Selected quad for the lemma: body_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
body_n	bread_n	communion_n	cup_n	8,923	5	10.0506	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A93575	An epistle to the churches of the Anabaptists so called. Written by a member of the church, and sent abroad in pursuance of a printed paper from Tiverton, directed to all the churches of Jesus Christ.	Salthouse, Thomas, 1630-1691.	1657 (1657)	Wing S472; ESTC R183213	7,256	8

Neither is it circumcision nor uncircumcision that availeth any thing but a new creature and faith which works by love and whosoever believeth and is baptized shall be saved But all that are dipt once or twice in the water are not baptized with the baptisme of Christ to wit the circumcision of the heart which is the Seal of the righteousness of faith He that can receive it let him and whosoever cannot receive the things of the spirit of God are none of the Church of Christ neither may they be permitted to break bread with us before they be baptized with the baptism a of Christ for such doth not discern the Lords body before they own and believe in the light which was in the beginning with God by which Enoch saw him who is invisible and by which Abraham saw the Sons day and rejoiced and by which we behold his glory as the glory of the onely begotten of the Father who is full of grace and truth And this is the Message that we have to declare and which I here declare unto you That God is light and in him is no darknesse at all and if you return to the light and believe in the light and love the light and bring all your deeds to the light and walk in obedience then have you fellowship with us and we can own you and receive you into the Church without any Letters of Recommendation from men and have union with you in the spirit and so you may eat with us in our Fathers House of the Bread of Life which came down from Heaven For the Cup of Blessing which we blesse is the Communion of the blood of Christ and the Bread which we breake is the Communion of the Body of Christ for we being many are one Bread and one Body and they that are not baptized by one spirit into one body are not of the Church of Christ neither can we own them as Members thereof This may let you know that by diligent search we have found you out to be one with the world in many things as also is in your Epistle expressed wherein you have brought forth the dry bones of your Congregations and even spread them before the Sun in the open valley that he that runs may read what birth is brought forth and what image is born Your Teachers complains of formality in holy duties and yet confesses themselvs to be guilty of the same thing Alas How can it be otherwise with you so long as you own such for your Teachers who hath the form of godlinesse and not the power of it Is not the Scripture here in ful filled They ran I never sent them saith the Lord therefore they shall not profit this people at all The Leaders of my people cause them to erre and they that are led of them are destroyed for want of knowledg the Pastors are become brutish and have not sought the Lord therefore they shall not prosper and all their flock shall be scattered Surely the Husbandmen begins to be ashamed of their work and the Vine-deessers begins to weep and howle as if the Seed were rotten un-under the Clods and little fruit is brought forth to perfection witnesse their complaint in the forementioned Epistle wherein they confess they have laboured in vaine and that which hath been brought forth hath been to so little purpose Let not these things be declared in Gath nor published in the Streets of Askelon lest the daughters of the Philistines should pejoice over you for the Church of Christ doth deny such a Testimony and such Teachers Therefore all you that are simple-hearted and hungers and thirsts after righteousnesse come out from amongst them and be ye separate lest you perish in their gain-sayings spend not your money for that which is no bread and your labour for that which doth not profit but come to the waters freely and drink without money and without price incline your ears and come hearken diligently and hear that your souls may live that you may eat that which is good and be abundantly satisfied therewith for though you played the Harlot and destroyed your selves with many Lovers and have been as the degenerate plant of a strange Vine to God yet there is mercy with him that he may be feared and he spreadeth forth his hands all the day long saying Yet return unto me and I will heal your back slidings and receive you and love you freely and you shall be my Sons and Daughters saith the Lord who is faithful and just to forgive and to blot out all your iniquities transgressions and sins and to clense you from all filthinesse both of the flesh and spirit And now friends in your Fasts and solemn Assemblies in order as you say to the purging out of sin and sinners beware of smiting with the fist of wickedness and take heed of judging any thing before the time for the Pharisees fasted often and the unbelieving Jews agreed together to cast such out of their Synagogues as confessed Christ and they cast him out whose eys Christ had opened Now there is need of found discerning in this great work of binding and loosing receiving in and casting out for the Lord is working a wonderful work and creating a new thing in the earth and opening the eyes of many who comes to see the end of the worlds Ordinances and will-worships so highly esteemed among men and such you need not cast out nor bring under dealing but leave them to their freedom to worship God in the spirit and in the truth but let sinne and sinners be plainly dealt with and declared against till they confesse and forsake and let all who are in the transgression keep silence in the Church for we permit none to speak but as they are moved by the Holy Ghost and take heed of despising prophesie or quenching the spirit either in sons or daughters servants or handmaids for the spirits of the Prophets are subject to the Prophets and they may all speak one by one and if any thing be revealed to another that sits by let the first hold his peace that in the Church all things may be done decently and in order And let this Epistle be read among you with the spirit and with the understanding and receive it with meekness from a Member of the Church of Christ a Companion to all that loves truth in the inward parts who suffers persecution for the Testimony of Jesus and the Word of God The third day of the tenth Month 1657. THOMAS SALTHOVSE THE END