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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
A16577	A frutefull treatise and ful of heauenly consolation against the feare of death Wherunto are annexed certeine sweet meditations of the kingdom of Christ, of life euerlasting, and of the blessed state & felicitie of the same. Gathered by that holy marter of God, Iohn Bradford.	Bradford, John, 1510?-1555.	1564 (1564)	STC 3481; ESTC S106823	29,063	104

shonide thinke I meane therby any other merits or meane to saluation then onely the merites and name of the lord Iesus but that I would the pore christian conscience which by baptisme is broght into gods church and made a member of the same thorow faith shoulde not for hys sinnes sake or for the want of anye thinge he hath not dispaire but rather should knowe that he is a member of Chrisses church mistical body therefore cannot but haue communion and felowship of both that is of Christ himselfe being the lord husband and heade thereof and of all that euer hath ben bee or shalbe mēbers of it in al the good things that euer they haue had haue or shal haue Stil doth the church pray for vs by Christes cōmaundement forgeue vs our sinnes leade vs not into temptation deliuer vs from euil yea Christ himself doth pray for vs being members of vys bodie as we vs in deede if that we beleue though it be neuer so litel God graūt this faith vnto vs al and increase it in vs. Amen Out of this church no Pope nor prelate can caste vs or excōmunicate vs in dede although exteriourly they segregate vs frō the societie of gods sainctes But enough of this As I woulde haue vs often to muse vpon the catholike Church or cōmuniū of saints wherof we may not doubte in what state so euer we be vnder payne of damnatiō being baptised in the name of the father the sonne and the holy Ghost so woulde I haue vs to meditate vpon the other artycles folowing that is remissiō of sinnes resurrection of the fleash life euerlasting It is an article of our faithe to beleue that is to be certayne y t our sinnes are pardoned therfore doubt not therof leste thou become an Infideil Though thou haue sinned neuer so sore yet nowe despaire not but be certayne that god is thy God that is that he forgeueth thee thy sinne Therfore as I said dout not thereof for in so doinge thou puttest a sallet on the heade of thy soule that the dew of gods grace can not in dede droppe into it but slippe by as faste as it droppeth Therefore without that sallet or soule nightecap bee bareheaded that is hope still in the mercy of the Lorde and so mercye shall compasse thee on euery side In like manner the article of the resurreiction of the flesh haue often in thy minde beinge assured by this that thy carcase and body shalbe raysed vp againe in the last day when the Lord shall come to iudgement and shalbe made incorruptable immortall glorious spiritual perfect light and euen lyke to the gloryous body of our Sauiour Iesu christ for hee is the firste fruytes of 〈◊〉 dead and as god is all in all so shal he be vnto thee in Christe Loke therfore vppon thine owne estate for as he is so shalt thou be As thou hast borne y e image of the earthly Adam so shalte thou beare the Image of the heauenly therfore glorifie thou nowe god both in soule and body Wayt and loke for this day of the lord with groning and sighing Gather together testimonies of this which I do omitte for times sake Laste of all haue often in thy minde life euerlasting wherunto thou art euen landinge Death is the hauen that caryeth thee vnto this lande where is all that can bee wished yea aboue all wishes and desires for in it wee shall see god face to face which thing now we can in no wise doe but muste couer our faces wyth Boyses Heltas tyll the face or foreparts of y e lorde be gone by Now must we loke on his backe partes beholding him in his worde and in his creatures in the face of Iesus Christe our mediatoure but then we shal se him face to face we shall knowe as we are knowen Therfore let vs often think on these thinges y t we may haue fayth lustely and cherefully to arriue at the happy hauen of death which you se is to be desired and not to bee dread to all those that are in Christ that is to suche as to beleue in deede which are discerned from those that onely saye they do beleue by dyeng tēporally that is by labouring to mortify thorow gods spirite the affections of the flesh not y t they should not be in thē but that they should not raigne in thē that is in theyr mortal bodies to geue euer them selues to serue sinne whose seruaunts we are not but are made sernauntes vnto righteousnesse being nowe vnder grace and not vnder the lawe and therfore hath god mercifully promised that sinne shal not raigne in vs The whych he continually graunte for his truth power mercies sake Amen A meditation A Meditatiō cōcerning y e kingdome of Christ that it is no corporall thing as the Iewes Anababtistes do faine to whō y e Papistes in maner assent makinge the church so glorious and gay a dame far vnlike to be christes Spouse who was here on earth in no such felicitie worldly glory as their church is They make more of the good wise then of the good men and therefore set forth to vs a strumpet for Christes spouse OPen mine eies deare lord to see thy kyngdome for it is spirituall and of carnall eies simply cannot be considered therfore lesse ought we to maruell to see it contempned and the children therof persecuted y e most part of men and specially y e great men of the world being carnall not spirituall althoughe by title manye bee called so Geue me thy light to see that thy kingdōe O christ is thy sitting on the right hande of thy father ours thy interpellation and mediation for vs also thy geuing of pardon forgeuenes of sinnes the holye sprite to thy church that is such as beleue in thee and cal vpō god the father throughe confidence in thee hereto thy sanctifyinge of of them that thou maist raise thē vp in y e laste daye to life glory euerlasting Graūt me to know y t for the atteining of al these bene fits which be the liberties priuilegies of thy kingedome thou haste ordeined y e ministery of thy gospel sacramentes thereby to cal bringe men to y e knowledge of thy father thee which is eternal life Graunt y t I may feele in my self liuely cōfortably y e efficacy and vertue of thy holy ghoste which is effectual by y e ministery word And lest afflictiōs shuld dismay me y e cōpany of euil mē mingled w t the godly ouerthrow me or offend me graunt y t I may not only know how y t thy church the true chyldren therof shal in this world vntil y e last day suffer persecution that gotes will be amongest the shepe vntil the day of iudgement but also y t I maye in affliction reioyce and glorifye

is doubt not of eternall blisse for that is to putte Christ out of heauen But mark what the lord saith vnto thee the worde is nighe thee euen in thy mouth and in thy hart and thys is the worde of faith which wee preach If thou confesse with thy mouth that Iesus Christ is the lord beleue with thy hart that God raysed him vp from y e dead thou shalt be safe If thou beleue that Iesus Christe died and rose againe euen so shalt thou be assured saith the lord god that dieng with christ I wil bringe thee agayne with him Thus deare brother I thought good to wryte to thee in y e name of the Lorde that thou fearinge death for nothing els but because of thy sinnes mightest be assured of pardon of them so embrace death as a deare friend insulte against his terrour stinge power sayinge death where is thy stinge hel where is thy victory Nothinge in all the worlde so displeaseth the lorde as to doubte of his mercie In the mouth of two or thre witnesses we shoulde be content Therefore in that thou haste hearde so many witnesses howe that in dede desiring mercye with the Lorde thou art not sente empty a waye geue credite thereto and saye wyth the good Virgin Marye beholde thy seruaunt Oh Lorde be it vnto me according to thy word Vpon the which word see thou set thine eie only and wholy For otherwise here thou seest not god thy father but ī his worde which is y e glasse wherin now we behold his grace and fatherly loue towards vs in Christe therfore herewith we should be content and geue more credit to it then to all our lenses to al the world besides The worde saith our Sauiour shall iudge According to it therfore not according to any exteriour or interiour shew iudge both of thy selfe of al other things els Concerning thy selfe if thou desire in dede Gods mercy and lamentest that thou hast offended loe it pronounceth y t there is mercye with the lord for thee plenteous redemption It telleth thee which wouldest haue mercy at y e lordes hand that the Lorde willeth the same and therfore thou art happy for he woulde not thy death It telleth thee that if thou acknowledge thy faultes vnto the lorde he will couer them in his mercye Againe concerning death it telleth thee that it is but a sleepe that it is but a passinge vnto thy father that it is but a deliuer āce out of misery that it is but a putting of of mortality corruption that it is s putting on of immortalitie incorruption that it is a putting a way of an earthy tabertabernacle that thou mayest receiue an heauēly house or māsiō that this is but a callinge of the home from the watching standing in the warfare of this miserable life According to this 〈◊〉 worde I meane do thou iudge of death thou shalt not be afraide of it but desire it as a moste holsome medecine and a frendly messenger of the lordes iustice mercy Embrace him therfore make hym good chere for of al enemies he is the leaste In ennemy quod I nay rather of all frendes he is the beste for he bringeth thee out of all daunger of ennemies into y e most sure safe place of thy vnfained frende for euer Let these things be oftē thought vpon Let death be premeditated not only because he commeth vncerteinly I meane for the time for els he is most certeyne but al so because he helpeth much to the contempt of this worlde out of y e which as nothinge wil go with thee so nothinge canste thou take with thee because it helpeth to y e mortifying of the fleshe whyche when thou fedeste thou doest nothinge els but feede wormes because it helpeth to the well disposing due ordering of the things thou haste in this lyfe because it helpeth to repentaunce to bringe thee vnto the knoweledge of thy selfe that thou arte but earth and ashes and to bring thee the more better to knowe God But who is able to tel the cōmodities that come by the often and true consideration of death whose time is therefore lefte vnto vs vncertein and vnknowen although to god it be certein and the bounds ther of not only knowne but appointed of the Lorde ouer the whych none can passe because we should not prolonge and put of from day to day y e amendement of our life as dyd the riche man vnder hope of longe life And seinge it is the ordinance of god commeth not but by the will of god euen vnto a sparrow much more then vnto vs which are incōparably much more deare thē many sparowes and in that this wil of god is not only iuste but also good for he is our Father let vs if there were nothing els but this submit our selues our senses iudgements vnto the pleasure of him beynge content to come out of the roume of our souldership whensoeuer he shal send for vs by his purseuant death Let vs render vnto him that whiche he hathe lente vs so longe I meane life leaste we be ●ounted vnthankful And in that death commeth not but by sinne in that wee haue sinned so often and yet the Lorde hathe ceassed from exacting this tribute punishment of vs vntil this presēt let vs with thankefulnes prayse hys pacience and pay our det not doubting but that he being our father our almighty father can will if deathe were euil vnto vs as god knowech it is a chiefe benefite vnto vs by Chryst cōuert turne it into good But deathe being as before I haue shewed not to be dred but to bee desired let vs lift vp our heades in thinking on it and know that our redemption draweth nigh Let our mindes be occupied in the consyderation or often coutemplation of the four last articles of our beliefe y t is the cōmuniō of saincts or the holy catholike Church remission of sinnes resurrection of the fleash the life euerlasting By faith in Christ be it neuer so saint little or cold we are mēbers in very dede of the catholike holy church of Christe that is we haue cōmunion or feloweship with al the saints of God that euer were bee or shalbe Wherby we may receaue great comforte For though our faith be feble yet the Churches faith wherof our Sauiour Christ is the heade is mighty enough though our repētance be littel yet the repentance of y e churche wherwith we haue communion is sufficient though our loue be languishinge yet the loue of the church of the spouse of the church is ardent and so of al other thinges we wante Not that I meane this as though any man shold think that our faith shoulde be in any or vpon any other then only vpon god the Father the sonne the holy ghostener ther that any