Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	militant_a	saint_n	triumphant_a	2,884	5	10.8885	5	false

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

of him 1 Pet. 3. 22. 2. He is precious in the esteeme of the Angels The Angelical host did him honour at his birth Luke 2. 13 14. They tuned their instruments and sang with a loud voice Glory be to God in the highest As God hath commanded them to worship him Heb. 1. 6. so they do continually worship him They are ready at his beck to do his will They do ascend and descend upon the Son of man John 1. 51. Not as if they ministred to Christ alone but because out of respect to Christ and to do him honour they do at his command go forth to serve his Church as he gives them charge The Angels worship the Sonne with the very same aderation wherewith they worship the Father Christ is very high in their books 3. He is precious in the esteeme of the Saints Whether ye take it of the Saints triumphant or of the Saints militant for the Saints triumphant see how they adore him Rev. 5. 8 9. And the Saints militant they have an high esteeme of him They glory and triumph in him They venture their whole salvation upon him They disesteeme all other things in respect of him I account all things saith the Apostle but losse for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord Phil. 3. 7 8. They are joyful when they can have communion with him See what follows in the verse after the Text unto you that beleeve he is precious he is but a nominal beleever that doth not account Christ precious See how the Church speaks of him Cantiles 5. 10. He is white and ruddy the chiefest of ten thousands 4. He is precious in himself This I shall shew you in these three particulars 1. In the glory of his person Never did such a person appear in the world as is Jesus Christ He is truly God and truly and properly man The Divine and humane Nature never hypostatically met in any person besides the person of Christ The Apostle saith of him that he is the brightnesse of his Fathers glory and the expresse image of his person Heb. 1. 3. He is the head of principalities and powers Col. 2. 10. The highest and most glorious of the Angels being compared to Christ is but a dark and a fullied creature He excels the Angels in the glory of his person far more then they do the meanest of men All the Divine attributes are appropriated to Christ as he is the Son of God as well as to the Father He is eternal Micah 5. 2. His goings forth are from everlasting He is immutable as the Father is Heb. 1. 12. He is omniscient Heb. 4. 13. He is omnipotent Esay 9. 6. In one word he is as God every way equal to the Father Phil. 2. 6. There are such mysteries in the person of Christ as shall be matter of admiration both to men and Angels to all eternity There is in Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 though not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 identity of person and diversity of natures and these united without composition and confusion both natures reteining their distinct properties and yet both making but one person This is the first 2. In the glory of his qualifications and endowments Jesus Christ is endued with such rare gifts and graces as never any before See how the Scripture expresseth it Psalme 45. 7. God even thy God hath anointed thee with oyle of gladnesse above thy fellows Col. 2. 3. In him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge Col. 1. 19. It pleased the Father that in him all fulnesse should dwell The fulnesse of grace in Christ excels the fulnesse of all other persons in these three respects 1. In him are all kindes of fulnesse He hath not onely the fulnesse of parts but the fulnesse of degrees also The best of the Saints have onely the fulnesse of parts There may be additions made to their fulnesse But in Christ is fulnesse of degrees There can be no additions made to his fulnesse The Spirit which is given to others in measure is given to Christ without measure John 3. 34. And then 2. In Christ there is the fulnesse of redundancy as well as the fulnesse of sufficiency All other persons have onely a fulnesse of sufficiency The Angels albeit they want nothing which is agreeable to their estate yet they have no overplus to redound to others But now in Christ is the fulnesse of redundance he hath not onely the fulnesse of the vessel as others have but he hath the fulnesse of the fountaine whereby he is able to communicate unto others Zech. 13. 1. A fountaine shall be set open for sin and for uncleannesse He hath the fulnesse of the root the fulnesse of the heap the fulnesse of the Sunne Hence it is that men are invited to him to be made partakers of his fulnesse Esay 55. 1. All the fulnesse that is in the Saints is communicated from him to them according to that of the Evangelist John 1. 16. Of his fulnesse have we all received and grace for grace 3. All this fulnesse which is in Christ is in him after a peculiar and special manner The Apostle sets this out by that phrase of dwelling Col. 1. 19. That expression notes a threefold difference in fulnesse as it is in Christ from fulnesse as it is in the Saints 1 'T is in him originally That fulnesse which is in the Saints is in them derivatively They have it from another Christ hath his fulnesse from himselfe The Divinity doth fill and replenish the humanity with all kindes of grace 2 'T is in Christ essentially As he is God his fulnesse is his essence Therefore doth the Apostle say that the fulnesse of the God-head dwels in him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bodily Col. 2. 9. that is personally and essentially 3 T is in him unchangeably It is maintained constantly at the same height It doth not abate nor is there any potentiality of abating It 's alwayes high tyde with Jesus Christ That fulnesse which is in the Saints is the fulnesse of a dish which is abated if one drop be taken away but the fulnesse of Christ is as the fulnesse of the fire which though it kindle hundreds of sticks yet is not abated or as the fulnesse of the Sunne which though it send down its beames continually upon the world yet the light of it is not darkned Never any person endowed with so many excellencies in such a measure after such a manner as Jesus Christ No perfection can be named or imagined which is not to be found transcendently in Jesus Christ wisdome beauty meeknesse patience heavenlinesse c. All Christian vertues are called the vertues of Christ 1 Pet. 2. 9. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 both because they were all eminently in Christ and because as they are in the Saints they are communicated from Christ This is the second 3. In the worth of his sufferings The Scripture calls the blood of

as lively stones are built up a spiritual house 2. He is a stone of Gods immediate laying God himself did both polish and place this stone Other corner stones are fashioned and laid by men but this is fashioned by God himselfe This is in the Text Behold I lay in Sion a chief corner stone He is therefore called by the Prophet Dan. 2. 34. A stone cut out of the mountaine without hands that is without the hands of men There was no humane help for the polishing of this stone God himself is the chiefe and onely Architect 3. He is a Corner stone that can never drop out of the building Other corner stones will in time loosen and fall the corner stones of that Temple did at last fall but this corner stone can neither fall nor be weakned Christ sticks as fast now as he did the first day he was placed 4. He receives no strength from the other stones All material corner stones as they strengthen the building so they receive strength from the building The other stones are some defence to the corner stone but Christ receives no strengthening from any stone of the building What need hath Christ of support If he had what can weak Saints do to support him The Saints help to strengthen one another they contribute no strengthening at all to him 5. Christ is a Corner stone that reaches from the bottome to the top In other buildings there are many corner stones because no one is large enough to serve for all But Christ is so large that there is no need of any other The building is a carrying on every day and will be till all the number of the Elect be brought in but let it rise never so high there will not need one corner stone more If there were but one corner st●n● in other buildings the whole structure would be spoiled This spiritual structure would he spoiled if there should be one corner stone more One Christ supplies the need of the whole Church 1 PET. 2. 6. A chief corner stone elect precious XIX SERM. at Mary Wolnoth Lon. Decem. 26. 1652. I Proceed to the Application which is for Information which is for Exhortation which is for Consolation 1. For information It teacheth seven lessons 1. The perpetssity of the Church The Church of Christ is a stable building it may shake and totter and be ready to fall but it cannot utterly fall The Church of God may erre both in Doctrine and manners The best of men are but enlightned and sanctified in part there is a remainder of blindnesse and ignorance in their minde and of rebellion and stubbornesse in their wills and affections therefore they may erre both in Doctrine and manners The Church of Ephesus is charged by our Saviour that she had left her first love Rev. 2. 4. The Church of Galatia is said to be removed to another Gospel And that which befals Chap. 1. 6. one or two Churches may befal an hundred Churches Our Divines prove against the Papists that general Councels have erred The Church of God may sometimes he hid under persecution it may want the publick preaching of the Word with the publick Administration of the Sacraments Our Divines prove against the Papists that the Church of God is not alwayes so apparently visible as they would have it In the dayes of the Prophet Elijah the Church of God was under a great eclipse See what he saith 1 King 19. 10. The children of Israel have forsaken thy Covenant c. The Church was very low when so intelligent a Prophet could not finde one besides himself that cleaved to God yet what answer doth God give him v. 18 Yet have I left me seven thousand in Israel all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth which hath not kissed him Hear what the Prophet Azariah saith to King Asa to this very purpose 2 Chron. 15. 3. For a long season Israel hath been without the true God and without a teaching Priest and without Law As the Sunne and Moon do not alwayes visibly shine out to the world but sometimes suffer an eclipse so doth the Church of God yet neverthelesse the Church of God can never be utterly exterminated If we consider the nature of the thing the Church may be abolished and cease to have a being in the earth but if we consider the Decree of God so the Church can never cease God ever had since the promise made to Adam in Paradise a Church in the world and he ever will have a Church in the earth till all the members thereof be made triumphant in heaven The gates of hell shall never prevaile against it Mat. 16. 18. It may be brought low but it cannot be thrown down These material fabricks where the Church of God meet for holy worship may be thorough the fury and covetousnesse of men be taken down that one stone shall not be left upon another See how the Church complains of the havock made by those Sacrilegious invaders Psal 74. 7 8. The Church was not destroyed though the Temple and Synagogues were destroyed This spiritual building of the Church shall stand though all other structures fall The great reason is because Christ is the foundation and corner stone Other buildings may fall though the foundation stand but this building cannot fall unlesse the foundation be destroyed 2. That the Church of God is a very glorious building Amongst many other titles which are given to the Church this is one it 's called a glorious Church Eph. 5. 27. It shall be glorious when it comes to heaven of which that Text is properly to be understood And it is glorious even here on earth I am black but comely O ye daughters of Jerusalem as the tents of Kedar as the curtains of Solomon Cant. 1. 5. A glorious and high throne from the beginning is the place of our Sanctuary Jer. 17. 12. All the Edifices and Palaces on earth are but ugly cottages it they be compared with this spiritual building the Church The Temple of Solomon was the most excellent fabrick that ever the earth carried It s called a glorious and beautiful house Isa 64. 11. and yet that was but a type of this building See how it is described in the Revelations chap. 21. 10 11 c. It must needs be glorious because all the stones are living stones Every stone hath the glory of God on it and then besides which makes it beautiful indeed Christ himself is the corner stone How gloriou● must that building be where Christ himself lies as the foundation stone To be the least stone in this building is far better then to be the greatest pillar of any material building 3. The Beleevers union with Jesus Christ The Scripture doth frequently tell us the mystery of the spiritual union of Christ and Beleevers They are not onely one by participation of gifts and graces they are not onely one in will and affection as the