Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heaven_n	father_n	ghost_n	son_n	12,682	5	5.5144	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A61215	The mutual duties of elders and people Delivered in a discourse at Beckles in Suffolk, Octob. 13. 1697. At the setting apart of Mr. John Killinghal, to the office of an elder, over a Church of Christ there. By John Stackhouse, elder of a Church of Christ in Norwich.	Stackhouse, John, dissenting minister.	1698 (1698)	Wing S5104; ESTC R220764	32,438	41

care for the tender Lambs they must care for those that are oppress'd with Infirmities they must not over-drive the Flock and they must diligently know the state of their Flock whether increasing or decaying in grace They must be very careful to avoid that reproof that God gives by Ezekiel against the Shepherds in that day Ezek. 34. 2 3 4. Woe be to the Shepherds of Israel that feed themselves should not the Shepherds feed the flock Ye eat the fat and clothe you with the wooll ye kill them that are fed but ye feed not the flock The diseased have ye not strengthned nor healed that which was sick neither have ye bound up that which was broken neither have ye brought again that which was driven away neither have ye sought that which was lost but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them Oh this is a severe Reproof a dreadful Charge to be given in against any that are called to be Shepherds or Pastors it behoves us all to keep our selves unspotted and to be faithful 8. They are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Teachers or Doctors Isa 20. v. 30. Thine eyes shall see thy Teachers they shall no more be removed into corners 1 Cor. 12. 28. God hath set some in the Churches first Apostles secondarily Prophets thirdly Teachers Therefore they must be apt to teach Therefore that is inculcated as the qualification of a Bishop 1 Tim. 3. 2. He must be apt to teach And they must hold fast the faithful Word and be able by sound Doctrine to exhort and convince gain-sayers Titus 1. 8. They must exhort instruct and comfort the Church with all Authority these things command and teach 1 Tim. 4. 11. Charge them that are rich in this World cap. 6. 17. They must reprove publickly such as do sin publickly they must give an open reproof for open sins 1 Tim. 5. 20. Them that sin rebuke before all that others also may fear and they must take heed to themselves and to their Doctrine There must be great care and great solicitousness 1 Tim. 4. 16. in us that what we speak in the Name of the Lord be indeed the Mind of the Lord and cordially believed and submitted unto by our selves as such 9. And lastly They are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Elders or Presbyters If any Man be sick let him send for the Elders of the Church James 5. 14. The Elders that are among you I exhort who am also an Elder 1 Pet. 5. 1. But with Elders there must be Wisdom and an Ability to give Counsel and Gravity they must not be Novices they must Rule well and be Examples to the People Thus in general from their Names and Titles I have shewed you that they are over you in the Lord. II. I shall shew you a little in Particular what you are to understand by this being over you in the Lord. 1. It is a Power communicated by Christ's Word of Command or Institution the Constitutions of the Gospel do prescribe it Matth. 28. 20. teaching them to do whatsoever things I have commanded you And if any do assume more than Christ doth grant and command in his Word such are Usurpers Thieves and Robbers vainly pretending to what they do not receive and derive from Christ by his Word 2. The Rule that Chrst hath entrusted and committed to them by his Word is the guidance of the Church in all things belonging to the Worship of God for the ordering and disposing of all things in the Church for Christ's Glory and the Churches Edification they are to care for all the Spiritual Concernments of the whole Society that is committed to them they are to care for the House of God 1 Tim. 3. 5. 3. They have their Power immediately by the Church but not from the Church Christ doth apply the Office tho' the Church designs the Person The Church chuseth them and the Holy Ghost makes them Overseers Acts 20. 28. They are sent by Christ John 13. 20. He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me They are Ambassadors for Christ they do act in his stead and by the Authority that he hath committed to them As a King in his absence may appoint Officers to wait upon his Queen and to manage the Affairs of his Kingdom and may also give Rules that upon the death of any of them she should Dr. Goodwin's Government of Churches chuse new ones yet still their Authority is such as the King hath vouchsafed in his Commission to them not what the Queen gives them by chusing them 4. The Obligation of the Members of the Church to a free and voluntary and uncompelled Obedience to them doth arise from the Authority of Jesus Christ which the Elders exercise according to his Laws Your Obedience I say must be free and voluntary yet you are obliged to obey them because they exercise the Authority of Christ according to his Laws They do not act by the Authority of the Church when they declare the consent and determination of the Church in the common Affairs of the Church The Church doth in consenting exercise their Liberty and their Privilege according to the order of the Gospel for the order of the Gospel is such that no act can take place in the Church without their own consent but whilst the Church doth thus exercise their Liberty and the Elders do declare the consent of the Church yet still they act by the Authority of Christ and in his Name Matth. 28. 3 last Verses All Power is given to me in Heaven and in Earth Go ye therefore and teach all Nations baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you Note here That because all Power is given unto me therefore I do authorize you to disciple and baptize all Nations and to teach them to observe all the Institutions of Worship that I have commanded you All Gospel Ministrations are grounded upon the Power that is given to Christ and that not only with respect to the Apostles themselves but also with respect to ordinary Elders that are their Successors for so it follows Lo I am with you always to the end of the World So in Tit. 2. 15. These things teach and exhort and rebuke with all all authority let no Man despise thee They must not act Imperiously nor Precariously but they are to act in their Ministration with all Authority and this Authority is not their own Authority but Christ's and the Authority of Christ must be be freely owned no Man must despise them Thus I have spoken to their Dignity they are over you in the Lord. II. Consider their Work they labour among you and admonish you And here let me shew you Summarily First What their Work is And Secondly That it is a labour I. As for their Work the Apostle speaks Eph. 4.

That it was better for him to be a Father to Judges 18. 12. a whole Tribe than to a private House Joram called Elisha my Father 2 Kings 6. 21. So also did Joash 2 Kings 13. 14. And especially such Ministers as Christ makes use of to be Instruments of the conversion of Sinners are their Fathers Therefore 1 Cor. 4. 12. they being Fathers must travail in birth that Christ may be formed in the Hearts of those to whom they minister as the Apostle tells the Galatians Gal. 4. 19. he did on their behalf and they must also be tenderly affectionate and solicitous for the good of their People As ye know saith the Apostle to the Thessalonians how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you as a Father doth his Children 1 Thess 2. 11. They are Fathers that must comfort and exhort and charge the People But withal they must not pretend to such an absolute Paternal Power as to require any to believe what they say or to do what they command without shewing from the Word of God that thus God reveals his Mind and that thus God commands us to do For any such Paternal Power is forbidden by Christ call no Man Father on Earth for one is your Father which is in Heaven Matth. 23. 9. 3. They are called Guides or Rulers or Leaders Heb. 13. 7 17 24. The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies Guides or Leaders and so you may find it in the Margin of your Bibles and it doth import guiding with some kind of Authority in the Name of Jesus Christ It is the same word that is attributed to Christ Matth. 2. 6. when it 's said that out of Bethlehem should come a Governor that shall rule my People Israel Christ is a Governour and a Guide Isaiah 55. 4. And being to guide they are to go in and out before their People It is true of the chief Shepherd and proportionably of under Shepherds each of them that their Sheep must hear his Voice and he leadeth them out and when he puts forth his own Sheep he goes before them and the Sheep follow him for they know his voice John 10 3 4. But being Guides they must not be blind Guides wo be to them if they be such They must direct the Church especially in all weighty Affairs that concern the common Good of the Church but they are to guide with Counsel with good Reason and with Scripture not with Self-will and with Rigour 4. They are Stewards 1 Titus 7. A Bishop must be blameless as the Steward of God 1 Cor. 4. 1. Let a Man so account of us as of the Ministers of Christ and Stewards of the Mysteries of God therefore they must be faithful So it follows in the second Verse It is required of Stewards that a Man be found faithful and they must be diligent and careful to give every one their portion of Meat in due season Luke 12. 42 43. Who then is that faithful and wise Steward whom his Lord shall make Ruler over his Houshold to give them their portion of Meat in due season Blessed is that Servant whom his Lord when he cometh shall find so doing And they must remember that they must give an account to their Lord when he cometh and if they shall not be able to give an account with Joy Oh how great will be the Terror of that Day 5. They are Watchmen Ezek. 3. 17. Son of Man I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel therefore hear the words of my mouth and give them warning from me Faithful Watchmen must receive the word from God and must give warning from God and let not any think that we are severe in our Warning for it is from God that we give Warning My Lord I stand continually upon the Watch-tower in the day time and I am set in my Ward whole nights so the Duty of a Watchman is described Isa 21. 8. Let none say in mockery Watchman what of the Night Watchman what of the Night We tell you in the Name of the Lord Ver. 11 12. the Morning cometh a bright Morning of National Peace but if you repent not the Night also comes of some dismal trouble or thicker darkness than what ever yet you have felt if you will enquire then enquire seriously and if you will return return with unfeigned Repentance and come to Christ by a lively Faith if you do not it will be an uncomfortable reflection that Conscience will make in a day of Evil This Evil comes upon us because we did not hearken unto the Voice of our Watchmen warning us we obeyed not the Voice of our Teachers and despised Instruction 6. They are called Overseers or Bishops Feed the Church of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God whereof the Holy Ghost hath made you Overseers Acts 20. 28. If a Man desireth the Office of a Bishop he desireth a good work 1 Tim. 2. 1. But hereby is not to be understood as some do groundlesly suppose any superior Order or Degree of Preheminency that some Men have in the Ministry over others No it imports no more than the common Work of all Elders to oversee the Flock that is committed to them and to take heed to them which requireth great Care and Diligence Titus 1. 5. The Apostle tells him he left him to ordain Elders and at the sixth Verse he gives the Character of an Elder If any be blameless c. and he proves it in the seventh Verse for a Bishop must be blameless They are to oversee the Flock with great Care and with great Diligence therefore they must take the oversight of them not by constraint but willingly not for filthy lucres sake but of a ready mind 1 Pet. 5. 2. 7. They be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Shepherds or Pastors and they must feed the People with Knowledge and Understanding Jer. 3. 15. It is true of Christ the chief Shepherd and proportionably of each under Shepherd that the People must hear his word and follow him a stranger will they not follow but will flee from him for they know not the Voice of strangers John 10. 4 5. They are to give them wholesom Food wholesom Doctrine and the People must distinguish between sound Doctrine and the Voice of Strangers But still it must be remembred that Christ is the chief Shepherd of our Souls 1 Pet. 2. 25. 5. 4. And all Men that he doth set over one or other of his Churches they are but under Shepherds all that they deliver truly and soundly they have it from Christ that one Shepherd Eccles 12. 11. And they must being under Shepherds imitate the Example of our Great Shepherd of whom it is prophesied in Isa 40. 11. He shall feed his Flock like a Shepherd he shall gather the Lambs with his Arm and carry them in his Bosom and shall gently lead those that are with young Thus must Shepherds in the Churches do they must