Selected quad for the lemma: body_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
body_n	dead_a	soul_n	spirit_n	13,984	5	5.8732	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A33548	Jacob's vow, or, Man's felicity and duty in two parts / by John Cockburn ...	Cockburn, John, 1652-1729.	1696 (1696)	Wing C4813; ESTC R10808	214,296	486

Disstance which is betwixt Him and us And so we read that Abraham and Moses and David and all the Prophets and Servants of GOD in the Scripture used to bow down and fall upon their Face to the Ground when they appeared before GOD or that he appeared unto them Yea GOD himself expresly required this of Moses and Ioshua at these Manifestations of his presence unto them which we find Exod. 3. 5. Iosh 5. 15. For there he commanded them to put off their shoes from off their feet which according to the custom of the Eastern Nations was then a Testimonie of Respect and Reverence And indeed seing we bear no proportion to the Greatness of God there is nothing more Proper or Reasonable then that we should Reverence and Exalt him by such depressing of our selves and humbling of our Bodies in his Sight The very Angels these Glorious Spirits are said to vail and cover their faces when they appear before God And how much more Reason is it that we be abashed and humbled who dwell in houses of clay and whose foundation is in the dust Certainly if there be any Gesture or Posture more humble then anoher it becomes us to use it and it doth bespeak little Reverence to God to use that Gesture and Carriage when we speak to him or he speaks to us which we would not make use of but when we were conversing with our Equals or Inferiours Sitting therefore at Prayer and having the head covered when Divine Worship is performed are very undecent and unbecoming things I wonder how ever this creept in or came to be in fashion amongst us and I think it yet more strange that there should be some who take upon them to defend that which is condemned not only by the practice of all the Saints and Servants of God we read of in Scripture but also by the Custome of all Nations whatsoever For even the very Heathens would account it irreverence towards their False Gods which many Christians in this Country are not ashamed to do towards the True and Living God What the Lord saith by the Prophet Malachy in another case will be very applicable here a Son honoureth his Father and a Servant his Master if then I be a Father where is my honour and if I be a Master where is my fear offer this now unto thy Governour will he be pleased with thee or accept thy Person saith the Lord of Hosts Mal 1. 6. 8. Nay to pass Kings and Princes and those of the best quality even the meaner sort of Gentlemen would look upon themselves as affronted and uncivilly Treated if they had not greater respect payed them then what some shew to God who would not be incens'd and provock'd if his Tennent or any other Poor mean Fellow should thrust into his presence without uncovering his Head and sit down and talk with him I doubt not but there are some who would be ready to cause kick such all manner'd Persons to the doore and I cannot see how that can be reckoned as reverence and a sign of devotion to God which men look upon as rudenesse and incivility There be some which very much mistake that place of the Prophet Isai. 29. 13. Where the Lord complains of his People of Old that they drew near Him with their Mouth and that they honoured him with their lips as if that were a discharge of all externall Worship or of outward reverence therein whereas it is not the outward honour and reverence which the Lord there finds fault with but only that their hearts were far from him God values not the Body without the Soul for then it is but a dead Carcase he cares not for our outward reverence and Prostrations when the inward Spirit of devotion is wanting but as he calls chiefly for the Heart and Mind because it is the better part of Man so he expects that having the inward the outward man will follow and indeed what God hath joyned together should not be put asunder The Apostle enjoyns the honouring of God outwardly as well as inwardly when he saith Glorify God in your body and in your spirit which are Gods 1 Cor 6. 20. ' Tits true superstition is a fault but it is not the best way to redresse it to turn Profane and irreverent God is not pleased with the humblest postures of our bodies when our hearts and souls do not accompany them but to make up that want we must not turn away from the necessary and becoming testimonies of devotion and reverence What our Saviour said on another occasion to the Scribes and Pharises I may well apply here these ought ye to have done and not to leave the other undone Matth 23. 23. As hypocrisie may be joyned to the outward acts and expressions of humility and reverence so it is as certain that there is little true sense of God within when the outward behaviour is not Grave modest and Humble wherefore it is the saying of One I will as sure believe him temperat who is staggering in the Streets with drink and him chaste whose eyes are full of Adultery him mercifull whose hands are imbru'd in blood as that he can truely fear God who sheweth no outward reverence in his worship The outward reverence of the Body is not only necessary to testifie the inward respect of the mind but it is also requisite for the quickning and stiring it up as the outward Pomp and Grandeur of Princes and Magistrats is necessary to put People in mind of their Power and Authority which otherwayes they would be readie to forget or to be too bold with so the outward Humiliation of our Bodies serves to cherish and to keep up in us the sense of God's greatness and Glory which otherwayes perhaps would slip out of our minds Thus we have spoken to that reverence both Inward and Outward which is due to GOD which is always One of the fruits of his fear The other effect thereof consists in a great care and circumspection not to offend or displease him And indeed if this be wanting there is no true Fear of GOD nor will any Reverence which we shew towards him find acceptance with him As Children who truly honour and respect their Parents are alwayes very loath to give them any manner of offence and as they are grieved when at any time they chance to do it though they do not Fear nor apprehend to be chastised so such as are sincerly acted with the Fear of GOD will carefully watch against all manner of sin and will have an aversion from it though there where no ground to dread Hell or other punishments but even because that this is contrarie to him whom they intirely love and honour And when they have sinned the consideration of the offence which is given GOD thereby will afflict them more then these bitter fruits which sin alwayes produceth Therefore the True fear of GOD doth alwayes restrain Men from doing these

is both lovely in it self and in the eyes of all the World this gains the Hearts and wins the Affections of all Wit Learning Dexterity and Courage will be talk●…d of indeed with some Admiration but Bounty and Charity is truly lov'd and Esteemed instances of these do tickle the Fancy chiefly but this really affects the Hearts of all who know it Every ones heart is open to embrace him whose hands are alwayes ready to the relief of the Poor and Miserable every Mouth blesseth him and every tongue speaks of his Praise People honour his Presence Pray for his Life and count it a Blessing and when he is gone hence his memory is dear to them Such an one needs no Brass Statue or Marble Tomb to perpetuate his Name it never rots but lasteth to many Generations and like precious Ointment has still a sweet Savour which refresheth the Spirits of those who smell it The Righteous saith the Psalmist that is the Charitable Man as appears from the context shall be in everlasting remembrance Ps. 112. 6 And how can it be otherwise for Thirdly Charity is a God-like thing it makes a Man truly resemble GOD in the most Lovely of his Attributes if I may be allowed to speak so GOD'S Omnipotence and Omniscience are proper Objects of fear and Reverence but 't is the consideration of his Goodness which especially begets our Love to him yea 't is this which makes him most Glorious therefore when he shewed his Glory to Moses he did it by proclaiming his Name the LORD GOD Merciful and Gracious long suffering and abundant in goodness c. Exod 34. 6. Because Goodness is the chiefest of the Divine Attributes therefore the rest are set on work for the manifestation thereof his Wisdom contrives and his Power Acts that by both he may shew his Goodness his Mercies are over all his Works Now as 't will be acknowledged the Highest Perfection to be like GOD so the best and truest Likeness to him is to study to be good and Merciful as he is Good and Merciful Though we could come to some resemblance of his Wisdom and Power 't would neither endear us to Him nor to others so much as the imitation of his Goodness Who therefore would be Like GOD who are Acted with such an High and holy Ambition let them busie themselves in doing good and according to their Power let them abound in Works of Charity and Mercy For hereby they shall become partakers of the Divine Nature and shall purchase a right to the same Tittles which GOD takes to himself in Scripture and indeed glories in as the Father of Mercies and Comforts the Helper of the helpless the Reliever of the needy such as are distressed c. The half of the Money which some lay out for Worldly Tittles would procure these Divine Designations which are by far preferrable and upon many considerations more Honourable Fourthly this Duty of Charity is most pleasant and taking 't is not more for the Comfort of the distressed then 't is for the satisfaction of the Charitable Man himself wherefore our Saviour said It is more blessed to give then to receive Acts 20. 35. Acts of Bounty and Charity truly rejoice the Heart and fill the Soul with large measures of solid joy there is far more Joy in Spiritual Exercises then in any other other pleasures are but skin deep they are only some Titillations in the Body which soon evanish but the Joy which results from Vertue and Religious exercises peirceth the Heart and causeth the very Spirit to exult and there is in Particular a special Pleasure in doing Good As the desires of doing Good are of all other the Noblest which made a Heathen Poet to call them Sensus pars Optima Nostri so certainly the fulfilling thereof is attended with the Chiefest Satisfaction has a gust and relish proper to delight a Heaven born Soul 'T is but small delight which cometh from dainty Morsels quaffing of Healths for these are Bruitish exercises and inferiour to the Dignity of our Natures But to feed the hungry to afford drink to the thirsty Soul to cloath the naked to comfort those who mourn to save the life which is ready to perish and other the like Charitable deeds are Exercises worthy of GOD himself he delights in them and how can it but delight and rejoyce us to be so Nobly and Divinely imployed If Men have reared up magnificent Structures great Buildings and made fine Gardens about them they are ready to contemplate them with vanity as Nebuchadnedzar did his Babylon saying Is not this great Babylon which I built O how mean a thing is it to be vain of these works which Wind and Weather can deface Storms batter down and time wear out But certainly there is Reason to rejoyce in being instrumental to rear up living fabricks to repair the Temples of the Holy Ghost and to preserve those who are capable to sound forth the praises of GOD to all Eternity If People will but consult their Reason and reflect on their own little Experience they cannot but be perswaded of the unspeakable Pleasure in doing Good in contributing seasonable comfort and relief to their fellow Brethren in being able to step in and pull them out of some Sad Straite or to hold off the weight of a Crosse whose pressure is likely to fill them with excessive grief 'T is only the consideration of this pleasure which makes Worldly Greatness desireable or Supportable for abstracting from this 't is an uselesse burden and a great impertinence which a Wise Man would shun and seek to be rid of Fifthly Acts of Charity and Bounty are most profitable and that upon many Accounts First they are Profitable because hereby the Creatures of GOD are Sanctified to our use and our enjoyment of them becomes Lawful Every creature of GOD is good saith the Apostle and nothing to be refused if it be received with thanksgiving 1 Tim 4 4. The Creatures are only good then when thanksgiving is Joined to the use of them which thanksgiving doth consist in a deep sense of GODS Propriety in the Creatures and of his goodness in bestowing them upon us this sense must be expressed not only in Words but Deeds The violating the Signs of GODS Dominion over the Creatures brought a curse upon them for this cause the Earth was cursed to us and this curse is not removed but by returning to our Allegiance by making an acknowledgement of GOD'S Right and Dominion in paying the Tribute which is due and which he requires The neglect of this keeps GOD from blessing our enjoyments this is the reason why some as the Prophet Haggai speaks sow much and bring little eat but have not enough drink but are not filled with drink Cloath themselves but are not warm earn wages but 't is put as 't were into a bagge with holes Hag 1 6 And as the giving GOD his due sanctifieth the Creatures by taking