Selected quad for the lemma: head_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
head_n	church_n	member_n	mystical_a	3,558	5	10.4248	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A14923	The soules progresse to the celestiall Canaan, or heavenly Jerusalem By way of godly meditation, and holy contemplation: accompanied with divers learned exhortations, and pithy perswasions, tending to Christianity and humanity. Divided into two parts. The first part treateth of the divine essence, quality and nature of God, and his holy attributs: and of the creation, fall, state, death, and misery of an unregenerated man, both in this life and in the world to come: put for the whole scope of the Old Testament. The second part is put for the summe and compendium of the Gospell, and treateth of the Incarnation, Nativity, words, works, and sufferings of Christ, and of the happinesse and blessednesse of a godly man in his state of renovation, being reconciled to God in Christ. Collected out of the Scriptures, and out of the writings of the ancient fathers of the primitive Church, and other orthodoxall divines: by John Welles, of Beccles in the County of Suffolk.	Welles, John, of Beccles.	1639 (1639)	STC 25231; ESTC S119607	276,075	406

they say a mortall body that cannot profit them for mortall foode is but for mortall life neither now hath Christ a mortall body to communicate to them because it is changed to an immortall body therefore they cannot receive his mortall body And if they say that they receive his glorified body they must fly from this text for at that time Christ had not a glorified body if they received then the same body which the Apostles received as they say they doe they cannot receive a glorified body because then Christs body was not glorified therefore they could not communicate with his glorified body Thus are they hedged in with rocks and the sands on every side of them they received a body neither mortall nor immortall it seemes it was a phantastical body if Christ had such a body let all men judge here they are at a stand Dan. 4.5 like one that cannot tell on his tale Nebuchadnezzar dreamed a dream and knew not what it meant and so doe they How absurd and heretically doe these Papists hold in their opinions and this surpasseth them all that Christ must bee applyed like Physicke as though his blood cannot profit us unlesse we drinke it swallow it like a potion is this the Papists union with Christ is this the manner whereby we are made one flesh with Christ Iohn 1. to eate his flesh and drinke his blood nay when he tooke our flesh unto him and was made man then we were united unto him in the flesh and not by receiving his body Christ tooke our flesh and nature we tooke not his but believe that he tooke ours now if you would know whether Christs body be in the Sacrament it is said unto you as Christ said unto Thomas touch feele and see in visible things God hath appointed our eyes to be judges For as by the Spirit wee discerne the spirituall objects so our sence discerneth sensible objects as Christ taught Thomas to judge of his body so may we and so should they if they were not as it were hood-winked through errour and mis-beliefe Christs saying to Thomas was that hee would have him believe it to be his body Iohn 20.27 for my body saith Christ may bee seene and felt and thus transubstantiation is found a lyar It is shewed before that every Sacrament is called by the name of the thing which it doth signifie and present The reason why the signes have the name of the things which they represent and signifie is to strike a deeper reverence in us Note to receive this Sacrament of Christ reverently sincerely and holily as if Christ himselfe were there present in body blood This is the reason why Christ calleth the signes of his body his body to cause us to take this Sacrament with feare and reverence because wee are apt to contemne it as the Jewes did their Manna Num. 12.6 The worthinesse of the Sacrament is to be considered three waies First by the Majesty of the Authour ordaining it ●●condly by the preciousnesse of the persons whereof it consisteth Thirdly by the excellency of the ends for which it was ordained The Lords Supper is a pledge and a symbole of the most neere and effectuall communion which Christians have with Christ The cup of blessing which we blesse Cor. 10.16 17. is it not the communion of the blood of Christ The bread of Christ which we breake is it not the communion of the body of Christ That is dwelling in our hearts abiding in us that is a most effectuall signe and pledge of our communion with Christ and hath divers similies set forth in holy Scriptures First of the Vine and Branches Secondly of the Head and Body Thirdly Joh. 15.5 of the Foundation and the Building Fourthly of one Loafe confected of many graines Fifthly Colos 1.18 of the Matrimoniall communion betwixt man and wife and is three-fold betwixt Christ and Christians the first is naturall betwixt our humane nature and the divine nature of Christ in the person of the Word the second is mysticall Eph. 5.31 32. betwixt our person absent from the Lord and the person of Christ God and man into one mysticall body the third is celestiall betwixt our persons present with the Lord and the person of Christ in his body glorified these three conjunctions depend each upon other The mysticall communion chiefly here meant is wrought betwixt Christ and us by the Spirit of Christ apprehending us and by our faith stirred up by the same Spirit Note apprehending Christ againe this union hee shall best understand in his mind Every one receiveth but few understand what they receive who doth most feele it in his heart but of all other times this union is best felt and most confirmed when wee doe duely receive the Lords Supper for then wee shall sensibly feele our hearts knit unto Christ and the desire of our soules drawne by faith and the holy Ghost as by the cords of love neerer and neerer to his holinesse This union betwixt the faithfull is so ample that no distance of place can part it so strong that death cannot dissolve it so durable that time cannot weare it out so effectuall that it breeds a fervent love betweene those that never saw one anothers faces and this conjunction of soules is termed the communion of Saints 1 Cor. 12 12 13. 27. which Christ effecteth by six especiall meanes First by governing them all by one and the same holy Spirit Secondly the enduing them all with one and the same faith Ephes 4.4 5. Thirdly by shedding abroad his owne love into all and every one of their hearts Rom. 5 5. Tit. 3.5 Fourthly by regenerating them all by one and the same baptisme Fifthly by nourishing them all with one and the same spirituall food 1 Cor. 10.17 Colos 1.18.22 Note Acts 4.32 Sixthly by being one quickning head of that one body of his Church which hee reconciled to God his Father in the body of his flesh Hence it is that the multitude of believers in the primitive Church were of one heart and of one soule in truth affection and compassion and this doth teach all Christians to love one another seeing they are all members of the same holy and mysticall body Ephes 4.3 whereof Christ is the head and therefore they should have all a Christian sympathy and fellow-feeling to rejoyce one in anothers joy to condole one anothers griefe to beare one with anothers infirmities Ephes 4.2 and mutually to relieve one anothers wants to this end hee bestoweth upon them all saving graces necessary to eternall life as the sense of Gods love the assurance of our election with Regeneration 2 Cor. 3.18 Justification and grace to doe good workes to feede soules Iohn 15.5 therefore of the poore and faithfull is the assured hope of life eternall For as it is said this sacrament is a signe and a sure pledge

the holy Ghost which is in you whom yee have of God bought with the price of redemption therefore glorifie God in your body and in your spirits 1 Cor. 6.19.20 which are Gods Examine your selves prove your selves know you not your owneselves how that Jesus Christ is in you 2 Cor. 13.5 except yee be reprobates Thus wee may assure our selves of our sanctification by the undoubted testimony and inward suggestion of the holy Ghost assuring our spirits of the same and also by certaine undoubted testimonies and tokens of it 2 Joh. 3.8.9 if therefore wee doe not commit sin with full consent of will if wee doe not continue in sin to be led wholly by it but when wee doe sin Mark 14.72 to recover our selves as Peter did by true and hearty repentance then wee may know that wee are not in the slavery of the Divell Goade but the children of God for hee that believeth that Jesus is Christ and borne of God it is a certaine token of his regeneration 1 Joh. 5.1 hereby shall yee know the Spirit of God for every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh 1 Joh. 4.2 the Sonne of Mary and is the anoynted King Head Priest and Prophet of his people which God raised up for the salvation of the soules of the elect of God hee that striveth to keepe the Commandements of God overcome and vanquish the vanities the vaine allurements and alluring inchantments and obstacles of the world and keepe a constant course in piety he is undoubtedly the true child of God he that keepeth continuall watch and ward over his heart and is circumspect in his walking and fearefull to offend God and rather forsake the world then God he doth plainly shew that he is the childe of Grace and belongeth to God and his Kingdome and not to this world to grieve for sin because it offends God and hurts his owne soule is a notable signe of a mortified heart A sanctified man doth manifest the grace of his heart by sanctifying the name of God and by conversing with sanctified men as also by seeking the sanctification of others Note For a good man doth love to communicate his goodnesse and not to keepe it lockt up in his owne breast it is also a notable and infallible signe of holinesse when a man doth more and more contend against his owne sins and wickednesse and labour continually to draw neerer unto God by holinesse Lastly when we feele the inward corruptions of our hearts and a desire to be dis-burthened of them and avoyding of the actions of sin and an anger against our selves for sinning doe evidently shew that the Spirit of God hath taken possession of our hearts and hath begun to worke a most happy change within us Where these graces are there is also the God of grace the Spirit of grace a man of grace a true dying unto sin and a living unto God sin is dismounted the sinner is renewed for Gods Image is restored Hee that is thus truely sanctified is also glorified for glorification is the communication of true holinesse and happinesse to them that are elected called and justified For glory comprehendeth in it both holinesse and happinesse holinesse is one degree of happinesse and happinesse is the highest degree of holinesse no man is holy but the same is happy and no man can be happy but hee must be holy grace is the inchoation of glory and glory is the consummation of grace he that sits in the throne of grace is truely intituled to the crowne of glory and it is one point of glory to be a man of grace for a gracious man may rightly be stiled a glorious man Of Justification IUstification is a gracious forgiving of sins by the imputation of the righteousnesse of Christ Psal 32.1 2. and Gods gracious acceptation whereby he doth for the merit of Christs active obedience by faith received of us account us just and pure and honours us with the crowne of life and in this respect wee may be truely said to be just perfect and holy because wee stand clothed with the most perfect righteousnesse of Christ which is reputed ours in which appearing before our heavenly Father we doe receive a blessing as Jacob did of Jsaak Gen. 27.15.27 having on his elder brothers garments this may seeme strange unto us that wee should be accepted righteous for the righteousnesse of another for albeit this righteousnesse is Christs primarily and by way of inherence yet it is ours by Gods free donation and by the application of faith the head and the faithfull his members is all one mysticall body Rom. 4.2 and therefore the satisfaction of Christ pertaineth to all the faithfull as to his members the forme or formall cause of Justification is not faith love nor other vertue neither is it an infused quality or habituall sanctity inherent in us Phil. 3.9.10 but the righteousnesse of Christ considered as it is reputed of God is the forme of Justification or the proper and onely true forme of Justification is the free imputation of the righteousnesse of Christ by which the merits and obedience of Christ are applyed unto us by vertue of that neere communion whereby hee is in us and wee in him Now God is said to impute righteousnesse into a man when hee doth adjudge decree and give it to him and account and reckon it as his owne and for the merit and worthinesse thereof doth pardon acquit and repute him righteous Saint Paul expostulateth this doctrine with the Galatians whom he calleth foolish for doubting it Gal. 3.2 saying This onely would I learne of you receive yee the spirit by the workes of the Law or by hearing of faith preached Vers 3. Againe are yee so foolish that after yee have begunne in the Spirit yee would now be made perfect by the deeds of the flesh where he admireth their simplicity that seeke righteousnesse in the flesh but rather and onely by the meanes of faith in Jesus Christ because our justification is spirituall and not of the flesh and this doctrine he concludeth by an invincible argument Verse 26. saying that seeing yee are the sonnes of God by faith in Christ Jesus wee are therefore also justified and made the servants of God by faith For saith he we are all the sonnes of God by faith in Christ Jesus and if faith be able to make us sonnes it must be also able to make us servants for that which is able in the greater performance is able in the lesse O sweet exchange O unsearchable worke-manship O benefits surpassing all expectation 2. Cor. 5.21 that the iniquity of many should be covered in one just person now Christ beares our sins and was made sin for us which knew no sin not as if our sinnes had beene infused into him and had beene inherent and inhabitant in him but because they were imputed to him