Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	apostle_n	church_n	let_v	2,627	5	4.5197	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10018	Sermons preached before his Maiestie; and vpon other speciall occasions viz. 1 The pillar and ground of truth. 2 The new life. 3 A sensible demonstration of the Deity. 4 Exact walking. 5 Samuels support of sorrowfull sinners. By the late faithfull and worthy minister of Iesus Christ, Iohn Preston Dr. in Diuinity, chaplaine in ordinary to his Maiesty, master of Emmanuel College in Cambridge, and sometimes preacher of Lincolnes Inne.	Preston, John, 1587-1628.; Goodwin, Thomas, 1600-1680.; Ball, Thomas, 1589 or 90-1659.	1630 (1630)	STC 20270; ESTC S120145	80,456	162

alone againe if our religion were thought to be the right that onely will be entertained but when we mingle thus and will not runne without a by as but for advantage halt willingly betweene both wee cannot bee accepted This we speake but for prevention not knowing what temptations aftertimes may bring it is good preventing Physicke to know the truth Secondly seeing wee have proved that the iudgement of the Church is not infallible in points of faith doctrine hence we may learn to take up nothing meerely upon trust not to thinke things are so onely because the Church hath said it this foundation is too sandy for us to build our faith upon that should be built upon the rocke which is the word of God upon which ground in a manner the whole Fabricke of Poperie will soone be overthrowne seeing all or most of them are only tooke up upon the Churches credit for in all the book of God ye shall not finde a word for invocation of Saints worshipping of Images universalitie supremacy of the Bishop of Rome purgatory Popish indulgences praier in an unknowne tongue praier for the dead consecration of oyle tapers and holy water and all that rabble of superstitious ceremonies but are the hay and stubble that men have heaped together now one and then another according to their seuerall fancies till the mysterie of iniquitie was come vnto its fulnesse for all these controversies are founded either upon the decrees of the Pope or unwritten traditions or the authority of the Church or Scripture wrested from the native sense to that which they are pleased to put upon it so that this principle of their Church not erring is that indeede on which the very waight of Popery doth depend let this be taken away and all comes quickly down Thirdly as the Apostle here exhorts Timothie and in him all Ministers to take heede how hee behaves himselfe in the Church of God so may we doe all Magistrates both supreme and subordinate to be circumspect wary how they behave themselues in this Church of God for though the Ministers be the bees that make the honey yet the Magistrates are the hives wherin it is made and kept the Ministers are the vines that bring forth grapes yet Magistrates are the elmes that underprop and hold up these vines the Minister defends the Church with tongue pen the Magistrate with hand power wherewith for that end God hath furnisht him Ministers are the preachers of both tables Magistrates the keepers the executiue power of Word and Sacraments belongs alone to Ministers but directiue and coactiue for the orderly and well performance belongs to Magistrates And the text it selfe affordes us motives It is the house of God and its reason the tenant should keepe the house in reparation and they are Magistrates as well as Ministers for if the ruines and breaches of the house bee once neglected both heresies and superstitions will soone creepe in and carrie captiue with their errours those of the family It is the Church of God of which good Magistrates are nurses Esay 49. 23. as therfore the nurse is bound to looke to the childe and see it cherished with wholsome food and kept from dangers as they will answer to the parents whose childe it is so Magistrates are bound to defend and keepe the Church to see it nourished with milke and not with poison that is with truth and not with errour as they will answer to that God who with his owne blood hath purchased it unto himselfe Acts 20. 28. It is the flock of God and it s no disparagement for Kings to bee his shepheards as David was if Wolves therefore doe enter through their negligence and snatch up now a sheep and then a lambe the Lord will one day require it at their hands as Laban did at Iacobs It is the pillar and ground of Truth that is the field or garden wherein Truth growes and Magistrates the gardiners or husbandmen and therefore bound to see the good plants watered the weedes and stones throwne out that hinder growth the hedge kept strong and good about it lest as the Serpent got into Eden and beguiled Eve so the Serpents of our times creep through into this Garden and corrupt the minds of any from that simplicitie which is in Christ. The like Motives are every where in Scripture scattered Revel 2. 20. I have a few things against thee because thou sufferest that woman Iezebel which calleth her selfe a Prophetesse to teach and seduce my servants to commit for nication and to eate things offered to idols Therefore neither Errours nor their Authours in the Church of God are to be suffered Iohn 15. 13. Every plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted shall bee rooted out And who should root them out but Magistrates to whom Gods Vine-yard is committed Let 's come to the Old Testament where the lives of Magistrates are represented as the face is in a glasse that shewes both spots and beauty 2 Chron. 17. Iehoshaphat commanded the Priests and Levites to instruct the People in the Law from the seventh verse to the tenth but that 's not all but in the sixth verse it is said His heart was lift up in the wayes of the Lord so that hee tooke away the high places and the groves out of Iudah Let us cast our eyes upon the other Kings of Israel and Iudah and consider what God himselfe hath marked and observed in them seeing his observation cannot but be of moment like asterismes in the margents of a booke Of Salomon God hath observed 1 King 11. 4. that when hee was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God that is satte loose from God and then the Lord left off to do him good Of Rehoboam 2 Chron. 11. 17 that for three yeares hee walked in the way of David but when hee had established the Kingdome and had strengthned himselfe he forsook the Law of the Lord and all Israel with him chapt 12. 1. 2. therefore in the fifth yeare of Rehoboam Shishak King of Egypt came up against Ierusalem because they had transgresses against the Lord Of Asa 1 King 15. 11. c. that hee did what was right in the sight of the Lord tooke away the Sodomites out of the Land removed all the Idols that his Fathers had made removed Maacah his Mother from being Queene because she had made an Idoll in a grove and burnes her Idoll by the brooke Kidron but the high places were not taken downe therefore verse 16. there was war between Asa and Baasha King of Israel all their daies yet those high places were but the groves where the Tabernacle and Altar were which Moses made where before the Temple was built it was lawfull for them to offer sacrifice yet this was that for which the Lord is so offended because when the Temple once was

must beleeve it And this is the first vse that wee are to make of this to beleeve that there is such a life Secondly if hee that hath not this life is not in Christ why then my beloved it concernes us to see that wee have the fruits and effects of this spirituall life in us that that change bee wrought in us that wee spake of that we have those motions and those actions that proceede from an inward principle of life that wee have that attractive disposition and that expulsive disposition which may empty our hearts of all known sinne which is also an effect of this life And this further we must chiefly look to that we love the brethren which for ought I see the holy Ghost points at above all other signs of this spiritual life you have it 1 Ioh. 3. 14. We know by this that we are passed frō death to life because we love the brethren You know a dead member hath no sympathie with the rest but a living member hath a fellow feeling yea a quicke and exquisite sense within when anie of the members are pained or hazzarded Therefore let us labour to find this character of life in our selves by being affected to our neighbours and brethren the Churches abroad by having bowels of cōpassion in us to melt over their condition to desire their safty as our own For why should we not are they not the same Church of God as we are are they not bought with the same price are they not as dear to God and certainly if we shew love to any Church because it is a Church we would do it to one as well as to another Again we have reason to commiserate them for our owne sakes For we cannot stand alone and God hath so ordered it in his providence Luke 6. 38. that looke what measure we mete to others in their distresse men shal measure the same to us in our necessitie and how soone the fire may take here also we know not But this you shall finde in the prophefie of Ieremiah when the nations dranke of the cup of Gods wrath we see there the cup went round everie nation dranke of it some more some lesse But if men doe not doe it yet certainely God will recompence us with good if we doe it with ill if wee omit it For though he seeme angrie with his Churches for a time as David was with Absalom yet as Ioab never did David so acceptable a turne in all his life as when he sought to bring home Absalom his banished sonne though hee were angrie with him because his inward affection was toward him all the while so wee cannot doe God a more acceptable turne than to helpe his Churches though for the present they seeme to bee under the cloud of his anger And doubtlesse the Lord would take it exceeding ill if we should neglect our duety to them as I hope we doe not and shall not as you see Iud. 5. 23. We see there how the Lord is affected in such a case as this Curse ye Meroz saith the Angel of the Lord yea curse the inhabitants of Meroz bitterly because they came not to helpe the Lord to helpe the Lord against the mighty Marke hee doth not say because they did them any wrong but because they came not out but sate still and you know the rule that hee that keepes not off an iniurie when he may he doth it Againe marke the ground why they came not out because it was to helpe the Lord against the mightie When the enemies were mightie they had respect to their owne safetie and sate still and that phrase is to bee observed chiefly they came not to helpe the Lord it was not to helpe the Lord but to helpe the Churches at that time and yet the Lord takes it as done to himselfe But now on the other side as the Lord would take it ill if wee doe it not so certainely if we doe it he will take it exceeding well at our hands This worke hath meate in the mouth of it it brings a sure reward Even as the Arke when it was harboured by Obed-Edom and others it brought a blessing to them so certainly the Church brings a blessing to those that defend it whereas on the other side when the Arke was violate and ill used by the Philistines the men of Bethshemesh you know how many thousands were slaine for it Whence I gather If God would doe so much for that which had but a typical holinesse that was but a dead Temple where he dwelt but for a time what will he doe if his living Temple be destroied For the people of God are his living Temple Ier. 2. 3. it is said Israel is a hallowed thing to the Lord my first fruits and therefore hee that devours it shall offend and evill shall come to him saith the Lord. And therefore in helping the Church of God from being devoured by strangers wee helpea hallowed people for wee see the Lord reckoned Israel so though they were subject to manie failings Let this therefore stirre us up to doe it with all diligence We may fall out and in at home and the vicessitude of fair weather and foule within our owne hemisphere may passe away and blow over as I hope it will and I pray God it may yet in the meane time if any of the Churches shall be swallowed up you know that is a thing that cannot be recalled Therefore let us resolve to doe our best and to doe it in time And this I will be bold to say for our encouragement they are the Churches of God and there is a God in heaven that tendreth them and hee is a God that delights to bee seene in the mounts even when things are past hope and though their enemies bee exceeding great and mightie yet when they goe about to oppose the Church they are as a heape of straw that goes about to oppresse a cole of fire that will consume them or as one that devoures a cup of poison that will proove his death or as one that goes about to overthrow a great stone that fals backe againe and bruiseth him to powder they are all the Scriptures expressions as you shall finde Zach. 12. So I say the Lord will deale with the enemies of his Churehes and will preserve them therefore let this hope encourage us to doe it the rather For your Maiestie wee are perswaded as your profession is so your desires and intentions are most reall and firme and when wee say wee are so perswaded as Paul speakes in another case we speake the truth and lie not for pulpets are not for flatterie but we speake as from God in the sight of God and a message from God may comfort and encourage and confirme you in it For us that are subjects let us be exhorted to doe our parts to contend and wrastle with God by praier and not to let him rest till hee