Selected quad for the lemma: city_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
city_n	abraham_n	holy_a	zion_n	69	3	8.5347	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A12478	An exposition of the Creed: or, An explanation of the articles of our Christian faith. Delivered in many afternoone sermons, by that reverend and worthy divine, Master Iohn Smith, late preacher of the Word at Clavering in Essex, and sometime fellow of Saint Iohns Colledge in Oxford. Now published for the benefit and behoofe of all good Christians, together with an exact table of all the chiefest doctrines and vses throughout the whole booke	Smith, John, 1563-1616.; Palmer, Anthony, fl. 1632.	1632 (1632)	STC 22801; ESTC S117414	837,448	694

no man can give grace unlesse he first take away the bar and stop that hindreth grace As a River being stopped cannot runne unlesse the stop that did hinder it be removed so it is in grace now that which is the bar and stop that hindreth grace is the guilt of sinne but no man can take away the guilt of sinne but it is Christ onely that must save his people from their sinnes as the Angell said therefore if no man can take away the guilt of sinne no man can give grace if hee cannot give grace he cannot be a Saviour if hee cannot be a Saviour he cannot merit for any man Thirdly all that the People of God can doe is little enough for themselves and if it be little enough for themselves then they have no overplus for others that they have little enough for themselves it may appeare by the speech of the wise Virgins to the foolish Matth. 2. 5. And the foolish said to the wise Give us of your oyle for our lampes are out But the wise answered saying Not so lest there be not enough for us Saint Hilary in that place saith Get oyle in your lampes for no man can be helped by the good deeds of another therefore if good men have little enough for themselves then they can have no overplus for others Moreover it is a strange thing that the same men deny the imputation of Christs righteousnesse for they say that Christs righteousnesse cannot be imputed to us and yet they hold that the righteousnesse of the Saints may bee communicated so then they attribute more to the Saints than unto Christ Would any man thinke that a man of judgement discretion and knowledge should fall upon such rockes and sands but no marvel for when men will not beleeve the truth then God gives them up to strange delusions to beleeve lies Now though the Saints doe not communicate their merits one unto another yet thankes bee to God they doe communicate their graces and gifts one to another they do exhort admonish and pray for one another The use of this is first that seeing there is a communion of Saints therefore it must be our care to uphold good things to incourage one another and to quicken them in the life of Iesus We see what communion there is amongst the drunkards of our age to swill and swagger how much more should Christians have communion together to strengthen and helpe one another to Heaven Therefore wee should doe as poore people doe lay all the ends together to nourish the little sparkes that be in us Secondly seeing that there is a Communion of Saints therefore we must desire to appertaine to that body and societie that so wee may partake of those Roiall Privileges with them naturally a man hath but one head to advise him and give him counsell one tongue to speake for him two eyes to forsee dangers two hands to releeve him in any neede and two feete to goe for him but by the Communion of Saints a man hath ten thousand heads to advise him and give him counsell ten thousand eyes to forsee dangers ten thousand tongues to speake for him therefore it must bee every mans care to repent him of his sinnes to remove them and to get faith in Christ that hee may appertaine to them Wee see in a great citie there bee divers companies and some there bee that have greater Priviledges than other whereof men desire chiefly to bee free so in the spirituall citie the invisible Church there bee many immunities and privileges above other companies which Gods deare children should labour to enjoy and have societie and fellowship therein Wee are now come to the second thing The Communion of the living with the dead which consists chiefly in two things first That the Saints departed wish well to those that be living desire their consummation in glorie for it is the nature of charitie to wish well to others Now in the Saints it is not diminished but increased as S. Paul saith 1 Cor. 13. 12. For wee know but in part and wee prophecie but in part but when that which is perfect is come then that which is in part shall be abolished So then in generall they wish well to us indeed they doe not know our particular estate as Iob 14. 21. thou changest his face and sendest him away and hee knowes not if his sonnes shall be honorable neither shall bee understand any thing concerning them whether they bee of low degree and so Esai 63. 16. Doubtlesse thou art our Father though Abraham he ignorant of us and Israel know us not yet thou O Lord art our Father and our Redeemer hence it is manifest that though the Saints departed know not our particular wants yet in generall they wish well unto us and dsire that wee may come to the same glorie that they enjoy and may arrive at the same Haven of Happinesse and doe also looke every day for us till the finall consummation shall come this is comfortable to consider that the whole bodie of the Saints in Heaven wish well unto us and looke every day when wee shall come to them as men in a Shipwracke when some bee scaped gotten to the shore they remaine longing and looking when the rest of their company shall arrive so the Godly having escaped Shipwracke in this world stand upon the shore of their own happinesse and every day looke when the rest of their brethren shall arrive at the same place with them therefore why should holy people be afraid to die though they lose their earthly friends yet they shall goe to all the Saints departed to such as wish well to them and looke every day for them they shall goe to Abraham Isaak and Iaakob and to all the holy men departed this is the first thing that the living with the dead have Communion in Secondly the living and the dead have Communion in the same hope faith and love conversing with them in Heaven even with Abraham Isaak and Iaakob and all the holy people and Saints so S. Paul saith Now therefore yee are no more strangers and forreners but citizens with the Saints and of the houshold of God and Heb. 12. 22. but yee are come to the mount Sion and to the citie of the living God the celestiall Ierusalem and to the Company of Innumerable Angels and to the congregation of the first borne which are written in Heaven and to God the Iudge of all and to the Spirits of just and perfect men This is the honour of a true Christian that hee shall not onely have Communion with weake and fraile men such as wee bee but also with Angells and Archangells and all the Saints departed conversing with them in their faith hope and love Wee see in a great house there bee many Roomes and lodgings there bee some that lodge in the upper some in the lower Roomes and yet they bee

sanctified graces In other cities there be markets for the body but in this citie the Lord keepes open market with spirituall graces to furnish our soules and therefore thirdly herein this citie excels all other cities in the world Fourthly in many other cities there be many other liberties and immunities all these immunities are but to free them from toyle and tribute but the Church of God doth not thus free men for Christ himselfe payed tribute Matth. 17. 27. and Paul exhorts us Rom. 13. 7. Give unto all men therefore their dues tribute to whom yee owe tribute custome to whom custome The Church of God doth not free men from taxes and tributes due to earthly powers and Potentates but from the bondage of sinne from the accusations of an evill conscience from the Devill and from Hell Thus Iohn 8. 36. saith Christ If the Sonne make you free yee shall bee free indeed And Gal. 4. 26. saith the Apostle But Ierusalem which is above is free which is the mother of us all A man may bee a citizen of a great citie and yet lye in bondage to sinne and the Devill bee a slave to his lusts and be troubled with the accusation of an evill conscience But if a man bee a citizen of this citie hee shall bee free from sinne the Devill Hell the accusation of a bad conscience and from his wild lusts therefore in the fourth place this citie excels all other cities in the world The uses are First seeing the citie of God excels all the cities of the world therefore wee should account it a marvellous blessing that it pleaseth God to make us citizens of this citie as Ruth 2. 12. Boaz said unto Ruth the Lord recompence thy worke and a full reward bee given unto thee of the God of Israel under whose wings thou art come to trust So happy is the man over whom the Lord doth spread the wings of his love Wee see Psal 84. Davids affection that hee had rather bee a doore keeper in the house of God than to dwell in the Tents of wicked men hee had rather bee a meane man and a true member of the Church than to bee a great wicked man Therefore wee may bee sure that it is a greater blessing to bee a poore man and a member of the Church than to bee a great rich man in the world and no true member of the Church Secondly seeing the citie of God excels all the cities of the world therefore every man must have care to hold communion with it and take heed hee doe not suffer the Devill to draw him away from it because God dwells there by the presence of his Spirit Peter could say to Christ Ioh. 6. 68. Master to whom shall wee goe thou hast the words of eternall life heere is fulnesse of joy here is comfort to bee had and therefore howsoever others start out let us hold to it Thirdly seeing the citie of God excels all other cities therefore it must bee our care to live like such citizens Hath God made thee a citizen of such a citie live then happy man like such a citizen conforme thy selfe to the lawes of it and walke worthy of this heavenly citie The author to the Hebrews maketh the same use of it Hebr. 12. 22. But saith hee yee are come unto the Mount Zion and to the citie of the living God c. And therefore see that yee despise not him that speaketh for if they escaped not which refused him that spake on earth much more shall not wee escape if wee turne away from him that speaketh from heaven You bee of the citie of God and therefore doe not you live like the vild men of the world in your sinnes and corruptions but live like Saints and citizens of such a citie thus much of the first dignitie that the Church is called the citie of God because there is the presence of God in grace The second Dignitie of the Church of God is that it is called the body of Christ now there is a naturall body of Christ which hath parts and ligaments as our bodies have hands and feete c. And there is a mysticall body of Christ which are the company of true beleevers which are made one with Christ by faith through the communion of the Spirit which mysticall body is more deare to Christ than his naturall body for hee gave his naturall body to die for his mysticall body and to redeeme it the Church is this mysticall body as 1 Cor. 12. 27. now yee are the body of Christ and members in particular so Coloss 1. 14. Now I rejoyce in my sufferings and fulfill the rest of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his bodies sake which is the Church So then the Church of God is the bodie of Christ whence ariseth divers consequents First that hee is the onely head of the Church and no other but hee as Ephes 1. 22. saith the Apostle of Christ And hath made all things subject under his feete and hath appointed him over all things to bee the head of the Church so Colos 1. 18. hee is the head of the bodie of the Church for as the head ruleth the bodie so Christ rules his mysticall body Now that Christ is the onely head of the Church it may bee seen in three things First because the grace of God is most eminent in him for as life is most eminent in the head so the graces of God are most eminent in him hee excells all men and Angels therfore the Apostle saith Colos 1. 19. that it pleased the Father that in him all fulnesse should dwell Secondly because of the neere conjunction that is between the head and the members the naturall head may bee parted with a blow from the body but the Devill and all the damned cannot part Christ and his mysticall body Thirdly in regard of ministration for as the head doth communicate life and motion unto the body so Christ doth the life of grace and the Spirit So it is a Royaltie onely belonging to the head not to Archangell nor Angell therefore away with the Pope The second consequent is that seeing Christ is head of the Church therefore as the head communicates life and motion into the body so from Christ flowes spirituall life and grace into the Church there is never a true member but Christ communicates life and grace unto him therefore every true Christian must feele a derivation of grace and spirituall life in him every one that would have true comfort must feele this and to say as Saint Paul doth Galath 2. 20. Thus I live yet not I now but Christ liveth in mee and in that I now live in the fl●sh I live by the faith of the Sonne of God who hath loved mee and given himselfe for mee Wee see if a man hath any member that hangs dead and numb'd