Selected quad for the lemma: blood_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
blood_n	body_n	call_v	flesh_n	7,962	5	7.0500	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A79493	The evening star appearing to the saints, directing them to celebrate their holy rest, even the Sabbath-day (not from morning to morning nor from midnight to midnight but) from even to even, according to the word of God ... There is an epistle to the Parliament in the conclusion ... Unto which is annexed, A new Christian creed ... / By Samuel Chidley, Cler.	Chidley, Samuel.	1650 (1650)	Wing C3839B; ESTC R173826	39,041	163

intention and as the heart brayeth for the River of water so longeth this soule for God and to be known of him whom she knoweth not And thus as the spouse sick with ●ove and ravish'd with desire she ●eeketh him whom her soule ●oveth In this strength of desire all o●her desires and intentions are ●rowned so that this soule hath ●o entertainment for carnall and ●eshly desires but such as in cold ●nd careless as being much more ●illing to be freed of them then 〈◊〉 be exercised in them And as it is with naturall men ●eir religious desires are cold ●d the desires of profits and ●easures do drown all divine ●tentions so is it on the other side with the soule of the Christian where he entereth his foot into his heavenly progression But some will say what doth this soule desire I answer that which is unknowable even God himself Thirdly we are to consider the equality that is between this man in this progression that is to say before he undertaketh it and a meere naturall man Now to speak as the truth is he is as like to a naturall before this progression as one egge is like another for the soules of al● men both elect and reprobate● are in the same condition empt● of the true good and natural● moving towards true happine●● as was shewed in the seco● Chapter so that till the Arme● of the Lord be revealed brin●ing the soules of his people out of all created contentment the Children of God and the Children of the world do answer each other in a true sympathy consimilitude of like condition Fourthly and lastly we are to note the dissimilitude and difference that is between the Child of God after he is entred into this progression and the naturall man There was not more consimilitude then contrariety for the Child of God in this Estate surpasseth the naturall man in the object of his desire seeing he aspireth to nothing under God himself so transcendent is his desire This man laboureth to know ●hat which passeth knowledge ●nd his chief care is to beat down the working of his wit and to keepe his understanding from curiosity of speculation as knowing it to be a great hinderance to the act of his soules Communion with God Hence it cometh to passe that this man is a wonder to the world and to all Sectaries for they have all their knowledge such as they can in reason comprehend which maketh them such apt disputers and cunning cavillers and causeth so much division and accomplisheth so many Sects Also in the degree of desire the man in this Progression differeth much from a natural man for this mans desire is most strong yea stronger then death and most constant without variety of objects and so is his understanding drowned in this one thing whereunto hi● heart presseth so that variety of particular questions are most grievous and burthensome unto him But tontrarily all naturall men yea the greatest of our litterall professors they are occupied in and about so many particulars of knowledge that that Ministery which is exercised about this one thing and terminateth all in one is unto them as ridiculous as the song of the Cuckoe Notwithstanding he which is the truth said there is one thing needfull And as the naturall mans intentions are variable so are they weake in comparison of the godly mans desire for according to that opinion of Philosophy ●trength united is more strong So then it must of necessity fol●ow that that man which is with●rawn from many things and hath his desires bent wholly in one thing hath a more forcible and strong intention as in our English Proverb he that hath many Irons in the fire must coole some of them so those men which mind many things have less fervor in all their intentions and also lesse constancy But the Child of God once entred into this out-going and progression marcheth valiantly in the degree● thereof till at the last he come to that happy Haven God himself as it is to be shewed in the 11. Chapter CHAP. 9. The hearts farewell to all false flattery THe heart resolving such a progression towards true happines in this out-going from ●t selfe and all comprehensible good doth now take her optimum ultimum vale her last best farewel of all those flattering de●eits wherewith she was detained kept from this aspiring towards ●he true good And here as in the eight Chap in the rest which ●ollow wee must remember that we speake of things proper and peculiar to the people of God who as Eagles doe follow the ●arkase of Christ himselfe in whome dwelleth that Soul of truth God himselfe bodily A man resolved to goe into some strange Countrey and that with purpose never to return cannot but have within himself a great conflict in this resolution to forsake freinds acquaintance c. But at the last being strong in resolution he biddeth them all farewel Even so it is with the Child of God intending this progession For to his flesh it is greivous to part with profits pleasures naturall wisdome and humane speculations so deare unto nature are all sensull and rationall acquaintance till at the last as Theologically saith that Divine poet Dubartas of Abraham in the forsaking of his Country he concludeth it must be so for so the Lord commands A carnall man or carnall stands But for all reason faith sufficeth me who lodgeth with God shall never houselesse be But that this farewell may more plainely appeare wee will particularly consider in it three things First the things whereof he taketh his leave or farewell Secondly the manner how he taketh his leave Thirdly the arguments where upon he groundeth this his resolution The first is twofold that is first from sensuall things Secondly rationall contentments The sensuall contentments do for a long time detain and retain the heart of man And that by reason of the variety of that vanity in our subtill and diabolicall invention So that our heart as a ball is tossed to and fro from vanity to vanity through our manifold inventions as with so many several rackets can find no rest Thus was it with Salomon in the time of his vanities till at last he found all vanity to be vexation of this spirit then did he take his farwell of such Sensualitie And this was the case of the prodigall Sonne but at the last he did take his farwell went towards his Fathers house This forsakeing of Sensuality is called a mortifying of the Members and a killing the deeds of the body And though this forsaking of sensuallity and sinfull pleasure be a thing grievous to flesh blood yet is all such contentments contemned of the man in this progression and he casts them of● as dung or as dogs meat in the resolution of his heart voweth to have no more cohabitation with such Companions And having taken his leave of this false friend sensuality it may be he

seated in all men a certaine Character of his divine power which divine power seated in mans soule doth hinder mans heart from contentment in anie created good and doth cause the soule to re-aspire to that summum bonum the chiefe good in God himself Hence it cometh to passe that man is easily perswaded that his chiefe good doth not consist in any naturall or bodily parts or sensuall exercises though through strength of sensuality man be wholly for the most part sensually exercised The truth of this is plain in the confession of most prophane and ungodly who in words do expresse that their hope is in God above all unto which they are forced by the power aforesaid Now when man in the power of the naturall conscience and by vertue of this divine Character is forced to fly from all its sensuall pleasures as unable to give it any contentment then he leaneth upon the reed of his Religion such as it is better or worse if his religious exercises be more cold or neuterly then his conceit and so his decit is so much the lesse if his religious exercise be more devout and zealous then his conceit and deceit is more strong for as much pride doth alwaies attend such verball knowledge and bodily exercises But lest some should stagger at this doctrine as though the overthrow of all religious exercises were intended and as if all religious exercises may deceive I will therefore shew how this false florish of religious exercise doth deceive and so conclude how that the body and truth of Religion neither doth nor can deceive The manner how this religious florish doth deceive is by reason of that sympathy and agreement which is in part between such bodily exercises and the true Religion But more especially in respect of that sympathy which is between such bodily services and that naturall disposition to Religion which is in every mans heart for as before was said there is by reason of the divine Character in mans soule a disposition to adore or worship somewhat as more supreme or excellent then it self Now mans understanding being darke yea darknesse it selfe man doth entertaine such a forme of religious exercise as it seemeth best to the darke and blind reason being spurred on by that sparke of Divinitie which remaineth in the Soule or Conscience notwithstanding this reason which is darke being set a work by the instinct of nature is never able to reach anie sound or supernaturall truth although it should by literall learning and Clerk-like cunning dive never so deep into Scripture-learnednesse but contrariwise it reacheth a forme of knowledge and a forme of bodily working and worship ship either this way or that way as it seemeth best to everie mans reason and judgment to understand the Scripture learning For though all Sects say they will be guided by the Word of Truth yet is the Word of Truth one as God is one and they may according to their severall constructions of Scriptures and conceits of their owne wisdome seem to make good their opinion all which formes of religious exercises of knowing and obeying being comprehensible to mans reason doe carrie in them a certaine likenesse unto that naturall disposition which is in man to be religious so man in this estate and condition is still in the outward Court of bodily Service having more or lesse zeale of GOD but not according to knowledge that is not according to that supernatural knowledge which cometh from above called by S. James wisdome neither do any such bodily works know God according to the verie truth It is life eternall to know God and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent But this knowledge is not in speculation or verball discourse but it is the power of God making known to the soule that power of love which passeth understanding for God is love and he that knoweth God knoweth love and he which loveth not knoweth not God 1 John 4.8 This knowledg of God is wrought by the finger of God in the emptying of the soule of putten-on forms of knowledg which are according to the darknes of naturall understanding and by making high things low the soule that is rich poor in the best of her performance so that now the soule is naked and stript of all her naturall power is brought to the carkas and body of truth God himself without figure or forme not knowable to the understanding which judgeth only of species but by act of communion made known to the soule in the experimental acquaintance which the understanding perceiveth not by discoursing of it but by being subdued in it This man having acquaintance with God his heart is established with grace not with meates he knoweth the secrets of the Kingdom of God which are to many Clarkes great parables and so is this man truly resolved that the Kingdom of God commeth not by observation nor consisteth in meate or drink but in righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost This is that Body of Religion which deceiveth none and is received but of some CHAP. 7. Shewing the Symptomes of the conceited happiness But that the conceit deceit of the heart may more fully appear let us consider what be the signes of such supposed peace The signes of this supposed happiness are no lesse divers then are the degrees of such false perswasions for as men are more or lesse in the degrees of this false perswasion according to the degrees of their literall knowledg and bodily working so do they giue severall signes Symptomes of their hearts deceit all which respecting bre●ity I shall comprehend under four heads First a more gross sensuall life Secondly a more close sensuall life Thirdly a verball vaine boasting of Religion Fourthly a most excessive exercise and bodily performance in things religious together with mutation in the formes of such services The first signe to be conceived which is the gross sensuall life is most proper to the vain and prophane multitude for albeit they have as hath been shewed a forme of religious Exercise wherein nuterly and coldly at certain times they exercise themselves and in which performance they place their hope of happines yet it is most plain that the way of peace they never knew seeing their more then bruitlesse life is so visible to all men Some of them prosecuting their humours with most fearfull and blasphemous Oaths calling into their carnall minds the parts and passions of our Saviour Christ as his body blood wounds c together with a most ●rophane using of he name of the most high God nor being satisfied with this blasphemy they dare proceed to higher impiety in swear●ng by the Creatures and most commonly by which is least known of men namely the soule a fearfull sinne yet very common in these Northern parts and that which doth aggravate this their sinne is the carnall occasion them hereunto moving meeting them amongst their pots and pot-Companions which to name were needles