Selected quad for the lemma: saint_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
saint_n	body_n	member_n	mystical_a	1,656	5	10.4255	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30127	A case of conscience resolved viz. whether, where a church of Christ is situate, it is the duty of the women of that congregation, ordinarily, and by appointment, to separate themselves from their brethren, and so to assemble together to perform some parts of divine worship, as prayer, &c. without their men? : And the arguments made use of for that practice examined / by John Bunyan.	Bunyan, John, 1628-1688.	1683 (1683)	Wing B5490; ESTC R41305	30,288	39

21 22 23. or if they be in the Assembly of the Saints let them Pray in their Hearts with Hannah And if their petition be Lawfull I doubt not but they may be Heard 1 Sam. 1.13 Our Author perhaps will say I have not spoken to his Question which was Whether Women fearing God may Meet to Pray together And whether it be Lawfull for them so to do But I Answer I have with respect to all such Godly Women as are in the Churches of the Saints 1 Cor. 14.33 34 35. compared with Vers. 15 16 17. And when he has told us that his Question respected only those out of Churches then will I confess that I did mistake him Yes he will gett nothing thereby for as much as his Question to be sure intends those in special Also his Arguments are for the Justifying of that their Practise Now the reason why I waved the form of his Question was because it was both scanty and lean of Words as to the matter of Controversie in hand Also I thought it best to make it more ample and distinct for the Edification of our Reader And if after all Mr. K. is not pleased at what I have done let him take up the Question and Answer it better The Man perhaps may fly to the case of utter necessity and so bring forth another Question to wit whether if the Men of a Church should all die be murdered or cast into prison The Women of that Church may not Meet together to Pray And whether it be not Lawfull for them so to do But when he produceth a necessity for the puting of such a Question and then shall put it to me I will as God shall help me give him an Answer thereto But may some say Our Women in this do not what they do of their own Heads they are allowed to do what they do by the Church I Answer No Church-allowance is a Foundation sufficient to Justifie that which is neither Commanded nor Allowed by the Word Besides who knows not that have their Eyes in their Heads what already has and what further may come into the Churches at such a gapp as this And now to give the Reader a Cautionary Conclusion 1. Take heed of letting the name or good shew of a thing begett in thy Heart a Religious reverence of that thing but look to the Word for thy bottom for it is the Word that Authorizeth what ever may be done with Warrant in Worship to God without the Word things are of humain invention of what Splendor or Beauty soever they may appear to be Without doubt the Fryers and Nunns and their Religious Orders were of a good intent at first as also compulsive vowes of chastitie single life and the like But they were all without the Word and therefore as their bottom wanted divine Authority so the Practise wanted Sanctity by the Holy Ghost The Word Prayer is of it self in appearance so Holy that he forthwith seems to be a Devil that forbids it And yet we finde that Prayers have been out of joynt and disorderly used and therefore may by one without incurring the danger of damnation be called into Question and if found without Order by him he may labour to set them in joynt again Matt. 6.5 6 7 8. Chap. 23.14 Jam. 4.3 I am not of the number of them that say Of what profit is it if we should Pray unto God Job 21.15 But finding no good footing in the Word for that kind of service we have treated about above and knowing that error and humain inventions in Religion will not offer themselves but with wiped lipps and a countenance as demure as may be and also being perswaded that this Opinion of Mr. K. is vagrant yea a meer alien as to the Scriptures I being an Officer have apprehended it and put it in the stocks and there will keep it till I see by what Authority it has leave to pass and repass as it lists among the Godly in this Land 2ly Yet by all that I have said I never meant to intimate in the least but that believing Women are Saints as well as Men And members of the body of Christ. And I will add that as they and we are united to Christ and made members of his mystical body the fulness of him that sills all in all So there is no superiority as I know of but we are all one in Christ. For the Man is not without the Woman nor the Woman without the Man in the Lord nor are we counted as Male or Female in him 1 Cor. 11.11 Galat. 3.28 Ephes. 1.23 Only we must observe that this is spoken of that Church which is his True Mystical Body and not of every particular Congregation of professing Christians The Churches of Christ here and there are also called his Body But no Church here though never so famous must be taken for that of which mention was made afore As Christ then has a Body Mystical which is called his Members his Flesh and his Bones Ephes. 5.30 So he has a Body Politick Congregations modelled by the skill that his Ministers have in his Word for the bearing up of his Name and the preserving of his Glory in the World against Antichrist In this Church Order and Discipline for the nourishing up of the True Mystical Body of Christ has been placed from the Foundation of the World Wherefore in this Laws and Statutes and Government is to be looked after and given heed unto for the Edification of that which is to arive at last to a perfect Man To the measure of the Statute of the Fulness of Christ 1 Cor. 12.27 28 29 Ephes. 4.11 12 13. Now where there is Order and Government by Laws and Statutes There must of necessity be also a distinction of Sex Degrees and Age Yea Offices and Officers must also be there for our furtherance and Joy of Faith From which Government and Rule our Ordinary Women are excluded by Paul nor should it since it is done by the Wisdom of God be any offence unto them In this Church there are oft times many Hypocrites and formal Professors and Heresies That they which are approved may be made manifest 1 Cor. 11.19 These therefore being there and being suffered to act as they many times do provoke the Truly Godly to contend with them by the Word For that these Hypocrites and formal Professors Naturaly incline to a denyal of the power of Godliness and to set up forms of their own in the stead thereof Mark 7.6 7 8 9. 2 Tim. 3.5 And this is done for the sake and for the good of those that are the true Members of the body of Christ and that are to arive at his Haven of Rest From whom those others at last shall be purged and with them all their things that offend Matt. 13.40 Then shall the righteous shine like the Sun in the Kingdom of their Father He that hath Ears to hear let him hear This