Selected quad for the lemma: life_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
life_n	body_n	soul_n	unite_v	6,137	5	9.8589	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A08188	A day-starre for darke-wandring soules shewing the light, by a Christian controuersie: or briefely and plainely setting forth the mysterie of our saluation. Diuided into principles, obiections, and answeres. By Richard Niccolls, th'elder, of the Inner Temple London, Gent. deceased. Published for the generall benefit of all those who heartily, and with a true path desire their owne saluation: by I.C.	Niccols, Richard, of the Inner Temple.; I. C., fl. 1613.	1613 (1613)	STC 18526.5; ESTC S119830	27,183	96

not thinke that Christ and his members are ioyned together by imagination as the minde of man and the thing whereof he thinketh or by consent of heart as one friend is ioyned with another as Ionathan and Dauid or by mingling together of substances as when many ingrediences are mingled together to make one medicine or by corporall coniunction in touching as Sea and Land are both ioyned together to make one Globe and the part of a Building coupled together to make one Building For although this misticall vnion betwixt Christ and all them who truely beleeue in him is a most reall a most neere a most straight and a most sure and indissoluble vnion and coniunction Yet is the same rather by experience felt in the heart of the true beleeuer then conceiued in his braine The Iewes require Miracles and the Grecians Arguments vvhich they may comprehend with their wit and wisedome But God giueth the grace of vnderstanding his Mysteries to the simple and true of heart and regardeth not the Wisedome of the wise nor the Vnderstanding of the prudent in which things the proud doe glory Therefore the true Beleeuer when hee findeth this Vnion to be aboue his capacitie yet because he is taught it by the Scriptures hee beleeueth it as it were vpon Gods bare word and by experience hee feeleth that by Faith wrought in his heart by the Holy Ghost Christ with all his Merits Benefits and Graces is actually made his owne and himselfe Christs according to the Couenant of Grace made vnto Abraham and often repeated by the Prophets Ier. 32. 38. 39. 40. Ier. 31. 31. 32. Hos. 2. 19. 20. Moreouer in the Scriptures we are taught three kindes of vnions the first is a Naturall vnion or coniunction in nature vvhen sundry things are conioyned and coupled by one and the same nature as the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost being three distinct subsistences are all one and conioyned in one God-head and diuine nature but Christ and the true beleeuer are not one as conioyned in nature for then they twaine should be one body and soule The second vnion is a Personall Union or an vnion in person when things in nature different are so conioyned together that they make one person as the body and the soule make one man and the God-head of the sonne and his manhood make one Christ but Christ and the true beleeuer are not ioyned in person for Christ is one person and Peter a second person and Paul a third person and so many men as be true Christians or members of Christ so many seuerall persons are they The third kinde of vnion taught in the Scriptures is in the spirit and this is the mysticall vnion whereby Christ and his members are spiritually ioyned together into one mysticall body by the operation of his diuine spirit descending from him the head to vs his members applying Christ vnto vs and creating faith in our hearts whereby as by our onely instrument on our parts wee apprehend and receiue Christ and are vnited vnto him and this vnion whereby Christ and the true beleeuer are thus actually ioyned together because it is wrought and made by the spirit is called a Spirituall vnion In this Union the things vnited are the whole person of the true beleeuer to●…rds his Body and Soule and the vvhole person of Christ God and Man but yet they be so vnited that the true beleeuer is first and immediately vnited to the humane nature or man-hood of Christ and then by reason of the manhood to the word it selfe or diuine nature For saluation and life and the merits of Christes obedience depend vpon the fulnesse of the Godhead which is in Christ but yet it is not communicated vnto vs but in the flesh and by the flesh of Christ. This misticall vnion may be in some sort conceiued more plainely by the consideration of the vnion of the naturall man and his members when vvee consider how his soule sendeth forth from his head sense and motion to all his other members of his naturall body and that although the soule cannot from the head send sense and motion to the other members of his naturall bodie without the meanes of Arctures and Ligaments whereby the members of the naturall man are tied together that by that meanes sense and motion may be conueyed from his head to the other members and that yet the head and other members of the naturall body are not so fitly coneyed and said to be the naturall mans members because they be tied and as it were souldred together by arctures and ligaments of the body as for that they receiue life sense and motion from his soule then how much more may we conceiue and say That Christ our Head and we our selues be one mysticall body euen mysticall Christ's and that we be members of his mysticall body by the communion preparation of Christs spirit which being by nature infinit standeth in no need of any carnal meanes to make this spiritual vnion by communicating himselfe from Christ our Head vnto vs his members although Christ and we his members be distinct persons and farre distance each from other as in the naturall man the head and the foote Hence it is that Saint Iohn saith Heereby wee know that wee dwell in him and he in vs because hee hath giuen vnto vs of his spirit And hence it is that Saint Paul saith If any man hath not the spirit of Christ the same is not his Wouldest thou then know that Christ is thine and thou Christs as a true member of his mysticall body then laying aside all carnall conceits haue recourse into thine owne selfe and trie whether with the Apostle Saint Paul thou feelest thy selfe both Body and Soule to liue of Christs spirit for as thou knowest that the members of thine owne naturall bodie are thine owne members because they receiue life sense and motion from thine owne soule so euery true beleeuer doth know that he ●…s a member of Christ because that by experience he feeleth that his owne person to wit his Soule and Bodie hath receiued and doth liue of the spirit of Christ and againe as certaine thou dost know that thy members doe not liue of my soule nor my members of thy soule and that whatsoeuer members liue of thine owne soule are the members of thine owne body and whatsoeuer members liue of my Soule are the members of my owne body Euen so dost thou know that nothing doth or can liue of the spirit of Christ but Christ and the members of his body and that whatsoeuer liueth not of Christs spirit is no member of his Hence the Apostle Saint Paul as comprised in the mysticall body of Christ and by experience feeling the spirituall life vvhich hee receiued from the spirit of Christ saith I am crucified with Christ but I liue yet not I any more but Christ liueth in mee and in that I

in Adam and shall be for euer in Adams posteritie but libertie from sinne and libertie from miserie cannot be had in this life but for as much as this bondage of sinne or necessitie of sinning is come vnto vs by our owne voluntarie acts for in Adam by eating the forbidden fruit wee all being in his loynes voluntarily sinned wee are all with the bondage of sinne and miserie iustly punished in him for his and our owne disobedience 5 Obiection To feede the hungry to clothe the naked to honour our Parents to serue our Maisters faithfully to obay our lawfull Gouernours to dye in defence of our Country and such like deedes done by Infidels are good deedes and no sinnes and therefore men by Nature before regeneration haue choise and libertie of will to doe some good deeds which are no sinnes Answere S. Augustine in his fourth Booke cap. 3. against Iulian the Pelagian answereth that such acts done by Infidels are doubtlesse sinnes not that in their owne nature they are sins but because they are not of Faith for whatsoeuer 〈◊〉 not of faith is sinne Rom. 14. 23. For that without faith it is impossible to please God Heb. 11. 6 Againe the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 10. 31. Whatsoeuer wee doe it must be done to no other end then to the glory of God and therefore the said acts done by Infidels cannot be said to be done to his glory because the said acts being done without faith cannot possibly please God and therfore such acts done by Infidels are doubtlesse sinnes though in their owne nature they be no sins but Morall Virtues 6 Obiection If the premisses be true then may an Infidell as well robbe his neighbour as relieue him with food or ●…aiment and so of the rest Answere God doth deepely graue Morall Virtues or the workes of the Law in the hearts of the Infidels and thereby they are guided to doe some Morall Virtues and restrained from doing many wickednesses but they being without Faith doe nothing to the right end Also the Infidels for Morall Virtues which beare but a shew of good workes are by God rewarded with the praise and fauour of men and other temporall blessings for which the Morall Virtues were done as the principall end of their action The second PRINCIPLE WEe of our selues without CHRIST can by Nature lo●…ke for no grace or pardon for our sinnes a●… Gods han●…s but hatred wrath and eternall condemnation for the same Ephes. 2. 3. Notes vpon the second Principle VVHen wee offend or sinne against GOD whose person is of infinite worthinesse our offence by consequence must needes be infinite and therefore greater then by any meanes wee of our selues can satisfie with condigne compensation because Men and Angels and all Creatures are vncapable of euery infinite action they are finite both in strength and power to doe or suffer Wherefore seeing God of his Iustice cannot pardon sinne without condigne compensation which man cannot possibly make therefore man of himselfe can looke for no grace of saluation at Gods hand who is perfectly iust true and faithfull and alwayes the same and like to himselfe with whom there is no variablenesse or shadow of changing All Virtues attributed to God are essentiall and eternall and not variable as the Virtues in men vvhich may be increased or diminished All his Curses and Iudgements against sinne must be performed as well as his mercifull promises Heauen and Earth shall passe but no word of the Lord shall passe away vnperformed The third PRINCIPLE THe Bloud of Christ Iesus crucified because of the worthinesse of his person is the onely meritorious cause thing and price which can satisfie Gods Iustice for all mens sinnes and so make them away to his fauour and mercy Act. 20. 28. Iohn 1. 7. Rom. 3. 23. 24. 25. Iohn 3. 14. Notes vpon the third Principle FIrst let vs behold Christ crucified as the Scriptures doe describe him according to which he had no part from top to toe free from paine and griefe but hung on the Tree hauing his flesh torne with whips his checkes swolne with buffets his face defiled with spittle his head stucke full with Thornes his eyes deiected for shame his eares burning with taunts his mouth sowred with Vinegar his hands and his feete wounded with Iron Spikes his bones vnioynted his sinewes pricked and strayned his whole body hanging by the sorenesse of his hands and feete and lastly though he were dead his heart pierced vvith a Speare whence issued bloud and vvater And here further let vs aduisedly obscrue in his Stripes that Pilate hauing a purpose to saue the life of Christ and not neglecting to satisfie the people who were incensed against him caused him extreamely to be whipped and to be shewed to the people in that plight with these words Behold the man to let them see that Christ had receiued very sufficient correction no crime being proued against him and so to with-draw them from secking his death In crowning him with Thornes let vs aduisedly note that the Souldiers did not onely wreath him a thicke Crowne of Thornes to sticke his head full of them but after the putting it on to fasten it they did strike him on the head with their Caues In his nayling to the Crosse or crucifying let vs aduisedly obserue that besides the greatnesse and sorenesse of his wounds which were worthy to be marked they so strayned his body least hee should stirre hand or foote that all his bones might be numbred The greatnesse of his Wounds Dauid fore-sheweth in these words They digged my hands and feete noting how wide wounds they made which were rather digged then pierced How tender and sensible the hands and feete are aboue other parts of the body and what paine and anguish the pricking strayning and tearing of the Sinewes Ligaments and ●…oynts which are very thicke and full of sense in those places did breede and kindle in the whole body Nature can teach vs without any further proofe Of the racking of his Ioynts Bernard maketh this collection out of Dauid I am so strained saith Dauid in the person of Christ that my body naked being stret●…hed like the head of a Timbrell or Drum all my bones may be numbred all my bones are out of ioynt or pulled one from th●…ther In this horrible torment of Stripes Thornes Wounds Sinewes and Ioynts our Sauiour hung on the Crosse aboue three houres in most perfect sense with extreame paine vntill the very instant that hee miraculously breathed out his Soule Hee who shortneth and lightneth the force of torments in his Saints when they be grieuous in his owne would doe neyther hee spared not himselfe who knew how to spare his hee dyed not by degrees as his Saints doe his Senses did not decay no pangs of death tooke holde vpon him but in perfect sense Patience and Obedience both of body and soule hee did voluntarily by his infinite power resigne his Spirit as he