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	nature_n	soul_n	10,684	5	5.3166	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B02798	The fulness and freeness of Gods grace in Christ declared. Namely, how God orders and appoints men to their final ends; some to honor, some to dishonor to eternity. The second part.; Fulnesse and freenesse of Gods grace in Christ declared. Part 2	Duke, Francis.	1655 (1655)	Wing D2502A; ESTC R176022	62,389	122

Christ in us in its own Nature is above all Ordinances wherfore to speak truth all Rules and Operations and Ordinances to us are useless and void Reply 1 We will examine all those Texts you alleadge and first that in Genesis the Metaphor being taken from breathing spoken of by Moses is taken from Creatures that live by breathing as man or beast or the like and although there be a neer relation between their breath and their Nature yet they are two distinct things that is their breath or breathing is one thing and the Essence or substance of their bodies in another thing still distinct although never totally separated but by death so in this cause the divine Essence or Nature of God is one thing and that Virtue that he was pleased to put forth to give being to the Reasonable Soul of a man are ever distinct As for Example The Nature of God in the person of Christ breathed upon the Apostles and indued them with an Apostolical spirit that is in the Rectitude of their Understandings in Divine light and their Wills in pure affections in love to his Glory in the Conversion of the World by the Gospel yet still that virtue in its Effects in them was one thing and his Divine Nature or Essence in himself was another thing Matth. 5.30 so likewise from the same divine Essence there went virtue to the woman of a bloody Issue for the Text saith He knew there was virtue gone from him and it gave her health and her Nature was not the Divine Nature of God so likewise in the shadow of the Apostles bodies God was pleased to put forth himself by vertue flowing from himself to the cure of many diseased people as they went in the streets yet the peoples bodies that were cured and the shadow of the Apostles bodies and the virtue that flowed from God and Gods own Essence were all distinct things in their several Natures and Kindes even so when God gave being to the Reasonable Soul by breathing into mans Nostrils the breath of lives his own Divine Nature Gen. 2.7 and that Creative power another thing by which he was pleased to put forth to the production of mans Reasonable Soul and as formerly is proved the Essence of God is one thing and that Radical virtue or potency is another thing in its Effects so when he was pleased to reduce that virtue and potency to act creatively that was another thing from which thing it is that the Creature is the Off-spring of God from whom it sprang and in whom it continually is and cannot be otherwise Act. 17.18 he being Infinite In him we live move and have our being but for the manner how we live move and have our being is known to God alone and not perceived by us but because Gods Word hath said it we must believe it Again 1 Cor. 6.17 for the next Text that Believers are one spirit with the Lord The Text refers it onely to Believers and not to all man kinde as the drift of your opinion point at for the words are these But he that is joyned or cleaveth to the Lord is one spirit with him and is apposed to those that did joyn or cleave in their minds as well as with their bodies to Harlots yet these men and women were not one spirit Essentially but Individually still they were twain so on the contrary true Blievers are of one spirit in pure Affections cleaving to God and Christ yet nevertheless the Divine Essence of God is one thing and still their bodies and souls are two distinct Natures so the scope of this Text is directly against your opinion Again for the next Text in regard it refers Believers to Gods precious Promises and Faith 1 Pet. 1.4 5. and Love and Virtue and Knowledge to flee the Corruptions that are in the World through Lusts and that by these they are partakers of the Divine Nature they all imploy the use of their operations as flowing from their Natural Faculties to the said sutable Rule by the assistance of the Spirit of Christ therefore the scope of this Text also is against your Opinion Again the other Texts Christ in you the hope of Glory the drift of it is no more but this Colos 1.23 27. That Christ dwells in Believers hearts by Faith and Love from whence they live in hope of a full fruition and glory with him for ever in the next Life But as for your blaspeamous Error If you be the Divine Nature Essentially it fully injoys it self infinitely therefore your Error is Contrary to the Nature of Hope therefore the drift of this Text is also against you Again Whereas you alleadge the Texts of Scripture and the like it is onely an Introduction to draw mens minds from believing the sacred Scriptures to be Gods Word to believe that the onely true Scriptures is the Divine Essence essentially in themselves and so to believe a lye for what man can believe that is in his right minde that himself is God or Christ and yet cannot walk upon the Sea as Christ did nor deliver himself out of the hand of his enemies and not render himself into their hands till he pleased as did the Lord Jesus Christ when his hour was come nor cause the Sun to go back so many degrees as pleaseth themselves as God did Again for Conclusion take this one Observation more from the precedent premises Gen. 17.10 11 12 13. Namely that there is a threefold ground why God made a Law that Infants as such should be members of Christs visible Church and so under the use of Ordinances in the Church The first is this because the whole Humane Nature as such God Elected in the person of Christ the seed of the Woman in the faln Mass out of that fall into a capacity of the said posture in which they might if they lived to the use of Reason by belief receive in the gift of Righteousness Eternal Life as is proved and this Election is the first ground of their right to be Members of Christs visible Church and so the first ground why God gave that Law Hence it is that Christ saith Matth. 19.14 suffer little children and forbid them not to come unto me for of such is the Kingdom of heaven A Second Ground is this If the whole creation have a right of relation to Christ by Virtue of his Righteousness imputed as interposing the unrighteousness of Adams imputed and by it travels untill now as is proved Then much more hath Humane Nature as such a right of relation to be Christs visible Church and this was the second ground of that Law why Infants should be members the which Law was never repealed A third Ground was this Because as is proved all mankinde dying in Infancy or the like ascended to Heaven and there are Members of the Church Triumphant therefore much more have they a right to the Church Militant and all Churches and Ordinances here upon Earth the which right can never be lost except they live to be able to act unbelieving Operations and so put away their right as did Esaw judging themselves unworthy of Eternal Life and this is a third Ground of that Law whereby Infants are instituted Members of the Visible Church of Christ FINIS

faith implicite as most weak to faith more strong and expressive as formerly is proved His third Reason is Because the wrath of God is revealed from heaven upon all unrighteousness of men which withhold the truth in unrighteousness for as much as that which may be known of God is manifest in them for saith he God hath shewed it unto them namely by the Creation and the Gospel Rom. 1.19 as aforesaid for that is here implyed The first Reason why the Spirit of God thus strives with the spirits of these Heathens and all men else may be this although it be all alike unto God in respect of his final end whether the most or least number of men be made vessels of honour or dishonour unto eternity so all be either one or the other because by his mercifull and just proceedings in the suitable rule his glory in a most sweet righteousness shineth forth eternally in either to his praise and yet nevertheless in respect to man it being his Creature Acts 17. from 25. to 29. his offsprings and generation which as saith the Text he hath made of one blood and under the aforesaid universal election yet in this respect God would rather man would as he should and might according to this rule and Christs Spirit striving with his spirit return by his operation into the said posture to receive the said gift of life and be blessed for ever As I live saith the Lord God Ezek. 18.27 I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that the wicked turn from his waies and live when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed Ezek. 33.11 and doe that which is lawfull and right he shall save his soul alive The second Reason why the Spirit of Christ thus strives with the spirits of these Heathens and all men is because the Apostate Angels do universally indeavour by their temptations lies and delusions to keep all mankind from receiving the said gift of life and therefore do endeavour not only to extinguish the Preaching of the Gospel but also to extinguish and turn the internal light of Christ in all men into darkness and if they could possible draw all men into eternal darkness and their main end in all this is that God might not have any glory in mans felicity to eternity and therefore to repel this their designe in that particular branch it is that the Spirit of Christ thus strives with all men and for this end we see the seed of the woman was elected to be Christ the Lord and second Adam and for this end God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever by believing operations will receive the said gift of life shall not perish but have everlasting life for therefore we see God elected the falne Mass of mankind out of that despicable estate into the said posture as is proved and also therefore we see that God elected one Nation to be and to be in the said posture to carry on his said final end as it respected this particular branch not for their sakes but for his own names sake and likewise we see to carry on this said final end in this particular branch He hath mercy upon whom he will have mercy and whom he will he hardneth when by their acquired habits in sin against the said posture they are all alike dead in sin and trespasses I say not in love or hatred to any of these men personally considered but only in love to himself in the prosecution of this branch of his said final end as is proved that he called the Gentiles to this posture but denied it at that time to the Iews and so on this sixteen hundred years and that in pursuance of the said branch will call them to this posture again by which they may receive the said gift of life and this is the ground why he precedently made so many glorious promises of calling the Gentiles and also of the Iews according to his Covenant with Abraham Isaac and Jacob and from this cause only they are beloved for their Fathers sakes as is proved and therefore it is that the Spirit of Christ thus strived with the spirits of these Heathens and all men else as is proved The third Reason may be this Because the more men are brought by the striving of Christs Spirit with their spirits to believing operations in this posture by the reception of this gift of life in point of justification the more fruit of righteousness abounds also in their sanctification in a redundancy to Gods glory against the Apostate Angels said designe and therefore it is that the Spirit of Christ thus strives as with these Heathens so with all men The first Use is for Information That if the Spirit of Christ thus strives with the spirits of all mankind to bring them to and to keep them in this posture Hence we learn two things First That the striving of this Spirit to all mankind as is proved is the universal favour of God in Iesus Christ to all men in the world The second is this That those amongst men which by believing operations rightly receive the said gift of righteousness shall muchmore receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness and shall reigne in life by one namely Iesus Christ that as sin had reigned unto death even so might grace reigne through righteousnesse Rom. 5.19 unto eternal life by Iesus Christ The second use is this That God will never revoke that pardon of the guilt and punishment namely eternal death due to all mankind for Adams one offence First because of his said gift of life which came upon all men unto justification in the imputative righteousness of Christ as is proved for for this end he gave the Spirit of Christ thus to strive with the spirits of all men from the beginning of the world to the end thereof that they might receive the said gift of life therefore the pardon of the said guilt and punishment due to all mankind for Adams one offence stands irrevocable to eternity for ever since the fall this is the condemnation now this light of life is come into the world because men love darkness rather then light The third Use God is irrevocable in this Point also namely To give to any man the possession of eternal life in this world by belief and the fruition in the next world which is constant in his believing operations in the said posture according to the striving of Christs Spirit with his spirit for saith our Lord He that endureth to the end shall be saved In the fourth place this informs us also That if any man be by God dispossest of his eternal life in this world and so in the next it must needs follow he quencheth this Spirit of Christ which thus by belief gave him possession of it here and so would have done there had he not