Selected quad for the lemma: judgement_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
judgement_n	authority_n	church_n	person_n	1,479	5	5.0691	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A94071	XXXI. select sermons, preached on special occasions; the titles and several texts, on which they were preached, follow. / By William Strong, that godly, able and faithful minister of Christ, lately of the Abby at Westminster. None of them being before made publique.	Strong, William, d. 1654.	1656 (1656)	Wing S6007_pt2; Thomason E875_1; ESTC R203660	179,143	303

imployed under him this I make appear from Gen. 48.15 The Angel that redeemed me from all adversity the Angel the Redeemer that is his name Called therefore the Angel of the Covenant in Mal. 3.1 Now from hence because God intitled his Son thus this very name doth Christ himself convey to all those that are Officers under him and that it is a name borrowed from the old Testament I shall clearly make manifest and therefore it must be used in the same sense In the Old Testament I find it applyed to all Church-Officers to Prophets in Haggai 1.13 Then spake Haggai the Angel of the Lord in the Lords Message there he is called the Angel of the Lord yea all Gospel Ministers are so stiled In Iob 33.23 When a mans soul draws nigh to the grave and his life to the destroyer that is under the guilt of his own conscience if there be an Angel an interpreter so you are to read it not only Prophets neither but Priests are called Angels too So you shall find Iudges 2.1 There came an Angel of the Lord from Gilgal to Bochim a man would have thought it had been an Angel come from heaven But it is an Angel that came frome Gilgal to Bochim It was a Minister among men as Interpreters expound it But it s ordinarily interpreted of Phineas the Priest And his Message drew such tears from the people that it s called Bochim the place of weeping so some expound that place in Eccles 5.6 spoken against rash vows lest they say before the Angel of the Lord it is an over-sight the Angel of the Lord who is that Look to the 5. of Leviticus ver 5. it will help you to expound that text It was commanded of God that all rash Vows the errors of them should be confest unto the Priest therefore if the title Angel were given to all Church-Officers under the New And cannot in reason be applyed to any one sort of Officers as some have done it lately to Bishops The second expression is that of Stars and that will evidence the thing unto you By stars in the Scripture are meant all men of great place or power either in State or Church Persons of great place and authority in the state Matth. 24.9 where the Lord describing the sad Desolations that should befall Jerusalem he saith Stars shall fall from heaven when some people read that place they conceive it s spoken of the day of Judgement and not of the downfal of that State these shall be brought down from their state and honour and that is the meaning of that place Rev. 8.27 the Sun shall be smitten and the third part of the stars And it s meant all persons of great place in the Church observe Dan. 8.10 from whence in all probability these expressions are taken Antiochus waxed great over the host of heaven for so the Church is called and cast down some of the Stars to the ground and trampled upon them persons of great place are commonly called stars and the edge of the persecution commonly turns upon them When the Lord speaks this to the comfort of his servants that he holds the stars in his hand it were but small comfort to inferiour officers to tell them the Lord holds the stars in his hand that is great men the highest officers but not you when as it s spoken of them all the Church is the host of heaven and all the officers thereof are the stars in Christs right hand that is the first thing Secondly What is the act of Christs care towards these the text saith he holds them in his right hand it signifies two things according to a double expression in the Scripture the right hand of Majesty in Heb. 1.3 and so Christ is said to sit at his right hand The right hand of power Luke 1.76 I conceive the latter is here intended and to be understood of that power that he doth use in mercy to put forth for the protection deliverance and preservation of his people hence it is that in Psal 20.6 all deliverance and preservation is called the salvation of his right hand Rivet and therefore De clementissima Protectione Psalm 22.7 he will protect them with his right hand in this life and he will exalt them with his right hand in the life to come Here give me leave to hint to you four things before I pass from this mark them well for they concern you First take notice from hence that Church-Officers are but stars and they shine but with a borrowed light with a derived light they have their light from the Sun of righteousness the fountain and the Father of lights Mal. 4.2 they must be Seers before they can be Prophets What hast thou that thou hast not received take heed therefore though its true that one star differs from another star in Glory yet let no man exalt himself in regard of his own light thou art but the vessel and hast no more light then the Lord is pleased to put into thee and remember while the stars shine t is night though whilest the night lasts the stars are needful whilest we live here even the best men they walk in the dark and therefore the most glorious times of the Church stand in need of these stars But the day hastens when these stars shall disappear for ever for Christ will put down all rule and all authority and power 1 Cor. 15.28 there shall be no more use of Magistracy or Ministery for ever But yet though the day approacheth it is night still the greatest light and the most glorious discoveries of all the Ministers in the world cannot make day in the soul or in the Church unless the Sun of righteousness discover himself therefore let the people seek out for further direction and get a light from Christ the Sun of righteousness which is a light that all the Ministers Officers in the world cannot impart for all the light that they can bring in is but star-light and they are a woful people and disconsolate souls that only live and walk by star-light all their daies Secondly The stars are in the right hand of Christ that is at his dispose therefore sure he appoints them their Orbs where they shall shine he removes the stars as well as the Candlestick that expression is very observable in Isa 62. How Beautiful are the feet of those upon the mountains that bring glad tidings What beauty is there to be seen in their feet the meaning of it is there is a beauty in the Message that they bring the Lord having made the Gospel ambulatorie and itinerarie that it is carried about from house to house and from place to place by the feet of the Ministery Remember you that enjoy the Gospel that sad expression in Jerem. 7.12 Go to my place in Shilo where I set my name at first and see what I did there Why what did God there he forsook the Tabernacle of Shilo

also and that is the presence here spoken of First it is a throne of glory and majesty the Throne the Scepter and the Crown are inter regalia that belong unto the royalty of the great King all these belong unto Christ the Crown he is crowned with glory and honour and he hath a Scepter which is sometimes the Word Psal 110.2 and sometimes the Sword Ezek. 21.10 what if it destroy the King and reach unto the greatest amongst men for judgement shall in a special manner reach them Verse 14. It was part of Solomons glory that he built unto himself a high throne of Ivory and a King sitting upon this throne appears in his glory and therefore at the last day when that great white throne of Christ shall be erected Rev. 20.11 it is said of him that he shall sit upon the throne of his glory and therefore Ezek. 10.4 and the glory of the Lord went up from the Chimney and stood over the threshold of the house and the house was filled with the cloud c. and so there is in the middle of his people 2 Cor. 3. ult we beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord there is that discovery of Christ to be glorious amongst his people as there is nowhere in the world beside they see he is altogether lovely they can see a beauty and an excellency in him above all the world they are able to describe him in his glory from head to foot when other men say What is thy beloved there is no beauty or comliness in him that he should be desired now as the Lord did to Moses when he did desire him shew me thy glory the Lord causeth his goodness to pass before him and so Iob 42.5 Now my eyes see thee c. it was such a discovery of glory as he never had before and so it was with Isa 6.34 and so Rev. 22.4 they shall see his face and his name shall be writ in their fore-heads as in Heaven the habitation of his holyness and glory there are such discoveries given forth of God which also are voluntary and in such a degree as he pleaseth for there is a Lumen gloriae as well as gratiae that is from the spirit of illumination and as God is pleased to discover more or less of his glory so have the Saints in heaven more or less glory for their glory consists in vision the more they see of him the more they enjoy him and the more they are made like unto him so it is in this life also there is a Vision of faith and it is more or less according unto the different degrees of the Spirit of illumination Eph. 1.17 and it is this revelation of Christ that is the ground of believing in him Ioh. 6.40 he that sees the son and believes in him and so Isaiah sawe his glory and spake of him Ioh. 12.41 There are different discoveries made unto the souls of the Saints of the excellency of his person the King in his beauty the all sufficiency of his righteousness the glory of his holiness the fulness of his spirit the compleatness of his victories c. We see what a common work did to Balaam and how mightily it affected him and transported him how much more then a saving and a supernatural work upon the souls of the Saints the vision of Christ in his glory will be much illustrated as it is by a discovery of sin in its filthyness when the Lord sets a mans sin in order before him the Law entred that the offence might abound Rom. 7. not to make it to be more then it is for the Law adds no evil unto sin but it discovers it that a man sees it to be the most hateful thing that which before he loved more then his life and could venture all to attain it now he would give any thing to be rid of it so there is a vision of Christ that is manifested unto his people in the Gospel by which they are really and spiritually affected and carried out into love and admiration of him the vail of the covering that is upon all flesh being taken away and according to the reality and fulness of this discovery so doth a mans affections rise towards him Ioh. 14.21 I will manifest my self to him he had a manifestation before but he shall have a further manifestation for the Lord doth arise in the soul as the Sun of Righteousness as the morning his goings forth are prepared as the morning that shines more and more unto the perfect day and the more of the glory of Christ is discovered in the Gospel the more the man doth see the King upon his Throne for he doth sit upon a Throne of glory in the middle of his people as it is with sin there is a rational conviction of sin and that is light without heat and so there is a rational revelation of Christ that will harden the heart but will never melt it as there are Consolations from men taken out of the word but they will never satisfie the soul so there are discoveries of Christ from men which is but by the hearing of the ear but there is a sight of him and it is that only doth affect the heart c. Secondly it is a throne of soveraignty a throne doth belong to a King and so is a note of supream authority so in the government of the Angels the voice that commands them is from the throne that is in the Firmament over their heads Ezek. 1.25 so doth the Lord sit upon his throne and all his people are gathered about him that they may sit down at his feet and receive his Law Deut. 33.3 and he gives Laws unto the consciences of men for the word is mighty in operation and sharper then a two-edged sword dividing between the joynts and the marrow and discerns the secret intentions of the heart Heb. 4.12 The efficacy of the Law depends upon the authority of the Law-giver and therefore till that be seen the Law is of no power when a man doth see that it comes from him that is Lord of the conscience and Judge of the conscience as what is the reason that at the day of Judgement the conscience shal be specially awakened to accuse or excuse men Rom. 2.15,16 it is because then the majesty of the Law-giver shall be then most gloriously seen and in the authority of the Law giver lies the efficacie of the Law that as upon Mount Sinai the mountain did shake when the Lord did utter his voice so there shall be a shaking and a terrour struck into the hearts of men they shall have a dread and an awe upon them of that Majesty and authority from whence it comes though before they regarded it not It is wonderful to see the impressions that are made upon the souls of unregenerate men by this authority when they have but a glimps from a common work of this King upon his Throne