Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	great_a	place_n	see_v	2,240	5	3.1639	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A95091	Gods covenant the churches plea: or A sermon preached before the Honorable House of Commons at a late solemn fast, in Margarets Church at Westminster, Octob. 29. 1645. By Francis Taylor B. in D. pastour of Yalding in Kent, and a member of the Assembly of Divines.	Taylor, Francis, 1590-1656.	1645 (1645)	Wing T278; Thomason E307_20; ESTC R200348	29,106	33

De apibus etiam Columel l. 9. c. 13. Populi duo conjungi debent to the beasts for food and opening another in the River Jordan to let them into the possession of the Land of Canaan And is Gods power or mercy shortned (a) Isa 59.1 that hee cannot or will not deliver his people now Hee foretels the shame that would fall upon Gods people if they should bee disappointed of their hope of delivery Hee shews the cause of their troubles Though their sins gave God cause enough to afflict them more heavily yet it was not that the enemies looked at but their Religion They could well have been content Gods people should have been sinners so they had not been Saints And this makes him call upon God to arise and plead his own cause And in the Text hee urgeth God with the Covenant A strong argument There was no power in the people to help themselves They had no merits for the Psalmist to plead in their behalf There was power and mercy sufficient in God for deliverance but what right have they to it who are not in league with him Nothing can binde God but his own Covenant Hee might shew forth his mercy and power to rescue others though these had perished Hee could have made of Moses a (b) Exod. 32.10 great Nation though all the other Israelites had been consumed in his anger And thus much for coherence The Ministers of God are (c) 1 Cor. 3.10 Gods builders They must lay a sure foundation by a right explication of the words * Fundamentum debile fallit opus lest all the building fall of it self They must raise up strong walls by observations naturally flowing from the Text lest the winds of false teachers blow it down They must lay on a firm roofe by solid application lest the stormes of mens lusts ruine it For the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Have respect The word in the originall signification of it imports a fastning of the eyes upon some object that a man desires to look into Hence by a metaphor it is transferred to the eyes of the minde and signifies a serious weighing and consideration of a thing God is said to (d) Act. 17.30 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Looking over wink at the times of ignorance or not to regard it Gods people here look at God as if hee did wink at his Covenant and neither look at it nor them in their miseries The Psalmist desires him that hee would bee mindefull of it for his peoples deliverance 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vnto the Covenant The word is derived from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to chuse The parties that enter into Covenant chuse one another and chuse their termes So God chuseth his people (a) Psal 33.12 Blessed is the Nation whose God is the Lord and the people whom hee hath chosen for his own inheritance So hee chuseth their seed after them as Moses testifyeth (b) Deut. 4.37 And because hee loved thy Fathers therefore hee chose their seed after them So Gods people chuse God for their God as Joshuah affirmes (c) Josh 24.22 And Joshuah said unto the people Yee are witnesses against your selves that yee have chosen the Lord to serve him And they said We are witnesses The Rabbins observe the (d) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ab. Ezr. Qimchi in textum demonstrative particle included in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to point out a particular Covenant * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Shel Jar. in text That famous covenant which thou madest with our Fathers Some apply it to that eminent covenant made with Noah (f) Gen. 6.11 when the earth was filled with violence as now and the old world drowned for it To wit (g) Gen. 9.12.15 that hee would no more drown the earth for mans sin This Covenant is also mentioned by the Prophet (h) Isa 54.9 For this is as the waters of Noah to mee for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more goe over the earth so have I sworn that I would not bee wroth with thee nor rebuke thee But the Covenant here intended is that solemn one made with Abraham (i) Gen. 17.7 that hee would bee his God and the God of his seed Repeated by the Psalmist (k) Psal 105.9 10. Which covenant hee made with Abraham and his oath unto Isaac and confirmed the same unto Jacob for a Law and to Israel for an everlasting covenant Hereby the Psalmist conceives that God was now ingaged to deliver his people 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For. This includes a motive to move God to deliver his people out of their miseries So Joseph useth it (l) Gen. 42.18 This doe and live for I feare God Though yee may feare wrong in an idolatrous Country yet I will doe you none because I am no Idolater but feare the true God as yee doe So here Doe thou O Lord help thy people for others hurt them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The dark places An allusion as some interpreters conceive to the dens of wilde beasts wherein (m) Psal 104.21 22. they hide themselves to take advantage of seize upon a prey To these cruell men are compared (n) Psal 10.8 9 Hee sitteth in the lurking places of the villages in the secret places doth hee murther the innocent Hee lyeth in waite secretly as a Lion in his den hee lyeth in waite to catch the poore Such places oppressors and robbers chuse Such are our Forts held by Malignants that live on spoile Others take it for an allusion to prisons and dark dungeons void of light As the Prophet describes a prison (a) Isa 42.7 To bring the prisoners from the prison and them that sit in darknesse out of the prison-house So trouble in Scripture is compared to darknesse and prosperity to light because darknesse is irksome and light comfortable (b) Isa 9.2 The people that walked in darknesse have seen a great light And (c) Isa 50.10 That walketh in darknesse and hath no light And then the sorry hiding places whither Gods people went to hide themselves are here meant Yet could they not there bee quiet but were pursued found out and spoyled by their adversaries Others take dark places for obscure and mean places as dark men in the originall are called (d) Prov. 22.29 mean men in your translation And then it may either signifie that the meanest men did oppresse Gods people or that the poorest and meanest of Gods people were not spared Such usage have wee found in our time when poore cottages of our foes have sent out pillagers and no cottages of ours have escaped spoyling in divers places 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Of the earth So the word is used Gen. 1.1 In the beginning God created the Heaven and the Earth And thence comes our English word Earth But sometimes it is translated The Land As Jer. 12.4 How long shall the Land mourn And

a little by those titles that are given Gods Ministers in Gods Word and see if they carry no more with them then the former opinion holds out Are wee Gods (a) Ephes 4.12 13. builders to bee imployed till the Church come to perfection and have wee no more to doe but to tell the stones where they should lye Is this building Are wee Gods (b) 1 Cor. 4.1 Stewards and have wee no more to doe then to break the bread of life to the houshold in due season Is there not some rule in a Steward in the Masters absence See Matth. 24.45 Stewards have not onely the keyes of the storehouse but also of the house committed to them Wee have the key of Baptisme committed to us to let heathen into the Church of God if they turn Christians and have wee not the key of Excommunication to shut out Christians if they turn heathen in their lives and conversations will our key unlock onely and not lock the doore Are wee (c) 1 Pet. 5.2 Pastours that must take the oversight of the flock as well as feed it and have wee no Authority over our sheep at all Are wee Elders not always by age for some eminent Ministers have been so young that their (d) 1 Tim. 4.12 youth hath been likely to bee contemned but in Office and have wee no Authority Nay are wee ruling Elders and have wee no rule I never yet read any learned man that interpreted that place 1 Tim. 5.17 of Civill Magistrates or that doubted whether Ministers were in the number of the Rulers there mentioned when the Apostle notes them out with a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 especially they that labour in the Word and Doctrine Although some learned men have doubted whether any others were included there Are they (e) Heb. 13.7 which speak the Word of God to us to have rule over us and yet no Authority The Apostle requires (f) Heb. 13.17 not onely (g) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 obedience to such in things necessary but also (h) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 submission in things of indifferency that they may goe on with comfort in their Ministery and give a cheerfull account at the last And if wee doe it not hee tells us it will bee unprofitable for us Is there any authoritative relation between the Minister and the people by vertue of the fifth Commandement If there bee sure it carries some rule with it Is a Minister as a Master of the family a Ruler in his own house Then is hee as a Minister a Ruler in Gods house See 1 Tim. 3.5 Prescription of sixteen hundred yeers will ask much and sure proofe to void it A lesser time hath proved a strong title in our Law How ordinary were excommunications in the primitive times How much abused How easie had it been for the Asian Bishops to have answered Victor that there was no such censure as excommunication But this string was not harped upon till of late yeers This opinion of denying of all Church-Government distinct from Civill as it crosseth all the Churches of the primitive times which did exercise such a Government among themselves so it crosseth all the Protestant Churches at this time both Presbyterian and Independent Must I then bee a Minister onely to tell the people from God what they ought to doe and if they do it not stand aloofe off and cry God helpe Must I bee forced to receive such as visible members of my flock that are not fit to bee of any Christian Congregation It were better for mee to follow Mans plough then Gods upon these termes Sure I shall never bee able to give that cheerfull account of my Ministery fore-mentioned out of Heb. 3.17 Let no man object to mee the Sanhedrin which was but one Court and that a Civill one too or at least had no distinction between Civill and Ecclesiasticall power yet is (a) A brotherly examination re-examined Pag. 16. affirmed for certain to bee the Government of the best Reformed Church that ever was For surely the Sanhedrin will bee no fit pattern for Government in a Christian state For First it appeares not that they had any Legislative power but onely a power to judge according to Gods judiciall Laws or at the most but to interpret them in doubtfull things Secondly Priests and Levites did ordinarily judge in that Court among others Thirdly though in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 money matters others might judge yet in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 matters of life and death none might judge but Priests and Levites and those Israelites who might give a daughter to a Priest in Mariage which was a priviledge of some persons of great rank specified in the (b) Sanhedr c. 4. s 2. Talmud Fourthly the High-Priest might bee yea and was ordinarily the speaker or chiefe Judge in that highest Court as appeares in the Scriptures Job 18.13.19 Act. 23.2.4 and out of the Talmud which testifies that * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sanhedr c. 2. s 2. the King never came there to judge nor to bee judged * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sanhe c. 2. s 1. But the high-Priest did both And who fitter to bee the chiefe in the absence of the King then Gods high-Priest I am not ignorant that they speak of a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Prince of the Sanhedrin who they say might bee any of the Sanhedrin that was eldest but * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sanh c. 3. s 7. the greatest among the Judges may bee the great Priest spoken of before as well as the eldest Judge as some translate it How ere it is confessed that the high-Priest might bee hee And if there were any other Prince of that Court it is very likely hee was the high-Priests Deputy in his absence or one of later stampe This Government might well fit them that were ruled by Gods judiciall Laws and had one whole Tribe the Tribe of Levi for the Ministery in one Kingdome and might need the high-Priest to aske advise of God sometimes in an extraordinary way But this cannot fit Christian Churches that have more store of people lesse of Ministers ordinarily and no such extraordinary way to inquire of God I doe not presse this as if I conceived a Minister without an Eldership or it without consent of the Christian Magistrate might set up a Government but I beleeve the Christian Magistrate ought to see one set up Object 2 But our new Querist comes in and tells us it is not yet time to build the House of God Our people are ignorant and had need of long teaching before a Government bee setled among them They are doubtfull and know not to what Government they ought to submit themselves and therefore cannot submit to any in Faith Neither can fit Elders bee found in most of the Congregations of this Land Answ Had this man lived in the beginning of Queen Elizabeths Reign hee might have proved a

strong advocate for Popery and an opposite to Reformation His Arguments if they bee of any weight run all that way Hee might have told the Queen that shee ought not to make any change in Religion no not so much as to give the poore Protestants a toleration of the publick exercise of their Religion Much lesse to establish it by Authority For her people were very ignorant yet and had need of many yeers teaching They knew not which was the true Religion neither could shee finde Preaching Ministers enough for a quarter of the Congregations in the Kingdome Yet that good Queen of famous memory thought it her duty to make that happy change and wee have cause to blesse God that shee did it This Writer takes it for granted that our Parishionall Assemblies are no true visible Churches Have our worthy Davids for above fourescore yeers defended them to bee such against the Goliaths of Rome and our faithfull Nehemiahs maintained them for such against the Sanballats of Amsterdam and are they not yet fit for a Government If our people bee not fit to govern they had need to bee governed In Corinth were some that had not the knowledge of God others that denyed the Resurrection others that made rents others guilty of fornication yet there was a government there If wee stay till all places bee fit for Government in this Authours sense wee may stay till the Church need no government at all As our Writers tell the Popish Commenters on the Revelation who to avoid the Popes being Antichrist and not being able to deny Rome to bee Babylon make heathen Rome the Beast and Antichrist the Whore that should ride on him not to come till neer the end of the world that the horse is gone long before the rider come So may wee say this Writer builds Castles in the aire and will afford us no Church Rulers till the Church need none Yet no doubt there are many Congregations in this Kingdome that can afford good Elders to rule and good people to bee ruled And the rest may well bee trained up in knowledge and piety under a Classicall Presbytery till they bee fit for a Congregationall Object 3 It is further Objected There are great contentions about Government The rigid Presbyterians say their particular form of Government is Jure divino of Gods institution The strict Independents say as much of theirs Neither of which appeares to our Governours out of Scripture Therefore it is safest to set up none till that controversie bee determined Answ So may weee stay long enough for a Government Suppose some person in the Country wronged in an high nature should come to the Judge for justice and hee should say I must stay till I bee resolved out of Gods word whether I must doe you Justice here where you dwell as Boaz had it done in Bethlehem Ruth 4.2 or whether I must doe it in the chiefe City of the Kingdome as the Sanbedrin did at Jerusalem Yee would think this no good Answer but rather say God requires Justice should bee done Hee tyes us not to this place or that Therefore it must bee done where it may bee done most conveniently If no Jus divinum appeare to you of a particular form of Church Government yet seeing it is cleer out of Scripture that there bee Church Rulers and Church censures God expects that you should set up such a form as comming within the generall rules of Scripture conduceth most to the propagation of piety and conservation of unity in the Church Object 4 Lastly that it is a very hard thing to finde out what form of Government is best to settle and doth most conduce to the former ends Answ It is not for mee to give direction to such Honourable wise and worthy Patriots as yee are Yet if as a Minister of God I shall in a modest way discover any thing that may further so good a work I doubt not but it will bee lovingly received First if yee bee not convinced in your Consciences of a Divine right for any one particular forme then the Covenant and your solemne Oath will goe a great way with you For yee sweare to settle the Church-Government according to the rule of Gods Word and the example of the best reformed Churches Not that wee are the servants of other Churches but to maintaine love among the reformed Churches wee are willing to come as neare them as may bee so wee infringe not the priviledges of our owne Kingdome which may and ought to bee maintained * Viam qui nescit qua deveniat ad mare eum oportet amnem quaerere comitem sibi Plaut Pers Hee that knows not the way to the sea had need take a River for a companion It is easie to discerne which way the Government of other reformed Churches goes Looke also to your owne government in the State which in such a case yee may lawfully doe Would ye bee content that every Towne should have a court in it self not depending upon any higher court but for matter of counsell nor subject to any higher sentence Why should it bee thought to do well then in the Church unlesse God have commanded it and then indeed all inconveniences must lye downe at his feet Looke upon the courses ye take in your families Doe fathers onely give counsell to children and servants and then leave them to themselves Lycurgus when one desired him to set up a popular government in the City bid him * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plutarch 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 first set it up in his owne house Last of all all I beseech you like skilfull Physitians feele the pulse of the times Consider what diseases now reigne in the Church ignorance schisme prophanenesse dangerous errours and apply such a Government to them as may soonest cure them I beseech you beare with me I have not spoken the words of passion and bitternesse but God knows I have spoken the words offorrow and heavinesse occasioned by our sad distractions for want of a setled government in our Church for which I doubt not but your godly soules condole with me I thinke no Church on earth wants a setled Government but ours Is it not then time to speake (a) Isa 62.1 For Sions sake I cannot hold my peace and for Jerusiems sake I cannot rest till the righteousnesse thereof goe forth as nightnesse and the salvation thereof as a lampe that burneth I hope no man will bee so uncharitable as to conceive that I have spoken these things to lay the least aspersion upon the Honourable Houses of Parliament to whose care as singular Instruments blessed of God wee owe our present helps and future hopes of reformation Had not you stood up in the gap our Bethel by this time might have been a Babel or (b) Hos 4.15 5.8 10.5 Vid Chald. Par. Shel Iar. Dan Qimchi Bethaven our Religion Idolatry our Liberty slavery Wee and our posterity have cause to blesse God to the worlds end for raising up and upholding such a Parliament as this and to say (c) Ruth 2.12 The Lord recompense your work and a full reward bee given you of the Lord God of Israel under whose wings yee are come together 〈◊〉 trust I know yee may say of England Scetland and Ireland as the Apostle said of all the Churches (d) 2 Cor. 11.28 29. The care of three Kingdomes comes upon you daily Who is weak and yee are not weak who is offended and yee burn not It is a greater labour to build up one house then to pull down ten What is it then to settle the Church and Common-wealth in three Kingdoms that have been many yeers unsetling I intreat you that yee would take my words only as incitations to a quick setting up of a needfull government in a dangerous time Will yee know first that Egypt is destroyed will ye stay till wee have not the face of a Church before yee give us the government of a Church will yee not apply the remedy till the disease bee lacurable The God of Heaven and King of the Church give you wislome and courage in a liberall measure and all good incouragements to make a swift progresse in so glorious a work and he that honoured you to bee the beginners make you the finishers of an happy Reformation Amen FINIS