Selected quad for the lemma: soul_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
soul_n	bless_v	good_a	lord_n	4,137	5	4.2425	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01700	A sermon of ecclesiastical benediction preached at Oundle at a visitation, Apr. 14. 1619. by Master Samuel Gibson, minister at Burleigh in Rutland.	Gibson, Samuel.	1620 (1620)	STC 11838; ESTC S102994	23,459	44

not a gesture reuerend enough for them to vse in publike prayer kneeling downe would haue drowned their voyce and hindred the audience therefore it concerning the people to heare what they said that they might say Amen to it the Priests stood vp that they might be conspicuous and so be the better vnderstood of the congregation Fourthly for the action it is said They blest To blesse hath diuers significations in the Scripture First man is said to blesse God then it signifieth to praise and giue thankes Secondly God is said to blesse man and then it signifieth actually to conferre some good or other Thirdly man is said to blesse man and then it signifieth to wish well vnto which is vsually done with inuocation of the name of God the fountaine of all good that commeth to man or to any creature in heauen or earth Now thus a man blesseth either himselfe or others To let passe the former the blessing of others pertaineth either to all sorts in generall or to some more specially To all sorts it belongeth partly by the law of naturall affection secondly partly by the law of curtesie thirdly partly by the law of equitie fourthly partly by the law of charitie First by the law of naturall affection it pertaineth to all sorts to blesse their friends and kinred as the friends of Rebécca did when she was to depart from them Thou art our sister grow into thousand thousands and let thy seede possesse the gates of their enemies Genes 24. 60. Thus children and all those that are not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without naturall affection will vpon occasion often pray God blesse their parents and their brethren and sisters and those which are neere vnto them in nature Secondly by the law of curtesie it pertaineth to all sorts to blesse those which they meete or passe by Which courtesie we finde to haue been reciprocall betweene Boaz and the Reapers Ruth 2. 4. The Lord be with you said Boaz The Lord blesse thee said the Reapers And Psal 129. 8. the words of the Prophet shew this was the ordinary practice of the people Whereupon S. Augustine on that place saith Nostis fratres c. Ye know brethren when men passe by those which are at work it is the custome to say to them Benedictio Domini super vos The blessing of the Lord be vpon you And this was more in vse amongst the Iewes Nemo transibat saith he None passed by and saw any at worke in the field or vineyard or the like but they did so Nay Non licebat transire sine benedictione It was not lawfull for any to passe by without this blessing salutation It was against the law of courtesie to omit it Thirdly by the law of equitie it pertaineth to all sorts in thankfulnes to their benefactors and such as haue been instruments of their good to blesse them as Boaz for the kindnes shewed to Ruth is blessed in these words Blessed be he of the Lord Ruth 2. 20. Thus euery good subiect will pray God blesse the King vnder whom we liue in peace euery good hearer will pray God blesse that Preacher by whom his soule is comforted and euery thankfull poore man will pray God blesse his good master and saue his life by whom he is relieued This is the recompence which the rich haue returned vnto them from the poore for their good workes and almes namely their blessing and prayers to God for them the forerunner of a greater and better recompence from the Lord for with such sacrifices God is pleased Heb. 13. 16. Fourthly by the law of charity it pertaineth to al sorts to blesse euen their enemies I meane their priuate enemies For to conuicted enemies of the Truth it is forbid Ioh. 2. Epist 10. Bid not an Antichristian heretike and conuicted false teacher God speede but if they be onely our personal enemies Blesse them which curse you saith our Sauiour Mat. 5. 44. Blesse and curse not saith Saint Paul Rom. 12. 14. And this is not consilium but praeceptum not an Euangelicall counsell but a morall precept binding all Christians Thus by a foure-fold law it belongeth to all sorts to blesse by the law of naturall affection by the law of courtesie by the law of equity and by the law of Christian charity More specially it pertaineth to superiours to blesse those vnder their charge These superiours are either the chiefe in euery family or more publike persons The blessing that pertaineth to the chiefe in priuate families is either domesticall or paternall Domesticall is that which is done in the behalfe of the whole household as it is said that Dauid returned to blesse his house 1. Chronicles 16. 43. Paternall benediction is that which is done by the father to his children or childrens children This the Patriarks did after a singular manner hauing the spirit of prophecy whereby they spake of things to come as they were moued by the holy Ghost But other godly parents haue a speciall prerogatiue also in blessing their children according to that of Siracides Benedictio patris firmat domos filiorum The blessing of the father establisheth the houses of children but the curse of the mother rooteth out foundations There are fearefull stories recorded by good writers of the woful consequence of the parents curse vpon the children Therefore it is said by the aforesaid Author Honour thy father and mother both in word and deede that a blessing may come vpon thee from them Now the blessing which belongeth to publike persons is either Politicall or Ecclesiastical Politicall when it is done by the ciuill Magistrate as it was by Ioshuah when he called the Reubenits and the Gadites and the halfe Tribe of Manasses and commended them for their obedience and sent them home with his blessing as it is written So Ioshua blessed them and sent them away Iosh 22. 6. The Ecclesiasticall blessing is that which appertaineth to the publike Minister and is of all other the most effectual and auaileable with God this is the blessing spoken of in the text when it is said The Priests the Leuites arose and blessed Now the obiect of this benediction is either personall or reall The reall obiect is not mentioned heere but omitted as a thing well knowne for what they were to pray for in the behalfe of the people is set downe Num. 6. 23. c. The personall obiect is the people that is all the people of Iudah and Israel assembled to keepe the Holy Feast the Priests blessed them all Lastly for the maner it was with a lowd voice they spake out when they blest them praying feruently for them and earnestly desiring the blessing of God vpon them all This is signifyed by that that it is said Their voice was heard Yet not the voice of the Priests only but the voices of the people also all which

therefore there can be no such exception taken Certainely the doctrine of our Church is and euer hath beene for the necessity and vtility of preaching and hearing of the Word of God and herein it is consonant vnto the Scriptures and to the doctrine of all Orthodoxe Churches and the contrary tendeth to the dishonour of the most famous Diuines Pastors and Prelates of our owne Church and of other Churches of Christ which now rest from their labours nay to the doctrine and practice of the best of the Fathers Greeke and Latine who in their times were instant this way in season and out of season nay of the holy Apostles nay of Christ Iesus the great Shepheard of our soules who tooke incessant paines in preaching and teaching both in the Temple and elsewhere accounting the Temple not onely a house of prayer but a house of preaching also for hee saith I sate daily teaching in the Temple Therefore let comparisons betweene praying and preaching be forborne they are both the holy ordinances of God of necessary vse for all the Lords people Pray continually as the Apostle saith meaning it of secret eiaculations of the heart not of publike prayer Pray also in your families It is a pious and religious practice well beseeming Christians Pray also with the Congregation despise not the publike prayers of the Church nor neglect them but diligently attend them and make vse of them reuerently lest while ye come to worship God ye take his name in vaine but withall remember the other admonition of the Apostle Despise not prophecying Let not a pretended zeale for more praying iustle out preaching for this is also the ordinance of God as well as prayer of as great necessity for the people without which prayer and all parts of Gods seruice and worship will be the worse performed I say no more but to magnifie preaching with contempt of prayer is intolerable and to extoll praying with contempt of preaching is abominable And thus much concerning publike prayer and of the account that wee are to make of it being performed by a Minister More particularly there is speciall regard to be yeelded to the blessing prayer or benediction vsed by the Pastor or Preacher in the Congregation It is a disorderly custome in many Churches that a number will be gone before the Euangelicall blessing be pronounced Ignorant people they vnderstand not the way of the Lord and what the Lord hath ordained for their good Almighty God promised to blesse the children of Israel But how In that order which himselfe appointed they being first blest by the Priests So now through the blessing of his Ministers he will conuay a blessing to his people As therefore the Minister of Christ is reuerently to lift vp his hand ouer the heads of the people and with all religious and holy affection to blesse them in the name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the holy Ghost so the people are to wait for this blessing and when it is pronounced attentiuely to marke it and reioyce in it and in the end deuoutly to say Amen vnto it that so they may depart home comfortably with the blessing of the Church and of the Lord. And hitherto of the account to be made of Ministers prayers and specially of the publike prayers and blessings performed by them All sorts are also hence taught to haue due regard vnto their persons and Calling for this respect for their office is honourable and reuerend to them it belongeth to blesse and by them God will blesse those whom hee will blesse And what saith the Apostle The lesse is blessed of the greater Heb. 7. 7. And what other office is appointed vnto them that is base They are called to be Teachers in Israel to be Guides vnto the people and to shew vnto them the way of life to them it pertaineth to administer the holy Sacraments that of Baptisme and the other of the Lords Supper which the Fathers of the Nicene Councell call Necessarium vitae viaticum The necessary prouision for the soule in her iourney to another world To them it pertaineth to pray for the people and to make atonement for them that they may be reconciled vnto God To them is giuen the keyes of the Kingdome of heauen and power to binde and loose and to remit sinnes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 declaratiuè Which of all these is base and vnseemely for men of worth to doe Which of them is not high and holy Why then is the Calling so contemptible as it is with many aboue all others Why is the name of Priest vsed in contempt Of all contempt this is the most vnreasonable for God hath highly honoured those of this function and they are separated to great and noble seruices Behold God hath made them Fathers vnto the people So Micah called the young Leuite Iudg. 17. 10. Dwell with me and be a Father and a Priest vnto me And so the Danites call him after And worthily is the name giuen to them and with the name the honour should be giuen also for they are instruments of Regeneration as parents be of Generation and as Chrysostome reasoneth Parents beget their children vnto this life but the Ministers of Christ beget them to life eternall and parents cannot doe that for them which Ministers may doe Parents may wash their bodily parts but Ministers are instruments to wash their soules when they baptize them Parents feed them with meate that perisheth but Ministers their spirituall Fathers feed them with that meat which endureth to euerlasting life namely with the Word of the Lord with the Body of the Lord. Baptisme which they administer of old was called and accounted Ianua salutis The gate of heauen in the old Saxon doctrine The Well-spring of life in the best times The Lauer of Regeneration And it is written Except a man be borne againe of water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdome of God Ioh. 3. 5. And elsewhere Whosoeuer eateth not the flesh of the Lord and doth not drinke his blood hee shall dye eternally Ioh. 6. 53. And these things saith an ancient Father cannot be receiued of the people but per sacrosanctas manus sacerdotum By the sacred hands of the Priests of the new Testament to others it pertaineth not to meddle with the dispensation of these holy and venerable mysteries it were presumption in a Prince to administer either Sacrament to the Minister it pertaineth to blesse the bread and cup of blessing and from their hands the Lords people are to receiue the bread of life and cup of saluation But to which of the Angels saith that holy Father said hee at any time as hee hath said vnto his Ministers Whatsoeuer ye bind on earth shall be bound in heauen Whosoeuers sinnes yee remit they shall be remitted These things surpasse all the rest Hence worthy Pastors of