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
A65319	A lawyer's advice to the devil's agents: or, Some strokes at the unfruitful works of darkness, tending to their destruction made with a weapon taken out of the armory of the Most High. By William Watson, student in law.	Watson, William, student in law.	1693 (1693)	Wing W1150A; ESTC R220895	26,435	71

the true Apostolical Rules which they might do prudently to consider of and try if they can retrieve their sinking Reputation by keeping the Law of Truth in their Mouths and not suffering falshood or contradiction to be found in their Lips or Lives by walking with God in Peace and Equity and in turnig many away from Iniquity and in striving continually to subdue Sin and make Holiness which is now much eclipsed and in very great decay to revive and shine more brightly amongst us lest they fall deeper than they are some of them already fallen under that severe Accusation of the Prophet Malachi against the Priests of his time when he first told them what their duty was and then accused them for neglecting of it Mal. 2.7 8 9. For the Priests Lips should keep knowledge and they should seek the Law at his Mouth for he is the Messenger of the Lord of Hosts But ye are departed out of the way ye have caused many to stumble at the Law 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ye have caused many to fall in the Law ye have corrupted the Covenant of Levi says the Lord of Hosts Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the People according as ye have not kept my ways but have been partial 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and have accepted Faces in the Law And yet for all this they keep up to their former strictness and rigidity in retaining things in the Church that are indifferent and meerly ceremonial and in no wise essential to the Worship of God to the great hinderance of peace and unity amongst us in the worship and service of the Almighty under pretence 't is for the grandeur and dignity of the Church but I suppose 't is more for the advantage of the Church-men that by keeping others out they may have the whole Harvest to themselves and because they are afraid that by being more painful in the work of the Ministery and leading Lives more strict and conscientious they would be a reproach to theirs which are commonly more idle loose and prophane And what tho' the Worship of the Jews was by God's allowance attended with a pompous Train of Ceremonies to raise among the People the greater esteem of it because they depended on Christ only in promise whereas we have him in possession I mean in his Gospel and therefore we have not the like need of them that they had especially if we consider what a vastly different and contrary effect they have upon us For as they strengthened and united them in the Worship of God they weaken and disunite us And certainly God takes not pleasure in Ceremonies but in sincerity of Obedience And therefore when terms of reconciliation in this point are proposed they are much to blame that keep not close to the Scripture in their Reasonings but by quoting of Councils Fathers and School men and by learned and subtile ways of arguing and by multiplying Distinctions puzzle and weary their Opponents and drown them with a flood of words and then revile them and triumph over them as if they had got the Cause and so rather than they will suffer a diminution to their Learning and Judgments and lose the repute of being able to worst those they argue against whethere they have right on their sider or no they will imprudently keep a foot at least if not widen our Diffeences still though to the offence of their Brethren But this being an occasion of offence to their Brethren by refusing to comply with them in things indifferent is not to imitate but to act quite contrary to the Apostle St. Pauls who siad If his eating flesh did make his Brother to offend he would eat not more whilst the world stood 1 Cor. 8. at the last Verse He would not let his weak Brother for whom Christ died perish through his knowledge And spresume we may reasonably infer from hence That if any Garment which he wore when he instructed the people had been offensive to them and likely to have occasioned their departing from him he would not have refused to have laid it aside and removed their Scruple For he commands the Corinthians to give offence to none according to his own Example in things indifferent I Cor. 10. at the two last Verses Give none offence neither to the Jews nor to the Gentiles nor to the Church of God Even as I please all men in all things meaning indifferent things not seeking mine own profit but the profit of many that they may be saved 'T is strange there should be such a disagreement amontst us in matters of Religion did we not all spring from the same root Have we not one Father Has not one God created us all And have we not one Saviour one Holy Ghost one Hope Faith and Baptism And as Christ is our Head and we his Body by the like proportion as the Members of a natural Body tend all to the mutual Decency Service and Succour of the same Body so we should do one for another to make up the mystical Body of Christ 1 Cor. 12.27 Now ye are the Body of Christ and Members in particular And what is the reason we don't do this 'T is because we are Carnal 1 Cor. 3.3 For ye are yet carnal for whereas there is among you envying and strife and divisions are ye not carnal and walk as men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and walk according to Man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not according to God And the only way to remedy this is to become more spiritual and to endervour to abound as much in the fruits of the Spirit as we have hitherto in the fruits of the flesh and then we shall not be so desirous of vain Glory nor so apt to provoke and envy one another But 't is to be hoped one party would as readily ascend as the other should descend and so they would meet and agree in the mean which they must do if ever there be a lasting Reconciliation amongst them For both Parties are in fault the Dissenters in requiring too much alteration in our publick way of worship the Chruch of England in being unwilling to allow enough And thus having shewn the failings of your Pastors and Ministers towards you that I may not be liable to an Accusation of partiality and besupposed to have done it out of any prejudice towards them I shall now shew yours to them that both Priest and People may see their Errours and forsake them lest as they are alike in their offences so also they should be alike in their Punishments as the Prophet Hosea says in his 4th Chapter at the 9th and 10th Verses And there shall be like People like Priest and I will punish them for their ways and reward them their doings For they shall eat and not have enought they shll commit Whoredom and shall not encrease because they have left off to take heed to the Lord. And First You are apt rashly