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	union_n	1,510	5	9.6741	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A45910	An enquiry into the vision of the slaying and rising of the vvitnesses and falling of the tenth part of the city: with a post-script concerning the controversie about the duty of allegiance, occasion'd by our late revolution.		1692 (1692)	Wing I219A; ESTC R221618	33,382	51

soon the Reformation could make no Visible Christian Church whilst the Woman the true Church continues so long after in her secret hid condition from the face of the Serpent Besides the National Church since the Reformation continuing a politick Body as before the Ligament of whose Union being humane Laws supported by worldly Power and thereby comprehending all but those who separate from her for Conscience sake even the most wicked hypocritical Professors as well as true Christians like Tares and Wheat growing together how can this Church so called pretend to be a real Christian Church or Member of the Church of Christ which is his Body The Union of which is by that Spiritual Ligament which knits each Member to other and the whole to Christ its Head whence it hath Nourishment ministred for its Spiritual growth and edifying So that it seems evident that the Reformation could make no such Change as to make the Nation cease from continuing a worldly Politick-body and Member of the Apocalyptick-beast as before The slaying the Witnesses proving therefore fulfilled by the said Restauration it must moderate the severe Censures which that Party that was then prevailed against hath been since blackned with Their Actions in the late times did so transcend the measures of human worldly Affairs as must needs make them seem very unaccountable to those who can judge of them only by their outer appearance and so may well incur severe Censures from them But those who by the Light of Prophecies can contemplate the transactions of those times as an extraordinary work of Providence for the advancing of Christ's Kingdom and quelling all opposition to it must surely judge otherwaies That War may well be reckon'd the Conclusion of the third Vial. That Vial contains those many bloody wars which succeeded the Reformation which was the second Vial and were occasioned by it viz. that between us and the Spaniards on their Invasion and that between them and the Dutch on their Revolt and the Hugonet Wars in France and the long dismal German War c. and ended with our Civil War After which the Treaty at Munster in the year 1648 concluded that bloody Vial by the Peace it gave to Christendom And that year proved so disastrous to Crowned Heads as makes it remarkable for commencing the fourth Vial poured on the Sun as well as for ending the third Vial. The most signal instance whereof was the hard Fate that befel CHARLES the First Who being swayed to such Excesses in Government as were perillous and Ruinous to True Religion and the Rights and Priviledges of the Subject and therein obstructive to the Advancement of Christ's Kingdom it brought the same Plague of the third Vial on this Nation which had befallen other Nations for the like doings Wherein his own part of suffering seems severe after he had yielded so far in giving satisfaction for that Male-Administration of Government which he had been seduced into But his Concessions were with such Reserve as did not yield security from the like Evils befalling the Nation again or however would not comport with the Progress that was then to be made in furthering the coming of Christ's Kingdom by finishing the Prophesying of the Witnesses in order to their slaying and rising again c. and therefore the Zealots for promoting the Interest of that Kingdom could sind no satisfaction in such concessions how plausible and satisfactory soever they appeared to others to be and thereon presumed in a transcendent Instance to become Ministers of the wrath of God declared against all worldly Power that does not submit to the Sceptre of Christ Jesus But their Zeal herein exceeding their Acting according the Righteous Judgments of Truth they failed of becoming established in their success and were so prevailed against by their Adversaries as to receive from them the same measure which they had meted Yet this does not exclude their being such Ministers of God as I have mentioned and they approved themselves to be such who underwent the utmost Tryal of Sufferings dying as men at peace with God and not condemned of him tho' judged of man And it s some exeuse for them that they appear to have been influenced by the Jesuites in that great Transaction see Dr. du Moulin's Vindication of the Protest Relig. c. pag. 59. whose subtle Instigations found their Zeal a sit Subject to work on And the prosperity of that Cause was such till it had finished its Course as must surely make God's owning and espousing the same discernable to all unless such as when his hand is lifted up will not see And the Adherents to it had the priviledge by their prosperous success to finish the mournful Prophesying of the Witnesses in this Nation and then by their being so prevailed against to accomplish the slaying them in order to their rising again and ascending to a triumphant state over their former sufferings Which we see now in a good measure fulfilled and are like to see the Accomplishing thereof by the fall of the tenth part of the City which succeeds the rising of the Witnesses and their ascending in a Cloud c. And what is meant by that Fall is our next Enquiry so far as we can search into what is not yet fulfilled It plainly imports such a Change as will make the Nation cease from continuing a Part or Member of the Ten-horned-beast which as appears it did not by the Reformation and that since save the Interruption by the Civil War we have been rather backsliding than making further progress out of Babylon till our late Revolution which hath freed us from such danger of relapsing and seems designed to complete our coming out from thence though we hitherto make but slow Progress therein by accomplishing the fall of the tenth part of the City By which seems to be meant the expiring of all the Power which the Devil gave to the Ten-horned beast cap. 13. wherewith To war with the Saints and overcome them which however it be diminished so continues as to hinder the Witnesses Ascent to that station whether the Great Voice does call them that is to exclude them from such employment in the Government as would most conduce to God's Glory and the Weal-publick and so promote the Interest of Christ's Kingdom in the Nation And whilst the Enmity against them does so continue as thus to suppress them and keep them under and thereby to obstruct the Advancement of Christ's Kingdom it s a continuing of the said War against the Saints and so makes the Nation not yet cease from continuing one of the Horns of the Ten horned-beast So that till the Judgment that now sits to take away the dominion of the Beast hath so prevailed against all such Antichristian Power as to reduce the Government as to the exercising thereof to a like impotent State with those Beasts Dan. 7.12 Whose dominion is taken away though their Lives be prolonged the fall of the tenth