Selected quad for the lemma: father_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
father_n	abraham_n	angel_n	lord_n	686	4	3.4680	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A28171	The common principiles of Christian religion clearly proved and singularly improved, or, A practical catechism wherein some of the most concerning-foundations of our faith are solidely laid down, and that doctrine, which is according to godliness, sweetly, yet pungently pressed home and most satisfyingly handled / by that worthy and faithful servant of Jesus Christ, Mr. Hew Binning ...	Binning, Hugh, 1627-1653.; Gillespie, Patrick, 1617-1675.	1667 (1667)	Wing B2927; ESTC R33213	197,041	290

of them all to which they must be reduced as their spring and fountain All of you may understand that there are many things possible which yet actually will never be The Lords power and Omnipotency is of a further extent then his Decree and Purpose His Power is Naturall and Essential to his Beeing His Decree is of choise and Voluntarie The Father could have sent a Legion of Angels to have delivered his Son the Son could have asked them but neither of them would do it Mat. 26. 53. The Lord could have raised up Children to Abraham out of stones but he would not Matth. 3 His power then comprehends within its reach all possible things which do not in their own nature proper conception imply a contradiction so that infinite worlds of creatures more perfect than this numbers of Angels and men above these creatures in glory surpassing them again are within the compasse of the boundlesse power omnipotency of God But yet for all this it might have fallen out that nothing should actually and really have been unlesse his Majesty had of his own freē will decreed what is or hath been or is to be His will determines his power and as it were puts it in the nearest capacity to act exercise it self Here then we must look for the beginning of all things that are they are conceived in the womb of the Lords everlasting purpose As he speaks Zeph. 2. 2. The Decree is as it were with child of beings Isa. 44. 7. It s God Royal Prerogative to appoint things to come and none can share with him in it From whence is it I pray you that of so many worlds which his power could have framed this one is brought to light Is it not because this one was formed as it were in the belly of his eternall counsel and will From whence is it that so many men are and no more That the Lord Jesus was slain when the power of God might have kept him alive That those men Iudas c. were the doers of it when others might have done it from whence are all those actions good or evill under the Sun which he might have prevented But from his good will and pleasure from his determinate counsell Acts 4. 28. Can you find the Originall of these in the Creature why it is thus and why not otherwise Can you conceive why of all the infinite numbers of possible beings these are and no other And what hath translated that number of creatures which is from the state of pure possibility to futurition or actuall being but the decisive vote of Gods everlasting purpose and counsell Therefore we should alwayes conceive that the creatures and all their actions which have or will have any being in the VVorld have first had a beeing in the womb of Gods eternall Counsel and that his will and pleasure hath past upon all things that are and are not His Counsel has concluded of things that have been or will be that thus they shall be and his Counsell has determined of all other things which are also impossible that they shall never come forth into the light of the world but remain in the dark bowels of Omnipotency that so we may give him the glory of all things that are not and that are at all Then 4. We should consider the extent of his decree Counsell it 's past upon all things it 's Universal reaching every being or action of the Universe This is the strain of the whole Scripture He did not as some dream once create the creatures in a good state put them in capacity henceforth to preserve themselves or exercise their own vertue and power without dependence on him as an Artificer makes an Horologe and orders it in all things that it may do its business without him he is not only a generall originall of action motion as if we would command a River to flow by his appointed channels as if he did only work rule the world by Atturneys Embassadors that is the weaknesse infirmity of earthly Kings that they must substitute Deputies for themselves But this King appoints all immediatly and disposes upon all the particular actions of his Creatures good or evil and so is the Universal absolute Lord of his Creature of its being and doing it were a long work to rehearse what the Scriptures speaks of this kind But O that ye would read them oftner and ponder them better How there is nothing in this World which may seem to fall out by chance to you that you know not how it is come to passe can see no cause nor reason of it but it falls out by the holy will of our blessed Father Be it of greater or lesse moment or be it a hair of thy head fallen or thy head cut off the most casual contingent thing thought it surprised the whole world of men and Angels that they should wonder from whence it did proceed it is no surprisall to him for he not only knew it but appointed it the most certain and necessary thing according to the course of nature it hath no certainty but from his appointment who hath established such a course in the creatures which he can suspend when he pleaseth Be it the sin of men and devils which seems most opposite to his holinesse yet even that cannot appear in the World of beings if it were not in a holy righteous and permissive way first conceived in the womb of his Eternall Counsell and if it were not determined by him for holy and just end Acts 4. 28. The second thing propounded is that his mind counsell is one one and the same yesterday and to day and for ever therefore the Apostles speakes of God That there is no shaddow of change or turning in him James 1. 17. He is not a man that he should lie or the son of man that he should repent Will he say and not do it Numb 23. 19. and shal he decree not execute it Shal he purpose and not perform it I am God and changes not that is his Name Mal. 3. 6. The Counsell of the Lord shal stand the thoughts of his heart to all generations Psal. 33. 11. Men changes their mind oftner then their garments poor vain man even in their best estate is changeablenesse and vicissitude it self altogether vanity And this ariseth partly from the imperfection of his understanding his ignorance because he doth not understand what may fall out there are many things secret hidden which if he discovered he would not be of that judgement and many things fall out which may give ground of another resolution and partly from the weaknesse and perversnesse of his will that cannot be constant in any good thing is not so closely united to it as that no fear nor terrour can separate from it But there is no such imperfection in him neither ignorance nor weaknesse all things

by believing you do indeed honour him and he that honoureth the Son honoureth the Father Ioh. 5. 23. Here is a compendious way to glorifie God receive salvation of him freely righteousnesse and eternall life and this sets to a seal of Gods truth and grace and mercy and who so counts the Son worthy to be a Saviour to them and sets to their seal of approbation to him whom God the Father hath sent and sealed he also honours the Father and then he that honoureth the Father hath it not for nothing For them that honour me I will honour 1 Sam. 2. 30. saith the Lord And he that serves me him will my Father honour Joh. 12. 26. As the believing soul cares for no other and respects no other but God so he respects no other but such a soul I will dwel in the humble and look unto the contrite there is mutual respects and honours God is the delight of such a soul and such a soul is Gods delight that soul sets God on a high place in a throne in its heart and God sets that soul in a heavenly place with Christ Eph. 2. 6. yea he comes down to sit with us and dwell in us off his throne of Majesty Isa. 66. 1 2. 15 57 Psal. 73. 24. to the end Thou wilt guide me with thy counsel c. Whom have I in heaven but Thee c. It is good for me to draw near to God 1 John 1. 3. These things declare we to you that ye also may have fellowship with us and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Iesus Christ. And John 17. 21 22 23. That they all may be one as we are one I in them and they in me that they may be perfect in one c. IT is a matter of great consolation that Gods glory and our happinesse are linked together so that whosoever sets his glory before them singly to aim at they take the most compendious and certain way to true blessednesse His glory is the ultimat end of man and should be our great and last scope But our happinesse which consists in the enjoyment of God is subordinate to this yet inseparable from it The end of our Creation is communion and fellowship with God therefore man was made with an immortal soul capable of it and this is the greatest dignity and eminency of man above the creatures He hath not only impressed from Gods finger in his first moulding some characters resembling God in righteousnesse and holinesse but is created with a capacity of receiving more of God by communion with him Other creatures have already all they will have all theycan have of conformity to him but man is made liker than all and is fitted and fashioned to aspire to more liknesse and conformity so that his soul may shine more and more to the perfect day There was an Union made already in his first moulding and communion was to grow as a fragrant and sweet fruit out of this blessed root Union and similitude is the ground of fellowship communion That union was gracious that communion would have been glorious for grace is the seed of glory There was a twofold Union between Adam and God an Union of state and an Union of nature He was like God and he was Gods friend All the creatures had some liknesse to God some engravings of his power and goodnesse and wisdome but man is said to be made according to Gods Image Let us make man like unto us Other creatures had similitudinem vestigii but man had similitudinem faciei Holinesse and righteousnesse is Gods face the very excellency and glory of all his Attributes and the Lord stamps the image of these upon Man Other Attributes are but like his back-parts he leaves the resemblance of his footsteps upon other creatures What can be so beautifull as the Image of God upon the soul Creatures the nearer they are to God the more pure and excellent We see in the Fabrick of the World bodies the higher they are the more pure and cleanly the more beautiful Now then What was man that was made a little lower than the Angels In the Hebrew a little lower than God tantum non Deus Seeing man is set next to God his glory and beauty certainly surpasses the glory of the Sun and Heavens Things contiguous and next other are like other The water is liker air than the earth therefore it is next the air The air is liker Heaven than water therefore it is next to it Omne contiguum spirituali est spirituale Angels and men next God are spirits as he is a Spirit Now similitude is the ground of friendship Pares paribus congregantur similitude necessitudinis vinculum It is that which conciliats affection among men so it is here by proportion God sees that all is very good and man the best of his works and he loves him and makes him his friend for his own Image which he beholds in him At length from these two roots this pleasant fragrant fruit of Communion with and enjoyment of God grows up this is the entertainment of friends to delight in one another and to enjoy one another Amicorum omnia communia Love makes all common it opens the treasure of Gods fulnesse and makes a vent of divine bounty towards man and it opens the heart of man and makes it large as the sand of the sea to receive of God Our receiving of his fulnesse is all the entertainment we can give him O what blessednesse is this for a soul to live in him and it lives in him when it loves him Anima est ubi amat non ubi animat and to taste of his sweetnesse and be satisfied with him this makes perfect onnenesse and perfect onnenesse with God who is the fountain of life and in whose favour is life is perfect blessednesse But we must stand a little here and consider our misery that hath fallen from such an excellency how are we come down from Heaven wonderfully Sin hath interposed between God and man and this dissolves the union and hinders the communion An enemy is come between two friends and puts them at odds and Oh! an eternall odds sin hath sown this discord and alineated our hearts from God Mans glory consisted in the irradiation of the soul from Gods shining countenance this made him light Gods face shined on him But sin interposing hath eclipsed that light and brought on an eternall night of darknesse over the soul And thus we are spoiled of the Image of God as when the earth comes betwixt the Sun and Moon Now then there can no beams of divine savour and love break through directly towards us because of the cloud of our sins that separates between God and us and because of the partition-wall of Ordinances and the hand-writing which was against us Gods holy Law and severe Justice Col. 3. 14. Then What shal we do How shal we

the Lord a living and self-being Spirit Then must he not have Worshippers Beasts are not created for it it is you O sons of men whom he made for his own praise and it is not more suteable to your nature than it is honourable and glorious This is the great dignity and excellency you are priviledged with beyond the brute beasts to have spirits within you capable of knowing and acknowledging the God of your spirits Why then do you both rob and spoil God of his glory and cast away your own excellency Why do you love to trample on your ornaments and wallow in the puddle like beasts void of Religion but so much worse then beasts that you ought to be better were created for a more noble design O base spirited wretches who hang down your souls to this earth and follow the dictates of your own sense and lust have not so much as an externall form of worshipping God How farre are you come short of the noble design of your Creation the high end of your Immortall souls If you will not worship God know he will have Worshippers certainly he will not want it because he hath designed so many souls to stand before him and worship him and that number will not fail He might indeed have wanted worshippers For what advantage is it to him But in this he declares his love and respect to man that he will not want honour and service from him it is rather to put honour upon him and to make him blessed and happy than for any gain can amount to himself by it for this is indeed the true honour and happinesse of man not to be worshipped and served of other fellow-creatures but to worship and serve the Creator This is the highest advancement of a soul to lye low before him and to obey him have our service accepted of his Majesty I beseech you strive about this noble service Since he must have Worshippers O say within your souls I must be one if he had but one I could not be content if I were not that one since the Father is seeking Worshippers ver 23. O let him find thee Offer thy self to him saying Lord here am I Should he seek you who can have no advantage from you Should he go about so earnest a search for true VVorshipers who can have no profite by them And why do ye not seek him since since to you all the gain profite redounds Shall be seek you to make you happy and why do ye not seek him and happinesse in him It is your own service I may truly say and not his so much for in serving him thou dost rather serve thy self for all the benefit redounds to thy self thogh thou must not intend such an end to serve him for thy self but for thy names sake else thou shalt neither honour him nor advantage thy self I pray you let him not seek in vain for in these afflictions he is seeking Worshippers and if he find you you are found saved indeed Do not then forsake your own mercy to run from him who follows you with Salvation As none can be ignorant that God is and must be worshipped so it is unknown to the world in what manner he must be worshipped the most part of men have some form in worshipping God please themselves in it so well that they think God well-pleased with it but few there are who know indeed what it is to worship him in a manner acceptable to his Majestie Now you know it is all one not to worship him at all as not to worship him in that way he likes to be worshipped Therefore the most part of men are but self-worshippers because they please none but themselves in it it is not the worship his soul hath chosen but their own invention for you must take this as an undeniable ground that God must be worshipped according to his own will and pleasure not according to you●… humour or invention therefore his soul abhorres will-worship devised by men out of ignorant zeal or superstition though there might seem much devotion in it much affection to God as in the Israelits sacrificing their childrē whatmore seem ing self-denyal And yet what more real self-idolatry God owns not such a service for it is not service obedience to his will and pleasure but to mens own will and humour therefore a man must not look for a reward but from himself Now it is not only will-worship when the matter and substance of the worship is not commanded of God but also when a commanded worship is not discharged in the appointed manner Therefore O how few true worshippers will the Father find True worship must have Truth for the substance and spirit for the manner of it else it is not such a worship as the father seeks will be pleased with divine worship must have truth in it that is plain but what was that truth it must be conformed to the rule pattern of worship which is Gods will pleasure revealed in the word of truth true worship is the very practise of the word of truth it caries the Image and superscription and command upon it which is a necessary ingredient in it and constituent of it Therefore if thy service have the Image of thy own will stamped on it it is not divine worship but will-worship Thus all humane ceremonies and ordinances enjoyned for service of God carry the inscription not of God but of man who is the author and original of them so are but adulterated and false Coyn that will not passe current with God I fear there be many rites and vain customes among ignorant people in which they place some Religion which have no ground in the word of God but are only old wives fables and traditions How many things of that nature are used upon a religious account in which God hath placed no Religion Many have a superstitious conceit of the publick place of worship as if there were more holinesse in it than in any other house so they think their Prayers in the Church are more acceptable then in their Chamber But Christ refutes that superstitious opinion of places so consequently of dayes meats and all such externall things The Jews had a great opinion of their temple the Samaritans of their mountain as if these places had sanctified their services But saith our Lord vers 21. The hour cometh when yee shall neither worship in this mountain c. but it s any where acceptable if so be ye worship in spirit and truth Many of you account it Religion to pray mutter words of your own in the time of publick prayer but who hath required this at your hand If you would pray your selves go apart shut the door behind thee saith Christ private prayer should be in private and secret But when publick prayer is your hearts should close with the petitions and offer them up

so with his Majesty His own glorious being contents him His happinesse is to know that and delight in it because it comprehends in it self all that is at all possible in the most excellent and perfect manner that is conceiveable nay infinitely beyond what can be conceived by any but himself so he needs not go without himself to seek love or delight for it is all within him and it cannot be without his own being unlesse it flow from within him therefore ye may find in Scripture what complacency God hath in himself and the Father in the Son and the Son in the Father We find Prov. 8. How the wisdomof of God our Lord Jesus was the Fathers delight from all Eternity and the Father again his delight for he rejoiced alwayes before him vers 30. And this was an al-sufficient possession that one had of another v. 22. the love between the Father and the Son is holden out as the first pattern of all loves and delight Ioh. 17. 23 24. This then flowes from the infinite excesse of perfection and exundance of self-being that his Majesty is pleased to come without himself to maintain his own Glory in the works of his hands to decree and appoint other things beside himself and to execute that decree We may consider in these words some particulars for our edification 1. That the Lord hath from Eternity purposed within himself and decreed to manifest his own glory in the making and ruling of the World that there is a Counsell and purpose of his will which reaches all things which have been are now or are to be after this This is clear For he works all things according to the counsel of his own will 2. That his mind and purpose is one mind one counsel I mean not only one for ever that is perpetuall unchangeable as the words speak but also one for all that is with one simple Act and Resolution of his Holy will he hath determined all these several things all their times their conditions their circumstances 3. That whatsoever he hath from all eternity purposed he in time practiseth it and comes to execution working so that there is an exact correspondence betwixt his will and his work his mind and his hand He works according to the Counsel of his will and whatsoever his soul desires that he doth 4. That his purpo●…e and performance is infallible irresistable by any created power himself will not change it For he is in one mind and none else can hinder it for who can turn him he desireth and he doth it as in the Originall there is nothing interveens between the desire the doing that can hinder the meeting of these two The first is the constant Doctrine of the Holy Scriptures of which you should consider four things 1. ' That his purpose and decree is most wise therefore Paul cryes out upon such a subject O the depth of the riches both of the Wisdom and knowledge of God Rom. 11. 33. His will is alwayes one with wisdome therefore you have the purpose of his will mentioned thus the Counsell of his will for his will as it were takes Counsel and advice of Wisdome discernes according to the depth riches of his knowledge and understanding We see among men these are separated often there is nothing in the world so disorderly so unruly and uncomely as when Will is divided from Wisdome when men follow their own will and lusts as a Law against their conscience that is monstruous The understanding and reason are the eyes of the Will if these be put out or if a man leave them behind him he cannot but fall into a pit But the purposes of Gods will are depths of wisdome nay his very will is a sufficient Rule and Law so that it may be used of him stat pro ratione voluntas Rom. 9. 13 14. If we consider the glorious Fab●…ick of the World the Order established in it the sweet harmony it keepeth in all its motions successions O it must be a wise mind and counsell contrived i●… Man now having the Idea of this world in his mind might fancy and imagine many other worlds bearing some proportion and resemblance to this but if he had never seen nor known this world he could never have imagined the thousand part of this world he could in no wise have formed an Image in his mind of all these different kindes of creatures Creatures must have some example and coppy to look to but what was his pattern Who hath been his Counsellour to teach him Rom 11. 34. Who gave him the first Rudiments of Principles of that Art Surely none He had no pattern given him not the least Idea of any of these things furnished him but it is absolutely and solely his own wise contrivance 2. This purpose of God is most free and absolute there is no cause no reason why he hath thus disposed all things and not otherwise as he might have done but his own good will and pleasure If it be so in a matter of deepest concernment Rom. 9. 18 It must be so also in all other things we may find indeed many inferiour causes many peculiar reasons for such and such a way of administration many ends uses for which they serve for there is nothing that his Majesty hath appointed but it is for some use reason yet we must rise above all these and ascend into the Tower of his most high will and pleasure which is founded on a depth of wisdome and from thence we shall behold all the order administration and use of the creatures to depend and herein is a great difference between his Majesties purposes and ours you know there is still something presented under the notion of good and convenient that moves our will and enclines us for its own goodnesse to seek after it and so to fall upon the means to compasse it therefore the end which we propose to our selves hath its influence upon our purposes and pleasurs them so that from it the motion seems to proceed first and not so much from within but there is no created thing can thus determine his Majesty Himself his own glory is the great end which he loves for it self and for which he loves other things But among other things though there be many of them ordained one for anothers use yet his will and pleasure is the Original of that order He doth not find it but makes it you see all the creatures below are appointed for man as their immediate and next end for his use and service but was it man his goodness perfection which did move and encline his Majesty to this appointment No indeed but of his own good will he makes such things serve man that all of them together may be for his own glory 3. The Lords Decree is the first rise of all things that are or have been or are to come This is the first Original