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
A85498	The saints hony-comb, full of divine truths, touching both Christian belief, and a Christians life, in two centuries. By Richard Gove.	Gove, R. (Richard), 1587-1668.	1652 (1652)	Wing G1454; Thomason E1313_1; ESTC R202241	83,389	226

cease till the house with the stones and timber and morter of it were all broken down So 't is with man Grace may doe much and alter many things that were amisse in him and make him leave many sins to which he was formerly given but to have sin wholly cast out and left that is not to be expected till this earthly tabernacle of his body be by death pulled down and dissolved Expression XIV That to be rich in good works and to distribute to the necessities of Christs poor and needy members is the way to lay up in store for our selves a good foundation against the time to come MAny of the antient Authors in their Writings doe make mention of a certain Country whose fashion was yearly to chuse them a new King who had for that year absolute authority to doe what he listed but the year being ended he was deposed from his place and thrust naked into a remote Island there to end his life in hunger cold and want of all necessaries Whereof one of them being advertised thought aforehand to prevent this inconvenience and therefore in that short time of his reign he sent over his wealth and his treasure into that Island by means of which when he came there he was ●elieved and provided for and did not live in that misery and want that others his Predecessours had done Such is our case for be we never so noble never so mighty never so rich we have no assurance of any long continuance in this world not so much as for one year for here we have no abiding City Heb. 13. 14. and this short time that we have allowed us must at last have an end and as we came naked into the world so must we return naked out of it Job 1. 21. Let us then with that wise King now in the time of plenty provide against the future famine and make us friends of that unrighteous Mammon that when we want they may receive us into everlasting habitations let us now send away our wealth before us in distributing to the necessities of the poor for what we give to the poor we send before us to Heaven and there we shall one day find it to our souls unspeakable comfort See Luk 16. 9. 1 Tim. 6. 17 18 19. Expression XV That a Christian in this life may be infallibly assured of his Salvation ANd this may be thus illustrated A King sendeth a pardon to forty thousand Rebels without putting down in particular the names of any of them onely he puts in a condition that all those shall be pardoned that will lay by their arms and weapons and come in to him the which he sendeth an Herald to proclaim and the people hearing it doe accordingly and thereby know infallibly that they are pardoned And if any man should molest them because their names are not expresly written in the pardon they might contemn them and securely conclude their deliverance from the Condition that is expressed In the same manner doe we assure our selves of our salvation For all men being sinners against God he hath sent out the pardon of his Gospel not writing any mans name therein in particular but putting in a Condition that so many as will be saved by Christ must repent believe and obey him the which being published by preaching assoon as the Elect hear they receive and doe know infallibly they are pardoned And if any would molest them as the Papists for example doe because their name is not particularly and expresly set down therein they might despise them and both against theirs and the Devils accusations securely conclude their salvation from the condition expressed thus He that repenteth and forsaketh his sins and believes and obeys the Gospel unfeignedly shall be saved but I repent and forsake my sins I believe and obey the Gospel unfeignedly and therefore I shall be saved Expression XVI How a man may know whether there be any life of Grace in him ANd to resolve this we need no other signs than we doe make use of to know whether a man be alive or no For if there be any life left in the body at the heart it will beat at the mouth it will breath at the pulse it will be felt So where there is the life of Grace in any man or woman it will appear to himself by his good thoughts and holy desires which he hath in his heart and it will appear to others by the gratious words that proceed from his lips and from the good works that proceed from his hands And if it cannot be perceived by any or all these waies then certainly there is no life of Grace left in a man Expression XVII That holy and regenerate men may have unholy and unregenerate children ANd this Saint Austin illustrates by a two-fold comparison the one of winnowed Corn the other of the circumcised Jew For as Corn that is never so well winnowed and cleansed from all chaff if it be sowen brings forth corn with chaff about it And the circumcised Jew begat uncircumcised Children so holy and regenerate Parents doe beget unholy and unregenerate Children And no marvell for they * beget not their Children according to Grace but according to Nature for Grace is personall but Corruption is naturall and God willeth that they shall onely communicate their nature and leave the dispensation of Grace to himself Expression XVIII That Christians should be compassionate and have a fellow-feeling of one anothers misery THis Saint Austin illustrates thus Behold saith he the foot treadeth on a thorn and see how all the members condole it the back bendeth it self the head stoopeth the eye most remote in place diligently searcheth the ears attend where it is said to be the hands pull it out every member is busied to help and succour it and yet neither back nor head nor eye nor ear nor hand nor any other part but the foot was pricked And just so it should be between the members of Christs mysticall body If one member suffer all the rest should suffer with it See 1 Cor. 12. 26. Rom. 12. 15. Job 30. 25. Expression XIX That the Devill is most busy to tempt men when they are about Gods worship and service AENeas Sylvius reporteth that Saint Benedict coming upon a time to a certain Monastery and entring into the Church there where those of that fraternity were at their prayers he espied a multitude of Devils about every one of them at the sight of which being amazed and much affrighted he left the Monastery and went into the Town adjoyning where there was at that time a great fare or market and a multitude of people come together to buy and sell and walking up and down therein he could there espy but one Devill only who sate idle and had nothing to doe and wondring with himself why there should be so many Devils in the Church and they all so busy

and but one in the market or fare and he sitting idle and doing nothing went unto him and conjured him to tell him the reason of it which he presently did saying that in the Church when men be at their prayers and serving of God 't is supposed that they are going out of the Devils Kingdome and are there begging help and grace from God that so they may doe and therefore have need of many Devils to trouble and distract them in their prayers to make them uneffectuall but in markets and fares men are apt enough of themselves to swear to lye to cozen and to commit all other sins for their profit or pleasures sake and therefore one Devill was enough for them See Zech. 3. 1. Eccl. 2. 1. Expression XX That wicked Masters and heads of Families corrupt and undoe their whole Families FOr it is with a family as it is with a fish the which first taketh infection and beginneth first to stink at the head And therefore as good Father Latimer was wont to say if the head of the fish be sweet all the body is sweet but if the head stink all the body is or soon wil be naught So if the Master or Head of a Family be good it is a great means to make the whole Family good but if he once be bad the whole Family will quickly be so too Expression XXI That it is a dangerous thing to frequent the company of wicked men FOr it may be said of frequenting evill company as they were wont to say in a common Proverb here in England of going to Rome He that goeth to Rome once seeth a wicked man he that goeth thither the second time learneth to know him but he that goeth thither the third time brings him home with him So he that frequenteth wicked company the first time that he cometh amongst them he seeth their courses the second time he learneth them and the third time commonly he bringeth them home with him Expression XXII What a wonder it is to see men sleep securely in their sins without fear of danger WEE read of a certain Gentleman in Rome who notwithstanding a great burthen of debt wherewith he was oppressed did yet sleep quietly and take his ease as if there were no such matter The which Augustus the Emperour hearing of when the man was dead was very desirous to buy that bed on which he used to lye At which when his servants marvailed they knowing that he had farre better beds of his own he made them this answer That it seemed to him to be some wonderfull bed and worth the buying whereupon a man could sleep so soundly that was so deeply indebted And just such a wonder it may seem to any that truly fears God and that knows what a debt sinne is to see any to sleep securely in their sinnes that have so many and such heavy debts one day to answer unto God for Expression XXIII That it is possible for a man to be guilty of many sins and yet at the present not to be troubled in conscience for any of them IT is a Rule in Philosophy That no Element is heavy or ponderous whilst it is in its proper place As for example Let a man that is skilfull in swimming dive down to the bottome of the sea and as long as he is there he feels no waight though the water of the whole Sea lye upon his back and the reason of it is this because the water is in the Sea as in his proper place but let the same person come out of the Sea and take a great vessell full of that water and put it on his head and the waight of it will make him to sink under it So it is with sin it seemeth no burthen to a man as long as it is in the Will which is the proper seat and place of it but bring it once from thence and convent it before Reason Conscience which will shew it what an infinite-Majestie it hath offended and what an infinite punishment it hath deserved and then it will make the sinner to cry out as once David did That it is a heavy burthen too heavy for him to bear Psal. 38. 4. Expression XXIV That Justification from the guilt of sin is perfected at once and in an instant but Sanctification from the power and pollution of sin is by degrees THis difference Saint Bernard thus illustrates When we fall into sin saith he we are like unto a man which falls upon an heap of stones and in the mire so as that we are not only defiled but wounded allso and sore bruised Now we may quickly be washed but to heal us there needs a longer time Where by washing away our mire he meaneth our Justification which he saith may soon be done but by healing our wounded and bruised nature he understandeth our Sanctification which is long in doing Expression XXV How Mercy and Truth met together and how Righteousnesse and Peace kissed each other in mans redemption FOr the illustration of this the learned have invented this pretty expression When God say they created Adam he gave him all excellent and precious virtues as Truth to instruct him Justice to direct him Mercy to preserve him and Peace to delight him with all pleasing correspondency but that when he fell away and forgate all the good which God had done for him these virtues left their lower dwelling and speedily returned back to him that gave them makeing report what was fallen out on earth and earnestly moving the Allmighty concerning this his wretched and forlorn creature yet in a very different sort and manner For Justice pleaded for the condemnation of sinfull man and called for the punishment he had worthily deserved and Truth required the performance of that which God had threatned but Mercy intreated for miserable man made out of the dust of the earth seduced by Satan and beguiled with the shews of seeming good and Peace no lesse carefully sought to pacifie the wrath of the displeased God and to reconcile the Creature to the Creator When God had heard the contrary pleas and desires of these most excellent Orators and saw that there was no other means to give them all satisfaction it was resolved on in the high Councell of the blessed Trinity that one of those sacred Persons should become Man that by taking to him the nature of Man he might partake in his miseries and be subject to his punishments and by conjoyning his Divine nature and perfection with the same might fill it with all grace and heavenly excellency And thus were the desires of these so contrary petitioners all satisfied for man was punished as Gods Justice urged that was performed which God had threatned as Truth required the Offender was pitied as Mercy intreated and God and Man were reconciled as Peace desired and so was fulfilled that of the Psalmist Psal. 85. 10. Mercy and Truth have met together