Selected quad for the lemma: nature_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
nature_n	assume_v	divine_a	union_n	2,494	5	9.4017	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A19503	Pathmos: or, A commentary on the Reuelation of Saint Iohn diuided into three seuerall prophecies. The first prophecie contained in the fourth, fift, sixt and seuenth chapters. By Mr. William Cowper, Bishop of Galloway.	Cowper, William, 1568-1619.	1619 (1619)	STC 5931; ESTC S108985	231,291	374

the Lord replenish them with his new consolations They went weeping and carried precious seed but they shall returne with ioy end bring their sheaues The matter of his comfort is taken from Christ so long as he looked to the creatures he found nothing but matter of mourning so shall it be with all them who seeke comfort in the creature as it was with that woman diseased of the bloudy yssue she spent all that she had on the Physicians but in vaine she was neuer healed of her disease till she came to Christ. And here we haue Christ two waies described first as Saint Iohn heares of him secondly as hee sees him The Elder who describes him speaketh of Christ out of Moses and the Prophets so do all they who speake by the Spirit of God Nec ipsi quidem Apostoli de suo arbitrio quicquam quod inducerent eligerunt Yea the Apostles themselues tooke not this liberty to bring into the Church anything of their owne but as they receiued from Christ so they deliuered to vs. Hic primum per Prophetas deinde per s●…ipsum postea per Apostolos quantum satis esse i●…dicauit loquutus est And Christ Iesus first by his Prophets next by himselfe last by his Apostles hath spoken as much as he thought to be sufficient so that now Non relictus est hominum eloquiis de Dei rebus alius praeterquā Dei sermo There is no other speech of diuine things left vnto man but the Word of God Let no man be wise aboue that which is written That he calls our Lord The Lyon which is of the Tribe of Iuda hee takes it from Moses and againe that he calls him The roote of Dauid he takes it from Esay He is called a Lyon to the terror of his enemies and comfort of his owne Satan is called also by Saint Peter A deuouring Lyon but like the Lyon which Samson slew and that other which Dauid slew and pulled his sheep out of his mouth These were sigures of our Lord who hath ouercome the Deuill and trampleth Satan vnder the feet of his Saints It was a fearefull sight at the first which Ioshua saw at Iericho a man standing before him with a sword in his hand but when Ioshua demanded Art thou on our side or against vs and receiued this answere As a Captaine of the Lords host I am now come out of all doubt it did greatly confirme him And heere at the first it may seeme fearefull that Christ is called a Lyon but marke that in the next verse he is called a Lambe A Lyon hee is in respect of his enemies to vanquish them teare them in pieces A Lambe hee is in respect of his me●…knesse patience and willingnesse to suffer for his owne And therefore he is not simply called a Lyon but A Lyon of the Tribe of Iuda Naturallists haue obserued that Lyons are not cruell against their owne kind yea they spare beasts of another kind that subiect themselues vnto them If we be the true Israelites of God and submit our selues vnto him the Lyon of Iuda his Tribe shall not be terrible vnto vs the greater his power is the greater shall be our comfort The other stile giuen vnto him is The roote of Dauid where it comes to be considered how Christ is called the Roote of Dauid sith by the Prophet Esay hee is called a graffe or branch springing out of the root of Iesse Yea there in one chapter the Messia is called the roote of Iesse and Iesse againe the roote of the Messia but this is in different respects He is a branch springing out of the stocke of Iesse for from him hee tooke his humane nature and he is also a stock into the which Iesse and all his fathers according to the flesh had their being As man he tooke his flesh from them as God he gaue them their beeing This is the question which our Sauior demanded of the Pharises and they could not answer How the Messia could be Dauid his sonne and also Dauid his Lord The Lord said to my Lord Sit at my right hand vntill I make thy enemies thy foot stoole For as Man hee is the sonne of Dauid and so is the branch but as God he is Dauid his Lord and so is the root And that our Lord was made man of the seede of Dauid is most comfortable for vs hee might haue created a new nature which had neuer sinned but now he hath assumed the nature that was once sinful and hath fully separated it from sinne to ioyne it in a personall and eternall vnion with his owne diuine nature for the holy Ghost who ouershadowed the Virgine could very well discerne between the seed of Dauid in the Virgins wombe and the sinfull corruption of that seed He tooke the seed without the sinne and of it formed the body of Iesus and therefore Theod●…ret bringing in Fla●…anus expounding the Angels words to Mary speakes in this manner Non cogites corporalem contactum nec consuetudinem coni●…galem expecta nam tuus Fabricator templum suum corporeum quod ex te nascetur fabricabit thinke not of any corporall touching looke not for any carnall coniunction He that made thee wil make to himselfe a bodily temple which shall be borne of thee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And this should serue to assure vs that he who hath assumed our nature and sanctified it fully from all sin that it might be vnited to himselfe shall in his own good time free our nature from all corruption of sin and present vs without spot or blame to his Father that wee may liue a happy life in holy fellowship and communion for euer with him The Papists not vnderstanding this doctrine spoyle vs of this comfort in affirming that the virgin Mary of whom our Lord tooke our nature was without sinne A false doctrine vnknowne to antiquitie It began in the dayes of Bernard hee cryes out against it in his Epistle to the Chanons of Lyons as against a noueltie a temeritie and a superstition Lubenter gloriosa Virgo tal●… carebit honore the blessed and glorious Virgin willingly will want such an honour as this Solus enim Dominus Iesus de Spiritu sancto conceptus est qui et solus ant●…conceptum sanctus quo excepto de c●…tero vniuersos respicit ex Adam natos quod vnus humiliter de seipso v●…raciter consitetur In miquitatibus inquiens conceptus sum in peccatis concepit me mater mea For onely the Lord Iesus was conceiued of the holie Ghost and hee also onely before conception was holie hee beeing excepted that pertaines to all who are borne of Adam which one of them humbly and truly confesseth of himselfe saying I was borne in iniquity and in sinne my Mother hath conceiued mee Solus Christus dicere potuit Ecce Princeps

for the saluation of the Elect. This agrees to the Analogie of faith but comes not in pertinently here for these spirituall plagues are seuerally and distinctly fore-told by themselues in the second Prophecy beginning at the eighth chapter whereas this first generall Prophecie denounceth plagues corporall or externall sword famine pestilence beasts whereby the Lord punishes the contempt of his Gospell Preached to the world by him who rideth vpon the White Horse We still keep our former ground that by the holding of the winds that they blow not a dissolution of the world and destruction of all creatures therein is here declared for if we shall compare the foure Elements among themselues albeit at all we can want none of them yet the most necessarie at least which wee may want shortest space is the Aire for it is by respiration that euery thing liueth which is endued with sense take breath away from man and beast they perish incontinent and such as haue the vegetatiue life as trees or plants without motion of the Aire they wither and decay yea without it the fire burneth not the Sea moues not but putrifies and stinkes and the creatures which are therein die So much worth to man and the creature is this one among the smallest of Gods benefites euen the benefite of the Aire which Pisida properly called a gift that could not be gotten for siluer But man not considering what he hath cannot bee thankefull Alway this with-holding of the winds that they blow not which the Angels are ready to doe if they were not stayed by a superiour power imports as we haue said the destruction of the world and all creatures therein contained which shall stand no longer then the Saints of God be once accomplished VERSE 2. And I saw another Angell come vp from the East which had the Seale of the liuing God and hee cryed with a lowd voyce to the foure Angels to whom power was giuen to hurt the earth THE Angels being thus in readinesse to fold vp the world like an old Garment as S. Dauid cals it and it being as easie to them to do it as it is for foure men hauing the foure ends of a sheete to fold it together are now discharged by a commandement from Iesus Christ till the seruants of God be sealed in their fore-heads In it we haue first a description of him who sorues the inhibition and next the inhibition it selfe Concerning him three things are noted vnto vs first that hee is an Angell next that hee commeth from the East thirdly that hee hath the Seale of the liuing God By this Angell we vnderstand the Lord Iesus Christ called by the Prophet Malachie The Angell of the Couenant It is a ridiculous thing to expound it of Constantine the Great He was a Monarch great indeed but this greatnesse is more then can be competent to a creature And this stilo is giuen to Christ not to expresse his Nature for hee assumed not the Nature of Angels but to expresse his Office for hee is that Wonderfull Counsellour The Prince of Peace the great Embassador come from the bosome of the Father to declare vnto vs the whole counsell of God concerning our saluation O how should we loue him who hath so deerely loued vs how should we honour him who hath so highly honored vs when he made vs he beautified vs with his owne Image when he redeemed vs hee assumed man his Nature not Angels Nature neither did he refuse to come downe to vs with the ambassage of mercy grace and peace from the Father The condemnation of the Iewes was great enough because they beat and stoned and killed such Messengers as God sent vnto them but much greater because they also killed his Son Hath the Lord any greater to send vs Or may we look for any other message then this Take heed we despise him not Secondly hee is said to come from the East Alluding to that which Malachie speaks of our Lord Vnto you that feare my Name shall arise the Sunne of righteousnesse and as Zacharie the father of Iohn the Baptist cals him he is that Anatole Orient or Day-spring which hath visited vs from on high Our Lord is indeed that bright shining Sunne euer rising neuer going downe whose light-some countenance euer lookes on his Church to conserue beautifie and illuminate her If the Lord should stay the light of this naturall Sunne with our Antipodes and not suffer it euery morning to arise to vs from the East as it doth how comfortlesse were our estate Palpable and heauie darkenesse should still couer the face of our earth But much more miserable had our condition beene if this Sunne of Righteousnesse had not shined vpon vs but now praised be the Lord The people which sate in darkenesse sees great light and to them who sate in the region and shadow of death light is risen vp Many famous Countries lying East are vnder horrible darkenesse but to vs now from the East light is come vnto the West long may it continue with vs. It is reported of them who dwell neere vnder the North-pole that they haue darkenesse halfe a yeere together when the Sun returneth to them they run to toppes of Mountaines where they may get the first sight thereof and welcome it with great ioy How then should we welcome this Angell comming from the East to illuminate our soules with his heauenly light which makes vs a ioyfull day which shall neuer any more be interchanged with a night Oh that we could as we should reioyce in this light Oh that we would walke in it and cast away the works of darkenesse for now the night is past and our day is begunne But alas we know not the day of our visitation this is the condemnation of many in this age That the light is come but they loue darknesse better then light Thirdly hee is said to haue the Seale of the liuing God The allusion is made here to Kings of the earth who haue their owne Secretaries and Keepers of their Seale Our Lord Iesus is priuy to all the secret counsell of his Father and hee is the keeper of the priuy Seale of the great King and with it hee stampeth none but such as are in the Booke of Life which is the Roll of Gods Elect. He hath also externall Seales such as are Baptisme and the Sacrament of the Supper with these hee marketh all that are in the Church visible The Ministerie of the externall Seales hee concredits to his seruants but the inward and priuie Seale hee reserueth to himselfe Paul may plant Apollo may water but God giueth the increase Iohn may Baptize with water but Christ is hee who baptizeth with the Holy Ghost The Iesuites of Rhemes will haue this Seale an allusion to the signe of the Crosse which the faithfull be●…re in their