Selected quad for the lemma: soul_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
soul_n	body_n	call_v	reason_n	4,039	5	4.9623	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A69491	Gestus Eucharisticvs, or, A discourse concerning the gesture at the receiving of the Holy Eucharist or Sacrament of the Lords Supper by George Ashwell ...	Ashwell, George, 1612-1695.	1663 (1663)	Wing A3998; ESTC R16232	72,577	195

and overcome Temptations for the time to come Peace of Conscience arising from Both and a certain Pledge of our Resurrection to a Life Eternal Do not all these do not any of these require as much Humility as Thankfulness And is it not fit to express that Humility especially in the Publick Service where God is most honoured and requires us to honour him in the eyes of men by the lowliest demeanour thereby to shew and testifie our inward Devotion If we were to receive a Pardon or any considerable favour from an earthly Prince we would not make the least scruple to receive it kneeling but rather condemn any one of unsufferable Pride and Arrogancy Folly and Ingratitude who should think much to use that humble Gesture Nay if we were but admitted to kiss the Kings Hand we would readily kneel to receive so easie so ordinary a Favour Children use the like Gesture when they aske their Parents Blessing and when a Subject doth Homage to his Prince he performes it with the same Reverence Shall we then doubt or deny to perform the same when we receive a Pardon from the Great King of Heaven and Earth the King of Kings sealed unto us in this Sacrament When we receive the Gift of Eternal Life conveyed unto us by Christ of whom we are therein made Partakers When also we do solemn homage unto our Lord and Saviour by devoting our selves wholly to his Service who once devoted himself a Sacrifice to God for our Salvation Sure there is strength in this Argument if either Reason or Religion may be judge For thus God himself argues with his People by the Prophet Malachi A Son honoureth his Father and a Servant his Master If then I be a Father where is mine honour and if I be a Master where is my fear Ye say the Table of the Lord is contemptible And if ye offer the Blind for Sacrifice is it not evil And if ye offer the lame and the sick is it not evil offer it now unto thy Governor Will he be pleased with thee or accept thy person saith the Lord of Hosts Ye brought that which was torne and the lame and the sick Thus ye brought an Offering Should I accept this of your Hand saith the Lord I am a Great King saith the Lord of Hosts and my name is dreadful among the Heathen Mal. 1. 6 7 8 13 14. And if we look upon Scripture-Patternes we shall find that the most eminent Saints and Servants of God have used the lowliest Gestures on any of these Occasions and that not only unto God in Person but to his Deputies also who represented him to his Princes Preists and Prophets When Abigail came to aske pardon of David for her husband Nabal she bowed her selfe to the Ground and fell at his feet 1 Sam. 25. 23. So did Joseph's Brethren to him when they were caught in a supposed Theft Gen. 44. 14. Yea so did Absalom as wicked and proud as he was upon his returne to his Father 1 Sam. 14. 33 when the same Abigail would express her thanks to David for signifying by his Messengers his intention of marrying her she used the same Gesture 1 Sam. 25. 41. The like used Abraham to the Hittites when they granted him the Sepulchre he petitioned for Gen. 23. 12. So did Jacob Gen. 47. 31. Jehosaphat also and his People on good Newes 2 Chron. 20. 18. When Joseph brought his Sons to be blest he thus exprest his Desire Gen. 48. 12. Bathsheba and the Prophet Nathan did the like when they petitioned David in behalfe of Solomon 1 King 1. 16. 23. Jacob thus exprest his respect to his Elder Brother Esau Gen. 33. 3. Salomon his Duty to his mother Bathshebah 1. King 2. 19. Araunah his homage to King David 2. Sam. 24. 20. How much more Reverence is due when all these meet together as they doe in the Sacrament wherein we receive a Pardon and a Blessing and have our Interests in the Kingdome of Heaven renewed and confirmed to us wherein we offer up thanks-giving for the greatest of Favours petition the great God for Grace and Glory in behalfe of our Selves and others and performe Solemne Homage to our Soveraigne Lord and Master But more especially we find these lowly Gestures used at the Sacrifices So the Israelites when they blessed God thereat by King David's command 1. Chron. 29. 20. The like they did at the firing of the Sacrifice whereby God's acceptance was signified 2 Chron 7. 3 and 1 King 18. 39. Hezekiah also and his People at the solemne Sacrifice 2 Chron. 29. 29 30. Now in the Sacrament there is not only a lively representation and a grateful Commemoration of that great Sacrifice which Christ offered upon the Cross for our Redemption whereof all these were but imperfect Types and Shadowes but also an effectual Application of all the Benefits thereof unto every worthy Communicant Therein also we offer up unto God all that we have or are the Sacrifices of Praise and Almes as the Apostle cals them Heb. 13. 15 16. Our Bodies also and our Soules And have we not reason to use the same lowly Gestures at the time when so manifold a Sacrifice is offered up unto God Especially when we find several Prophecies of these Gestures to be used towards our Saviour which sure we cannot present him with at a fitter Time than when so solemne a Service is performed to him I have sworne by my selfe that unto me every knee shall bow Isa 45. 23 which the Apostle applies unto our Saviour Rom. 14. 11. They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him Yea all Kings shall fall down before him Psal 72. 9 11. Every knee must bow none excepted Not the vilest and most barbarous those in the Wilderness not the highest amongst men to whom all others bow Kings are not exempted All then are comprehended and obliged to this Service except we intend by refractory Irreverence to contadict those Prophecies and nullifie them as far as lies in us 10. The most proper Gesture for Prayer is kneeling as that which is the most humble and devout And this Gesture is recommended to our imitation by the most eminent persons and the most exemplary Patterns in both Testaments By King Solomon a great Prince by Daniel a great Prophet and by Ezra a famous Priest under the Law by Saint Peter and Saint Paul the two great Apostles by Saint Stephen the first Martyr and by Christ himself the great Pattern of Perfection under the Gospel Neither is this denied by the Non-Conformists who allow of kneeling at Prayers both by their Judgment and Practice at other times For though there be too many at this day who are so wretchedly careless and irreverent as to fit at them yet I hope there is scarce any of them so strangely impudent as to plead for sitting at Prayers as the most fitting Gesture or to condemn kneeling Now it is most clear that in our Church of

praegustetur c. Before we sit or lie downe we pray unto God c. and a little after Aequè oratio convivium dirimet Prayer likewise ends the Feast But he tells us not that this was done in the Church much less that they used the same Gesture at the Communion which preceded it Yea he elswhere saith that it was different from it when he mentioneth Stationem ad aram Dei in quâ Dominus adoratur sacrificiorum orationes fiunt Standing at the Altar of God where the Lord is adored and such Prayers are made as belong to the Sacrifices Now standing we know was never used or accounted for a Supper-posture And if sitting had been necessary how durst the Primitive Church change it into standing the example whereof is so invidiously urged against the present custom of the Church of England 4. The Church of Christ always looked upon the Communion-Service whereof the Receiving is a part as a principal part of Divine Worship wherein her Children renewed their Covenant with God and offered up themselves an holy living Sacrifice which is our reasonable Service We profess to yeeld the unbloody Service in the Church of God and to partake of the Mystical Blessings and by that means to be sanctified as being made to communicate of the Holy Flesh and Precious Bloud of Christ the Saviour of all Cyr. Ep. ad Nestorium Act Conc Ephes Tom 1. c. 14. Nos servitutem quae 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dicitur Graecè sive in quibusdam Sacramentis sive in nobis ipsis debemus Aug de Civ Dei lib. 10. c. 4. That is we owe Service to God which the Greeks call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 partly in the Sacraments partly in our own Persons And Calvin Inst l. 4. c. 14. § 1. defines a Sacrament Testimonium Divinae in nos gratiae externo signo confimatum cum mutuâ nostrae erga ipsum Pietatis testificatione That is A Testimony of God's favour to us confirmed by an outward signe with a mutual witnessing of our Duty towards him Indeed this offering up of our Selves which is most solemnly done in the Sacrament is the true and daily Sacrifice of the Christian Church the Mystical Body of Christ thus offering up her Selfe by Christ her high-Priest and Head unto God the Father as Christ once offered up himselfe to the same Father for his Body the Church Now in such a publique and solemne worship as this the Adoration of the Body must needs goe along with the Devotion of the Soule else it will be lame and imperfect Wee shall shew our selves ashamed of God and deny to profess him before men God giveth grace to the humble but resisteth the Proud and will not vouchsafe to accept ought of ours unless we first offer up our Soules and Bodies entirely to him The Primitive Christians therefore constantly used the same lowly and reverential Gesture at the receiving of the Sacrament which they did at the Prayers that accompanied it whether Standing as on the Lord's Day and all Dayes of publique Assemblies between Easter and Whitsontide or kneeling as on other Dayes And when the Western Churches thought good to turn standing into kneeling at all publick Prayers on what Day soever they used the same lowly Gesture at the receiving of the Sacrament and the Chancel or Place where the Communion was celebrated was called by way of Eminency The Place of Prayer Certainly then a Prayer-Gesture is most proper for this part of Divine Service All those therefore who think kneeling a fit posture for Prayer and practice it at other parts of the Publick Service cannot with any reason refuse to use it at the receiving of the Sacrament unless they will contradict the Judgment and condemn the practice of the Christian Church in all Ages 5. When the Church anciently used standing in Divine Service on the Lords Days as the most proper Gesture whereby to testifie their Belief in the Resurrection of Christ yet when the Communicants approached unto the holy Table to receive the Sacrament they used constantly to express their Thankfulness and Reverence in a Gesture of Adoration by bowing their Faces and Bodies to the Ground wherein as they shewed their great Humility so they shewed withall their high esteem of the Heavenly Gift which there and then God vouchsafed to bestow o● so unworthy Receivers which serves for a good Pattern to us at this Day that we express the same Reverence by a like Gesture of Adoration And seeing that now the Western Churches and ours in particular usually expresseth the act of Adoration by kneeling what fitter Gesture then that for this holy and solemn Service 6. The far greater part of the Protestant Churches at this day receive the Sacrament kneeling and those who receive it standing when they receive make a reverential Bow at their approach to the Holy Table As for Sitting the Gesture which is so much contended for and affected by our Non-Conformists it was never heard of in the Christian Church till of late years and then used but by one Forreign Church that of Holland which goeth under the name of Reformed Whose practice herein sure no wise and sober Christian will esteem so considerable as to judge it should give law to all the rest Were it not far more equitable of the two that this should rather conform to the major part as those few Churches in the Primitive Age which kept Easter on the Fourteenth Day of the First month on whatsoever day of the Week it fell though they had Apostolical Tradition for it yet for Peace and Orders sake readily conformed to the greater number which kept it always on the Lords Day as it was generally agreed on in the first general Council held at Nice 7. Those few Churches and Divines which commend sitting as the fittest Gesture or dislike kneeling at the Communion neither think that necessary nor this unlawful They commend sitting as that which they suppose most consonant to the Primitive Practice and to the nature of a Supper the groundlesness of which conceit hath been in part demonstrated and shall be farther And they mislike kneeling meerly for the danger or scandal thereof as that which they think countenanceth the Romish Adoration of the Hoast and confirms the Papists in their Idolatry and Superstition Now if this Reason might pass for tolerable and be allowed at first whilst such Adorations were in daily view to provoke the Reformers or at least fresh in memory and the People newly weaned from such Superstitions so as to make some few Churches and Doctors to lean unto the other extreame yet it cannot be rightly judged to have the same force at this day when the People generally especially those who condemn kneeling are so far from Popery that they are running apace into Prophaneness and Irreverence and contempt of Divine Service How many be there amongst us who have neglected the very substance of the Duty in not receiving the Sacrament for many