Selected quad for the lemma: soul_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
soul_n	apostle_n	body_n	spirit_n	5,900	5	5.3950	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A63011	The Almighty his gracious token of love to his friend Abraham, or, A sermon preached in the Cathedral Church of Bristol, January 3, 1674 by Rich. Towgood ...	Towgood, Richard, 1595?-1683.	1676 (1676)	Wing T1975; ESTC R10564	17,548	33

and so live as persons that are dedicated and consecrated can never reckon themselves spiritually circumcised for the Apostle saith We are the circumcision that serve God in the spirit that is in purity of life Phil. 3.3 He that is spiritually circumcised and so devoted unto God must yield no part of himself either of Body and Soul to any other service then to the service of God site vovoris Deo imitandus est tibi vitulus quem non licet humanis operibus deseruire Origen Hom. 14. in Num. A Bullock that is consecrated unto God it is not lawful to put it to any humane service and therein saith he must we be like him if we have consecrated our selves to God But ah alas how many be there that so live as if they had bound themselves by Indenture unto Satan as if they had made themselves by vow his Slaves counting it there honour to be prophane and their greatest glory to stand at desiance with holiness Is it not a great abuse for a consecrated Temple to be turned into a Stable or into a Sty to hold Swine in But how much greater is the abuse for the Body and Soul of a Christian consecrated unto God to become Satans work-house for in such Children of disobedience he worketh Ephes 2.2 The sum of all is then Mortifie your members that are upon the Earth if thy right hand offend thee cut it off cleanse your selves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit for in this consists the spiritual circumcision which neither is nor ever will be abrogated namely in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh Col. 2.11 Ye see what this token of Gods love to Abraham was both for the letter and the mystery In the letter it was in the cutting off the foreskin of the flesh In the mystery it was a sign of the Covenant between God and Abraham and withal did warn and admonish him to cut off all vile and carnal affections This is the first thing observable in the Text. I shall first be briefer in the other parts that are behind Come we then to the second thing observed of what worth this token of love was and that is imployed in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he gave Saint Steven doth not say he inflicted it as a punishment or imposed it as a burthen he gave it as a token of love out of his special faviour Gods Ordinances are special blessings of singular worth The Almighty God promised to this man Abraham the whole Land of Canaan Gen. 13 14 15. a bountiful gift and yet this gift here spoken of the Covenant of Circumcision was of more worth then the whole Land of Canaan or all the Kingdoms of the world It was a painful service but of inestimable worth it was a seal of the righteousness of faith Rom. 4.11 and so consequently it was a seal to assure him of the Kingdom of Heaven All Gods ordinances are precious gifts and that may appear first by the time which the Doner chose for the bestowing of them When a man is parting from his friends he will leave behind him some special token of love and so the Apostle saith when Christ Jesus ascended up on high he led Cativity Captive and gave gifts to men Eph. 4.8 and yet I confess the Apostle doth not allude so much to the parting of one friend from another as to the custome of conquerors who after their victories go up into their Cities in triumph carrying their captives bound and then withal giving rich gifts to their friends so Christ having conquered hell and death and sin and the Devil led them captive and gave gifts unto men but as to our purpose the question is what those gifts were and the Apostle tell us ibid. ver 11. he gave some Apostles some Prophets c. these are the chief gifts that Christ Jesus thought good to give to his people though the world doth not esteem them so even at the time of his triumph when he was ascending into his greatest glory as if he had no greater gifts to bestow upon them and what is it for which they are reckoned by the Lord such singular gifts but only because they are his messengers and the dispencers of his holy word and sacred ordinance These are gifts of high esteem and that doth thus appear by the time when they were given and that was at his ascension For as the coming of the Holy Ghost was a fruit of Christs ascention so also is the fitting of his messengers and the committing unto them the dispensation of his sacred ordinances the fruit of the same ascension Secondly the singular worth and excellency of Gods sacred ordinances doth appear in that they to whom they are vouchsafed are dignified by them What nation is there so great saith Moses to the Israclites that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law which I set before you Deut. 4.8 and it is worth your noteing that whereas the land of Canaan was so highly dignified and commended Dan 8.9 the pleasant land the glory of all lands Ezek. 20.6 the land of desire Zech. 7.14 It was not for that there was such plenty of silver and gold there for there was none at all Deut. 8.7 8 9. Solomon sent to Ophir for Gold 1 King 9.28 and so did Jehosaphat 1 King 22.48 but it was chiefly because the ordinances of God were there setled In respect hereof it is said that there the glory of God is seen in the sanctuary Psal 63.2 that is at the Temple in Jerusalem and his statutes and ordinances he gave unto that people which was a mercy that he shewed not to any other nation Psal 147.19 20. Thirdly the worth and excellency of Gods ordinances do appear in the end and effect of them for to this end they are given and this is the effect of them to beget grace in us and to bring us to Christ such is the excellency of the word of grace that is of the Gospel that it is able to build us up and to give us an inheritance among them that are sanctified Act. 20.32 It is able to make us wise unto Salvation 2 Tim. 3.15 and this wisdom cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir gold and christal cannot equal it Job 28.16 17. It was the mystery of the Heathens that they were without Christ Ephes 2.12 and it is the most blessed and admirable use of the Sacraments to make us partakers of Christ For as many of us as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ Gal. 3.27 And the bread which we break that is the other Sacrament is it not the communion of the body of Christ 1 Cor. 10.16 such is the worth thereof it makes us partakers of Christ All Gods ordinances are of estimable worth and excellency and how comes it then to pass that these shored ordinances are by so many slighted and neglected The word by some the sacraments

by others both by most and all the holy things of God as if they were of no value The things themselves surely are heavenly blessings but it is the wretchedness of thy heart O man and it is thy misery thou dost not know the worth of them What is the reason the sick man doth abhor all manner of meat yea the choicest dainties that can be provided Is it not because his body is possest with dangerous unwholsom malignant humours which if not removed will inevitably bring death So when thou canst not relish the food of thy Soul what is the reason Is it not because thou art desperately Soul-sick The natural man saith the Apostle and certainly the natural man is desperately Soul-sick he receiveth not the things of the spirit of God for they are foolishness unto him Neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned 1 Cor. 2.14 And what will follow hereupon but inevitable destruction The Baptism of John was the Ordinance of God The Pharisees refused to be baptized of him What was the issue They rejected the Councel of God against themselves against themselves that is to their own ruine Luk. 7.30 Shall the Manna be loathed or any of Gods sacred Ordinances sleighted And shall not he be offended Mark how he complains I have written to him the great things of my Law but they were counted as a stringe thing Hos 8.12 Neither will it be sufficient to pretend the meanness either of the things of the Institution or of the Messengers that are imployed about them It is a vain thing to say can a little water on my Body wash away the sin of my Soul Or can a bit of Bread and sip of Wine make me Partaker of Jesus Christ No. It is not these things that do the Work But the Almighty God upon our right use of these things according to his appointment He doth the Work he cleanseth us from our Sins he makes us Partakers of his Son It was not the sounding the of Rams Horns that threw down the Walls of Jericho neither was it the Waters of Jordan that cured Naaman of his Leprosie but the Almighty did both these Works upon the right using and observing what he had appointed The like may be said of the Messengers by whom the Almighty doth send these Gifts Are they mean in your sight Be it so Yet will a man refuse rich precious Treasure because it is brought him in an Earthen Vessel We are Earthen Vessels but Treasure we bring you 2 Cor. 4.7 The Prophet Elijah in the time of Famine Had Bread and Flesh brought to him in the Morning and Bread and Flesh in the Evening the Ravens brought it to him by the Commandement of the Lord 1 King 17.4 6. The Prophet knew very well that the Ravens were unclean Creatures by the Lords own Verdict Levit. 11.15 And yet he had more Wit and Grace then to refuse that which they brought him from the Lord otherwise besides the Lords displeasure he might have perished for want of Food I have but one thing more to add touching this point These Sacred Ordinances which are of such inestimable worth the Lord hath vouchsafed to us in great measure and all the days of our Lives we have injoyed them Let us now bethink our selves of returning somthing unto him The circumstances of New years day are not yet quite over Let us present the Lord with a New years Gift Perhaps you will say and well ye may What shall I return to the Lord for all his benefits Ps 116.12 But is there nothing indeed I remember a saying of Aeschines a poor Disciple of Socrates Many brought to Socrates many rich Gifts poor Aeschines had nothing but he comes to Socrates and saith unto him Nihil dignum te quod dare tibi possim invenio Itaque dono tibi quod unum habeo me ipsum that is I have nothing in the World worthy to be presented to you and therefore I bestow upon you all that I have my very Self In like manner let us give our Selves to God So did they of Macedonia 2 Cor. 8.5 And so doth the Apostle wish us all to do I beseech you brethren saith he by the mercies of God that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice holy acceptable unto God Rom. 12.1 and in the next verse he shews how it is to be done Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind So then make you a new heart let us begin to lead new lives and this will be an acceptable Present unto God For that is it that God requires Ezek. 18.31 But the time bids me hasten to the third and fourth things observable in the Text that is by whom and to whom this Gift was given I shall be brief in both He gave Him He that is the God of Glory mentioned in verse 2 He gave and indeed Saint James tells us that Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and cometh down from the Father of Lights Jam. 1.17 There is no mercy no blessing that any man doth injoy but it comes from him What hast thou that thou hast not received 1 Cor. 4.7 Are they natural mercies Why he giveth to all life and breath Act. 17.25 Are they temporal blessings Why Both riches and honour come of thee 1 Chron. 29.12 Are they spiritual blessings If any of you lack wisdom let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally Jam. 1.5 Is it eternal happiness it self Why The gist of God is eternal life Rom. 6.23 Is it not strange then and may we not marvel at it that God hath no more Friends Every man saith Solomon is a friend to him that giveth gifts Pro. 19.6 And yet the Almighty God who giveth us all that we injoy may ask the question that Jehu once did Who is on my side who 2 King 9.32 All seek their own not the things which are Jesus Christs as the Apostle complains Phil. 2.21 Every man is for himself for his own profit for his own pleasure for his own will But you perhaps may say who is not Gods Friend For the answer of this I shall but produce a Scripture or two unto you as that in Ps 139.20 Thine enemies take thy name in vain Why then common Swearers and all others that any way abuse the Name of God are not his Friends Again Luke 19.27 Those mine enemies which would not that I should raign over them bring them hither and slay them before me Why then they that will not suffer the Lord to rule them and raign over them are not his Friends I will add but one more and that in Ps 68.21 God shall wound the head of his enemies and the hairy scalp of such a one as goeth on still in his trespasses Why then such as go on still in their trespasses are not his Friends Those and many others may be declared to be such as God doth not take for his Friends And would