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	invisible_a	4,247	5	10.9779	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A86931	A plea for Christian magistracie: or, An answer to some passages in Mr. Gillespies sermon, against Mr. Coleman. As also to the brotherly examination of some passages of Mr. Colemans late printed sermon, upon Job 11.20. In which the reverend and learned commissioner affirmeth, he hath endeavoured to strike at the root of all church government. VVherein the argumentative part of the controversie is calmely and mildly, without any personall reflections, prosecuted. / By William Hussey, minister of the Gospell, at Chesilhurst in Kent.	Hussey, William, minister of Chiselhurst.	1645 (1645)	Wing H3819; Thomason E313_7; ESTC R200474	46,951	61

speaketh but it seemeth the Commissioner will confute St. Paul inso saying hee shall make Christ head of them that are not his body Well the Commissioner will not have Christ head of any but his body then I trust he is not head of your Presbytery for then he must be head of many that are not of his body for howsoever men may by rules of charity have the estimation of members of Christ yet certainly Christ is head of none but his elect no visible Church can challenge the priviledge of being the members of Christ every faithfull man may but the visible Church cannot I desire this may be proved that unbeleevers and hypocrites are members of Christ If in the visible Church if Christ be considered as head of the Church which doth by his mediation convey the graces of justification and sanctification upon the faithfull so the visible Church is not the body of Christ as having many members that have no life of grace nor any such growth as is mentioned Eph. 4.15 in that argument that government that Christ hath over the faithfull is truly spirituall and not of this world and of this Kingdome he hath indeed no officers but his Spirit all these members have immediate union with Christ by faith As for applying that distinction of the exaltation of Christ in respect of honour and dignity but not his Kingly office to the interpretation of this text that Christ is in more honour then any creature but he executeth his Kingly office as mediator over the Church only and the Apostle saith only he is far above them he saith not he is head or King of them I hope the Commissioner will have the Holy Ghost speake sense and make the comparison to bee made in all these things that he is preferred in he sitteth nearer the right hand of God then any principality you will allow that Christ is here spoken of as mediator as raised from the dead and set at the right hand of God the Father See what the Apostle saith he saith he is above principality in principality power in power might in might dominion in dominion power and might are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the first is right the other is power to maintaine that right thus the words must bee understood if the comparison bee artificiall and a due comparison I hope you cannot deny that all these in any acception are under the right hand of God and there Christ as mediator sitteth and is nearer the right hand of God in all these respects he is above them but not head but if this had been to be understood above in dignity only that is in estimation only this must have beene limited to estimation with God for wee all know that he hath no such estimation among many names on earth which yet hee is above even in their owne greatnesse whensoever he is pleased to make use of that right hand of God where he is set For that his illustration as he called it it is rather an aberration from the matter in hand then any thing toward the manifestation of it our excellencies dignities and powers are so derivative and in estimation only that they yeeld us no government at all no man can so far exceed another as to obtaine government by his excellencie without some law or consent of others to bestow it this is nothing to the interpreter of the place if all this had no more but expressed the dignity of Christ what need all this accumulation of words when all might have been expressed in this word Hee is far above all dignities for though here is a preferring of Christ before rights and powers and dominions yet hee hath none of all these but dignities and these are all in this world and that which is to come if yee understand the word World as many doe to make roome for the Church he hath no dignity there neither so all this majesty of words commeth to nothing in this world and in the end of the world he layeth downe all to his Father But volens nolens at last the Commissioner must come to it Christ is head of principalities in the place before cited Col. 2.10 but that is in another sense not as he is mediator but only as he is God and the Apostles meaning is nothing but this that Christ is true God doth he not meane also that he is true Christ as well as that he is true God and if Christ doth he not meane that he is mediator but the Commissioner saith that in that place the Apostle sheweth is true God doth that follow that speaketh not of Christ as mediator because he speaketh of him as true God is not Christ true God as mediator he teacheth the Collossians not to worship Angells because servants but may they not worship Christ as Mediator yes doubtlesse they may Now it is plaine that hee speaketh of Christ as mediator as may clearly appear both in the 9 verse and beginning of 10 verse in him dwelleth the fulnesse of the Godhead bodily that in Christ the mediator yee are compleat in him that is as mediator the text saith that he is head of principality and power that proveth that Christ is God saith Mr. Gillespie God not mediator that is no consequence yee ought not to worship Angells who are but creatures because ye are compleat in him that is God and in him that is better then Angells and is head over them therefore not as mediator but as second Person in Trinity I see no consequence in this collection But it is plainly interpreted in the Colloss 1.15.16.17 how Christ is head of principality and power It is plaine in that place the Apostle speaketh of Christ in whom we have redemption through his bloud that is as mediator the image of the invisible God that is we have the knowledge of God made knowne to us in him Joh. 1.18 that is as mediator if by communication of properties the creation were attributed to Christ as God is it therefore denied to him as mediator well let the Commissioner acute Philosophari do Deo and say as God and not as mediator he did create the world and together with other things did create principalities and powers well if it be not the office of the mediator to create the world shall it not therefore bee in the compasse of the mediators office to governe any thing that was created now here is a new distinction between the person and office of Christ what kinde of division shall this bee shall this be a lawfull distribution of Christs actions some personall some officiall those things that prove Christ to be God doe by no meanes belong to the office of Christ he saith all this is to bee understood not of his governing and Kingly office but to prove that he is true God I formerly shewed that what doth belong to the second Person in Trinity together with Father and Holy

Christ doth not governe his Church he hath so troubled the sense of these words that truly I cannot understand what he meaneth he citeth 1 Cor. 15.25 he must reigne till he hath put all his enemies under his feet and in Act. 2.34.35 Sit thou on my right hand till I make thy foes thy footstool Now saith Mr. Gillespie When Christ bath put downe all rule and all authority and power and put all his enemies under his feet then he shall cease to reigne as Mediator but till that bee done hee shall reigne as Mediator so that it can never bee proved that the meaning of these words hee hath put all things under his feet is that all government is given to Christ as Mediator Here is great strugling to finde out a Kingdome for Christ as Mediator over the Church only and this putting all things under his feet must signifie Christs Kingdome after the Mediators Kingdome is given up to the Father because as soone as Christ hath put all things under his feet he reigneth as Mediator no longer For answer to this argument I say that untill he hath put all his enemies under his feet in 1 Cor. 15.25 and he that hath put all things under 27. have not the same antecedent the former hee is God man the Mediator the latter is God the Father in the former the subject of this subjection is his enemies this latter all things the former is an actuall putting them under this latter as Mr. Gillespie doth allow out of Jerome is but in decree put under his feet in the former is finall destruction of death a putting downe of all rule authority and power a confusion and destruction of all his enemies in the latter God put Christs enemies under his feet but under the common condition of all things friends and foes are put under the government of Christ by God his Father here he is set above principalities but letteth them alone in their inferior condition there he putteth them downe here they are under him but there hee ●●keth them quite away here he receiveth the government of the Mediator there he finisheth it here God putteth all things under Christ Church and all whatsoever Zanchius saith to the contrary there Christ according to the power that is heere given him putteth his enemies only under his feet heere God giveth the right in recompence of his suffering as Phil. 2. wherefore God hath exalted him c. There hee executeth his wrath upon his enemies in the meane time he governeth as mediator and keepeth off the destruction from the wicked and confirmeth his people that they may be blamelesse in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ The next words furnish Mr. Gillespie with another argument against Mr. Coleman gave him to bee head over all things to his Church I know not how Mr. Gillespie doth finde out his arguments the words stand for Mr. Coleman still the gift is given to his Church or for the helpe and benefit of his Church but hee was given to be head over all he is head over none sayth Mr. Gillespie but his Church Is this to argue out of Scripture or rather to deny and outface the Scripture the Scripture sayth he is over all for the good and benefit of his Church what good can he doe his Church by an empty dignity without any governement or authority but if he that hath power over all things bee given to his Church this is a gift indeed full of comfort to his Church that he that is head in respect of influence and life is head of all things or at least over them in government The last verse doth further confirme what I say sayth Mr. Gillespie for the Apostle continuing his speech sayth which is his body the fulnes of him that filleth all in all he calleth the Church Christs fulnes in reference to his headship That seemeth tolerably to come from the Text but see the fallacy comming after that which maketh him compleat so far as he is head or King how commeth this word King in heere Having his Church fully gathered he hath his compleat Kingdome his perfect body Then as soone as he hath gotten his Kingdome he presently layeth downe such a Kingdome scarce worth the name of a Kingdome that exceedeth not the bounds of his owne body and continueth no longer then he hath got the crowne for Christs body not compleat till the last day This is very great liberty that Mr. Gillespie taketh in arguing more then poetica licentia to put in King when it is not in the Text whence he will ground his argument Doth not Christ as mediator fill heaven and earth sure as mediator he is God what is he God as mediator without the properties of God I never heard of such argumentation but in the question of transubstantiation there is accidens sine subjecto and subjectum fine accidentibus propriis heere is Deus sine Deo as for his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 glory power and kingdome glory not derived from a Kingdome I know none a kingdome without power and glory a nominall empty thing kingdome power and glory is nothing but a compleat Kingdome Hee telleth us that Christ as Mediator executeth acts of divine power over all creatures in behalfe of his Church if he hath right to doe it then he is King I thinke I desire Mr. Gillespie to give us some descriptions of the termes of his division of kingdome power and glory and see how by Scripture he can prove how they do agree or not to Christ as Mediator under his description and see further how these termes may serve for interpreting of Scripture and setting up of his opinion But Mr. Gillespie is very angry with this opinion that Christ as Mediator is King of Kings and all doe governe under him and ought to governe for him I wonder he is so much offended sure it is not because he would not have Christ have so much power nay he is afraid that Ministers shall be deprived of some part of the office that Christ hath committed to them by my consent if Mr. Gillespie can prove that any part of government was given to the Ministers by Christ no man shall question Christs title and I hope our Magistrates will not take any thing from us Christ hath given us I wish that men would looke impartially upon the word of God and see how it can be proved that Christ hath given any government to Ministers immediately or whether any to the Church to give all disputants and godly men opportunity to deale clearly in these points I wish these points might be decided among our selves in a candid dispute rather then to fill the world with our differences Let these be the questions 1. Whether Christ gave any more government to Ministers then is contained in preaching and baptizing Neg. 2. Whether hee gave any government to the Church at all Neg. 3. Whether Ministers have any right to those priviledges that are given to the Church more then another Christian Neg. 4. Whether a Commonwealth professing the Gospell bee a visible Church Aff. 5. Whether any member of such a Commonwealth rightly ordered where he hath his consent to making of Civill Lawes may hold himselfe free from such Lawes in matters of conscience Neg. 6. Whether Ministers have commission from Christ to preach Aff. 7. Whether the people have any power to choose their Ministers Neg. These things being candidly discussed and we being all of one minde in them I hope peace may be expected amongst all the members of the Kingdome Which God grant FINIS