Selected quad for the lemma: reason_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
reason_n	body_n	soul_n	union_n	2,456	5	9.5499	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A08188	A day-starre for darke-wandring soules shewing the light, by a Christian controuersie: or briefely and plainely setting forth the mysterie of our saluation. Diuided into principles, obiections, and answeres. By Richard Niccolls, th'elder, of the Inner Temple London, Gent. deceased. Published for the generall benefit of all those who heartily, and with a true path desire their owne saluation: by I.C.	Niccols, Richard, of the Inner Temple.; I. C., fl. 1613.	1613 (1613)	STC 18526.5; ESTC S119830	27,183	96

not thinke that Christ and his members are ioyned together by imagination as the minde of man and the thing whereof he thinketh or by consent of heart as one friend is ioyned with another as Ionathan and Dauid or by mingling together of substances as when many ingrediences are mingled together to make one medicine or by corporall coniunction in touching as Sea and Land are both ioyned together to make one Globe and the part of a Building coupled together to make one Building For although this misticall vnion betwixt Christ and all them who truely beleeue in him is a most reall a most neere a most straight and a most sure and indissoluble vnion and coniunction Yet is the same rather by experience felt in the heart of the true beleeuer then conceiued in his braine The Iewes require Miracles and the Grecians Arguments vvhich they may comprehend with their wit and wisedome But God giueth the grace of vnderstanding his Mysteries to the simple and true of heart and regardeth not the Wisedome of the wise nor the Vnderstanding of the prudent in which things the proud doe glory Therefore the true Beleeuer when hee findeth this Vnion to be aboue his capacitie yet because he is taught it by the Scriptures hee beleeueth it as it were vpon Gods bare word and by experience hee feeleth that by Faith wrought in his heart by the Holy Ghost Christ with all his Merits Benefits and Graces is actually made his owne and himselfe Christs according to the Couenant of Grace made vnto Abraham and often repeated by the Prophets Ier. 32. 38. 39. 40. Ier. 31. 31. 32. Hos. 2. 19. 20. Moreouer in the Scriptures we are taught three kindes of vnions the first is a Naturall vnion or coniunction in nature vvhen sundry things are conioyned and coupled by one and the same nature as the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost being three distinct subsistences are all one and conioyned in one God-head and diuine nature but Christ and the true beleeuer are not one as conioyned in nature for then they twaine should be one body and soule The second vnion is a Personall Union or an vnion in person when things in nature different are so conioyned together that they make one person as the body and the soule make one man and the God-head of the sonne and his manhood make one Christ but Christ and the true beleeuer are not ioyned in person for Christ is one person and Peter a second person and Paul a third person and so many men as be true Christians or members of Christ so many seuerall persons are they The third kinde of vnion taught in the Scriptures is in the spirit and this is the mysticall vnion whereby Christ and his members are spiritually ioyned together into one mysticall body by the operation of his diuine spirit descending from him the head to vs his members applying Christ vnto vs and creating faith in our hearts whereby as by our onely instrument on our parts wee apprehend and receiue Christ and are vnited vnto him and this vnion whereby Christ and the true beleeuer are thus actually ioyned together because it is wrought and made by the spirit is called a Spirituall vnion In this Union the things vnited are the whole person of the true beleeuer to●…rds his Body and Soule and the vvhole person of Christ God and Man but yet they be so vnited that the true beleeuer is first and immediately vnited to the humane nature or man-hood of Christ and then by reason of the manhood to the word it selfe or diuine nature For saluation and life and the merits of Christes obedience depend vpon the fulnesse of the Godhead which is in Christ but yet it is not communicated vnto vs but in the flesh and by the flesh of Christ. This misticall vnion may be in some sort conceiued more plainely by the consideration of the vnion of the naturall man and his members when vvee consider how his soule sendeth forth from his head sense and motion to all his other members of his naturall body and that although the soule cannot from the head send sense and motion to the other members of his naturall bodie without the meanes of Arctures and Ligaments whereby the members of the naturall man are tied together that by that meanes sense and motion may be conueyed from his head to the other members and that yet the head and other members of the naturall body are not so fitly coneyed and said to be the naturall mans members because they be tied and as it were souldred together by arctures and ligaments of the body as for that they receiue life sense and motion from his soule then how much more may we conceiue and say That Christ our Head and we our selues be one mysticall body euen mysticall Christ's and that we be members of his mysticall body by the communion preparation of Christs spirit which being by nature infinit standeth in no need of any carnal meanes to make this spiritual vnion by communicating himselfe from Christ our Head vnto vs his members although Christ and we his members be distinct persons and farre distance each from other as in the naturall man the head and the foote Hence it is that Saint Iohn saith Heereby wee know that wee dwell in him and he in vs because hee hath giuen vnto vs of his spirit And hence it is that Saint Paul saith If any man hath not the spirit of Christ the same is not his Wouldest thou then know that Christ is thine and thou Christs as a true member of his mysticall body then laying aside all carnall conceits haue recourse into thine owne selfe and trie whether with the Apostle Saint Paul thou feelest thy selfe both Body and Soule to liue of Christs spirit for as thou knowest that the members of thine owne naturall bodie are thine owne members because they receiue life sense and motion from thine owne soule so euery true beleeuer doth know that he ●…s a member of Christ because that by experience he feeleth that his owne person to wit his Soule and Bodie hath receiued and doth liue of the spirit of Christ and againe as certaine thou dost know that thy members doe not liue of my soule nor my members of thy soule and that whatsoeuer members liue of thine owne soule are the members of thine owne body and whatsoeuer members liue of my Soule are the members of my owne body Euen so dost thou know that nothing doth or can liue of the spirit of Christ but Christ and the members of his body and that whatsoeuer liueth not of Christs spirit is no member of his Hence the Apostle Saint Paul as comprised in the mysticall body of Christ and by experience feeling the spirituall life vvhich hee receiued from the spirit of Christ saith I am crucified with Christ but I liue yet not I any more but Christ liueth in mee and in that I

into this heauie punishment for our transgression in Adam viz. vvee are tainted with originall sinne This originall sinne is a corruption of the powers of the Soule and that not in some or in part but of all and wholy and so by this originall sin first wee are depriued not of some but of all good inclination and doe want not some but all goodnesse and secondly thereby we are inclined and prone not to some but to all euill and not onely inclined and prone but also naturally fruitfull not of some but of all sinnes as hauing the seeds of all sins bred within vs so that although sinnes doe not breake out in all men alike neither is any man found who putteth all sins in practise Yet take the most ciuill and best natured man in the World and by Nature the seeds of all sinnes are in him but the generall restraining grace of God doth many and diuers wayes restraine all men from comming into many sins chiefly for the good and quietnesse of his Church and also for the maintaining and vpholding the societie of the world Which restrayning grace of God if it should be withdrawne then euery man without exception would breake out into euery sinne to the vtter ouerthrow of all Societies and Common-weales The godliest and best men can best testifie of these inbred seeds of corruption for they best know what a do they haue with their corrupt natures and how difficult a thing it is to keepe them within the compasse of obedience Rom. 3. 9. 10. 11. The third cause of this our continuall sinning doth rise from the consequence of the two former causes viz. Euery one of vs Man or Woman high or low rich or poore borne in the visible Church or without as he commeth of Adam is borne of his father and mother for our transgression and originall sinne from and in Adam is hated of God is Gods enemy and the bondslaue of Sathan who vntill the time of regeneration raigneth and ruleth in the heart of euery one of vs and haleth euery one of vs forward to the height perfection of wickednesse so farre as he is permitted by the powerfull hand of God vvho will suffer neither wicked men nor the Diuell himselfe to put in practise euery wickednesse they could and would if God should withdraw his restrayning hand Ephes. 2. 2. 2 Cor. 44. 2 Tim. 2. 26. 1 Obiection It is against common reason say the Pelagians that all men should be made guiltie of one mans fault and therefore say they Adam sinned to his owne proper hurt and by his transgression hurted not his posteritie And in this that Adams sinne is passed to his posteritie that is come to passe by imitation and not by propagation Answere This Obiection being beleeued vtterly ouerthroweth our free Iustification by Christs righteousnesse performed by himselfe and imputed vnto vs as done by our selues For if Adams sinne is passed ouer vnto vs his posteritie by imitation onely then also doth it follow that wee haue no other profit by this righteousnesse of Christ performed by him for vs then that he is set before vs for an example to follow for in what sort wee are made partakers of Adams transgression to our condemnation in the same sort we are made partakers of Christs righteousnesse to our Iustification And so againe in what sort we are made partakers of Christs righteousnesse to our Iustification in the same sort wee are made partakers of Adams transgression to our condemnation And therefore as we being in Christ as our head and roote are iustified by the communication of his righteousnesse it being imputed to vs as done by our selues because that in him and by him by reason of our vnion with him we haue fulfilled the Law and satisfied Gods iustice So wee being come of Adam as the roote of all mankinde originally are guiltie of his transgression because that in him and by him by reason of our vnion vvith him see haue all sinned 2 Obiection The Soule is newly created and commeth immediatly from God who is perfectly righteous and so the Soule cannot be naturally and originally sinfull as the flesh vvhich descendeth from Adam And it being a spirit and a thing immateriall can not be infected of the body being a thing materiall Therefore it standeth not with Gods iustice that the soule hauing no sinne of her owne should beare the sinne of another namely of Adam which was committed so long before neither is it to be thought that God who forgiueth vs our owne sinnes will impute the sinnes of another vnto vs. Answere The cause of our hereditary corruption as well of our soules which by God are into vs infused pure and by vs from him receiued pure as of our flesh which descendeth from sinnefull Adam is not in the substance of the soule or in the substance of the body but in this that vnto the penaltie of God the Creators decree by Adam wittingly and vvilfully transgressed Adam and all his posteritie both in their soules and bodies were and are to be subiected For why should any Pelagian thinke of this as hard and vnreasonable seeing it seemeth vnto our selues iust and reasonable that the Potter may dispose of his Pots made by himselfe to what vse he wil and seeing it seemeth iust and reasonable to our selues to subiect to lawes made by our selues both the Parents and the Children vnborne and their posteritie long after succeeding 3 Obiection Against this first principle the Papists do further obiect That man hath free-will which vvhosoeuer denieth say they is worthy to be beaten like a Stocke-fish vntill he confesseth that they who beateth him haue free-will either to beate him or to cease from beating him for if one doe denie the fire to be hot the best way to perswade such a one is to cast him into an hot Ouen Answere The answere vnto this obiection is this First that all reasonable creatures haue free-will in morall and ciuill acts and secondly that all wicked men haue free-will from coaction and violence thirdly that among all sinnes wicked men make free choise to put some in practise But this freedome is wanting to Adams posteritie to wit by nature to thinke or doe any thing which is good before God and acceptable in his sight because that by Adams transgression mans free-will is brought into the bondage of sinne 4 Obiection If mans free-will by Adams transgression be in such bondage of sinne that it cannot make no choise of good then doth free-will lose its owne nature for where sinne must needs be chosen there can be no libertie and consequently all the libertie which mans free-will hath is freely to giue to the Diuell and so man is by God punished for that which hee cannot auoid Answere There be three kindes of liberties or freedomes the first is libertie from compulsion the second is libertie from sinne the third is libertie from miserie The first kinde of libertie was

now liue in the flesh I liue by Faith in the Sonne of God who hath loued me and giuen himselfe for mee This mysticall vnion is in both the Sacraments acknowledged for in the Sacrament of Baptisme all true beleeuers who are partakers of the outward Sacrament of Baptisme and thereby made and acknowledged to be members of Christs visible Body to wit his visible Church are by one spirit to wit by the only spirit of Christ working faith in them made members of his mysticall body the inuisible Church and in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper as in token or remembrance that wee are made members of his visible Bodie the visible Church whose Body was broken and his Blood shed for vs wee communicate and participate our Bread and our Wine So also by this outward action wee acknowledge the mysticall vnion vvhich wee haue vvith Christ and one with another by the participation and communion of his spirit of which wee spiritually liue But the question may be yet further asked how a man may discerne and know when himselfe or any other is spiritually dead and when spiritually liuing and indued with the spirituall life here spoken of To vvhich it may be answered that as vvee be naturall men although wee eate and drinke and performe all other actions and vvorkes of men vvho are naturally liuing in bodily health yet vntill by our vnion with Christ vntill by our effectuall calling vntill by our Iustification and vntill by our Sanctification wee be made new Creatures in Christ wee are dead in our sinnes because vvee be no more able to doe any the workes of new creatures liuing vnto God in Christ that is to say we are no more able to doe any works acceptable vnto GOD then the man naturally dead is able to eate or drinke or to doe any other worke or action of the man who is naturally liuing because the vvhole naturall man and euery part of him is wholy corrupted with sinne and therefore dead in sinne for First in his minde there is nothing but blindnesse and ignorance concerning heauenly matters Secondly his conscience is defiled being alwayes either benummed with sinne or else turmoyled with inward accusations and terrours Thirdly his will willeth and lusteth after that onely which is euill Fourthly the affections of his heart as Loue Ioy Hope Desire c. are stirred and moued to that onely vvhich is euill and neuer to that which is good Lastly the members of his body are Tooles and Instruments of his minde for the execution of sinne All which corruptions and deadnesse in sinne are then onely cured and wee made spiritually liuing vnto God When in Christ we be made new creatures by our effectual vnion with Christ by our effectuall calling by our Iustification and Sanctification which foure degrees of our regeneration howsoeuer they in nature goe one before the other yet too make vs new creatures in Christ doe so concurre that the true beleeuer or regenerate person finding himselfe to haue the one of them may assure himselfe hee hath them all for First the true beleeuer may assure himselfe of this vnion vvith CHRIST when hee findeth that Christ of his loue preuenting him doth begin the vnion by communicating vnto him his holy Spirit dwelling in his man hood through the ministerie of his holy Word and by the cooperation of the same Spirit vvith his word doth beget in him a liuely faith by which the true beleeuer on his part as by his onely instru ment is actually vnited vnto Christ but this vnion is not perceiued by the regenerate person before he be called Secondly therefore the true beleeuer may assure himselfe that he hauing a liuely faith is effectually called to the knowledge of the things he beleeueth for no man can effectually consent vnto the thing conteined in the Word much lesse by a liuely faith beleeue the things herein conteined vnlesse hee be first by the ministery of the Word instructed and called to the knowledge thereof to wit by hauing his vnderstanding inlightned with the knowledge of the truth and his vvill thereunto perswaded Thirdly the true beleeuer being by faith as aforesaid vnited vnto Christ and called by the ministery of the Word to the knowledge of that which by a liuely faith hee beleeueth hee may assure himselfe of his Iustification because that the faithfull are iustified before GOD by the onely imputation of Christs righteousnesse for in what manner Christ was made a sinner for vs in the same manner are wee made righteous by him but Christ was made a sinner for vs by imputation of our sinnes vnto him and therefore wee are made righteous before God by imputation of his righteousnesse vnto vs. Againe as vvee are made sinners that is guiltie of the first Adams transgression so are wee made not guiltie and iustified by the obedience of the second Adam but wee are made guiltie of the first Adams transgression by imputation and therefore wee are iustified by the imputation of the obedience of the second Adam Now the imputation of Christs righteousnesse vnto vs doth as vpon the onely cause and reason therof depend vpon our vnion with Christ made on our parts by faith onely Fourthly the true beleeuer finding himselfe vnited vnto Christ and Called and liuely Iustified hee may assure himselfe of his Sanctification for a liuely faith is not of our selues but it is of GOD. By it wee are in diuers respects both iustified and sanctified by it wee are iustified not formally as by a meritorious vertue or part of righteousnesse inherent in vs but relatiuely in respect of the Object it apprehendeth to wit as by it wee apply to our selues the righteousnesse inherent in Christ Iesus man-hood which of his owne meere mercie is imputed vnto all who lay holde therevpon by faith but by it wee are sanctified as by a grace inherent in vs as are also the graces of hope and charitie and other sanctifying graces which being in the man-hood of CHRIST without measure are by his spirit from thence infused vnto vs in measure to sanctifie vs and make vs fit for the Kingdome of Heauen and to speake both briefely and plainely of this matter Faith is a chiefe part of our Sanctification being as it vvere the roote both of other inward graces and outward obedience which concurre to our Sanctification The fift PRINCIPLE BY the outward Ministery of the Word is conuayd vnto vs Christs diuine spirit which also by the same Ministerie of the Word begetteth in vs Faith whereby wee are actually vnited vnto Christ and made one with him Notes vpon the fift Principle THE Doctrine of the fift Principle is taught and confirmed vnto vs by the whole Booke of the Ac●… of the Apostles for through out that whole Booke examples are expresly and plainely shewed vnto vs how the Holy Ghost and Faith are giuen to the hearers by attentiue and reuerent hearing of the Word of GOD preached by his