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
A68107	Of domesticall duties eight treatises. I. An exposition of that part of Scripture out of which domesticall duties are raised. ... VIII. Duties of masters. By William Gouge.	Gouge, William, 1578-1653.	1622 (1622)	STC 12119; ESTC S103290	610,068	716

tongues yea and our English The particular relation which is betwixt the persons who are meant by those two words doth plainly shew how they are to be taken and when they are to be restrained to man and wife To take away that ambiguity our English hath well translated them husband and wife To direct and prouoke wiues vnto their duty the Apostle addeth this clause as vnto the Lord which is both a Rule and a Reason of wiues subiection It directeth wiues by noting the restraint of their obedience and the manner thereof The restraint in that wiues ought so to obey their husbands as withall they obey the Lord but no further they may not be subiect in any thing to their husbands that cannot stand with their subiection to the Lord. The manner in that wiues ought to yeeld such a kind of subiection to their husbands as may be approued of the Lord. Thus the Apostle himselfe expoundeth this phrase chap. 5. vers 5 6. It prouoketh wiues to submit themselues to their husbands by noting the place of an husband which is to be in the Lords stead bearing his image and in that respect hauing a fellowship and partnership with the Lord so as Wiues in subiecting themselues aright to their husbands are subiect to the Lord. And on the contrary side Wiues in refusing to be subiect to their husbands refuse to be subiect to the Lord. §. 14. How an husband is his wiues head EPHES. 5. 23. For the husband is the head of the wife euen as Christ is the head of the Church and he is the Sauiour of the body THe place of an husband intimated in the last clause of the former verse is more plainly expressed and fully explained in this verse His place is expressed vnder the metaphor of an head and amplified by his resemblance therein vnto Christ The particle of connexion FOR sheweth that this verse is added as a reason which may fitly be referred both to the duty it selfe and to the manner of performing it The metaphor of an head enforceth the duty The amplification thereof by the resemblance that is made to Christ enforceth the manner of performing the duty A wife must submit her selfe to an husband because he is her head and she must doe it as to the Lord because her husband is to her as Christ is to the Church The metaphor of an head declareth two points 1. The dignitie of an husband 2. The duty   1. As an head is more eminent and excellent than the body and placed aboue it so is an husband to his wife 2. As an head by the vnderstanding which is in it gouerneth protecteth preserueth prouideth for the body so doth the husband his wife at least he ought so to doe for this is his office and duty this is here noted to shew the benefit which a wife receiueth by her husband so as two motiues are included vnder this metaphor The first is taken from the husbands prerogatiue whence note that Subiection must be yeelded to such as are ouer vs. For this is a maine end of the difference betweene partie and partie To what end is the head set aboue the body if the body be not subiect to it The second is taken from the benefit which a wife reapeth by her husbands superiority and it sheweth that They who will not submit themselues to their superiours are iniurious to themselues as the body were iniurious to it selfe if it would not be subiect to the head §. 15. Of the resemblance of an husband to Christ The more to enforce the forenamed reason the Apostle addeth the resemblance that is betwixt an husband and Christ as this note of comparison euen as sheweth whence it followeth that It is as meet for a wife to submit her selfe to her husband as for the Church to submit it selfe to Christ This amplification is especially added for Christians Heathens may be moued to subiect themselues to their gouernours by the resemblance taken from a naturall body How much more ought Christians to be moued by the resemblance taken from the mysticall body of Christ These words and he is the Sauiour of the body as they doe declare the office of Christ and the benefit which the Church reapeth so they note the end why an husband is appointed to be the head of his wife namely that by his prouident care he may be as a sauiour to her It is here noted rather to shew the benefit which a wife reapeth by her husband then the dutie which he oweth for that the Apostle declareth afterwards vers 25 c. The meaning then is That as Christ was giuen to be an head of the Church which is his body that he might protect it and prouide all needfull things for it and so be a Sauiour to it euen so for that very end are husbands appointed to be the head of their wiues Vpon this ground the Apostle inferreth the conclusion in the next verse §. 16. Of the resemblance betwixt The Church to Christ A wife to her husband EPHES. 5. 24 Therefore as the Church is subiect to Christ so let wiues be to their owne husbands in euery thing THis conclusion setteth forth not only the dutie it selfe but also another Reason and another Rule to prouoke and direct wiues to performe their dutie and that vnder the patterne of the Church The reason may be thus framed That which the Church doth to Christ a wife must doe to her husband But the Church is subiect to Christ Therefore a wife must be subiect to her husband The proposition is grounded on that resemblance which is betwixt the Church in relation to Christ and a wife in relation to her husband for an husband is that to his wife which Christ is to the Church therefore a wife must be so to her husband as the Church is to Christ The rule noteth both the Manner as and also the Extent of a wiues subiection in euery thing Quest Is mortall and sinfull man to be obeyed as the Lord Christ the eternall Sonne of God Answ This extent is to be restrained to the generalitie of the things in question As in other places where the Apostle saith all things are lawfull for me he meaneth all indifferent things for of them his speech was in that place And where againe he saith Whatsoeuer is set before you eat he meaneth whatsoeuer good and wholsome meat for of that he spake Thus much of the maine drift of the Apostle in setting before wiues the example of Christ to whom husbands are like in dignitie and the example of the Church to whom wiues ought to be like in dutie I will further consider these examples of Christ and the Church more distinctly by themselues without any relation to man and wife and out of them note such generall instructions as concerne all Christians §. 17. Of the relation betwixt Christ and the Church EPHES. 5.

man in his right wits for furious franticke mad desperate persons will cut their armes legs and other parts mangle their flesh hang drowne smother choake and stab themselues Euen so they are as men out of their wits who hate or any way hurt their wiues yea it is the part of a mad man to doubt of louing and doing good to himselfe These two words to nourish and cherish comprize vnder them a carefull prouiding of all things needfull for a mans bodie To nourish is properly to feed To cherish is to keepe warme The former is done by food the latter by apparell Vnder food and apparell the Apostle comprizeth all things needfull for this life where he saith Hauing food andraiment let vs therewith be content This applied to an husband sheweth that he ought to haue a prouident care for the good of his wife in all things needfull for her That he may yet further presse this point he returneth againe to the example of Christ euen as the Lord the Church The Apostle thought that this naile of loue had need be fast beaten into the heads and hearts of husbands and therefore addeth blow to blow to knocke it vp deepe euen to the head before he confirmed Christs example with the example of our selues here he confirmeth the example of our selues with the example of Christ againe This he doth for two especiall reasons 1. The more forcibly to vrge the point for two examples adde weight one to another especially this latter which is so farre more excellent as we heard out of vers 25 26 27. 2. To giue husbands a better direction for their prouidence towards their wiues whom they must nourish and cherish not only as their bodies but as Christ nourisheth and cherisheth his Church not only with things temporall but also with things spirituall and eternall §. 56. Of mans naturall affection to himselfe EPHES. 5. 28 29. So ought men to loue their wiues as their owne bodies he that loueth his wife loueth himselfe For no man euer yet hated his owne flesh but nourisheth and cherisheth it euen as the Lord the Church HAuing briefly shewed the generall scope of the 28 and 29 verses I will proceed to a more distinct handling of them They setforth The naturall affection of a man to himselfe Two points are here to be noted 1. The generall proposition that a man is well affected to himselfe 2. The particular amplification and manifestation of that affection This is manifested two waies 1. Negatiuely No man hateth his owne flesh     2. Affirmatiuely and that in two branches 1. Nourisheth it 2. Cherisheth     Both these are iustified by the like affection of Christ to the Church which is his body Euen as the Lord the Church In that the Apostle propoundeth the naturall affection of a mans selfe to his body as a motiue and patterne to Christians to loue their wiues and also iustifieth the same by a like affection of Christ to his Church I obserue that Naturall affection is a thing lawfull and commendable it is an affection which may stand with a good conscience which Gods word is so farre from taking away as it doth establish it For such as are without naturall affection are directly condemned and we are commanded to be so kindly affectioned one to another as we are to our selues Yea the law in the strict rigour thereof laieth downe that naturall affection which is in a man to himselfe as a rule for the loue of his neighbour thou shalt loue thy neighbour as thy selfe Hence is it that the Prophets Apostles and Christ himselfe doe oft call vpon vs to haue an eie to that affection which we beare to our selues Of this patterne Christ saith This is the Law and the Prophets this is the briefe summe of them this is it which they doe much vrge and presse 1. Naturall affection was at first created of God by him planted in man so that as soule body the powers and parts of them are in their substance good things this affection also in it selfe is good 2. There are the same reasons to loue our selues as our brethren For we our selues are made after Gods image redeemed by Christs bloud members of the same mysticall bodie keepers of our selues to giue an account of the good or hurt we doe to our selues with the like In the Law vnder this word neighbour our selues are comprised and euery commandement of the second table is to be applied to our selues §. 57. Of naturall selfe-loue Obiect Louers of themselues are condemned in Gods word as 2 Tim. 3. 2. Phil. 2. 21. 1 Cor. 10. 24. Rom. 15. 1. Answ There is a double louing of a mans selfe One good and commendable The other euill and damnable Good and commendable louing of a mans selfe is 1. Naturall 2. Spirituall   That which is naturall is in all by the very instinct of nature and it was at first created and still is by Gods prouidence preserued in our nature and that for the preseruation of nature Were there not such a naturall loue of himselfe in euery one man would be as carelesse of himselfe as of others and as loth to take paines for himselfe as for others Wherefore that euery one might haue care at least of one euen of himselfe and so the world be better preserued God hath reserued in man this naturall affection notwithstanding his corruption by sin Yea further because euery one is not able to looke to himselfe at least when he is young sicke old or any other way impotent God by his wise prouidence hath extended this naturall affection towards otheralso as they are neerely linked vnto vs by the bonds of nature The next to a mans selfe are by bloud and bond of nature children Admirably much is that which parents doe for their children which they would neuer doe if there were not a naturall affection in them to their children From children againe this affection ariseth towards their parents that when parents grow old impotent or any way vnable to helpe themselues they might haue succour from their children And because parents and children are not alwaies together or not able to helpe one another or vnnaturall God hath yet further extended this naturall affection to brethren cousins and other kindred And for a further extent thereof hath instituted mariage betwixt such as are not of the same bloud and by vertue of that bond raised a naturall affection not only in husband and wife one to another but also in all the alliance that is made therby Moreouer this affection is wrought in neighbours friends fellowes and other by like bonds knit together that the bow of Gods prouidence might haue many strings and if one breake another might hold In all these kinds the neerer a man commeth to himselfe the more doth this affection shew it selfe according to the prouerbe Neare is my