Selected quad for the lemma: nature_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
nature_n	body_n	soul_n	spirit_n	15,742	5	5.7619	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A04166	Christs ansvver vnto Iohns question: or, An introduction to the knowledge of Iesus Christ, and him crucified Deliuered in certaine sermons in the famous towne of New-castle vpon Tine. By Thomas Iackson, Dr. of Diuinitie, vicar of Saint Nicolas Church there, and fellow of Corpus Christi Colledge in Oxford.	Jackson, Thomas, 1579-1640.	1625 (1625)	STC 14306; ESTC S107447	127,240	218

hearts can desire euen the fulnes of that true happines which is all that you or any man can desire is only to be sought in Christ in whom it may be found by all For confirming your particular Interest in him and in the blessednes which heere he promiseth the right receiuing of this blessed Sacrament is of all other meanes most effectuall For your better preparation to the due receiuing of it it will bee auaileable to consider the doctrine which my Text affoords that although Christ be a fountaine of happines infinite and inexhaustible although his death whose memory we celebrate whose vertue in this Sacrament we seeke be as it were the opening of this fountaine yet are the streames of blisse and happines which issue from him by his death deriuable onely vnto such as are not offended in him Though the Gospell as our Apostle speaketh Rom. 1. ver 16. be the power of God vnto saluation yet as my Text saith the poore in spirit only take the impression of it Euen power it selfe and goodnesse infinite sufficient in it selfe to saue all though in number infinite is effectuall only in such as are of an humble and contrite heart Of their humiliation or contrition or their poorenes in spirit which is heere mentioned in my Text that might be truely said which our Sauiour doth of Thomas the Apostle his faith Thomas thou beleeuest because thou hast seene happy are they which haue not seene and yet beleeue The most of these men were therefore poore and humble in spirit because the Lord had humbled broken or chastised them some with bodily blindnes others with lamenes some with deafenes others with leprosie or like grieuous sicknes some with death Howeuer becōming once truely humble and poore in spirit though by these and like meanes all of them were truely happy in Christ but much happier and more blessed shall they be whom the Lord hauing not so grieuously chastised in body yet doe become as humble and poore in spirit as they were The best consideration I can commend vnto you for working this humiliation and contrition of spirit is this that as the Ceremonies of the Law were but shaddowes of these things which are now fulfilled in Christ so all the bodily calamities which Christ heere cured in so many seuerall bodies were but as so many sensible types or shaddowes of more grieuous maladies in euery mans soule although by nature wee doe not feele them Some of them were dead in body and all of vs as our Apostle saith are by nature dead in trespasses Now if we doe as truely and heartily bewayle this deadnes of our soules as the poore Widdow of Naim did the bodily death of her onely sonne then as our Apostle saith in the same place Wee are quickned in Christ and he will deliuer our soules vnto vs safe and sound as he did him vnto his mother Some of those were blind in body all of vs were darke in mind euen from the wombe and if we supplicate vnto him with like earnestnes to enlighten our minds as these poore men did to receiue their bodily sight wee shall bee as happy in this cure as they were in the other Some of them were halt and lame and not able to go and we after we haue seene and knowne the wayes of God are more vnable to walke in them than they were to runne a race Some of them were Leapers in body so are we all by nature Leapers in soules But whatsoeuer lamenes infirmitie or disease hath befalne our soules by Adams transgression or by our owne corruption he is both able and willing to worke more miraculous cures vpon our soules than hee did vpon these pooremens bodies so we intreat him as earnestly and heartily as they did 23. None of you I hope conceiueth Christs bodily presence to be either necessary or expedient for curing or healing your soules No mans faith in Scripture is more commended than the Centurions which did not desire our Sauiours bodily presence when he offered it for the healing of his seruant His answere was Lord I am not worthy that thou shouldst come vnder my roofe but speake the word onely and my seruant shall be healed Matth. 8. 8. If this acknowledgement were a document of liuely faith and Christian modesty in this Centurion what can it be but arrogancy and vnbeliefe in the Romanist to thinke himselfe worthy not only of Christs bodily presence vnder the roofe of his house but vnder the roofe of his mouth yea in his stomach But farre bee all such vncleane and carnall thoughts from any heere present Let vs stedfastly belieue that Christs Word is now as powerfull in heauen as it was on earth yet haue wee not onely his Word but the visible pledges of his body and blood for the healing of our soules Whateuer other defect there may be in our preparation for receiuing these pledges of his passion let vs be sure that our intention to humble our selues and amend our liues be sincere and without hypocrisie The second Member of the generall diuision proposed in the former Discourse Parag. 8. What satisfaction this Answere of our Sauiour did giue to Iohn § 24. VErbum sapienti sat est A man of vnderstanding and experience in part acquainted with any businesse on foot perceiueth more by a word or Hint than another of lesse vnderstanding or experience altogether vnacquainted with the same busines would doe by instructions giuen in Folio Now Iohn we know was a man of extraordinary vnderstanding and experience in matters spirituall specially such as concerned Christ to whom hee was the immediate fore-runner vnto which office he was qualified or set apart from the wombe yea sanctified vnto it euen in the wombe as you may reade Luke 1. verse 41. As this qualification made him more docile or capable of good instructions than other children were so his father Zacharias was better able to instruct him in the knowledge of Christ of whose Kingdome and Office he had prophesied than any other Priest or sonne of Aaron could For Zacharias was for ought that wee can gather the onely Prophet then in Israel at least the spirit of Prophesie which for a long time had bin as a fountaine dryed vp did first breake forth in him After that Iohn himselfe came to maturitie of age and vnderstanding he was directed by speciall commission from his God to vsher Christ into the world to induct him into his Propheticall function to declare him to be the Redeemer of Israel to proclaime him to be the high Priest of our soules that was to make the full atonement for the sinnes of the whole world Now vnto Iohn thus well qualified and instructed in matters concerning Christ and in particular acquainted with the carriage of all businesses concerning Christs baptisme or other actions vntill his imprisonment this Answere of our Sauiour Christ especially being framed out of that Prophets words which had penned Iohns Cōmission for being

prosperity as man is capable of in this life and such as they obserued some men to enjoy was so brickle and vncertaine as no man could safely passe his sentence of them whether they were happy or no vntill they had finished their course of life But the greatest errour in this argument wherewith the greatest Philosopher himselfe was ouertaken was that this happinesse might be attained vnto by good education or by the wit and industry of man for he denyeth it to be the free gift of God But we Christians beleeue know that if all good things be the gift of God then the chiefe or supreme good must bee the extraordinary and speciall gift of God And yet withall wee must consider that God who giueth all good things freely neuer casteth such precious pearles as this vnto swine Although it cannot be purchased by mans industrie yet God giueth it only to the industrious only to such as seeke after it with the best faculties and indeuours of their soules content to forgoe all things else for the purchase of it But of this hereafter 16. Yet heerein Aristotle and other Heathen Philosophers were more orthodoxall than some rigid Stoicall Christians in that they thoght no man could be truely happy without health of body or whilest he continued in want penury much lesse whilest he continued in such paines and torments as Regulus or other like vertues or good patriots did endure rather then they would wrong their conscience or vndoe their Countrie He that shall accuse these Heathens as carnally minded in this considereth not that in thus accusing them he condemneth the generation of the iust Our Apostle Saint Paul had greater peace of conscience than Regulus or any other Roman could haue That part of happines which consisteth in the health and welfare or other endowments of the soule was as compleat and perfect in him during this life as any man whilest cloathed with mortality can expect yet saith he of himselfe and others euen of all that were alike minded as he was If in this life onely wee haue hope in Christ wee are of all men most miserable 1. Cor. 15. vers 19. What occasions soeuer other good Christians of these times had to ioyne with him in this complaint his owne occasions to speake to thinke and write as heere he doth are else-where by him specified at large and are most iust Are they Ministers of Christ I speake as a foole I am more in labours more abundant in stripes aboue measure in prisons more frequent in deaths oft of the Iewes fiue times receiued 1 forty stripes saue one Thrice was I beaten with rods once was I stoned thrice I suffered shipwracke a night and a day haue I bin in the deepe In iournying often In perils of waters In perils of robbers in perils by my owne Country-men in perils by heathen in perils in the City in perils in the Wildernesse in perils in the Sea in perils among false brethren In wearines and painefulnes in watchings often in hunger and thirst in fastings often in cold and nakednes Besides those things which are without that which commeth vpon mee dayly the care of all the Churches who is weake and I am not weake who is offended and I burne not 2. Cor. Cap. 11. vers 23. to the 30. 17. These grieuances of bodie and perplexities of minde were of themselues rather branches or degrees of misery than of felicity things in their own nature not to be desired but auoyded as being in that ranke of euils which we call malū poenae such as all punishments or chastisements whether iustly or iniustly inflicted are For whatsoeuer is contrary to that which is truely good must needs be so farre truely euill as it is contrary vnto that which is in its nature good Now all malū poenae that is all punishments chastisements or bodily grieuances are directly contrary to the second branch of goodnesse fore-mentioned which the Schooles call Bonum Iucundum the goodnesse of lawfull pleasure of harmelesse delight of blamelesse ease or contentment all which are degrees or branches of felicity But though these grieuances before mentioned by our Apostle were in themselues truely euill yet was it good for him as it is for all men else to suffer them for the Gospels sake or for the confirmation of others faith Both parts of this true doctrine or assertion are auouched by the same Apostle Heb. 12. vers 11. No chastening for the present seemeth to be ioyous but grieuous neuerthelesse afterwards it yeeldeth the peaceable fruites of righteousnes vnto them which are exercised thereby So that no chastening or bodily grieuance which befalleth vs for Christ's or the Gospel's sake is so true or great an euill in one sense as it is good in another to wit in the first ranke of goodnes before mentioned that is profitable or vsefull All persecutions whether in body goods or name haue the same reference or proportion vnto the soule or to its welfare health and happines that bitter and vnpleasant Phisicke hath vnto the body Now there is no man but will be willing to lay downe his bodily life as a wearisome burthen rather than to liue continually vnder the Physician 's or Chirurgian's hands without any ease or intermission And yet euen the bitterest and most vnpleasant Physicke such as in it selfe is to be loathed is good and by all wise men to be desired so long as there is certaine hope that it may be a meanes to ease their bodies-of lingring paine or torture or procure the restauration or long continuance of former and wonted health In like manner our Apostle Saint Paul would haue wished neuer to haue professed the Christian Religion rather than to haue liued eternally in such persecutions as he sometimes suffered because they were in themselues euill and distastefull vnto the humane nature notwithstanding he reioyceth and glorieth in them as they haue reference to that exceeding waight of glory and crowne of righteousnes for the attaining whereof they were though not causes yet as meanes ordained by God vsefull and for those times necessary And therefore our Sauiour saith Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousnes sake for theirs is the Kingdome of heauen And againe Blessed are ye when men shall reuile you and persecute you for my sake Matth. 5. 10. 11. Reioyce and be glad for great is your reward in heauen for so persecuted they the Prophets which were before you vers 12. So then such as suffer persecution for righteousnes sake are blessed spe non re whilest they suffered persecution That is they are not in the actuall possession of that blessednes which they hope for nor can they expect as our Apostle in the fore-cited 15. Chapter to the Corinthians 19. vers teacheth vs that their hopes of blessednes in Christ shall bee accomplished in this life because neither the endowments of the minde nor of the body whose perfection and accomplishment are necessary

of the blessednesse here promised may partly bee gathered by this Induction as you heard before The blinde are happy the lame are happy the Lepers are happy the deafe and dead are happy therefore all are or at least there is none but might be happy so they would not be offended in mee But the same conclusion Blessed is hee whosoeuer shall not be offended in mee is more immediately contained in the last clause of the fift verse Pauperes euangelizantur and may bee inferred by way of Syllogisme thus Euery one that is euangelized is blessed but euery one that is not offended in mee is euangelized Ergo Euery one that is not offended in mee is blessed To be euangelized that is to haue the power and vertue of the Gospel imprinted vpon their soules is the highest degree of happinesse that in this life can be expected Beatum esse inest Euangelizato per se 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All are so farre happy in this life as they are Euangelizati and no further so that of the maior proposition there is no question The minor Euery one that is not offended in Christ is Euangelizatus is thus inferred To be poore in spirit and not to bee offended in Christ are termes as Logicians speake reciprocall whosoeuer is poore in spirit is not apt to be offended in Christ and whosoeuer is not apt to bee offended in Christ is poore in spirit And againe none that are truely poore in spirit are apt to take offence at Christ and none that are apt to take offence at Christ are poore in spirit So that if the poore in spirit bee euangelized then all that are not offended in Christ are euangelized and all are so farre euangelized as they are not offended in him For Euangelium Christi est potentia Dei ad salutē The Gospel of Christ is the power of God vnto Saluation vnto all such as beeing inuited doe come to Christ without putting stumbling-blocks or matter of offence before their owne feete Whether to bee poore in spirit or not to be offended in Christ is first in order of time or nature were not so profitable to dispute It sufficeth vs to know that Christ was sent to anoint the poore in spirit with the oyle of gladnesse ex officio and that none are poore in spirit but such as are not offended in him Whence the poynts to be inquired after are but two The first What it is to be offended in Christ. The second Which be the speciall offences that are to be auoyded 82. Whosoeuer is not offended The word in the originall signifieth a stumbling-blocke or some hard body against which another may so strike or dash as it may hurt it selfe or be hindred in its motion or progresse The Latine offendo whence our English is deriued according to its prime and naturall signification imports as much as the Greeke doth For it is a compound of the old Verbe fendo now almost out of vse amongst the Latines which signifieth as much as to touch or smite whence the Latine defendere is as much as to warde or beare off This vse of the word defend is common in our English So we call him a Master of Defence that can teach others to warde off blowes or strokes or other annoyances that by darting or hurling may be intended against them And amongst Mariners to send off is as much as to preuent or hinder one ship from grating and falling foule vpon another And if we would follow the Latines as strictly in the proper vse of the word offendere as wee doe in the vse of the single Verbe fendo or of its compound defendo wee should say one ship offends another when one ship falleth foule vpon another For so a Latinist would expresse the English Nauis in nauim offendit for offendere is as much as impingere to hit or dash against In this propriety the Latine offendere is vsed Psalm 91. 12. They shall beare thee vp in their hands lest thou dash thy foot against a stone Ne offendas in lapidem c. Now because to offend or dash against hard bodies is displeasant and grieuous vnto sense Euery thing is hence said to offend vs that is displeasant and grieuous vnto vs or that hindereth vs in the prosecution of our will delights or pleasures Hence they are said in this secondary sense to bee offended in Christ that were displeased with his actions person or doctrine The issue or consequence of this mutuall offence taken by men at CHRIST or by GOD at men which contemne and spurne at his admonitions is excellently expressed by the Prophet Esay chap. 8. vers 13 14 15. Sanctifie the LORD of Hoasts himselfe and let him bee your feare and let him be your dread And he shall be for a Sanctuary to those that sanctifie his name and dread his power but for a stone of stumbling for a rocke of offences to both the houses of Israel for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Ierusalem And many among them shall stamble and fall and be broken and be snared and be taken namely as many of both the houses of Israel as did not sanctifie his name or dread his power When he saith hee shall bee for a stone of stumbling this imports the issue and consequence not the end why this stone was layed in Sion For if the reuolting Iewes themselues did not therefore stumble that they might fall Rom. 11. 11. The end or reason why this stone was laid in Sion was not that they might either stumble or fall but many of them haue stumbled and falne many of them haue bin broken and insnared but they are broken and insnared because they stumbled and tooke offence where none was giuen and all this the Prophet did foretell to preuent a scandal or offence which the weake in faith or the Heathen which had not heard of Christ would haue taken vnlesse the lamentable euent of the Iewes which spurned and kicked at this stone had bin distinctly foretold and as it were painted out by the Prophet The meaning is as if he had said I see you will kicke or spurne at this precious stone or foundation which God hath promised to lay in Sion and seeing you will not be fore-warned take your pastime yet know withall that this your sporting with or spurning of this stone which your master-builders will reiect as beeing too base and vnsightly in their eyes will prooue but as the spurning of some wanton creature at the spring or ginne which they easily may remoue but beeing remoued it will bring the snare or trappe vpon them which they shall not be able to remoue or escape Our Sauiour Christ in his humiliation was as the spring or ginne at which the Iewes spurned but is since growne into the corner stone and shall become as the trappe and fall to crush and bruise all such as spurned at or contemned him in the