Selected quad for the lemma: nature_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
nature_n	body_n	person_n	unite_v	3,343	5	9.7470	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77358	The vvorks of William Bridge, sometime fellow of Emmanuel Colledge in Cambridge, now preacher of the Word of God at Yarmouth. The third volumn. [sic] Viz. 1. The spiritual life, and in-being of Christ in all believers. 2. The woman of Canaan.	Bridge, William, 1600?-1670.; Greenhill, William, 1591-1671.	1649 (1649)	Wing B4447; Thomason E471_2; ESTC R205749; ESTC R24233	115,073	169

beleever Fourthly You must know this That there is a great-deal of difference between the In-being of a Spiritual thing in a Material and the In-being of one Material or Corporial thing in another I shall make it as plain as I can and it will be of concernment to you Take a body now and let that be mixt with another and each part may say I am that which I am joyned to but take the Spirit or a Spiritual Being and let that be mixt with a more Material Being and then the Material Being cannot say I am the Spirit and the Spirit I am the Matter As now ye see in the great Union between the Soul and the Body the Soul is in every part of a man tota in toto the Soul saies the Philosopher is wholly in every part the whole soul of man being in every part of the body yet notwithstanding the Body cannot say I am the Soul nor the Soul cannot say I am the Body because they are thus united together Why because here is an Union of a Spiritual thing with a more Material which does keep the Natures distinct Or thus give me leave to expresse it to ye Iron and Fire being joyned together your Fire is in every part of the Iron and yet notwithstanding though the Fire be in every part of the Iron the Iron cannot say I am the Fire nor the Fire cannot say I am the Iron Why because here is a more Spiritual Body in a more Material Body and so the Natures are kept distinct Or if you will yet farther Ye see the Light in the Air the Light is more Spiritual than the Air and the Light is in every part of the Air yet notwithstanding the Air cannot say I am the Light nor the Light cannot say I am the Air but these two are kept distinct Why because here is an Union of that which is more Spiritual unto that which is more Materiall So I say here Though Christ be really United unto each Beleever yet notwithstanding the soul of a Belever is more Material though not in it self Material yet in respect of Christ the soul is a grosse Nature in regard of the Spirit of Chirst and being thus therefore united these Natures are kept distinct the Spirit of Christ is kept distinct from the Nature of the soul and the soul from the Nature of the Spirit and therefore the soul of a Beleever though united really unto Christ by the Spirit cannot say I am the Spirit or I am Christ Object But if we look will some say into the 17. chapter of John our Lord and Saviour Christ seems to speak this way at the 20 and 21. verses Neither pray I for these alone saies he but for them also which shall beleeve on me through their word That they all may be one as thou Father art in me and I in thee that they also may be one in us Here Christ prayes That Beleevers may be one with him as he and the Father were one but if Christ be really united to each Beleever by his Spirit What difference is there between this Vnion and the Hypostatical Vnion the second Person was united unto our Nature to our Flesh and if now Christ be united unto a Beleever by his Spirit which is the Third Person What is the difference between the Hypostatical Vnion and the Vnion of a Beleever with Christ by the Spirit Answ 1 Much every way For take a Beleever and though Christ be United unto a Beleever really by his Spirit yet notwithstanding the Beleever is not said to be Assumed the Spirit doth not Assume the heart of a Beleever as the second Person did Assume our flesh and though we are united unto Christ by the spirit yet not said to be Assumed by the spirit Again Though Christ be really united unto each Beleever yet it is no Personal Union as the Hypostatical Union is A man is a Person before he is United so unto Christ by the spirit but now Christs Soul and Body they were not a Person before United unto the Second Person but the Soul and Body of Christ and the second Person in the Trinitie United together make up one Person I say that is a Personal Union all making up but one Person But now a Beleever he is a Person before his Union with Christ by the spirit he is a Person a Wicked Person but he is a Person Again The Union that is between Christ and a Beleever it is in respect of the other Union an Accidental Union Christ United unto the soul by Faith by the intervening of Grace and Accidents But now the second Person was United unto our Nature and unto our Flesh not by the intervening of any Grace or any Accident but their Substance was United unto Substance by the Second Person I say it was not an Union by the intervening of any Grace for though all graces were in Christ yet the union of the second Person to our flesh is not by the intervening of any Grace Faith or the like but now our union to Christ is by the intervening of Grace of faith and so this union is but an Accidental union in regard of that Again Though Christ be united unto all Beleevers by his Spirit yet he is so far united unto a beleever as to make him a member of the Body only But the second Person was United unto our Nature and unto our flesh to make Christ the Mediator Indeed if God were United to man for far as to make him Mediator between God and Man then he might say I am God and I am Christ but I say this Union being Voluntary he does so far Unite himself unto the soul of a Beleever as to make him a Member of the Body only and not a Mediator But when the Second Person was United to our Nature the Union was to make the Person a Mediator And thus ye see there is a great deal of Difference between that Hypostatical Union and this Mystical Union of a Beleever And whereas it is said in that 17. of John That Christ praies that we may be one with him as he is with the Father That they all may be one as thou Father art in me and I in thee that they also may be one I answer This is an As of Similitude and not of Equallity Christ praies unto the Father that Beleevers may be one with him not by way of Equallitie that a Beleever should be Equallie one with Christ as Christ is with the Father for then Christ should pray that a Beleever might be worshipped too which he never did and if that Christ here should pray that a Beleever might be one with Christ as Christ with the Father in regard of Equallitie then Christ should pray that a Beleever should be one with him from Eternity for saies he unto his Father in the beginning of the chapter Glorify me with thy self with the same glory which I had with thee before

Jer. 31.19.2 Cor. 13.5 Smiting himself upon his thigh saying Oh! what have I done And in that of the Epistle to the Corinthians it is said Know ye not how that Christ is in you unless ye be reprobates That is unless ye be Reprobates ye may know that Christ is in you A Reprobate indeed does not reflect upon his own action but as a beast he goes on he Prayes may be and does not reflect upon his Prayer when he hath done He Hears the Word and does not reflect upon his Hearing when he hath done he Sins against God and does not reflect upon his own action and Sin smiting himselfe upon his thigh saying Oh! what have I done But now every godly gracious man does thus reflect upon his own action and is able to do it So then take the Argument in the whole and it lies thus If a godly gracious man have all the Essential Properties of those Three lives in a spiritual way and manner then certainly he is in the state of life and does live a spiritual life Now as ye have heard Every godly gracious man hath all the Essential Properties of al these Three lives in a spiritual way and manner and therefore certainly he does live a spiritual life he is in the state of life Quest 3 But how may it appear that others are not in this state of life that a wicked man is not in the state of life that a wicked man is a dead man spiritually dead that the godly and the godly only are made partakers of this spiritual life and that others are not Answ Our Lord and Savior Christ does speak expresly Ye will not come to me that ye may have life Joh. 5.40 But look into the 3. Chapter of John and the 36. verse and ye shall find these words He that beleeveth on the Son hath everlasting life and he that beleeveth not the Son shall not see life Shall not see life mark those words he shall not come within the view or sight of life or of the good things of life He does not barely say He shall not live No but he shall not see life he shall not see the good things of life So that plainly then He that beleeveth not is a dead man spiritually a dead man and lives not this spiritual life Object But all motion does not come from life can a man act move and work and not be alive Even wicked men they Pray and they Hear and they Reade and they Meditate and they Act and Move and worke towards God and they do many good things and have many Moral vertues and can all this be and yet no life in them Answ Yes For ye know a Watch or a Jack or a Clock they all move and act and work and yet they have no life Though a wicked man may act and move and work towards God yet notwithstanding that motion does but arise from the natural perfection that is left in him by the fall Take a Civil man and though he have many moral vertues what is there in him that lies beyond the reach of Nature with the dye of Gospel-Education Put now this Spiritual life it is a Supernatural perfection Indeed it is said of Hypocrites They have a Name to live I but they are dead they are accounted living but they live not why because they are not united unto Christ by the Spirit which is the other property of the Spiritual life This Spiritual life I say It is the Supernatural perfection of the Soul whereby a man is able to act and move and work towards God as his utmost end Now there is no wicked man that is able to move towards God as his utmost end for as the Schools well speak wicked men they do Use what they should Enjoy that is God and they do Enjoy what they should Use that is the World What wicked man is there in all the world that is able to move and work towards God as his last and his utmost end There is a Twofold End There is an Hither-End or a Proxie and a Remote-End A Hithermost-End and a Remote or ones Utmost End A wicked man indeed he may have God at the Hither-End of his action but Himself is at the Utmost End Look I pray into the 2 of Samuel the 3. Chapter at the 17 18. verses and there you shall reade to this purpose Abner had communication with the Elders of Israel saying Ye sought for David in times past to be King over you Now then do it for the Lord hath spoken of David saying By the hand of my servant David I will save my people Israel Here now he hath God in his eye and the fulfilling of the Lords promise here is one End why he would bring about the Kingdom to David For the Lord hath spoken of David saying By the hand of my servant David I will save my people Israel But now look a little higher and you shall see what his Utmost End was in bringing about the Kingdom to David He fals out with the son of Saul and Sauls son comes to him and saies Wherefore hast thou gone in unto my fathers concubine verse 7. Whereupon Abner was very angry at the 8. verse Then was Abner very wrath for the words of Ishbosheth and said Am I a dogs head which against Judah doth shew kindness this day unto the house of Saul thy father to his brethren and to his friends and have not delivered thee into the hand of David that thou chargest me to day with a fault concerning this woman So do God to Abner and more also except as the Lord hath sworn to David even so do I to him to translate the kingdom from the house of Saul and to set up the Throne of David over Israel Mark Here was Self he would be revenged of him Indeed he set God at the Hither-End of the action but it was Self that was at the Utmost End of the action And so it is with a wicked man though he may have God at the Hither-End of his action yet Himself is at the Utmost End of his action 'T is not so with a godly gracious man but though Self may be at the Hither-End of his action God is the Utmost End and if you ask him Neighbor Friend why do you thus Pray and Hear and Reade and Meditate Oh! saies he that my poor soul may be comforted for I am one that am of a troubled spirit Well but why would you be comforted I would therefore be comforted That I might serve God the better Here his own comfort is at the begining of the action but God is at the utmost-end Take a wicked man I say and though he doth act and move and work towards God yet he wants a supernatural perfection he is not united to Christ by the Spirit he does not act and move towards God as his utmost-end But now every godly gracious man doth and therefore He and He