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	sin_n	world_n	5,278	5	4.3359	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A31590	The converted Presbyterian, or, The Church of England justified in a serious discourse between George, a devout English Protestant, and Andrew, a zealous Scotch Presbyterian, touching some practices in the Church of England.	Chamberlayne, Edward, 1616-1703.	1668 (1668)	Wing C1838; ESTC R11512	7,878	13

approved of by a Synod Ne forte aliquid contra Fidem aut per ignorantiam aut per minus Studium sit Compositum Least any thing either through ignorance or negligence should be done against the Faith nor yet so notoriously and unreasonably to affront our Lyturgy and the Compilers thereof as if it were not a complete Form of it Self or so good as every single Man can form But it is manifest by the like former Injunctions of EDWARD the sixth and HENRY the eighth and the constant Practice of all the chief English Clergy before and since the Publication of this Canon that no such thing by that Canon was ever intended but only to declare unto the People the matter of Prayer and to inform them how and for what they ought chiefly to Pray according to Christs Example when he made the Mount his Pulpit Math. 6. 9. who taught his Auditors how they should Pray but did not then Pray nor begin his Sermon with a Prayer nor do we ever find that any such custom was ever used by the Apostles or Apostolical men much less by every single Presbyter or raw Preacher for how then should the Church obtain those ends for which Publick Lyturgyes were at first with so much wisdom and consideration Composed and after with so much strictness enjoyned And indeed how ridiculous must it seem to any one that will but consider that when a solemn Petition is with concurrent advice and mature deliberation of a whole Nation or of any considerable number of People drawn up and Presented to their King by one deputed from amongst them that he after he hath read the said Petition before the King should presently presume in other words of his own conceiving make the same Petition to the King again or at least to the same effect for no Minister if he Pray soberly and judiciously will be found upon due Examination to add any thing in his particular form which is not for the main and in the general comprised in our Lyturgy And although many Orthodox men not intending any evil thereby nor foreseeing the dangerous events thereof have in latter times taken up this fashion yet they are greatly to be blamed and much to answer for their Non-conformity herein for there cannot be the least reason that such a fashion should be introduced or retained in a Church where there is a Lyturgy so well stored with Divine and Heavenly Collects fitted for all occasions necessary unless it be to please and tickle the itching Ears of some People by novelty and variety of conceptions or to exercise and gratify the luxuriant and wanton fancies and licentious tongues of some Ministers who aim more at ostentation and applause than edification and take great delight in the vanity of reputation with the vulgar that they are able to perform that work so dexterously and fluently the sad event whereof hath been that our most excellent Lyturgy Compiled by Godly wise men confirmed by several Parliaments approved by the most learned of all the Reformed Churches and made use of constantly by the most Seraphick Souls whose conversation is in Heaven and there lives unreproveable in all things hath been by this novel usage brought into such disgrace and contempt as lately to be quite justled out and since its Restauration to be so little esteemed that unless men are before hand assured of a Sermon and Pulpit Prayers very few will vouchsafe to come to Church Andrew Verily George Thou hast almost as King Agrippa said to Paul perswaded me to become a Protestant George In good faith Andrew I would to God as Paul answered Agrippa not only thou but all thy Brethren were not only almost but altogether as I am Andrew I believe I could easily indure the English Lyturgy but to hear alwaies the same thing is tedious and me-thinks I am more affected with those you call Pulpit-conceptions George That is your own fault Andrew The Jews you know were weary with Manna and yet for the excellency thereof the Psalmist calls it Angels Food you should therefore sadly consider that such wantonness such carnality such corruption ought to be mortified within you and not cherished and allowed You should consider that you are not to go to Church as to a Comedy to please flesh and blood to please your selves but to please God to Worship him and not to Worship your own imaginations and should manifest thereby your submission to Authority your self-denyal your humility and the resignation of your own Judgement which are Duties of high account in the Gospel and Sacrifices wherewith God is better pleased than with any novelty or elegancy of expressions whatsoever Andrew Well George touching the way of Worship used in England I have now no more to object but touching the Discipline especially in the matter of Excommunication I think I may say with St. Paul in another case There is utterly a fault amongst you George Not so fast Andrew Condemn not before a hearing what is that so much offends Andrew I am informed that Excommunication which ought to be esteemed by every good Christian a very high and grievous Punishment and ought to be inflicted but only for grievous and high Crimes is ordinarily denounced for light and trivial offences in England George You must understand to imform you in a word that the punishments inflicted by the Spiritual or Ecclesiastical Court of England according to the Ecclesiastical Laws proceed in this manner following First The party delinquent is admonisht next goes forth Minor Excommunicatie whereby the delinquent is excluded from the Church or if not from the Church yet from the Communion of the Lord's Supper And this commonly for some stubbornness or contempt shown by not appearing in the Ecclesiastical Court upon summons or not obeying the Orders of the Court which though in smallest matters yet may be the greater crime for Res praecepta quo facilior est observatu eo praecepti violatio est gravior cum sit magis spontanea as St. Austin observes of the first sin of Adam Any command by how much the easier it is to be kept by so much the more grievous is the breach thereof because it is the more Voluntary Why then should the Church of England be blamed for excommunicating any person that dares cotemn its Authority let the crime be what it will For Contemptus in omni specie mandatorum as St. Bernard saith pari poudere gravis est et communiter damnabilis quia convertit culpam levis transgressionis in Crimen gravis Rebellionis Contempt in all kind of Injunctions though the matter be but a Trifle is equally heinous and alike damnable because the Contempt changes a light Trespass into a grievous Rebellion And I may add because in Contempts it is not so much the violation of the Law as of the Authority nor is the Decree undervalued so much as the Power Add herein the Church of England proceedeth no otherwise than the State of England for so odious in the eye of the Common Law of England is the contempt thereof that not only for Felonies as was antiently used but even for an Action of the Case an Action of a small Debt Account or Detinue if a man will not appear and submit himself to a Tryal at Law a Process of Out-lawry is granted against him and he being once Out-lawed he is out of the protection of the Law Caput gerit Lupinum saith Bracton he was lookt upon as a Wolfe Lawfully to be killed by any man that should meet him as most just that he who contemned the Law and her in the King should not have any benefit by the Law nor protection from the King And if there be any abuse in Excommunications and Out-lawries as perhaps there is oft the fault is not in the Government but Governours As for Excommunication it may be said to be the greatest judgement on earth how lightly soever men now esteem thereof being that which is Ratified in Heaven if we can believe our Saviour Math. 16. 19. And is as a precursory Judgement of Christ in the end of the World It is a Judegment of the nature of Gods Judgement takes hold of the least Sin of the impenitent of the least Sin committed with contumacy and punisheth him for it severely as God did Adam but for tasting of an Apple or such like fruit and the man who gathered but a few Sticks on the Sabbath day to make him a Fire Num. 15. and yet passeth by sometimes the greatest Sin of the Penitent the greatest Sin committed by infirmity as God also did David when he committed 2 Sam. 12. those soul Sins of Murder and Adultery FINIS