Selected quad for the lemma: act_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
act_n	apostle_n	church_n	elder_n	5,779	5	10.2377	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A07876	The excellencie of the mysterie of Christ Iesus Declared in an exposition, or meditation vpon the 16. verse of the first epistle of Saint Paul vnto Timothie.	Moffett, Peter, d. 1617.	1590 (1590)	STC 18247; ESTC S114252	40,698	147

Father by the spirit the holie Ghost perfecteth it from them both by his owne immediat hand and last stitch as it were But because the name of God in this place as elsewhere in the scripture is restrained to the second person in the Trinitie namely the Son withdrawing our eyes frō the two other persons and onely fixing our sight vpon this lampe of all our ioy and garland of our comfort let vs consider a little longer his eternall generation or begetting For when here it is said that God hath been manifested in the flesh the meaning of the Apostle is not that either the father or the spirit euer tooke our nature on them but onely that Christ the naturall and eternall sonne of God taking to himselfe the seede of Abraham was subiect vnto all humane infirmities sinne ouely excepted After the like manner by this our Apostle is the name of God being common to all the three persons so vsed in the Acts as that it is onely meant of the second person when he willeth the Elders of Ephesus to feed the Church of God which he hath purchased with his owne bloud Act. 20.28 But I say before wee come to consider the conception or birth of Christ the which had a beginning in time order requireth that in the former place we view his heauenly generation or begetting from alleternitie The author of the Epistle to the Hebrewes calling this second person the brightnes of his fathers glorie Heb. 1.3 declareth that euen as the Sunne in the Skie naturallie begetteth the bright beame so GOD the father not onely of his will but by nature begat his Sonne the bright beame of this glorie The same Apostle calleth also the Sonne of God the grauen image of his fathers person euen as the Lord himself in Exodus termeth him the Angel in whom his name is written Exo. 23.21 no doubt because the person of the Father is wholly imprinted in expressed by the person of the Sonne In some such like sense by our Paule to the Colossians Col. 1.15 hee is termed the image of the inuisible God his father whom indeede hee doth so resemble and so liuelie represent in all respects that rather he seemeth the same with his father than like vnto him being herein vnlike vnto naturall children of this world in that they in part only are like vnto their mortall parents but he in eternitie nature and vertue is whollie like or rather one with his heauenly father Wherefore Iohn in his Gospell fitlie calleth him the onely begotten of his father Ioh. 1.18 of whom onely as he was begotten so was he begotten after an only manner and therfore he loueth him with an onlie loue and in him onely is well pleased In this respect Salomon in that excellent booke of the Prouerbs very elegantlie nameth this sonne the daylie delight or ioye of his father affirming that he is one Pro. 1.30 which nourisheth and cheareth vp or sporteth before him continually as being frō all eternitie the sweet word in his bosome such a louely branch of beautie and flower of delight as that it is impossible that any earthly parents should take such pleasure in the sweet lookes most wittie speeches or vertuous actions of their onely childe as the eternall GOD is well pleased or solaceth himselfe in this his sonne Howbeit this eternall generation also euen of the Sonne or Word being viewed in any shape of glorie or other nature than of man Esa 6.5 is able to make the Prophet Esay himselfe crie out Woe is me for I am cut off seeing I am a man of polluted lips And that the manifesting of this second person vnto man in any shape of glorie or power rather offereth him occasion to stande a loofe of than to draw nere to God it may appear by that caueat which the sonne of God giueth Moses appearing into him in a fierie bush come not neere to this place To the end then Exod. 3.5 that wee might haue the greater boldnes and an accesse vnto the throne of grace full of hope and confidence it pleased God who is by nature inuisible to be manifested in the flesh as here the Apostle speaketh For had the sonne of GOD remayned still for euer onely an inuisible person flesh and bloud neuer could or would with comfort haue approached to so glorious and infinite a Maiestie which it had most grieuouslie offended Gen. 3.8 wherein it perceiued no signe or pledge of reconciliation Or had he taken on him the nature of Angels which neuer he did although by reason of the execution of his office hee sometimes in called in scripture by the name of an Angell well might the elect Angels haue endured his presence or triumphed exceedinglie or the damned spirits which left their standing places lift vp their heads to some hope but as for men they should still haue remained in despaire and perplexitie who both haue been oft amased troubled aboue measure Heb. 2.17 Luk. 1.12 when heauenly powers or principalities haue appeared at any time vnto them alway were only reuiued with this hope that Christ should not take vnto him the nature of Angels but the seede of the woman the seed of Abraham and the seede of Dauid Or againe had the Lord spoken vnto vs by the voyce of thunder Heb. 12.18 or reuealed himself in the light or otherwise been manifested in the shape of any creature the nature of man hauing offended would not well be satisfied nor yet could bee restored Finally had he taken vnto him the noble nature of Adam or put on him that princely condition which man had before his transgression dust and ashes might with greefe haue remembred whēce it had fallen but such sound comfort or strong hope as now we feele Heb. 2.17 could not arise vnto vs by that gay garment Wherefore our Sauiour being in the forme of GOD and accounting it no robberie to be equall with God that the fruit might bee ours the suffering his hiding as it were for a time the brightnesse of his Marestie not regarding the Angels which had fallen would in his wonderful mercie and vnspeakable humilitie put on him not the forme of any other creature not Adams royaltic but the ragged coate of a poore seruant Psal 2.5 yea the weaknes and vilenes as it were of a worme Oh Psal 22.6 what is that which now I doo behold What the grauen image of Gods owne person Maiestie printed within mine earthlie filthie stampe molde What the brightnes of the heauenlie glorie and excellencie dimmed and darkened with my frailtie and infirmitie What the eternall and most blessed sonne of the highest to become a worme and no man an outcast of the people a contempt of the nations What the Angell in whom the name of God is written passing ouer the Angels which had offended and leauing them all in the chaines of darknes notwithstanding