Selected quad for the lemma: friend_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
friend_n	abraham_n	call_v	lord_n	787	5	3.9743	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A94069	The saints communion with God, and Gods communion with them in ordinances. As it was delivered in severall sermons / by that faithfull servant of Christ, Mr. William Strong, late minister at Westminster.	Strong, William, d. 1654.	1655 (1655)	Wing S6006; Thomason E1693_2; ESTC R209425	55,425	233

that ye take heed as unto a light that shineth in a darke place until the day dawn the day star arise in your hearts They think that all these morning starrs must away as soone as ever Jesus Christ hath risen as a Sun in the Heart of the Saints 3. Others they are such as take up their rest in Ordinances and conclude the goodnesse of their estate by Ordinances because they have the enjoyment of Ordinances therefore they thinke they have the enjoyment of God 4. Others neither rest in nor yet rest from Ordinances and these are persons indeede that are like to meet with a blessing when they come to God when these come to worship him they are made welcome to him and they shall be blessed by him such a spirit is fit for Ordinances and such a spirit shall receive much blessing by Ordinances The propositions that lie in the words are these 1. Doct. 1 One of the principall ends which God aimes at in the setting up of his publique Ordinances is that he may have Communion with his Saints and that his Saints may have communion with him 2. The times of a Saints Communion with God Doct. 2 and Gods Communion with them are times of blessing and times of benediction Communion times are blessed times and they are blessing times Blessednes is out of the reach of the whole Creation one Creature cannot make another blessed nay all the creatures cannot make one creature blessed Man is fallen too low for his fellow creature to advance him He is too sore for the whole creation to make him a plaster T is impossible for the whole creation to make any part of amends to man for the wrong that he did himselfe creatures cannot take off that curse which they lye under themselves how then can they give the blessing that 's wanting to others nothing is in working above what 't is in being the world in being is poore and beggerly therefore it can never make us rich Hos 2.21 I will heare the heavens they shall heare the earth c. The heavens they cry to God the earth that cries to the heavens the creatures they cry to the earth still we are led up the Stairs by one creature to another till wee have past through them all to God himselfe and therein indeed doth our blessedness lie creatures want a blessednesse for themselves how can they give a blessedness unto us 3. Doctrine that might bee raised from the words viz. That the foundation of all the blessednesse of man is the will of God I will meet them and blesse them But 't is the first of these I shall speake of viz. Doct. That one of the principall ends which God aimes at in the setting up of his publique Ordinances is that he may have communion with the Saints and that his Saints might have communion with him Every man while he lives here is at a distance from God there 's a twofold distance that is between God and the creatures First a distance in point of Reconciliation 2 ly a distance in point of communion there 's a Naturall distance as we are creatures and a morall distance as we are sinners I shall premise three things 1. The Scripture holds forth such a state 2. The Communion that the Saints have with God it is with all the persons in the Trinity 3. That this Communion in this life is chiefly in Ordinances First Position Position 1 That the Scripture holds forth such a state of Communion between God and his people such as is between the Bride and the Bridegroome in the Bride-chamber 'T is true I confesse all godlines is a mystery 1 Tim. 3.16 Great is the mystery of godlinesse but yet in this there are some mysteries greater then others Observe there is such an intimacy spoken of 1 Joh. 1.3 Our fellowship is with the Father with his sonne Iesus Christ Then the Saints have a fellowship with the Father and with Christ yet notwithstanding som of them have a more peculiar fellowship with God then others 'T is true whosoever he be that is taken into union is taken into communion too all the Saints having a communion with themselves have a communion with Christ also for they doe all meet as one with him as lines in the center yet there are some Saints in this life have a more peculiat communion with the Lord then others Numb 12.8 c. If there be a Prophet saith God I will speake to him in a dreame in a vision but my servant Mos●s 't is no so with him I will speake to him mouth to mouth as a man to his friend and the similitude of God shall hee behold He shall have such discoveries of God as ordinary Saints have not hee shall have such communion with God as ordinary beleevers have not Now this communion of God with the Saints will appeare to be a very great and glorious intimacy and familiarity if you looke to the severall denominations that are given to them in the Scripture all of them imply a very great familiarity As 1. They are called his friends Abraham was called the friend of God Jam. 2.23 I have not called you servants but I have called you friends John 15.16 And as Jesus Christ calls them friends so they call him friend too Cant. 5.6 This is my beloved this is my friend O daughters of Ierusalem What is a friend truly it is as a mans owne selfe Deut. 13.6 thy friend which is as thine owne soule Then friendship speaks high familiarity Austin speakes of himselfe concerning a friend of his when he died he professed he was put into a great streight whether hee himselfe should be willing to live or willing to die hee was unwilling to live because one halfe of himselfe was dead yet he was not willing to die because his friend did partly live in him though he were dead 2. He doth call the Church the Bride the Lambs wife There is the same resemblance between Christ his Church as between man wife Now you know husband and wife become one flesh so that this matrimoniall union is but a shaddow and resemblance of the glorious union that is betwixt Christ and his Church there is a great deale of intimacy betwixt man his wife therefore she is called Deut. 13.6 the wise of his bosome now what is the bosome 't is the seate of secrecy and the seat of intimacy For this cause the Lord Jesus Christ is said to be in the bo●●●e of the Father Iohn 1.18 as one that is acquainted with all his secrets and as one that enjoyes the most intimate familiarity with the Father So thou art the wife of the bosome of Christ This I think to be the meaning of that Lu. 16.23 It is said Lazarus died and was carried into Abrahams bosom Dives when he dyed was in hell torments surely then the other was in heaven why is it called Abrahams bosome it is a

place of rest and a place of love All the Saints being Abrahams children are of Abrahams Covenant and promise they are received into Abrahams bosome in glory with a great deale of love and are taken into his bosome as into the resting place Thus the Children of God stand in the same relation to Christ as a wife to the husband 3. There is yet a higher expression of Intimacy then this all these are but externall and fleshly but the vnion of the Spirit is much more strong 1 Cor. 6.17 He that is joyned to the Lord is one Spirit He that is joyned to the flesh is one flesh but hee that is joyned to the Lord is one spirit 't is as if there were an union of two soules Cyprian when he would expresse this union saith 't is a union of wills and a confederacy of affections they grow into one spirit These relations do import thus much for the Lord Jesus Christ doth not give empty Titles It will further appeare if you consider those high Acts of Intimacy that the Scripture speakes of I will name foure 1. Christ and his people are said to walke together Christ walkes in them Revel 2.1 hee walks among them 2 Cor. 6.16 and wee reade of Galleries in which the King is held Cant. 7.5 what be those Galleries places of intimate converse where friends walke together and enjoy communion one with another now can two walke tegether except they be agreed Amos 3.3 walking implies intimacy and familiarity 2. They supp together now to eate and drinke together in Scripture is an expression of great familiarity and therefore saith the Apostle with such an one eate not that is withdraw familiarity not to eate with one is an Argument of withdrawing familiarity but to eat together is an argument of familiarity Revel 3.21 I will come to him and sup with him and he with me And for this cause when the Cōmunion of Saints is set forth it is set forth by eating and drinking together at the same table we being many are one bread and one body 1 Cor. 10.17 we are many in number as Erasmus hath it but by the consent of our spirits wee become one bread when the Lord would expresse the intimacy the Saints have with him then he is said to sup with them and they with him and marke how hee doth cheere them up Cant. 5.1 Eate O friends drinkeye drinke ye abundantly O ye beloved 3. They doe not onely sup together but they dwell together Christ dwells in your hearts by feith Ephes 3.17 It is the great command the Lord laies upon the husband hee must dwell with his wife now if Jesus Christ will undertake the Relation of a husband hee must dwell with his spouse In Iohn 14.23 he tells you he will fulfill his relation I will come to you and make my abode with you as if the Lord could never speake enough 2 Cor. 6.16 I will dwell in them and I will wake among them 4. They doe not only dwell together but they lie together Christ and his people lie in one bed Cant. 1.16 Our bed is green 't is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 grarseni my bed but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 grarsenu our bed what is that truly they are those Ordinances of worship in which the Lord together with his people doth exercise those high Acts of intimacy and familiarity that will appeare if you compare it with 57. Isay 7.8 Thou settest thy bed upon a high mountaine and thither thou wentest up to offer sacrifices thou hast enlarged thy bed c. what is that Floreli●s upon the place faith it was Idolatrous worship wherin they did commit spirituall Adultery now the Lord calls that the bed Idolatrous Ordinances are the bed of Idols so on the other side the bed wherein the Lord Christ and his people enjoy intimacy and familiarity is the bed of Ordinances and for this cause the Church glories in this Cant. 1.13 he shall lie all night between my brests So much for the first thing I promised namely that the Scripture holds forth such such a state of Communion between God and his people I shal but name the other two and so passe on Posit 2 The second Position The Communion that the Saints have with God it is with all the persons they have not onely Communion with the Father but Communion with the Son and not onely communion with the Son but with the Spirit also with all persons in the Trinity the people of God have communitie 1 John 1.3 Truly our fellowship is with the Father and his Sonne Jesus Christ The Posit 3 Third Position that this communion in this life is chiefly in Ordinances for the Immediate communion is reserved for another world All the communion wee have in this world it is a mediate communion there are mediums betwixt us and God through which God conveyes grace unto us and drawes us up unto him Ordinances they are the Galleries there 's the wall of sinne and ther 's the windowes of Odinances he stands behind our wall of sin but hee lookes through the windowes of Ordinances For the opening of this I shall shew you what fellowship with God in Ordinances meanes And first I shall lay down some Scripturall proofs of this that the main ende of God in setting up Ordinances is that he may be glorified in communion with his people and then some Positions for the right understanding of this communion and after that I shall give you the grounds the properties the Acts and the ends of communion and then apply the whole Proof 1 1. Let me prove it from scripture expressions that end that Gods aimes at by setting up his Ordinances is that hee might have communion with the Saints and his Saints have communion with him See Revel 21.3 When God comes to reforme his ordinances and to purge his Church I heard a great v●yce saying behold the Tabernacle of God is with men and he will dwell with them The Tabernacle and Temple were places of publique worship it was his dwelling and his walking with them dwelling notes constancie and walking notes familiarity he will be constant and he will be familiar with his people in Ordinances 48. Ezec last And the name of the Citty shall bee the LORD is there 'T is a prophesie that receives it's accomplishment when Jews and Gentiles shall bee brought to worship God now when these two shall be made one in the hand of the Lord then shall the name of the City be called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jehovah shaumah that is the Lord is there Proofe 2 2. Proofe This hath been the great ground of all the preparations that the Saints have made when they have approched to God in Ordinances that they might have communion with God in them 2 Chron. 30.18 The Lord pardon every one that prepares his heart to seeke God though not according to the purification of the Sanctuary As a Bride prepares her selfe for

Mutuall manifestation 2. Mutuall contemplation 3. Mutuall admiration 4. Mutuall delight and satisfaction 5. Mutuall communication of secrecy The first act of communion is manifestation and that 1. Of God to man 2. Of man to himselfe 1. ●f God to man and that three waies of his Presence of his Glory and of his Grace 1. Of his presence Saith Jacob Gen. 28.16 God is in this place And John 14.21 I will manifest myselfe to him 2. Of his glory Psalm 63.3 Iosee thy power and thy glory so as I have seen thee in the Sanctuary 3. Of his grace Heb. 4.16 Let us come boldly to the throne of grace c. God in Gospell-Ordinances through Jesus Christ sits upon a Throne of grace and when we go unto the throne of grace to receive from him we must go with boldnesse Now there are two chief acts that you are to exercise about this presence of God when it manifests it self to you in the use of Ordinances 1. The foule sees and observes this presence of God manifesting it selfe and beholds it It is Davids wish Psal 27.4 That I might dwell in thy House to behold the beauty of the Lord and to enquire in his Temple As the Ordinances of God are the glory of a people so the presence of God is the glory of the Ordinances and the soule that enjoyes communion with God it eyeth and seeth the glorious presence of God in Ordinances 2. There 's not only an act of beholding but there 's an act of adoring the presence that we do behold doing homage to it The Angels that have a more immediate communion with God then we have they fall down before God and adore him And so the Prophet Esay Esay 6.5 Then said I wo is me for I am undone because I am a man of uncleanelips for mine eyes have seen the King the Lord of hosts And Rev. 4.10 And the twenty foure Elders cast down their Crowns at his feet and fall down before him c. Secondly there 's an act of Revelation of man to himselfe to know himselfe Man in himself is dark in discoveries of himself 2 Cor. 4.6 For God who commanded the light to shine out of darknesse hath shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Prov. 20.27 The spirit of a man is the candle of the Lord searching all the inward parts of the belly 'T is not the presence of the Lord in heaven but the presence of the Lord in Ordinances that is the candle of the Lord. Now in this act of the Revelation of man to himselfe 1. It discovers the secrets of the heart 1 Cor. 14.25 And thus are the secrets of the heart made manifest 2. It discovers the principles and grounds and ends of his action the Word of God discovers it to him and the presence of God in it 3. It passeth a sentence upon a man according to that light Ezek. 20.3.4 Son of man wilt thou judge them that is by Ordinances A soule is then judged by Ordinances First When it is mightily ashamed in the Divine presence for its non-conformity unto God and Secondly when it takes the judgement that the word gives and lies down with silence under it This is the first act of communion an act of manifestation of God to man of man to himselfe Of God to man of his Presence of his Glory of his Grace Of man to himselfe in the secrets of his heart and in the principles and grounds of his heart The second act of communion is mutuall contemplation the soule doth continually converse with Christ by secret meditation and contemplation There is a beholding of the beauty of Christ which is called the beauty of holinesse Holinesse is the beauty of a Saint and Christ is the beauty of holiness The Saints set forth Christ to be the fairest of ten thousands fairer then the children of men Christ replies again O thou fairest among women The Saints they behold and contemplate the beauty of Christ and Christ he beholds the beauty and contemplates the excellency of the Saints The Saints they are taken up with the love of Christ and Christ he is taken up with the love of them thus they admire the vertues one of another You know 't is never well with friends unless they be together what a shift will lovers make to enjoy each other So it is between the Soule and the Lord Psalm 139.18 When I awake I am still with thee Why a man might have told David God is in heaven and thou art upon the earth In my bodily presence I am from him not with him but in the presence of spirit and in the meditation and contemplation of soule I do never ly down I do never rise up but I am with thee By the Covenant of Grace and the Ordinances of the Gospell you are come to God the judge of all things you have intimate fellowship with him as well as with the Saints Austin saith The soule doth often and familiarly walk the streets of the new Jerusalem Seeing there the Patriarchs and the Prophets and the Lord Jesus Christ This the soule doth by fiduciall reasoning and by high and glorious meditation and contemplation The third act of communion is mutuall admiration the soule is admiring those excellencies that are in God and Christ is admiring those excellencies and being ravished with the beauties that are in them Thou hast ravished my heart my Sister my Spouse Cant. In the Book of Exodus 't is said the High Priest carried the names of the children of Israel upon his Breast-plate A Jewell set in the Breastplate of Christ O how shining and glorious is it The Saints as Jewells are very taking but being set in Christs Breast-plate are more taking This is my beloved this is my friend O you daughters of Jerusalem 4. The fourth act of communion between Christ and the soule doth consist in mutuall delight satisfaction contentment and rejoycing in each other There was a great fellowship and communion betwixt David and Jona●han and they rejoyced in each other There 's a great fellowship and communion betwixt wife and husband ●e●her be as the loving hind to thee and Esay 62.5 I will rejoyce over thee as a Bride-groom rejoyceth over the Bride O the contentment that the soule takes in Christ and the contentment Jesus Christ againe takes in the soule that he hath communion withall Isa 53.11 Hee shall see of the travell of his soule and shall be satisfied Psal 17. last I shall bee satisfied when I awake with thy likenesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 chelek Jehovah guammo The Lords portion is his people in Deut. 32.9 and so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 chelki Jebovah amerah naphshi The Lord is my portion saith my soule Lam. 3.24 therefore the Soule studies Christ and Christ studies the Soule the king shall take pleasure in thy beauty you know the command is unto a