Selected quad for the lemma: nature_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
nature_n	flesh_n	person_n	union_n	3,543	5	9.2603	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77221	Comfort from the cradle, as well as from the crosse of Christ. Being meditations upon Isaiah 9.6. / The substance whereof was delivered in two sermons. Preacht at VVinchester upon the feast of the Nativitie last past. By Tho. Bradley Dr in Divinitie, lately one of His Majesties chaplaines, and Rector of Castleford and Ackworth neere Pontefract in Yorke-shire.	Bradley, Thomas, 1597-1670.	1651 (1651)	Wing B4130; Thomason E637_1; ESTC R19661	52,275	95

the mystery of godlinesse and what 's that 2 Cor. 5.19 God manifested in the flesh Joh. 1.4 God in Christ reconciling the world unto himselfe 2 Cor. 5. The Word made flesh Joh. 1. A mystery indeed which the Angels themselves desire to looke into 1 Pet. 1.12 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith the Originall to pry into to the very bottome implying that the farther they pry into it the farther they may and the more still they discover of the mysterie affording matter of admiration even to those Angelicall spirits And although wee are not able to looke so farre into this great mystery as those Angelicall spirits are nor to discover so much of it as they doe yet let it be seriously lookt into and the discerning spirit will easily perceive how in this high mystery all the most glorious Attributes of Almighty God doe meet together and worke together and in most eminent manner display themselves how his wisedome his power his justice and his grace are all set aworke in this great designe and the result of them all is just the burthen of the Angels song Glory to God on high peace on earth beneath Luk. 2.14 and towards men good will 1 First his wisedome in laying the plot in contriving the way how mankind lost should be restored and saved and yet he not suffer in the honour of his truth and justice which had past against them the sentence of death In quo die commederis morte morieris Gen. 2.17 In the day that thou eatest thou shalt die the death 2 Secondly his power in bringing this about being contrived against so great oppositions so many difficulties standing in the way and effecting it with such happy successe as he hath done though it cost him deare 3 Thirdly his justice in punishing sin so severely and that in his owne Sonne being but an undertaker for it and that meerly out of his love and compassion to poore soules lost and undone that they might not perish 4 Fourthly his grace in being at such cost to save and to restore sinfull men his enemies that had so highly offended him and undone themselves All these may he that runneth read in this mystery There s in the 85. Psalme and 10. verse a sweet passage of the Prophet David Mercy and truth are met together righteousnesse and peace have kissed each other Behold in this mystery they are met together and in this glorious designe they kisse each other His mercy such that rather then mankind shall perish his owne and onely sonne shall become a Child take their nature upon him and in that nature suffer all that mankind should have suffered and doe all that hee should have done that so all this being imputed unto him he might have the benefit of it that he might be excused from suffering and accepted in the sight of God as holy as innocent and as just as if he had never offended And yet his justice such that rather then sinne shall goe unpunished hee would punish it in his owne sonne yea and that with great severity too he would not spare him although in the extremity of the conflict he begg'd of him that he would he desired that that cup might passe from him Matth. 26.39 yet he would not heare him nor excuse him but laid on load of wrath and justice upon him gave him up to the bitternesse of death and lockt him up in the prison of the grave till hee had paid the uttermost farthing of our debt See here how in this mystery mercy and truth are met together righteousnesse and peace in this Child and in this Sonne kisse each other Behold how the wisedome and the power the justice and the grace of Almighty God all worke together and proclaime with loud voyce Glory to God on high And these make up the first part of the Angels song The second part of their song proclaimes good will unto men and declares the unspeakable good which by this mystery they receive and there are five great blessings and benefits which they receive by it 1 First the ennobling of their natures what an honour is this to our flesh to be taken into union with the divine nature in the person of the Sonne of God What an exaltation is this of our nature that the Prince of Glory should vouchsafe to cloth him selfe with it and in it to appeare and converse among the sonnes of men but how much more that in it hee hath victoriously triumphed over sinne death hell and the grave that in it he is ascended into heaven and there sitteth on the right hand of the Father in that part of our flesh which hee tooke hath taken possession of heaven for us and in our names of the heavenly mansions which hee hath purchased and provided for us Quid est homo Lord what is man that thou shouldest thus consider him Psal 8 4. or the sonne of man that thou shouldest thus regard him thou hast made him little lower then the Angels Nay in this respect higher then the Angels for he tooke not upon him the nature of Angels Heb● but hee tooke upon him the nature of Adam the seed of Abraham hence arises a nearer affinity consanguinity rather betweene Christ and us then is between Christ and the Angels he becoming flesh of our flesh and bone of our bone by this are wee made sonnes of God brethren of Christ and coheirs with him of an Inheritance in glory Gen. 2 23. Ephes 5.30 This is an high priviledge and a great benefit which wee receive by this mystery The enobling of our natures And 2 The second is like unto this The enabling of our natures to gratious and spirituall performances of holy and heavenly duties for by vertue of this union of our natures with his and his with ours th●re flowes from him into us an influence of grace by which he through his spirit lives in us and workes in us by which he informes actuates and animates us as the soule doth the body of which it is the forme hence followes the enabling of our natures to holy and spirituall performances by vertue of this influence of grace of Christ by his spirit living in us and working in us we are enabled to live that life which is according to godlinesse to mortifie our corruptions to deny our selves with all our corrupt lusts and passions to crucifie the flesh to despise the world with all the corruptions that are in it through lust to doe and to suffer for his name above the power of nature by a higher power and principle of grace received from above This is a second benefit derived unto us from this mystery 3. The third is an interest in the Lord Jesus and with him in all that is his in all his righteousnesse merits holinesse obedience in all that he hath done and suffered for us it is all ours wee have a right in it for from this

union of our natures there followes a Communion and a common interest betweene us of all that we have or are which is communicable by vertue of this union our sinnes are laid upon him and hee hath satisfied for them and on the other side his righteousnesse is imputed unto us and wee are justified by it The Lord Jesus by infusing his spirit into us makes us * 2 Pet. 1.4 Joh. 5. partakers of the divine nature The admirable manner by ashich the uniō between Christ and his Church is wrought and againe himselfe taking our flesh upon him becomes partaker of our nature and so there growes a neare union betweene us he is ours and we are his he in us and wee in him as the vine with the branches the husband with the wife the body with the members are one so Christ and those that are of Christ are one Eph●s 5.30 nay with holy reverence be it spoken wee are himselfe the expression is high but it is his owne at least breath'd from his owne spirit 1 Corin. 12.12 As the body is one 1 Cor. 12.12 and hath many members and all the members of that one body being many are one body even so is CHRIST marke this Scripture well it containes in it a truth more pretious then the gold of Ophir the union should I say nay more the Identity of Christ with his Church they make but one body For the word Christ here in the text as is clear by the context doth not represent unto us Christ as a person but is nomen collectivum a collective name comprehending in it The Identitie of Christ with the Church together with himselfe his whole Church with every child and member of the same all making up but one body even so is Christ where as if they were himselfe and he not himselfe without them see how hee vouchsafeth them his owne name Even so is Christ so hee calls them and so hee counts them Oh the happinesse and security of the poore Saints in this respect they are rich enough happy enough when he is theirs who is the fountaine of all happinesse In whom are hidden all the treasures of wisedome and godlinesse and from whose fulnesse as at the well-head they all receive grace for grace 4 The fourth benefit derived unto us out of this mystery is in the sympathy that hence ariseth betweene Christ and those that belong unto him for from this union and mysticall marriage of our natures together there followes a sympathy betweene him and us whereby that which is done to the one is done to the other also whether it be good or evill he that receiveth you receiveth me Matth. 10.40 he that dispiseth you despiseth me saith the Lord to and of the least of those little ones which belong to him Luke 10. You cannot give a cup of cold water to a Disciple under the name of a Disciple but Chist thanks you for it as if you had given it unto him For in as much as you did it to the least of these little ones you did it unto mee Matth. 25 40. Matth. 25. Againe you cannot offer the least wrong or injury to any of them but hee will taxe you for it as if you had offered it to him too If Saul be travelling to Damascus with commission to persecute the members the head lookes downe from heaven and complaines 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Saul Saul why persecutest thou mee Act. 9. not mine but mee because mee in mine thou woundest mee through their sides Oh that this sympathy were reciprocall in us too that the same mind were in us towards Christ Jesus which is in him towards us that we could be sensible of the wrong and dishonour that is done unto him daily as if it were done immediately unto our selves so it was with the holy Prophet The rebukes of them that fell upon thee fell upon mee And Psal 69 9. do not I hate them that hate thee even as if they were mine enemies Yes Psal 139.21 I beare him witnesse hee did and for those that loved and feared the Lord hee loved them as well and that eonomine and qua tales for that very cause and in that respect because they did love Psal 16.3 and feare the Lord. Oh that we had that witnesse within our selve that we did regard the cause of God and the honour of God as this Prophet did and that wee did shew our love to God by taking to heart the wrongs and dishonours that are daily done unto him in his Church his Children his Cause his Ordinances his Names his Sabbaths in all thar is deare unto him as if it were done unto our selves the Lord would surely take it very well at our hands and reward that pious affection seven-fold into our bosomes 5 Lastly here 's a ground of reverent boldnesse child-like confidence in our approaches to the throne of Grace we can not draw neare to God nor looke upon him in his Majestie but wee shall be oppressed by his glory No man can see mee and live but to God incarnate Exod. 33 20. to God manifested in the flesh wee may and live wee cannot looke upon the body of the Sunne in his brightnesse but it will hurt our eyes to behold it but wee may looke upon it in the water without danger behold Christ in the flesh is the Charactet of the Glory of the Father Heb. 1.3 and the expresse Image of his person through him wee may behold him through him we have accesse unto him and if we dare not be too bold with the Sonne yet let us looke upon the Child inviting us to the throne of grace to partake of the plenty of his Fathers Court. Behold what a treasury of Grace and Glory is here contained in this mystery what pretious priviledges we receive by it what wonderfull fruits and effects are brought forth by this wonderfull designe all suitable to the greatnesse of the meanes by which they were wrought and the high honour and dignity of the persons which acted in it no lesse then the wisedome of the whole Trinity was set aworke in laying the plot and contriving this great businesse no worse then the Sonne of God himselfe in his owne person imployed in the executing of it and where there was such a Councell Table to deliberate and to resolve and such a person to execute needs must the effects of both be high and glorious suitable to the honour greatnesse wisedome and power of the high persons exercised in the producing of them and so you see they are LLet no man then for ever hereafter reproach the Christian religion with the meannesse Conclusio or despicablenesse of him that was the founder of it Let no man object unto us the humanity nor the humility of our Mediatour when wee see for what glorious purposes he was content to stoope so low and what pretious grace he hath