Selected quad for the lemma: life_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
life_n	blood_n	flesh_n	meat_n	9,640	5	9.2298	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65177	A pilgrimage into the land of promise, by the light of the vision of Jacobs ladder and faith, or, A serious search and prospect into life eternal pointing out the way and discovering the passage out of mans mutable state of life, into a state of immutable righteousness and glory, through the knowledg of Christ in spirit / written in the year 1662 by Henry Vane ...	Vane, Henry, Sir, 1612?-1662.	1664 (1664)	Wing V73; ESTC R32917	127,958	114

is neer to every one of us upon whose name if we call he will save us from our sins and make our reconciliation once more with God if the fault be not in ourselvs Yea he will save us to the uttermost if we continue in our obedience and in a pliablenes of spirit to the voyce and words of his mouth that will be a sure guide to us till it have brought us into that kingdome of his that cannot be shaken These are the first sort of servants and subjects that may be found faithfull and obedient unto the word and command of God which was from the beginning These are they that feare God and work righteousnes by an inward teaching suited to the spirituall senses of the naturall mind which is the same with the light and law of pure nature Now of these some and those the greatest part by far being wholly left to their owne choice and in the hand of their owne counsell continue not in their obedience but perish through a hardnes and impenitency of heart in which they rebell against the encreasing measure of light with which the holy Ghost would enlighten them in order to the enlarging of their hearts to an entire and stedfast walking with God in that Covenant of his that cannot be dissolved But others of them through Gods free and peculiar preventing grace are withheld from so sinning against God and are layd hold on and apprehended by the son's comming into their soules and contracting a most intimate and inseperable marriage union with them fastning them to himself the rock af ages and cheif corner stone by whom their bow is made to abide in strength and their arms are made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob. Thus of servants they do with the eunuch and centurion who were converted by Philips and Peters ministry of the outward word become Sons that are heirs according to the promise or else they are admitted immediatly to the fight of Christ in spirit as Paul was in his conversion unto which heavenly vision they prove not disobedient being taught not only to live in the Spirit but to walke after the Spirit This then that we have bin speaking of is the first light and workmanship that Christ in his first appearance may and does visit the sons and daughters of men with even those that are not yet brought to the knowledg of his voice in and by the holy Scriptures There is then a second degree of light and glory wherein Christ breakes forth in the workmanship of his Spirit upon the hearts and minds of men which compared with the first is a more excellent and neer approach to the sight of the Son himself testifying most particularly in what manner and at what time the WORD was to be made flesh and in that flesh to be crucified and die for our sins and to rise againe into a life wherein he was never to die more Now the voice of this word is from divine inspiration moving in the hearts and speaking by the mouth of Moses and other the Servants the Prophets of the Lord in the old Testament to John the Baptist and afterwards by the holy Evangelists and Apostles conteining the doctrine of both Covenants that of works and that of faith the law and the Gospell These divine words and oracles were committed to writing and preserved for the use of the Church from Moses his time downwards to this present day by Gods especiall and admirable providence called the holy Scriptures which are able to make us wise unto Salvation through the faith which is in Christ Jesus They are not of any private interpretation but attended with the ministry of the holy Ghost in his various distributions and gifts dividing unto every one severally as himself pleases to the making the doctrine flowing from this word pure and converting the soule that also which is an enlightning of the eyes and a washing of the heart with clean water from its old sins it is profitable also for reproof correction and instruction in righteousnes to the making the man of God perfect throughly furnished unto every good word and work even such hearers of the word and doers of the work as prove blessed in their deed if the fault be not in themselvs in failing to performe the condition of the Covenant through that faith which excludes boasting and failes not This second sort of hearers and doers of the word are they that are alive unto God through Jesus Christ by hearing the voice of the living word in and through the ministry of the outward letter of the Scriptures testifying of Christ and of the work of redemption given to him by the father to finish and of his comming not by water only but by water and blood to the paying a ransome for our sins and for the planting of us into a likenes with him both in his death and resurrection Under this second dispensation which is the ministry of the outward and written word accompanied with the presence and power of the holy Ghost and his gifts there is a workmanship of Christ formed in and upon the heart consisting of severall degrees and growths up into him who is our head the good olive tree that is willing ready and able to receave us into himself as our spirituall root which bears us and fills us with the oile and fatnes that springs up from the same into every branch and member of his body considered either as his body is his living flesh ot as it is his flesh crucified 1. As it is the mannah and living bread that is the life of the world or of the worldly Church and enlightned naturall man that may eat and drinke in his presence at this his table and eat and drinke his flesh and blood to their owne damnation 2. There be those that feed upon the crucified flesh the carkasse or dead body of Christ out of whose weaknes comes strength and from whose crucifying comes that meat which perishes not but is bread that nourishes to eternall life Thus it is written Rom. 14. None of us that live liveth unto himself and none of us that die doe or ought to die unto our selvs But whether our faith be weake and low and our naturall ability to hear and obey active and strong in us or whether the work of our faith be strong and powerfull and our natural activity weak and low yea brought into the very grave with Christ the life or the death is not to be to ourselvs but to Christ In and with him must we live and in and with him must we die Whether then we live with Christ by faith as it is weak or whether we die with Christ by faith as the work of it in us is powerfull and strong we should live to the Lord and die to the Lord that so living and dying we may be found amongst the number of those that are the Lords For this end and to

or a threefold cause of the being that is givē unto the creature 1. Of the creatures hidden and secret Being as it subsists and lives in the mind of God by way of his purpose and decree and in his fore knowledg 2. As this seed of creature-being that lives in God is brought into its naturall and proper form of life made a part and member of the first creation in a mutable state 3. As it is changed and translated out of its mutable state and corruptible fashion into a form of being and state of life that is immutable wherein the first creation is not destroyed or annihilated but consummated and brought to its final perfection so as to answer rhe holy end and design of the Creatour who as the potter hath absolute power over his owne clay to make vessels of honour or dishonor as pleases him and in such manner as is exactly consistent with the wisdom and justice of a most holy God The nature of men and angels is formed in Gods likenes wherein they are made with hearing eares seing eyes and working hearts to attend unto and observe the divine oracles delivered to them from the mouth of God as the law under which they are created the rule of their life and actiō to guide them in the passage out of their mutable state into that which is immutable Gods words therefore doe come forth in the threefold dispensation before described visible and intelligible words to their minds or creature-understandings answerable to the state they are found in and to the degree and measure of their growth whereunto they have atteined For there can be no communion or intercourse between God and man but by such divine words as are visible and intelligible to creature understanding signifying such things as their eyes may se their ears heare and that are in themselvs possible and rationall to be obeyed which all Gods laws to man most certainly are Hence is it thar John testifies of the WORD of life itself that it is visible and hath bin heard and seen from the beginning being no new commandement but the old made visible and intelligible first by the book of the creature then by the book of the Scriptures and lastly by the living mouth and heart of Christs manhood assumed into personall union with the eternall WORD and thereby made the brightnes of Gods glory the expresse image of his essentiall mind where the vision at last becomes so plaine to all beleevers that he that runs may read it The humanity or flesh of Christ singly considered is no where in Scripture called the WORD but at most the engraffed WORD For the WORD is that which is made flesh and dwells in us which though after it was born of a woman and found in fashion as a man actually partaking of flesh and blood with the rest of the children it was seen heard and handled as the glory or manifestation of the only begotten Son of God full of grace and truth in the form of a man was actually in Being and life from the beginning which the flesh of Christ was not and was Davids Root the BRIGHT MORNING STAR the Lord the WORD which David in Spirit saw Psal 110.1 when he sayd the Lord said unto my Lord sit thou at my right hand till I make thy foes thy footstool These things premised our way wil be much more open and cleer to proceed in what we have propounded as to a serious search and pursuite after life eternall We are hereby naturally lead into the ensuing method and have our matter pointed out to us for our discussion and enquiry in these following particulars 1. What are the things that are the subject matter of the command delivered to man by the divine WORD and oracles of God that are the law of his mouth visible and intelligible to man by the light and law of nature the light and law of the Scriptures the light and law of faith or the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus And if the matter be one and the same that is declared and made knowne in and under these three dispensations wherein is it that they differ from each other 2. What is that state of mutability which by nature man is brought into Is his mutability lost or no by the fall as wel as his natural righteousnes and purity may he not yet be changed back againe at least to a gradual recovery of his natural righteousnes yea and yet fatther into a more excellent state of life and righteousnes then at first he receaved Is his primitive uprightnes in kind recoverable or no Is it actually and universally restored to all mankind by the blood and ransom of the Redeemer as the means to lead men to repentance and bring them all to the practical knowledg of the truth by inwardly cleansing and purging them from their old sins and setting them in the way of that amendment and newnes of life which God by his law calls for and commands from all men every where 3. Is it possible for man is his mutable state considered as either before or after the fall according to the degree of restoration he does arrive unto to hear and obey the things of Gods law and so to keep the commandements and demean himself in his actings conformable thereunto as not to turn from them or let them depart from his heart all the days of his life untill his translation into his immutable state 4. And lastly What is that immutable state in righteousnes and glory which begins in the day of Christs first appearance and is perfected by his second unto which man is fore-ordeined and through effectuall calling and plantation with Christ in his death and resurrection is prepared and made heir of in his mutable state in order at last actually to inherit and possesse it at Christs seconds comming that other day wherein the Son of Man is to be revealed from heaven which hath its MORNING MIDDAY and EVENing also that immediatly precedes the last day of eternity which hath no division or parts 1. First as for the things of Gods law or matter commanded unto man which God wills that he should heare understand and obey as that on which his life and death depends and does therefore with all plaines and certainty set before him that ignorance or other excuse of any kind may not be pretended by him all is reduced by our Saviour who best knows it into a very narrow compasse Luk 10 28. in his answer to the lawyer that came to tempt him saying Master what shall I doe to inherit eternall life The question does plainly intimate first that some things were to be done by man and that by Gods command and instruction in order to obtein or be made heir of eternall life 2. That so doing or working the work of God the inheritance is sure Christ in his answer denies nothing of this but thinks fit to try the knowledg of

owne understanding as the best and surest way to keep their soules safe This understanding how subject it was to be wrought upon and to turn from the truth though fully convinc'd of it by the inticing power of the flesh or the sensual and inferiour faculties of mans mind hath bin already shewed Adams sin then was not only and meerly the transgression of the law but was mixed with somewhat an ignorant rejecting and contemning of the offer of the Gospel which was the only sure means to have translated him without sin at all intervening out of his righteous mutable state into an immutability in righteousnes But such is and was from the beginning the tender mercy and long-suffering of God our mediatour and Redeemer to Adam's posterity even in their fallen state that he not only renews and repeats to man his former gracious offer of Salvation through faith and the knowledg of himself in the Gospel but reveales over and besides this the means and way how through faith in his blood all mankind may be againe restored and obteine remission of sins All that will may returne againe by vertue of Christs death into that mutable state of righteousnes and holines lost in Adam as the common salvation and a forerunning dispensation to the gift of the son himself according to the promise And may it not reasonably be expected that from the experience of the general love and good will which Christ hath thus shewed in common towards all men that they should be easily prevailed with to give up their soules absolutely into his hands through that faith that is more precious then gold unchangable and never failing through the power whereof we are made more then conquerours over all enemies even through him that hath thus loved us with an unchangable and everlasting love For surely in this God hath greatly commended his love unto all mankind that when they were without strength Christ died for the ungodly or for all sinners whilst yet in their sins Much more then will the current of his love run towards us being once justified by his blood that through him we may be saved to the uttermost from the wrath to come For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son much more being reconciled shall we be saved by his life This was in effect the voice and doctrine of the Gospel which God himself preached to our first parents immediatly after their disobedience and at the very same time that he passed his righteous sentence against them for their sin Gen. 3.15 In this Scripture God promises the sending of his owne Son in the likenes of sinful flesh to condemn sin in the flesh and make atonement by the sacrifice of it that the righteousnes of the law might be fulfilled in all those who walke not after the flesh but after the spirit And most expressly and particularly is the Gospel as wel as the law preached by God to Cain Gen. 4.7 and in him to all mankind whether ever they reap the saving benefit by it or no as to life everlasting any more then he did To him it is that God sayes If thou doest wel shalt thou not be accepted Is there not a meanes sufficient and able to bring thee even thee back againe into reconciliation and acceptance with God through the ransom that is paid in Christs blood But if thou doest not wel sin lieth at the door that is to say the wages and punishment of sin And this yet is not all For if thou objectest what will it advantage me to have sins past remitted and the breach made up if there be yet no effectual remedy provided and afforded to prevent a relapse into sin more fatal and irrecoverable then the first fal and a provoking of God afresh by reason of the unsubjectednes that the flesh or sensual part of the soule is apt to fly out into and that prevailingly and finally against the restored and anew enlightned spirit of the mind as it fell out with man at first To this God answers it shall be subject to thee and thou shalt rule over it It shal be given againe into thy hand and power to subdue and bring under if the fault be not in thy self Why therefore art thou wrath and why is thy countenance fallen as if I were partiall in my dealing and that my wayes were not equall Q. But what is it does or can enable cain or any other man since the fall to doe the good God speaks to him of and avoid the evil he forbids as also to suffer according to the will of God and that patiently though for doing wel Answ Surely there are means provided in and by the Redeemer and the work of redemption given to him the promised seed to finish which hath a vertue and sufficiency to free and save all men from the evil danger and curse that is come upon them by Adams transgression and to restore them againe to their primitive state of purity and freedom if the fault be not in themselvs And when they are brought so far on their way againe towards the end for which they were at first created and since redeemed that is to say the inheritance of life eternal then is renewed unto them by Christ the offer of saving them to the uttermost past all danger of a relapse and of giving them that better fredom wherewith the son is willing to make them free indeed unchangably subjecting them to the leading and Rule of his spirit cohabiting in and with the heart that is regenerated making it thereby fit to receave and entertein him and bringing into it that state of life over which the second death hath no power Hence is it Christ is said to be the saviour of all men but especially of those that beleeve And his will is that prayer and giving of thanks be made for all men of all sorts and degrees from the highest to the lowest This is good and acceptable in his sight who is the God and saviour that gave himself a ransom for all men and who therefore will have all men to be saved as least so far as to come to the knowledg of the truth and have the offer of it in a state of free exercise of their will and arbitrary choice that according as they are prevailed with either to receave it in the love thereof or to reject it as a stone of stumbling and rock of offence hateful to them they may obtein eternal salvation or incur the pains of eternal damnation And yet those that are saved are to acknowledg and experience that it is of meer grace and not of themselvs nor of works least any man should boast But it is wrought by the faith that excludes boasting setting up such a workmanship or building in the heart of every true beleever whereby he is created in Christ Jesus unto good works that are before prepared and ordeined of God that they should

wel of the one kind as of the other if they shal sin wilfully after that they are come to the knowledg of the truth there remains then to them no more Sacrifice for sin but a most certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries even all the dwellers in that earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it but in stead of bringing forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed doe bear thorns and briars which causes them to be rejected makes them nigh unto cursing whose end is to be burned But if the same earth in stead of bringing forth thorns and briars does become ground prepared and made fit to receave the immortal and incorruptible seed by the word of God which abideth and liveth for ever and to bring forth the proper fruits thereof with patience meet for him by whom it is dressed it wil be sure to receave blessing from God even to be blessed with the having of those better things that are accompanied with salvation For he that is faithfull in that which is least by the same grace laying hold on him and keeping him from evil becomes also faithful in much And he that is uniust in the least even in the use of his least natural fredom wil be uniust also in much even in the highest atteinments which he can arrive unto in that his mutable state and whilst in his owne keeping Without blood there is no remission of sins But through the sprinckling of the blood of Jesus who is our passover whose blood speaks better things then that of Abel the wrath and severity that is by the law is either mitigated and all proceedings in the way of revenging justice for a time at least respited and the persons reprieved upon condition of repentance and amendment of life or else totally and finally remitted This latter is the case of al true beleevers that are in Christ Iesus by the new and everlasting Covenant Thus is that saying made good Iam 2 13. He shal have judgment without mercy that hath shewed no mercy and mercy rejoyceth against judgment on behalf of al that are justified frely by grace through the eternal redemption which Christ hath obteined for them So then though al have sinned and come short of the glory of God he hath not so concluded and shut them up in their disobedience and unbeleif but in and through the blood of Christ he is ready to shew mercy of one kind or other unto all I. First such mercy as is intimated in that parable Matth. 18. v. 23. to the end where the lord at first upon the reckoning he made with his servant pronounced judgment upon him commanded him his wife children and al he had to be sold and payment forthwith to be made which in effect was executed in the case of our first parents but afterwards upon the servants repentance and humbling himself beseeching frō his Lord only patiēce and promising he would pay him all his Lord was moved with compassion shewed him mercy in loosing him and freely forgiving him the debt But this mercy as appears after was not that which is called Gods sure mercies such as David had because capable of revocation upon the servants abuse of it in shewing no mercy afterwards to his fellow servant which renewed his Lords wrath again towards him so that he delivered him over to the tormenters til he should pay all that was due unto him He also made it a ruled case for al in the like condition saying If ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother his trespasses so shal my heavenly father sayes Christ doe unto you that is not forgive you your trespasses And Luke 13.7 9. the same truth is confirmed in another parable where the Lord of the vineyard sayes to the dresser of it behold 3 years I come seeking fruit on this figtree and find none cut it down why cumbreth it the ground He answering said Lord let it alone this year also til I shal dig about it and dung it and if it bear fruit well if not after that cut it down This first sort of Gods mercies to sinners is conditional and universal common to the whole posterity of Adam He is moved with a general pity and tendernes towards them in the day of their nativity when no eye hath compassion on them Yea to some of them also he is pleased to shew more particular kindnes so that of his owne accord passing by and seing them in their blood he bids them live he spreads his skirt over them to cover their nakednes makes that the season of his love appearing to them teaching them to deny ungodlines and adorning them with his owne comelines Notwithstanding al this they trusting to their beauty and righteousnes in this dispensation wrote in and put upon them doe fal and make themselvs worse by their apostasy then Sodom or Gomorrha Then the Lord judges it equal that such righteous men as these when they turn from their righteousnes as they finally may and commit iniquity should die in it and also hereupō have all their sins committed before their conversion or change to that state of righteousnes afresh imputed to thē though before God had declared they should not be mētioned but buried in oblivion and that in the righteousnes which they did they should live Thus is the Lord many a time ful of compassion to unworthy sinners whose hearts are not right with him so as to be stedfast in his Covenant Psal 78. He forbears howsoever to destroy them til he hath made proof of them to the utmost Therfore turns he his anger away from them again and again and stirs not up al his wrath He deales with them according to the multitude of his louing kindnesses and the variety of mercies that are in him There are no sort of sinners then who in a lesse or greater degree tast not of these riches of Gods mercies the more of which is shewed to them and abused and sinned against the more is their condemnation heightned For by such demeanour they do crucify to and in themselvs the son of God afresh and put him to open shame counting the very blood of the Covenant wherewith they have bin sanctified an unholy thing and doing despite to the spirit of grace With these kinds of mercies Christ is the saviour of al men a propitiation for the sins of the whole world And thus God is in Christ reconciling the world unto himself not imputing their sins and he not only commands but beseeches al men to be reconciled to him to lay hold on his strength and be at peace with him as not having receaved in vaine the grace he hath begun to bestow upon them But besides these his common mercies declaring his good wil to al men as not taking pleasure in the death of any sinner he hath also his choice and peculiar favour and loving kindnes