Selected quad for the lemma: head_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
head_n	body_n	church_n	ephes_n	5,160	5	10.9909	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A19422	Certaine verie worthie, godly and profitable sermons, vpon the fifth chapiter of the Songs of Solomon: preached by Bartimeus Andreas, minister of the word of God; published at the earnest and long request of sundrie well minded Christians	Andrewes, Bartimaeus.	1583 (1583)	STC 585; ESTC S113841	105,554	328

faithfull man is a Garden inclosed where Christ looketh for fruite and commeth down thither by his spirite gathering the fruites of obedience sanctimony praise thanks giuing Nowe wee haue the conclusion of the whole remayning to bee spoken of verse 19. I am my beloueds and my beloued is mine who feedeth among the Lillies Thirdly the conclusion This is the thirde parte in generall of the maner of the comming on of the spouse or of her obeying of her calling and admitting of the suit of her louer which I noted to be the second part of the chapiter For after the suit of her husband wherof you haue heard verse 1. and 2. her manner of comming on in beeing incumbred with lets at the first yet ouer striding them and recouering her zeal breaking foorth into a noble and famous description of her louer wherby she affecteth her companions greatly towardes him now in a triumphing maner incouraging others by her example she concludeth with an Epiphonema and finitiue sentence or determination assuring her selfe to bee one with her loue and maketh vp the match in her hearte with Christ Iesus purposing to holde out in faithfull loue to the ende towardes him Perswading also her owne hearte of his faithfull permanent and eternal loue towardes her So that we will consider in this laste clause and sentence as the vpshot of the whole matter Two things in the conclusion First the holye societie communion coniunction and vnitie that is betweene Christ and his Church ioyned with an indissoluble bande and knot Secondly the perseueraunce also the constant permanent and certaine estate of the Godlye and elect whereby they stand assured of the eternal loue of Christe Iesus towardes them First the vnitye between christ and his Church and of their owne saluation in him First therefore concerning the comfortable vnitie and coniunction of Christ with his Church We see that it is described vnto vs by many similitudes in the scriptures wherein most liuely effectually and cōfortably that holy spiritual and sacred society wherby we are incorporate into Christe is discouered As in the 15. Chapiter of the Euangelist Saint Iohn our sauiour Christe vnder the parable of a Vine and the branches sheweth the mutual loue betweene him and his members as also the sweet coniunction whereby they are necessarily ioyned togeather that the life of the one standeth not without the life of the other and the perfection of the one is not without the perfection of the other For Christe hath inseperably ioyned all the faithful vnto him selfe so as without them hee counteth him selfe as it were vnperfect Therefore Paul Ephes 1.23 after hee had magnified the grace of God towarde the elect and highly commended the excellency of Christe Iesus whome God had made the head of his Church he concludeth that the Church as it is the body of Christ so it is his fulnesse As if he should say in that God the Father hath ordayned his Sonne to bee the heade of his Church euen as the head without the body is not full but vnperfect and the body wanting any member is not in al parts complete so with out the number of his saintes which shold fulfil the mistical body of Christ euen Christe him selfe is after a sort vnperfect Not that hee is so in him selfe for he is in his owne nature full infinite and perfect admitting neither maius nor minus But this is the riches of his grace that he ●ath so vnited euery one of his saints and elect vnto him as he can not want any one of them The force of this speech is wonderful to him that hath the eyes of faith and exceedingly comfortable to the troubled conscience which hath once in trueth tasted of the mercies and grace of God in whome also the worke of faith hath béen truely begun though it be sometime in a dampe and as it were smoothered vp yea it can not but rauishe them to see that Christ cannot want nor cut of any member that hee hath once begun to graft into him self But as the Vines and such like plantes euery braunch thereof receiueth iuyce moysture life and nourishment from the stocke and root hath also a necessary communitie with the stocke in all thinges so as from the stocke or root is conueyed life and nourishment to euery braunch so euery faithful person which is in Christ receiue from him al necessary iuyce and supplement to the nourishing and preseruing of a spiritual life in them Though sometime some of the braunches hang the head but yet they which are planted of the heauenly Father shal neuer be cut off but shal haue life eternal with Christ Iesus This thing also is set foorth vnto vs in the simile of a body euen of the head and the members Therefore as I sayd Christ is called the head of the Churche Ephes 1.22 Col. 1.18 For there is a mutual analogie and proportion betwetne the head and the members and Christ his Church Wherfore the whole Churche considered in Christ and his members is called not only a body but also it is called by the name of Christ 1. Cor. 12.12 So as there is a necessary vnitie betweene Christ and his members wherby they are made one therefore followeth in the 13. verse of that Chapter that by one spirite we are al baptized into one bodye whether Iewes or Gentiles bonde or free Wherein the holye and swéete Communion betweene Christe and his members is layde foorth so as verse 27. hee concludeth nowe you are the body of Christ members for your part noting that they alone without other churches were not the bodye of Christ but they with al other shold be associate to the church in al times and places Furthermore certain it is that as the body can not bee absolutely perfect if it want any euen the least member so Christe counteth not himselfe perfect til he hath euery one of his mēbers namely the beléeuers vnited vnto him And this body of Christ which is the Church receiueth life from him yea euery mēber is nourished kept maintained by one the same spirit which being derided from Christ spreadeth it selfe by equall measure according to the proportion of fayth into euery beleeuer So as the spirite of God is as it were the soule of the Church whereby euery member receiueth of the fulnes of Christ being quickened by him liuing by a common life with Christ whereby they are assured that they are one with him and haue life in him So as Paul Gal. 2.20 testifieth that when he was in Christe he liued not but Christ liued in him And albeit the members of Christ haue not alwayes a like feeling of life in them selues but somtime they seeme to be benumbed and a colde as it were hauinge no nimblenesse or agilitye in them selues yea as it were a sleepe and voyd of feeling so as they scantly can haue comfort that they are of the body of Christ

yet this hindreth not but that they are ioined still to theire heade sith it is as impossible that any member that is truelye grafted into Christe shoulde perishe bee cut or wante lyfe as it is impossible that Christe him selfe shoulde wante life I speake this in the respecte of the free grace of God communicating lyfe vnto vs in Christe also for the comfort of such poore soules as beeing graffed into Christe by faith hauing also felt of the power of his death and resurrection in truth in that they are refourmed from their former wayes and desire to please God in holinesse yet in the present feeling of their miseries and imperfections can not haue comfort but lye as poore members wounded and panting for life for the time when yet life is not vtterly out of them As for the bold and presumptuous sinner or libertine as he neuer tasted of the life which is in Christ by mortification and sanctification so he hath no warrant yet that hee is of Christ and therefore I can not assure any such of the certainty of that life This vnity and coniunction is also figured vnto vs in the simile of a building or house For we are all lyuely stones of a spiritual building couched and layd vpon Christ Iesus the foundation and corner stone of the building As 1. Pet. 2.4.5 So that as many stones couched and placed together in order do make one building euen so Christ and his members become one spiritual house Also as as the breade and wine receiued into our bodies become one with our nature and substaunce so Christe and his members become one and are as it were incorporate togeather They therfore which by faith receiue Christe Iesus in the Sacramentes applying him with all his riches and mercies vnto them selues may conclude with the spouse I am my beloueds and my beloued is mine c. But this spirituall societie and coniunction is most liuely naturally and comfortably portraitured out vnto vs in the vnion and fellowshippe which is betweene man and wife as the Apostle Paule doth worthely mention in the fift chapiter of his Epistle to the Ephesians verse 30. affirming that we are members of Christes body of his fleshe and of his bones And what more nearer societie of life is there then that which is betweene man and wife who of two are made one fleshe haue al thinges common are a like intiteled to all commoidties and riches the one hath a right vnto the other that they are sequestred from all other to haue and retayne a perfect and continuall society in them selues The societye of Parentes and children is great of masters and seruaunts as part of a houshold the society also of brethren and kindred But this exceedeth all other yea it is preferred aboue all other Societyes as moste comfortable neere secrete and continuall But such is the infinite loue of God towards vs that he hath not onely affianced vs to his Sonne as friendes and brethren but euen made vs one with him and he with vs. Oh Heauenly holye comfortable and moste sweet fellowship No maruell then though the Spouse here so cheerefullye and confidentlye affirmeth that shee is her beloueds and her beloued is hers wherein shee doth not onely ioy that she is one with her beloued but also aduoucheth her faith to him warranting her selfe of all his rich Heauenlye and incomparable dowrye Thus all the beleeuers shoulde labour to assure them selues of this holye vnion and society with Christ being perswaded that not only the heauenly Saints or the excellent seruants of God which exceed others in holines knowledge and godlines or the Apostles Pastors Preachers or suche like are one in Christ and so happy but euery faithfull man and woman must be assured in some measure by the spirite of adoption that they are one with him For sometime Satan would vndermind the poore afflicted souls which are snarled in the cōscience of their own infirmityes corruptions perswading them that though the Church be one in Christ neither can be seperate frō him also the prophets apostles godly learned men or suche in whome they see greater graces far way then in them selues they easily grāt such are happy may be sure of saluation in Christe But I miserable wretch that I am saith the poore afflicted conscience humbled in the sight loathing of the corruptions remnants of sinne I am not like to them I cānot haue that ioy in Christ and in his worde which I see others haue neither can I profite in knowledge by the worde I can not pray so zealously as others doe neither can I haue that assuraunce of Gods fauour and of saluation which me thinkes other seem to haue my sinnes are greater then theirs Also I haue such vile damnable and hellishe thoughts come vpon me sometime as I thinke it is impossible the children of God shoulde be troubled with especially when I woulde ratherest prepare my selfe to heare the word reuerently or to pray faythfully Therefore I can not perswade my selfe that I am one with Christe and shal neuer be cut off from him Many such like thinges I know arise in the heartes of the Godly sometime and many such replies dispute in their thoughtes and mindes oftentimes whereby Sathan woulde faine make them weary of the meanes of their saluation and because they can not profit by them as they would and when they would therefore they suspect them selues calling their owne estate into question not hauing for the time anye comforte in this holy and comfortable societie whiche is in Christe Thus poore soules they many times are troubled with their owne shadow euen then when they striue to come neare to Christe and are in deed nearest to him some time when they thinke them selues furthest off But such is the loue of our God that he hideth it from vs that we may after be the surer of it Howbeit certaine it is if I may speake from experience in my selfe and some others whose state I haue been priuy vnto that many times such replyes afore mentioned namely that we are inferiours to other in knowledge in zeal in praier c. whereby we faint and suspect our selues and such like motions as rise vp in our selues spring partly from a secreat enuye sometime in our nature which is not seene to our selues partly of our incredulitie and of other infirmities in vs as also partly of Sathans mallice which wold discourage the godly from vsing the means wherby we may goe forward and perseuer But howsoeuer it be these motions spring of our nature the roote wherof is incredulity and want of faith yet so that such motions as hurtfull as they are yet are they not vtterly voyd of faith For a certaine sound sead of faith remayneth in the saints of God euen in these tumults and vprores of of the minde in so much as there remayneth a certaine earnest lingring in their hearts towardes Christ coueting to be assured of the truth