Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heaven_n	day_n	earth_n	work_n	7,448	5	5.6160	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A13874	The povver of preaching. Or, the powerfull effects of the word truely preached, and rightly applyed as it was deliuered in one or moe sermons. By Iohn Traske, preacher of Gods word sometimes at Axmister in Deuon: afterwards at the Fleete in London: and now at Tillingham in Dengie hundred in Essex.	Traske, John, d. ca. 1638.	1623 (1623)	STC 24177; ESTC S102654	19,357	69

thrust him out of the City and bringing him to the brow of the hill whereon the City was built they would haue cast him downe headlong but that passing through the midst of them he went his way Verse 28.29.30 7. Stupefaction They were astonished at his doctrine The reason of all these is contained in the words which I haue chosen for my Text For his Word was with power As if the Euangelist should say in more words you may thinke it strange that Preaching should produce such effects but if you consider the cause you may be easily satisfied Seeing so great was the difference betweene his Preaching and others of that time that whereas they moued nothing at all got no fame wan no glory to their Ministery procured neither approbation admiration nor so much as attention to the Word by their Preaching seeing their Preaching was cold without any life as if one told a dreame Hee became famous glorious and most admirable hee spake with authority his Preaching was so liuely and became so effectuall to all in one kinde or other that hee vexed the very soules of wicked men that heard him and astonished all that attended his Ministery For his Word was with power In these words there may be obserued 1. The Connexion 2. The Proposition The Connexion in the Causall For which sheweth it to be the reason which the Euangelist giues of the manifold effects which Christs Preaching produced The Proposition it selfe is affirmatiue in which may be considered 1. The Subiect His Word 2. The Predicate was with power To set vpon the Connexion or the Causall and to consider these words with their relation to the former part of the Chapter this Doctrine will thence arise Doct. Where the word is powerfully Preached it is effectuall in one kinde or other to such as doe heare it or The word powerfully Preached is effectuall to the hearers in one kinde or other This truth needes no other footing then this of our Euangelist He tels vs that the true cause of the spreading of Christs fame and the high esteeme hee procured in the hearts of some hearers as also of the wrath and rage of others was this he Preached with authoritie His word was with power So we may see also when the Lord Iesus had ended that Sermon on the Mount the people were astonished at his Doctrine Mat. 7.28.29 for his word was with power and not as the Scribes This may be seene in the Preaching of all the Prophets and Apostles to instance in a few of them Eliah Iam. 5.17 a man subiect to the like passions as we are what powerfull effects attended his Preaching Witnesse his preuailing so farre to the conuiction of his hearers 1 King 19.40 as that they obeyed his word in the slaughter of all the Prophets of Baal 2 King And Elizeus or Elisha became as it were guide of Kingdomes by the power of this Word Ion. 3. as his History shewes yea Ionas himselfe preuailed with great Niniueh so farre as to bring the King his Nobles and all the City to true repentance That Voyce of a Cryer in the Wildernesse Mat. 3. drew all to his Baptisme yea conuicted Souldiers Luke 3. Publicans and People in great multitudes The Apostle Peter drew three thousand to the Church at one Sermon and fiue thousand at another Acts 1.41 4.3 and at another Sermon of his Acts 5.21.35 the Senate were cut at the heart by the power of his Word And Paul subdued whole Regions to the Faith Acts 13. 14 c. by his powerfull Preaching and conuinced Gainsayers of all sorts to the enraging of some against his person Reason 1 The reason is because otherwise it could not appeare to be as it is a powerfull Word Rom. 1.16 it must lose its denomination and cease to be a word of power 1 Cor. 1.18 whereas it is the power of God to the saluation of the beleeuers and the condemnation of vnbeleeuers Reason 2 Adde this also that it should else returne in vaine and void of the chiefe end for which it was sent Whereas we know that as the raine commeth down and the snow from Heauen and returneth not thither but watereth the earth and maketh it bring forth and bud that it may giue seed to the Sower and bread to the Eater so saith the Lord shall my Word be Isai 55.10.11 that goeth forth out of my mouth it shall not returne vnto mee void but it shall accomplish that which I please and it shall prosper in the thing whereunto I sent it And the holy Apostle Paul tels vs plainely in the person of all holy Ministers 2 Cor. 2.15.16 We are vnto God a sweet sauour in Christ in them that are saued and in them that perish to the one we are the sauour of death vnto death and to the other the sauour of life vnto life Reason 3 Besides these Antichrists ministery produceth powerfull effects therefore Christs Ministery must be farre more powerfu l 2 Thes 2.8.9 and produce more manifest effects where it is exercised Reason 4 Lastly the maine or chiefe practise of preaching is to wrestle and fight-with yea to ouercome all opposition as it is expressed in the mission of Ieremy that powerfull Prophet where God saith to him See Ier. 1.10 I haue set thee ouer the Nations and ouer the Kingdomes to root out and to pull downe and to destroy and throw downe to build and to plant Obiect But some obiecting against this may say True it is that all these may serue to proue that Preaching was powerfull in the dayes of the Prophets Christ and his Apostles but what is that to our dayes We may not looke for such power in Preaching Answere And why not at this day the like power in Preaching Isa 59.1 Is Gods hand shortned or his power weakened Is not Iesus Christ the same yesterday Heb. 13. ● to day and for euer Hath hee not promised to be with his Seruants in preaching to the end of the World Mat. 28.20 and that with the assistance of all power in Heauen and in Earth Is not the Holy Ghost the power of God Luke 1.35 in Christs Ministers at this day Doth not the Euangelist Iohn record a promise that is lasting Ioh. 14.12 where it is written Whosoeuer beleeueth on Christ Iesus the workes that Christ did shall such a beleeuer doe yea greater workes then those hee did in the dayes of his flesh Is there not as much neede of like power in the preaching of the Word now as there was then yea and more seeing wee haue no miracles to confirme the Word Haue we not Diuels and damned Atheists to oppose and contemne the Word at this day Are there not such of whom it may be said as of Elimas the Sorcerer That they are full of all subtilty Act. 13.10 and all mischiefe children of the Diuell

enemies of all righteousnesse which cease not to peruert the right wayes of God Are not Ministers at this day as Fathers to beget Mothers to trauaile-with and bring forth Nurses to nourish Watchmen to warne Souldiers to fight for and Steward 's to giue euery man his portion of meate in due season Yea is not one Minister sometimes a Father a Mother a Nurse a Watchman a Souldier and a Steward at one and the same instant and doth not all this require great power Are there not blinde men at this day that want sight lame that want strength Lepers that need clensing sicke that want health strayers that must be sought out such as are fallen to be raised up dumbe deafe and dead men to be made to speak heare and come out of their graues And doe not such workes require great power If it were but to make a man that is dumbe deafe and blinde to vnderstand it were a matter of great difficulty and requires great power but to raise vp a dead man that hath long slept the sleepe of death will any cold dreamer awake such a sleeper No verily It must be such whose Ministery is attended with power And that there is required wonderfull power at this day consider further that wee haue not onely dead men to raise blinde men to make to see wounded to heale sicke to recouer imprisoned to set free strayers to seeke out lambes to tender sheepe to feede babes to whom wee giue milke and stronger to whom strong meate is belonging but we haue Sorcerers to withstand Beares and Lyons to combate with Philistines to whom wee must goe sonnes of Anake to conquer yea moreouer wee may haue Ahabs to speake vnto Nebuchadnezzars to resist Hamans to contend with Herods to reproue We may haue Pharaohs to march after vs Zedekiahs to disgrace vs publikely Sanballats to oppose and mocke vs Iudasses to betray vs Demasses to forsake vs Halting people to comber vs Alexanders to withstand our words Corahs to raise forces against vs Scribes and Pharises to entrap vs High Priests to scorne vs Pilates to condemne vs Multitudes to slander vs and the truth we teach And if it should so come to passe as it hath befallen our * Wicliffe Husse Luther brethren is not here still a worke of great power should we shrinke in such straights Adde hereunto that the Word is the same for euer yea the words of God are as nayles Eccles 12.11 which being well driuen doe hold with power as goades to prouoke and stirre vp Hosea 6.5 axes to hew and square as fire to burne and torment Ier. 23.29 as an hammer to breake the rockes as arrowes that wound a sword that diuides Psal 45.5 yea a sharpe sword with two edges Heb. 4.12 to diuide betweene the soule and the spirit the ioynts and the marrow And so the Word is at this day quicke and powerfull So that you now see that obiection answered namely it is affirmed That Preaching is alwayes powerfull whether wee respect Gods power vnchangeable Christs promise of the assistance of all power in heauen and in earth the powerfull worke of the Ministery in respect of their charge of the power of the word it selfe that cannot be abated yea that by how much the elder the world waxeth and the riper in sinne and by how much the more all miracles are granted to be now ceased by so much the more power must of necessity appeare 2 Cor. 12. seeing Gods power is manifest in the greatest weakenesse And where sinne most abounds Gods grace in powerfull Preaching aboundeth much more in such as are called Quest Now some may demand what are the effects of powerfull Preaching and how may they be discerned Answere For answere hereunto know that the powerfull effects of Preaching are manifold and they may be considered 1. Either Generally 2. Or Particularly If wee consider them Generally they may be these or such like 1 Spreading 1. First a growing or spreading power as may appeare by some similitudes to which it is compared as that of Ezechiel Ezech. 17. ●2 23 where he expresseth it by a tender twig cut off from the high Cedar and planted on an high and eminent mountaine which bringeth forth boughes and beares fruit and becomes a goodly Cedar that vnder it may dwell all fowle of euery wing euen in the shadow of it Mat. 13.30 31. Or that where the Lord Iesus compares it to a graine of Mustard-seede which is the least of all seeds and yet being sowen groweth vp and becommeth a tree Act. 19.10 And it is expresly said of the Word that it grew powerfully in the Apostles dayes Verse 14. So in this Chapter the same of Christs Preaching was spread abroad throughout all the Region round about Col. 1.6 And the Apostle Paul tels vs that it was in his time spread ouer all the world and so you haue the growing increasing or spreading power of the word Secondly 2 Drawing the word powerfully Preached hath a drawing power And it may be well said of powerfull Preachers they draw more after them with their tongues then Hercules could driue before him with his club It will draw all men to it we may see it in the power and efficacie of Iohn Baptists word Mat. 3.5.7 who knew nothing but the Doctrine and Baptisme of Repentance Yet all the Regions flocked after him and came to his Preaching And when his Disciples told him that all men came to Christ as they had formerly to him he answereth that a man can receiue nothing except it be giuen him from aboue Ioh. 3.26 As if he should haue said Christ hath this power of drawing men after him Ioh. 12.32 from aboue and saith further that the power of Christ in that thing must increase and his power decrease and addeth yet further that therein is his ioy fulfilled Verse 42. And in this Chapter is this confirmed by that when Christ went into a desart place all the people were drawne thither also yea his word was so powerfull that it drew them by multitudes Ioh. 6.14 22.24.25 ouer Sea vnto him so that they would haue made him a King for the word hath a drawing power 3 Searching Thirdly the Word powerfully preached hath a searching power it can enter into the discerning of the inward parts Heb. 4.12.13 It discerneth the secret thoughts and intents of the heart All things are open and naked to the eyes of it 1 Cor. 14.25 It findes out mens purposes layes open their most secret intents yea reueales the very depths of Sathan It can goe into heauen and shew vs what treasures are therein store it can dig into hell and discouer the torments prepared for impenitent and rebellious persons and so you haue the searching power Fourthly 4 Deuiding it hath a deuiding power by which it seuers one thing from another It pierceth euen to the