay-ruling-Elders But St. Chrisostome which lived nearer and knew more of the Apostles practise than we found out another sence All Priests sayes he which may administer the Sacraments are not allow'd to preach the meaner sort may deal with Baptism the wiser only with the Word Which difference St. Paul found in himself 1 Corin. 1.17 Christ hath sent me not to baptize says he but to preach the Gospel If then thou hast such a Minister over thee as is gifted for both Offices allow him a double honour And let no man mistake the name of Elder or Presbyter in Scripture which is no other then Priest or Minister so St. John stiles himself in his two last Epistles so St. Peter 1 Ep. 5.1 and so all the pen men of Gods holy Word have called the Ministers of the Gospel Which is so notoriously true that the very patrons of this Government have disclamed the jus divinum of it and make it onely a State convenience Undenyably true it is that our Saviour in his time did choose his twelve Apostles as Superiours his seventy as subordinate Subordinato I say they were for besides that they were forbidden by the other in the time of Christ Luke 9.49 They were commanded by them afterward as Silas was by Paul Acts 17.15 and so were within their power Afterward that the Apostles left their successours Bishops may be evident by St. Pauls own Epistles to Timothy the Bishop of Ephesius and Titus Bishop of Crete and the undoubted testimony of Ireneus confirms it who lived immediately upon the Apostles age But what need we more Authority St. Jude v. 11. Speaks of some in his time which perished in the gainsaying of Corah What that was ye have heard he would be Aarons equall how any could perish in it was impossible unlesse by desiring or affecting a parity with their Governours In the fear of God Brethren suffer then a word of Exhortation This rod of Aaron ha's sap in it still and sprouts to this day Oh shake not of the blossomes pluck not off the fruit if God have laid it up in the Tabernacle let not Sacrilegious hands steal it thence T is a rod of power submit to it a rod of correction be afraid of it a rod of instruction obediently receive it a rod of sustentation rely on it Obey them which are set over you in the Lord. Let no Uzzah presume to touch the Ark nor Uzziah to offer sacrifice let the sons Levi only wait upon the altar If a quis aequisivit be terrible at the last day who has required these things at your hands will not prohibita sunt have I not fobid thee be much more terrible We find in Exodus that Pharaohs sorcerers had got them rods too but Moses his Serpent soon devour'd them And the Sons of Sceva Act. 15.19 would be conjuring in the name of Jesus but the Devil soon prov'd himself their Master Beware that fearfull curse which befell the nolumus hunc regnare those that would not let Christ raign over them And such are they that despise his Ordinances and so do all such as disobey his substitutes His substitutes I call them for they are his Labourers but one degree remov'd from himself he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 if God be the chief guide Moses and Aaron are the hands to lead his people if God be chief Shepheard Peter and his partners have the office under him to feed the flock 1 Pet. 5. And if in temporalls the civil Magistrate at this day thinks himself sufficient without bringing the difficultest causes to Aaron and the Priests as God prescribes Deuter. the 17.8 9. if Jehoshaphat I say think his Judges able to dispatch 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the affairs of State yet let the Priest dispence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Chro. 19.8 The Lords business the judgment cause of the Lord. Make not thy self the Devils instrument since he hath left disputing about Moses his body for thee to dispute Aarons authority But rather joyn with that Captain of Israel in his prayer for Levi. Deuter. 33. Let thy Urim and Thumim be with thy holy one bless O Lord his substance and accept the work of his hands and smite through the loins of them that rise up against him and of them that hate him that they rise not again To conclude Aarans rod is Gods rod and Gods rod will alwayes bring forth fruit either sweet or bitter Almonds sermons prove either the savour of Life or death May that rod and this Sermon take such deep rooting in our heart that it may bring foorth fruit abundantly in our lives to Gods honour his Churches glory our own comfort c. Gloria Deo in Excelsis

the Church triumphant if in a true cause we are here militant Thirdly it is not Meroz any poor little Villages they curse tales aquilae muscas non capiunt but Tabor and Hermon the Mounts of God the hills of Learning God knows our Meroz's our Countrey parishes are infatuated with a bayard blindnesse they will neither see nor yet believe they are blind Chyrurgions tell us no such sure sign of death as a senselesse Apathy when we feel not the smarting of our wounds Thus where our State is wounded in the head the seat of judgment wounded in the heart the seat of life wounded in the hands the execution of justice wounded in the feet the interpretation of those laws on whose bottom the Kingdom stands we as if we were bitten with a Tarantula shall laugh our selves to death in the midst of these distractions and only be grieved at yesterdays ache and take physick for that disease which had seazed and left us three years agoe And this was the very case of the Israelites in the great defection from Rhehoboam the complaint was oppression by his Father Solomon whose dayes indeed was golden dayes the very stones of the street which the people trampled on were outvyed in their number almost by others far more pretious But crafty Rhehaboam galling their mindes first and then finding when it pinched he scarrifies first Remonstrates to the people the greivous Yoke the King had thrown upon them and then applies an itching plaister he would ease them of the trouble to go up to worship at the Mother Church at Jerusalem he knew if the doors of the Sanctuary were open the law of God read there would keep the people in subjection 1 Kings 12.17 Therefore he will lock them up if he can and pretend the peoples ease it is too much for them to go up thither especially since they have made Calves at their own homes what need a Church when the highwayes of Dan and Bethel will serve the turne Thus when he had cheated them into a civill war they run madly to their own confusion continually weakning the powers of one another till the forreign Assyrian enemy seized on both Under which captivity ten revolting tribes lost both their names and beings If in the mean time a Prophet come with a message from the Lord to reduce these wandring sheep and bring them home to their forsaken folds Jeroboam presently stretches out his hand against him and if a miraculous power from heaven do not whither it that hand will lay him fast 'T is reported of Julian that Enemy of Christianity that although he himself was an able Clerk yet he hated and forbade all learning in others left they should detect his cunning fallacies The comparison I know is very odious and yet I fear me we shall finde in our dayes more barbarism Meroz cursing Tabor When the people have broken off their golden earings for their calf Aaron himself shall be threatned if he will not dance about it Nay further yet foolish ignorant lying Zedekiah shall have leave to smite Micaiah on the face if he presume to be so honest to diswade his Countrimen from a warr and prevail so far with those that are in power as to clap him up in prison God quit England from Jerusalems sins of stoning those which are sent unto her But fourthly their curses come not for not helping the Lord. Unlesse they could perswade us there are two Gods in Heaven as they would make two faiths and more then two baptismes upon the Earth For was ever the cause of God set up by lying Lying so palpable so notorious that Bellarmines piae frauds were religious if compared with it every week being a Cretian Mart where the Devill sends us in impressions by the whole sale which may teach the next Generation how voluminously wicked their Fathers were Was ever Gods cause set up by oppression Cruel inhuman barbarous oppression where one subject shall be armed with power to kill another Whilst the mouth of the Laws are stop'd and they outroad by Ordinances Where every discontented Country boor shall challenge an Equall share in his Neighbours goods and fall a plundering by the liberty of the Subject Liberty Licence let us rather call it licence qua deteriores sumus an abuse of licence which makes us worse Was ever Gods cause set up by Blasphemy Most execrable deep mouth'd blasphemy which a sober Christian would be afraid to hear least the Divel should be in presence Some daring in the Pulpits which I my self have heard tell Almighty God that if he deserted this cause he would loose his honour none would ever call upon his name again Others professing in that sacred place if this cause failed they should turne Atheists as I think they are already I will not tell all you hear too much allready Oh Sirs we are cheated of our Religion The modester Papists have rob'd us of some of the choycest of our Refined Doctrine whilst we are degenerated into the dregs of Jesuitisme Shall they make proffers of their service to hazerd their lives and fortunes in the just defence of a good Prince which notwithstanding hates their Religion although he cherishes their subjection and shall we unchristianly imagine that we help the Lord by destroying the Lords Anointed The Giants may as well say they raised those mountains for bulwarks to defend the heavens from whence they meant to scale them Judas may as well say he had given his Master a kiss of courtesie when he brought out men with swords and staves to secure him Horrour and amazement keeps in the rest Lastly in their sense I say God ha's needed no help against the mighty For compare Deborahs Estate to Siseras and make an equall reference in all to our own Nation and see who might properly be called the mighty Deborah was under a palm tree in the high way whilst Sisera dwelt in Harosheth You may all remember the time when his sacred Majesty was first driven to these parts when except his goodness there was nothing about him like a Prince whether you look upon his retinue or his provision or the homage of his vicegerents as he passed all so much inferior to his Estate that had those beheld it which could have wisht it meaner I perswade my self they would have pitied it under the burden of which humility he must needs have faln if his heart had not proved like Deborahs palm tree grown higher with depressing Sisera at this time abounding with all provision Deborah seeks out for succour to encounter him but those as you heard come in very slowly and unarmed her enemy had made a party in those Tribes she trusted to When the necessity of a warr was made which God knowes was most unwelcome news to the religious heart of our pious Soveraign witness those several condescentions to almost unequal termes of peace as would make a marble heart thaw to tears that reads them think but