Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heaven_n	earth_n	lord_n	psal_n	11,426	5	7.3571	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A95679	Gainsayer convinced: or, An answer to a certain scandalous paper, subscribed and sent by certain seduced and seditious people to a minister in the countrey: in which the calling of the ministry of the Church of England, the nature of a visible church, the power of the magistrate under the gospel, the right of tithes, with many other points now in controversie, are briefly, fully and plainly cleared, to the satisfaction of those that are wavering; also much of the spirit and many of the errours of the Anabaptists of these daies (who call themselves saints) discovered and confuted. / By T.T. Preacher of the word at Kemble in Wiltshire.	Thache, Thomas, b. 1616 or 17.	1649 (1649)	Wing T827; Thomason E568_1; ESTC R206240	79,821	83

did you not for that present lay by that little reason truth honestie and charitie that you pretend to when you did set your hands to these things did you not forget that of Christ Matth. 12. 36 37. that for every idle word that men shall speak much more for every lying reviling slandering word they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement For by thy words thou shalt be justified and by thy words thou shalt be condemned Will you justifie these words before God or men or will they not condemne you without repentance Here you charge me with persecuting the Saints and the power of godlinesse that I am a time serving self-seeking man who seek onely my gain from other mens quarters that I raise war against those that will not put into my mouth that I slight and reproach and call those Sectaries whom I formerly rejoyced in because you will not beleeve as I beleeve and put into my mouth to feed you with untruths and that I now hugg and imbrace the openly prophane c. Are ye able to make these accusations good against me truly you speak very largely as if your tongue that unruly evil member full of deadly poyson wherewith you pretend to blesse God and yet do curse men made after the similitude of God were your own and that none could or should controul you Had I received such words from openly prophane men or from profest devils I could have born them better but to be so traduced by men that would be accounted understanding men men professing conscience as their rule yea from profest Saints truly this makes me much more to suspect and mistrust the truth of that you professe then ever I did before remembring the words of the Apostle James 3. 12 13 14 c. Can a fountain send forth at the same p●ace sweet water and bitter Can a figtree bear olive berries or a vine figs so can no fountain yeeld both salt water and fresh Who is a wise man and indued with knowledge amongst you let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meeknesse of wisdom But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts glo●y not and lye not against the truth This wisdom descendeth not from above but is earthly sensuall divellish See also Jam. 4. 11 12. 1. But to answer the particulars First for my persecuting of the Saints and the power of godlinesse I do here appeal to the Lord Jesus who takes all such persecutions of Saints as done to himself Act. 9. 5. In this point I say I call heaven and earth to witnesse and shall say with David in Psal 7. 3. 5. O Lord my God if I have done this if there be this iniquity in my hands Let the enemy persecute my soul and take it yea let him tread down my life upon the earth And as he in Psal 69. 19. Thou Lord hast known my reproach and my shame mine adversaries are all before thee 2ly In that you say I am a time-server and self-seeker and that I seek onely my gain from other mens quarters c. What time-server I am let the times judge and for the seeking of my self or my gain from my quarters I thank the Lord that my rejoycing is this the testimony of my conscience that in all quarters especially to you-wards I have preached the Gospel without covetousnesse and the gain that I have sought for hath been the gain of souls to Jesus Christ knowing that this also shall turn to my gain In this I hope you will allow us to be covetous and as Paul said to his Thessalonians 1. Ep. 2. ch Being allowed of God to be put in trust to preach the Gospel even so we have spoken not as pleasing men but God who tryeth our hearts Neither at any time used we flattering words as ye know nor a cloak of covetousnesse God is witnesse neither of men sought we glory nor of you nor yet of others when we might have been burthensome as the Ministers of Christ Yea you your selves are witnesses and God also that I have both travell'd to and laboured amongst you in preaching the Gospel of God neither ever yet have I been chargeable to any one of you to my best knowledge and remembrance no not for a peny though most falsly and impudently you here charge it upon me And if I had sought my self and my own gain so much as you speak of surely I should have sought me out some more charitable quarters then I ever yet found yours to be But the Lord forgive you your unthankfulnesse returning and requiting me in this evil for good 3ly In the next place though you cannot but be convinc'd of this in your own consciences that you never as yet put any thing into my mouth yet pray tell me when or wherein have I endeavoured to raise warre against you will this be made good or must I put it into the number of your most unchristian-like slanders 4ly Whereas you say that I slight and reproach and dis-own you whom I formerly rejoyced in because you will not beleeve as I beleeve and put into my mouth to feed you with untruths I answer as Paul said to his Thossalonians 1 Ep. 2 Ch. latter end that ye were our joy and our glory and the crown of our rejoycing while ye seemed to stand fast in the Lord But since you have been so foolish as he said to his Galathians 3. Ch 1. ver to be bewitcht by others not to obey the truth you must pardon us this wrong if we be in heavinesse for you and though we be far from slighting or reproaching any as you falsly object yet I say again you must pardon us if we dis-own you in your errors which of us it is that hath changed let the Lord judge betwixt us whether our doctrine or your profession and practice hath been yea and nay We dare appeal to the same God and to the Lord Jesus Christ that the word of the Gospel which hath been preached among you by us was not is not yea and nay but in Christ was and is yea But farther you say we slight and dis-own you because you will not beleeve as I beleeve and put into my mouth to feed you with untruths I answer First for your beleeving as I beleeve for my belief I shall say first as Paul 2 Cor. 10. 7. If any of you trust to himself that he is Christs let him of himself think this again that as he is Christs even so are we Christs my belief is in the Lord Jesus neither have I ever endeavoured to invite or intice you to any other belief then the faith in Jesus Christ And whosoever he be that shall preach to you any other Gospel or another belief though he were man or Angel from heaven I must say as Paul Galat. 1. 8 9. Let him be accursed What other beleef you have lately found out that you will not beleeve as we beleeve

Spirit If you call this a disowning of the Saints meetings to communicate to each other the things of God a discouraging of others from them and discountenancing of Saints practise we leave it to God Angels and men to judge betwixt you and us And truly seeing these are those last times in which there are many Antichrists abroad as St. John 1 Ep 2. Ch 18. I know not any counsell that can be more seasonable to you your selves then this if the Lord would give you hearts to receive and embrace it Your 12th branch is very large a great deal of Riffraff raked up together to make one dunghill much of the same stuffe that hath been spoken to before the fruits of that spirit that reigns in the Saints of these times I shall passe by and turn over as I promised you all your raylings and revilings and shall endeavour to answer a●l that deserves an Answer Paper In the beginning you cannot but wonder you say at our contradictions in that we would make the world beleeve that we are like to suffer the losse of all and to be brought to prisons nay stakes for our consciences by the Sectaries and yet condemne them at the same time for endeavouring a prodigious tolleration of all Religions what a strange contradiction is here say you Ans Have ye not read the story in 1 King 12. 13. how Jeroboam suffered all the people of Israel to go a whoring after the Calves which he erected at Dan and Bethel and that when the man of God came out of Judah to cry against his Altar upon which he offered to his Calves Jeroboam stretched out his hand against him and cryed out Lay hold on him We need not use many arguments to make the world beleeve that we are like to suffer the losse of all to be brought to Prisons and Stakes and that for our consciences The world sees it sufficiently that some of us have already been brought to prisons and some are now in prison and this not without losse and all have been threatned if not with stakes yet with as cruell deaths and all this onely for our consciences Again on the other fide that there is a Tolleration of all Religions endeavoured Heaven and Earth do see and surely this is prodigious and we may here cry out as the Lord by the mouth of the Prophet Jerem 2. 12. Be astonished Oye heavens at this and be ye horribly afraid be ye very desolate saith the Lord. Now if you will wonder wonder not that we speak of such contradictions when ye see such contradictions acted wonder at these things Paper But you undertake in the next place to justifie these proceedings where you positively say that we are indeed of no religion and so not to be tollerated by them Ans Doth this sound like the charity of Saints you are of no Religion let me a little look upon your names that have subscribed this Thomas Clutterbuck William Burge Giles Handcox Thomas Sheapheard Caleb Self c. one while you say we are Antichristian here we are of no Religion neither we nor our people nor our Churches can in this estate be judged to be so much as Christians What can any Devill in Hell say worse against us then this if we denyed the true God and whom he hath sent Jesus Christ if we denied every Article of the Christian Faith if we were the most damned Hereticks under Heaven what could you say more of us then this that we are indeed of no Religion you Thomas or William or Giles will you make this good to any one of us that we are of no Religion Certainly this uncharitablenesse is above all example monstrous Calumnies invented by Pagans against Christians have not been so horrible It could hardly have been imagined that the Devil himself had been able to have led any reasonable creatures into such an excesse of impudency and slander unto such unchristian-like reproaches yet these men would fain be accounted The Saints Well take heed lest while you run on in these wayes you hear old Jacobs words Cursed be their wrath for it was feirce and their rage for it was cruell Paper Again you are of no Religion which indeed is true Ans Freinds have ye not heard of nor read the stories of John of Leyden Kinpperdollin and David George Those famous or rather infamous Anabaptists and of the pranks they play'd in Germany and whither the Lord suffered Satan to lead those proud hypocrites who in their own eyes were such holy Saints as they could not but in the tendernesse of their consciences separate from the best reformed Churches of Christ as being of no Religion how they apostatized from that religion and service which the Scripture prescribed how they did put away baptisme the Lords Supper and the preaching of the Word and perswaded many poore ignorant people to follow their pernicious wayes to their destruction drawing them along after the directions of these new Prophets have ye not heard of these things whether or no the same spirit which was the author of that Anabaptisme and under that of all other their prodigious and horrible impieties in Germany doth not now make his appearance in England and walk amongst us I leave to all to judge who have but half an eye open and are any whit acquainted with those stories out of pitie and compassion and meer love to your souls the Lord knows I beg and pray for you that you be not taken captive in those snares Paper Again you are of no Religion which indeed is true Ans Of no Religion we acknowledge the onely true God Father Son and holy Ghost for our God and he hath acknowledged us to be his people he hath taken us into Covenant with him we beleeve that he hath given his Son Jesus Christ to dye for our sins and that he is risen again for our justification we enjoy union and communion with him in grace here being spiritually and mystically yet really and inseparably joyned to Christ as our Head and Husband we pertake of the virtue of his mediation in our justification adoption sanctification we live in expectation of everlasting communion with our head Christ Jesus in that glory of heaven the first fruits of which glory with Christ is communicated to us in this life as we are members of him our head and so in him are interessed in that glory which he is fully possest of And as an earnest thereof we enjoy the sence of Gods love peace of conscience joy in the holy Ghost and hope of glory and whilest we continue here in this life in the communion of Saints the Lord hath given us the presence the help and support of his own Spirit to teach guide direct and enable us to and to support us in his worship fear and service which we desire and endeavour to perform according to that rule which he hath given us for our faith and obedience in his holy Word All

Reyn Exp Ps●l 110. of homage and tribute from his people And farther there was never any type of Christ as a Priest but he received Tithes as those in the Law did And these they received not in the right of any thing in themselves but meerly in the virtue of their typicall office so that originally they did manifestly pertain to that principall Priest whom these represented whose personall Priesthood is standing for ever unalterable and eternall and therefore the rights thereunto belonging are such too Obj. If it be objected by you why then did not Christ in his life time receive Tithes I answer First because though he were the substance yet the standing typicall Priesthood was not abolished till after his ministery on earth was finisht for his Priesthood was not consummate till his sitting at the right hand of God Secondly he did not himself take Tithes because he took upon himself a voluntary poverty for speciall reasons belonging to the state of his humiliation and to the dispensation of mans redemption See what Paul saith 2 Cor. 8 9. Ob. You may perchance object farther and say now Christs priesthood is consummate and he himself is in heaven whither no Tithes can be sent therefore none are due because he hath no typicall Priests on earth to represent him Ans I answer Though Christ be in heaven in his body yet he is on earth in his ministery and in the dispensation of the virtue of his sacrifice and the Ministers of the Gospel are in his stead 2 Cor. 5. 20. and ought to be received as Christ himself Galat. 4. 14. So that men are not by this excused from rendring Christs dues unto him first because there is in respect of him whose sacrifice we commemorate and shew forth to the people due a testification of homage to him 2ly because in respect of us there is due a reward of our labour for the labourer is worthy of his hire Now to lay all these together in one view In as much as all the types of Christ as Priests have received Tithes as due and in as much as that right was not grounded upon any thing in or from themselves but upon their typicall office and so did originally pertain to the principall Priest whom they typified And in as much as his person and office is eternall and therefore such are all the Annexa and dues thereof and in as much as he hath no where dispenced with denyed or refused or revoked this right which from him as the principall all his types ever enjoyed And lastly in as much as he hath left to the Ministers of his Word the dispensation of his sacrifice and made them his Embassadors and in his stead to the Church to set forth him crucified in his ordinances For my part I desire to be resolved from you or by any other of your sect if there be any wiser then other amongst you why unto them in the name and right of their Master those rights should not be due which were manifestly in his types and of which he himself hath no where in his Word declared any revocation Paper In the next place you say That receiving of Tithes is an abominable heresie and a denying of Christ come in the flesh Ans Oh abominable ignorance I see you had need to be told what heresie is and I cannot yet but commend your desire of being informed to this point what hath been already spoken may satisfie reasonable men And because this is yet but dictum spoken by those who have spoken but little truth in this Paper I must defer the giving any farther answer to it till I receive some more of your new light whereby you will prove that the receiving of Tithes denyes Christ to be come in the flesh when I see how you go about to prove it I doubt not but I shall shew your folly in that as in the rest of your stuffe therefore no more at present Paper Your next objection against Tithes is this you say if we were not wilfully blinde we might see God blasting them for 't is remarkable that scarce any of our posterity come to any thing but are generally miserable Ans To this I answer First if you were acquainted with the Word of God or any of his dealings with his people as you pretend and indeed it appears to be but a pretence you might know that prosperitie in this life and increase in riches is not alwayes a token of the favour of God Read Psal 17. 14. and there ye shall see who they are whose portions are in this life Whose bellies are fill'd and who leave the rest of their substance to their babes For our parts we are not envious at the foolish when we see the prosperity of the wicked Psal 73. 3. Again 2ly that our posterity are generally miserable is no better then a bold lye 3ly If it were truth yet the simplicitie of your argument appears to the world I will make it appear to your selves you argue thus because men that receive Tithes do not grow rich nor thrive in their posteritie therefore 't is not lawfull to receive Tithes You shall see the absurditie of your conclusion in turning it upon your selves thus Some men have been Mercers and have broke in their Trade some have been * Note that their new Pastor hath past through all these Trades Callings and thrived in none Stationers Souldiers Dairy-men Schoolmasters c. and have been blasted in all these have not thrived in all or any of these but in all have proved miserable therefore 't is not lawfull for any man to be a Mercer a Stationer a Souldier a Dairy-man a Schoolmaster c. Do you see now what senslesse absurd arguing this is Paper In the next place you say we call our selves the Tribe of Levi that we may have Tithes Ans This is another of your lyes Again in this we are Jewish Ans I have already manifested your simplicitie and ignorance in this therefore 't is worth no more words here I passe it over Paper Again you say you plainly see upon what our Ministery stands take away our honour and our means and our gifts are taken away Ans I have told you before whereupon our Ministery stands and though you speak so plainly yet you have not as yet made it appear that our Ministery stands upon our honour and our means but I doubt not but I shall make it appear to you that both honour and means belong to our Ministery In the mean time let me know of you when or where did you ever know any mans gifts taken away with his means either make it appear or else sit down and acknowledge your selves to be men whose tongues are full of lying slanders and reproaches Doth this savour of the Spirit ye pretend to be in you Paper Next you tell us that we cannot live by Tent-making and preaching the Gospel by fishing and catching of men how then