Selected quad for the lemma: act_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
act_n	church_n	member_n	visible_a	3,063	5	9.7114	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A12384	Certain notes of M. Henry Aynsworth his last sermon. Taken by pen in the publique delivery by one of his flock, a little before his death. Anno 1622. Published now at last by the said writer, as a love token of remembrance to his brethren to inkindle their affections to prayer, that scandalls (of manie years continuance) may be removed, that are barrs to keep back manie godly wise and judicious from us, wherby we might grow to farther perfection again	Ainsworth, Henry, 1571-1622?; Robinson, John, 1575?-1625. aut; Staresmore, Sabine.	1630 (1630)	STC 227; ESTC S115946	14,398	34

Holy Ghost and those that are his subjects must be meeke and humble and therefore let all take heed that they be not offended at Christs meannesse nor yet stumble at the afflictions that come for his sake The 3. thing elect of God and precious Whence we may observe how opposite the actions of God and men are men make no accompt of Christ but count him vile but God honours and preferres him it is prophecyed of him that he should grow as a branch out of a dry ground so saith the Prophet Esaie of him and David compares him to a worme and no man despised of men yet this hinders not Gods respect of him for after suffring he came to glory Thus it is with all his people although they are despised of men yet are they in accompt with God God accompts them his treasure he pitcheth his tabernacle amongst them with whom he will dwell Christ is called the elect of God by the Prophet Esaie my servant whom I have chosen so wee are chosen in Christ before the world was God givs us eternall life by him In that Christ is elect and we in him it is to shew the assurance of salvation by Christ as Christ dyed and went to glory so shall we also even as God did regard him as his onely begotten sonne in whom he is well pleased notwithstanding all his basenesse in the worlds esteem so doth God accompt of all true Christians for this is for farther manifestation of the glory of God in accepting them in his sone Christ. Ye also as livinge stones are builte up a Spirituall House As in the first place we said it is not enough to come to Christ in our persons but we must adjoyn to his Church so now we must not content our selves with personall good but we must seek farther perfection to becom members of his visible Church It is not lawfull for Christians to wander in the world or to live alone nor to adjoyn themselves in communion with false Churches but as it is in the Acts The Lord added to the Church such as should be saved unto this estate all are bound to come and so to be made pertakers of all Christs graces who couples all the bodye together for this cause are they called living stones in similitude from the stones of the temple cōpacted into one bodye but the stones of the Temple were liveles these living and herein they differ As the first Temple was a figure of Christ so also it signifyed all the bodye of the faithfull who make all one house over which Christ is set If we then be his house let us hold fast our rejoycing to the end Moreover although those stones in that first Temple built by Salomō were without life yet God tooke possession of it and dwelt in the middest of it how much more with them that are a temple joyned together of living stones Now as this is for incouragement to all to become members of his Church so also it sheweth who are the fit members of his Church even those onely that are living stones And in that the members of the Church ought to be living stones it should teach us not to be idle in good works faith without works is dead and just men live by faith by faith we are made pertakers of the death of Christ and all other benefits Christ is the head of the body As is the nature of the head so must the members be and as the parts of the body naturall have life from the head so also we from Christ as he is the head and is living so ought all true Christians that come to him it is a thing against nature that a dead body should be fastened to a living head and therefore whoever is not fastened to him by faith cannot be made partakers of his life therefore however hypochrites may come into the Church by their seeming regeneratiō yet not having the life of God in them they can receive no benefitt from Christ by the ministery of man But because we are to insist upon the similitude of a building we will return to that We are built into an house three manner of waies first by the gifts of the spirit when God gives ability to build up one another by the graces we receive frō the Spirit of God 2. Besides these there are offices proceeding from the Lord Christ of which some were maister builders as the Apostles and Prophets next after them the Euangelists upō the Doctrines they taught and writt the church is builded as the Apostle testifyes to the Ephes. 2. 20. 21. To these he adds the ordinary ministery of the church Pastours and Teachers Eph. 4. 11. 12. Vnto these two we have a third namely the operations of God the father who makes his word powerfull and effectuall giving us grace to understand and apply it and to bring forth the fruit of it so that from the Father Sonne and Holy Ghost we receive life these benefitts here spokē of and so become a spirituall house This spirituall house is opposed to the matereall house builded by Salomon which was but a figure as the Apostle saith to the Hebrewes We are therefore to bee carefull that the graces of God be not received in us in vaine but that we grow in grace in faith and holines that we may be built up an holy house habitation by his spirit In this life we are but in the growth but in the life to come we shall come to be perfect men nowe in the mean time we are to know we are in this world as Christ was in this world still growing There is all waies an end of building as the Apostle saith Eph. 2. 20. The whole church is built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Iesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone in whom all the building is coupled together 1. groweth to be an holy temple in Lord wherby the holy Ghost shews the state of the Church figured by the Temple The second end is in the 22. verse to be the habitation of God by the Spirit hence is it the holy Ghost saith know ye not that your bodye is the temple of the holy Ghost Thus being the temple of God we may build upō the assurāce of the Lords promise of dwelling amongst us as it is said I will walk dwell amongst them and pitch my Tabernacle amongst you I will be your God ye shall be my people thus the most heavenly promises are sett downe under this mystery the full accomplishment wherof shall be fullfilled in the world to come In the mean time as Salomon prayed at the dedicatiō of the Temple behold the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee so we may say what are we that God should dwell amongst us or that he should poure out the graces of his

of the Church of Leyden that were joyntly interessed with them But farther here was another thing yet worse for either the Elder alone or these privy counsellers with him stood not to this second agreement the Church made but wrote another with alterations additions and diminishings besides the Churches knowledge or consent sent it for the Churches minde and acte yet behold the other brethren that never saw or heard this newe forged letter till near two years after they were cast out of the Church which was dispatched in hast even in 14. dayes time least they should bee prevented upon the very suspitiō that a few of thē met to write to cōtradict the Churches action in hir letter of advise by the sole yet false information of the Elder two of them were singled out and selected from the rest and produced to the Church for evill which yet the informer professed that the thing informed and accused might be holy just and good for ought he knew yet being desirous to get matter the matter was prosecuted in the Church by interrogatoryes to finde out sin which the brethren testifyed against as contrary to the law of love which thinks no evill rule of Christ Matth. 18. Yet offred they the suspected act to sight correctiō wherin soever it should be found amisse and with all protesting solemnly they had neither done the thing so suspected nor intended it yet behold the brethren were cast out without the knowledge of sin or due dealing for sin save that for refusing to answere intrapping demaunds which they urged submission unto as Gods word Christs government they were Consured as contemners of both and the maintenance of this both Elders Church are now so wedded to that the chief of them blush not to affirm that rather then they will goe back from what they have done herein they will goe on in it yea though two of them doe not remain together And yet who sees not their palpable grosse partiallity in sparing their offending favourites in matters of scandalous and evill nature least their evill combination be weakened discovered or broken Oh how much better were it they would ceasse to abound in their own sence and take counsell from such as in the fear of God are both able and willing to direct them better O that they would learn to be wise at the last so through the good hand of our God there might be some recovery of what is lost Whereas now their irregular proceedings have made our brethren in all places to hang down their heads as they have been plainly certifyed frō sundry Churches Now from these and the like offences divers that were of us turn their backs upon us and betake themselves to live at large as if now the doore of indifferency or libertinisme were sett open that it matters not whom they hear or where they walk anie where or no where and measuring these mens sins with others they think they can hardly goe to worse And whence riseth all this much more of the like but even for the want of faithfull Pastors and Teachers and godly discreet and able guides or Rulers in the Church but what hope of ever such worthyes coming in when there is such an hideous noyse in the house by such unruly masters which cruelly smite some wound others cast their dear brethren out at the windowes Hence come familyes to be devided the loving husband from his beloved wife the affectionate parents from their dear Children hence come familyes to be spoyled by remissnes in neglect nay in utter laying aside of joynt family dutyes the new vessels want their seasoning the tender plants their due watering and so become barren before their full growth So that we may justly take up the complaint of the Prophet Habakuk 1. 2. 3. 4. Oh Lord how long shall I cry and thou will not heare even cry out to thee for violence and thou will not help Why dost thou shew me iniquity cause me to behold sorrow for spoyling and violence are before mee and there are that raise up strife and contention c. Oh consider this ye that are so bent to spoyling repent and turn in time least the living stones crying in the wall of the spirituall house the corner stone be offended and fall upon you and grind you to peeces But I desire your conversion and not subversion if the will of the Lord so be though ye have been bold to vent your worst you can imagine against me upon all occasions and for your presumptuous determining my eternall estate the Lord forgive you If you please to read what is here writt I hope through the Lord it may turn your courses that ye may see your duty is to build and not to destroy They were the instructiōs our late faithfull Teacher M. Aynsworth delivered to us all the last time he ever executed his ministery with us which was at such a time as his bodye naturall strength were so decayed that he wanted as ye know ability to come up again even that very Lords day in the afternoone as his usuall manner was wherein his faithfullnes may be seen even to his last gasp in striving to feed the flocke even when the hand of God was heavy upon him in that sore perplexing and tedious disease of the stone of which in a few dayes after he dyed yet since even in his strong paines that sometime by reason of the extremity caused a stay of speach to the griefe of the hearers and beholders he was delivered of this as the last fruit of his ministery let the Israell of God love it as Iacob did Benjamin the dear sonne of his beloved wife of whom she dyed It is not for nothing that the Holy Ghost expressly tells us These be the last words of David 2. Sam. 23. 1. Give me leave therefore though not to call you together as Iacob did his sons when he was to deliver his last words to them Gen. 49. yet to entreat you to read what our loving Teacher as a father spake in his charge last to us And though some or the most of you heard them sett out in the lively voyce Gods solemn ordinance of preaching yet let it not greive you that I write to you some of the same things so farr as my slow hand could extend to compasse the fullnes of his words I professe not to report no nor yet the summe or substance of every thing he hence delivered no nor yet have I published things so well as J might have done had I sett upon the work to write it out fair instantly while things were green in my own others memoryes but now these notes having layen by me near 8. years before I sett upon this resolution it is more defective then is requisite for the report of a work of so able and faithfull a man yet I trust none will be offended at me for this my service of