Selected quad for the lemma: prince_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A65073
|
The saints nearness to God being a discourse upon part of the CXLVIII Psalm / written at the request of a friend by Richard Vines ...
|
Vines, Richard, 1600?-1656.; Drury, William.
|
1662
(1662)
|
Wing V567; ESTC R3254
|
27,474
|
152
|
PErlegi hunc Tractatum in quo nihil reperio aut sanae Doctrinae aut bonis moribus contrarium quo minus Imprimatur Ex Aedibus Lambethanis Octob. 13. 1662. Dan. Nicols R. P. D. Arch. Cant. Capel Domesticus THE SAINTS Nearness to GOD BEING A Discourse upon part of the CXL VIII Psalm Written at the request of a Friend By Richard Vines Late Minister at St Laurence Jury in London Now published for the publick good of the Church London Printed by A. M. for Francis Tyron at the three Daggers in Fleet street 1662. TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE AND Vertuous Patroness of Piety THE Lady ELIZABETH Countess Dowager of Exeter encrease of all divine graces and temporall blessings in this life and eternall glory in the life to come Right Honourable AS the Queen of Sheba was by the fame of Solomon's wisdome encouraged to take a long journey to have the personall sight and real experience of those excellencies in him whereof she was before upon credit only so great an admirer so I being a stranger to your Person but invited by the report of your Honours Religious conversation and good affection towards pious and devout persons and all labours effectually endeavouring to bring Christians unto an exact rule of holy living do now presume to offer this Mite into the publick Treasury under your Noble Patronage hoping the stamp of your acceptance and countenance will make it currant in the world to whose censure it is exposed and for whose sake it now comes forth a Posthumus after the decease of the Reverend Author whose abilities and exemplary life were well known And I was the rather moved hereunto upon consideration of my own unworthiness and unprofitableness in the age I live in and that I am never likely to advantage it so much as this small Treatise may although there be more want of the practice of Piety than of the works of those that earnestly perswade to it And be sides I thought it incumbent upon me as a debt due to the memory of the Author and satisfaction of importunate friends not to let this Tract written upon a solemn invitation and request of an Acquaintance to be buried in oblivion and that thereby God may be glorified his Church and servants furthered in their passage through the desart of this mortall life towards the celestiall Canaan and your Honour whose affection and choice is with Mary in the Gospel set upon the better part and spirituall things may reap some content and refreshment therein is the earnest prayer and desire of Your Honours most humble Servant and affectionate Orator William Drury Octob. 6. 1662. THE SAINTS Nearness to GOD. Psal 148. 14. A people near unto him THe Book of Psalmes in the general is a description of the estate and condition of a godly man In the beginning we have him call'd a blessed man in the blessednesse of holinesse and so going on in the wayes of righteousnesse his estate in the end is shut up in the happinesse of blessing and praise For so the Book ends as his life ends in nothing but praise Wherein David as it were begins to tune his heart to that Song of praise which he now sings for ever in Heaven In many parts of the Book walking in holiness and so carrying happinesse with him we see him notwithstanding meet with many storms and tempests of evil But as it were escaped from all in the end he bursts forth in thanks To put into every like godly mans mouth his Lesson to conne before the day of consort in Heaven when nothing else shall be sung but praise and honour and thanks The first part of this holy song begins in the 145. Psal 1. where first stirring up his own heart to sing and so giving the pattern as Gideon said to his Souldiers Look on me and do likewise so in the end saith he My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever And from thence every Psalm begins and ends with praise Yea the last is praise throughout nothing but praise praise Among these hortatory Psalms to praise is this our 148. And it is a general exhortation to all sorts of creatures in their kinds to praise the Lord whether they be things above as Angels the Vers 2. inhabitants of the first Heavens or Stars and Vers 3. Lights of the next Heaven or Clouds and Vapours and Meteors Vers 7 8. which are in the lowest Heaven or else lower Vers 9. things as Mountains and Hills living things as Trees and Beasts and Foul Together lastly Vers 11 12. with Men of every condition and estate for whom all the former were made And this exhortation is backt with a trebble Reason 1. Taken from the relation between God and the several sorts of creatures And 2. That special excellency that is in God himself And 3. From his goodnesse to his people The first Reason is laid down in the 5. and 6. Vers 5. Verses and it stands upon these two parts First The creatures must praise God because he is their Maker He commanded and they were created Secondly Because he Vers 6. upholds them all being made which is from his decree that they shall not pass v. 6. But in speciall men must give him praise First For his own excellency and glory in the 13. verse which glory Vers 13. and excellency is most transcendent even above all the excellency of the creature above the earth and Heaven Secondly For his goodnesse to his people which is in the 14. verse which is in exalting his people He exalts the horn of his people the praise of all his Saints And this people is set out by their name who they were The children of Israel and by their interest in him They are a people near him He also exalts the horn of his people the praise of all his Saints even of the children of Israel a people near him And so we are come to the words The point of Observation we intend to handle out of these words is only this That Gods Saints are a Doct. people very near him In the handling of this point we will shew First What nearnesse is or wherein it consists And Secondly In what respects Gods Saints are said to be near unto him Nearnesse first is Geometrical and it is that little space or distance between thing and thing from thence by a trope or turning of the word it is used for any special relation between one thing and another 1. There is a Political nearnesse as first the nearnesse of League or Confederacy between Nation and Nation So Solomon was near to Pharaoh by Confederacy 2. There is the nearnesse of Government when Prince and People consent to govern and be governed together which is a farther nearnesse Secondly There is an Oeconomical nearnesse the nearnesse of a Servant and a Master which is still a further nearnesse
Thirdly There is an Ethical nearnesse the nearnesse of friend to friend which is yet nearer Fourthly There is a Logical nearnesse 1. The nearnesse of house and inhabitant 2. The nearnesse of Relation or Kindred of Sonne and Father Wife and Husband 3. And of similitude or likenesse as of the picture to the person Fifthly We have a Physical or Natural nearnesse which is the highest degree of all others As 1. Of the branches to the tree And 2. Members to the head Having drawn forth these particulars out of their several places we now will shew how Gods people are said to be near him 1. Yet this is first to be premised that there is a common nearnesse to A common nearnesse of creatures and men God which is the nearnesse of the whole creature namely to him as he is omnipresent whereby all the frame of the world wes near him and in some sort touches him he being in and through and above and about all things 2. Again there is a nearness to him in his Providence which is that secret touch of his hand whereby he sustains and preserves all things In these two senses not only his people but all other men and all things else stones and trees and the like are said to be near him And in the latter sense we have it spoken of men out of the Church Act. 17. 27 28. where Paul tells the Athenians God was not far off them because in him they live more c. that is he is their preserver yea in this sense the very Devils are near him 3. There is another A nearness of men in the Church farther degree of nearness which belongs to men and that to those which are within the Park of the Church a common nearness to Believers and Unbelievers The nearness of a common Nearness of common Covenant Covenant and the signs of that Covenant that nearness to him in his Ordinances whereby God is more near to them than other men out of the Church But this I take not to be the nearness here chiefly intended though this be a prerogarive of the Church worthy much thanks and praise The nearness here chiefly The nearness here meant meant is a nearness belonging to Saints as the words foregoing seem to import and so some of our best Expositors give it to be a peculiar proximity which belongs to the people of God and no other which strangers meddle not with nor know But to shew wherein this nearness consists which is in two things 1. They are near him in faith 2. In the work of faith First They are near him in faith The name and nature of faith shews as much For faith is the relying upon God as mine in Christ First It is a relying And to this purpose is it set out by trusting and staying and rolling the soul on God Hence a 1 Pet. 2. 7. godly man is said to be built on Christ and rooted in him which phrases intimate thus much unto us that the Believer is as near unto God having faith in him as a man is to the thing on which he leans as the stone to the ground on which it is roll'd as the building to the foundation and the tree to the soil in which it stands and grows Again It is the relying on God as mine that is the Believer is as near God by faith as the possessor and the thing possessed as the Land and the Lord the house and the owner Faith is of an appropriating nature bringing God and whatsoever is in him unto the Believer As mine in Christ for 't is by him all our nearnesse is So that this nearnesse is in faith Faith is as the Jacobs Ladder whereby his people ascend up and come near unto him And it hath in it these eight rounds or degrees of nearnesse 1. A nearnesse of Covenant 2. Of People to their Prince 3. Of Servant to his Master 4. Friend to Friend 5. Of Child to Father 6. Of Spouse to Husband 7. Of Branch to the Tree 8. Of the Member to the Head 1. The nearnesse of faith is a nearnesse of Covenant or League Before men believe they are afar off as enemies and haters of God Rom. 1. 30 Col. 1. 21. so enemies in their minds by wicked works To give a touch They were enemies and enemies in their minds that is to say enemies in their minds by wicked works All enmity is compleat in Enmity is in two things these two in the mind and in the work they were both enemies in mind and work for the word may be so rendered And again enemies in mind by wicked works wicked works being the cause of this enmity of the mind And therefore Joh. 3. 20. men are said to hate the light because their works are evil this by the way so that men in sins are far off as enemies not in League or Covenant God in Jesus Christ offers conditions of peace men when once they have faith they then enter League and therefore Isa 56. 4 6. 't is a Isa 56. 4 6 laying hold on the Covenant that is that which strikes the stroke and reconciles God and man offended Faith layes down the weapons sins that fought against God and layes hold on mercy the Covenant and League God offers to men if they will be friends The whole Scripture shews this evidently being indeed nothing else but the Writings of the Covenant of faith between God and man The old and new Testament are but the pair of Indentures or Covenants the old being the first Bill or Covenant which being once expired is renewed in the new Testament as a sign of this nearnesse 2. The second step in this Ladder of faiths nearnesse is the nearnesse of people and Prince Near nesse of people to King Isa 33. 22. The Lord is our King and he will save us so we are his people and throughout the Prophets my people Some choose pleasure others profit others credit but the Lord is their King Others they acknowledg him not nor do any homage to him and therefore they are called Rebels Psal 68. 18. because Psal 68. 18. they have no faith but faith in Gods people comes and takes the Oath of Allegiance and swears them Gods people to say as David did I have sworn and I will perform to keep thy righteous statutes 3. Gods people are near unto him as a Servant Nearnesse of Servant to a Master This is a step yet higher and nearer that they are such whose office it is continually to wait and attend upon God Faith puts upon them Gods Livery that they are men of his own Cloth And this service is not an Apprentiship to serve their Master for a time and then to go out Journeymen for themselves but like the Servant in Exod. 21. 5. that liking his Master well was to have his eare boared through with an Aule and serve him for ever so because they like their