Selected quad for the lemma: soul_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
soul_n	blood_n	body_n	precious_a	3,677	5	8.0318	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A66758	Meditations upon the Lords prayer with a preparatory preamble to the right understanding, and true use of this pattern : contemplated by the author during the time wherein his house was visited by the pestilence 1665 and is dedicated to them, by whose charity God preserved him and his family, from perishing in their late troubles / ... by ... Geo. Withers.	Wither, George, 1588-1667.	1655 (1655)	Wing W3169; ESTC R11913	123,479	218

much respective meekness which they know is absolutely due unto them and unjustly detained This Benediction Blessed are the poor in spirit implies with what sence of our nakedness and with what spiritual poverty of minde we ought to petition our Father and these words annexed Theirs is the Kingdom of heaven Matth. 5. 3. demonstrate that there is no humane Rhetorick more prevalent with him They will most humbly pray most diligently seek and most earnestly knock that is do all things justly pertinent to an obtaining of what they want who know the supplying of their defects must proceed meerly from the Bounty or Charity of the Giver and that he who will not endeavour for his daily bread so far forth as he is able when he wants it is not priviledged to eat by the Apostles Rule and Practice and what can we do less toward it then humbly to ask it The same Apostle though he did perform the works of his Ministry freely for which things necessary were due from them whose benefit was thereby intended wrought with his own hands to supply what was wanting rather then he would be over burthensome or take ought from them who despising his Ministry made themselves unworthy to be numbred among his Benefactors He to whom we are hereby taught to pray never neglects to give his Children what they have need of unless it be to prevent or cure some other Defects which would have worse consequences then the lack of some necessaries for a while And though he then lets us to bite on the Bridle yet when be findes us to be so sensible of our defects that we reslove to seek unto him he meets us as did the Prodigal Sons Father and is ready to give before we ask I was young and am now older then David was yet can say as truely as he I never saw the Righteous forsaken or their seed begging bread That is I never saw them so forsaken as to be left so comfortless in their greatest wants to make begging their refuge as common beggers do resolving to live Idlely by begging or Healing onely Such for the most part are extreamly wicked in their lives and conversations Cursers Swearers Malitious Envious Rayling and Snarling at each other where they attend for Alms like Dogs quarrelling for bones yea grumbling and returning currish language even to those who relieve them if they answer not their unreasonable expectations Yet these must not be so neglected as they are but as David counselleth wisely to be considered not onely to preserve them from perishing who are unable to provide for themselves but to provide means whereby they who are unable to work may not live in fluttish idleness and carelesness for our heavenly Father denieth nothing to any of his Children but when he knows they ask it to be continued in idleness or to satisfie their lusts rather then to imploy it to his honour and the comfort of their brethren according as they shall be able He feeds the Fowls of the Air though they neither Plow nor Sow but they seek their meat according to the means which he hath given them so to do he likewise Clothes the Lilies and Flowers of the Fields with glorious colours but they without resistance of his Will are passive though not active in permitting providence to act upon them what he pleaseth toward their vegetative being and adorning in which respects they are instanced as I conceive for a symbolical representation of that absolute obedience which is in the Saints and in those Seeds of Grace which are in them to fructifie for Gods Glory and toward their own perfection 4. Moreover the Emphasis which I apprehend to be in these words this day hints unto us not onely this Caution that we take all lawful opportunities to improve Gods daily Blessings and to dispence our Charity as occasions are offered but also not to defer it until another day because we know not what shall be to morrow or whether we have one other day to live Many fair advantages are lost by procrastination never to be recovered and yet through want of consideration many often defer the doing of their duties when they have neither less nor more benefit thereby which demonstrates their sottishness who are thereto inclinable By those words in the Original which are interpreted Daily bread I understand all things whatsoever to be thereby intended and included which are pertinent to the preservation of our Souls and Bodies for Bread is called the Staff of Life and if I thought it needful to be evidenced by particular Texts I could make it appear that not onely all external necessaries are by holy Scripture intended by Bread but that the spiritual nourishments of our Souls are called the Bread of Life Yea Christ Jesus said of himself I am the Bread of Life which came down from Heaven whereof if any man eateth he shall live for ever and the Bread which I will give it my Flesh which I will give for the Life of the world c. I cannot therefore think when he prescribed this From of Prayer but that he intended we should ask this Bread rather then the Common-bread or such outward things as are thereby signified for doubtless he who knew what most concerned us did principally intend this Bread should be prayed for as that which will bring with it all other things necessary both for our temporary and everlasting well-being But O God! how many of us do minde so much eartbly material Bread and those other things which flesh and blood are most affected withall when we offer up this Petition that we have no thought of that Bread which must preserve our souls and bodies to eternal Life How few care to know or heed what is contained in this pretious Catholicon And how is it neglected and underprized as a Form of Prayer fitting none but Ideots and Children even by some pretending to Piety I take in and put forth that which is offered by Meditation upon this Prayer as it comes into my heart and not remembring all that I have written may perhaps insist other while more then once upon the same Notions and Cautions but that I hope shall not be excepted against for such Iterations are very frequent in the writings of the Prophets yet not impertinent in regard as well our heedlesness of what is spoken as the various occasions thereof makes them useful The fifth Petition And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us 1. THis Petition is joyned to the next before it by the Conjunction Copulative AND as this is also to the last Petition by the same Copulative from whence I collect that it would be he little to Our long-lasting comfort to ask and obtain our Daily bread unlels our sins are also forgiven and that we should quickly forfeit again our pardons and be in a worse condition then before though we had plenty of all temporal and spiritual provisions prepared and

we have cognizance thereof or suspect our selves to have been any way faulty VVe shall arrogate nothing to our own endeavours when we have done the best we can but ascribe all the honour and merit of what is performed to our Heavenly Father and Creator his Son our Redeemer and to the Holy Ghost our Sanctifier who are as it were the Triumvirate by whom this Kingdom is governed When we finde these marks upon us the willingness of our hearts will be accepted as a compleat performance of the whole Law and we shall have an undoubting assurance that this Kingdom is in such a measure within us as will ripen to perfection in due time Al this we may finde implicitely contained in those Benedictions recorded in the Gospel with promises annexed by our Saviour to the qualifications there mentioned Matthew 5. 3. c. Blessed are the poor in Spirit for their's is the Kingdom of heaven Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God Blessed are the Peace-makers for they shall be called the Children of God Blessed are they who are persecuted for Righteousness sake for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven Blessed are ye when men shall revile you persecute you and say all manner of evil against you falsly for my sake Rejoyce then and be glad for great is your reward in heaven so persecuted they the Prophets which were before These are not my words but his even the King of this Kingdom who will make them good and as I said before whosoever shall finde these foresaid marks upon him may be confident that the Kingdom of Heaven is within him The third Petition Thy Will be done in earth as it is in Heaven 1. WHen with perfect assent thereunto in heart as well as in words we can say this Petition our work will soon be at an end for we shall then be called home by our Heavenly Father and there will be no more need of such things as are prayed for in the three following Petitions Let us well consider therefore what we ask for in these words They amount in effect to a true self denial which is the most difficult thing in the world for flesh and blood to submit unto yet may possibly be made easie if it were well considered that it brings with it the greatest advantages that we can Petition or endeavour for by any faculty that we can call our own seeing God who can and doth renew the Will and inclines us thereto when we pray that his VVill may be rather fulfilled then our own hath promised assistance It begins to be easie to a regenerated heart when it knows that GODS Will and Righteousness are one and that our Will and Wickedness also are one as it is meerly our own will and brings us into all the mischiefs which befal both in this world and the world to come if we are swayed wholly thereby In this Petition as in the former we ask together with what tends to Gods glory that which will both prevent our destruction here and procure our eternal happiness hereafter He that knows God as he may do by what he hath manifested of himself and of his goodness toward all Mankinde need never to be afraid to submit his own will to his yea Body Soul and all that is most dear and pretious in his own esteem to be disposed of at his pleasure This knowledge and confidence is ordinarily begotten in most men of understanding by reading and hearing his Word preached but sometimes especially in them whose natural Faculties are defective it is wrought by a spiritual Instinct ●●isensibly working in the Soul a conformity to the VVill of God which is always the same though to us it seems to change as we are changed He hath not as some say who delude themselves and others by sophisticated distinctions a secret and a revealed VVill contradictory to each other yea so contradictory that they may be rather judged two wills then One This false opinion causes many to be distrustful of Gods good meaning towards Mankinde fearful he will reprobate them when they have done all they can to please him and consequently though they profess the contrary and speak many good words of him blaspheam his goodness imputing that unto him which belongs to the Devil and themselves onely They who make unto themselves such a GOD cannot be better then he and I shall not wonder if they cannot pray heartily that his will may be done 2. To excuse themselves there be some of these who in effect do irreverently say thus unto God in their hearts VVho hath resisted thy VVill Thou knowest that by the sin of our Fathers and by thy eternal Decree of Election and Reprobation the greatest part of mankinde is left in or rather thrown into so sad a depraved condition that we are neither free to will or to do what thou requirest This is impudently to belie and blaspheam GOD For when he said that The seed of the VVoman should break the Serpents head he sanctified the whole humane Nature into a capability of performing so much as he requires absolutely at our hands and hath ever since and will for ever at first or at last so inlighten every man who comes into the world vouchsafing according to his promise such a renewing of the will and such a perpetual co-assistance for askng to perform what shall be accepted for the deed to all them who shall not wilfully malitiously and finally resist his Grace that no deficiency in him can be justly laid to his charge in relation to our misdoings as it will be manifested when all hidden things are discovered at the last judgment Indeed as we are meerly in our depraved Nature we can neither do or will ought that is acceptably good but as we are in grace we may For then to will is freely present with us and our doings perfected by the Merits of Christ yea our misdoings are often by him improved both to his Glory and our Salvation not that we should sin that Grace may abound but that abounding Grace may keep us from sin If we had not a Free will in sufficient measure to do or leave undone to chuse or refuse then were our faculties inferiour to those of beasts which do chuse or leave such means of preservation as are set before them nay were this liberty taken away or quite lost we could not be justly reputed righteous or wicked by our meer personal default in respect of any thing which we will or do or leave undone Wise men do not endeavour to force a Beast to that whereunto he is not naturally inclined much less to that whereunto he hath a Natural Antipathy and destroy him for not doing