Selected quad for the lemma: christian_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
christian_n	body_n	church_n	mystical_a	1,148	5	10.4023	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A60684	A reply to the Observator together with a sermon preached on the 24th of August last past, on Gal. 6. 2. at St. Giles in the Fields : most unjustly reflected upon by him / by William Smythies ...	Smythies, William, d. 1715.	1684 (1684)	Wing S4370; ESTC R19686	22,281	48

is one consideration which one would think should be of mighty force to perswade men to this Christian Duty It was the last thing which our Saviour insisted upon when he was leaving the World We read in Jo. 13. that the Devil had no sooner put it into the heart of (a) Reader I pray observe That this passage is cavel'd at and Judge what the Observator intends for I know not Iudas to betray him but he made it his business to put it into the hearts of his Disciples to love one another He made it His Commandment This is my Commandment that ye love one another By which we may understand that the Observance of it would exceedingly Oblige him He calls it a New Commandment although it was as old as any other both Imprinted in the Nature of Man and revealed in the Word of God He makes it the Characteristical Note of a Disciple By this shall all men know that ye are my Disciples if ye Love one another Not but that all men of all Religions acknowledge it to be their Duty to Love one another but the meaning of our Saviour is That there should be such a Degree of Love amongst his Disciples as should exceed men of other Religions as it was in the first Ages of Christianity when the Pagans said See how these Christians Love one another All these Expressions of our Saviour which may seem difficult to be understood are used by way of Motive and Argument to perswade and quicken men to Christian Love and Unity 2. It is his Law who hath annexed the greatest Rewards to the Performance of it and the greatest Punishments to the Neglect of it by which we may understand that it is an indispensable Duty and must not be omitted by us I need not mention any more than that known place Mat. 25. There 's Come ye Blessed to them that bare one anothers burdens And depart ye Cursed to them that did not Our Saviour only speaks concerning the duty of the second Table probably for this reason Because there is not such an impression of it upon the minds of Men as there is of the duty which relates to the first Men think they may Love God though they do not love their Neighbours They think that they are good Christians and that they pay to God the honour that is due to him although they shew no regard to their Brother and Fellow Christian Men know that to love God is the Great Commandment but they do not consider that the second is like namely that they must Love their Neighbours as Themselves Many who call themselves Christians do not consider the Mystical Union that is betwixt Christ and his Church that every good Christian is a Member of that Body whereof Christ is the Head and that it is as Unchristian for one Man not to bear anothers burden as it is unnatural for the Hand not to help the Foot or any other Member of the body that is greived according to that of the Apostle Rom. 12.5 We being many are one Body in Christ and every one Members one of another They do not consider that the Church is Gods Building and that as in a Building that Stone which is so rugged that another Stone cannot be laid upon it is only fit to be thrown into the Street so that Man who is so rugged that he will not bear his Brothers burden is not fit to be part of Gods Building For this reason our Saviour insisted more upon this Duty than upon the other And for this reason he only mentions everlasting punishment to those that did not help and succour their Brother because men are not sensible of the necessity of this Duty and the Danger of neglecting it 3. It was the Law of Christ who was an Example of it to others He came into the World to bear our burdens and to shew us how to bear our Brothers as I may shew in the several instances which I have already named 1. He bare the burden of Impenitent Sinners He considered their deplorable condition He was grieved for the hardness of their hearts and used all means to recalim them He was willing to bear the burden of reproach that he might ease them of the burden of guilt and fear The Pharisees said that he was a Friend of Publicans and Sinners and they said true tho he was not so in their sense He was a Friend to them in that he called them to Repentance and made a Publick Declaration that all that were weary and heavy laden should come to him to be eased of their burdens Mat. 11.28 2. He bare the burdens of Good Men. He fulfilled the Prophesie that was spoken of him That he should Bind up the broken hearted Be of good cheer was an expression which he exceedingly delighted in When he was going out of the World he was mightily concern'd for the grief and trouble which his Disciples should then endure He said Let not your hearts be troubled I go to Prepare a place for you c. And when he arose from the Dead he was in hast to ease them of that Burden of Grief which he knew was very heavy upon them The Servant knew his Masters mind when he said to them that came to the Sepulchre Go quickly and tell his Disciples that he is risen from the Dead 3. He bare the burdens which are common to men The Blind and the Deaf and the Lame were those upon whom he bestowed his Miracles He made all his retinue stand still till he cured the Poor blind Beggar He bare the burden of Infirmities rather Pitying than taking Offence at them knowing what the Frail State and Condition of Man is He did not cast off his Disciples for shewing a furious Spirit in calling for Heaven to consume them that were not civil to him but only rebuked them saying Ye know not what Spirit ye are of Mat. 9.55 Nor did he reject his Disciples because of their weak Faith when they cryed Master save us we Perish One would think it should have been a great Provocation to him that his Disciples were asleep when he was in his agony and that it should have been an unpardonable offence but we find that he only blam'd them for it He said Could not ye watch with me one hour But he did not say From this hour I will be as regardless of you as you have been of me There are some who complain of bad Memories but certainly there never were any more forgetful than the Disciples were They had forgotten almost every thing which our Saviour had said to them Nay they had forgotten that which was of the greatest moment to be remembred namely his Resurrection from the Dead His Enemies remembred it and therefore made his Sepulchre sure but his Friends had forgotten it and yet our Saviour continued his Love towards them All these instances are left to us for our example and imitation that we should