Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heaven_n	high_a	thought_n	way_n	6,933	5	7.2447	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A03930	The preachers president, or, The master and scholler in a sermon preached at a synode holden by the Right Reuerend Father in God, Iohn, Lord Bishop of Chester, at Wigan in Lancashire, the 21 of Aprill, 1625 / by Iames Hyatt B. of D. and preachers of Gods Word at Liuer-poole.	Hyatt, James, fl. 1625.	1625 (1625)	STC 14038; ESTC S2753	13,491	24

more shame therefore is it for such and the greater shall bee their Iudgement who by their disordered liues bring this contempt vpon our calling and make the filth of their owne vicious courses to be cast into the faces of vs all Christ cals vs the Salt of the Earth and Salt is good Ministers are vsefull and necessary amongst men Mat. 5.13 but if the Salt haue lost his sauour wherewith shall it be seasoned it is then neither fit for the land nor yet for the dunghill Luke 14.34 35. but men cast in out That is saith Saint Hierome vnsauoury Ministers are to be deposed and turned out of the Ministery And so is his Expedition said to bee vrged in the Councell of Basill against Pope Eugenius for his deposition from the Papacie And well were it for vs if some vnsauoury ones amongst vs might bee so dealt with but if they scape the hand of Iustice at our Synods and Visitations I must yet say to them as once a Reuerend Father is said to haue spoken to the Councell of Rhemes when he saw there was no hope of reformation amongst them fratres aliam vobis pronuntio Synodum My Brethren I must put you in minde of another Synod which the great Archbishop of our soules shall hold at his second comming to Iudgement and then let these be sure that though now they lurke in tenebris they shall be found out and fitted according to their deserts for if then they shall haue nothing to plead for themselues but Master haue we not in thy name prophesied Christ hath told them before hand what they shall looke for at that day I will say to them I know you not Mat. 7.23 depart from me yee that worke iniquity And so I come to the second thing which they ascribe to Christ Secondly And teachest the way of God in truth Which as it was also truely spoken of Christ though with a bad minde in them that first spake it so ought it in some sort to bee verified in euery Minister of Gods Word First he that is called to be a Master his worke must be to teach and secondly the subject of his Doctrine must be the way of God and thirdly the manner of his teaching it must be in truth First Ministers are not only to know the truth and to liue according to it themselues but to teach it to others Acts 1.1 For so did Christ hee fulfilled his Ministerie in doing and teaching Indeed the Prophet Esay saith hee was dumbe as a sheepe before the Shearer But wee neuer reade of him that hee was dumbe as a Shepherd amongst his sheepe but it was his custome at least euery Sabboth day to preach the Word in the Synagogues Luk. 4.16 And himselfe saith that one chiefe end why he came into the World was to preach to the poore Verse 17. And it was the first part of the Apostles Commission which they had from him Mat. 28.19 goe and teach We know how fearefully the Lord inueigheth against stumbring and sleepy Watchmen Esay 56.10 whom he cals dumbe Dagges that barke not and wee reade that the Holy Ghost came downe vpon the Apostles in the likenesse of fiery tongues Act 12. quia quos miseris Deus ardentes pariter loquentes facit whom God sends he makes them not only to burne in themselues by the zeale of good Workes but to shine to others too by light of Doctrine Exod. 38.25 The Law threatneth death to the Priest if hee make not a sound with his Bels when he goeth into the Sanctuary Which by the Iudgement of all Interpreters signifieth deadly danger to a dumbe Minister Morte dignus est Sacerdos à quo vox praedicationis non auditur saith one That Priest is not worthy to liue that doth not vse to preach the Word of God And it is a dismall conditionall woe which Saint Paul doth expressely thunder out against himselfe and in himselfe against all others Vae mihi si non euangelizauere 1. Cor. 9.16 Woe be to me if I preach not the Gospell And therefore here you see that the intollerable negligence of some amongst vs comes iustly to be reprooued who it may be are outwardly blamelesse in their lines but yet silent in their Ministery liuing in the Church like Lamps without light or Bells without clappers or as a Cryer in a Court without a voyce for innocens absque sermone conuersatio saith Saint Hierome quantum exemplo prodest Hier. ad Occanum tantum silentio nocet A dumbe Minister though of an innocent life doth hurt as much by his silence as hee helpes by his example A Minister by his place is not only a Christian but a Ruler amongst Gods people not only a Souldier of Christs but a Watchman of the Lord of Hoasts not only a sheepe of the fold but a Shepheard of the flocke not only a stone of the building but a Builder of the House of God not only a plant of the Garden but a Planter of the trees thereof not only a Child of the Family but a spirituall Father to beget Children vnto God in Christ and in a word not only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat. 28.19 a Disciple of Christ himselfe but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Master appointed to teach others And thefore let vs take heed of being dumbe in the Ministery least when God shall come to vs with how camest thou in hither wee bee strucke dumbe by his Maiestie in the day of his Visitation Secondly as a Masters worke is to teach so the subiect of his labour the matter that hee is to worke vpon is the way of God that is as Dauid expounds it The way of Gods Testimonies Psal 119.34.27 32. the way of Gods Precepts the way of Gods Commandements and in plaine tearmes that manner of liuing here which God hath prescribed to vs in his word Which in regard of the eminencie and profitablenes of it aboue all other wayes that mans wit can finde out or any other creature make knowne to him is in other places called the way of Wisedome Knowledge Truth Peace Life Saluation c. it is here called the way of God specially in three respects because it is reuealed of God approued of God and leadeth those that walke in it to the fruition of God Gods Word then must be the matter of our teaching we may not deliuer any thing else of our owne heads in the roome of it for Gods way and mans way the directions of Gods Word and the thoughts of mans heart are as contrary one to the other as light and darknesse My thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your wayes my wayes Esay 55.8 9 saith the Lord for as the Heauens are higher then the Earth euen so are my wayes higher then your wayes and my thoughts then you thoughts And the Apostle saith 1. Cor. 3.19 that the wisdome of this World

workes in all them that should draw neere vnto him in the seruice of his Altar So likewise Christ couples them together in the New Testament whosoeuer shall doe and teach the Commandements saith he the same shall bee called great in the Kingdome of Heauen And hee testifieth of Iohn the Baptist that he was a burning and a shining lampe Mat. 5.19 burning in himselfe by the holinesse of his life and shining to others by the puritie of his doctrine And the Apostle exhorts the Elders of Ephesus that they should take heede to themselues and to the flocke ouer which the holy Ghost had made them ouerseers Act. 20.28 to the flock by feeding them with the foode of wholsome doctrine and to themselues by liuing in their owne persons according to that which they taught to others So that these two being necessarily required in euery faithfull Minister and ioyned together by the Holy Ghost ought not by any meanes to be found seuered in any that take vpon them to be masters of Gods people but though they may not be separated in a Ministers practise yet for the better opening of my Text and fitting of it to the present occasion I must speake of them seuerally as they are in order laid downe to vs in the words of my Text. The first thing then which they ascribe to Christ is that he is true Master wee know that thou art true Which seemeth to me to inferre three things first that he knew the truth that must needes bee implyed secondly that he vsed to stand stifly to it and to maintaine it against the opposers of it for that 's esse veracem to be one that not onely hath the truth in himselfe but holdes and vpholds it against others Thirdly that he was faithfull and sincere in all his proceedings leading an innocent and blamelesse life amongst them And that Christ was true in himselfe in all these respects is most euident to vs that know the truth so that to spend time in the proofe of it were but to hold a candle to the Sunne but as they were eminently in Christ so ought they to bee competently in euery Minister of Christ Iesus First it is necessarie that euery master ouer Gods people should know the truth for as Christ when hee first came to visit in mercie vpbraided Nicodemus with the want of this which he obserued to be in him art thou a master of Israel and knowest not these things Iohn 3.10 so much more when he shall come the second time to visit in Iudgment he will questionlesse bee highly offended with those that haue taken vpon them to set themselues down in the Masters Chayre when the schollers forme would better haue becom'd their ignorance No wise man sends a message of importance by the mouth of a foole shall we thinke that Almighty God sends those to bee his messengers in the Ministerie of his Gospell to the World that runne like Ahimaaz without their errand no 2. Sam 18.23 God him selfe hath foretold vs that though such runne yet hee hath not sent them for whom he sends Ier. 14.14 he first tels them their errand and teacheth them that truth by his word and Spirit which he sends them to teach to others Secondly it is necessarie too that as euery Minister should haue the truth in himselfe so hee should hold and maintaine it against those that oppose it for so Saint Paul chargeth Titus that hee should ordaine none Tit. 1.9 but those that should hold fast the faithfull word being able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to conuince gaine-sayers And he presently addes this reason for there are many vnruly and vains talkers and deceiues whose mouthes must bee stopt meaning by strength of reason and force of argument and therefore straight way after hee aduiseth Titus himselfe to vse such sound speech in his doctrine as cannot be condemned Tit. 2.7.8 that he which is on the contrarie part may be ashamed saith he when he shall haue nothing to say against you So that euery Minister is to bee furnished with a double knowledge Dogmaticall and Polemicall that he may not onely be able to reach and exhort but to conuince gaine-sayers being the shepheard of Gods sheepe he must haue a two-fold voyce one to gouerne and call in and keep together his sheepe which must be gentle familiar to them and another to driue away Wolues which must be fearefull and terrible to them one to teach and stablish the truth and another to preuent or supplant and roote vp Heresies and Errours like Nehemiahs builders who held a Trowell in one hand Neb. 4.17 and a Sword in the other Thirdly euery Master is not only to haue to hold the truth 1. Tim. 4.16 but to liue according to it Saint Paul tels Timothy that of all else Bishops and Ministers must bee blamelesse and men of good report euen of those that are without 2. Tim. 4.16 And therefore afterward hee bids Timothy himselfe that he should take heed as well to himselfe as to his doctrine And Titus that hee should shew himselfe in example of good workes to others A Ministers life is indeed the very life of his Ministery it is to little purpose for vs to commend the straite way to others that leads to heauen if our selues runne before them in the broad way that leadeth to Hell for Greg. Pag. Cum Pastor per abrupta graditur ad praecipitium grex sequitur When the Shepheard himselfe goeth before in dangerous and steepe downe places the flocke cannot but follow after head-long to their owne destruction The life of a Minister is an exemplary teaching of his people for the most do more marke our liues then our Learning so that he which liueth ill though he preach well by his life puts a lye vpon the truth which he preacheth and puls down that with one hand which he seemeth to build with the other There is no one thing which makes our Ministery which is in it selfe the most honourable calling amongst men to be so contemptible and so basely counted of as it is in the World as the vicious and scandalous liues of some amongst vs for as Apollonius is said to haue girded a false Prophet of the Montanists with his dic quaeso Propheta ludit tesseris ac tabulis Propheta foeneratur c. So I would it might not bee said to some of ours and further added to it Propheta pugnat inrat inebriatur scortatur fallit litigat mundana cogitat sapit amat agit c. Oh that these things were not talkt of in Gath and published in the streets of Askalon These are they that make our calling so contemptible in the World for Mal. 2.8 9. Yee are departed out of the way saith the Lord to the Priests yee haue caused many to stumble at his Law therefore haue I made you contemptible and base before all the people The