Selected quad for the lemma: body_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
body_n	nature_n	soul_n	unite_v	6,882	5	9.6339	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A47746	The history of sin and heresie attempted, from the first war that they rais'd in heaven through their various successes and progress upon earth to the final victory over them, and their eternal condemnation in hell : in some meditations upon the feast of St. Michael and all angels.	Leslie, Charles, 1650-1722.	1698 (1698)	Wing L1135; ESTC R11401	44,933	69

be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the Breadth and Length and Depth and Height And to know the Love of Christ which passeth knowledge that thus ye may be filled with all the fulness of God Observe how the Inspir'd Apostle Rejoyces even to Extasie upon this Subject The fulness of God that is all we or any Creature can hold of Him consist's in what we Understand of the Nature of Love And then to our Eternal Comfort the Love of Christ passes all Knowledge that is no Knowledge can comprehend it all and therefore it can afford still new Matter of Joy and Rapture to all Created Understandings for Ever and Ever And may not this Contemplation raise us to the Courage of an Apostle it will certainly if we let this Good Seed stay in our hearts till it take Root if we do not choke it with the foolish Principles of Pride or make it give place to Cares and Riches and Pleasures of this Life it will bring our hearts to the firmness of an Angel and make Us see nothing that can Terrifie Us We will be ready to joyn with St. Paul in his holy Exultation and say Who shall seperate Vs from the Love of Christ shall Tribulation or Distress or Persecution or Famine or Nakedness or Peril or Sword as it is Written for thy sake are we kill'd all the day Long we are counted as Sheep for the Slaughter nevertheless in all these things we are more then Conquerors through Him who Loved us for I am perswaded that neither Death nor Life nor Angels nor Principalities nor Powers nor things present nor things to come nor Height nor Depth Rom. viii 35. nor any other Creature shall be able to Seperate Vs from the Love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. And now as a Conclusion to all that has been said we may learn this that the best Guard we can have against falling into Heresie is to Watch carefully against all the Inroads and Temptations of Pride which I have shewn to lie at the bottom of all Heresies as the Source from whence they Spring It Corrupts the Will and by that Viciates the Vnderstanding and Inclines them by a strong Byass to the side of Error and in Prejudice of the Truth which is always Founded upon and Accompany'd with the opposit of Pride that is Love and Goodness which is Naturally Productive of a Sweetness and Humility of Temper that Renders us Docible and Vn-prejudic'd without which Truth cannot be Duly Discern'd but is Clouded from Perverse and Obstinate Minds And as the Humility of Love is the best Preservative against Error and Heresie so is it the surest Defence against most sort of Sins in our Private Conversation especially it Enables us most Effectually to Perseverance in the Faith against that Fiery Tryal of Persecution which in one sort or other 2 Tim. 3.12 comes to most Mens share that will live Godly in Christ Jesus But there is an higher Pitch of Perfection even than this And that which I wou'd raise Men to and desire to Imitate my self is that whereof the Dayly Exercise and Improvement is by Gods great Mercy and Goodness afforded to every one of us which is not only to bear the Persecution or the Pride of others which some may do even out of Pride Obstinacy or other Vicious Principle But chiefly to banish Pride out of your selves to look upon the meanest Man in the World as a Member of Christ and so equal to your self And therefore to Condescend to the Lowest Offices that may do him Good to bear his Infirmities and Injuries with Patience which is the true Magnanimity as Christ also did bear ours And that you think this so far from being Dishonorable as that you may esteem it the Greatest Glory and Praise of Love wherein the Happiness of Heaven does consist And if Angels were thrown out of Heaven for Despising Man and Christ Died to Redeem Man and is Himself a Man and Loves and Values the meanest Man what is that Man that Despises another And if even in Heaven there was War and Folly and Blasphemy among the Angels there and misunderstanding the Nature of God how shou'd this make us Patient to one anothers Infirmities How Solicitous and careful to Secure our selves How Reasonable will it hence appear to keep a watchful Eye upon the least progress of Pride or Self-conceit which was Potent to Disturb the Seat of the Blessed and overthrow Spirits which were Heavenly-Born That therefore you shou'd justly abhor the Pride of this World to see a Man Despise not only his Inferiors which was the Sin of Angels but his Equals and Superiors To think himself beyond every Man he meets and that it is below his Greatness Forsooth to receive an Injury from any this is the Character of a Hero so much courted in Romances and Plays the Gospel of this Worlds Honor a Fool swell'd with Pride even to Blasphemy Is it not Nauseous to see Him brave Thunder whose Scull is not proof against the sliding of a Tyle from a House top a weak piece of Flesh whose Foundation is in the Dust the food of Worms that is crushed before the Moth A man that is not able to Encounter a Disease to hear him Railly against God! and to think this either Wit or Courage that Men of Spirit as they call themselves shou'd be fond of a Vice which proceeds Meerly from want of Sense And not rather to follow the Advice and Example of a God which is that you wou'd think it your Greatest Honour to become Innocent and Harmless Loving and free from Pride as little Children are which is taught in the Gospel for this Day and that with such Courage that you wou'd rather Choose to Pluck out your Eyes and Cut off your Hands than to Offend the Least the most Inconsiderable of Mankind who are Created by God after His own Image and are the Price of the Blood of Christ That you wou'd believe the Argument of Honour to be Decided which has been Bandy'd by the Angels of Heaven and Determin'd there by God Himself that it Consist's in Love and not in Pride but more sensibly by the Incarnation and Sufferings of Christ which makes it as it were Visible to our Eyes That you wou'd therefore suffer your selves to be perswaded by your own Reason which will shew you the restless Miseries which attend upon Pride and the Beauties and Great Glory of Love in the which if ●●u can 〈…〉 selves you have already tasted of He●●●● and are Heirs of Immortal Honour Amen And let this Comfort us in our Faint Longings Languid Attempts and many Failings in our Spiritual Warfare And let this silence all our weak Murmurings at the Providence of God which has for Infinitly wise Ends not Fathomable by us Permitted the Fall of Man and Wars and Divisions upon Earth since for this End no Doubt among many others He has made known to us that There was war in Heaven And that as the Conquest can be only by His Strength and Grace in us so it will End in Infinit and Eternal Victory and Triumph to those who Trust wholly in Him by Faith in Christ Humbled and Crucifi'd for us and who follow him Manfully to the end of that Race which He our Great Prophet and Guide has not only Pointed out to us but as our Captain has Led us and Run before us and Fought the same Fight which He wou'd have us to Fight and wherein he will Assist us and Protect us that the Gates of Hell shall never Prevail against us And has already in Our Cause and in in our Name and Nature Triumphed over every Power of the Enemy and taken Possession of Heaven for us as our Head the Soul and Life of that Body whereof we are Members And as the Soul do's Actuate all the Members of the Body consequently it must Raise all the Members with the Body So that all who Partake of the Spirit of Christ are sure that that Spirit must Raise up their Bodies as Certainly as it did Raise up the Body of Christ Rom. viii 9.11 Now if any Man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of His But if the Spirit of Him who Raised up Jesus from the Dead dwell in you He that Raised up Christ from the Dead shall also Quicken your Mortal Bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you Amen FINIS

from what is Reveal'd to Us Heb. 2.16 in these Words He took not on Him the Nature of Angels but he took on Him the Seed of Abraham Which argues as if there had been some such Contest at least gives Us leave to think whether it might not be and from such a suppose you see not wholly Unwarrantable I have Endeavour'd to reconcile the common Notion of Lucifer's aspiring to be Equal with God and brought him in arguing for himself as you have heard Thus did he Exalt Himself in his Pride and thought his Arms Invincible Which yet were not proof against the Mighty Argument of Love wielded by St. Michael who stood Victorious in his Constancy on his Contemplation of the vastness of the Nature of Love which can Endure no Limits and when it Gives knows no Reserves whose Glory therefore is Extended by the Greatness of its Condescentions and therefore Infinite Love must find Infinite Condescentions to Exert it self And Man being the Lowest of Rational Beings which only are Capable of Union with God that must needs be the Creature which Infinite Love will choose to Exalt to the Extremity of Almighty Power to make it even one with God that so Love which is God may be All in All may be the First and the Last And in Man Spirit being joyn'd in one Person with a Body compos'd of the Four Inferior Elements God does by this advance into an Union with His own Nature the very lowest of his Creatures Gross Matter it self as far as possibly it can be made Capable That as all things Spring from His Love and from thence do perpetually flow so do they in this Misterious Incarnation for ever Return thither again He is Α. and Ω. the Highest and the Lowest for that he Ascended what is it but that He first Descended into the Lowest parts of the Earth For Descending and Ascending being Relatives they must hold the same Proportion Eph. iv 9.10 and therefore none can Ascend more than first he did Descend Now Jesus who Descended even into Hell is the same also that Ascended far above all Heavens that He might fill all things But such Glory of Love cou'd not arise from God's advancing the Highest Creature because that wou'd not be so great a Condescention and the Supream Angel might perhaps Attribute something of Merit to himself and Despise all below who might think themselves left behind or forgot by the Eternal Providence who yet had the same Original pretences being all brought from out the same Mother Nothing But in this wonderful Oeconomy of the Incarnation all Disparity of Creatures is taken away like that of Stars in the presence of the Sun Eternal Love having Gather'd together in one all things in Christ Eph. i. 10. both which are in the Heavens and which are on the Earth even in Him who by this has made Heaven and Earth into one Family iii. 15. and of whom they both are nam'd And Christ the Head of Both from whom Both being made thus into One the whole Body fitly Joyn'd together iv 16. and compacted by that which every joynt supplieth according to the Effectual working in the Measure of every part maketh Increase of the Body unto the Edifying of it self in Love So that the Glory of Almighty Love shines alone in the many Members of this Great Body that an Angel cannot say to a Man or to a Worm there is no need of you more then the Hand can Despise the Foot or the Eye reject the assistance of the Ear That therefore it is no Dishonor for the Greatest Creature to serve the Least since they are all Members of one Body and United in the Incarnation of God Therefore Michael and his Angels thought it not only Indispensible to Adore the Manhood in God but that it was the Pitch of their Glory the Sum of all possible Bliss to contemplate such Love as was Vnfathomable to the Eternal Increasing of flight of Abstracted and Enlightn'd Spirits And not only this but they Rejoyc'd to be made Ministring Spirits to the meanest of Christ's Members upon the Earth Heb. 1.6 7. And to take their Name of Angels or Messengers from that Office assign'd them even to little Children as you are Instructed from the Gospel for the Day Mat. xviii 2.10 Nay farther they were content to Learn of their Pupils and to be Taught by the Church the Manifold wisdom of God Eph. 3.10 But this Humility of Love Satan Despis'd and instead thereof accused Man before God as unworthy of His Union And both Parties appeal'd to God And what cou'd be the Event when Love was Judge The Accuser of our Brethren was cast down who Accused them before God day and night as you have heard in the Epistle And Michael was Justified who maintain'd the Cause of Love in that Almighty Condescention of it in the Incarnation and Death of Christ They overcame him by the Blood of the Lamb says the Epistle that is that High Instance of Love in Defence of which Michael fought did out shine all the pretended Glories of Pride and left the Devil Overthrown Astonish'd and Desperate and in this did appear the Strength and Salvation and Kingdom of our God and the Power of his Christ that is Love in its utmost Condescention which is its Victory and most Noble Glory the Riches and Superabundance of its Grace it 's Natural and Belov'd Conquest And now Rejoyce O ye Heavens ye Angels of His who do His pleasure who have overcome in this Noble Contest and for your Reward feed Eternally on that Unexhaustible Fountain of Love whose Cause you have so truly maintain'd But wo to the Inhabitants of the Earth for the Devil is come down unto you having great wrath and he Deceiveth the whole World and is come to make War with the Remnant which keep the Commandments of God and have the Testimony of Jesus Christ You see the same War is carry'd on by Him upon Earth which He fought in Heaven But before we enter into this Second part of the Battle there is a Proeliminary to be adjusted which will be necessary to the carrying on of this War and that is that we find a Reason why the Devil did not Acquiesce in the Judgment which God gave since we suppose that he Appealed to it as Korah and his Company appealed to God against Moses and Aaron and appear'd with Censers in their hands before the Lord which Cause I have made instance of as a Copy of the Rebellion of Lucifer Towards Satifaction in this difficulty let us first consider the Nature of that Obstinancy which is generally found in Error Non persuadebis etiam si presuaseris is a true and common saying and we read in the Gospel of those who seeing see not and who close their Eyes lest they should see We know that Spight and Malice will provoke that Rage which it knows too strong for it and which will torment it and will