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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
A86560	A caveat to all true Christians against the spreadings of the spirit of Antichrist, and his subtile endeavours to draw men from Jesus Christ / propounded to them by J. Horn, one of the unworthiest of Christs servants in his gospel, a preacher thereof in South Lin, Norfolk ; together with some brief directions for their orderly walkings.	Horn, John, 1614-1676.; Charles II, King of England, 1630-1685.	1651 (1651)	Wing H2796; ESTC R42677	162,184	341

condition it s an easie thing to be circumvented by him such high expressions such glorious speeches such enticing and swelling words though full of vanity to a spiritual discerning because they have not the bread of Life the foundation of our hope in them with whom are they not taking The consideration of which having pressed me forward to the writing and publishing of this small Treatise in which though I be but weak I have endeavoured according as by Covenant I am bound for the rooting out of Error and heresie in my place and calling though not primely upon that consideration to prevent the spreading of this grand infection that though I have little hopes of reducing those that are corrupted yet I might be a means to stablish some that are wavering and prevent their falling I have chosen as to the Saints in general so to you in particular to Dedicate and present it out of that respect I bear to you and the good that 's in you and sense of obligation upon me toward you Desirng God ever to guide and preserve you And you yet to account me Ladies Your Servant in the Gospel JOHN HORN Lin Novemb. 2. 1650. To the Congregation of the first born yet warring on earth whose names are written in heaven and particularly to those of them that I minister unto at Lin c. grace mercy and peace from God our Father and from Jesus Christ our Lord. Brethren YOu cannot but know that the Church of God is in Scripture resembled to a natural body wherein are many members united to each other and to one head and by one Spirit growing up in exact unity now as in the natural body there may be many infirmities and many things are liable to offend and hurt it so also is it in this mystical sometimes it may be subject to distempers by nauseous crude undigested humours the want of thorow closing with and drinking in divine truths or the drinking in untruths may occasion a surfeit and aversation from truth sometimes flatuous and windy humours of pride high-mindedness and lying spirits getting into some of its members may distemper it sometimes feavourish heats of violent headiness instead of wel-tempered zeal for God and godliness may inflame it and sometimes the cold aguish or palsie humours of deadness in benummedness to Spiritual motions in its tendency to its spiritual and supream end may so seize upon it as much to impair its strength and to appearance bring it nigh to death But God whose Temple it is hath provided for it against such distempers and dangers both meat and medicine to feed and cure it As Christ himself is the prime and great tree of life in whom the word is so united to the humanity that the humanity was ever in all times of Winter blasts and Sommer droughts refreshed and upheld thereby and made glorious fruitful and his fruits are good and prosperous fit to feed and his Leaves full of vertue to heal the Nations So is every one that through grace is brought to believe in Christ and gathered up into unity with Christ and lives upon the word of Christ Psal 1.3 as a tree planted by the waters side Jer. 17.7,8 Even one of those trees of life that grow upon the banks of that great river of the knowledge of God in Christ that proceeds from out his sanctuary and runs from beside the Altar or sacrifice of Christ and under the threshold the Gospel and its Ordinances holding forth Christ Ezek. 47.1.2.12 whose fruit is for meat and its leaf for medicine The lips of the righteous feed many and their fruit is as a tree of life Prov. 10,21 and 11.30 the doctrine they receive from Christ is a wholsome doctrine 1 Tim. 6 3.4 and full of healing by which they are more and more rooted into and united with Christ till they all grow up into such a close and full union with him that the many trees on the banks of that river Rev. 22.2 be made perfectly but one on both sides of that river Eph. 4.13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith and acknowledgement of the Son of God unto a perfect man Now I knowing that in this body there are at present as at other times not only many inward weaknesses but also many things from without indangering it yea that many parts of it are sorely laid open to infections from divers that seem to be of it or converse with it though I be less then the least of all Saints yet according to the measure of the gift of Christ given me I have endeavoured to administer that that I have from the head which may make for its strength and nourishment yea and to hold forth such of his Leaves supplied to me by his good hand as may either prevent or cure the infections feared desiring that we may all so press after further knowledge of and growth in Christ as that yet we may be kept from imbracing false Christs and from being snared by the poison of those false Prophets who instead of hastening mens growth up into Christ which they pretend do secretly and subtilely corrupt men from the simplicity that is in Christ as if a man by stretching of a twig to make it grow longer should pull and sever it from the body of the tree upon which it groweth As for the mind to be without knowledge is not good so he that hasteth with his feet sinneth Prov 19.2 I desire that what I present to you in love and for your good may be taken in good part and soberly considered by you and that what you see to suit with and proceed from that good spirit of God that is but one and the same in all ages and gives unity to the body in all its memberly differences may be received and held fast by you and if in any thing you see either further or better then I impart of your measure also to me that we may grow up together by that which every joynt supplieth all holding fast and not letting go the head from whence we receive the right and true spirit that will give us to increase So shall our feet abide within the gates of Jerusalem and the Lord himself shall dwell amongst us shall judge rule and teach us and in his teaching we shall not be vainly puft up with a carnal mind like those bodies that are puft up with unwholsome humours but grow solidly fat and well-liking and shew that he is gratious and that there is no deceit or unrighteousness in him To him and the word of his grace which is able to build you up and give you the inheritance I commit you with my self being The meanest of your Brethren and companions in the way of Salvation J. HORN The Contents Chap. 1. A Description of real Saints Pag. 1 Sect. 1. Who are not such ibid. 2. Who are p. 7 Chap. 2. Of the estate of Saints p. 11 Sect. 1. More generally their

might willingly be exhorted to this ●s not to bear with them that are evil and would pervert souls from Christ so neither to fall out ●nd make rents from those that are built upon ●nd sincerely and peaceably seek the glory of Christ Sect. 4. How to walk towards Seducers and the Secuced 3. BUt now for those that have not Christ for their foundation but are bottom'd upon their own works yea and would bottom Christ ●pon them too hindring souls from coming ●…ghtly to Christ and that bring another Gospel then that of Christ tending to deny and overthrow the Gospel of Christ but chiefly those that have apostatized from him the case is otherwise They that divide from Christ the elder Brother are not to be owned as brethren but divided from yea and looked upon in their endeavors to draw others to themselves as enemies to our souls Wolves that come to devour deceitful workers and so we are to avoid them The Apostles looked not upon the zealous Jews and Pharises opposers of the grace of Christ as their brethren in Christ nor upon the false Apostles that perverted the Gospel of Christ mixing it with the Law and withdrawing men from the sincerity of the Gospel of Christ much less those Apostates and Blasphemers Hymeneus and Alexander and Philetus men that denied the Resurrection and affirmed it to be now made or past denying the Lord that bought them and subverting the faith of divers 2 Tim. 2.16,17 If such as these plead for a brothers portion of love from the Saints in those their wayes they are much mistaken brotherly love with them would be as bad as Jehosophats familiarity and correspondency with Ahab which the Lord reproved and punished in him 2 Chron. 19 2. And as the Churches tolerating the Baalamites and Nicolaitans which he hated Rev. 2.14 20. Men are much out in thinking that those that are evidently and upon due trial false Apostles and of the Synagogue of Satan ought not to be so reputed but walked towards and loved as dissenting Brethren How shall the members of the body hold unity with the head that are at one with members separated from the head and disclaim all influence of spirits from it Who ever come unto us we are to try them yea though they come as Angels of Light and Messengers of Righteousness and finding them deceitful workers to beware of them 1 Thes 5.21 Phil. 3.2 So the Wisdom of God speaking of ●he spirit of error under the notion of a foolish and whoorish woman opposed to the Spirit of Truth under the notion of Wisdom or the wise ●oman bids us beware of her and come not neer ●he corner of her house Prov. 5.8.3 nor give ear ●o her sweet and specious inchantments not to ●ut our selves ●…shly into her way and company 〈◊〉 presuming on our own strength to pre●…rve us much less entertaining her as a friend ●nd companion meet for us and our Saviour while on earth in the flesh left it as a Ca●…at to us to beware of false Prophets who though ●hey come in Sheeps clothing to us yet inwardly are ●…vening Wolves and seek to devour us Matth. ● 15 He would not have us out of charity to ●…dge all sheep and correspond with them that ●ome to us in the appearance of sheep but wari●… try them and discerning Wolves in that ha●it to flee from them as we are not rashly to account and walk towards all as Wolves that men account so so neither to imbrace all that profess themselves sheep I know the VVolves will plead for charity towards them but what foolish Shepherd would out of charity listen to the VVolves so pleading or what silliness would it be in real sheep to joyn themselves with ●hem because they pretend as sheep a desire to graze with them that 's bad charity to another that layes me open to destruction my self The Jews of old regarded not such a pretended charity in Sanballat and Tobiah desirous to build with them the Temple of the Lord because they discerned them to be no friends to their work but sought by subtilty to hinder it and destroy them Ezra 4.1 It s indeed the common plea of such and of some weak sheep of Christ who are in danger that way to be worried by them what ever a mans principles be yet we ought to permit them and not speak harshly or at all against them but let every man injoy his own minde which is a notorious gross and false position Indeed as we have said where men build and are built upon the same foundation even Jesus Christ there we may and are to tolerate difference in doubtful disputations where the matters of difference are not evident and plain in Scripture and but matters of meer indifferency and lesser moment But that all should be tolerated in the Church of God of what ever opinion and doctrine though destructive to the fundamentals of the faith and no sharpe reproof may be given them is as bad a principle as to tolerate the Devil in his possession of men o● to tolerate all vice and wickedness without 〈◊〉 punishment of them yea in ●o●…e cas●s 〈…〉 worse for there are some p●…nciples 〈…〉 doctrine as bad or worse then any evil of practise amongst men because some doctrines may naturally lead to all evil practises As that there is no difference to be put between good and evil sin and righteousness that all actions are alike approveable to God the opinion of good and evil is to be destroyed out of men that sin is nothing but an imagination that this or that is sin that all men live or believe how they will shall have eternal salvation that there shall be no resurrection c. Beside that evil doctrines may poyson more secretly and are less dreaded oftentimes then gross actions because they have ●ot so horrid an appearance many times to the eye of men We find Christ commending some Churches for their patience when yet he presently subjoyns by way of praise too that they ●ould not bear evil persons Rev. 2.2 such as seduced the people from him faulting them that bare with and permitted them Revel 3.15,16 yea that were but lukewarm for him and against them as those that mattered not what men hold or teach how destructive to Christ and Christianity so they would think well of them and let them alone such Christ threatens to spue out of his mouth so far is he from allowing and approving them Yea he tels us he hates such wayes himself Rev. 2.6 and sure he leads his people to be like him How canst thou say Christ is in thee when what he declares himself to hate is patiently tolerated and not reproved by thee The Apostles not onely bid us hold them as execrable and account them accursed that preach beside what they have preached or that introduce another Gospel though they come like Angels but they have also themselves given them over to Satan 1 Tim 1.20 and