Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heaven_n	call_v	earth_n	name_n	5,815	5	5.0732	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A93880	The teachings of Christ in the soule. Opened in a sermon before the Right Honble House of Peers, in Covent-garden-Church, upon the solemne day of their monthly fast, March 29. 1648. / By Peter Sterry, M.A. sometimes fellow of Emanuel Colledge in Cambridge: and now preacher of the Gospel in London. Published by order of that House.	Sterry, Peter, 1613-1672.	1648 (1648)	Wing S5486; Thomason E433_30; ESTC R204205	36,001	61

manifestly declare not only a Negation but a Privation of some Great Light which should by It's Immediate Presence rule the Day of our Religion and by Its Beams falling upon our Reason as the Lesse Light rule the Night of of Nature and Civill Affairs The Watch-men watch for the Morning so doth my Soule wait for the Rising of the Lord Jesus upon Her and upon the whole Earth He is the Image of the Invincible God the Light that is Sowne even in This our Darkness But He shall breake these Chains of Darkness For it is not Possible that He should be Holden by them I have onely One Thing more to say which is this that There are Some things which I could not speake before your Lo ps though I had prepared them These things I have now taken the Boldness to present to your Lo ps Eyes together with those which I had formerly offered to your Lo ps Ears That Jesus Christ may discover Himself a Living Corner-stone in your Hearts out of which may grow up a Building of Eternall Peace to your own Persons and Present Peace to This Kingdome is My Lords the Prayer of Your Honours most humble Servant in the Lord Jesus PETER STERRY A SERMON Preached at the Monthly Fast before the Right Honourable House of Lords MATTH 23. 10. Neither be ye called Masters for one is your Master even Christ THE CONTEXT OUr blessed Saviour directs his discourse in this Chapter against the Scribes and Pharisees men of principall esteem among the Jewes for piety and learning for Exactnesse in the letter of the Scriptures Eminency of skill to Interpret and Comment upon the letter Austerity of Life Thus much they arrogated to themselves and had ascrib'd to them by the people Precious things these are where they are true and no more to be undervalued because they have their Counterfeits than Jesus Christ is because there are Anti-Christs The Lord notes Three things in these men 1. Their Practice 2. Their Principle 3. Their End 1. Their Practice This is Two-fold 1. Practice Imposalls upon men They require Vniversall Obedience Men must Believe all that they Say though Themselves Believe it not Men must Observe their Rules though themselves neglect and break them v. 4. They bind heavy burthens and grievous to be borne on men's shoulders but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers Thus it is for the most part They are such as have too little in them who take too much upon them 2. Practice Industry among men v. 15. Wo unto you Scribes and Pharisees Hypocrites for ye compasse Sea and Land to make one Proselyte and when he is made you make him two-fold more the Child of Hell than your selves They spare no Care Cost or Pains to make a Convert but it is to themselves by a Blind obedience and Implicite Faith While they promise to bring a man to Heaven they make his heart like Hell full of bitter zeale a violent heat without any light at all This was their Practice 2. Their Principle which is Hypocrisie Wo unto you Scribes and Pharisees Hypocrites v. 13. They pretended to come in the Name of God as sent forth from God yet they had nothing of the Divine Presence resting on them working in them or going forth by them but were as other men It is a vain thing to hope to put Life into the Dead child by the Staffe without the Person of Elisha or to divide the Waters with the Mantle without the God of Elijah Whoever attempts to conjure down any Devill by the sound of Christ's name without his Spirit and Presence let him take heed lest the Devil flie in his face more enraged This is the second thing which our Saviour notes in these men 3. Their End This is Two-fold 1. Vainglory v. 5. All their Works they doe to be seen of men 2. Covetousnesse v. 14. Ye devoure Widows houses and for a pretence make long Prayers Gold and Glory are the baites which the Devill layes for men He hath escaped the hooke of the Devill who cares not for these He that cares not to have any Possession or to make any Appearance in this World he is already in Heaven and dwells with God This is the Way of these men whom the Lord reproves and condemns He warns his own Disciples to take heed that they follow not their Examples He gives them two Cautions to this purpose The first Caution is in the Verse before my Text And call no man your Father upon the Earth for one is your Father which is in Heaven The second Caution is my Text Neither be ye called Masters for ye have one Master which is Christ You see the Context THE TEXT THese words with those foregoing them are to be opened by a two-fold Distinction 1. Distinction between Naturall and Spirituall things These Cautions concern the Latter of these but reach not to the First The Heaven even the Heavens the true Heaven of Spirituall things are the Lord's but the Earth all things of Nature hath he given to the Children of Men Ps 115. 16. Naturall things are shadows of Spirituall The Naturall man is an Image of God and no more An Image may raigne as Father and Master among shadows But in Spirituall things which are substantiall God himself who is the only substance and truth will be and appear All alone 2. Distinction The second Distinction is a two-fold Consideration of man one as he is in God the other as he is in himself As man is in God so he may be owned and acknowledged for a Father or Master in Spirituall things themselves Saint Paul attributes so much to himself but marke how he doth it For though you have ten thousand Instructers in Christ yet have you not many Fathers for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you thorow the Gospell 1 Cor. 4. 15. Saint Paul hedgeth in his expression on both Sides with Christ and the Gospell that the Glory might be all given to God In Jesus Christ I have begotten you thorow the Gospell I as I am not in my self but comprehended in one Spirit with Christ in one Mysticall Person which is Christ thorow the Gospell that is thorow the presence power and appearance of Christ Jesus in me Paul is ever carefull to speak with abundance of caution in things of this nature Now I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me Gal. 1. 20. I wrought more abundantly then they all Yet not I but the Grace of God which was with me 1 Cor. 15. 10. So here I have begotten you yet not I but a man in Jesus Christ yet not I but the Gospel the power of Christ which was in me Man in this sence is but the Garment and God is the Person that comes cloth'd with this garment While we call any man Master or Father in this sence we do as Thomas who put his hand upon the fraile the humane part of Christ his wounds and

will come by his Spirit into your Spirits he will come as an uniting quickning informing transforming Spirit into your soules He will give you an Understanding to Know him a Will to Love him a Power to Abide in him Jesus Christ comes to a man as Life from the dead as Eternall life spreading it self through the Soule 3. Object How shall I judge of this Spirit in another man Answ Saint Paul replies Rom. 14. 14. Who art thou that judgest another man's servant that is a man in his relation to God He hath a Master of his owne to whom he stands or falls Doe as the Father hath done leave all judgment to the Son to his manner and measure of appearing in thee So judge not that ye be not judged Judge not the Spirit by carnall Principles lest you be judged as evil doers and busie-bodies by the Spirit 4. Object Men may deceive themselves and abuse the world under this pretence saying I have the Spirit Answ What hath this Objection peculiar in the case of the Spirit The Jewes cry up The Temple of the Lord to cry down the Lord of the Temple May not men pretend falsly to Reason Miracles as well as the Spirit May there not be Apocryphall Scriptures as well as Apocryphall Spirits false Churches false Christs and false Gods What strange thing is there in this Hath not Saint Paul determin'd the state and manner of men universally in the world so far as they are not in Christ Deceiving and deceived 2 Tim. 3. 13. We read of the Law of the Spirit of life The Spirit is no further my Law then it is my Life The Spirit in another man is but the Letter to me which is old and dead till it be justified and quickened by the Spirit in my own breast If I then be deceived I deceive my own soul 5. Object But how ill is the Consequence of Impostures in this kind what confusions doe they beget Answ The best things counterfeited are most dangerous as the Idol-gods for many years drowned almost the whole world in Temporary deceits and desolations in eternall flames yet is this no disparagement to no argument against the Divine Nature The Counterfeiting of Mony brings confusion upon a Common-wealth yet men cannot traffique without Money 'T is true the aping of the Spirit the setting up of mockspirits is a darknesse a snare a storm upon the spirits of men in civill and religious affairs yet can we have no commerce with Spirituall things without the Spirit Ephes 2. 18. We have accesse to God in one Spirit There is no Communion with God but in the Unity of the Spirit These three the Father the Spirit the Soule are made One in every act of Spirituall life or enjoyment Hear then the voice of Jesus Christ calling you by his Spirit Come to me and I will give you Light Certainty Rest Man lives not by bread alone but by every word that commeth out of the mouth of God Mat. 4. 4. This is the bread of Heaven that alone feeds and satisfies the understanding this Eternall Word that comes forth from the Father and every word as it comes forth from this Word every Appearance as it springs up in this Appearance Oh! that He would Kisse our Souls with the Kisses of His mouth and so seal Truth upon our Vnderstandings The Philosopher describes Truth to be that which sistit intellectum stayes the Vnderstanding If you lay your Souls to rest upon any Opinion or Principle besides the sweet Breathings of this Master your Souls will sink thorow them So let them sink thorow every Creature till they fall below all into the Spirit of Jesus Christ This Spirit is the golden Girdle of Truth which will bind you fast and hold you in on every side This Spirit is the bed which God makes on which you may safely repose your selves Here an eternall Certainty shall be under you to sustain you an Infinite Cleernesse round about you as Curtains of Light shining upon you and shewing you all things in their lustre Use 3 For Exhortation It is often said that great Persons are much flatter'd They seldome know truth because they see with the eyes and hear with the ears of others Right Hon ble I humbly commend to you a Master who is Truth it self I beseech you to hear with his ears to see with his eyes to make his Person your book in which you shall read the stories of God and Eternity to make his face your glasse in which you shall see how glorious you are in him how to make your selves gracious for him If you are willing to be his Disciples I will point out to you some of those Lessons which he teacheth There are two Lessons which are most principall and most difficult They are hardest to be understood or believed But when these are learned they make all the rest easie They are these two 1. The Lovelinesse 2. The Love of Jesus Christ 1. Lesson The Lovelinesse of Jesus Christ I do not now wish that I had the skill of a powerfull Oratour to write the Lovelinesse of my Saviour upon your fancies with well-chosen words But I pray that He the Lord Jesus himself would write with the Spirit of the living God upon your hearts somthing any thing one Iota one tittle of his own Lovelinesse then I am sure you would go from this place as the Eunuch did from Philip rejoycing and praising God The Lord said Psal 27. 8. Seek ye my face Divines well interpret this of Christ The Face is the beauty and majesty of man Jesus Christ is the naked face of the Godhead He is called a Branch or a Flower Zach. 3. 8. Jesus Christ is the Godhead branch'd forth into its diversities of glories the Flower of the Divine nature ful-blown John 1. 1. The word was with God Prov. 8. I saith Wisdome was as one bred up with him that is God I was his delight Our Saviour's Person is the Word in which all things are exprest the Wisdome in which all things have their form and fulnesse God is a Spirit of an infinite capacity yet he entertains himself eternally with the musick of this Word and the beauties of this Wisdome God pleaseth himself to the heighth with the lovelinesse in the Person of Christ and satisfies himself to the full with the Varieties in that lovelinesse Do you not now begin to perceive something extraordinary in the Person of the Lord Could you not exchange the whole world for a Sight a tast of him When the Sop and the Devill were entred into Judas Jesus Christ saith Now is the Son of man glorified and the Father is glorified in him John 13. 31. Jesus Christ descends into the darkest shape the lowest state of things among the Creatures Yet by His presence He puts a glory upon it he makes it fit for the Father to glorifie himself with it because he finds himself and his own Heaven in it 1 Cor. 6.

11. We read of abusers of themselves with mankind Idolaters Extortioners c. Such saith the Apostle were some of ye But ye are wash'd but ye are cleansed in the Holy Ghost and the name of the Lord Jesus You that have the most foule and loathsome souls heare this The name of Jesus Christ is the Image of his beauties Doe but cast your selves into the embraces of these beauties You are alwaies embraced by them Let but this Person spread his armes about you you shall immediately be changed and cleansed you shall shine forth fairer than any Creature by His comelinesse you shall be made a sit Spouse for God Doe you not feel the eyes of your understandings to open and take in a Glory Doe you not now learn that it is more honourable and more pleasant to be in a Prison on a Dunghill on a Sick-bed in a Grave with Jesus Christ than to be in a Palace without him Were it not a happinesse to be dead that we might be for ever with him My Lords I beseech you to receive a short sentence from the mouth of a Worme and lay it up in your hearts When the houre comes in which all your comforts shall forsake you it will be of inestimable Vertue and value to you It is this The Person of Christ satisfies the Father beautifies the blackest Soule glorifies the basest and bitterest condition This is the first Lesson the Lovelinesse of Jesus Christ 2. Lesson The Love of the Lord Jesus We read of Christ's sending his Spirit to convince the world of Sin Righteousnesse and Iudgment John 16. If the Lord would have you learn his Love he must send his Spirit into your hearts to convince you of Sin that you may know how much he bears with you of Wrath that you may know how much he bears for you of Righteousnesse that you may know how much he bestows on you He must send his Spirit into your Hearts to stretch them all waies to the utmost heighth depth breadth and length that they may take in His Love And yet then they will not take in the thousandth part Saint Paul praies for the Saints that they may know the heighth depth breadth and length and all this but as a preparation that they may know the Love of Christ and yet then he saith of it it passeth Knowledge Ephes 3. 18 19. I will give you severall places of Scripture to be as Hints to you of the Love of Christ and His Teachings of it in the Soule Revel 1. 5. Who that is Jesus Christ hath loved us and wash'd us in his bloud Acts 9. 4. Jesus Christ complains from Heaven Saul Saul why persecutest thou me John 17. 1. Our blessed Saviour praies to his Father for his Disciples that that Love wherewith thou lovest me may be in them and I in them Come you that yet wallow in your Lusts and think nothing so sweet as they are to you Come you that Welter in despair as in your bloud and think nothing can be sweet to you Learn the love of the Lord Jesus as He teacheth it When thou hast polluted thy self with the greatest Vncleannesse then feel the drops of thy Saviours bloud trickling apace from his Wounds down upon thy Bosome to Wash off that Staine then heare the Voice of thy Saviour sweetly speaking forth these words in thy Spirit Thus I die for thee yet thus thou Killest me all the day long Will not these words break your hearts and kill your Lusts When you are at the lowest ebbe of grace or comfort when your feet stick in the myre of clay then look upward see Jesus Christ in Heaven heare him in the midst of all his joyes speaking to his Father concerning thee after this manner O my father why doest thou still persecute me with thy displeasure My joy is not full while this man's sins and sorrows are upon him I suffer shame fear want woe in him Here shew that love which thou bearest to me on this poor soule When you seem to your self most neglected of God and man most afflicted from both then look inward see Jesus Christ in your own Spirits hear him thus comforting thee Yet have I my Heaven here in thee Yet hast thou thy Heaven thy Righteousnes thy Joy thy Jesus hidden in the midst of thee ready to be made manifest upon thee in their own Season Doe not your Souls pant within you after this Jesus now that you hear so much of his Love Now let each one say Depart from me ye fruitless Delights ye causlesse Despairs For now I know that the love of the Lord Jesus towards me excells all things that ever were His loving kindnesse is sweeter than life it self Skin for skin and all that a man hath will he give for his life said the Devill But skin lusts life and all will he give for this love that hath once had any tast of it All my contents are in this and in thee ô Jesus These are the two principall and most difficult Lessons in the school of Christ There are many other besides these of which I will cull out six 1. Loath the World and live in Heaven Christ teacheth us to seek a City not of this Creation whose Builder Building and chief Inhabitant is God He teacheth us to find this new Hierusalem which is above us within us and there to dwell He discovers this City with its Citizens in our Spirits and draws us into it 2. Hate Sin and be Holy Jesus Christ teacheth with a tongue of Fire in the Heart of man which melts and makes new which as it teacheth toucheth takes hold consumes the drosse and refines the gold 3. Cast off your selves and abide in Jesus Christ The teachings of Christ run much upon two Creations the one Old the other New and a dying to the one that we may Live in the other Take away the Earth and Heaven is every where Take away the old appearance of the Creature and Christ with God appears One Appearance is the Garment spotted with the Flesh the other is the White Rayment 4. Have a beautifull Conversation among men The rule of Christ is that good men should shine as Lights in the world Light is clear the same in every posture and motion It enlightens and cheers It draws and directs It is of the same stuffe and appearance with Heaven 5. Be a Servant to all in Humility Learn of me for I am lowly saith Christ Mat. 11. 29. The Son of man came not to be served but to serve Mat. 20. 28. He is likest to the most High that can descend lowest to serve and please others in Christ 6. Be a Father to all in Charity This is a Mystery of sweetnesse which the Lord Jesus infuseth into the Soules of his Hearers to comprehend all things in one Spirit with themselves by being themselves comprehended in one Spirit with God to look upon all things as their owne and the out-goings of