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	holy_a	son_n	18,934	5	5.5867	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A49408	Five sermons, preached before His Majesty at Whitehall, published severally by command, and now printed together, tending all to give satisfaction in certain points to such who have thereupon endeavoured to unsettle the state and government of the church by B. Lord Bishop of Ely.; Sermons. Selections	Laney, Benjamin, 1591-1675.; Laney, Benjamin, 1591-1675. Study of quiet.	1669 (1669)	Wing L342; Wing L351; Wing L352; ESTC R16949	80,355	196

like or dislike It is not simple hearing the Sense it self is not capable of advice but mix'd St. Paul gives the reason why the Gospel being preach'd to the Jews did not profit them because not mix'd with Faith in them that heard it It is not simple hearing but mix'd with a more noble part of the Soul that guides it And so to take heed what you hear is in effect to take heed what Faith and Credit you give to that you hear for so it follows in the Verse VVith what measure you mete it shall be measur'd to you the benefit will answer to the care measure for measure But what different measure can there be of that which differs not Gods Word is from everlasting unchangeable The grass may wither and the flower thereof may fade away saith St. Peter but the word of the Lord endureth for ever and this is the word which by the Gospel is preached unto you 1 Pet. 1. ult Though Gods word be one in it self yet that one hath been made known to the world in different ways and Degrees and so requires a hearing proportionable to them God who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in times past to the Fathers by the Prophets hath in these last days spoken by his Son And likewise that which the Son spake in those last days the days of the Gospel was in divers manners For first he spake by himself in person The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor That which he preached was certainly Gods word And when he left the world to go to his Father he sent the Holy Ghost from Heaven who in the mouth of the Apostles preached the same Gospel for those holy men spake not by the will of man but as they were mov'd by the Holy Ghost And therefore this also was truly the word of God And when the Church was thus founded by the preaching of the Holy Ghost for the propagation of it to all times after it pleased God to give it in VVriting in a Scripture and that by inspiration of the same Spirit which before preached it So as now we need not ascend to Heaven to fetch Christ down nor the Holy Ghost as some pretend to do to know Gods will but to receive it only from that Scripture Thus far we have the Word of God in Proper i. e. immediately out of the mouth of God and our hearing must be absolute for the matter we must say with Samuel Speak Lord for thy servant heareth But when it pleased God to commit the dispensing of that word to the Pastors of the Church for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ Ephes 4. 12. Now the word of God was come into the hands of men subject to infirmities and error who may both deceive themselves and others And here our Saviours advice comes in season Take heed what you hear Before Gods word was in the Original but here only in the Transcript or Copy and some Copyings are more happy than others and come nearer the Original and therefore not all of the same value and esteem All Preachers are not to be heard alike nor all Sermons The word of God in them is so the water of Life that it often tastes of the mineral through which it runs and hath a tincture from the earthen Vessel that brings it and therefore not to be receiv'd with that measure of trust which belongs to the pure and proper word of God For take a Sermon at the best the most you can make of it is that it is Gods word only in a qualified sense because the Church intends it should be so and it is the Preachers judgment and opinion that it is so and possibly it may be so indeed But then because possibly it may not be so we had need take heed what we hear We learn from St. Paul that it was more than possible it was truly so then for he warns Timothy of Preachers that will strive about words to no purpose but to the subversion of the hearers 2 Tim. 2. 14. And verse 16. By prophane and vain bablings do increase to more ungodliness And verse 17. Their word will eat as doth a Canker or a Gangrain for so the Greek word is and that 's a dangerous Disease and by all means possible to be avoided and especially to be taken heed of Thus it was in the early times of the Church we have reason then to look for worse after and so we of late times found it by sad experience Not only profane and vain bablings but Sedition Treason Rebellion were drest up and appear'd in the likeness of Sermons It is too plain we have but too much need of caution to take heed But alas what should private men do must they or can they call all Preachers and Doctrines to account The Scriptures indeed which are the undoubted Word of God would do it if well manag'd but how can that be hoped from every hand wherein wise that is learned men are mistaken and from whence every Sect seeks Patronage and perswades it self to have it What means is there then left by the help whereof we may take heed what we hear Truly none that I know but this still the Scriptures are the only insallible rule But how Not left loose to the prejudices and fancies of every man for then it will fall out as with those that look in a Glass in which every one sees his own face though not anothers the reason is because he brings his face to the Glass not because it was there before So every Sect sees the face of his own Religion in the Scripture not because it was there before but because his strong fancy and prejudice brought it thither he thinks he sees that in the Scripture which in truth is only in his own imagination But how then can we have any help from the Scriptures to take heed what we hear Not as Gods word lies diffus'd through the whole body of them but as prepar'd and ●itted up in a summary and short form of wholsom words by such to whom the care of the Church is committed If any shall think this a humane invention derogatory to the sufficiency of the Scriptures Let him implead St. Paul first who made the same use of it finding what mischief false Teachers had done charges Timothy with the care of it 2 Tim. 1. 13. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hold fast the form of sound words which thou hast heard of me This form he calls in the last verse of the former Epistle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a depositum committed to his trust and for that very purpose that he might avoid profane and vain bablings and oppositions of Science falsly so called and that is plainly that they might take heed what they hear The same course was

nature so the desires of the Soul are unsatisfied here the eye is not satisfied with seeing nor the ear with hearing nor the understanding with knowledg nor the heart with the best and choicest delights of it We are soon wearied and tir'd with what we have and are as thirsty of that we have not In our plenty as craving as others in their greatest wants The goods of this world are Hydropick all quo plus bibuntar plus sitiuntur They that have the greatest share and portion in them of Wealth of Honour of Power do not sleep the better nor are their bodies less comber'd with diseases nor their minds freer from vexations and troubles And therefore as the Saints I nam'd before did by what they willingly suffer'd here shew plainly that they sought another Countrey so by this is shewn as plainly that they had cause to do so Now here lies the fatal necessity of erring they seek a Countrey and City that is invisible and unknown to nature either what the state of that Countrey is or by what laws the Citizens thereof are to be govern'd And when we walk in the dark it is not strange we should lose our way A chief part of that way lies first in the knowledg and worship of that God who had prepar'd for them a City by what Sacrifices Rites and Ceremonies he will be serv'd How much of that may be had by nature we learn by those who were most likely to know but did not who were the masters of knowledge to most other Nations for of such S. Paaul speaks Rom. 1. Who when they profess'd themselves to be wise as well they might in many other things yet in this of Gods worship they became fools For they turned the glory of the uncorruptible God into the similitude and image of corruptible Man and of birds and fourfooted beasts and of creeping things The right way of worshipping God since reveal'd to us to be by Jesus Christ was not only unknown to them but to those to whom God had more peculiarly imparted himself The mysterie of Christ Ephes 3. 5. in other ages was not made known to the Sons of men untill he was reveal'd unto his holy Apostles and Prophets by his Spirit Yea it was unknown to the very Angels who when it was first reveal'd in a kind of admiration and curiosity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 desir'd to look the word signifies earnestly to pry into And that which the Angels of Heaven did not know certainly the sons of men could not The other part of the way to that heavenly Countrey in which we may naturally seem to have some skill the way of vertue that is in the stile of Scripture to live godly righteously and soberly in this present world appeared to the very Heathen to be the only way to happiness Yet these natural impressions were so dim and imperfect both through Original corruption and the over-ruling power of passion and lust that of those things they knew they held the truth in unrighteousness even to the very perverting of the course of nature as the Apostle observes of them in the same place Rom. 1. Besides many vertues they knew not which are the glory of Christianity as Humility Denying our selves Taking up the Cross Forgiving and Loving our enemies in their eyes looked more like follies then vertues and so they would have done in ours too if we had had no better guide then our selves to lead us By this we may see the necessity we have of Leading let us now see the accommodation we have for it in the Leader Our blessed Lord Jesus Christ a person every way fitted for the purpose both for his skill and good will He knew best the Heavenly Countrey whither we are going and the way to it for he came from thence from the bosom of his Father And for his good will to his own we cannot doubt they are the Sheep which he had purchased with his blood and by that had a just title to govern in what Lordly way of Secular domination he pleased yet chose that easie gentle way as Shepherds use to lead their Sheep And such he professed himself to be I am the good Shepherd the good Shepherd giveth his life for the Sheep and He made it good in every point while he was upon earth He went about doing good preaching the Gospel healing the diseases of the Sheep forgiving their sins till he came to the last and hardest work of a good Shepherd He laid down his life for his Sheep Yet his Pastoral care died not with him As he was a Priest for ever so he was a Shepherd for ever for after he had in person ascended into Heaven he took care for his flock that he left behind Him that they might not be as Sheep without a Shepherd And from thence gave gifts unto men some Apostles some Prophets some Pastors and Teachers c. to continue still his Pastoral charge upon earth and they were the same persons which before he went he had designed for it and for the same reason that the Father sent Him to seek and save the Sheep that were lost as appears in the preamble to the commission given to the Apostles Mat. 9. 36. When he saw the multitude he had compassion on them because they were dispersed and scattered abroad like Sheep having no Shepherd This commission indeed was only to the lost Sheep of the house of Israel while he was alive but when he rose again from the dead He renewed and enlarged it to the lost Sheep of all the world Go and teach all Nations And as he assigned the persons sicut misit me Pater As the Father sent me so send I you He Instituted likewise the office it self in all the points and parts of it 1. Go and teach all Nations baptizing c. there he gave the power of preaching and baptizing 2. He commands a perpetual memorial of his death in the Sacrament of his blessed body and blood Hoc facite c. 3. He gave them at the same time the power of the Keyes Whose sins ye remit they are remitted c. 4. And before that in case of contumacy he gave power to excommunicate offenders If he will not hear the Church let him be as a heathen and publican 5. He ordered them how and what to pray VVhen ye pray say c. 6. He gave them power and jurisdiction over false Shepherds to expel them from the flock Beware of false Prophets which come to you in Sheeps cloathing but inwardly are ravening VVolves These and the like are the parts of the Shepherds office And to all these in the third place he gave besides a divine vertue and efficacy to work supernatural effects upon the Soul Not only the institution but the power also is from him And therefore by S. Paul he is called the great Shepherd