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A16506 The true vvay of a Christian, to the nevv Ierusalem Or, a three-folde demonstration: first, of the excellencie of the true and sauing knowledge of Christ; and the meanes to attaine it: with the antiquitie, necesitie, and benefit of catechisme. Secondly, of our vnion and communion with Christ, and his Church. Thirdly, of our new creation in Christ, by the blessed Spirit. With diuers questions, and cases of conscience, most comfortable for a Christian. Deliuered first in briefe, in a sermon preached at Paules-Crosse, the first Sunday in the new yeere, 1617. And newly reuised and enlarged by Immanuel Bourne ... Bourne, Immanuel, 1590-1672. 1622 (1622) STC 3419; ESTC S106545 102,817 130

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some chaffe and the best of Gods seruants some imperfection In this life we are not like the Sunne 1. In this life we continue not in one stay Iob 14.1.2 perfect in brightnesse and light but like the moone receiuing our light of grace from Christ as the moone receiueth her light from the sunne and like her we haue euer one spot of darkenesse or other within the Center of our hearts we are not fully purified therefore God tryeth vs sometime by temptations sometime by afflictions all for our good as S. Chrysostome Chrysostome Hom. 32. ad pop Antioch 2. All Gods children haue some taste of afflictions in this life speaketh of afflictions that the crosse is the fountaine of life because it fitteth better for life eternall so is it true of these temptations by which God tryeth his children for their greater glory And first or last all must haue some tast of this cuppe for as none can expect the penny without labouring in the vineyard so none can looke for the crown without enduring the combate The wheate is not pure except it be winnowed from the chaffe nor the siluer except it be seuered from the drosse nor the gold except it be tryed in the furnace But this being done the wheate is commodious the siluer pretious and the gold glorious and therefore all well esteemed of in the eyes of all so it is with them and so it is with vs who are the seruants the souldiers of Christ we must passe through the fanne the fining pot the furnace of manifold tryalls and temptations sometimes inward sometimes outward before we can be good wheate for the table of Christ good gold and siluer for the treasury of our Sauiour But Christ our Sauiour hath led the way before vs 3. Christs tēptations our incouragements 1. Cor. 13.12 and to our eternall comfort gotten the victory for vs. And all this makes vs more like him and therefore more deare in his sight it is but to purge out the drosse of our naturall corruption because as we know but in part so wee are regenerated but in part in this life but when that which is perfect is come then that which is in part shall be done away If thou bee tempted then with Dauid and the rest of Gods children because of thy infirmities outwardly with manifold afflictions or inwardly with manifold doubtings of which Dauid complained Psa 77.7 8 9. Let not Satan therefore make thee to become his advocate to pleade for him against thy self which is his policy when he seeth that otherwise he cannot hurt thee that thou art out of the fauour of God Rom. 8.28 but know that these are certainely for thy good All things fall out for the best to them that feare God and they wil bring thee happinesse in the end 4. For thy weakenesse of faith which maketh thee to feare that true faith is not in thee 4. Sence of spirituall weakenesse an argument of spirituall life because it bringeth forth no better fruites let mee tell thee this sight and sence of thy weakenesse is an euident argument of thy faith For as sence of seeing or feeling or the like is a signe of life in the body for a dead body can neither feele nor see so this sight and sence of our owne weaknesse of faith and holinesse is a symptome and signe of life the life of grace in the soule and therefore of true faith in vs though it bee weake for as wee cannot haue life this life of grace except we be in Christ from whom we receiue the life as the branches from the vine 5. A true faith sometimes little or no feeling in the Hart of a Christian so wee cannot be in Christ without faith by which wee are engrafted into him and therefore the signes of the spirituall life being in thee it is an euident token of thy faith Nay further if thou doest not alwayes feele this life of faith in thy heart but that thou hast in thee a numnesse and as it were a deadnesse of faith yet may thy faith be true and good though it be weake and although as Satan or thy owne weaknes strong enough to fight against thy selfe may persuade thee thou canst see no signes or symptomes of faith in thee For the children of God are sometimes Simil. 1 like a man in a trance who in his owne sence being as it were without sence or vnderstanding yea and in the iudgement of others may seeme to be dead and yet after reuiue and come to himselfe againe Simil. 2 The children of God in this life are often like the moone sometimes increasing in faith and holinesse sometimes decreasing or like the tide sometimes ebbing and sometimes flowing not that they should willingly bee thus subiect to chāge or decay in grace for we must striue and pray against it but that God leauing vs to our selues or not alwaies assisting vs alike with his grace we are so Simil. 3 And yet take this with thee for a special note that in this respect we should bee like a man in a crowde or throng sometimes carryed forwards and sometimes backwards but carryed forward in grace willingly striuing together in one consent with the grace giuen vs and good motions of the spirit assisting vs that we may presse forward with all our power to perfection in grace to the fulnesse of the image of God in Christ But when we are carryed backewards by our corruptions and the violence of Satans temptations it must be sore against our wills and we must not rest contented but so soone as we see how wee are gone backe from that degree we were in wee must striue and struggle like a man fallen into a quickemire till by Gods assistance we get out and goe forwards againe Simil. 4 If thy faith be asleepe then as Christs humanity was in the shippe and thou thy selfe in a sea of temptations because thou findest not the anker of faith and holinesse in thee yet iudge not presently that thou hast no faith to bring thy selfe to despaire because if once thou hadst true faith it can neuer fin●lly bee lost but the diuine power will at his pleasure cause thy faith to bee awakened and stirred vp in thee he wil cōmand the wind the storme of thy troubles to cease that a calme of comfort may refresh thy soule And last of all that thou feelest not that measure of loue and delight in the Lawe of God nor that assurance of Gods fauour and of thy saluation which thou Answ 4 desirest and therefore fearest that thy faith is but fained thy holinesse but hypocrisie and so thy state miserable I answer once againe for thy comfort that if thou hast but a true desire of these though but imperfect and weake yet God in Christ accepts thy wil desire for the deed 2. Cor. 8.12 and when he pleaseth he will perfect these graces in thee 1. Not the
be in Christ I haue laid the foundation of our vnion at large I will once againe Catechise the point in briefe before I come to the vse That if it be possible you may yet more plainely vnderstand it The question Quest 1 may be demanded if Christ be in vs how are we in Christ or if we be in Christ how is Christ in vs I answer Answ First that Christ is in vs as the King is in his kingdome to rule ouer vs as the father of his family is in his household to ouersee vs as the bridegroome is in the bride-chamber to honour vs as the head is in the bodie to guide and direct vs in all our actions but all this in a spirituall manner Or otherwise Christ is in vs First by faith and charitie as a Sauiour in the hearts of those that are saued Secondly by his spirit of vertue and grace by which hee doth quicken illuminate feede gouerne and conserue his children After the first manner one friend may bee in the breast of another by affection and loue but after the second no mortall man can be in the heart of any man but onely Christ in vs which sheweth the excellency of this heauenly vnion Quest 2 Secondly How are we in Christ I answer Answere we are in Christ not carnally neither but after a spirituall manner For although our bodies are not carnally in Christ nor Christs in ours yet spiritually we are vnited to Christ and Christ to vs we are one with Christ and Christ with vs In the Booke of Common Prayer the exhortation at Communion Hosh 2.19 20. we dwell in Christ and Christ in vs as our Church doth witnes and this in a more neere manner as is admirably declared in that excellent vnion of the husband and wife For Christ is our heauenly Bridegroome and we are his Spouse Cant. 5.1 2. He hath married vs vnto himselfe in righteousnesse and in iudgement and in louing kindnesse and in mercies and in faithfulnesse and in the knowledge of the Lord An excellent wedding ring beset with sixe beautifull Diamonds to illustrate that most gracious and glorious vnion betweene Christ and his Church Quest 3 But Christ is righteousnesse and life it selfe in him is no sinne neither was death able to hold him in the prison of the graue How then is it possible that sinfull man who is subiect vnto death by sinne should any way be in Christ or Christ in him Like thing are woont to be ioyned to like but betweene so different and contrarie natures what communion or fellowship is any where to be found Are we in Christ as the creatures are in God After this manner not only all men are in him For in him we liue and mooue and haue our beeing Acts 17.28 but also all things that liue for hee is before all things and in him all things consist Coloss 1. verse 7. and this were a vnion common to wicked men and to the brute beasts as well as to vs. How then are we in Christ Quest I answer Answ wicked men haue not this vnion with Christ Wicked men haue no vnion with Christ but only the elect no not so much as the vnion of nature for howsoeuer in generall in that Christ was truly man as they are they may seeme to haue a kinde of communion yet in this there is a maine difference that Christ did not take vpon him our humane nature corrupted and defiled with the pollution of sinne August in Ioh. Sine peccato sine peccati macula S. Bern in vigil Natiuit serm 4. Mater est sine corruptione virginitatis filius sine omni labe peccati Esay 53.9 but sanctified and made most pure and holy in the wombe of the blessed Virgin by the power of the diuine Spirit he was conceiued without sinne and borne without the least spot of iniquitie he liued and dyed without sinne Neither was there any guile found in his mouth The wicked therefore being conceiued in sinne and borne in sinne liuing and dying in sinne they can haue no vnion with Christ neither in the qualitie of his nature nor in Grace It is only the Elect who are purified by the blood of Christ iustified by imputation of his merit and sanctified and regenerated daily by the power of his Spirit that haue this vnion and Communion with Christ Hee that keepeth his commandements dwelleth is him and he in him and hereby we know that he abideth in vs by the Spirit which he hath giuen vs. 1. Ioh 3.24 If any man loue me he will keepe my words and my Father will loue him and we will come vnto him and make our abode with him Iohn 14.24 There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Iesus who walke not after the flesh but after the Spirit Rom. 8.1 who worketh a change in their hearts and by steppes and degrees conformes them to the image of Christ This vnion is a vnion of faith by which our hearts are purified Acts 15.9 which belongeth only to the Elect and therefore to them onely pertaineth this vnion not barely as they are men but Christian men not in respect of their generation but regeneration not according to the substance of the humane nature receiued from the first Adam but according as it is renued with sanctitie and heauenly puritie in the second by the power of whose Spirit dwelling in vs Our mortall bodies are quickened to n●wnesse of life Rom. 6.10 11. And thus Christ is in vs not in the wicked he is in vs by an internall a true and liuely co-adunation and vnion of the spirit which consists in a true and sincere faith and a true and vnfeined loue by which we are conformed to Christ our head for by faith and loue we are translated into Christ so that now we liue no longer in our selues but in him Our life is hid with Christ in God Coloss 3.3 I liue saith the Apostle yet not I but Christ liueth in me and the life which I now liue in the flesh I liue by the faith of the Sonne of God who loued me and gaue himselfe for me Gal. 2.20 We liue not by our selues but by Christ who liueth in vs And therefore first this is a most excellent benefit and comfort to the soule of a Christian It is profitable for vs that our life of grace is not in vs but in Christ For if our spirituall life of grace were our own and did consist onely in our selues wee should soone spend it like prodigals and die that spirituall death that brings death eternall But our life being in Christ and Christ in vs hauing once giuen this life of grace vnto vs for our eternall comfort in all temptations he will neuer take this life totally and finally from vs but though he may withdraw his breath for a time yet he will returne reuiue and quicken vs to life euerlasting And to this end Christ is in vs by his
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If any man be in Christ Expositio Beza in Annotat Here is the Adiectiue us any But the Substantiue man is vnderstood yet necessarily implyed both in the Greeke and Latine and wel expressed in our English translation If any man A word or two therefore of this That you may know man and what man our Apostle here speakes of consider his name First in Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is as much as Earth or earthy to teach man that hee is mortall and as hee was taken from the earth so hee must turne to earth againe Gen. 3.19 The name of Man In Hebrew first Adam red Earth To teach man to remember his end Gen. 3.19 And therefore hee should studie to liue in this life here as euer remembring hee must once die and so change this life if he liue well Dan. 12. Mat. 25.2 Bu●aeus lib. de cont●mptu reru n so●tunarum psum ●oelum suffi●ere h●●●mi natura dedit vt nom●● Gra●ū indicat for a better a life of glorie and happinesse in heauen But if he liue ill for a worse a life of woe and miserie for euer in hell Secondly in Greeke his name is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which seemeth to signifie as much as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is tending vpwards as Budaeus intimates To shew that he onely liueth as becomes his name who lifteth vp his eyes to heauen and heauenly things to God in thankefulnesse who gaue him both his name and his nature with all the good that hee hath Man should h●ue his eyes towards heauen both for his soule and body But for that man who hath his eyes the eyes of his body and minde alwayes fixed down-wards towards the earth and earthly things as he hath the nature so he deserues the name of a beast rather then that excellent and noble name of Man In Latine to teach man obedience to God Steph. Paris serm Thirdly in Latine the name of Man is Homo which as learned Varro inferres hath his signification ab Humo from the moyst and plyable ground easily following the turne and winding of the Potters wheele that men might learne from the proper name of their owne nature To teach vnitie betweene man and man Dominicus Nauus in Peliante tit hom socialis est homuus ac benefica natura quo solo cognationem cum deo habet Lactantius lib. 5. insititut easily to be turned and guided in obedience to the will and command of God But some deriue the Latine name Homo from the Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth vnity concord and agreement of minde To shew that men should striue to be at vnity and charitie one with another like Pylades and Orestes who had but one minde in two bodies so true was their loue But I goe no further concerning his name If you consider his nature First after a Philosophicall manner I find there were three opinions amongst Philosophers concerning man The first did teach that man was onely ap●orporall substance that his soule it selfe was a body The nature of man Opinions of Philosophers and b● consequence the whole man corporeall So Democritus Leucippus and a sort of Philosophers called Epicures The second did teach that man was only incorporeall that is all soule for they would haue only the soule of man to pertaine to the substance and essence of man and his body to bee but an instrument to the soule as the ship is to the pilot So Plato and other Stoicall of philosophers like himselfe The third sort did affirme that man was composed of both as of his essentiall parts of a soule as of his formall and of a body as his materiall cause and both required to make vp the essence and being of man Thus Aristotle and the Peri-pateticks his followers And this is most agreeable to the Scriptures for when God made the body of man of the earth he made his soule from heauen and vniting them both together in a wonderfull manner Psal 139.14.15 man became a reasonable creature or a liuing soule Gen. 2.7 Not that he is only a liuing soule for he is a liuing body as well as as a liuing soule the body liuing by the soule but hee hath his denomination in that place from the better part which is his soule And thus you see mans nature philosophically If we consider him theologically Man considered Theologically 3. Estates 1. Estate of creation wee shall finde him changeable according to the diuers estates whereunto he is subiect And in this life there is a threefold estate of man The first our excellent estate of creation in Adam when God did giue vs our portion with large endowments of all graces both spirituall and temporall The second our state of nature and naturall corruption since Adams fall 2. Of nature corrupted in whom like prodigals we spent our patrimony and lost the excellency of that image wherein God did make vs. 3. Of grace The third and last is our state of grace and regeneration in Christ for whose merits God the Father doth freely embrace vs in the armes of his mercy and accepts vs in him to bee sonnes and heires of eternall glory And this is the estate of a Christian man of that man of whom our Apostle speakes in my Text If any man be in Christ And thus hauing gathered some fruite from the branch which is man and euery Christian man let vs see what we can finde in the vine which is Christ 2. Branch If any man bee in Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In Christ The Scripture doth as well teach that Christ is in vs as that we are in Christ I will giue you a few places for many which are most emphaticall At that day ye shal know that I am in my Father and you in me and I in you saith Christ to his disciples Iohn 14.20 Know you not that Christ Iesus is in you except ye be reprobates saith Saint Paul 2. Cor. 13.5 And if any man be in Christ An admirable vnion betweene Christ and his Church A threefold vnion of Christ and Christians Greg. lib. 6. epist 61. Verbum carnē dicimus factum non immutando quod erat sed suscipiendo quod non erat nostra auxit sua non minuit Hil. lib. 12. de Trinit Cyril lib. 1. c. 16. Chrys Hom. 10 Ambr. de Incarn Dom. c. 6. is my Text. So that hence we may learne that there is an admirable vnion and Communion betweene Christ and his Church betweene our Sauiour and euery faithfull soule And to vnderstand this we must know that there is a threefold Vnion and Communion of Christ with vs. The first in nature the second in grace and the third in glory The first is that Hypostaticall or personall Vnion of our humane nature with the divine of which Saint John speakes Iohn 1.14 And the word was made flesh and
dwelt amongst vs and we saw the glory thereof as the glory of the onely begotten Sonne of the Father full of grace and truth The Word that is the Divinitie of Christ was made flesh that is did take vpon him our humane nature he tooke on him the seede of Abraham saith the Apostle Heb. 2.16 and did dwell 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in vs as it is in the Originall that is in our humane nature as Saint Hilary S. Cyrill S. Chrysostome S. Ambrose and others obserue And so they vsed this place against those heretickes who affirmed that the Word was conuerted into the flesh for if he dwelt in the flesh that is in our humane nature then he remained still what he was and therefore could not bee conuerted into the flesh as they falsly imagined This exposition is true in the substance though it doth not fully explicate this vnion of Christ with vs for Christ doth not onely dwell in our nature as a man in his mansion house but is vnited vnto our nature as the soule to the body yea after a farre more excellent and wonderfull manner The two natures of Christ the divine and humane being vnited make one person saith Damascen Damasc lib. 3. cap 4. there is one Christ not by conuersion of the Diuinity into the flesh but by assumptiō of humanity into his Godhead one altogether not by confusion of essence but by vnity of person as Athanasius Athanasius in Symb. affirmes And by this admirable vnion Christ the eternall Word of his Father did assume in most neere maner vnto himselfe our whole humane nature without any conuersion confusion alteration or separation as the Chalcedon Chalcedon Symb. creede doth testifie and that as Damascen addeth the proprieties of both natures being safe Therefore the Ancients did affirme that the mystery osthis vnion was Mirabiliter singulare singulariter mirabile Wonderfully singular and singularly wonderfull it is that great mystery of godlinesse 1. Tim. 3.16 Of which there is no example in nature which 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in all respects is answerable vnto it for howsoeuer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in some kind there are some to illustrate it as that vnion of the soule and the body of the fire and the yron red hotte of the Sunne and the light which Iustine Martyr Cyrillus Athanasius and others vse in their writings yet none can fully explicate this great and wonderfull mystery To conclude this vnion is not imaginary onely but true and reall though supernaturall and the foundation of our spirituall with Christ both in grace and glory depends vpon it For had he not taken our nature vpon him and so freely marryed himselfe vnto vs Hosh 2.19 we could neuer haue beene vnited to him But Christ vniting himselfe to vs in nature and God accepting vs as iust and righteous for his merits we are vnited to him in grace which is the second vnion betweene Christ and vs. The second vnion is of our persons with Christ here Zanchias in comment in Ephes Gen. 2.24 And this is the vnion of our persons of our whole man both soule and body vnto the whole person of Christ God and man by the excellent bond of our spirituall marriage in which Christ hath vnited vs vnto himselfe as the whole person of Adam was ioyned in wedlocke to the whole person of Eue so are we to our heauenly bridegroome For that carnall marriage betweene Adam and Eue was a type and figure of this spirituall betweene Christ and his Church as S. Paul witnesseth Ephe. 5.33 And this is in the kingdo me of grace in this life The third vnion is our union with Christ in glory in the kingdome of heauen A vnion with Christ in glory by which we shall enioy the presence of our Sauiour yea wee shall haue vnion with God and his Angels and be filled with abundance of glory and happinesse for euermore of this our Sauiour speakes John 14.3 J goe to prepare a place for you and if I goe to prepare a place for you I will come againe and receiue you vnto my selfe that where J am there may you bee also And for this vnion our Sauiour prayeth to his Father Iohn 17.24 Father I will that they also whom thou hast giuen me be with me where I am that they may behold my glory which thou hast giuen me for thou louedst mee before the foundation of the world And this vnion the blessed Apostle did so earnestly long after Philip. 1.23 Idesire to be dissolued and to be with Christ Neither is it to be doubted but that our Sauiour in the first vnion the vnion of our nature was willing to praemonstrate the second our vnion in grace and in the second to manifest the third that by that vnion which we enioy in present we might bee confirmed in the hope of that which wee shall enioy hereafter Amandus Polanus s●ntag The first vnion is referred to the second and the second to the third as nature is ordinated to grace and grace to glory The first vnion is the cause of the second and the second is the cause of the third For we cannot be vnited to Christ in glory in the life to come except we be ingrafted into him in this life by grace but we could not haue been vnited to him in grace except Christ had vnited himselfe to vs in nature by taking our nature upon him Whosoeuer therefore will be vnited to Christ in glory it is necessary that he be first vnited to him in grace and whosoeuer is vnited in grace it is necessary that he should haue bin vnited to him in nature Thus you haue a briefe view of our threefold vnion with Christ But it is the second of these our vnion with Christ in grace of which I am now to speake And therefore to illustrate this a little further I shewed you it was a vnion of our persons soule and body with the person of Christ both God and Man For as in the first vnion the vnion of Christ with our nature the whole person of the Sonne of God did assume into the vnitie of himselfe the whole man that is his whole humane nature not the body alone nor the soule alone but both together So is it when Christ is vnited to a Christian he is vnited to the whole man both soule and body as a Christian is vnited to the whole Christ both God and Man Therefore the Apostle doth not onely witnesse that he which is ioyned to the Lord is one Spirit 1 Cor. 6.17 1 Cor. 12.13 but that our bodies are the members of Christ in the 15 verse of the same Chapter Yea wee which are many are one body in Christ Rom. 12.5 So that Christ is vnited both to our soules and bodies And thus are we vnited vnto whole Christ To his humanitie not after a carnali but a spirituall manner For thus Heb. 2.14 wee are members of his