Selected quad for the lemma: soul_n

Word A Word B Word C Word D Occurrence Frequency Band MI MI Band Prominent
soul_n body_n bread_n nourish_v 4,911 5 10.6386 5 false
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A29129 A cordial-mediator for accordance of brethren that are of different judgments and wayes of administration in things that concerne the Kingdome of God for repairing of the breach and restoring of the paths for many generations : wherein is proposed the way and means (not to inforce or compell to an outward dissembling, hypocriticall uniformity, which is all that can be inforced unto by humane authority, but) to induce and ingage to a cordiall-uniformity even of soule and spirit amongst all that are truly and really Christians, and to bring them likewise into the same wayes and ministrations in the things of God / written by Ellis Bradshaw. Bradshaw, Ellis. 1658 (1658) Wing B4141; ESTC R27175 36,305 46

There is 1 snippet containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

the prime efficient cause thereof and the most immediate as so it is yet as next immediate and as instrumentall causes whereby he work●th immediately he joyneth faith and love as co-operative and if I may so say as co-essenciall causes of all spirituall power and strength for working us up and making us capable and comprehensive to be filled with all the fullnesse of God for unlesse Christ dwelleth in our hearts by faith and that we be rooted and grounded in love we cannot be able to comprehend with all Saints as vers 18. Nor can we be filled with all the fullnesse of God as ver 19. And consider also how no lesser mea●ures of the Spirit and Faith and Love will serve the turne to fulfill the desires and requests of the Apostle on their behalfe but that they might be filled with all the fulnesse of God which might teach us not to be content with any poor measures of his holy Spirit But to covet earnestly even the best gifts and the largest measures that are attainable and that we are capable of For he that hath bid us covet them and a●ke them can easily give them and make us capable and comprehensive of them through faith and love which are in Christ Jesus Now the spirit worketh faith and worketh by faith to make us capable of discerning all spirituall things for they being invisible as God himselfe cannot be seene with bodily eyes but only through an eye of faith And faith worketh by love and also worketh love See 1 Thess 1.3 Gal. 5.6 For what we cannot see through faith and apprehend to be lovely we cannot possibly love it I meane it of spiritualls and invisibles And therefore it followeth that if we have but a little faith a dim-eyed faith we have also but a little love and a little desire after spirituall things but are poor and content also to remain poor in all such respects See Rev. 3.7 8. But God hath chosen the poore of this world rich in faith to be heirs of his Kingdome And David also his eyes were upon the faithfull in the Land and upon the excellent that they might dwell with him Psal 101.6 But he was a man after Gods own heart where shall a man be found now in this generation that maketh his choice after the same rule to make them his associates and companions and delight and his counsellers as David did See Psal 16.3 James 2. 2 3 4 5. And why is it but for want of faith which worketh by love and worketh love to the choicest objects that are the most lovely and also the most loving for there is a reciprocacy in this respect in the sight of God as hath been shewed But if it be conceived that many doe in a great measure as David did I say let us take the Apostles counsell who beseecheth in such a case to increase more and more See 1 Thess 4 10. which sheweth that he would not have us rest content with any poore or scant measures but to be pressing forwards towards perfection in such respects wherein we can never goe beyond the mark that is set us and therefore it is that the Apostle biddeth seeing we desire and are zealous of spirituall gifts seeke that we may excell to the edifying of the Church See 1 Cor. 14 12. From which it is evident that we may and ought to seek that we might excell provided it be not to make our selves famous in the eyes of men but that our consciences may bear us witnesse in the holy Ghost that our end is mainly for the edifying of the Church Now this end can never sway us to any great zeal unlesse our love to the Church ingage us to it and the love of Christ must as it were constraine us as it did the Apostles yea and even Christ himselfe now where love engageth us it will not pervert the end of such ordinances which Christ hath left us for our edification to make them as stumbling blocks and as rocks of offence to obstruct our communion whereby we have occasion for edifying one another in faith and love But it will rather cast up and prepare the way and remove the stumbling blocks out of the way of his people See Isa 57.14 That so all the elect and beloved of God may accord with us and come in and consecrate with us in all Christian communion and brotherly fellowship for it is the nature of love to unite cordially for love is in the heart and therefore it was that in the primative times they that beleeved were of one heart and of one mind and the successe was they had all things common Now it is well known that cordiall love cannot be enforced but must be induced we cannot cudgell it into the hearts of any God is the Author and Fountaine thereof nor can our seperation and keeping a part ever induce it but it must be induced through loving and kind fellowship and communion together and therefore it is that God hath commanded fellowship Consider seriously this Text of Scripture what it clearely importeth I speak it as to wise men as the Apostle did to judge what I say of it to wit 1 Cor. 10.14 15 16 17. Wherefore my dearly beloved fly from idolatrie I speak as to wise men judge ye what I say The Cup of blessing which we blesse is it not the communion of the blood of Christ The bread which we break is it not the communion of the body of Christ For we being many are one bread one body for we are all partakers of that one bread From all which give me leave to aske you doth not his bidding us fly from idolatry imply that we may idolize the bread and wine as so not only the Papists do who account it the reall body and blood of Christ which they heare us doe and must containe till all things be restored But when we make account as if the bread and wine after consecration or blessing of them had any vertue in them to nourish our soules to eternall life ●hich were only left us as outward signes to be eate and drunke in remembrance of him and that by his body the Church so that when they gave thanks or blessed the bread and wine they did not pray that the bread and wine might be blessed to the people for their Spirituall nourishment But they prayed that the communion and fellowship of the misticall body might be blessed that is to say that their union and fellowship together might be a meanes o● their edification and that is faith and love and so might grow up together and hold close to the Head from which all the body being knit together by joynts and bands having nourishment ministred might increase with the increase of God See Coloss 2.19 And this is the end for which this Sacrament was ordained to wit for our edification in faith and love and that by having communion with Christ who hath