Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n
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A34199
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Urim and thummim, or, The clergies dignity and duty recommended in a visitation sermon preached at Lewes April 27, 1669 / by Malachi Conant ...
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Connant, M. (Malachi), d. 1680.
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1669
(1669)
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Wing C5690; ESTC R43114
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15,761
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30
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beams in it's noon-day glory whether it sport and twinkle in a star or blaze and glare out in a Comet or frisk and dance in a jewel or dissemble and play the hypocrite in a Glow-worm or shew it's zeal and the ruddiness of it's Complexion in the yolk of fire or grow more pale pining and consuming away in a Candle However it appears it carries a commanding lustre in it's face and well deserveth the name of the Lady and Queen of all sensible beauties The first born of corporeal beings The clarifier and refiner of the Chaos the unspotted beauty of the universe Now herein Christ's Apostles and Successors bear a resemblance unto it being for the spiritual excellency of their Calling denominated not only stars but Angels chosen Vessels Men of a thousand Revel 1.20 2.1 Acts 9.15 Job 33.23 Rom. 10.15 2 Cor. 8.23 their very feet are styled beautiful and they themselves the Glory of Christ We know that the Judaical Priesthood was externally very glorious and yet that being only a Type of ours is made much inferior by the Apostle to ours 2 Cor. 3.9 If the ministration of condemnation were glorious much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory Called therefore we are God's stewards Messengers 1 Cor. 4.1 2 Cor. 5.20 and Ambassadors And how indeed can their employment chuse but be honourable whose business is to menage the affairs of heaven upon earth No wonder therefore that Christ himself though Lord of heaven and earth did not disdain to undertake it for our sakes Rom. 15.8 when he became a Minister of the New Testament And though it is true that this holy function is esteemed now adays Vile and Contemptible by those earth-worms that neither fear God nor value their own Souls but esteem of men according to their external wealth and grandeur weighing them by the pound and measuring them by the Acre and therefore account of us as for the same reason they would the Apostles themselves were they now alive as the dung and off-scouring of all things Yet it is no wonder that these persons judging according to appearance judge not righteous judgement 1 Cor. 4.13 but they measuring themselves by themselves and comparing themselves amongst themselves are not wise 2 Cor. 10 12. Wherefore we are to turn our just wonder and indignation into Pity and Commiseration of them that they will so much stand in their own light forsake their own mercy and shew themselves their own greatest enemies It is but their weakness and ignorance that they know not how to prize things or persons according to their true worth or discern things that differ but entertain wrong notions of excellencies What if Children prefer their bables before the Tower of London or the Cock the grain of Barly before the Jewel or Glaucus in the story glistering Brass before Massy Gold or Esau a Morsel of bread before his birth-right or the Gadarens their Swine before their Saviour It is but mens gross mistakes and vulgar prejudices Matth. 13.57 that prophets are not accepted in their own Country and that the English Clergy which are the admiration of the more Impartial World abroad are the scorn and derision of any of their own more ungrateful Country-men Or that they are guilty of the other extreme from that into which they ran in the times of Popery defying that Order of Church-men which the others then almost deified and adored and all for mumbling over a few Oraisons in a strange tongue making their Breaden God Chanting Dirges for the Living and Requiems for the Dead and such like other fopperies We must for our parts learn from this their carriage to us not to think meaner of that Honour which the King of Heaven thinketh fit to put upon us but rather with the Apostle to magnifie Our Office Rom. 11.13 and in compliance with our Lord and Masters instructions to his Disciples Mark 6.11 let us bravely shake off the dust of our feet against them that receive not us or our Ministry 1 Cor. 4.3 Let it be a very small thing with us to be judged with man's judgment while God vouchsafes us such Honour No let us rather with an holy and generous disdain scorn the scorner trample upon Contempt despise Affronts and slight Indignities Let us shew our selves Men of more raised Spirits and Principles and let us account that calling Our greatest Honour which the World may think Our debasement Let us learn to leave this base World behind us let us live above it as having ever shewed it self false treacherous and disingenuous whose guise it hath been to be guilty of unworthy fordid and dirty carriage to be most injurious to it's greatest benefactors to set at nought him who came to save them and then to Crucifie him to persecute and abuse His Apostles and Ministers that were Content to undergo the loss of all things that they might shew them the way to Salvation and to be poor in temporals that they may be rich in Spirituals as if according to that Historians Observation Courtesies and kindnesses change their Nature and are looked upon as injuries when they are too great to be repaid and as it is here people owe their own selves also Philem. 19. How indeed can we expect that the World should alter it's Nature for us now in it's old declining age Or that the Men of this World among whom we shine as lights Philip. 2.15 should cease to be a crooked and perverse generation Our comfort is the Moon shines never the less bright because barked at by Dogs nor is the light less glorious in it's Nature John 1.5 because the darkness comprehendeth it not 2. Lux est fortissima effectu Light herein discovereth it's celestial Original and imitates heavenly bodies in it's motion and influence as well as in it's enlightning Whether it be a quality according to the Aristotelians or a more subtile body according to the Epicurean Phylosophy it will be here impertinent to determine This is certain that all things else become visible It 's own true nature still remains unintelligible being in the dark it self how sensible soever it is in it's effects which are as God himself rather to be admired than understood It is most admirably diffusive of its self and with a motion if not instantaneous yet insensibly successive is propagated in the medium Have you never seen one torch in the twinkling of an eye expel the darkness of an whole Street One Beacon or Boonfire discover it self to the whole Vicinage All the shadows flying away at the dawning of the day Light is the vehicle of the sweet influences of heaven It is the great guide and director of Actions and so it 's not only for shew but Service He that walketh in the Light John 11.9 saith Christ who was the true light stumbleth not because he seeth the light of this World Now thus
it is with those who are able Ministers of the New Testament They are that to the body Mystical the Church which the eye is to the body Natural They are our Spiritual guides unto Salvation not only Mercurial Statues pointing the way to others and standing still themselves but like the Star that did not only lighten but lead the wisemen of the East till they came to the Child Jesus And if we be lights indeed we shall not think it enough that we have lamps unless we have oyl in Our Lamps Nor that we have oyl in them unless they are burning and shining so as to give light unto others by our holy life and doctrine bringing thereby glory to God credit to Religion Salvation to our own Souls and theirs that hear us We are not only to be painted but real flames like torches giving Light to others though at the same time they consume themselves But here we must take care that our Light be not a false Light not an ignis-fatuus to draw and seduce men into bogs and precipices not an ignis Graecus a Wild-fire to inflame and heighten their animosities and passions nor like that of a glow-worm where there is light without heat nor like that of a candle in a Dark Lanthern to give light to none but our selves nay nor like that of a fiery Meteore vanishing as soon as it appeareth but like that of the Sun and Stars constant perpetual and invariable And this unspotted being must not be obscured and overclouded with thick vapors of lusts Neither must it burn downwards towards the earth and be put under a bushel but upwards towards heaven So that it is not sufficient for us to have light except our light so shine before men that they may see our good works c. 2. Which brings me to the second General from the dignity of the Gospels Ministers to their duty We must not only be lights for glory and glaring but for the use and service of enlightning others We must not only have those graces which are radical and fundamental in the root but those also which are visible and external in the fruit nor those only which are terminated to our selves but those that extend to others It is not enough that our goodness extend unto God the searcher of hearts but it must be conspicuous in the world Psal 16.3 to the Saints that are in the Earth And so our gifts and knowledge within must shew themselves by giving heed to our doctrine and exhortation without James 2.18 and Our faith within must appear by Our works and the effects of a transient charity to others And we must be as Christ was Prophets mighty both in word and deed Luke 24.19 We must have Exod. 28.30 as the high Priest of old had both our Urim and Thummim light of Doctrine and perfection of life Exod. 28.33 We must not separate Aarons bells from his pomegranates We must not only have an empty sound like a tinkling Cymbal in our teaching but bring forth fragrant fruit in our living and in this regard be savours of life unto life 2 Cor. 6.16 Our Conversation must preach as well as our discourses and we must be Instructors and teachers of babes not only to their ears that is only doing our work by halves but to their eyes and so we shall make religion palpable to their very senses When they not only hear our Sermons to practise them but behold our honest Conversations to imitate and follow them then and not till then shall we be able with the Apostle to charge them to walk as they have us for an Example Philip. 3.19 and they need not be charged as the Jews were to do after our sayings but not after our works All that I shall say hereon I may reduce to two heads of Our Doctrine and Life 1. For the Light of our doctrine which denominateth us Teachers in which as in other things I desire my Reverend Brethren of the Ministry now I am by the providence of God and by the Injunction of my Superiors called hither to give me the Liberty of speaking my thoughts without offence and mind them of that which we know Saint Paul straitly chargeth Timothy to take heed unto himself and his doctrine and put them in remembrance 1 Tim. 4.16 1 Tim. 4.6 2 Tim. 2.14 to stir up the gift of God in them Ministers of the Gospel should have their senses exercised to discern Spiritual things that differ above private Christians and being in this regard as stars the more Dense parts of their Orbs or Vortices so as their light be more compacted and united whereby to enable them to out-shine others It is not enough for them to fill the Golden Candlesticks of the Temple unless they give light to those who enter in otherwise they are but as Antiques under a building that seem to groan under their burden whereas in stead of supporting they are only supported themselves Our Saviour chargeth us therefore not only to have our loins always girt Luke 12.35 i. e. with the girdle of truth and sincerity or so as to be still in procinctu ready for his comâ—ng or if you will by external conformity in our habit but we must have Our lights burning to illuminate and direct others in their way to heaven and be to them as the pillar of fire by night was to the Israelites in their journey through the wilderness towards Canaan What good else doth light if it discover not it's self to them who sit in darkness No more than painted fire to those who are benum'd with cold For the Priests lips should preserve knowledge and they should seek the Law at his mouth Mal. 2.7 for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts It will not be enough for us in the last day when we are to give an account of our stewardship to our Master in heaven that we have lived an unprofitable though Innocent Anchorets life that we have laid up our talent in a Napkin Lûke 19.20 No we must lay it out for our Lords profit We are bid to preach the word to be instant in season and out of season 2 Tim. 4.2 to reprove rebuke exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine We are not allowed to lock up a treasure of knowledge in our own breast or cover our fire under the Ashes but it must break out as a fire on the Altar and we must still have before our eyes our solemn promise made when we received holy Orders to give faithful diligence to Minister the Doctrine and discipline of Christ We must not be like wandring planets which are sometimes Stationary sometimes Retrograde much less like vanishing Comets but as constantly as well as publikely useful as those Luminaries are in Lightning and guiding the lower World Now because our Saviour seems to propose Saint John the Baptist as our Example herein John 5.35