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
A68805	The principles of Christian practice Containing the institution of a Christian man, in twelve heads of doctrine: which are set downe in the next side. By Thomas Taylor D.D. and late pastor of Aldermanbury London. Perfected by himselfe before his decease.	Taylor, Thomas, 1576-1632.; Jemmat, William, 1596?-1678.	1635 (1635)	STC 23849; ESTC S118277	210,265	656

any businesse of the calling generall or speciall and sanctifying every thing by the Word and Prayer Christ could not pollute any thing and yet did thus A good motive to thee for performing this duty 4. In fervent zeale to his Fathers house which even consumed him Hee was daily in the Temple reading praying preaching conferring confirming reforming If hee withdrew from his Parents who had lost him there you might finde him Herein should Christians imitate his piety in a burning zeale to Gods glory How zealous was Phinehas for God! How was Pauls spirit troubled within him Acts 17. 16. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word signifies he was almost besides himselfe to see the Idolatry of the Athenians Alas where is our zeale wee are generally key-cold as Gallio was in Gods causes Christ his zeale was inflamed for the reformation of his Fathers house but much of our zeale is against zeale and reformation And such was his zeale that whatsoever hee saw it affected him deeply either with griefe if evill or joy if well done or pity and compassion in the misery of others Wherever hee was he was well-doing in the City and publike places hee was teaching and instructing in solitary desolate places hee was praying meditating preparing himselfe or enduring temptation in porches and high-wayes he was curing healing helping He went about doing good Acts 10. 38. Our zeale also to Gods glory should move us to watch and take all occasions of doing good of promoting Gods glory furthering mans good and fitting our owne reckoning 5. In his faith and confidence His whole life was an obedience of faith his death likewise an obedience of faith In that dreadfull desertion of his Father that we had deserved he cryed My God my God hee could trust in his Father killing him Herein a rare patterne of imitation in all deeps by faith to give the Lord the honour of salvation and leane upon his love and promise Thus of the piety of our Lord. His charity and love of man shined likewise many wayes 1. In his humility meeknesse patience and gentlenesse beyond all example For first being in the forme of God and equall to his Father yet he came to serve and not to be served So lowly that he disdained not to wash his Disciples feet even Judasses John 13. and hee will have every one look on this glasse If I have washed your feet you must wash one anothers feet that is stoup to the lowest services one of another and Learne of me for I am lowly and meeke Mat. 11. 29. and Phil. 2. 5. Let the same minde be in you which was also in Christ Jesus But alas we strive to go one before another in pride and taking honour because the minde of Christ is not in us Secondly so patient was hee that when hee could have revenged his enemies who came to apprehend him hee strucke them all to the ground with a word but let them rise againe Hee hurt none of them but cured Malchus his eare whom Peter had hurt Hee delivered himselfe into their hands He blessed them that cursed him and prayed on the crosse for his tormentors All to teach Christians to moderate their anger to suffer wrong to offer none to return good for evill blessing for cursing as being heires of blessing 1 Pet. 3. 18. 2. In his beneficence goodnes to every one Hee healed all diseases dispossessed Divels raised the dead gave to his enemies food to eate health to their bodies salvation to their soules So must every Christian do good to all especially to the houshold of faith Gal. 6. 10. yea doe good to enemies and ill deserving thus either winning them or heaping coales on their heads 3. In that hee was an admirable patterne of civill righteousnes in word and deed Never was guile found in his lips or hands no nor ever in the thoughts or desires of his heart did hee detaine any mans right but gave every man his due and taught others so to do To his Parents obedience to the Magistrate subjection to Caesar hee payd tribute for himselfe and his Hee never impaired the estate or good name of any man Thus must Christians give to every one his owne in word and deed honour to whom honour tribute to whom tribute pertaineth and dispensing to every one all offices of justice and love Labouring to live though not without sin yet without just blame out of the testimony of a good conscience able to challenge the Adversary which of you can accuse mee though I can easily accuse my selfe but whose Oxe or Asse have I taken that I may recompence him 4. In that hee never transgressed the rule of love but left a transcendent patterne of it in laying down his life for his enemies Never was there such a copy And this for our imitation who must walke in love as hee loved us Ephes. 5. 2. and 1 John 3. 16. If he layd downe his life for us we ought also one for another Quest. Doth Christs example bind us to dye for our brethren Answ. Yes not onely that Scripture proveth it but the example of Moses Exod. 32. 32. and Paul Rom. 9. 3. and chapt 16. 4. Priscilla and Aquila laid downe their neckes for Pauls life The reason is this The member of the naturall body will save a fellow-member with the losse of it selfe as the hand will save the head though it bee stricken off for it So in the mysticall body the Church The rules these 1. Christians must ayme at such sincerity in love as to bee willing to give their lives 1. for God 2. for his image and stand in a readinesse to undergoe any danger for GOD and his image sake for love seekes not her owne 2. Wee must intend the salvation of our brethren before our owne lives for their soules are better than our lives so did Christ and so did the Apostle Paul 2 Cor. 12. 15. I would most gladly bee bestowed for your soules 3. Not rashly and without calling for Christ died not for us till he was called to it Which when we have we must part with our lives even for their bodies much more for their soules Thus of the matter wherein we must follow Christ. Next of the manner of following him Object How can wee follow Christ seeing he is in heaven and we on earth Answ. Not having his bodily presence on earth wee cannot make any pilgrimage to follow him with the feet of our body but 1. Wee must follow him in faith move after him with the feet of faith which to do know that faith hath a threefold worke in this businesse First it causeth us to know acknowledge our Captaine and the way wherein hee is gone before us for it tels the Christian that he being now set into Christ and become a member of him If hee now live hee must live unto him If he dye

therefore I spake He hath begun well who hath begun in truth and laid a sure ground It was soundnesse of Faith that carried 〈…〉 ent Beleevers through such extremities They endured racking burning hewing asunder all by faith The just in trouble must live by faith Hab. 2. 4. And every house not founded upon a rocke when flouds beat stormes blow must fall and the fall shall be very great 4. Get sound affection grow up in the love of God and Jesus Christ then all torments shall be sweet for his sake as Jacob for Rachel 1 Cor. 13. 7. love suffereth all things Cant. 8. 6. love is strong as death the coales therof are fiery coales and a vehement flame much water cannot quench it nor flouds drown it Nay where this love is fervent it kindleth a flame of zeale by which if God cannot otherwise be glorified or rather than God should lose his glory the Saints would endure even the torments of hell Moses would rather bee razed out of the Booke of life and Paul separated from Christ rather than God not glorified 5. Christian resignation notably conduceth hereunto Learne to commit thy soule unto God in well-doing as into the hands of a faithfull Creatour 1 Pet. 4. 19. Thus did Paul 2 Tim. 1. 12. I know whom I have beleeved and am perswaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him till that day A childe that hath any precious thing given him the best way to keep it is to put it into his fathers hands to keep Thy soule is the most precious thing thou hast let thy Father keep it it shal be safe whatever befall the body outward man 6. Christian confirmation or corroboration unto all long-suffering and patience with joy Col. 1. 11. Wee must daily out-grow some weaknesse and bee adding to our strength and laying up something to animate and encourage our selves in enduring with Christ that by no meanes in triall we be wonne to deny Christ and his Name Now for our daily strengthening it will be usefull to meditate daily on some of these things 1. On Gods eternall decree who hath appointed an houre for the power of darkness to work before which time not an haire can fall from the head Till it bee come Christ shal withdraw himself from danger but when it is come he is not affraid to meet his enemies to tell them hee is the man whom they seeke deliver himselfe into their hands The enemy can do nothing that God is not aware of nothing beyond his just and wise permission nothing but what shall glorifie himself edifie the Church and turne to the best even to us particularly 2. Meditate on the Word of God predicting and fore-telling of persecutions for the Name of Christ Ye shall be hated of all men for my sake all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution and the time commeth in which they that kill you will think they doe GOD good service Which are good admonitions to keep us in some preparednes to drink of the same cup with Christ our Lord. Commanding to hold fast what wee have and let none take our crowne Rev. 2. 25. as if hee had said Hold fast with both hands that faith and grace which is the pledge of a crowne Promising and fencing the heart with assurance of his presence mitigation deliverance honourable recompence which are all strong sure foundations grounded in his owne truth and faithfulnesse 1. He hath promised his presence in sixe troubles in seven in fire and water and that for their strength consolation the Spirit of grace and glory shall rest upon them 1 Pet. 4. 14. And then he doth more for his Saints when he standeth by them strengthening their faith to suffer the pangs of death than when he opened the prison-doors iron gates to let Peter and Paul goefree Nay the same blessed Apostles were as deare to God and God as neere to them when they were behcaded by Nero as when the one by an Angel was led out the other had the foundations of the prison shaken and the gates cast open 2. He hath promised mitigation it is much more that Christians can with joy clap their hands and sing Psalmes in the flames professe as some of the Martyrs that the fire was to them as a bed of Downe or sweet Roses than to be led out of prison by an Angel 3. He hath promised an happy deliverance for the fire shall not hurt the gold but fine it the flaile shal not hurt the wheat but cleanse it the black sope seems to foyle and fowle the cloth but indeed makes it whiter cleaner There is no danger when Gods Battledore come on his children it serves but to whiten them and parts them from their foulnesse All the enemies cannot hinder thy glory no more than they could Christs they may sever soule and body asunder but neither of them from Christ. They may take our soules from our bodies or our hearts out of our bosome but cannot take us out of the hand or bosome of our heavenly Father 4. Hee hath promised a most ample recompence to him that overcomes I will give him power over the Nations he shall be a pillar in the house of God and shall go no more forth and Christ will confesse him before his Father in heaven Mat. 10. 32. Oh now look often upon this happy end if thou shalt give thy life in Christs quarrell Great shall be thy reward in heaven when a miserable life shall bee exchanged with eternall blessednesse This of the second meditation 3. Consider that thou hast Christ thy companion in suffering yea thou hast him an example also who for the joy set before him endured the crosse Nay he endured thy crosse all thy suffering is but an honest duty of thankfulnesse and a gratefull part to stick to him in trouble whom we have followed in prosperity Polycarp the Martyr at his death said thus I have served Christ 86. yeeres and hee never hurt mee why should I speake evill of him Yea it is but duty to maintaine his cause to death who by death maintained our cause now pleadeth it in the sight of God Neither is it an unglorious service but a precious gift and an honourable advancement 1 Pet. 4. 14. The Martyr that sate downe with Christ at a bitter breakfast expected a better dinner and found it Oh thinke with thy selfe what had become of mee if Christ had kept his life so fast from mee as my corruption would hold my life from him If I would keep it from him to day he may snatch it from me to morrow If I will not give it now to glorifie God he may take it unto punishmēt If I give it freely once it is not to lose it but to receive it for ever I see