Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n
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A13234
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A briefe treatise declaring the true noble-man, and the base vvorldling. By Walter Sweeper minister of Strowd
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Sweeper, Walter.
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1622
(1622)
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STC 23526; ESTC S113865
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26,597
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53
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and honor to all states and conditions it aduanceth the credit and esteeme of poore men and to honorable men by birth and calling it is like a diamond in a ring making them that were gold before to become the most fine gold yea Michtam the purest gold of Ophir The first argument is drawne from the God of the righteous Reason 1 and according to the triplicitie of the persons it is threefold God the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ by nature is euery iust mans father by grace and adoption so in this respect our pedegree is from heauen and therefore very honorable Christ teacheth all true Christians Math. 6.9 to pray thus Our Father which art in heauen All beleeuers haue this prerogatiue to be called the sonnes of God which are not borne of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God Ioh. 1.12 Christ saith Ioh 20.17 I go to my Father and your Father We haue the Spirit of adoption crying Abba Father Rom. 8.15 We are predestinated to the adoption of children Ephes 1.5 God is the father of our spirits Heb. 12.9 He is our heauenly Father able and willing to giue vs all things in Christs name Luke 11.13 We are commanded so to doe and haue a promise to be heard Ioh. 16.23 1. Ioh. 5.14 The second argument is drawne from Christ our elder brother Reason 2 who maketh all his yonger brethren honorable as the yongest brethren in Germanie for the most part enioy the titles of the elder the Electorships excepted and the yonger brethren with vs beare the same coate-armour some little difference by the rules of Heraldry excepted in regard of their senioritie and minoritie Christ maketh vs Kings and Priests to his Father Reuel 1.6 The sanctifier and the sanctified are all of one for which cause he is not ashamed to call vs Brethren Heb. 2.11 Who is the first borne amongst many brethren Rom. 8.29 For the further clearing of this point let vs first see what Christ is in himselfe Secondly what he is to vs. And thirdly what he hath done to make vs honorable 1. Christ in regard of his owne naure is Wonderfull Counseller the mightie God the Father of eternitie Isay 9.6 though at the time of his manifestation he saith Psal 2.7 This day haue I begotten thee yet after an vnspeakable manner he was begotten from eternitie Pro. 8.22 Ganin He hath possessed me in the beginning of his dayes before his workes of olde In the beginning was the Word and this Word was with God and that Word was God Ioh. 1.1 2. which the Greeke Poet Nonnus Iohns expositor renders thus en arreto logos arche In the beginning which by words cannot be expressed therefore without robbery he was the Fathers equall Philip. 2.6 yea his fellow Zach. 13.7 God euer all to be blessed for euer Rom. 9.5 Secondly in regard of his humane nature he is most pure holy the immaculate Lambe of God 1. Pet. 1.19 conceiued in the wombe of the virgin Marie by the holy Ghost Luke 1.35 he fulfilled the whole law the will of his Father to the vtmost Psal 40.7 8. he became obedient to the death of the crosse Phil. 2.18 so he became the Lord our righteousnesse Ier. 23.6 our wisedome righteousnesse redemption sanctification 1. Cor. 1.30 This Word I say became flesh and Eskenosen dwelt in our nature as in a tabernacle Ioh. 1.14 Great is the mysterie of godlinesse God manifested in the flesh iustified in the spirit seene of Angels preached to the Gentiles beleeued on in the world and receiued vp into glorie 1. Tim. 3.16 At his Name euery knee in heauen and earth and vnder the earth doth bow Phil. 2.10 He is set at Gods right hand in heauenly places farre aboue all principalities and powers and might dominion and euery name that is named not onely in this world but that which is to come Ephes 1.20 21. Now secondly let vs consider what he is to the Church in regard of his offices God hath put all things vnder his feete and gaue him to be head ouer all things to the Church which is his bodie the fulnesse of him that filleth all in all Ep. 1.22.23 He is the head of the body the Church who is the beginning the first borne from the dead that in all things he might haue the preheminence Coloss 1.18 Sit on my right hand saith the Father to him Psal 110.1 till I make thine enemies thy footstoole And so as King and Prophet he sendeth the rod of his power out of Sion whereby he mildly ruleth the willing people of good deuotions Psal 110.2 3. And as with a mace of iron breaketh the rebels in peeces as potters vessels Psal 2.9 And in the 4. verse of the CX psalme by an oath he is made a Priest for euer after the order of Melchizedek Heb. 7.1 2. Christ is the Priest of our profession more excellent then Moses he built the house Moses was but a seruant of the house Heb. 3.1 2 3. The Legall priests were sinfull offered sacrifices for themselues and died he holy and pure and blamelesse liueth for euer Heb. 7.23 24 26 27. There many sacrifices could not take away sinnes but Christs one oblation did Heb. 9.13 24 26. once for all Heb. 10.10 As our Priest also he appeareth for vs in heauen Heb. 9.24 and maketh intercession for vs Rom. 8.34 Thirdly in the execution of these offices what hath he done for vs first as our Prophet he teacheth vs his Fathers will and giues vs holy Sacraments Peter Acts 3.22 telleth the Iewes out of Deut. 18.15 A Prophet shall the Lord your God raise vnto you out of your brethren like vnto me him shall you heare in all things God lastly spake to vs by his Son Heb. 1.2 who taught Noah and all the other Prophets 1. Pet. 3.19 of whom the Father saith This is my beloued Sonne heare him Math. 17.5 Secondly this righteous King of Sion Zach. 9.9 doth sit as King on mount Sion psal 2.6 Hee our King destroyed all our enemies sinne Rom. 8.3 the law Gal. 4.5 the diuell Heb. 2.15 Col. 2.15 death Hos 13.14 1. Cor. 15.53 so deliuereth vs from the hands of all our enemies Luk. 1.71 Thus he shall beate downe all our enemies 1. Cor. 15.25 26 27. destroying the last enemie Death shall giue vp the kingdome to God the Father bring all his subiects to him shall cease to reigne then as Mediator but shall retaine the glorie of the kingdome for euer as the Angell telleth Marie Of his kingdome shall be none end Luke 1.33 As our Priest he died for our sinnes and rose againe for our iustification Rom. 4.25 by his blood he hath redeemed vs Eph. 1.7 Col. 1.14.20 his blood hath washed vs from all our sinnes Reu. 1.5 Thus Christ becomes to vs our redeeming kinsman Iob 19.25 and our righteousnesse 1. Cor. 1.30 especially when he performes to vs the second part of his
prepared Ier. 6.28.30 brasse iron lead reprobate siluer Psal 12.8 Zuloth the wicked are termed a vile thing and Psal 15.4 he is called a vile person Psal 49.12 Adam Balialiu did not rest one night in his honour or continued not long and verse 20. A man in honour and vnderstandeth not is like the beasts that perish Now let vs see the reasons that may further proue the basenesse of the wicked First Reason 1 whereas the godly fetch their pedigree from God and heauen the wicked deriue their race from the base earth below and from the Diuell Christ to the vnbeleeuing reprobate Iewes telleth them Ioh. 8.44 that they are of their father the diuell whose workes they do and Saint Paul Eph. 2.3 calleth such the children of wrath The wicked vnbeleeuers cannot call Christ their redeeming Kinsman Reason 2 Iob 19.25 He doth not make them free Ioh. 83.6 neither doth he pray for the world Ioh. 17.9 They are none of that glorious Church that shall be one day without spot or wrinkle Ephes 5.27 The third reason to proue their basenesse Reason 3 that they are not guided by Gods Spirit but are ruled by the spirit of the aire working in the children of disobedience Eph. 2.2 the diuel holds them in his snares 2. Tim. 2.26 yea they are the bondmen of errruption 2. Pet. 2.19 on these Cains marke is set Gen. 4.15 and either they haue a tormenting conscience as Saul 1. Sam. 16.14 or Iudas Math. 5.27 or a seared conscience 1. Tim. 4.12 These like condemned Haman see not the Kings face Hest 7.8 These crie not to God when he bindeth them Iob. 36.13 as the Romane custome was and ours is to bind the hands of the condemned i. Lictor ligamans go Sergeant binde his hands Abner was not so bound 2. Sam. 23.4 These men forsaking God are iustly of him forsaken in their miseries Prouerbs 1.26 He will no way answer Saul 1. Sam. 28.6 Thus they flie when no man pursueth them Prou. 28.1 fearing where is no feare Psalme 53.5 Dying either desperately like Iudas Math. 27.5 or lumpishly and sullenly like Nabal 1. Sam. 25.37 38. like a man closely murthered and secretly throwne into Tems in a cloak-bag Lastly these men liue and dye in the bond of iniquitie and gall of bitternes Act. 8.23 Fourthly Reason 4 what are these wicked men to the Assemblie of the Saints but as the blacke Tents of Kedar Psal 120.5 Tents of vngodliness Psal 84.10 The Synagogues of Sathan Reu. 2.9 Oh my soule come not thou into their secret vnto their assemblies let not my glory be vnited Gen. 49.6 The reprobates haue no right to any of the creatures Reason 5 Christ being the heire of the world Heb. 2.2 by him all things are ours 1. Cor. 3.22.23 They are vsurpers their Table is a snare to them Psal 69.22 Some of them are the sonnes of villaynes and eat Mallowes and Iuniper rootes Iob 20.4.5.6.7 Yea the Lions are sometimes hunger-bitten Psal 34.10 Lastly they haue no portion no right no memoriall in Ierusalem Neh. 2.20 nor inheritance in heauen Reuel 22.15 these dogs are without The sixth reason Reason 6 these are not vnder Gods protection and guard of good Angels but are in Satans power their Iaylor who worketh in them Ephes 2.2 Heb. 2.15 who is their god 2. Cor. 4.4 who like excommunicate persons are deliuered to Satan 1. Cor. 5.5 are in Satans bands 2. Tim. 2.26 in worse state then Turkie gally slaues But are not good Angels guardians of wicked States and Monarchies Obiect Dan. 10.20 where the Angell seemeth to attend the Princes of Persia and Greece I answer Answ that the preseruing of publicke States for the Churches good is one thing and the guarding of particular wicked men is another yet some Cyrus for the future seruice of the Church may be in a speciall maner preserued before he know God Isay 45.1.4 The iaylors and tormenters of the damned are the diuels Heb. 2.24 25. 2. Pet. 2.4 Iude 6. who yet themselues are kept in chaines of darknesse to the great iudgement day I confesse that sometimes for an Abrahams sake an Ishmael may thriue Genes 17.20 and may be preserued strangely by Gods Angell Gen. 21.7 But vsually I thinke that the Angels attendance on bad men is like the guarding of Ambassadours and strangers in Musconia and China who are chiefly waited on for feare of hurting the State or like the Shiriffes men guarding the malefactors to the gallowes Though wicked-men may do some seruice for the Common weale as Saul did Reason 7 1. Sam. 13.15 Alexander and Caesar may be famous for bloodshed may be great hunters like Nimrod Gen. 10.9 yet the end of these mens exploits is not to serue God and the Church herein but they serue their owne lusts of couetousnesse and vainglorie These men could take cities and kingdomes but could not rule their spirit which is greater Pro. 16.22 Therefore the memorie of the iust is blessed but the name of the wicked shall rot Prou. 10.7 The reprobate hath no sauing grace Reason 8 All haue not faith 2. Thess 3.2 Faith is onely Gods elect T it 1.1 The hope of the hypocrite is nothing Iob 27.8 like a bulrush Iob 8.13 They are not freed from any sin Pride doth compasse them as a chaine Psal 73.6 There is no peace to them Isay 48 22. and 57.21 Ninthly Reason 9 these men are accursed in euery thing they put their hands vnto Deut. 28.16.17 accursed in their liues and deaths which caused Balaam to wish to die the death of the righteous Numb 23.10 Yea this curse doth pursue their posteritie in the destruction of Ieroboams and Achabs house 1. King 14.20 2. Kin. 10.10 The first vse of this Doctrine is to discouer a double error in these men vse 1 first of their own estate secondly of the condition of the godly The wicked thinke themselues happie and honorable when they are base and miserable a wicked seed Isay 1.4 light as water Gen. 49.3 like the beast that perish Psal 49.20 they thinke their state and houses shall continue for euer Psal 49.18 and all this is because oftentimes they haue no changes Psal 55.29 Againe these Ishmaels mock Isack that hath the promise Gen. 21.9 they despise Dauids honour Psal 4.2 they will abase him whom God will aduance Psal 62.4 These mad fooles mocke the counsell of the poore trusting in God Psal 14 16. but God maketh them like a fiery ouen suddenly shooteth at their faces Psalme 21.9.12 Secondly vse 2 let this terrifie them who because sentence against an euill worke is not speedily executed fully set their hearts to do euill Though a sinner doth euill an hundred times and God prolong his dayes yet surely know that it shall go well to them that feare God which feare before him but it shall not be well to the wicked Eccles 8.11 12 13. these God scattereth as the winde doth the chaffe they cannot stand in iudgement with the righteous