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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
earth_n	heaven_n	lord_n	word_n	16,216	5	4.2023	3	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A61809	Of the reverence due to God in his publick worship a sermon preach'd before the King & Queen, at White-Hall, March 25, 1694, being the 5th Sunday in Lent / by the Right Reverend Father in God, Nicholas Lord Bishop of Chester.	Stratford, Nicholas, 1633-1707.	1694 (1694)	Wing S5937; ESTC R687	12,865	32

speaks at our very best estate we are all Vanity It is the Observation of the Father now mentioned That when St. Paul would shew the distance between God and Man he doth not represent it to be so great but we may conceive it to be much greater For what says he Chrys de Incomprehens Dei Nat. Hom. 2. Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it Why hast thou made me thus Hath not the Potter power over the Clay to make of the same lump one vessel to honour and another to dishonour The distance says he between God and Man is as great as that between the Potter and the Clay Yea much greater for if a Man seem more Noble and more Beautiful than the Clay it is not the diversity of Nature but the Skill of the Artificer that hath made the difference but so great is the distance between God and Man that neither can the Tongue express nor the Mind conceive it Let us consider 2. What God is to us and in what Relation we stand to him It is he that raised us at first out of Nothing into Being that spake the word and we were made And shall we not with the humblest Reverence fall down before the Lord our Maker It is he by whom we live and move as well as have our Being in whose hands our Breath is and whose are all our Ways And shall we not devoutly adore him upon whom we continually so entirely depend that we can neither breathe nor live any longer than he sustains us It is he that daily poureth his Benefits upon us All those Enjoyments that render our Being more desireable than not to be we owe solely to him as our constant Benefactour And shall we not revere his Goodness to whom we owe all the good things we enjoy Shall we by our unseemly Carriage toward him provoke him to become our Enemy who hath been so great a Friend to us It is he upon whom we depend for all future Blessings from whose Bounty alone we can hope for the continuance of our Comforts in this World and for an Immortal Bliss in the next And shall we not pay all possible Respect to him by whom we hope to be made everlastingly happy It is he that hath redeemed us from the hands of our Enemies not with such poor corruptible things as Silver and Gold but with the precious Blood of his own beloved Son Since therefore we are not our own ought we not to glorifie him both with our Body and Spirit which he hath purchased at so dear a rate In short if the foregoing Considerations do not move us let us once more consider That this God who is our Maker and Preserver our munificent Benefactour and most merciful Redeemer is also our supreme Judge from whose Sentence there lies no Appeal We must there is no avoiding it but whether we will or no we must all appear before his dreadful Tribunal to give an account of our Behaviour toward him And can we hope for a favourable Sentence from him if in our most solemn Worship of him we carry our selves toward him as if he were a Being so mean as deserved not to be fear'd by us Consider 3. That this great and incomprehensible Majesty is in a peculiar manner present with us when we assemble together in his House to worship him Though he be substantially present every where yet in some places he is present in greater State as I may say than in other and by consequence a more awful Deportment is there required of us Heaven is the Place where he keeps his Court where his chief Ministers of State constantly attend his Throne where he most illustriously displays the Majesty of his Glory and from whence he dispatches his Ambassadours to negotiate his Affairs in this lower World But now as Earthly Kings have usually their different Palaces one in the Imperial City surpassing all the rest in Splendour and Magnificence others of inferiour Note in more obscure Palaces and at a great distance from the Seat Imperial so this King of kings who dwells in Heaven in Glory unapproachable by mortal Eyes hath also his Mansion-houses in which he dwells here on Earth and hath his Officers of State there also attending on him though not in such shining Robes as in Heaven Such are the Places set apart for his Publick Worship in these he is otherways present than in common Places and therefore these are by way of distinction called in Scripture His Houses and He is said to dwell in them Thus he dwelt among his ancient People first in the Tabernacle as his moveable House while they were in their Travels thro' the Wilderness and in the Temple afterward as his fixed Habitation when they came to be settled in the Land of Canaan as this latter is expresly called by David his Palace so he 2 Chron. 29. 1 19. himself said of it Here will I dwell for I have a delight therein If it be now enquired how or in what manner God is more peculiarly present in Church-Assemblies than in other places Though I might shew you that he is so sundry ways and in divers manners and more particularly by the communication of his Holy Spirit to all those who come duly prepared to receive it yet as more proper to the Argument I am now upon I Answer briefly by the Presence of his Heavenly Attendants See Mr. Mede upon this Text. the Holy Angels as a King is more eminently present where his Court is than where he himself is alone in Person Hence Jacob having seen a Vision of Angels upon his awakeing says Surely the Lord is in this place and Gen. 28. 16 17. I knew it not What did not Jacob know that God was in every place and by consequence in that where he then was Yea doubtless The meaning therefore is God is in a more solemn manner in this place than in others he is here as in his Palace with his prime Ministers attending on him as appears by what follows How dreadful is this place this is no other but the House of God this is the Gate of Heaven Now that the Angels are present in the Assemblies for his Worship we have sufficient evidence both in the Old Testament and in the New The Psalmist speaking of Mount Sion the place set apart for his publick Worship says The Chariot of God is twice ten thousand thousands of Angels the Lord is among them Sinai is in Psalm 68. 17. the Sanctuary so the words are to be render'd according to the Original By the Chariot of God is meant the Host of Angels by which God's special Presence is convey'd from Heaven to Earth and the plain meaning of the words is this That a great Host of Angels does now attend upon God in Mount Sion the place of his Public Worship as they did formerly on Mount Sinai at the giving of the Law there This Angelical Presence

was represented both in the Tabernacle and in the Temple by the Figures of the Cherubin woven in the Curtains of the former and carved in the Walls of the latter And if the Angels gave their attendance at the Jewish can it be thought that they pay not as much respect to our Christian Worship If that low and carnal Service had so great an honour vouchsafed to it can it be imagined that that which is more Spiritual and more becoming the Divine Nature should have less If any Man can entertain a thought so unreasonable he may soon be convinced of his error by calling to remembrance That St. Paul took it for granted that the Angels were present at Religious Christian Assemblies and thought this alone a sufficient Reason why Women should there present themselves in a decent Dress For this cause saith he ought the woman to have power 1 Cor. 11. 10. on her head because of the Angels By Power is here meant a Veil the Token of her Husband's Power over her by a Trope not unusual in Holy Scripture so that the Meaning is Such regard ought to be had to the Angels who attend our Publick Worship and observe our Demeanour in it that the Woman out of Respect to them ought to be decently habited to have a Covering on her Head in token of her Subjection to her Husband Were this peculiar Presence of God with his Holy Angels duly consider'd one would think it should cause all Women professing Godliness to present themselves in the Church in a more modest and humble Dress than some of them do To compose us yet to greater Reverence let us consider 4. What the Meaning and Intention of Divine Worship is Is it not as far as we are able to honour God according to his excellent Greatness to acknowledge the infinite distance that is between Him and us to make profession of our entire dependence upon him and subjection to him This surely is the plain Import of every part of Religious Worship In praising God We declare the peerless Excellencies of his Nature and ascribe to him the Glory of his admirable Works In putting up our Petitions to him for the prevention or removal of all evil and for the obtaining of all good things we acknowledge his All-sufficiency and our own Emptiness And what do we else in Thanksgiving but gratefully own our Obligations to his bounteous Goodness for all the good things we either have or hope for Thus the Meaning of every Act of Divine Worship is to give Glory to God by entertaining such Thoughts of him and Affections toward him as are in some sort suitable to the Perfections of his Nature and to those Relations we stand in to him and by representing to others by outward Signs the inward Devotion of our Souls toward him And though it be true That the Body may bow when there is no submission of the Soul to God the Hands may be lifted up to Heaven when the Heart is in the Ends of the Earth yet when the Soul is possessed with the Fear of God it will naturally discover it self by a suitable Composure and Deportment of the Body And therefore when the outward Behaviour is such as no way testifies our honourable Esteem of God we cannot truly be said to worship him because we do not then honour but rather despise him And such is the Carriage of too many Persons in many of our Religious Assemblies so far from giving God the Glory of his incomprehensible Majesty that they durst not behave themselves so disrespectfully in the Presence of their Earthly Prince especially when they come to pay their Homage to him to receive his Commands or to beg some great Favour of him For would any Man shew that Contempt of his Prince as not to attend to his Voice but turn away from him and talk with another Man while his Prince is signifying his Will and Pleasure to him and laying his Commands upon him Would any Man laugh in his Prince's Face at the same time that he is begging the Pardon of his Rebellions and supplicating to him for his Life But how lightly soever these Persons may behave themselves in the Church if at any other time they can prevail with themselves to be serious I beseech them to consider 5. How highly they hereby incense the Displeasure of God against them Contempt though from an Equal can hardly be born with Patience how much more provoking must it needs be from an Inferiour and more yet from a Dependent Were another Man so entirely your Creature that he could not stir a finger or so much as draw one breath without you would not any the least Disrespect from him greatly provoke your Displeasure against him With what Indignation then think you must the Sovereign Lord of All resent the insolent Contempts of such poor impotent things as cannot subsist a moment longer than he pleases and whom with the least breath of his Displeasure he can blow into Hell By the blast of God they perish by the breath of his nostrils they are consumed as Eliphaz Job 4. 9. speaks God is not wont I grant to suffer his Anger to break out upon the first provocation nay he commonly bears long with the most presumptuous Offenders Such is his Goodness that he is not willing that any should perish he therefore gives them time to repent and in that time lays before them the most powerful Motives to bring them to it But though he bears long yet he will not for ever bear with them his Patience will have an end and when that is once expired his Wrath will kindle against them And who knows the power of his Wrath Can you think you shall have Courage to bear up against or Strength to resist his Almighty Arm Can the dry Stubble contend with devouring Fire If not it then concerns you to consider 6. That our God is a consuming Fire This very Argument the Apostle uses to awaken us to Fear and Reverence in his Worship Let Heb. 12. 28 29. us have Grace saith he to serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear Why for our God is a consuming fire The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Stile of the New Testament more especially denotes that serving of God which consists in his solemn Worship and so plainly implies That God is a consuming Fire not only to those who do not worship him at all but to those also who worship him without Reverence and godly Fear Thus he was to Nadab and Abihu the Sons of Aaron in the proper literal sense they Lev. 10. 1 2. presuming to offer Incense with common Fire a Fire went out from the Lord and devoured them Should God be so severe to all those who offer up their Prayers to him with common Affections and put no difference between their Deportment in his House and in any Civil Court how many that come to the Church would never go from

it again but would as Ananias and Sapphira were be stricken dead upon the place 'T is true God seldom in comparison shews himself so severe in this World because this is the Day of Grace the Day of Vengeance is deferred till the next All that Wrath which Sinners by their hard and impenitent Hearts do here treasure up unto themselves he reserves it for them till that dreadful Day of Wrath and of the Revelation of his righteous Judgment When 2 Thess 1. 7 8 9. the Lord Jesus shall he revealed from Heaven with his mighty Angels in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power He will then be so consuming a Fire that his very Presence will inflict everlasting Destruction upon all those who either now chuse not to know him that they may without fear neglect him or if they know him refuse to acknowledge and glorifie him as God But were this Destruction such as would put an end to their Being it would be the less terrible yea so far from being terrible to them in that dismal State of Misery in which they will then be that might they have their Wish they would beg no greater Favour of God than to be reduc'd to nothing But alas they shall be destroy'd not simply as to Being but as to all such Being as is not inexpressibly worse than no Being Nothing will remain to them but to be cast into Hell where the worm dieth Mark 9. 44 46 48. Rev. 14. 11. not and the fire will never be quenched but the smoak of their torments will ascend for ever and ever They will then be experimentally convinced to their Eternal Sorrow That it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands Heb. 10. 31. of the living God of that God who lives for ever and therefore will never cease to inflict vengeance upon them However they may think to trifle with God now they will then find to their woe That he will not be mock'd To what hath been said upon this Head I shall add but one Consideration more which is such as one would think should be of force if not to affright yet at least to shame Christians out of all careless and negligent Behaviour in the House of God And that is That even Turks and Heathens yea the very Devils will rise in Judgment against irreverent Christians and condemn them So devout are the Turks that they suffer not themselves so much as to look about them but perform their Religious Offices with such Attention of Mind that they think they should lose the fruit of their Prayers if they should then but scratch their Head with their Finger as an Eye-witness informs us For what say they Busbeq Epist 3. if when a Man is to speak with the Bashaws his whole Body is composed to Reverence how much greater Reason is there that the same Respect should be given to GOD who so much exceeds all humane Heighth and Greatness So intent they think they ought to be at their Prayers as not to be diverted though the Execution of the Sultan's Decree should in the same moment be commanded Sir Paul Rycaut's Present State of the Ottoman Empire lib. 2. chap. 23. Edit 1. as another Author tells us For Heathens it may suffice to say That this was one of Pythagoras's Precepts When Lilii Greg. Gyrald Pythag. Symb. Interpret thou comest into the Temple worship and while thou art there do nothing else And another of his Rules was That no Man should go into a Temple when he is in a Journey The meaning of which is That God should not be worshipped by the bye or when a Man is otherwise employed but with the greatest Solemnity and Intention of Mind Numa Pompilius decreed That his Citizens should neither see nor hear Divine Matters in a careless manner and with wandering Thoughts but laying aside all distractions of Mind should wholly apply their Meditations to Religion And Plutarch tells us That In the Life of Numa Pompilius he took care that in the Time of Divine Worship no noise should be heard in the Streets which might obstruct or disturb the seriousness of Devotion what shall I say more Those who believe the Being of God and yet do not Reverence him as God the very Devils will rise up in Judgment against them for though I do not say they worship God yet 't is certain they do not despise him but dread the thoughts of his Power and Justice for the Devils believe and tremble Jam. 2. 19. I proceed now in the III. And last place to suggest some further helps by way of direction in order to the better performance of this Duty I say further helps because all the Arguments before-mention'd are so many helps towards it And 1. That we may the more devoutly worship God in his House let us before we come thither lay aside our worldly Thoughts and Affections Let no man as St. Chrysostom speaks enter In Vid. Dom. Hom. 1. the Church having the cares of this World about him no man with a wandering and distracted mind but let him lay all these down without the doors and so let him come For coming thither as In Cap. 1. Evang Johan Hom. 1. he says in another place We come to Heaven not in respect of the place indeed but of the temper and disposition of our minds for a Man while he lives on Earth may ascend to Heaven and take a view of the things that are there c. Let no Man therefore in the Church think of his domestic affairs but on the contrary while he is yet at home let him begin those things he is to do in the Church Unless we thus leave the cares of this Life behind us we shall do nothing less than that which we pretend is the only thing we come to do For the bare presenting of our bodies before God can by no means be interpreted a worshipping of him if our carriage be such as plainly testifies That our hearts are far from him They therefore have little reason to reckon themselves in the number of his sincere Worshippers whose thoughts in his House are so much set on the things of this World that they cannot prevail with themselves to forbear talking of them even while the Divine The Lessons Epistle and Gospel Oracles are reading which one would think should if any thing command their attention as being the Voice of God without any Gloss or Comment upon it of Man's Devising 2. In order to the loosening of our thoughts from earthly things and raising them up to the things above Let us when we are going to his House reflect upon such like Considerations as those I have before proposed Let us seriously consider the most adorable Majesty