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head_n	body_n	church_n	invisible_a	4,247	5	10.9779	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A27388	Soul-prosperity in several sermons / by that eminent servant of Christ, Mr. William Benn ...	Benn, William, 1600-1680.	1683 (1683)	Wing B1880; ESTC R17736	149,651	336

impression upon his Spirit That though Christ suffered only in his Human Nature and though therefore all his sufferings were but finite yet because the Human Nature was United in one Person to the Divine Nature hence what the Human Nature did suffer though but for a time was of sufficient value to ransome from Eternal death In such a case nothing else could have done it Nothing else can support any Soul in such a condition But this may and this will if believed and wrought upon the heart that the Lord hath laid help upon one that is mighty Psal 89.19 2. Consider Christ in his Offices 1. In his Priestly Office He is a great High-Priest Heb. 4.14 Great both in respect of his Satisfaction and of his Intercession which are the two special parts of his Priestly Office From both which much Spiritual Food for the nourishment of the Soul unto the highest degree of prosperity it is capable of may be received 1. From the satisfaction he hath made to the justice of God for all the wrong that sin hath done him by the sacrifice which he offered which was Himself unto death With this God was well pleased Eph. 5.2 And for this he shall see the Souls of all his Seed to prosper Isa 53.10 Hereby his flesh became meat indeed and his blood drink indeed This clearly manifests that Christ is such an object for Faith to rest upon as we may safely adventure our Eternal state upon For let any Man conceive himself in as sad a condition as the fears of an awakened Conscience can suggest Suppose he sees the guilt of all his sins before him with all their aggravating circumstances and apprehends God coming out against him to require satisfaction to his justice for them all This is a dreadful sight but in the midst of all the heighth and depth of that terrour which this may impress upon his Spirit if God give in a sight of Christ as the great High-Priest as he made his Soul an Offering for sin this is enough to draw forth an hearty act of dependence upon him as able to save to the uttermost This supported David when he was in great depths that he had a sight of him that in the Lord was plenteous Redemption Psal 30.1 2. with vers 6 7. This was the relief of the hunger-bitten Prodigal That in his Father's house was bread enough Luk. 15.17 And it was the speech of a gracious Woman of whom I have heard not long since that upon her Death-bed being under great uncertainties as to her Eternal condition Did not ye tell me said she to those that stood by her that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sins And with that her Spirit Revived and she slept sweetly in the Lord. This indeed may well satisfie Conscience for it satisfies God himself yea so far satisfie Conscience as to go boldly to the Throne of Grace for what grace or mercy soever is necessary for the life and health well-fare and prosperity of the Soul Heb. 4.16 Let us therefore come boldly to the Throne of Grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need 2. As from Christs satisfaction which he made to the justice of God whilst he was upon Earth so from the other act of his Priestly Office his Intercession which he makes in Heaven for sinners much Spiritual Food for the nourishment of our Souls may be had What should hinder the receiving of it but our daily repeated failings and often renewed infirmities But against the guilt of these Christ's appearing in Heaven for us prevails that even when the Law is broken the Covenant is not broken so that what Food for our Souls may be had from the Covenant and there it is all to be had 1 Joh. 2.1 2 If any Man sin we have an Advocate with the Father even Jesus Christ the righteous And he is the propitiation for our sins His intercession is as effectual as his satisfaction for he intercedes in the merits of his blood Heb. 12.24 The blood of Christ speaketh 2. To shew further That all in Christ is for the food and nourishment of the Soul much yea very much may be said of that which his Kingly Office affords and likewise his Prophetical Office For his Kingly Office he hath an absolute Soveraignty over all both Men and Devils Eph. 1.21 22. Far above all Principalities and Powers c. He hath all things under his feet He is head over all things to his Church Understand it of the Invisible Church especially which is his Mystical Body whereof he is the head Eph. 5.23 For the Husband is the head of the Wife even as Christ is the head of the Church And he is the Saviour of the Body This is full of Spiritual Food I will instance only in three things by which the prosperity of the Soul is exceedingly farthered 1. As he hath power over Satan This affords great relief to a conflicting Soul that he both can and will break the Serpents head and tread him under foot Rom. 16.20 That in Manlius is memorable to this purpose Satan as he tells the story appeared to a godly Man that was sick in the habit of a Priest with Pen Ink and Paper in his hands and told him that he must confess all his Sins to him he would write them down and then he would absolve him The Sick Man was stricken with fear and no marvel but recollecting himself and perceiving who he was If thou wilt write saith he write this first The seed of the woman shall break the Serpents head and with that the Devil vanished 2. As he hath Soveraignty over the Heart He can take away the heart of stone and give an heart of flesh Ezek. 36.26 A great relief this when the Soul is mourning over the hardness of his heart to remember that Christ is exalted to be a Prince to give Repentance Act. 5.31 3. As he hath the Keys of Hell and Death Rev. 1.18 A great relief to a troubled Soul that is under the fear first of Death and then of dropping into Hell when he is dead Those that have obeyed the call and are still obeying the call of Christ they shall none of them dye till it be better for them to dye then to live for death is theirs 1 Cor. 3.22 And for dropping into Hell Christ hath secured them against that Joh. 6.39 40. Every one that believeth on him shall have Everlasting life and Christ will raise him up at the last day 3. The Prophetical Office of Christ is likewise a fruitful food-bearing Office He is engaged by Office to make all his Seed wise unto Salvation Isa 54.13 All thy Children shall be taught of God And he is faithful who hath promised it 1 Joh. 2.27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you and ye need not that any Man teach you but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things and

as in a Glass the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the spirit of the Lord. Gifts may wither but grace will grow into glory These two things premised I come now to speak and that first of those things in general which are undenyable evidences of Soul-prosperity 1. When this thriving and growth is universal The Body prospers when there is a healthy constitution all over When the Head is well the Stomach is well and all the vital parts are sound within But in Children that have the Rickets the Head is only growing the inferiour parts of the Body being weak and feeble When it is so we say the Child prospers not It is oftentimes so with the Soul It may seemingly prosper in some things when it doth not really prosper in other things or indeed in any thing It was so with many in the Church of Ephesus Their zeal was warm in externals in a high and mighty opposition against false Teachers Errours and Heresies these they could not endure Rev. 2.6 But it was not so in other things in the best things there was a great decay in the inward Man in the vitals of Godliness in those graces that accompany Salvation ver 4 5 I have something against thee because thou hast left thy first Love Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen and repent and do thy first works This is as far from true Soul-prosperity as a Tradesman from thriving who gains by some one pedling commodity and loseth thrice as much in greater matters The Soul prospers when it grows up in all things Eph. 4.15 But speaking the truth in love may grow up in all things in him who is the Head even Christ It were endless almost to reckon up the thriving and prospering in every grace I shall therefore instance in 2 things by the thriving whereof we may take an estimate of the rest 1. When the Soul thrives in those two graces which by experience are found to have as great an influence on the health of the Soul as Natural heat and Radical moisture so Physicians say and Reason saith so too have upon the health of the Body The just temperament of these is that which preserves life and health and strength So when these two graces that of Faith which is as the Natural heat and that of Repentance which is as the Radical moisture are thriving and growing toward their full height then the Soul is in a very prosperous way 1. When Faith grows which is the Natural heat as it did 2 Thes 1.3 because that your Faith groweth exceedingly and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth Now this growth is best discerned 1. When it grows in depth So as the Soul is more and more setled grounded rooted and built up in Christ Col. 1.23 If ye continue in the Faith grounded and settled And ch 2.7 Rooted and built up in him and stablished in the Faith So that the heart is fixed and is at peace within when all without is shaken and the foundation of all Creature-comforts turned upside down As a Tree whose Root doth remain firm when the top doth shake Psal 56.3 What time I am afraid I will trust in thee He could keep his faith above his fears Psal 112.7 He shall not be afraid of evil Tydings his heart is fixed trusting in the Lord. Job 13.15 Though he slay me yet will I trust in him As if he had said Though I read a sentence of Death upon what concerns this Life yet I have somewhat to trust him for beyond this Life No danger nor death shall beat me off from the holdfast of my faith in God through Christ Jesus When it is thus that promise will be made good Isa 26.3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee because he trusteth in thee 2. When it grows in breadth so as it gives a firm absolute unlimited assent to the whole truth of God and receives the testimony of God as in one thing so in every thing which it apprehends to be of God and that purely because God saith so whatever Sense and Reason can object to the contrary So Act. 24.14 But I confess unto thee that after the way which they call Heresie so worship I the God of my Fathers believing all things which are written in the Law and the Prophets Joh. 3.33 He that believeth his testimony hath set to his Seal that God is true in every thing I speak this of justifying faith not only considered in its most eminent act which is to receive Jesus Christ and rest upon him alone for whatsoever may give a title to or a fitness for eternal Salvation but in its most full compleat and perfect act assenting to whatsoever is historically delivered in the word believing every Command every Threat'ning every Promise both of this life and the life to come So as whatever is recorded in the word is so believed not without some gratious effect upon the Soul Observe it in four particulars 1. A growing thriving faith so believes what is Historically delivered concerning the Creation of the World as nothing is too hard for it Although the things believed do not yet appear yet that hinders not a full assurance of their future existence seeing the same power of God which created the World of nothing can give a Being to whatever he hath said shall be when it seems good unto him Psal 121.2 My help cometh from the Lord which made Heaven and Earth As if he had said I will never distrust his power for whatever I stand in need of who could erect such a stately Fabrick from nothing 2. A growing thriving faith believes every Command of God Psal 119.66 I have believed thy Commandments He believes them to be holy just and good and brings down every thought more and more in subjection unto them all Thus Abraham's faith growing and thriving hath many eminent acts of obedience ascribed to it Heb. 11.8 By Faith Abraham when he was called of God to go into a place which he should afterward receive for an inheritance obeyed and he went out not knowing whither he went A hard tryal For as it is in the Proverb The smoak of a Man 's own Chimney is as good as the fire of another's So that Command which was yet more hard of offering up his only begotten Son that is of his wife Sarah the Son of the Promise in whose Seed all the Nations of the Earth should be blessed yet he submitted to it Heb. 11.17 though he had but short warning Gen. 22.2 3. He received the Command over-night and went about it next Morning 3. A growing thriving Faith believes the threat'nings of the Word and this belief makes the Soul to stand in awe of them Psal 119.161 my heart standeth in awe of thy word So Heb. 11.7 Noah's Faith takes warning at the threat'ning He was moved with