Selected quad for the lemma: soul_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
soul_n	nature_n	person_n	union_n	4,088	5	9.9328	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77358	The vvorks of William Bridge, sometime fellow of Emmanuel Colledge in Cambridge, now preacher of the Word of God at Yarmouth. The third volumn. [sic] Viz. 1. The spiritual life, and in-being of Christ in all believers. 2. The woman of Canaan.	Bridge, William, 1600?-1670.; Greenhill, William, 1591-1671.	1649 (1649)	Wing B4447; Thomason E471_2; ESTC R205749; ESTC R24233	115,073	169

beleever Fourthly You must know this That there is a great-deal of difference between the In-being of a Spiritual thing in a Material and the In-being of one Material or Corporial thing in another I shall make it as plain as I can and it will be of concernment to you Take a body now and let that be mixt with another and each part may say I am that which I am joyned to but take the Spirit or a Spiritual Being and let that be mixt with a more Material Being and then the Material Being cannot say I am the Spirit and the Spirit I am the Matter As now ye see in the great Union between the Soul and the Body the Soul is in every part of a man tota in toto the Soul saies the Philosopher is wholly in every part the whole soul of man being in every part of the body yet notwithstanding the Body cannot say I am the Soul nor the Soul cannot say I am the Body because they are thus united together Why because here is an Union of a Spiritual thing with a more Material which does keep the Natures distinct Or thus give me leave to expresse it to ye Iron and Fire being joyned together your Fire is in every part of the Iron and yet notwithstanding though the Fire be in every part of the Iron the Iron cannot say I am the Fire nor the Fire cannot say I am the Iron Why because here is a more Spiritual Body in a more Material Body and so the Natures are kept distinct Or if you will yet farther Ye see the Light in the Air the Light is more Spiritual than the Air and the Light is in every part of the Air yet notwithstanding the Air cannot say I am the Light nor the Light cannot say I am the Air but these two are kept distinct Why because here is an Union of that which is more Spiritual unto that which is more Materiall So I say here Though Christ be really United unto each Beleever yet notwithstanding the soul of a Belever is more Material though not in it self Material yet in respect of Christ the soul is a grosse Nature in regard of the Spirit of Chirst and being thus therefore united these Natures are kept distinct the Spirit of Christ is kept distinct from the Nature of the soul and the soul from the Nature of the Spirit and therefore the soul of a Beleever though united really unto Christ by the Spirit cannot say I am the Spirit or I am Christ Object But if we look will some say into the 17. chapter of John our Lord and Saviour Christ seems to speak this way at the 20 and 21. verses Neither pray I for these alone saies he but for them also which shall beleeve on me through their word That they all may be one as thou Father art in me and I in thee that they also may be one in us Here Christ prayes That Beleevers may be one with him as he and the Father were one but if Christ be really united to each Beleever by his Spirit What difference is there between this Vnion and the Hypostatical Vnion the second Person was united unto our Nature to our Flesh and if now Christ be united unto a Beleever by his Spirit which is the Third Person What is the difference between the Hypostatical Vnion and the Vnion of a Beleever with Christ by the Spirit Answ 1 Much every way For take a Beleever and though Christ be United unto a Beleever really by his Spirit yet notwithstanding the Beleever is not said to be Assumed the Spirit doth not Assume the heart of a Beleever as the second Person did Assume our flesh and though we are united unto Christ by the spirit yet not said to be Assumed by the spirit Again Though Christ be really united unto each Beleever yet it is no Personal Union as the Hypostatical Union is A man is a Person before he is United so unto Christ by the spirit but now Christs Soul and Body they were not a Person before United unto the Second Person but the Soul and Body of Christ and the second Person in the Trinitie United together make up one Person I say that is a Personal Union all making up but one Person But now a Beleever he is a Person before his Union with Christ by the spirit he is a Person a Wicked Person but he is a Person Again The Union that is between Christ and a Beleever it is in respect of the other Union an Accidental Union Christ United unto the soul by Faith by the intervening of Grace and Accidents But now the second Person was United unto our Nature and unto our Flesh not by the intervening of any Grace or any Accident but their Substance was United unto Substance by the Second Person I say it was not an Union by the intervening of any Grace for though all graces were in Christ yet the union of the second Person to our flesh is not by the intervening of any Grace Faith or the like but now our union to Christ is by the intervening of Grace of faith and so this union is but an Accidental union in regard of that Again Though Christ be united unto all Beleevers by his Spirit yet he is so far united unto a beleever as to make him a member of the Body only But the second Person was United unto our Nature and unto our flesh to make Christ the Mediator Indeed if God were United to man for far as to make him Mediator between God and Man then he might say I am God and I am Christ but I say this Union being Voluntary he does so far Unite himself unto the soul of a Beleever as to make him a Member of the Body only and not a Mediator But when the Second Person was United to our Nature the Union was to make the Person a Mediator And thus ye see there is a great deal of Difference between that Hypostatical Union and this Mystical Union of a Beleever And whereas it is said in that 17. of John That Christ praies that we may be one with him as he is with the Father That they all may be one as thou Father art in me and I in thee that they also may be one I answer This is an As of Similitude and not of Equallity Christ praies unto the Father that Beleevers may be one with him not by way of Equallitie that a Beleever should be Equallie one with Christ as Christ is with the Father for then Christ should pray that a Beleever might be worshipped too which he never did and if that Christ here should pray that a Beleever might be one with Christ as Christ with the Father in regard of Equallitie then Christ should pray that a Beleever should be one with him from Eternity for saies he unto his Father in the beginning of the chapter Glorify me with thy self with the same glory which I had with thee before

live Yes saies he at the 20. ver I am crucified with Christ Nevertheless I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me Nevertheless or now I live I live that is a spiritual life There is a Natural life and there is a Spiritual life He does not here speak of the Natural life when he saies Nevertheless I live because he adds yet not I but Christ liveth in me that is Spiritually And when he saies I live he speaks it in the Person of every Believer not in his Own Person but he personates a Believer all along I through the Law am dead to the Law that I might live to God I a Believer And I am crucified with Christ I a Believer And Nevertheless I live All along he does personate a Believer and does not speak in his own Person but in the Person of a Believer And he saies here Nevertheless I live He had said before That we are justified by Faith alone and not by the works of the Law and that a Believer was crucified with Christ Now saies he This Doctrine that I have preach'd unto you is no way opposit unto our Spiritual life or unto our Holiness yet now I live or nevertheless I live From whence then you may observe these Two things First That every true Believer every Godly Gracious man is a living man lives aspiritual life is in the state of life Secondly That our justification by faith alone and our being crucified with Christ is no enemy but a friend unto this Spiritual life Nevertheless I live Doct. 1 First of all Every Godly Gracious man is a living man is in the state of life lives a Spiritual life And this ye have most expresly in that 6. Chap. of John at the 40. vers This is the will of him that sent me That every one which seeth the Son and believeth on him may have everlasting life and I will raise him up at the last day But though he shall have everlasting life hereafter it may be he hath not this life for the present Look therfore what he saies at the 47. vers Verily verily I say unto you He that beleeveth on me hath everlasting life 'T is not said He shall have everlasting life but he hath everlasting life everlasting life is begun in him already And that ye may be the more sure of it he gives you a double Verily Verily verily I say unto ye He that believeth on me hath everlasting life But how can this be Nay how should it be otherwise for a mans life is as his meat is and saies our Saviour I am the bread of life at the 48. vers Then at the 54. vers Whesoever eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternal life For my flesh at the 55. vers is meat indeed and my blood is drink indeed he that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me and I in him As the living Father hath sent me and I live by the Father so he that eateth me even he shall live by me So that ye see this Chapter is ful of it here is a cloud of winesses I say therfore That every godly gracious man is a living man and lives another life from the life of the world a spiritual life and is in the state of spiritual life For the opening of this Truth unto ye We must first of all enquire What this Spiritual life is Take therefore this description of it It is that supernatural perfection of soul whereby a man being united unto Christ by the Spirit is able to act move and work towards God as his utmost end First I say It is a supernatural perfection There is some perfection in every life Life is the greatest good and perfection Death is the greatest evil Therefore when the Lord theratned Adam to punish him for eating the forbidden-fruit he saies The day thou eatest thereof Gen. 2. thou shalt die the DEATH Death is the greatest evil and so Life is the greatest good and perfection And this the Devil knew full well Joh 2.4 when he said Skin for skin and all that a man hath will he give for his life So that life is a perfection But I say this Spiritual life It is the Supernatural perfection of the soul And therefore in the 4. chapter of the Ephesians and the 18 verse This life of the Saints the very life of the Saints is called The life of God 'T is a supernatural perfection of soul therefore Secondly As it is a supernatural perfection of Soul So it rises from our Vnion with Christ by the Spirit A man is united to God by faith and by the Spirit and as our outward life does arise from the union between the soul and the body and though the body be never so fair or full yet if it be not united to the soul it is but a dead carkass So our Spiritual life it doth arise from our union with Christ and though a man have never so many moral virtues and his conversation be never so fair yet if not united to Christ by the Spirit he is but a dead man spiritually a dead man And therefore saies the Apostle here in the Text Nevertheless I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me Thirdly As it arises from our union with Christ by the Spirit So I say It is that Supernatural I perfection whereby a man is able to act and move and work towards God as his utmost and last end And therefore saies the Apostle in the former verse I through the Law am dead unto the Law that I may live to God To God as my last and my utmost end And when a man is able to act and move and work towards God as his last and utmost end then he is said to live spiritually So that then ye have this description of our spiritual life I repeat it again It is that supernaturall perfection of soul whereby a man being united unto Christ by the Spirit is able to act and move and work towards God as his utmost end Quest 2 Secondly Whereby may it appear That every godly gracious man is thus a living man made partaker of this spiritual life so as to he able to act and move and work towards God as his utmost end Answ I will take but the Three ordinary lives that are in the world The vegetative life the life of Plants and Herbs The Sensitive life the life of Beasts And the Rational life the life of Man And I wil shew ye That the Essential properties of all these lives are in a Spiritual way in the godly and then the Argument will lie thus If the Essential properties of all these lives be in a spiritual way in every godly man then certainly every godly gracious man is a living man and in the state of life living another life from the life of the world First Take the life of plants and herbs or of flowers and what is the Essential property of

Beleever by his Spirit and this Christ in a Beleever is not the Gifts and the Graces of the Spirit but Christ Himself by his Spirit This I confesse rises high but herein I am not alone divers School-men and Fathers and of our own Divines concurring with me The Reverend Mr. Perkins it was his speech That the Person of a Beleever is united to the Person of Christ But I shall give you the words of an Eminent Preacher that is now in Heaven as we have them in the Works that he hath left Saies he It hath been a great Dispute among the School-men Whether a Beleever does receive the holy Ghost it Self or only the Gifts and Graces of the holy Ghost But saies he it is a Question where there needs be no Question and Dispute where there needs no Dispute for the Scripture is clear That we do not only receive the Gifts and the Graces of the holy Ghost but the holy Ghost it Self for are we not said to be the Temple of the holy Ghost 1 Cor. 6.19 and this sets out the abundant Kindness and Goodness of God As saies he yet it is more Kindness to give a man Fruit and the Tree than to give him barely the Fruit So it is abundantly more grace in God to give a man the holy Ghost it Self rather than to give him only the Gifts and the Graces of the holy Ghost And indeed What greater Comfort can there be than this That Beleevers are not only made partakers of the Gifts and Graces of the holy Ghost but of Christ Himself Christ really in all Beleevers by his Spirit Object You will say unto me But how can this be we have ordinarily understood it otherwaies and so we have heard it preached too That Christ in a Beleever is nothing else but the Grace of Christ and the Spirit in a Beleever is nothing else but the Gifts Graces and Operations of the Spirit and indeed how can it be otherwaies For if Christ be really united unto each Beleever really in a Beleever by his Spirit and so made one with him then a Beleever may say I am Christ and I am the Spirit Which is Montanisme and which is Blasphemy and therefore how can this be that Christ is really united to each Beleever by his Spirit and really in a Beleever by his Spirit Answ I confess this is very hard to understand and when I consider the In-Being of Christ in a Beleever I remember that story that is written concerning Austin That walking by the Sea-side he saw a Boy take a Mussel-shell and go to the Sea carrying water with his Mussel-shell into a Ditch that was by out of the Sea into the small trench He asked the Boy what he would do Saies he I will empty all the Sea into that Ditch And he Smiles and told him he could not do it Saies he No more able are you with the Mussel-shel of your Understanding to carry out the Ocean of the Trinity in a small Tractate and Discourse of your own And what is our Understanding but as a little Mussel-shell in regard of Christ and the glory of the Trinity Surely we are not able with this little Mussel-shell for to carry out all the depth of this Truth in a small Discourse But it is a great Mystery Are ye able to tell me How the Child is formed in the Mothers womb Or are ye able to tell me How the Soul is United to the Body Who then can tell exactly How Christ is United to the soul of a Beleever 'T is a great Mysterie one of the great Mysteries of the Gospel But because our Saviour hath said Matth. 13.11 Vnto you it is given to know the Mysteries of the Kingdom and to others it is not Therefore we should all labor to understand it And that ye may not be mis-led herein as divers of late have been into strange kind of Blasphemous speeches I shall give you these Three or Four Propositions or Distinctions about it First of all You must-know That though Christ be really united unto each Beleever yet this Unition or Union is a Voluntary act and not a Natural act and so Christ may Unite himself unto the soul so far as it pleases himself It is not a Natural act but a Voluntary act and being an act wherein he is free he may Unite himself unto the soul so far as he pleases and no farther Now the Lord Jesus Christ hath not united himself so far unto the soul of a Beleever that a Beleever should say I am Christ and I am the Spirit for then a Beleever were to be Worshipped as well as Christ if he were Christ Secondly You must know this That there is a great-deal of difference between joyning unto another by way of Contact or Touching and joyning unto another by way of Composition As for Example The Sea and the Land they are joyned together they are united but how not by way of Composition but by way of Contact the Sea touches the Land the Land touches the Sea yet the Land cannot say I am the Sea nor the Sea cannot say I am the Land Why because it is an Union only by Contact by Touching and not by Composition one being compounded of the other So the Union that is between Christ and a Beleever it is by way of Spiritual Contact Christ touching the soul by his Spirit and the soul touching Christ by faith I say it is a Union by way of Spiritual Contact and Touching and not by Composition and therefore a Beleever cannot say that I am Christ and I am the Spirit Thirdly You must know There is a Two-fold In-being One whereby Essences are applyed unto each other and another whereby Essences are mixt together I 'le make it as plain as I can thus Ye see in a heap of Stone and Wheat they both make but one heap and the Stone may say I am in this heap and the Wheat may say I am in this heap but the Stone cannot say I am the Wheat nor the Wheat cannot say I am the Stone Why because though they be united and joyned together in one heap it is by way of Application of one Essence unto another one being applied unto another But now take Water and Wine and mingle them together and there every part may say I am Water and I am Wine Why because there is an Union by way of Mixture Now there is a great Union between Christ and a Beleeving soul yet a beleeving soul though he be really united to Christ by the Spirit cannot say I am Christ or I am the Spirit Why because it is an Union by way of Application and not by way of Mixture as Wine and Water mingled together if it were an Union by way of Essences then a beleever might say I am Christ and I am the Spirit but it is an Union by way of Application a beleever being applied to Christ and Christ applied unto a

Sanctified in a large sence but where do ye find in al the Bible of any Hypocrite that Christ is said to be in him really united unto an Hypocrite No this is the great Priviledge of a beleever only Col. 1.27 Christ in you the hope of Glory Fourthly If Jesus Christ be really united unto each beleever by his Spirit Then a beleever shal never die again spiritually die again I have read of a Woman that when her Husband was dead she would eat and drink the ashes of her Husband have his bodie burnt to ashes and so eat and drink the ashes of her husband and being asked the reason because saies she I mean to part with him no more I have parted with him once already when we were one but now I will be made one with him in another way and I will part no more with him So if Christ be in a Beleever really in a Beleever Christ really united unto each Beleever by his Spirit Then Christ and that Beleever shal never part again that Beleever shal die no more for the same Spirit that raised up Christ from the dead dwelling in a Beleever shal also raise up a poor beleever yea though he fal into the grave of sin he shal never die spiritually again upon this account Fiftly If Christ be really united unto al beleevers by his Spirit Then they may come with boldness unto the throne of grace and with unlimitted expectations of mercie from God the Father and from Christ Jesus The nearer ye are unto any Person the more boldness ye have towards him and the larger will your expectations be from him If a man marry his Servant whilst she was his maid she was not so bold nor could expect so much from him when she becomes the Wife then she is more bold and can expect more because now she is nearer A Child may have more boldnes and expect more from the Father than the servant and the servant that is within doors more than the servant that works in the field but the Wife that is nearest she is most bold comes with most boldness into the presence of the man and hath the largest expectations from him because she is nearest to him So the nearer that the soul of a beleever does get unto God the more boldness he may have when he comes to God and the largen expectations of mercy from him Now if Christ were in a beleever only by the Habit of grace and Christ in the soul were nothing else but the Habit of grace here were yet a great distance from Christ but now if Jesus Christ be really United unto each Beleever by his Spirit here is a close Union indeed And therefore upon this account every beleever may come with boldness now and with Unlimitted expectations of mercy from God the Father being brought thus neer that Christ Himself is really in the beleevers soul And what a Glorious and Blessed Condition is every beleever in now upon this account Applyca First Here I would stand admire and call upon you all to admire the Condescending Glorious and Unspeakable love of Christ It was infinite love in Christ to condescend so far as to come down into our Nature when he was incarnate but as if he were not neer enough to us then he comes down into the heart of a beleever by his Spirit When Christ was upon the Earth we were in him as in a common Person Now Christ is in Heaven he is in us by his Spirit What Glorious Condescending love is here If a Father Portion a Child set him up in a good Trade and the child decay through his own folly the Father will not Portion him again possibly he may help him but he will not give him ordinarily parents do not give so great a Portion to help him up again somewhat the parent will do but not so much as at the first The Lord of Heaven he put a great Portion into our hands at first and we decayed and broke and behold the Lord does not only give us as good a Portion as we had at the first but infinitely better for now the Lord Christ is United unto each Beleever now he comes and dwels in the soul of a beleever by his Spirit The Psalmist wondered and admired at the love of God to Man Psal 8.1 4. O LOrd saies the Psalmist how excellent is thy Name Lord what is man Why Lord what is man that thou visitest him He wondred at the love of God that would visit man But behold a greater love than so to visit poor man for Christ is come down into the soul of a beleever he is come into him by his Spirit not only come to visit him but Christ really United unto each beleever by his Spirit What Glorious and Condescending love is here Secondly Upon this account no Wicked man should dare to oppose any of the children of God Why because Christ is in them Christ not only in his Graces but Christ really in all beleevers by his Spirit And will a man dare to speak evil of him that is one with Christ or to defile the Temple of the Lord and the dwelling place of the Lord 1 Cor. 3.17 He that defiles the Temple of the Lord him will God destroy Take heed what you do if there be any opposers here Thirdly What abundance of Comfort is here unto all beleevers Christ is in you of a truth not only by the infusion of his Grace but Christ really in you by his Spirit It is some comfort to a sickly man that he hath a Physitian alwaies in the house with him and to a woman that is neer her time of travail that the Mid-wife is in the house with her What comfort is it then unto a poor soul that Christ is alwaies in him really in him by his Spirit You that are beleevers will not this content you He is too Covetous whom God cannot suffice He hath all things that hath him that hath all things Now every beleever hath Christ Christ really in a beleever by his Spirit not Notionally not by the Habit of grace only but Christ is really United unto each beleever by the Spirit Here is Comfort Comfort Comfort unto all those that are beleevers Object But I fear that Christ is not in me I do not find or perceive that Christ is in me and therefore I can have none of the comfort of this Doctrine were Christ really in me by the Spirit Christ would be working in me but I do not find these workings of Jesus Christ in me and were the Spirit in me it is quick lively and powerful I should do great things for God but alas I do nothing for him and therefore I fear that the Lord Christ is not in me of a truth Answ 1 First I grant That where Christ comes into the soul he does cause the soul to do great things for God greater than it could do before So it was with