Selected quad for the lemma: nation_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
nation_n	merciful_a	people_n	praise_v	2,175	5	10.5945	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A95869	Christ and the Church: or Parallels, in three books. In the first ye have the harmony between Christ and the foregoing types, by which he was fore-shadowed in the Old Testament, both persons and things. In the second the agreement between Christ and other things, to which he is compared in the holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament. In the third the agreement between the Church and the types, by which it was foreshadowed in the Old Testament; and other resemblances, by which it is set forth in the holy Scriptures. By Henry Vertue, M.A. rector of Alhallows Hony-lane.	Vertue, Henry, d. 1660.	1659 (1659)	Wing V274; Thomason E975_1; ESTC R203902	335,049	439

also the transcendent love of Christ to us Gentiles in that he looked upon us in our low condition that though we were so mean yet he was pleased so farre to have respect to us as to espouse us unto himself what a dignation was it of King Ahashuerosh to set his affection upon Esther a poor Captive Jewish maid Est 2. to make her his Wife and Queen in stead of Vashti but that is nothing to this in hand in respect of the infinite difference between Christ and all the Grandies and Magnies of the World We see how God commends his love to the Jewes under this notion in that though their father was an Amorite Ezek. 16.2 3 c. to Vers 12 and their mother an Hittite yet even then when they were in their blood their navel not cut nor they washt in water to supple them nor swadled at all but were cast out into the open field to the loathing of their person even then he spread his skirt over her and covered her nakednesse and sware to her and entred into a Covenant with her and washed her with water annointed her with oile and cloathed her with embroydered work and shod her with badgers skin and girded her about with fine linnen and covered her with silk and decked her with ornaments and put bracelets on her hand and a chain on her neck and a jewel on her forehead and ear-rings on her eares and a beautiful crown on her head This is the plain case of us Gentiles and the gratious dignation of Christ towards us what then more equal then that we should break forth into expressions of joy and thankfulness as that blessed Virgin did Luk. 1.46 47 48. My soul doth magnifie the Lord and my spirit rejoyces in God my Saviour for he hath regarded the low estate of his hand-maiden yea and we may add concerning the Jewes and our selves as the Virgin in her Song Vers 52 53 He hath put down the mighty from their seates and hath exalted the lowly and meek he hath filled the hungry with good things and the rich he hath sent empty away The Jewes were mighty but he hath put them down us Gentiles being low he hath exalted us being poor and hungry he hath filled with good things The Jewes that formerly were rich he hath sent empty away And so according to the twofold sign given to Gideon whereas in the old Testament the dew was onely upon the fleece and the whole floor was dry now in the times of the New Testament the dew is upon the whole floor and the fleece is dry Admire we this gracious dispensation of God to us Gentiles and in this respect fail not to obey that Prophetical exhortation Psal 117.1 2 O praise the Lord all ye nations praise him all ye people for his merciful kindness is great towards us Let us learn since Christ was not ashamed of us in our low condition therefore not to be ashamed of Christ because of that low estate to which he voluntarily submitted himself and in which as man he was for a while but believe in him and glory in the profession of his name Let Jewes Turkes and Pagans object it to us never so much that we trust in a crucified Saviour yet let us not be moved at it but go on so to do hear we how Saint Paul stands affected in this respect 1 Cor. 2.2 I desire saies he to know nothing but Christ and him crucified And speaking of his ministry 1 Cor. 1.23 he glories in this We preach Christ crucified And in opposition to the false Apostles who desired to have the Galathians circumcised Gal. 6 13 Vers 14. that they might glory in their flesh he adds But as for me God forbid that I should glory in any thing save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ And this minde let us bear Learn we in imitation of our blessed Saviour not to despise any because of their external meannesse as he did not despise us Gentiles for this but notwithstanding it hath espoused us to himself In whom we finde any thing of Christ let us love them though never so mean and bestow our endeavours to draw others to Christ though in any respect they be never so mean never so wicked Lastly as we desire to render our selves amiable in the eyes of Christ our Boaz let us forsake our Countrey and Kindred our Fathers house even our dearest and nearest relations the things and persons that are dearest unto us especially our darling sins to which we have been most addicted in the committing of which we have formerly taken most content yet also all other things wealth honour life parents brethren Sisters friends if it shall happen that there shall be a competition between Christ and them if they shall at any time seek to draw us away from Christ in this case forget them forsake them abandon them Now shall Christ our husband count us lovely take content in us otherwise not Luk. 14.26 hear we our Saviour saying as much If any man comes to me and hates not father mother wife children brethren yea and his own life also he cannot be my disciple Hitherto we have seen the Types of the Church CHAP. V. NOw follow other resemblances by which the Church is set forth in the Scriptures of the old or new Testament and these I shall propound to you in an Alphabetical order The Church and a Body We have the Church frequently in Scripture spoken of as a Body as where it s said There is one Body Eph. 4.4 Vers 12. Vers 16. and again For the edification of the Body of Christ And again From whom the whole body c. And the resemblance between the Church and a Body stands in sundry things 1. In the unity of the whole 1 Cor. 12.12 The members of the natural body are many and divers and their offices divers yet they all make but one body being all knit together by sinews joynts nerves So the members of the Church are many and divers in sundry respects yet they make onely one body one Church they being all knit together in one as by sinewes and nerves by sundry bands the band of one Faith the band of Charity the band of Baptisme and the Lords Supper the band of their several Vocations by which they serve one another and these are properly Religious bands Church-bands by means of which this Mystical body is one Eph. 4.4 and the Church one as our Saviour saies My dove my undefiled is but one Cant. 6.9 Ecclesiā unam And so is it taught in the Nicene Creed to believe one Church Nor doth the multitude and variety of members hinder the unity of this body In the Divine Essence there are three Persons really distinct yet but one God In the Person of Christ there are two Natures Humane and Divine as different as Heaven and Earth Infinite and Finite and

Rom. 3.1 2 or what profit is there of Circumcision he returns this Answer Very much every way chiefly because to them were committed the Oracles of God But to the Ephesians as Gentiles and consequently to all the Gentiles in them he says At that time namely before they had received the Faith of Christ ye were without Christ being Aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel Eph. 2.12 and strangers from the Covenant of Promise having no Hope and without God in the World And in this respect he says to the Ephesians Ye were Darkness Eph. 5.8 namely while they remained in their Gentilism Thus it was once but how is it now Hear the Apostle Tit. 2.11 The Grace of God hath appeared to all men Rom. 10.12 for there is now no difference in this respect of Jew and Greek Gal. 3.28 but Jew and Greek are all one in Christ Jesus Or if there be any difference between them it is this That Blindness is in part happened to Israel Rom. 11.25 but the Gentiles have their eyes opened Acts 26.18 and are brought from Darkness to Light and therefore the Apostle says to the Ephesians Now are ye light in the Lord Eph. 5.8 and to the Thessalonians Ye are all the Children of the Light 1 Thes 5.5 and Children of the Day we are not of the Night nor of Darkness So that that double sign given to Gideon is here accomplished The knowledg of the Rule of Godliness was given to the Jews and denyed to all the rest of the World as the dew fell on the fleece Judg. 6.38 when all the floor was dry but now it 's granted to the Body of the Gentiles and denyed to the Jews for the generality of them as the whole floor was filled with dew and the fleece is dry Verse 40 Saint Chrysostom takes notice of this difference 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Vetus canticum unius populi finibus circumscriptum erat sed novum per omnem terram incedit ab universo decantatur orbe To. 3. Hom. in Psal 96. The old Song says he was confined in the bounds of one little Country namely Palestine but the new Song goes through the whole Earth and is sung by the whole World Let us Gentiles be sensible of the great Mercy of God shewed unto us in that we who were far are now brought nigh by the blood of Christ We that were once strangers and foreigners Eph. 2.13 1● are now made fellow Citizens of the Saints and of the Houshold of God We that once sat in darkness Matth. 4.16 and in the region of the shadow of death have had the Light shining upon us How forlorn was our Condition before how great is our Preferment now Harken we now to that Prophetical Exhortation of David O praise the Lord Psalm 117.1 all ye Nations praise him all ye People Time was when the Jews justly contended with us Gentiles for a sole interest in God as the Servants of Abimelech with the Servants of Isaac about those two Wells Gen. 26.20 21 Esek and Situah saying The Wells are ours and the Water is ours so they said God is ours and his Word is ours what have ye Gentiles to do to claim an interest in either Verse 22 At last Isaac's Servants found a Well about which there was no contention and they called it Rehoboth saying God hath made room for us in the Land and so may we Gentiles say Now hath God made room for us in the Church and now we have as deep an interest in God and in his Word as ever the Jews had Fail we not therefore to praise God for his Mercy unto us 3. There is yet another difference in the Administration of this Rule of Godliness scil That it is now more clearly revealed to us then it was to the Jews in the Time of the Old Testament It was then propounded to them in dark Types and obscure Prophesies but to us the Types are vanished and the shadows are fled away so that we may with open face behold the Glory of God 2 Cor. 3.18 Saint Paul takes notice of this difference To this day says he remains the Vail untaken away in the reading of the Old Testament Verse 14 which Vail is taken away in Christ. And this is noted in that The Vail of the Temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom Matth. 27.51 at the Death of Christ and elsewhere he says The Mystery was kept secret since the World began Ro. 16.25 26 but is now made manifest and made known to all Nations And so Saint Chrysostome The Writings of the Prophets says he are like Riddles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Aenigmatibus similes sunt prophetici libri multisque difficultatibus obseptum est vetus Testamentum nec faciles intellectu sunt libri facilius autem dilucidius est Novum To. 3. de Prophetiar obscurit Homil. 1. Gratia novi Testamenti in lege velabatur in Evangelio revelatur Tom. 8. in Psal 144. In Vetere Testamento novum latet in nove vetus patet To. 4. quaest in Exod. q. 73. Testamenta eadem sunt in vetere in novo ibi obumbrata hic revelata ibi praefigurata hic manifestata non solum enim sacramenta diversa sunt sed promissa ibi videntur temporalia proponi quibus spirituale praemium occulte significatur hic autem manifestissime proponuntur spiritualia aeterna Tom. 4. super Numeros q. 33. Quae in Veteri Testamento minus perspicua sunt jam nunc illustrata solvuntur quae umbris adhuc futurarum rerum opacabantur jam factarum luce manifestantur To. 6. Cont. faust l. 13. c. 10. and the Old Testament is hem'd in with obscurity and the Books of the Old Testament are not easie to be understood but the New Testament is more easie and clear And so Saint Austin The Grace of the new Testament was vailed in the Law and is revealed in the Gospel And again In the old Testament the new lyes hid in the new Testament the old is laid open And again The Testaments are the same saies he in the old and in the new but there shadowed here revealed there prefigured here manifested for not alone the Sacraments are divers but also there temporal promises seem to be propounded by which the spiritual reward is in an hidden way signified but here Spiritual and Eternal rewards are most manifestly set forth And again ' The things which are lesse Perspicuous in the old Testament are illustrated and cleared now and the things that were darkned with the shadowes of things to come are manifested by the light of the things already done To this which hath been said as a ground of the foregoing difference I shall add 4. Another and that the last difference in the administration of this rule of godlinesse which is that