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	member_n	mystical_a	10,421	5	11.0632	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A32022	The happinesse of those who sleep in Jesus, or, The benefit that comes to the dead bodies of the saints even while they are in the grave, sleeping in Jesus delivered in a sermon preached at the funeral of ... Lady Anne Waller, at the new church in Westminst[er], Oct. 31, 1661 : together with the testimony then given unto her / by Edm. Calamy ...	Calamy, Edmund, 1600-1666.	1662 (1662)	Wing C255; ESTC R1658	30,610	40

bodies safe till the great Resurrection And he hath also made it a beaten and plain way to heaven Christ Jesus himself went to heaven thorough the grave and so must we and all the Godly We must first put off the rags of Mortality before we can put on the robes of Immortality To a wicked man the grave is a thorough-fare to hell but to a man asleep in Jesus it is a passage to heaven where Christ is And if St. Austin was willing to go even thorough hell to Christ in heaven much more may we be willing to go thorough the grave to him 3. They that sleep in Iesus have this benefit also That by their Union with Christ and by the watchful Providence of God there is a substance preserved so as they are not utterly extinct and annihilated by death but something of their bodies remain undestroyed There is nothing utterly totally and finally destroyed in a Child of God by death but sin and misery The rotting of the body in the grave is but as the rotting of the Corn in the earth as the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 15.36 The Seed is cast into the earth and there it dieth and rotteth but is not utterly extinct but rotteth in the ground that it may be quickned again So the bodies of the Saints rot in their graves that they may be raised again and made like unto the glorious body of Iesus Christ. And this is another reason why the death of a Child of God is called a sleep because as a man asleep is not extinct no more is he in the grave There is a substance preserved and as David saith of an afflicted righteous man that God keepeth all his bones not one of them is broken So God keepeth the dust and ashes of his Children so as they shall not be utterly and totally consumed Object But is there not a substance preserved also in the bodies of the wicked Answ. It is true Their bodies are not utterly destroyed but remain not by vertue of their Union with Christ but preserved by the Almighty power of God as a terrible Lord and severe Iudge and remain as in a prison till the great day of Judgment in which they shall appear before Christ and then be condemned to hell Happy were it for a wicked man if his body were annihilated by death as it were happy for a Traytor if he died in Prison and escaped hanging But herein consisteth the difference between him and a man asleep in Jesus A man out of Christ is not properly preserved in the grave but rather reserved by the power of Christ to be afterwards tormented in hell But a man in Christ is not only reserved but by vertue of his Union with Christ and preserved to enjoy Eternal glory with their souls at the Great Day of Judgment 4. He that sleepeth in Jesus hath this benefit also That though his body lieth rotting in the grave yet his soul is all the while in heaven where it enjoyeth the glorious presence of God and of his Saints and Angels I say his soul which is his best half which is the Man of man is in heaven Indeed his body which is but as the Box and Carkass is in the grave but the substance and Iewel is in heaven Object What benefit doth the body in the grave gain by his souls being in heaven Answ. I gains this double benefit 1. If his Soul be in heaven it is certain the Body will come thither at last For it is but as the shadow to the substance and if the substance be in heaven the shadow will undoubtedly follow 2. Though the Soul be in heaven yet it can never be perfectly and compleatly happy till it be reunited to the Body For God made the soul to be the form of the body and to dwell for ever in it And if it had not been for Adams transgression the body and soul should never have been separated This separation is the fruit of sin and therefore the soul in heaven hath appetitum unionis a desire to have this breach made up and to be united again to his body because he shall have a more perfect and compleat being with it than without it The Scripture tells us That it waits for the redemption of his body and that it prayeth that God would accomplish the number of his Elect that so they may again be joyned to their bodies and have Coronam perfectam publicam a publick and perfect Crown of glory The souls in heaven saith Bernard pray for their bodies in the grave They are not like the chief Butler who forgat Ioseph when he was restored to his former dignity They remember they have bodies still in the grave which were companions with them in the service of God in Prayer and Fasting and suffering afflictions for Christ. And they know that by reunion with them their happiness will be much increased and therefore they cannot cease pra●ing for them and Christ will in due time come in glory to raise them up unto everlasting life A fifth benefit that accrueth to the body that is asleep in Jesus is That Christ himself cannot be perfect till it be raised from the dead As a natural body cannot be perfect without all its members no more can Christ mystical as head of his Church be perfect till every member of his body be glorified Therefore it is said Eph. 1.23 That the Church is the fulness of him who filleth all in all which is to be understood of that voluntary condition whereunto Christ hath subjected himself in being the Head of the Body that is his Church So that as a natural body is maimed and imperfect if the least member be wanting So is Christ as Head of his Church maimed and imperfect till all the bodies that are asleep in Iesus be reunited to their souls and received into glory for ever with Christ. Lastly The body by being asleep in Iesus hath this great benefit That though it lieth rotting in the grave yet it resteth in hope This was Davids comfort Psalm 16.9 Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoyceth my flesh also shall rest in hope There is not a member of Christ but when he is breathing out his last breath may use Davids words with Davids comfort My heart is glad my glory rejoyceth and my flesh also which is shortly to be put into the grave shall rest in hope in a forefold hope 1. That it shall rise again 2. That the same body shall rise 3. That it shall rise by vertue of its Union with Christ. 4. That it shall rise to glory everlasting And this leads me to to the third and last Doctrine Doctrine 3. That Iesus Christ will raise the dead bodies of those that sleep in him and raise them as their Head and Saviour and bring them with him to Iudgment and then carry them into Heaven where they shall be ever with the Lord. All these particulars are comprehended

that sleep in him with himself into Heaven where they shall be ever with the Lord in perfect Happiness So much for the explication of the three Doctrines Use 1. Let us not mourn immoderately for the death of our Godly Friends and Relations This is the Use which the Apostle would have us to make Mourn we may but not as the Heathen who have no hope Let us remember that the death of a Child of God is nothing else but a comfortable and blessed sleep that he goes to the Grave as to his Bed and there lieth free as a man asleep from all Cares and Troubles and at rest from all his Labours that even while he is in the Grave he is asleep in Iesus and there continueth a Member of his Body that his very dust is precious in Gods sight and part of Gods Election Christs Redemption and the Spirits Sanctification That by vertue of its Union with Christ his body while in the Grave is not utterly extinct but there is a Substance not only reserved but preserved to be raised to everlasting Glory That Christ hath so perfumed the Grave as that it is nothing else to him but as a Tyring-house and withdrawing-Room In a word that he lieth down in his bed till the Morning of the Resurrection and then he shall put on stolam immortalitatis the Garment of Immortality and his vile body shall be made like unto the Glorious Body of Iesus Christ. Let us comfort one another with these words Let us not weep immeasurably for those from whom all Tears are wiped away but let us consider their unspeakable g●in Death hath put an end to all their temporal and spiritual evils and opened a door for them to everlasting Happiness Use 2. Let these Doctrines serve as a Precious Antidote to all the people of God against the fear of Death and of the Grave Why should we fear that which if it should not happen we should be superlatively miserable as the Apostle saith If we had hope only in this life we were of all people most miserable And therefore when there was a Rumour spread concerning St. Iohn that he should never die he himself Ch. 21.23 rectifieth the Mistake yet Iesus said not unto him he shall not die As if he should say God forbid I should be so miserable as never to die Though a man in Christ could live for ever in this world and be alwaies young rich and healthful yet he would account himself most miserable because while he is here he is absent from Christ who is his Life and from God who is his Happiness and full of sin which is his greatest Burden And therefore as Iacob rejoyced when he saw the Chariots which should carry him to his Son Ioseph so should the People of God rejoyce when Death approacheth which will carry them to Christ. And as God said to Iacob Fear not to go down to Egypt for I will go down with thee and I will also surely bring thee up again So methinks I hear God saying to all his Children Fear not to go down to the House of Rottenness for I will go with you and tarry with you and watch over your dead As●es with the eye of my Providence and will surely bring you out again and raise you unto Eternal Glory Let us not look upon Death as presented unto us in Natures Looking-Glass but as it is set down in a Scripture-dress Nature presents Death in a terrible manner The Philosopher cals it of all terrible things most terrible Iob cals it the King of Terrors It is terrible three manner of waies 1. Because it is a Separation between two dear and ancient Friends the Soul and the Body who having lived long together are very loath to part asunder There is nothing more contrary to Flesh and Bloud then the separation of the one from the other 2. Because it is the Fruit of sin For the wages of sin is death Had Adam never sinned we never should have died By one man sin entred into the world and death by sin and this makes it terrible 3. Because of the After-claps of Death For after Death comes Iudgment and after Judgment everlasting Salvation or everlasting Condemnation This makes Death very terrible to those who have the guilt of sin upon them unrepented of and who are under the just fear of Everlasting Burnings and indeed to all men out of Christ death is of all terrible things most terrible as you shall hear in the next Use. But to you that are in Christ the sting of death is taken away and it is become of all desirable things most desirable It is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Apostle saith It is much far better It is nothing else but a quiet and placid sleep a putting off our cloaths and going to bed till the Morning of the Resurrection Therefo●e Austin saith That a Child of God should be as willing to die as to put off his Cloaths because Death is nothing else to him but a putting off of his Body which is Animae Vestimentum the souls Garment and a departure from Misery to everlasting Happiness a le●ting the Soul as a Bird out of the Cage of the Body that it may flee to Heaven Death to a Child of God is the Birth-day of Heavens Eternity a putting off of its Earthly Tabernacle and a going to a House made without hands eternal in the Heavens It is an uncloathing of himself that he may be cloathed upon with his House which is in Heaven It is a going to his Fathers House where he shall enjoy perfect and perpetual Happiness There are 10 Springs and Fountains of Consolation to a true Saint against the fear of Death 1. When he dieth though his Body be laid in the Grave yet his Soul is immediatly received up into Heaven his best part is at the Instant of Death blessed and happy 2. His Body at death doth not die but only sleepeth as Christ said of dead Lazarus and is at rest and is asleep in Iesus even while it is in the Grave and is part of that man who is a Member of Christ and under the Care and Love of God 3. His Soul though it be in Heaven can never be perfectly and compleatly happy till his Body be joyned to it 4. Christ himself as he is the Head of his Church can never be perfect till his Body be raised from the dead and crowned with a Crown of Glory 5. Christ hath conquered Death for him he hath not only sweetned and sanctified it but conquered it according as it was fore prophesied I will ransom them from the Power of the Grave I will redeem them from Death O Death I will be thy Plagues O Grave I will be thy Destruction He hath led Captivity Captive and death is one of those Captives as well as the Devil He hath disarmed Death and taken away the Sting