Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	church_n	scripture_n	word_n	7,766	5	4.4516	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A57477	The preciousnesse of Christ unto beleevers. Or, A treatise wherein the absolute necessity, the transcendent excellency, the supereminent graces, the beauty, rarity and usefulnesse of Christ is opened and applyed. By John Robotham, preacher of the Gospel	Robotham, John, fl. 1654.	1647 (1647)	Wing R1733; ESTC R208474	115,896	303

the doer of it Genes 39. 22. because they did it by warrant and leave from him or by his dictation and Commandement Againe observe that phrase Ezek. 20. 46. drop thy word toward the South and the like speech is that of Moses my Doctrine shall droppe as the raine my words shall distill as the dew as the small raine upon the tender hearbe and as the showres upon the grasse Now from this phrase of dropping wee may draw an Argument that Christ is the head of all true Prophets and Teachers For look● as the cloudes from whence the raine descends have not their water originally and natively in themselves but from the Sea and moistned places of the Earth exhal'd and drawne up by the heat of the Sunne so have not the Prophets a Spirit of Prophesie nor any Divine Teachers a faculty of teaching Heavenly and saving Truths of themselves but it is drawne up out of Christ as out of a full Sea of all excellent wisdome and knowledge and convayed into them by the heat and vigour not of their own Spirit but a far higher spirit then theirs viz. the Spirit of Christ Neither may other Prophets goe of their owne heads but by Commission and delegation from him And therefore they have the name of Ambassadors given them 2. Cor. 5. 20. Ambassadours for Christ Christ it is that said goe and teach all nations Christ it is that instituted the Ministry of the word Christ it is that gave some to be Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers Ephes 4. 11. and hence are those speeches so frequent in the Old Testament heare the word of the Lord the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it the word of the Lord came unto me and the like in which places the originall for Lord is Jehovah and by Jehovah is meant the second person to wit the Lord Jesus the whole administration of things for the good of the Church being committed unto him and hither tends that remarkable passage 1 Sam. 3. 21. The Lord revealed himselfe unto Samuel in Shiloh by the Junius in Loc. word of the Lord that is by Jesus Christ who in the preceding bookes of the Scripture as Junius notes was wont to be called the Angel of the Lord and afterward as he revealed himselfe more cleerely he was called the word of the Lord. But besides the opinion of Junius another place of Scripture doth confirme this interpretation the place is Genes 19. 24. The Lord rained upon Sodome and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of Heaven From this Scripture I gather thus much that as the second person is brought forth acting by way of mediation from the first in point of Rule and Kingdome here so in that place of Samuel he is brought forth acting from him mediately in point of Prophecie although I confesse that considered according to his God-head he did both execute Judgments upon the Sodomites and reveale him-self unto Samuel immediately from himself without any such dependence or subordination Thus you see that Christ is the head and principall of all Prophets being in sundry respects the most excellent this way of all other Secondly consider Christ as a Priest and here also wee shall finde him to be most precious and excellent here is the very heart and strength of all his mediation between God and us indeed in respect of our necessity who must first know our owne misery and the remedy before we can apply the sacrifice of Christ and so be reduced to holy obedience and subjection to the Kingdome of God Prophecie hath the first place in the mediation of Christ after which followes Priesthood and last of all royalty or government But forasmuch as the priestly Office consisteth mainly in suffering of death whereunto we were obnoxious and liable for sinne and could not be delivered without it it plainely appeares that this Office hath the preheminence and upper hand and that it doth promerit as I may say and buy out the other two The Prophecie of Christ could never have opened our eyes neither could his Kingdome have ruled and swayed our hearts unlesse by his Priesthood he had dyed for us I have manifested thy name unto the men saith our Saviour which thou gavest me out of the world thine they were and thou gavest them mee and they have kept thy word Joh. 17. 6. Here wee see are some that have the name of God that is the Salvation of God manifested unto them so that Christ becomes a Prophet to them to enlighten their eyes they be such also as are subject and obedient to the Kingdome of Christ and therefore they are said to keep Gods word but now who be these that are partakers of such graces and choyce blessings illumination and Sanctification verily they be such as God gave unto his Sonne out of the world as that Scripture speaks Now I must tell you that this gift of God is free and properly so called if wee respect the love of God and our selves that partake of it But if wee respect Christ the Mediatour so it is improperly called a gift for God gave his Elect unto Christ conditionally for a price the price of his Life-bloud and hence the Mystery of our Redemption is called a Covenant It is indeed a Covenant of Grace in respect of God who was pleased of his owne accord to find out such a remedy for miserable man and to yeild to it and also in respect of true beleevers who enjoy the benefit of but yet in respect of Christ the Mediatour it is a Covenant made upon termes and conditions to wit his passion his Righteousnesse The Priesthood then of Christ is the most noble part of all his Mediation without this his Prophecie and Kingdome could never take hold of us never doe us any good they whom God gives unto his Sonne out of the world upon Covenant upon tearmes of his suffering and dying they onely have the name of his salvation manifested unto them and they onely keepe his word all others how neere soever they may seeeme to be unto the Kingdome of God and to the marke of salvation yet they fall short of it In the Priesthood then of Christ in that especially lies the latitude and longitude the profundity and sublimity of Gods love toward us and in respect of this especially is the whole Mystery of our redemption by Christ called * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 magnalia Dei the magnificent workes of God Acts 2. 11. But now further to set forth the eminency and dignity of Christs Priesthood and his exceeding preciousnesse thereby let us make a collation and comparison between him and the Leviticall Priests those of Aaron's order First of all in the Leviticall Priesthood there was a plurality of Priests as in Matth. 12. 4. it is said that it was lawfull for the Priests onely to eate of the shew-bread and in the fifth verse that the Priests in

upon it we shall see that our Saviour doth not deny himselfe to be perfectly good but onely he checks the pharisaicall opinion of perfection in those that are no more then men Christ was more then a meere man if the young man had knowne so much he should not have been reproved for calling him good in a sense of absolutenesse and perfection such an Epithite was rightly applyable unto Christ had the young Pharisee been ware of his Deity or had he knowne the strange manner of his conception viz. by the Holy Ghost he might have said of him as the Psalmist doth thou art fairer then the children of men and so the title of good Master would never have been excepted against Secondly Christ as man also was abased and yet in his abasement hee was very excellent it is a very comely sight to see a great Personage of a meek humble and lowly carriage willing to stoope and to come downe from his height so it be not in a sordid and unfitting way Now so it was with Christ he washed the very feet of his Disciples he became poore to make us rich hee fasted that we might feast he went on foote that wee might ride as I may say he died that wee might live The Apostle saith that though he was in the forme of God and thought it no robbery or Sacriledge to be equall with God yet he made himselfe of no reputation and tooke upon him the forme of a servant and was made in the likenesse of men and being found in fashion as a man he humbled himselfe and became obedient unto death even the death of the Crosse Philip 2. 6 7 8. Now marke I pray the antithesis or opposition which these words hold forth Christ was from all eternity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the * essentiall forme of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 properly signifieth the outward shape face or figure of a thing which because God hath not therefore here it is put for the Divine Essence or in the glorious nature and condition of God yet he tooke upon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the state being and condition of a servant He was equall with God called therefore the mighty God and the everlasting Father Esa 9. 6. and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the very or the true God 1 John 5 20. yet he was content to be found 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the similitude and shape of men that is in the very rank nature and quality of men subject to mans passions and every way a right man sinne onely excepted whereof you heard before Againe be thought it no rapine or robbery to be equall with God yet he suffered himselfe to be denuded and rob'd of his glory by sinfull men God cal's him the man that is his fellow Zach. 13. 7. and yet he was made a fellow to theeves and malefactours yea he was made inferiour and underling to base men a very murderer being preferred before him Though he was full of glory and excellency yet he did empty himselfe of all for so are the words of the Apostle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he evacuated or emptied himselfe that is he reduced himselfe as it were to nothing or as a Father hath it he exhausted himselfe he drew himselfe dry Lastly though he was the Prince and Lord of life yet he humbled himselfe unto Death and the basest death of all the death of the Crosse it was a Roman kinde of execution and asserted even by a Romane Oratour to be of all other most ignominious and shamefull Civem Romanum scelus est verberare propè paricidium n●care quid dicam in crucem tollere said that Oratour It is a hainous wickednesse to beate a Romane it is almost paracide to kill him what is it then to crucifie him how beyond measure hainous is that yet thus low was the Sonne of God brought And it addes likewise to the measure of his humility and lowlinesse that he was voluntary in all this debasement he was not forced or compelled to it no man taketh my life from me saith he but I lay it downe of my selfe Joh. 10. 18. and what he saith of his life is true also of all his Divine glory it was not violently snatch't from him whither he would or no but he did willingly cheerefully spontaneously and of his owne accord devest and strip himselfe of it Now certainly thus to descend from Heaven to Earth from Divinity to humanity from a Kingdome to slavery from life to death and all this of his owne free and willing disposition without any compulsion or enforcement this addes no little grace and luster to him 't is a very seemly sight to see a venerable person condescending stooping low and denying himselfe to see a King casting aside his Robes of Majesty and descending to a lower pitch for the doing of some good which otherwise cannot be atcheived we had been eternally lost if the Sunne of God had not done thus unlesse he had humbled himselfe wee could never have been exalted Thirdly Christ as man was obedient unto the will of his Father he was universally and constantly obedient he was obedient without any the least reluctation grudging or unwillingnesse To this purpose makes that of the most excellent song where it is said of Christ that he cometh leaping upon the Mountaines and skipping upon the hills Cantic 2. 8. there were great Mountaines of difficulties and hardship in the way of our Redemption yet he past lightly and cheerefully over them all to doe the will of him that sent him Yea he was so farre from grumbling and murmuring that it was even meat and drinke to him to doe that will and he was straitned and pained in his mind till the bloudy baptisme of his suffering was accomplished Luke 12 50. It is written of him in the rowle of Gods booke Loe I come to doe thy will ô God those words Loe I come shew his alacrity and cheerefulnesse his readinesse and forwardnesse to doe his Fathers will his loynes were alwayes girded and his feet shodde unto it The Spirit of Christ dwelling in the Saints makes them to be prompt and ready unto all duties and workes commanded of God how much more then was Christ himselfe so in whom the Spirit of God was as water in the Fountaine when he conquered death and the grave and all the powers of darknesse for us Repentance was hid from his eyes he shrunke not nor drew away the shoulder from it Three times he was under such an infinite pressure of Divine wrath as had been enough to have crushed ten thousand worlds yet he flinched not but dranke the bitter cup off to the very bottome hee patiently endured the Crosse and despised the shame Indeed it cannot be denyed that when he was in his agony he prayed to his Father to save him from that houre and thrice he prayed that the bitter cup might passe from him yet he did not this through disobedience or