Selected quad for the lemma: life_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
life_n	bless_a	jesus_n	lord_n	4,865	5	3.3913	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A42839	Mary's choice, or, The choice of the truly godly person opened, and justified, in a sermon preached at the funeral of Mrs. Anne Petter, late wife of the Reverend Mr. John Petter, Pastor of the Church at Hever in Kent, April 26, 1658 by John Glascock ...	Glascock, John, d. 1661.	1659 (1659)	Wing G842; ESTC R6625	73,413	87

Christians choice is unquestionably and incomparably the best choice which can be made Touching the first of these before I propound the description of a Christians choice it will not be amisse to premise that the word Election or Choice may be taken two ways 1. Largely 2. Strictly 1. Largely for that it comprehends both the acts of the understanding and the will Electio est 1. in ratione secundum quam intellectus habet judicare quod alteri est proponendum 2. In voluntate secundum quam voluntas habet movere aut impellere sive imperare de prosecutione ejus quod judicatum est Ca. 2. Strictly For the Wills act onely about the meanes leading to some desired end when many meanes occurring some one of them is preferred before the rest this act of the Will by the Philosopher is called Election or Choice The word is here to be taken in the largest sense as relating to the end as well as the meanes and may be thus described The choice of a true Christian is that whereby his soul assisted by speciall grace prefers before all other things whatsoever Christ with all his spirituall blessings which he by his bloud hath purchased and God of his grace in his holy Ordinances dispenseth to his people For the help of the understanding and memory of the weakest capacity I shall analetically resolve and explain the severall branches of this description In the description these parts are principally observable 1. The principle of this choice 2. The Object of this choice 3. The formal act of this choice 4. The fountain of all that good which is chosen 5. The meritorious cause of it 6. The outward and ordinary meanes of its conveyance 1 The Principle by which any person is enabled to make this choice The choice which the Text and Doctrine speaks of is such as onely a true Christian can make T is as possible for a beast to desire to be a man or a toad to be an Angel as for any of the Posterity of Adam since the Fall without supernaturall and Iter ad gratia●… est per gratia●… Prosper speciall Grace rightly to choose God and the things of God And the true and irrefragable reason of it is because as the Philosopher rightly determines nothing doth or can act beyond the sphear of its own activity Wicked ones chuse their own wayes not Gods Esa 66. 3. Yea They have chosen their own wayes and their soul delights in their abominations 2. The Object of this choice is expressed in these words Christ with all his spirituall blessings A whorish heart can be content with a divided Christ nothing lesse then an whole Christ can satisfie a sincere Christian Here two things are distinctly to be considered 1. The Primary Object of this choice Christs person 2. The secondary Object All his Spirituall blessings 1. Christs person Who can by words fully expresse what glorious and soul-ravishing beauty the truly godly person doth discern in the lovely person of Jesus Christ T is admirable to consider throughly the large and patheticall description the Church makes of Jesus Christ by way of answer to a question propounded to her by the daughters of Jerusalem Cant. 5. 9. What is thy Beloved more then another Beloved O thou fairest among women What is thy Beloved more then another that thou dost so charge us Vers 10. My Beloved is white and ruddy These two being duely mixed do make the most beautifull and orient look or colour that any person is capable of and then it followes the chiefest among ten thousand and because so he deserves to have as much love as ten thousand hearts put into one could hold and this lively and lofty description of Christ is continued to the end of the Chapter Vers 16. His mouth is most sweet i. e. His word and promises which are as it were the breath of Christs mouth We had rather be without fire water bread sun air said a Dutch Divine then want that one sweet sentence of our blessed Saviour Mat. 11. 28. Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest Yea He is altogether lovely totus totus desiderabilis wholly amiable every whit of him to be desited But as for wicked persons their judgement of Christ is farre otherwise like whores they preferre the gifts before the giver and yet not all but some onely of Christs gifts are acceptable to wicked ones Christs pardon will do well to deliver them from danger but Christs sinne-subduing grace is as unacceptable to them as Christs person But of this more in the next branch of the description A short discourse of this high and spirituall subject viz. The lovelynesse of Christs person amongst many is a dark and tiring businesse Esa 53. 2. When we shall see him that is Christ there is no beauty that we should desire him This was spoken in the person of the carnall Jew who judged of Christ according to his outward appearance 1 Cor. 2. 14. The natural man receiveth not the things of the spirit of God for they are foolishnesse unto him neither can be know them because they are spiritually discerned And who wonders that a blind man is not affected with the most beautiful object which is before him when he is not capable of discerning it Deformity and beauty are both alike to such a person t is so proportionably in Spirituall Objects 2. The Secondary Object of the Christians choice is thus expressed viz. All Christs spiritual Blessings A truly godly person doth as truly desire sanctifying grace to make him serviceable to Christ here as pardoning grace to render his condition happy hereafter as the Apostle speaketh He hath his fruit unto holiness in this Rom. 6. 22. life as well as the end everlasting life It were an inexcusable wast of time to be large in the further proof of this I shall therefore onely name one Text for its full confirmation Ephes 1. 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spirituall blessings in heavenly places in Christ Out of these words to omit many things contained in them for my present purpose I shall observe three things 1. Godly Paul speaks these words not in his own name onely but in the name of all the godly Ephesians because it is not said who hath blessed me but who hath blessed us 2. He gives thanks not for some onely but for all spirituall blessings that were procured for them by Christ for so are the words who hath blessed us with all spirituall blessings Now if Paul in his own name and in the name of all the godly Ephesians blesse God for all spirituall blessings by Christ It follows by undeniable consequence that he and they did unfainedly desire them all otherwise their thankfullnesse for them had been hypocriticall and abominable 3. His thankfullnesse for them was equall therefore such was his and