Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	body_n	flesh_n	life_n	6,515	5	4.6902	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A54035	The flesh & blood of Christ, both in the mystery and in the outward briefly, plainly, and uprightly acknowledged and testified to, for the satisfaction and benefit of the tender-hearted, who desire to experience the quickning, healing, and cleansing vertue of it : with A brief account concerning the people called Quakers in reference both to principle and doctrine : whereunto are added some few other things which by the blessing of God may be experimentally found useful to the true pilgrim and faithful travellers out of the nature & spirit of this world / written in true love and tenderness of spirit by Isaac Penington.	Penington, Isaac, 1616-1679.; Hicks, Thomas, 17th cent. Continuation of the dialogue between a Christian and a Quaker.	1675 (1675)	Wing P1168; ESTC R7890	24,794	63

maketh his personated Quaker speak thus Thou sayest we account the blood of Christ no more than a common thing yea no more than the blood of a common Thief To which he makes his personated Christian answer thus Isaac Penington who I suppose is an approved Quaker asks this question can outward blood cleanse Therefore saith he we must enquire whether it was the blood of the Vail that is of the humane nature or the blood within the Vail viz. Of that spiritual man consisting of Flesh Blood and Bones which took on him the Vail or humane Nature 't is not the blood of the Vail that is but outward and can outward blood cleanse Now to satisfie any that desire to understand the Truth as it is and to know what the intent of my heart and words as spoken by me were I shall first say somewhat to his stating the question and then open my heart nakedly and plainly as it then was and still is in this matter First I answer these were not my words which he hath set down as mine but words of his own patching up partly out of several queries of mine and partly out of his own conceivings upon my queries as if he intended to make me appear both ridiculous and wicked at once For I no where say or affirm or did ever believe that Christ is a spiritual man consisting of Flesh Blood and Bones which took on him the Vail or humane Nature Thus he represents me as ridiculous It is true Christ inwardly or to his inward being was a Spirit or God blessed for ever manifested in Flesh which to speak properly cannot have Flesh Blood and Bones as man hath And then besides his alterations at the beginning putting in only four words of my query and leaving out that which next follows which might have manifested my drift and intent in them he puts in an affirmation which was not mine in these his own words 'T is not the Blood of the Vail that is but outward and then annexeth to this affirmation of his own the words of my former query Can outward Blood cleanse as if these words of mine can outward Blood cleanse did necessarily infer that the Blood of Christ is but a common thing Herein he represents me wicked and makes me speak by his changing and adding that which never was in my heart and the contrary whereto I have several times affirmed in that very Book where those several queries were put out of which he forms this his own query giving it forth in my name For in the Tenth page of that Book beginning at line 3. I positively affirm thus that Christ did offer up the Flesh and Blood of that body though not only so for he poured out his Soul he poured out his life a Sacrifice or Offering for sin a Sacrifice unto the Father and in it tasted death for every man and that it is upon consideration and through Gods acceptance of this Sacrifice for sin that the sins of Believers are pardoned that God might be just and the justifier of him who believeth in Jesus or who is of the Faith of Jesus Is this common Flesh and Blood can this be affirmed of common Flesh and Blood ought not he to have considered this and other passages in my Book of the same tendency and not thus have reproached me and misrepresented me to the world Is this a Christian Spirit or according to the Law or Prophets or Christs Doctrine Doth he herein do as he would be done by O that he had an heart to consider it I might also except against those words Humane Nature which he twice putteth in being not my words nor indeed my sense for by humane Nature as I judge is understood more than the body whereas I by the word Vail intended no more than the Flesh or outward body which in Scripture is expresly so called Heb. 10.20 through the Vail that is to say his Flesh Secondly I cannot but take notice of this That he hath not cited the place page or pages nay not so much as named the Book where those words or sayings which he attributeth to me are written whereby any persons that were not willing to take things upon bare Report especially in so deep charges reflecting not only upon one person but an whole people might consult the place and see whether they were my words or no and whether the queries I did put indeed to the hearts of people had any such drift or no and might compare the words if they were mine both with what went before and also followed after and with what was said in several other places of the Book which speak of Christ's Flesh and Blood as of no common thing but as that which God made use of toward the Redemption of Mankind Thirdly The drift of all those Queries in that Book was not to vilifie the Flesh and Blood of Christ by representing it as a common or useless thing but to bring people from sticking in the outward to a sense of the inward mystery without which inward sense and feeling the magnifying and crying up the outward doth not avail Indeed at that time I was in a great exercise concerning Professors Love was deeply working in my heart and I was in a very tender frame of Spirit towards them as any may perceive who in the fear of God and in meekness of Spirit shall read that Book It is Entituled A question to the Professors of Christianity whether they have the true living powerful saving knowledge of Christ or no c. And in this tender frame in the midst of my crying to God for them those Queries from a true sense and understanding sprang up in my heart even to necessitate them if possible to some sense of the mystery which there is an absolute necessity of unto true Christianity and Salvation This was the very intent of my heart in the several Queries which generally speak of one and the same thing under several Metaphors and Figures And that this was my intent these words following in the second page of my Preface to that Book do plainly express the words are these Now to draw mens minds to a sense of truth to a sense of that which is the thing that they might know the Bread indeed that they might know the living waters come to them and drink thereof and find Christ in them a Well of water springing up to eternal life therefore was it in my heart to give forth this Question and the ensuing Queries which he that rightly answers must know the thing and he that doth not know the thing by his inability to answer may find that he doth not and so may wait upon God that he may receive the knowledge of it and come to it for the eternal life which it freely giveth And that I did mean the mystery when I speak of Bread Water the Vine the live-coal from the Altar the leaves of the Tree of life the

the darkness from the bonds of sin and iniquity from the power of the Captiver and Destroyer and turned our minds inwardly towards our Lord and Saviour to mind his inward appearance his inward shinings his inward quicknings all which were fresh from God and full of vertue And as we came to be sensible of them joyn to them receive and give up to them we came to partake of their vertue and to witness the rescuing and redeeming of our Souls thereby So that by hearing the Sons voice and following him we came to find him the way to the Father and to be gathered home by him to the Fathers house where is Bread enough and Mansions of rest and peace for all the Children of the most High Now as touching the blessed principle of truth which we have had experience of and testifie to for how can we conceal so rich a Treasure and be faithful to God or bear true good will to men it is no new thing in it self though of late more clearly revealed and the minds of men more clearly directed and guided to it than in former ages It is no other then that which Christ himself abundantly Preached who Preached the Kingdom who Preached the truth which makes free and that under many Parables and Resemblances sometimes of a little Seed sometimes of a Pearl or hid Treasure sometimes of a Leaven or Salt sometimes of a lost piece of Silver c. Now what is this and where is this to be found What is this which is like a little Seed a Pearl c. And where is it to be found What is the field is it not the World and is not the World set in mans heart what is the house which is to be swept and the Candle lighted in Is it not that house or heart where the many Enemies are A mans Enemies saith Christ are those of his own house Indeed the testimony concerning this was pretious to us but the finding and experiencing the thing testified of to be according to the testimony was much more And this we say in perfect truth of heart and in most tender love to the Souls of people that whoever tries shall find this little thing this little Seed of the Kingdom to be a Kingdom to be a Pearl to be Heavenly Treasure to be the Leaven of Life leavening the heart with life and with the most pretious oyl and oyntment of Healing and Salvation So that we testifie to no new thing but to the truth and grace which was from the beginning which was alwayes in Jesus Christ the Lord and Saviour and dispenced by him in all all Ages and Generations whereby he quickned renewed and changed the heart of the true believers in his inward and spiritual appearance in them thereby destroying the Enemies of their own house and saving them from them For indeed there is no saving the Creature without destroying that in the Creature which brings spiritual death and destruction upon it Israel of old was saved by the destroying of their outward Enemies and Israel now the new Israel the inward Israel is saved by the destruction of their inward Enemies O that people could come out of their own wisdom and wait for Gods wisdom that in it they might come to see the glory the excellency the exceeding rich vertue and Treasures of life that are wrapped up in this principle or seed of Life and so might receive it give up to it and come to partake thereof And as touching Doctrines we have no new Doctrine to hold forth The Doctrines held forth in the holy Scriptures are the Doctrines that we believe And this doth farther seal to us our belief of this principle because we find it a Key by which God openeth the Scriptures to us and giveth us the living sense and evidence of them in our hearts We see and have felt in it to whom the curse and wrath belongs and to whom the love mercy peace blessings and pretious promises belong and have been led by Gods holy spirit and power through the judgments to the mercy and to the partaking of the pretious promises So that what should we publish any new faith or any new Doctrines for indeed we have none to publish but all our aim is to bring men to the ancient principle of truth and to the right understanding and practise of the ancient Apostolick Doctrine and holy Faith once delivered to the Saints Head-notions do but cause disputes but heart-knowledge heart-experience sense of the living power of God inwardly the evidence and demonstration of his spirit in the inward parts puts an end to disputes and puts men upon the inward travel and exercise of spirit by that which is new and living which avails with God Now whereas many are offended at us because we do not more Preach Doctrinal points or the History of Christ as touching his Death Resurrection Ascention c. but our ●eclaration and Testimony is chiefly concerning a Principle to direct and guide mens minds thereto To give a plain account of This thing as it pleaseth the Lord to open my heart at this time in love and good will to satisfie and remove Prejudices where it may be thus it is in brief FIrst that which God hath given us the experience of after our great loss in the litteral knowledge of things and that which he hath given us to testifie of is the mystery the hidden life the inward and spiritual appearance of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ revealing his power inwardly destroying Enemies inwardly and working his work inwardly in the Heart Oh this was the joyful sound to our Souls even the tydings of the arising of that inward life and power which could do this Now this spiritual appearance of his was after his appearance in flesh and is the standing and lasting Dispensation of the Gospel even the appearance of Christ in his spirit and power inwardly in the hearts of his So that in minding this and being faithful in this respect we mind our peculiar work and are faithful in that which God hath peculiarly called us to and requireth of us Secondly There is not that need of publishing the other as formerly was The Historical Relation concerning Christ is generally believed and received by all sorts that pretend to Christianity His death his miracles his rising his ascending his intercedeing c. is generally believed by all people but the mystery they miss of the hidden life they are not acquainted with but alienated from the life of God in the midst of their litteral owning and acknowledging of these things Thirdly The knowledge of these without the knowledge of the mystery is not sufficient to bring them unto God for many set up that which they gather and comprehend from the Relation concerning the thing instead of the thing it self and so never come to a sense of their need of the thing it self nay not so far as rightly to seek after it And so many

are builders and many are built up very high in Religion in a way of notion and practise without acquaintance with the Rock of Ages without the true knowledge and understanding of the foundation and corner-Stone My meaning is they have a notion of Christ to be the Rock a notion of him to be the foundation-stone but never come livingly to feel him the Rock to feel him the foundation-stone inwardly laid in their hearts and themselves made living stones in him and built upon him the main and fundamental stone Where is this to be felt but within And they that feel this within do they not feel Christ within And can any that feel him within deny him to be within the strength of life the hope of glory Well it is true once again spiritually now as well as formerly literally The stone which the builders refused Christ within the builders of this age refuse is become the head of the Corner who knits together his sanctified body his living body the Church in this our day more gloriously than in former Ages and Generations blessed be the name of our God Fourthly The mystery the hidden life the appearance of Christ in spirit comprehends the other and the other is not lost or denyed but found in it and there discerned and acknowledged more clearly and abundantly It was to be after it and comprehends that which went before it Paul did not lose any thing of the excellent knowledge of Christ when he said Hence forth know we no more after the flesh yea though we have known Christ after the flesh yet henceforth know we him no more If he did not know Christ after the flesh how did he know him Why as the Father inwardly revealed him He knew him in his spirit and power He knew his death inwardly he knew his Resurrection inwardly he knew the spirit the vertue the life the power of it inwardly He knew the thing in the mystery in his own heart O pretious knowledge O the excellency of this knowledge of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ what is the outwardly most exact litteral knowledge without this But what then do I now deny or slight the outward No I have it here and I have the inward feeling of the spirit of life how it dwelt in him how it wrought in him and of what wonderful value all his actions and obedience were in and through the vertue of this spirit Was Abrahams offering his Son so pretious in Gods eye O then what is this Never was such a body so sanctified so prepared never such a Sacrifice offered O the infinite worth and value of it For by the inward life and teachings of Gods spirit am I taught and made able to value that glorious outward appearance and manifestation of the life and power of God in that Heavenly flesh as in my heart I have often called it for the life so dwelt in it that it was even one with it Yet still it was a vail and the mystery was the thing and the eye of life looks through the vail into the mystery and passes through it as I may say as to the outward that it may behold its glory in the inward And here the flesh of Christ the vail is not lost but is found and known in its glory in the inward Be not offended at me O tender hearted Reader for I write in love things true according to the inward feeling and demonstration of Gods spirit though not easie perhaps to be understood at present by thee but in due time the Lord can make them manifest to thee if thou in uprightness and tenderness of heart and in the silence of the fleshly part wait upon him A few WORDS Concerning the way of PEACE The way of Peace they have not known Rom. 3.17 THere is a way of Peace of true Peace with God who is an Adversary to all that is unholy and unrighteous Those who have been unholy and unrighteous who have been awakened troubled and could find no rest but the severe and righteous judgments and wrath of the Lord lying upon their Spirits night and day having at length had their ears opened by him and being led by him out of the unholy and unrighteous way into the holy and righteous way have felt both Life and Peace therein Now there are two sorts which the Apostle here mentions or two states which the Apostle here speaks of which have not known nor can know the way of Peace with God who is an Adversary to them both and will one day speak trouble to them both when their Souls and Consciences come to be searched and judged by him The one is the Prophane or Gentile-state which is without the sense of God not heeding any appearance of his or any inward voice of his Spirit or the writing of his Law upon their heart These never knew the way wherein the heart is inwardly and spiritually circumcised and renewed sin forgiven and Peace obtained The other is the professing or outward Jewes-state who may study the Letter and apply themselves to conform outwardly to the Letter but never were acquainted with the inward spirit and power These greatly differ from the Gentile or Prophane-state both in outward appearance and in their own eye but are the same in the ground with the Gentiles and know no more of the way of Peace than the other do Quest But what is the way of Peace which neither the Prophane nor any sort of Professors out of the life and power ever knew or can know Answ It is an inward way away for the inward Jews for the inwardly renewed and circumcised to walk in It is an holy or sanctified way for the sanctified ones to walk in It is a living way which none but the living can find It is a new way which none but those to whom God hath given the new eye can see It is a way that God prepares and casts up and leads mens spirits into who hearken unto him and guides the feet of his Saints in It is a strait and narrow way which no lust of the flesh nor wisdom of the flesh can find out or enter into O how little how low how poor how empty how naked must he be that enters into this way and walks therein Many may seek after it and may think to find it and walk in it but few shall be able as our Lord Christ said Here circumcision outward avails not here want of that circumcision hinders not here bodily exercise profits little The new Creature is all here the cross of Christ is all here the power of God is all here and he that walks according to this rule Peace is upon him and the whole Israel of God But he that knows not this rule nor walks according to this rule Peace is not upon him nor is he one of the inward Israel of God who receive power to become Sons who receive the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus