Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heaven_n	body_n	earth_n	soul_n	16,341	5	5.1635	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01980	A recovery from apostacy Set out in a sermon preached in Stepny Church neere London at the receiving of a penitent renegado into the Church, Octob. 21. 1638. By William Gouge D.D. and min. in Black-Friers London Herein is the history of the surprizall and admirable escape of the said penitent.	Gouge, William, 1578-1653.	1639 (1639)	STC 12124; ESTC S103306	53,252	98

Ministers for admitting penitents after their Apostacy into the Church which gives an evident demonstration of her willingnesse and readinesse to entertaine such The like might be noted of the Orthodox reformed Churches which ever si●ce the beginning of the Reformation have time after time received such as have turned from their Heresie Idolatry Superstition Apostacy or any other notorious and scandalous offence For it is an especiall branch of Christian discipline to stop the course of repenting and returning to the faith from none 1. Take notice hereby of the just cause that the true Christian Catholike Church and the Orthodox Fathers of that Church had to detest and abhominate as they did the unchristian unchar●table and unmercifull opinion and practise of the Novations in denying repentance to such as had once denied the Christian fai●h and in refusing to admit them into the Christian Church againe though with all the testimonies of penitentiall humiliation and contrition that they could expresse they desired it and made free offer of all the satisfaction that the Church should require Most proudly and odiously they stiled themselves 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Puritans as if they had beene forsooth the purest in the world yea and they onely the pure ones whereas they are of all the most impure denying repentance whereby sinnes are purged away Their extreme severity or rather cruelty being directly contrary to the minde of God our gracious and mercifull Father manifested in his Word by his owne free and rich grace offered to penitents by the directions given to his people to receive such and by their constant course in entertaining such the Catholike Church adjudged Novatus to be accounted an Heretique and put Novatians into the Catalogue of Heretiques For bowells of mercy ought no where so to be enlarged as in the Catholick Church that as a true mother shee neither proudly insults over her children that fall nor hardly pardons them being amended 2. This makes much to the justification of this daies solemnity in receiving this Penitent by a prescript order of our Church into her communion Herein our Church sheweth such a tender compassion to this her sonne that was once lost but by Gods good providence is now found as the Father did to the Prodigall affording unto him the best welcome that she can What cause hast thou O Penitent to blesse God that thou wert borne and brought up in such a Church wherein thou hadst at first the benefit of Baptisme to preserve thee as Noah was preserved in the Arke from the deluge of destruction and now again a recovery by penance enjoyned to thee and performed by thee which being heartily done is as another plancke after ship-wracke reached out unto thee to keep thee from drowning 3. All ye that are children of the same mother and bretheren and sisters to this Penitent imitate this gracious indulgency of your Mother towards him Be not like the Prodigals elder brother who envied his brother and was offended with his Father for the grace favour and honour which was shewed to his penitent brother Doe ye rather shew your selves to be of the mind of the Angels of God in whose presence there is joy over one sinner that converteth Luk 15.10 Henceforth upbraide not to him his Apostacy Upbraide not his circumcision upbraide not his subjecting himselfe to Mahometisme shunne not his society avoid not communion with him no not in the most sacred and divine ordinances trafique with him eate and drinke with him pray with him and pray for him Receive him as a brother beloved Forgive him comfort him I beseech you that you would confirme your love toward him 4. My heart stirres me up againe to returne to such as have renounced the Christian faith and beene circumcised in the name of the Lord Jesus to beseech them yea and to require them for Gods sake for the Gospells sake for the Churches sake for such friends sake as are privie to it and for their owne soules sake as they tender the peace of their conscience yea and the salvation of their soule to make their case knowne to submit themselves to the discipline of the Church and to be willing to give such satisfaction as the Church shall thinke fit Yee had many that could beare witnesse of your denying the faith and those such as tooke occasion thereupon to insult over you over your Faith over the Church by which you were instructed in the Faith and over your Lord and Saviour on whom you placed your Faith Is it not then meet that you should have many witnesses of your returning to the Faith againe and of your humiliation and contrition for that dishonour you have done to God and to his Church and those such witnesses as h●ve power to loose you and to receive you againe into the Church ye and such as will rejoyce at your conversion and praise God for the same O be not more ashamed of confessing your sinne then you were of committing it Shall hee who was not ashamed of his wound bee ashamed of binding up and healing his wound 5. Let me in the last place leave a few directions with thee O Penitent upon whose occasion we are here met 1. That which now thou dost openly with thy tongue and body before us children of men doe it ex animo do it heartily as to the Lord the Searcher of hearts Thus will thy repentance be sound indeed Thus will much inward peace be brought to thy conscience Thus wilt thou be loosed in Heaven as well as on earth All the grace and favour which now the Church sheweth is upon this pious and charitable presumption that in prostrating thy body thy soule is humbled and that the confession of thy mouth proceedeth from the contrition of thy heart If it bee otherwise thou dissemblest with the Church thou deceivest thine owne soule and mockest God who will in no wise br●oke such mockings Unlesse thou do what t●ou dost sincerely and heartily thou art in no better case if not in a worse then they who have suffered themselves to be circumcised by profest enemies of Christ and therewithall renounced the faith of Christ and yet seek not to bee loosed by the Church of Christ They cannot in Faith expect to be loosed in Heaven because they are not first loosed on earth Nor canst thou expect to partake in Heaven of the benefit of the Churches loosing thee on earth because it is utterly made void by the deceitfullnesse of thy heart But we are perswaded better things of thee and things that accompany Salvation though I thus speake 2. Be inwardly more dejected in soule more pierced in spirit and broaken in heart then with the teares of thine eyes beatings of thy brest casting downe of thy body and confession of thy mouth thou canst expresse For thy sinne for which this penance is enjoyned is an heinous sinne a crying sinne a sinne

heeles and their heads downward over a soft fire they were choaked with smoake They were rosted at the fire as flesh to be eaten useth to be rosted They were leisurely broyled on gridierons set over fire They were fried in red hot ieron chaires as in a frying pan which annoied the standers bie with a stanch Hot boyling lead was powred down their backs They clapt fiery plates of brasse upon the most tender parts of their body A persecuting tyrant considering the nature of the countrey that it was terribly cold and the time of the yeare that it was winter and a night wherein the cold extremely increased and that the northwind then blew there commanded forty Christians to be set stark naked under the open aire in the midst of the City to freeze to death Then when they heard that charge with joy casting away even their innermost vestmēt they went on to their death by cold They endured the violence of Libbards Beares wild Boares and Bulls They were destroyed with hunger thirst and cold Such as were stifled in prison they cast to dogs setting watchmen night and day lest any of them should be buried and such remainders as were left both of beasts and fire in part torne and in part burnt together with the heads bodies of others they cast out in like manner unburied and committed them for some daies to the custodie of souldiers Thus the barbarous cruelty of persecutors extended it selfe as farre as it could even beyond the temporall lives of Martyrs I suppose that more cruell torments cannot bee invented then of old have beene inflicted on Christians Persecutors have acknowledged that they were overcome and had no more to inflict Yet was all that they did or could inflict but humane as was noted before such as flesh and blood by the assistance of the divine Spirit could and did endure which assistance was afforded not only to strong men but also to women and young children who were given up to be tormented Neither were they onely a few choise persons who endured Martyrdome in Christs cause but such multitudes yeare after yeare moonth after moonth week after week day after day as an ancient Father testifieth that there was never a day in the yeare except the first of Ianuary whereunto the number of five hundred Martyrs at least might not be ascribed So many one after another in one day suffered as the Executioner blunted his sword and with the paines he took fainted That which many of them endured though to flesh flesh and blood it seemed intolerable yet with much patience excellent cheerefullnesse and divine courage they endured it They were not as Beares hall'd to the stake but while persecutors were sitting on their judgement seates and condemning some Christians others leaped in and prof●ssed themselves to be Christians and suffered the uttermost that could be inflicted with joyfullnesse and a kinde of pleasantnesse singing Psalmes as long as their breath lasted as Paul and Silas did being after soare scourging put into the stocks in a prison Acts 16.23 24 25. Such tortures and torments so couragiously and manfully have sundry Christians in all ages suffered as to them who onely heard thereof they seemed incredible and to many who were eye-witnesses thereof they seemed so strange and beyond admiration as they thought the Martyrs to be madd witlesse and sencelesse But Martyrs themselves who had the light of Gods Word for their direction and the Spirit of wisdome and revelation in the knowledge of Christ the eyes of their understanding being inlightned whereby they knew what is the hope of his calling and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the Saints and what is the exceeding greatnesse of his power to us ward who beleeve according to the working of his mighty power which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and set him at his owne right hand in heavenly places Martyrs I say by the light of the Word and inlightning of the Spirit with the eyes of their minde pierced thorow the thicke cloud of all their sufferings and as Stephen by an extraordinary worke with his bodily eyes beheld the Heavens opened and the Sonne of man standing at the right hand of God they did seethe gratious favour of God towards them and feele the comfortable shining thereof upon their soules whereby they were encouraged and enabled to endure all that they endured For God useth to give such inward comfort courage assistance and supportance to his Saints suffering for his names sake as is unutterable unconceivable Besides the minde and meditation of Martyrs was so fixed on the recompence of reward which with much confidence they expected as the sence of paine was swallowed up therewith For they accounted all tortures that could be inflicted Not worthy to be compared with the glory to be revealed unto them Most elegantly and emphatically hath the Apostle set out the wonderfull great disproportion betwixt a Christians suffering and the recompence following thereon in these words Our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a farre more exceeding and eternall weight of glory 1. All that can be by man inflicted on man is but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 compressio a pressure and that of the body onely For man after hee hath killed the body hath no more that he can do Luke 12.5 Thus much is implied under this phrase Gen 3.15 Thou shalt bruise his heele Satan by his instruments can reach no higher then the heele that is the body the inferiour part of man For this pressure of the body by way of recompence shall be conferred glory that which of all is exceedingly desired The glory heere ment compriseth under it whatsoever may make to the happinesse of man and that both in body and soule 2. The kind of affliction is but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 some light thing easie to be borne by him that is indued with the Divine Spirit For afflictions for Christs sake may be comprised under that yoke and burden of Christ which is easie and light Math. 11.30 But the recompence is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a weight such a weight as infinitly over-poiseth all afflictions 3. The continuance of affliction is but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for a while even for a moment At the uttermost they cannot extend beyond this present life which is a short life But the weight of glory is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 eternall without date without end 4. To shew that in this comparison all degrees of comparison are exceeded he addeth hyperbole upon hyperbole thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which emphaticall Graecisme because other tongues cannot word by word expresse to the ful they are forced to use words phrases which exceed all comparison as wonderfully above measure above measure exceedingly