Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	infant_n	kingdom_n	visible_a	3,042	5	9.7675	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26905	The crucifying of the world by the cross of Christ with a preface to the nobles, gentlemen, and all the rich, directing them how they may be richer / by Richard Baxter.	Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691.	1658 (1658)	Wing B1233; ESTC R17065	262,204	331

was on the Cross in their eye that must the world be esteemed in our eyes To take it in order 1. The predictions of the Prophets before Christs coming were not regarded by the unbelieving Jews but the Prophets themselves persecuted So those that would perswade us of the felicity of any worldly enjoyments by extolling sensual pleasures or profits or honors would draw our hearts to them should be despised esteemed as deceivers by us No man is more serviceable to the Devil for our destruction then they that applaud any sensual vanity and would make us believe what great matters are to be expected from the world and so would be the Pandors of it to entice us to its unchast embracements Remember this when any would perswade you what a fine thing it is to be rich and great and somebody in the world what a merry life it is to drink and sport away your time These are the Prophets and Apostles of the Devil and the world and let them be regarded by you accordingly 2. As soon as Christ was born into the world his best place of entertainment was a common Inn and there he could have room but in a stable and in a manger the world would allow him no better accomodation and this was the welcome that it first afforded him Here you have two notable directions for your usage of the world 1. Begin to renounce it betime as it did Christ. As the world rejected Christ an Infant so we in our Infancy must reject the world This is to be solemnly performed in Baptism where as we are engaged to the saving Trinity and Baptized into the name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost so must we solemnly Renounce the damning Trinity even the flesh the world and the Devil For so the Church hath ever done and the nature of the thing doth manifestly require it for the motus must have its Terminus à quo as well as ad quem It s a sad thing that so many well-meaning men should deny our Infant-capacity of this engagement but much sadder that they should do it with such violent Church dividing zeal as if the Kingdom of God lay in the exclusion of the seed of Believers out of it If it be true that all our Infant-seed are excluded from the Church I am sure it is so sad a truth that me thinks men should not so eagerly lay hold of it before they have better evidence to evince it It was once a mercy for Infants to be in Covenant with God and members of his Church and I do not think that it is now a mercy to be out or that the Kingdom of the Devil is the more desirable state and all men are in one of these Sure I am they were once members of the Church by Gods appointment and they that say they are cast out must prove it and better then any that yet have attempted it if they would have judicious considerate impartial men believe them Whoever cast them out sure Christ would not that did so much to enlarge the Church and better its state and manifest more abundant mercy and chide his Disciples that kept such from him and proclaimed that his Kingdom was of such I am not easily perswaded to believe that the Head and King of the Church hath actually gathered a Society of a false Constitution so long and that he that is so tender of his Church and hath bought it so dearly and ruled it so faithfully had never a true constituted visible Church till about two hundred years ago among a few such as I have no mind to describe and that we must now have a new and true Church-frame to begin when the world is almost at an end and that this glory reserved for our last daies consisteth in casting out our Infant-seed and leaving them in the visible Kingdom of the Devil till they come to age I am more out of doubt then ever I was that God would have our Infants renounce the world and be Dedicated unto him as the world did renounce Christ an Infant If an Infant-Christ must be the Head of the Church I know not why an Infant-sinner may not be a member of it And as the world without reason through malice rejected our Infant Head so God will find both Reason and Love to receive and entertain his Infant-members And as long as we have Gods express approbation in his Word for parents entring their children into his Covenant and have the examples of all Nations by the Law of Nature allowing parents to enter their children into Covenants which are apparently for their good and to put their names into their Leases with their own we shall not think our Infants uncapable of Covenanting with God nor of making this early Abrenunciation of the world 2. From hence also you may learn what room it is that the world should be allowed by you even the stable and the manger as it allowed Christ. This is a point of most necessary consideration The soul of man hath its several faculties As vegitative it hath its natural parts and spirits and powers and a naturall Appetite after the creature This is the stable and the manger where the creature as a natural good may be entertained It hath also as sensitive its power of sensation and sensitive Appetite This also may entertain the creature but not for it self nor by its own conduct but under the guidance of Reason to an higher end But the high and noble faculty of Reason and the Rationall Appetite may not allow it the least entertainment in its separated capacity as we are now discoursing of it It belongeth not to the Naturall or sensitive Powers to see and Love God in the creature and therefore it cannot be required of them and therefore they may receive their objects moderated by reason upon lower terms But it s the office of Reason as to moderate the senses so to behold God in all the objects of sense and no otherwise should it have to do with sensual objects of which more anon 3. It was not long that Christ had been in the world before Herod sought his Life and caused him to flie into AEgypt And as soon as we are capable of assaulting the world we must actually fall upon it and seek the extirpation of all its Interest from our hearts where Christ sets up his throne It was for fear of losing his Crown that Herod sought the death of Christ. It must be for fear lest Christ should be dethroned in our hearts and lose his regal Interest and lest we should lose the Crown of glory that we must endeavour the crucifying of the world When Angels and wise men did worship Christ yet Herod did seek his death and the more seek it because of their acclamations as being brought into jealousies of him by the Titles which they gave him So when the Princes and great ones of the earth do extoll the world and magnifie its