Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	agree_v	church_n	zion_n	21	3	9.2224	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17385	A commentary upon the three first chapters of the first Epistle generall of St. Peter VVherin are most judiciously and profitably handled such points of doctrine as naturally flow from the text. Together with a very usefull application thereof: and many good rules for a godly life. By Nicholas Byfield preacher of Gods Word at Isleworth in Middlesex. To which is now newly added an alphabeticall table, not formerly published.	Byfield, Nicholas, 1579-1622.; Gouge, William, 1578-1653.; Byfield, Nicholas, 1579-1622. Commentary: or, sermons upon the second chapter of the first epistle of Saint Peter. aut; Byfield, Nicholas, 1579-1622. Sermons upon the ten first verses of the third chapter of the first Epistle of S. Peter. aut; Byfield, Nicholas, 1579-1622. Sermons upon the first chapter of the first Epistle generall of Peter. aut	1637 (1637)	STC 4212; ESTC S107139	978,571	754

out such a project for reconciliation Besides what can God denie us if hee can give us his owne Sonne and who is pleased also in his Word to signifie so much and commanded it by his servants to be told to the parties offending that he hath found out such a way of perfect peace Thirdly Wee should hence be comforted in all the straits of godlinesse when the Lord goeth about to lay the foundation of grace in our hearts and to forme Christ in us vvee should remember it is the ●ords vvorke and it shall prosper if the Lord will have it goe on vvho can hinder it The gates of Hell shall not prevaile against it vvhen God builds it upon this Rock Fourthly it should teach us in all other distresses to trust upon God and never be afraid of the oppositions of men or the impediments of our deliverance For vvhat shall restraine Gods mercy from us If the Lord can bring about such a vvorke as this to found Sion by laying Christ as the chiefe corner stone in her then vvee may trust him in lesse matters The Lord vvill accomplish all the Counsell of his vvill and he that hath promised that all shall vvork together for the best will performe it To this end he pleade● this vvorke of ●ounding Christ in the vvomb of a Virgin of purpose to give them thereby a signe of deliverance then in a temporall affliction it is easie for him to save us and deliver us from all our troubles that can give us a Saviour for all our sinnes Lastly Ministers that are but under-Masons and Carpenters must learne to take all their directions at God both to see to it that they lay no other foundation then vvhat God hath laid vvhich is Iesus Christ and in all things to be faithfull in good vvorks as such as must make their accounts to God And thus of the Author Thirdly The time followes I lay or put Hee ●peakes in the present time yet meaneth it of a thing to be accomplished in the time to come For God laid Christ downe as the corner stone partly in his Incarnation vvhen hee sent him into the vvorld in the flesh to take our nature and partly hee is said to lay downe this corner stone vvhen spiritually by meanes he formes Christ in the hearts of men in the visible Church Now the Lord speaketh in the pres●nt time I doe lay for divers reasons ●irst To signifie that the care of that businesse was then in his head he was plotting ab●ut it and did continually minde it Secondly To signifie that howsoever the maine worke of the open restoring of the world by Christ in the calling of the Gentil●s was long after to be done yet God did spiritually forme Christ in the hearts of the remnant so as at all times he did more or lesse further his building Thirdly To note the certainty of the accomplishment of it hee saith Hee did then doe it to assure them it should as certainly be done as if it were then done which should teach us to beleeve God and never limit him When wee have his promise let us reckon upon it if God promise us any thing it is as sure as if we had it Thus of the time Fourthly The manner followes noted in the word Laid I lay There are many things imported under this similitude that Christ is laid as the Mason layes the chiefe corner stone in the earth For it imports First The divine nature of Christ that hee was before he was incarnate as the corner-stone was before it was laid for a foundation Christ descended from heaven Eph. 4.7 9. Secondly The unchangeablenesse of Gods ordinances concerning the giving of Christ. Hee hath laid him as a foundation that hee would not have taken up againe Thirdly the hiding of the glory of Christ and of his life He is of a singular use to the Church and the Frame of God's work appeareth in his members but Christ himselfe is hid with God Col. 3.3 He is like the stone hidden in the earth he is buried in the ground and therefore wee should be the more patient if our life be hid also with God Fourthly It may be by this tearme the mysterie of the birth and conception of Christ is intimated God digged the ground of our natures in the womb of Christ that he might lay Christ there c. Fifthly so it may likewise import the sanctification of the humane nature of Christ who was qualified as the stone is squared when it is laid downe Thus of the manner The place followes In Sion Sion for certaine was a Fort of the Ieb●sites built on a hill close to Jerusalem which was taken by David and called the City of David 2 Sam. 5.7 the Temple being afterward built here The Church of the Jewes was called Sion because here they assembled and so afterwards it was the title given to the Church of God both of Iewes and Gentiles that agree in one faith and true Religion Zach. 10.11 And in especiall by Sion is meant the place of the assembly of the Saints the Sanctuary In the twelfth to the Hebrewes verse 22. it is thought to signifie the Saints in heaven even the Congregation of the first borne In this place it must need● meane the Christian Church in which God built the new world laying the foundation in Christ i●car●ate whi●h began in Ierusalem even at Sion in the Letter Now when the Lord cal●s his Church by this name of Sion it is to import divers things partly to tell us what we were by nature and partly to tell us what we are by his grace and favour By nature what were our assemblies but Forts of Iebusites in which multitudes of locusts swarmed we were Ca●aanites enemies to God and all true religion we were the halt and the blinde mentioned Mich 4.6 7 alluding to that in 2 Sam. 5.6 7. But being conquered by David our King even Christ the Sonne of David we are new fortified for his use and our estate is fitly resembled by Sion 1. The Church is like Mount Sion for visibility Christians are like a Citie on a hill they are such as all sorts of men easily take notice of not that th● men of the world are in love with Christians but many times out of the hatred of the truth set they eyes and thoughts upon them Matthew 5 c. Secondly The godly are like Mount Sion for unremoveablenesse they that trust in the Lord are like a mountain men may as soon remove a mountain as remove them from God and happinesse in God Psal. 126.1 Thirdly the Church is like Sion in respect of Gods habitation there God dwels there he keeps house there and in the assemblies thereof hee feeds his people The Sanctuary is Gods foddering place it is the City of God the mountaine of his holinesse the City of the great King the City of the Lord of Hostes God shines there Psal. 48.1 2 8. Psal. 50.2

conversation in the world but have no taste of religion or conscience of zeale for Gods glory fourthly all open worldlings that minde not heavenly things and savour nothing but the things of this world and lastly all hypocrites that make a shew of mortification and yet are not mortified and then suppose how small a number will be left in every place to be reckoned in this lift of true Christians Doct. 2. Mortification is the very first step of grace and the entrance into all power of godlinesse Till our sins be soundly crucified and dead no worke of Religion that is acceptable to God can be done and therefore Iohn Baptist and Christ and the Apostles call for repentance as the first thing that opens a way into the kingdome of heaven because else sin unrepented like a prison will infect all wee doe Esay 1.13 to 16. Besides the heart of man being naturally like a stone or iron till it be softned no impression of grace can be fastned upon it and if the ground of our hearts be not well plowed up the seed of the Word cannot but be lost Ier. 4.4 The seed cast upon the high way will be picked up by the fowles of the aire and not grow or if any seed or plant of grace did grow for a while in the heart yet the weeds of sin would overgrow and choake all as is evident in seed sowne i● thorny ground or plants set in ground that is not digged and weeded And f●●ther while the person is evill the worke will be vile and abominable An evill tree can●ot bring forth good fruit And therefore this shewes that such Christians as leape into the profession of Religion so easily and thinke it is no more but to give-ov●r ill courses and fall to the practice of good duties are deceived for if by ●ound mortification their sins past be not bewailed and they soundly humbled either their sins will after a while grow and revive againe or else the conscience of these sins will secretly throughout their lives torment them or else the Divell on a sudden may seize upon them with de●paire having so manifest a reason against them that they did never practise mortific●tion for their sins Besides lamentable experience shewes in those places where Christians are not soundly formed at first in the exercise of mortification they leade their lives in a dull course of profession and have not the experience of the life and power of Religion in themselves for the joyes of it or towards others in the practice of it The mourners in Sion and such as are broken-hearted are the most glorious and the most fruitfull Christians Is. 61.1 2 3 4. and continue in the greatest power of Religion And further it may be noted in the best of those that their separation from the love of the world is most really performed as hath appeared when in any speciall workes of men or for the help of the Church of God they are called upon to shew their zeale by their bounty in such cases one poore Macedonian would shame a hundred of those rich Corinthians 2 Cor. 8. Doct. 3. True repentance for sin doth in divers respects kill a man it strikes him dead to repent is to be a dead man not only in respect of the world which casts off a man that will not run in the excesses of the time as a dead man indeed Col. 3.3 but in respect of themselves For first by the assise a man must keep upon himselfe he will be found dead by sentence when he judgeth himselfe before the Lord he stands as a man condemned in the flesh he sentenceth himselfe to eternall death for his deserts by confessing what he meriteth 1 Pet. 4.6 Now a condemned man is reckoned for a dead man in Law Secondly repentance destroyes the senses and affections and conceits and reason that were wont to be alive in men it dissolves the very frame of the old conversation The word rendred dead signifies to undoe what was done about the life of man to unmake him as I may say so as all the old things passe away and all becomes new 2 Cor. 5.17 Rom. 6.6 1 Iohn 3.8 In the new Convert there is not left the savour sent lust or affections after sin and the sinfull profits and pleasures of the world he doth not find that inflammation or inticement he was wont to feele from evill example or the glory of the world or evill compa●y or the things before he most esteemed and delighted in Thus he is dead to himselfe because he denies himselfe and could be well contented to forget that ever he had beene such as he was before Thirdly in some of Gods children their repentance is performed with such griefe and sorrow as brings their life almost to the buriers as is noted Iob 33.19 20 21. Fourthly they may be said to be dead in repenting because repentance is never fully finished till their naturall death sin sticks so fast as they have daily cause of mortification in some degree and it will never be gotten wholly out till they be indeed dead men though in the mean time God accepts of their first repentance as if it were perfect This Doctrine serves effectually to discover the estate of multitudes of Christians not to be right as they That doe nothing at all about their sins That excuse their sins and hide them and favo●r them and cast the fault upon others Pro. 28.13 Gen. 3. Iob 20.11 12 13. That blesse themselves in their hearts when their iniquity is found worthy to be hated Psal. 36.2 That haunt with such persons as may make them sin more That say It is no profit to walke humbly before the Lord Mal. 3.14 and rather blesse the proud That hate and revile such as are mortified That are dead rather in faith and good workes and finde a deadly savour in the Word That have sense and savour onely in the things of the flesh Secondly this should teach all that mind their owne salvation to looke carefully to the truth of their mortification and not to thinke it is such a sleight and easie worke but to consider that in repenting for sinne they must never cease till they be like Christ dying for sinne and that is in the sense before given So our bearing of the similitude of Christs death in our repentance notes divers particular things in our repentance as 1. That our sorrowes be voluntary not inforced he gave his life it was not taken from him we must not tarry till the Divell fire us with the terrors of despaire 2. That we be pained at the very heart for our sins so was Christ it must be a hearty griefe 3. That wee shew forth the fruits of our repentance so hee suffered openly 4. That he suffered by degrees and ceased not till he died so must we by degrees resist sin and never cease untill it be quite abolished Hence also we may know whether we have truely