Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heaven_n	great_a	lord_n	power_n	7,329	5	4.8289	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A54151	The guide mistaken, and temporizing rebuked, or, A brief reply to Jonathan Clapham's book intituled, A guide to the true religion in which his religion is confuted, his hypocrisie is detected, his aspersions are reprehended, his contradictions are compared / by W.P., a friend to the true religion.	Penn, William, 1644-1718.	1668 (1668)	Wing P1301; ESTC R15309	49,937	66

Trencher-Chaplin Tutor c did he traverse the Country Sprinkling Marrying Churching Burying the common trade of those ejected Priests And can he say that whilst the King and Bishops were incapacitated by Exile to act as Officers in the Church and State he own'd the one for Supream in matters Civil and Ecclesiastical and the others for so many Apostolical heads in Christ's Church Did he protest against the Cruelty of those Powers in the clear subversion of both What Prison was he in what Bonds did he endure what Loss sustain Testimony bear and Loyalty express on the behalf of his Episcopal Faith and its Defender Alas But was he not in all those strange occurrences of times and variety of changes to be found Priest of Wramplingam in Norfolk At the beginning of the Wars a most precise Stickler for a Reformation extolling the great Necessity aswel as Righteousness of the Solemn League and Covenant encouraging others thereunto both by his example and doctrine Bold for the Directory and busie at chusing Elders and so went under the notion of a Presbyterian But 't was not long before the Independents through their greater Courage and Policy had undermin'd and vanquisht t'others Interest and when possest of the Authority he saw 't was folly to expect a Sallery as Guide in that way the Governing-Party of the Nations had rejected and therefore was obliged to list himself a Volunteer in Jo. Munny's Independent Congregation t was then the beheaded King was by this Guide both preach't printed as a Toe of that Image the little Stone cut out of the Mountain without hands was to smite and therefore says the fall of the ten Kingdoms was begun the Lord is risen out of his habitation gainsay not for who seeth not the alteration is of the Lord And in his Answer to an Objection that this Prophecy was accomplisht when this Nation fell from Popery sayes he Doctrinally it was but not Politically the Government hath continued the same yea and hard enough to the Saints alias NONCONFORMISTS none can deny it Now the Change this Prophecy speaks of respests the Government In another place sayes he There can be no clearer evidence that God is about this work of breaking down this great IMAGE and smiting the very Feet and Toes thereof than this present Victory over the Scottish Forces at Dunbar which we are now to render Thanksgiving to God for the cause of this War being Whether this IMAGE shall be upheld or the Feet and Toes be broken In short O ye Honoured Worthies whom the Lord hath raised up to effect these great Changes carry on the Lord's Work That your People may not have cause to say We have changed our TYRANTS not our TYRANNY Although Providence seems to put an Impossibility of setling Government in the Former way But time hath proved him both a Temporizer and a false Prophet 'T was also then he sought if possible to ingratiate himself with the Powers and People of the Land by his most invective and false discourse against the harmless Quakers with a large Dedicatory Epistle to O. Cromwel allow'd by him of England Scotland Ireland c. Protector to whom amongst other extraordinary Complements I cannot let pass these expressions where he invites him as God's Delegate in honour to Jesus Christ and out of love to the Churches of Christ for whose welfare you have this Great Power committed to You to stop these Seducers c. concluding thus The Lord of Heaven and Earth bless your Highness with the continuance of his gracious Presence with you that as you have done valiantly in the high places of the Field that is fought against King and Bishops so you govern as righteously and happily in the Gates of the City O gross dissimulation Now 't is he turns Engagement-man and is employ'd by the several Churches in Norfolk to R. Cromwel on the Death of Oliver as their Representative about that Petition or Address made by the Priests in general which terms the Father Moses and the Son the Joshua that should conduct them to the Holy-Land But he being by the Projections and angry resentments of the Long-Parliament divested of his usurped Authority this Guide finds out a very honourable Epithite for it which had not long tasted of Power before another Revolution took its place but I must needs confess that when 't was noised A King was coming in and the Church of England to be restored to all her ancient Emoluments so called this Guide grew seemingly dejected and very forward in expressing his dislike against their Spiritual Lordships and not less contumeliously as he now would think both of her Worship and Discipline hoping the Presbyterians Testimony of Allegiance in their zealously assisting to facilitate the King's Return would so far interest him in their concerns as not wholly to be excluded from the exercise of their Religion in the Land But when 't was manifest that nothing under an open Conformity would purchase the enjoyment of their Parishes whatever becomes of them this Guide slinks from his Independant Church and Presbyterian hopes reads the Common-Prayer-Book subscribes the Articles changes Oliver Richard or Parliament for Charles once a Toe of the Beast that the little Stone was to smite of England Scotland Ireland c. And in the place of Christs Churches the Church of England with the whole Tribe how ever dignified or distinguished the beheaded King once the first broken Toe of the Image now he commemorates with an Anniversary Sermon and as the top of all boldly renounces his so solemnly-taken League and Covenant What temporizing's this O what unheard-of Hypocrisie is here But Reader what 's thy opinion of the matter Can Oliver be Moses Richard Joshua and Charles Defender of the Faith altogether whose Interests were so opposite as the last to be exiled and kept so by both With whom was God's presence in all these times the Church of England If so then not with those that turn'd her out where Clapham had his Parish How plainly have his actions unmaskt the gross dissimulation of his heart and these corrupt fruits explain'd the poisonous nature of the tree that brought them forth But lest I may be thought to wrong him as if it were impossible for one who pretends himself a Christian Minister to be guilty of such abominable time-serving Reader peruse these passages where he confidently affirms such to have been the best wisest and most judicious Christians who under all those great Changes and Revolutions amongst us of latter times have endeavoured the maintaining the Fundamental Doctrines of the Gospel even to a degree of complyance in things of a lower nature in which he positively concludes all persons from Canterbury to the meanest Curat in the Nation as also Seculars in their respective places have been to blame both as to their understanding and wisdom in not yeelding with Clapham in those smaller matters viz. an expulsion of the

no greater foil than this person 's bare reproaches at least assertions without proof the discreet world will soonet acquiesce in the stronger Arguments of Socinus and his quaint Adherents than this unreasonable and slandering Guide Nor does a wrong opinion gain more credit or life than when oppos'd by persons indiscreet and incompetent CHAP. II. Aspersions reprehended Sect. 1. IT is an Art this Guide is curious at to purchase the esteem of such whom his miscarriages may justly have incens'd at the inhumane rate of forward and invective slanders on such who has for conscience-sake stept aside from the establisht Ministry of the Nations but more especially the Quakers against whom he ever has been bold to write and speak being withdrawn from every Form and Constitution to wait for life from God and not from beggarly elements and therfore made a prey to all parties against whom he knew every hand has been lifted up distressed by and forsaken of all Civil Power and consequently secure in his undertaking He was not slothful under former Powers nor has he been less diligent since employing all his wicked wits to render us a people unfit to hold society with men being not only destructive to Religion but Government Nor will the character he has given of us in pag. 62. speak much less where enveighing against Sects he begins with us in this manner I shall only instance in one more of such as err in Fundamental Points who in respect of their want of learning and outward accomplishments are contemptible yet in respect of their number and singular obstinacy in their way whereby they amuse the vulgar are not to be past by viz. the Quakers Although Quakerism cannot properly be called a Sect of Christians but rather a total Apostacy from Christianity for excepting they have the Name of Christ in their mouths they scarce retain any Article of the Christian Faith Reader thou needst not be a man so very judicious although our Cause being by most perused with a prejudiced eye desires thee to be impartial rightly to taste what the ingredients and infusions are that do compose this Spirit who at the very entrance manifests himself thus intoxicated that he has already over-shot both verity and good manners thereby preparing the minds of such as reade him to entertain his Falsities the most he can for the disadvantage of our persons and principles This front of his Impeachment calls for my Answer in these respects 1. We stand charg'd as to our want of Learning and external accomplishments It is our joy and matter of rejoycing and many times with unutterable thanksgivings in sincerity I can say that the everlasting God should now as frequently at other times display the Riches of his Love and Grace to the mean and despised amongst men herein is it transcending in our eye that he should abscond these things and leave them still as mysteries to the wise world whilst in extream love he has so plentifully vouchsafed the revelation of them unto babes and therein made good that ancient observation of Paul in our times Not many Wise not many Noble not that we thereby do exclude any only we can affirm that the entrance of God's everlasting Gospel of Salvation or whatever he has had to do amongst the sons of men has been with very seemingly despicable attendances This ought not to be dubious unto any intelligent person that has but given himself a moderate acquaintance with History If I should go no further than the Scriptures of Truth let it be there examined and 't will appear if such whom God call'd at any time from the beginning to the end were not Handicraft Labouring and Husband-men persons inexpert in the Scholastick Adages Disputations and Opinions of the Heathenish Philosophical World But lest that may not be of sufficient authority let them but reade the account that 's largely given in this matter by Heraldus who declares the primitive Christians general disgust to all humane Literature and Philosophy in particular the only accomplishments of that Age which occasion'd the Gentiles continual upbraiding of the Christians for Ideots and illiterate persons And Origen in so many words gives this account of the very Propagators of the Gospel that they were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Weavers or Combers of Wool Coblers Fullers and illiterate and exceeding rustick But lest it may be objected that though God at first was pleas'd to use such illiterate Preachers thereby to manifest the greatness of his Power yet afterwards the means of Literature were not to be neglected as necessary ingredients to an able and orthodox Minister Let such but reade the Ordinance of the fourth Council of Carthage where it is ordained Let every Clergie-man get his livelihood by some Artifice or Husbandry without prejudice to his Calling and let every Clergie-man though learned in the Word of God have some Artifice or Handicraft and let all Clergie-men that are able to labour learn some petty Handicrafts And Gaudentius expresly sayes that we do not reade that ever the Ancients did teach Philosophy since they did rather abhor it I fain sayes he would see any man that could shew that the Christians either before or in the time of Justinian did openly teach Philosophy And as the Waldenses of old answered the Academian Papists as Warnerius and others who said concerning their Preachers Doctores ipsorum sunt Textores Sutores their Teachers are Weavers and Coblers So we return to this Contemner of the Quakers for their unacquaintance in Learning We are not ashamed of our Ministers because they labour with their hands procuring thereby a livelihood to themselves according as they are able because both the doctrine and example of the Apostles doth lead us to such apprehensions And if this Guide were either learned himself or but impartial he may remember that there was not one at the Nicene Council whose Creed is so famous in Europe who understood the Hebrew tongue not to make any comparison between John's Greek and the Quakers English or to instance the great difference betwixt Isaiah and Jeremiah in the old Testament And therefore be it known to all those who shall in Libanus his scoffing stile say Let us not hear what these men speak concerning Heaven God and Goodness who come forth black and sooty from the Smith's Forge and Anvil That 't is not in the power of man's reason wit study or wisdom to unseal the Book see hear and understand the deep things of God nor to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ But as the Apostles said so say we Everlasting praises to our God by the revelation of his eternal Spirit he has given us in measure that Divine Science truly so called And this Light we are not asham'd to own for our Teacher in the fight of Nations but by its Supream

Angels that Christ died for the Sins of the World and gave his Life a Ransom Perfection from sin they hold attainable because he that 's born of God sins not and that nothing which is unclean can enter the Kingdom of God no Crown without victory the little Leaven leavens the whole lump the strong man must be cast out Paul prayes they might be sanctified Wholly Be ye perfect as God is perfect be perfect be of good comfort unto a perfect man as many as be perfect that the Man of God may be perfect The God of peace make you perfect in EVERY good Work the God of all Grace make you perfect let us cleanse our selves from ALL filthiness of flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God leaving those things behind let us go on unto perfection and this will we do if God permit If perfection were unattainable it would be strange that the Scriptures should speak of such a state and very preposterous that Paul Peter c. should so sollicite and pray for the antient Saints that they might come thither even to the spirits of just men made perfect nay he positively avouches to have arrived there at the Heavenly Jerusalem at the Church of the first Born c. And notwithstanding that this excellent State should never be enjoyed seems to me no less than a giving the Apostles Doctrine the lie and tacitly impeaching them of gross dissimulation and contradiction But Reader 't is not onely my Opinion that Perfection is attainable for if thou pleasest to remember the many passages of his Discourse already past my observation as well as to remark the following Chapter of his contradictions thou certainly will find Perfection an Article of this Guides Creed without the least violation to his matter Sect. 6. They deny any necessity of special Grace of the Spirit to Conversion and Sanctification saying The Light within is sufficient hereunto and scoff at them that pray for more His malice and his lies run parallel Are there amongst the Sons of men any that so contend for that Grace which brings Salvation and so strongly plead as well with sufferings as otherwise the absolute necessity of Faith therein subjection thereto and sanctification thereby to this blind professing World And for his distinction between the Light and Grace Reader if thou dost well observe the Apostle Paul's description of their properties and effects I question not but thou wilt soon condemn this Guide for ignorant and very inobservant of the Scriptures For he to the Ephesians writes That whatsoever makes manifest is light and bids them thereby to walk circumspectly So that the Apostle sets it as the distinguisher between good and evil as a Guide or Leader And thus was Jesus Christ the fulness of Light nominated by the Prophet A Light unto the Gentiles a Leader unto the People for Salvation unto the ends of the Earth who by the Evangelist is said to have enlightened every man and by the Prophet 't is determined as well as by the same John in his Revelation That the Nations of them which are saved must walk in that Light and how it can be different from that Grace whose properties are the same in teaching to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live soberly righteously and godly in this present World cannot be rationally suppos'd for sayes the Apostle John If ye walk in the Light as God is in the Light ye shall be cleansed from all sin which Paul expresses thus If ye walk in the Spirit ye shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh and sayes Christ I am the Light of the World he that follows me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the Light of Life It must be therefore evident to every common understanding that this so much blasphem'd Light Spirit and Grace spoken of leading to the same condition and bringing to the same end are one in essence and virtue though diversly denominated according to the variety of its operations and who is 't can be thought a Christian that denies the sufficiency of this Glorious Light which graciously is given of God as a Leader to the Nations and for Salvation to the ends of the Earth And surely had this Guide but ever been acquainted with its pure instructions and walk't therein the benefit that would have certainly accru'd had better taught him the excellency of its Nature and the reverent observance he ought to pay it and not to make a scoff at it as he most wickedly sayes the Quakers do at Grace who generally are known to be no mockers but have been made a laughing-stock by all Perswasions being reviled they bless persecuted they suffer defamed they intreat accounted the off-scouring of all things unto this day and made a spectacle unto the World Angele and Men. Sect. 7. 10. He follows on much at the same rate Sabbaths and Sacraments and all instituted Worship they cast off the great Doctrines of the Resurrection Last Judgment Heaven and Hell they turn into Allegories c. How long wilt thou immagine write and utter lying vanities to bespatter defame and expose to vulgar rage the innocent People and royal Inheritance of the most high God Canst thou expect thy dayes shall terminate in peace and that the Judge of all will not account with thee for all thy slanders yea Clapham be it known unto thee the dreadful God shall recompence it on thy head nor shall thy peevish malice surpassing all I know escape a pledge of Gods displeasure on thee ere thou takest thy farewel of this Earth he will rebuke thy unclean Spirit too full of nasty venom and lies ever to have admittance where nothing enters that defiles or makes a lie It 's not a rage I am in as thou may'st think and willingly wouldst have others to believe God bears me record but the infallible sence I have upon my Spirit of thy deep ensnating hypocrisie to betray if possible others more moderate and faithful into the same wicked yeelding spirit with thy self and also I fear thy immortal enmity to us the innocent People of the Lord provokes to a holy indignation and judgement 's for that unrighteous nature to eternity But that I may not leave the Reader unsatisfi'd as to this last most impudently wicked aspersion know in the name of all true Quakers the Sabbath that is reserv'd for the People of God is so far from being by them rejected or denyed that they admonish all to the exact and punctual observation of it not to think their own thoughts speak their own words nor do their own works for the word Sacraments 't is no where scriptural and till he explains his meaning I am not bound to find him one but for such Worship as is of Scripture-institution and perform'd by the Spirit of God they own and practise disowning as there is good reason all other Institutions The Doctrine of the