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	soul_n	union_n	6,110	5	9.7698	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B08365	A dialogue between a pastor and parishioner, touching the Lord's Supper. Wherein the most material doubts and scruples about receiving that holy sacrament, are removed, and the way thereto discovered to be both plain and pleasant. Very usefull for private christians in these scrupulous times. With some short prayers fitted for that occasion, and a morning and evening prayer for the use of private families / by Michael Altham, Vicar of Latton in Essex.	Altham, Michael, 1633-1705.	1687 (1687)	Wing A2933AB; ESTC R172247	65,705	236

is not only our duty but our greatest interest For thereby know we that we have passed from death to life because we love the brethren 1 John 3.14 The remembrance therefore of the dying love of the blessed Jesus ought to stir up in us at this time a love to God and to the Brethren 7. The consideration of the whole should create in us an humble and thankful frame and temper of mind It should put us upon offering the Sacrifice of Praise and Thanksgiving unto God not only in word but in every action of our life for Christ and all his benefits and to testify the reality of that gratitude by renewed acts of Faith Repentance and Obedience all our days Thus ought we to receive this Sacrament in remembrance of Christ 2. What it is to shew forth the Lord's Death till he come Ans An Historical Narrative of the Sufferings and Death of Jesus Christ to be able to tell that he died at Jerusalem in the Eighteenth Year of Tiberius the Emperour Pontius Pilate being the Roman Deputy in Judea and Josephus Caiphas the High Priest that same year This is not to shew forth the Lord's Death in the Apostles sense But such a serious Meditation thereof as may inhanse our hatred of sin our love to God and our thankfulness to Jesus Christ if it be constant and continued will best declare our sense of our Saviour's Sufferings and shew forth his Death till he come 1. When therefore we are at God's Table and there see all things prepared for us when we consider that Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us and that we are now invited to a Feast upon that Sacrifice We cannot but reflect upon the just anger and indignation of God against sin We cannot but observe that such was the severity of Divine Justice and the heinousness of sin that no reconciliation could be made between God and Sinners till the punishment due to sin was suffered So highly was God incensed so great was his wrath justly conceived against sin that he was not to be pacified by any thing but only the deprecation and Death of his own Son. These ought to be our thoughts especially at this time and if thus we employ our selves when we are at this holy Feast and in pursuance of these thoughts do for the time to come loath and abhor hate and avoid all manner of sin then and thereby shall we truly shew forth the Lords Death till he come 2. When we are at God's Table and there see the dainties provided for us that there is not only food for our bodies but for our Souls also not only such as may sustain our frail Bodies or support and maintain the union between our Souls and Bodies here but such as will nourish us up in grace here and fit us for Glory hereafter When we consider that such was the love of God to Mankind that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believed on him should not perish but have everlasting life John 3.16 have we not the greatest Specimen of God's mercy and goodness towards us that we can desire and is not this love writ in Characters so legible in this holy Sacrament that he that runneth may read them and if so what cause have we with grateful acknowledgments to own and declare the goodness and mercy of God to praise and thank him for it to love him again and to testify that our love by keeping his Commandments Which if we do and persevere in so doing then shall we truly declare and shew forth the Lord's Death till he come 3. When we are at God's Table and there under those symbolical Elements of Bread and Wine can clearly discover the Body and Blood of Christ really though not corporally offered to us how lively is the dying love of our blessed Saviour therein represented to us May we not therein plainly read those dreadful pangs those dying groans and those unspeakable sufferings which the blessed Jesus did willingly undergo for our sakes and ought we not with all possible expressions of love and gratitude to commemorate this his kindness This is all i. e. this with the dependencies thereupon that he requireth of us for all that he hath done and suffered for us viz. to celebrate this Feast in remembrance of him which if we rightly do and continue so doing then do we truly declare or shew forth the Lord's Death till he come For this Meditation cannot fail of filling our hearts with grateful sentiments of our Saviours Love and those sentiments will certainly imploy our tongues in thankful acknowledgments and engage our whole lives in dutiful returns unto him for it Thus have I shown you in the first place how you ought to demean and behave your self when you are at God's Table viz. you ought to do this in remembrance of Jesus Christ But there is one thing more yet required of you viz. 2. In the doing of this there ought to be a Discerning of the Lord's Body This expression hath been mightily strain'd by some who have racked their inventions to find out such notions of it as I am apt to believe were never intended by St. Paul but I shall not now either trouble my self or you with the Examination of them My design is only to instruct you plainly and make things as intelligible to you as I can In order whereunto all that I shall do at present shall be only to acquaint you with the full importance of the word Discerning and by that means to show you the true and genuine sense of the Apostle in this expression The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here used and rendred Discerning imports only a discretional act whereby we do exempt some one thing from the common order of others and set a more honourable value and esteem upon it This sense of the word is warranted by the usage of it in other places St. Jude v. 22. adviseth us to have compassion of some making a difference 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. between such Sinners as are treatable and willing to be instructed and such as are intractable obstinate and disobedient And St. Paul putteth the question saying 1 Cor. 4.7 Who hath made thee to differ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. who hath separated thee from the rest of Mankind and placed thee in an higher Form than them from both which places the importance of the word is very plain that it implies only a discretional act whereby one thing is distinguished from another and more honour and respect paid thereunto than to the other To discern the Lord's Body therefore in St. Pauls sense is to look upon the sacred Elements of Bread and Wine in this holy Feast as the most precious symbols of the Body and Blood of Christ to put a difference between them and all other common meats and drinks to use them with a religious reverence and not to approach this holy Table without a lively Faith in

v. 20 21. Now who they are that come without Charity will best appear if we consider that noble Character which St. Paul giveth of it and compare their manner of address therewith Are men impatient under sufferings Are they apt to murmur and repine at the dispensations of Divine Providence touching the ordering and governance of persons and things in this World Are they morose and unsociable Are they over-tenacious unfriendly and unliberal This betrayeth their want of Charity For Charity suffereth long and is kind Are men apt to be envious at the happy estate of their Brethren Do they look with an evil Eye upon the prosperity of others Do they macerate and wast themselves with vexing at the wellfare of other men This speaketh them strangers to this excellent grace for Charity envyeth not 1 Cor. 13.4 Are men proud and haughty Do they love to be the Trumpeters of their own praise and the proclaimers of their own worth Are they apt to swell and be puffed up with the conceit of their own excellency Do they entertain so high an opinion of themselves and their own virtue and goodness that they look with scorn and contempt upon all others Are they unwilling to be indebted even to God himself or to his mercy and blessing or to any thing else but only themselves for their success in all things This bewrayeth their want of love and Charity For Charity vaunteth not it self is not puffed up Are men censorious and contumelious Are they Railers Revilers Detracters and Backbiters of others Do they love to betray the secrets disclose the faults and expose the persons of others to contempt and scorn Can they please themselves with being unhandsome rude and unmannerly This showeth how empty they are of Love and Charity For Charity doth not behave it self unseemly v. 5. Are men wholly devoted to themselves Are they altogether led and acted by the dictates of their own interest Can they lay aside all care and concern for the good of that Community in which they live Can they be content that all publick good should truckle and give place to their private profit and advantage Are they so much in love with themselves that they love nothing besides or in comparison with themselves This plainly shows that they have no true Love and Charity in them For Charity seeketh not her own Are men passionate and suspicious Are their passions quickly raised but when up so ungovernable that they are not easily laid again Are they apt to take fire at every spark and be offended even with innocence it self if it happen to run counter to their humours and inclinations Are they so jealous and suspicious that every bush is taken for a Bugbear that nothing though never so good can occur in which they do not suspect some hidden evil or secret mischief design'd against them This is directly contrary to the rules of true Charity For Charity is not easily provoked thinketh no evil Are men carnal sold under sin Rom. 7.14 Do they love to walk in the vanity of their minds Are their understandings so darkened that they are become Aliens from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them Are they past feeling and have given themselves over unto lasciviousness to work all uncleanness with greediness Eph. 4. v. 17 18 19. Do they love to speak lies through hypocrisie having their Consciences seared with an hot iron 1 Tim. 4.2 Do they rejoice to do evil and delight in the frowardness of the wicked Prov. 2.14 Are they so bent upon wickedness that they cannot sleep except they have done evil and their sleep departeth from them unless they have caused some to fall Prov. 4.16 This is a temper far different from that of true Charity For Charity rejoyceth not in iniquity but rejoyceth in the truth v. 6. Are men impatient of injuries and cannot bear the least affront Are they diffident and distrustful of all things propounded to them either by God or Man Have they no prospect of a future state nor can hope for any thing but what is before their Eyes and within the reach of their senses in this life This plainly demonstrateth that they are strangers to this excellent grace of Charity For Charity beareth all things believeth all things hopeth all things endureth all things v. 7. Thus have I shown you who they are that come to the Lord's Supper without Charity and by this and the two preceding rules you may plainly perceive what St. Paul meaneth when he speaks of eating and drinking unworthily Now if either you or any other be really thus unworthy it will nearly concern both you and them to consider what you do It will not be safe for you to approach this holy Table with such unworthiness about you But I hope better things of you and that upon this account you will have no just cause to absent your self from this holy Feast Parishioner I heartily thank you Sir for the pains you have taken to rectify my misunderstanding and inform me better I bless God I have no such low and mean thoughts of this Heavenly Banquet and though I confess I am a Sinner yet am I heartily sorry for my sins though I am not so charitable as I ought yet am I not such a stranger to it as you have now described And therefore if other obstacles be removed I do believe I shall not hereafter absent my self upon this account I am sorry that I have interrupted you but I could not forbear to testify my satisfaction in what you have said And now Sir I beseech you proceed to explain the other part of this Text by resolving that other enquiry viz. Qu. 2. How and when men are said to eat and drink their own Damnation Pastor I shall endeavour with all readiness and as much plainness to make good my promise and gratify your desire in the resolution of this enquiry also And in order thereunto let me premise this in the general viz. That the punishment of unworthy Communicants differeth according to the different degrees of their unworthiness 1. Some there are who come to these holy mysteries without any Faith or any repentance or any Charity at all So Infidels or Unbelievers Reprobates Hypocrites and inveterate Sinners come Now those who thus presume to approach this holy table they in the strictest sense may be truly said to be guilty of the body and blood of Christ 1 Cor. 11.27 i. e. They are as much guilty of his Death as those who Crucified him in the flesh These have no more value for the blood of Christ than those had and therefore may expect to be as severely punished as they were or shall be The Death of Christ will be unto them a savour of Death unto Death not of Life unto Life The Apostle's Argument is of great weight in this case He that despised Moses his law died without mercy under two or three witnesses Of how much sorer punishment

mightily pleased and wonderfully well satisfied with those directions which you have given me and am resolved by God's blessing with care and Conscience to observe them I know I cannot do it so well as I should but I will do it as well as I can and I hope God will accept my willing mind and pardon my weaknesses and infirmities But Sir You did also promise to direct me how to demean and behave my self when I am at this holy Feast so that I may not displease and offend my blessed Saviour who hath been and still is so kind to me Pastor It is very true I did promise you that also and I hope I shall not fail you therein because I intend to take two unerring Guides along with me viz. The blessed Jesus and his holy Apostle St. Paul The former of which not only commandeth us to do this but to do it in remembrance of him Luk. 22.19 and the latter tells us that in the doing of it there ought to be a Discerning of the Lord's Body 1 Cor. 11.29 1. When we come to this holy Feast we ought to call to mind all that the blessed Jesus hath done and suffered for us He who commandeth us to do this commandeth also to do it in remembrance of him This holy Feast was never intended by the blessed Author and Instituter of it to be an Expiatory or propitiatory Sacrifice nor as the Papists call it an unbloody offering for the sins both of the quick and dead nor for a scenical and histrionical representation of the Death of Christ But it was designed to be an Eucharistical Sacrifice or a Sacramental action whereby Christians are to commemorate that bloody Sacrifice which Jesus Christ offered upon the Cross for the sins of Mankind And therefore St. Paul reciting the words of Institution applyeth them to this holy action saying This do ye in remembrance of me 1 Cor. 11.24 25. And that he might be the better understood he explaineth himself in the following words saying As often as ye eat this bread and drink this Cup ye shew forth or shew ye forth the Lord's death till he come v. 26. Now the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is here used and rendered to shew forth doth not signify to express one thing by the likeness of another nor to represent it by histrionical gestures but to preach and declare the thing as it is i. e. by celebrating this holy Feast to keep up the memorial thereof and thereby declare what a deep sense we have of all that our blessed Saviour hath done and suffered for us Whence by the way I may note unto you the vanity of that Popish Figment of Transubstantiation For if the blessed Jesus had designed to have been always really and bodily present with his people in this holy Feast this command of his would have been very insignificant for Remembrance doth not respect things future or things present but things past But to return to our business To do this in remembrance of him and in so doing To shew forth the Lord's Death seem to be expressions exegetical or explanatory of one another And therefore it may not be amiss to enquire into the sense and meaning of both that we may the better understand how to behave our selves at this holy Feast To that purpose I shall take them in order and show you 1. What it is To do this in remembrance of him 2. What it is To shew forth the Lord's Death 1. What it is To do this in remembrance of him Ans An idle and unconcerned remembrance of the sufferings and death of Christ such as men sometimes have when they call to mind things past which are of no great concern to them is not the thing here intended No it must be an effectual remembrance i. e. Such an one as may stir up our minds to apprehend and apply Christ with all his benefits to our selves so to remember the Sacrifice and Death of Christ that we may thence reap Comfort Joy Peace of Conscience increase of Faith and Charity and an assured hope of future life and felicity on that account So to remember the love that he hath shown unto us therein as to be always thankful to him for it But to be more particular 1. When we come to God's Table and there see the two Elements of Bread and Wine ready prepared to be delivered to and received by us we ought to call to mind that Jesus Christ is a perfect Saviour and that his Body and Blood which are represented thereby are the true Bread and Water of Life to all that believe in him and worthily receive that holy Sacrament 2. When we see the Bread and Wine set a-part by the Minister and by him Consecrated to that holy purpose by repeating the Promises and Prayers made for that end we ought to remember that Jesus Christ was also ordained of God appointed and set a-part by him to be our Mediator and Redeemer to make intercession for us at the Throne of Grace and redeem us from all our sins 3. When we see the Bread broken and the Wine poured out it should put us in mind how the Body of Christ was broken and his Blood shed for us how he was Crucified and slain and all this for our sins and that if he had not thus once died for us we must have died ever i. e. we must have undergone an ever yet never dying Death 4. The Sacramental actions of giving and receiving the Elements should put us in mind That God doth truly and really give Christ with all his merits and all the efficacy of them to every worthy Receiver in this Sacrament 5. The consideration of these two last Meditations should put us upon renewing our Faith and Repentance For 1. When we remember that his Body was broken and his Blood shed for us it should stir up in us a godly sorrow and unfeigned repentance for our sins which have been the causes of so great sufferings to our blessed Saviour 2. When the Minister giveth the Bread and Wine and we receive them we should at the same time lift up our hearts to Heaven in a deep sense of God's goodness and our own unworthiness and endeavour to apprehend and apply Christ with all his benefits to our selves believing that he was made man for us and that he suffered and died not for the remission of sins in general but of our sins in particular 6. The consideration of the dying Love of the blessed Jesus represented to us in this holy Sacrament ought to put us in mind how necessary a charitable frame and temper of mind is this Feast If Christ have so loved us then certainly we ought to love him and if we would do this well let let us take his own directions who saith If ye love me keep my Commandments John 14.15 And if God so loved us we ought also to love one another 1 John 4.11 Love to the Brethren