Selected quad for the lemma: body_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
body_n	head_n	member_n	mystical_a	10,566	5	10.6497	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A42431	A sermon preached before the Right Reverend Father in God, John, Lord Bishop of Bristol, at his primary visitation in Bristol, October 30 and now publish'd at His Lordships request, as also the desire of several others that heard it / by John Gaskarth ...	Gaskarth, John, d. 1732.	1685 (1685)	Wing G288; ESTC R18419	31,784	43

Which I wish we had not too much experienced in our days and in a timely Prevention of the Government may never experience afterwards And then as to the extent of Preaching he that maintains this Office must not only direct his Discourses Universally against Sin but against all the several sorts and kinds of it there scarce being any which may not justly be expected to reign in some Individual of a Common Assembly I say he must be so particular lest he should suffer some Soul securely and ignorantly or in the Security that Ignorance always contains in it to run on into its own Ruine For although the Mind of Man be at first through the Goodness of his Maker a very tender and conscious thing yet in any ones indulging of himself in Sin and in the Influence of that it may be hardned and have a certain insensibility which is Ignorance and no due apprehension of things brought into it and this the Minister must endeavour to soften and restore in suitable Discourses or Applications to it And this Universal reprehension of Sin must needs be a very laborious Task seeing that Vice as Aristotle well observes is so large and manifold 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eth. p. 29. Vertue which ought to be the scope and measure of all our Actions although it have some Latitude or Degrees in it is but one simple thing but there are infinite Ways to digress from it And he must not only give a particular Scheme of all Sins but likewise represent their proper Aggravations with those dismal Consequences that do attend the continuance in them and then add his Disuasives from them and these not only those General ones from the ingratitude of Sin against our Maker and against our Redeemer who Created us after his own Image and who restored us to that again in his Sufferings for us nor from the consideration of the great Debasement that Sin brings into our Nature with the like but he must apply proper Remedies for every several Vice or Distemper of the Soul such as may have a singular respect in them And then there is a great Discretion to be used in his Preaching There are different sorts of Men to be dealt withal and those labouring under different Maladies and Affections of the Mind so that he must take a special heed to his Doctrine if he preach up the Allowances of the Gospel that that does not require a perfect unsinning Obedience but admits of Sins of Infirmity and sudden surreption which may be called Sins of Ignorance when we have not a due space to reflect upon them that it admits of these even when we are within the Covenant of Grace and Partakers of the Heavenly Promises if putting them into our Daily Confessions we beg Pardon for them and use our honest Endeavours against them for the time to come Yet this Doctrine although very necessary for the weaker Brethren to maintain a right Faith in them or to preserve them from Despair yet bolder Spirited Christians that think too well of themselves and from that Selfish respect or Opinion do not sufficiently distinguish between Wilfull Sins and those of Humane Infirmity will grow presumptious upon it and cast off that constant Care and Diligence that is necessary in a Christian Life or that they ought to maintain in all their Actions on the contrary if he too frequently insist upon the Black demerit of Sin how every Disobedience or every single Pollution thereof unless washed away by a sincere Repentance in the Blood of our Saviour does deserve Eternal Death or Misery in the other World which are Truths great and certain and very useful to beat down the swelling Pride and Arrogance of some Men yet others being conscious to themselves of their frequent Miscarriages and imputing too little to Humane Imbecillity or the inherent appetites of a sensual Nature will be apt to fall into despair from this Doctrine and because they cannot attain to an absolute Righteousness perhaps they 'll endeavour after none at all becoming careless and stupid in the work of their Salvation or quite desisting from any attempts of it in a kind of diffidence of Gods Mercy and too aggravated apprehensions of their own Sins And therefore he must in great Prudence apply to Men who have these different dispositions in them and so temper his Discourses with Law and Gospel that he may promote a general benefit or advance a just Confidence and hinder Presumption in all of them And perhaps he must not insist upon meer Terror to the most obstinate Sinner lest possibly if they have any Intervals of Consideration from the importunity of their Vices they should be swallowed up of too much Sorrow or fall into Dispair by that means but he must always intermingle or jointly apply the Consolations of the Gospel as St. Paul advises in the instance of the most abominable Offender 2 Cor. 2.7 8 that so they may have a due encouragement to Repentance and a good Life especially if he observe a truly humble and contrite Spirit in them which is the proper qualification for Mercy Lest therefore this effect of too much Sorrow should follow from a Discourse of Mens Terrours in a more likely Disposition for it he must in the Language of the Prophet and in the Office of Christ whose Minister he is Isa 61.3 appoint unto them that mourn in Sion beauty for ashes the oyl of joy for mourning the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness And then whether in Preaching or private Conference he most especially endeavour imploying a main part of his Care and Diligence in that thing to convince the Gainsayers or bring back those that are departed from us he must not satisfie himself with their known obstinacy that they are almost irreclaimable because of that but he must try all Experiments use his utmost Contrivance in a due Charity towards them to recover those Souls for whom Christ died and enstate them in the ordinary method of Salvation and therefore it is very proper to represent the danger of Schism or being out of Communion of the Church This is the Mystical Body or Corporation of Christ in which are the more liberal influences of God's Spirit and the free Circulation of all Heavenly Graces as the Apostle illustrates by the similitude of the Head and Members in the Natural Body Eph. 4.15 Col. 2.19 And therefore those that divide from the Church or cut themselves off from Communion with it they have not that special relation of Members to Christ and so cannot enjoy such a free intercourse of Grace from him or any certain hopes of Eternal Happiness in his Mediation for Mankind both which are dispensed consequentially to one another in this relation of Membership to him All that can be said for such Persons is That they having voluntarily cast themselves out of those means of Salvation which God has appointed are left to his extraordinary Mercy in a much