Selected quad for the lemma: life_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
life_n	dead_a	sin_n	trespass_n	4,880	5	10.3889	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A90263	The branch of the Lord, the beauty of Sion: or, The glory of the Church, in it's relation unto Christ· Opened in two sermons; one preached at Berwick, the other at Edinburgh. By John Owen, minister of the Gospel.	Owen, John, 1616-1683.	1650 (1650)	Wing O715; Thomason E618_2; ESTC R203084	26,947	47

of the Type 2. Spiritually for the Church of Christ to be gathered to him out of all Nations the House wherein Juge sacrificium a continuall spirituall sacrifice is to be offered to him This is peculiarly intended so then observe 1. Christs Church of Saints of believers is God's House 2. The Church of Christ under the Gospel is to be gathered out of all Nations 3. There are established Ordinances and appointed Worship for the Church of Christ under the Gospell It is the first that I shall speak unto Christs Church of Saints of believers is God's House That his Church is of Saints and Believers will appear in the issue By the Church of Christ I understand trimarily the whole Multitude of them who antecedently are chosen of his Father and given unto him Consequently are redeemed called and justified in his blood The Church which he loved and gave himself for it that he might sanctifie and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word That he might present it unto himself a glorious Church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing but that it should be holy and without blemish Ephes. 5. 25 26. And secondarily also every holy Assembly of mount Sion whereunto the Lord Christ is made beauty and glory every particular Church of his Saints inasmuch as they partake the nature of the whole being redeemed by his blood Acts 20. 28. That this Church belongs unto God I shall onely leave evidenced under the claim whereby he here appropriates it to himself he calls it His My House That it is his House I shall further demonstrate Three things are required to making of a House 1. A Foundation 2. Materialls for a superstruction 3. An orderly framing of both into an usefull building And all these concurre to the Church of Christ 1. It hath a Foundation I have laid the Foundation faith Paul 1. Cor. 3. 10. and other Foundation can no man lay save that which is laid which is Jesus Christ V. II. That Which Paul laid ministerially God himself laid primarily and efficiently Thus saith the Lord God Behold I lay in Sion for a Foundation a stone a tried stone a precious Corner stone a sure Foundation Isa. 28. 16. Now this Foundation is no other but the Rock upon which the Church is built Math. 16. 18. which makes it impregnable to the Gates of hell communicating strength and permanency continually to every part of the building 2. A Foundation onely will not make a House there must also be Materials for a superstrustion Those you have 1. Pet. 2. 5. you are saith he lively stones All Gods Elect are stones in due time to be hewed and fitted for this building For 3. Materials themselves will not serve they must be fitly framed and wisely disposed or they will be an Heap not an House This then is not wanting Ye are built upon the Foundation of the Prophets and the Apostles Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone in whom the whole building fitly framed together groweth into an holy Temple in the Lord in whom also ye are builded together for an habitation to God by the spirit Ephes. 2. 20 21 22. There is much spirituall and heavenly Architecture in these 3. verses I shall onely touch on some particulars 1. The Foundation of this House this Temple is laid and that is Jesus Christ other Foundation can no man lay He is here called the chief corner stone and the Foundation of the Prophets and Apostles It is not which they were but which they laid It is Genetivus efficiculis not materiae That expression holds out the persons working not the thing wrought 2. The Materials of this Building Elect believers said in the former verse to be fellow citizens with the Saints and of the houshold of God they alone are built on Christ and thereby have union with him not one dead rotten stone in all this Building as shall be declared 3. The Architects or builders are of two sorts 1. Principall the Spirit we are framed to an habitation for God by the Spirit He is the principall Workman in this Fabrick without him is not one stone laid therein 2. Secundary and Instrumentall the Prophets and Apostles and this they were two wayes 1. Personally in their severall Generations this was their work their labour to lay the Foundation and carry on the building of this House 2. Doctrinally so they labour in it to this very day Their Doctrine in the Scripture holds out the onely Foundation and the onely way of building thereon 4. The manner of the building it is fitly framed together {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} closely joynted and knit in together sweetly closed together with Christ the head from which all the Body by joynts and hands having nourishment ministred and knit together increaseth with the increase of God Col 2. 19. 5. What kind a House it is It receiveth here a twofold Title 1. an holy Temple 2. an habitation or a Tabernacle because of it's allusion to both those holy places of the worship of God fulfilling the Types of them both Hence it is most evident that this Church of Christ is a House and being appropriated unto God God's House To make this the more evident I shall do these two things 1. Shew you what are the chief Properties of this House 2. Declare what is the Relation wherein Jesus Christ stands to this House having called it all along the Church of Christ 1. For the Properties or chief qualities of this House they are three 1. It is a living House 2. it is strong 3. it is glorious 1 It is a living House Unto whom coming as unto a living stone yee also as lively stones are built up a spirituall House 1 Pet 2 4 5. Christ the foundation is a living Stone and they that are built upon him are living stones Hence they are said to grow together into an House Growth is a signe of life Growing from an inward Principle such as the Growth of any thing is such is its life the Groweth of this House is spirituall so therefore also is its life it lives with a spirituall life a life whose fulnesse is in its foundation he hath life in himself Joh 5. 26 and from him in them I am crucified with Christ neverthelesse I live Gal 2 22 yea it is himself in them yet not I but Christ liveth in me It is true those stones are dead in the Rock as well as others by nature Children of wrath as well as they Ephes. 2 3 being dead in Trespasses and sins v 1. He who Hews them our gives them life He quickens them when dead in trespasses and sin There is not one rotten dead stone in all this building However some such may by the advantage of their outward appearance croud in yet they are not of the House it self 2. It is a strong House the Gates of Hell cannot prevail against it Mat. 1. 6 18. though the

and diligence lay one stone upon it There is Life required to those stones which none can give but Christ The Father hath given into his hand alone to give life eternall to whom he will Joh. 17. 2. He alone can turn stones into children of Abraham To him is committed all dispensation of quickning power He brings us from the dust of death and no man hath quickned his own soul With spiritual power all spirituall life is vested in Christ If dead stones live it must be by hearing the voyce of the Son of God Christ's building of his mysticall House is his giving life unto dead stones or rather being life unto them Of those who will attempt to build themselves and draw a Principle of spirituall life from the broken Cisterns of Nature I shall speak afterwards For the second or the communion of living stones one with another and all with Christ in the Order and Worship appointed by the Gospel so becoming Assemblies and dwelling places of Mount Sion this also is of him This is for his outward solemn Worship and he would never allow that the will of any creature should be the measure of his Honour He sets up the Candlesticks and holds the Starres in his hand Look to the Institution of this building it is from Christ Look for Directions about this building it is wholly from him From him his Word his Spirit is the Institution Direction and Perfection of it from hence now take some Observations 1. Is Christ the Builder of this House Can hee alone ●it us for this Building Can he alone and that by his Almighty Power put li●e into dead stones that they may grow up to bee a holy and living Habitation unto him what then becomes of that famous workman Freewill and a power of believing in our selves do not they work effectually in this Temple As it was in Salomons Temple there was neither Axe nor Hammer nor any Tool of Iron heard în it all the while it was in building 1. Kings 6. 7. So in this spi●●●ual House that Iron Tool of Freewill is not once heard It comes not nigh the work Christ doth all alone He gives life to whom he pleases Shall a dead wil● be thought to have a quickning life-giving power in it Shall a Spirit of life be spun out of the Bowels of Nature Is it the will of man or the will of God that drawes men unto Christ And is it Spirit or flesh that unites us to him Where then is this workman employed that makes all this noyse in the world Even there where men cry Go to let us build a City and a Tower whose top may reach to Heaven Gen 11 4 amongst those who would build a Babel a Tower of their own to get to Heaven by The Lord comes down and scatters all their under-takings This Workman never placed Stone in the House of Christ Nay it is like the foolish woman that pu●s down her house with both her hands what Free grace sets up that Freewill strives to demolish 3. See hence a great mistake of many poor Creatures who would fain be stones in this House what course take they They Hew and square themselves strive to cut off this and that rubbish which as they suppose alone hinders them from being fitted to this building They pare themselves with vows promises resolutions and engagements beautifie themselves with duties and services and then with many perplexing feares present themselves to the building never knowing whether they are admitted or no All this while the great Master Builder stands by scarsely dealt withal What now is the issue of such Attempts what they build one day fals down in another When they have oftentimes in their own thoughts brought the Building to such a passe as that they are ready to think it will be well with them now surely they shal have a share Interest in this living glorious House when all on the suddain they fal again to the ground their Hopes wither and they suppose themselves in the worlds rubbish again There is no end of this Alternation Would now this poor soul see where its great defect lyes It hath not applyed it self aright to the only Builder Wouldest thou be a stone in this Fabrick lay thy self before the Lord Jesus say to him that thou art in thy self altogether unfit for the great Building he hath in hand tha thou hast often attempted to put thy self upon it but all in vain Now Lord Jesus do thou take me into thine own Hand if thou castest me away I cannot complain I must justifie thee in all thy ways but thou callest things that are not as though they were Thou turnest dead stones into Children of Abraham Oh turn my dead into a living stone Fear not He will in no wise cast thee out The vanity of men attempting to mixe their Power and Wisedome in the heaping up Tabernacles for Christ might be hence discovered but I forbear 3. Jesus Christ is the great Watchman or Keeper of this House There are indeed other Watchmen and that of God's own appointment for the use of this House Son of man I have set thee a Watchman Ezek. 2. 11. I have set Watchmen upon thy walls Isa 61. 6 7. which in a speciall manner are the Pastors of the Churches they watch Heb. 13. 17. As the Priests and Levits heretofore kept the watch of the Lord It cannot be denyed but that many who have taken upon them to be these Watchmen have watched onely for their own advantage have been very dogs yea dumb dogs the very worst of dogs Isa. 66. 10. yea they have been and oftentimes are under various pretences great smiters and wounders of the Spouse of Christ Cant 5. but yet were they never so good and true to their Trusts they were never able all to watch and keep this House had it not another Watchman Except the Lord keep the City these Watchmen watch in vain Psal. 127. 1. He that keepeth Israel who doth neither slumber nor sleep must keep this House or it will be destroyed Christ then is that Holy One and that WATCHER that came down from Heaven and commanded to cut down the tree and the branches Dan. 4. 13 14. Nebuchadnezzar and his great power for medling with this House Now Christ watcheth this House for two ends 1. To see what it wants 2. Cor. 16. 9. The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to shew himself strong in its behalf He looks down from heaven to behold them that fear him Psal. 14. He is that Stone upon which are seven Eyes Zech. 3. 9. A sufficiency in perfection of wisedome inspection and government for the good of his House And those seven eyes of his run to and fro through the whole earth for this very purpose Zech. 4. 10. He takes notice of the state and condition of his People to eye them in all their distresses and to give them timely