Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	build_v	peter_n	rock_n	30,238	5	9.7701	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A70945	Christ all and in all. Or, several significant similitudes by which the Lord Jesus Christ is described in the holy Scriptures Being the substance of many sermons preached by that faithful and useful servant of Christ Mr. Ralph Robinson, late pastor at Mary Wolnoth London. Which were appointed by the reverend author on his death-bed (if his brethren should think fit) to be published.	Robinson, Ralph, 1614-1655.	1656 (1656)	Wing R1705; ESTC R223720	320,677	592

members of the Primitive Church are said to be Acts 4. 32. but there is a real spiritual union between them ●in them and thou in me John 17. 23. This Priviledge is proved as by other expresse Scriptures so by this Metaphor As the corner stone and the superstructories are united in one building so Christ the corner stone and all the living stones built upon him are made one mystical house The Apostle mentioneth this from this very similitude Eph. 2. 20 21. Christ and beleevers are made one holy Temple onely there is this difference between that union which is between Christ the corner stone and the living stones and the corner stone and superstructory stones of material buildings Every beleever is as neerly united to Christ as any beleever In other buildings some stones are more neerly united to the foundation then others are but in this building every Beleever is equally united to Christ the corner stone 4. The horrible pride of the Papists They are so intollerably proud as to apply this Title to the Pope making him the corner stone of the Church They apply that in Esay 28. 16. to the person of the Pope as if he were the foundation of the Universal visible Church They say that the Pope is in the Church as the Sun is in the firmament and that the ruining and shaking of the Pope would be the shaking and ruining of the whole Church The Scripture teaches us a better foundation Both Prophets and Apostles were ignorant of this Romish foundation they built not on the Pope but on Christ Eph. 2. 20. The Pope is the corner stone of the Apostatical Church not of the Apostolical Church He is the foundation stone of the adulterate Church not of the chast Church he is the foundation of the Synagogue of Satan not of the Spou●e of Christ The Church would be sure to fall if it had so weak and so wicked a foundation as that man of sinne is Christ did not say upon thee Peter but upon this rock will I build my Church Mat. 16. 18. Peter whose successor the Pope boasts himself to be did publickly preach Christ not himself the corner stone Acts 4 11. It is no honour but a great disgrace to be a stone of that building whose foundation stone is the son of perdition 5. Behold from this Text the truth of the two natures of Christ The Scriptures teach that Jesus Christ is both God and man Both these natures are asserted in this Text. The Divinity is confirmed from the close of the verse He that beleeveth on him shall not be confounded If Christ were not God it were idolatry to beleeve on him No meer creature is without sin to be relied upon without sin And then the truth of his humanity appeares from hence that he is the corner stone of the spiritual building He could not be a part of the spiritual house if he were not of the same nature with the other stones of the building so often as you read faith in Christ required beleeve his God-head and as often as ye heare him called the corner stone of the Church beleeve the truth of his manhood 6. The greatnesse of Christs strength The Scripture doth attribute Almighty power to Christ as well as to the Father His name shall be called the mighty God Esay 9. 6. The strength of Christ appears by the great works he hath done and doth do He set up the world by his power Without him was not made any thing that was made John 1. 3. He doth by his powerful providence govern the world Providence belongs to Christ as well as to the Father My Father worketh hitherto and I work John 5. 17. And then his power appears in this that he is the chief corner stone that upholds the Church if there were not Almighty power in him such a burden would break him to pieces Next to the bearing of his Fathers wrath no such heavy burden as the susteining of all the concernments of the Church Consider what a vast fabrick the Church is it 's a very huge building And then consider what potent enemies it hath a world of wicked men legions of powerful Spirits and then consider how weak every stone is in it self And then consider the multitude of its concernments and it will appear that he that bears up this building must needs be a person of vast and infinite strength Thou hast laid strength saith the Prophet on one that is mighty Ps 89. 17. 7. The nearnesse of Christ to his Church The Name of the Lord is called Jehovah Shammah Ezek. ult ult Christ hath promised to be with it for ever Mat. 28. ult He seemes sometimes to be far off to try how his people will carry themselves in his absence the nature and ingenuity of the childe is best seen in his Fathers absence But though he seem to be at a distance yet he is neere he may be out of their sight but he is never out of their call The Lord is neer to all them that call upon him This Metaphor sheweth this the corner stone is not farre off from the roof and yet Christ is neerer to his people then the corner stone is to the next stone of the building He is not onely with them but in them Iohn 17. 23. Thus much for Information 2. For Exhortation It commends these four things to all us Christians 1. Take heed of building upon any other foundation The Evangelist makes mention of a double foundation which our Saviour speaks of at the close of his Sermon on the Mount Matth. 7. 24. 26. The rocky foundation is onely one namely Jesus Christ or which is all one faith in Christ The sandy foundation is manifold Some build their hopes of salvation on their good works This is the foundation of the Papists They hope to be saved by their doing They may do well to consider what the Scripture saith of this foundation Luke 17. 10. And Romans 9. 30 31 32 33. building on works is not a divine but a humane foundation Some build upon outward profession This is the foundation of carnal professours They may do well to consider what our Saviour saith Luke 13. 26 27. Some build upon their good meanings They have as good a heart to God as the best This is the foundation of ignorant Protestants Whatsoever foundation of salvation grace or comfort besides Christ is laid is a sandy foundation and will appear to be so at the day of judgement The Apostle cuts off all other foundations besides this 1 Cor. 3. 11. He did not speak ignorantly for he saith v. 10. that he was a wise Master-builder They are not wise Master-builders but ignorant botchers that build or teach others to build either hope of comfort or of salvation upon any other foundation In one word all foundations of salvation besides Christ how spacious soever they be will prove at last foundations of damnation Arminian Socinian Popish corner-stones will

of the incense out of the Angels hand before God notes the complacency that God takes through Christ in the obedience of his Saints Put these together and see whether Christ do not bring forth pleasant fruit All the Vineyards in the world cannot shew such grapes for pleasantnesse as these are 2. He brings forth profitable fruit The wine that comes out of this Vine doth chear and refresh and strengthen and make glad and that not the outward man but the soule and conscience also which no other wine can do If I should go over all these fruits againe and shew you the advantage which beleevers have by them you would then say they were profitable fruits Healing fruits and strengthning fruits and quickning fruits They remove all fears they bring in all joy c. 3. He brings forth plenty of fruit I have named many but I have named but a few in respect of what I might name All the graces of his Spirit are the fruits which he brings forth saith love meeknesse perseverance c. All the promises are his fruits eternity will be too short to measure all the fruits which grow on this Vine This is the second resemblance 3. In regard of the shadow which he casts over the Church The Vine is a shadowy plant it is in regard of the 〈…〉 fittest of any plant for s●adowing 〈…〉 Arbors of the vine Micah 4. 4. 〈…〉 shadow to his Church The Scripture calls hi● a shadow Esay 32. 2. A hiding place from the winde a covert form the tempest the shadow of a great rock in a weary land the words are spoken of Christ as is clear from the first verse Behold a King shall reigne in righteousnesse he who is there called a King is afterwards called a shadow I sate under Cant 2. 3. his shadow so Jesus Christ is called the Churches onely shadow 1. He is a shadow to defend them from his Fathers wrath God is in himself a consuming fire So the Apostle Heb. 12. 29. His anger is declared against all the sinnes of men He can as well cease to be as cease to be displeased against sinne in whomsoever it is Now Jesus is the Beleevers shadow to preserve him from being burnt by his wrath Yea Christ hath by satisfying his Fathers Justice for sinne quenched this wrath as to beleevers and this satisfaction is such a thick shadow that whensoever the beleever retreats to it and sits under it the wrath of God cannot reach him to hurt him the Screen of Christs perfect satisfaction doth continually stand between God and the beleever to preserve him from the fury of Divine anger The wrath of God must kindle upon Christ before it can kindle upon the beleever and upon Christ it cannot kindle He hath once born the wrath of God and by bearing it hath for ever quenched it Since Christ hath made himselfe a sacrifice for sinne once God hath many wayes declared that he is well pleased with him Abide under his shadowy vine ye that are beleevers the wrath of God cannot come nee●e you 2. He is a shadow to defend them from the de●is● rage Satan is full of rage against the godly They have broke out of his prison they have renounced his service they have proclaimed perpetual war against him and his kingdom they have by the grace of conversion blotted his Name out of their hearts this fills him with rage against them He is continually way-laying them he is daily fighting with them he never ceaseth to tempt them that he may destroy them 1 Pet. 5. 8. Jesus Christ is a shadow to preserve his Church from the fury of this destroyer By his death he hath broken his head Col. 2. 15. By his intercession he doth safegard his from all the attempts he makes upon them Luke 22. 31 32. The devil must overcome Christ he must pluck off all the leaves of this Vine before he can devoure the soule of a beleever Retreat to Christ by faith when Satan hunts you and continue here and you may laugh at Satan and all his assaults 3. He is a shadow to defend them from the fury of men The world is a bitter enemy to the servants of Christ They cannot walk after the fashion of the world they cannot but reprove the wickednesse of the world both by their lives and by their speeches too as they have occasion This makes the men of the world madde against them you may see this both in the Old and in the New Testament In the Old Testament Gen. 19. 9. they were ready to tear Lot in pieces because he reproved their filthy wickednesse In the New Testamen● 〈…〉 4. because the godly cannot drink of 〈…〉 ●●ters they do therefore do they 〈…〉 Jesus Christ is a shadow to preserve them from the worlds fury He did by his death obtaine victory as well over the world as over the devil John 16. 33. and he doth shadow his Church in the world from the rage of the world Some particular members of his Church are perhaps overcome by the world but the body of the Church can never be overcome And for the particular persons or Churches that are ruined by them their ruine tends to their own personal salvation and to the preservation of the whole body the blood of particular persons or Churches is a sanctified seed which tends to the enlargement of the Church Universal 4. In regard of the influen●ial Communications from him to the Branches This is that which is especially meant in this place beleevers are compared to the Branches Christ to the Vine As the Vine doth communicate sap and nourishment to the Branches so doth Christ communicate spiritual sap and nourishment to beleevers All the Churches springs are in Christ Psal 87. 7. Beleevers have nothing but what comes from him Beleevers can do nothing that is good but by assistance from him He is the strength of their strength the wisdome of their wisdome God hath put all their stock and portion into his hands They have their dependance on him they have all their supply from him This is that which is laid down ver 5. of this Chapter Without me or severed from me ye can do nothing Of this I shall speak more in the next Doctrine 3. The excellency of Christ above all other vines He hath the preheminence in these seven respects 1. Christ is a Vine immediately of Gods planting Other Vines are the plantations of men 'T is true In the Creation God did by the Word of his power without the help of any creature cause the Vine as he did all other plants to spring Gen. 2. 4 5. But since the creation of man upon the earth these plants are the work of his hands We read of a vineyard planted by Noah after the flood Gen. ●9 20. and we see that since to this day vines are still set by the hands of men But Jesus Christ ●s the meer plantation of God alone God prepared him a body