Selected quad for the lemma: state_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
state_n	body_n	soul_n	union_n	1,547	5	9.5555	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A67047	A word in season. Or Three great duties of Christians in the worst of times viz. abiding in Christ, thirsting after his institutions, and submission to his providences. The first opened, from 1 John 2.28. The second from Psal. 42.1,2. The third from Jer. 14.19. By a servant of Christs in the work of his Gospel. To which is added, by way of appendix, the advice of some ministers to their people for the reviving the power and practice of godliness in their families.	Servant of Christ in the work of his Gospel.	1668 (1668)	Wing W3548A; ESTC R204145	100,163	272

best of souls are growing but ●●ver come to their full growth Now the ●●titutions of God are the souls food and ●●ment in order to this growth The mark which is set in a Christians eye is The fulness of the measure of stature which is in Christ Perfection Being holy as Christ is holy perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect These are high marks every good Christian levels at them none hits them St. Paul himself had not attained but this one thing he did forgetting what was behind he pressed on to what was before A good Christian never standeth still but is always moving adding to his faith vertue to vertue temperance c. Growing in grace and in the knowledge of Christ Going on from strength to strength Now the institutions of God are the means of growth they are the souls food and nourishment 1 Pet. 2.2 As new born habes desire the sincere milk of the word that you may grow thereby Psal 119.130 The entram● of thy word giveth light it giveth understanding to the simple They make wise the simple enlighten the eyes By them the servants of God are warned c. As well then can a growing child not hunger and thirst after food the prop●● nourishment of its body as soon m● a man not hunger and thirst for his m●● and drink by which his soul is kept●● life as a Christian not hunger and thir●● after the institutions of God by which he groweth and by which he is preserved in his spiritual state 2. Though the weakest of Gods childr● be in a better state than the best unreg●● rate man yet none of their souls are in persect health Now the Ordinances of God are their spiritual physick The child of God while he lives on this side heaven is like a man or woman that hath a weak crazy constitution he is not always alike ill disposed nor always complains of the same distempers but 't is seldom that he is not complaining of one distemper or other One while of an hard heart another while of an heavy ●ull and dead spirit one while of a sad and dejected spirit another while of a di●racted vain spirit c. some ailment or other he always carries about with him and will do while his body of death abides in him the fountain of all spiritual diseases One while he is buffeted by ●●atan another while he is pressed with ●s own corruptions Now the Ordi●●nces of God are the leaves of the tree of life appointed for the healing of the Nations David was sadly distempered with a temptation from the prosperity of the wicked while he was in adverfity till he went into the sanctuary Psal 73.13 Hannab was of a troubled spirit till she went into the tabernacle to pray then her countenance was no more sad Psal 119.81 My soul fainteth for thee but I hope in thy word verse 50. And so in many other Texts As soon therefore may one labouring under daily pain weakness and distempers not desire deliberately what shall heal him as the child of God no● thirst after the institutions of God which are All-heal to his soul The gre●● and easie means for his spiritual cure Thirdly The gracious soul is alway looking after God but never in this liffully seeth him Gods institutions are a● glasses to the soul by which it hath a cleare● and fuller sight of God The power and glory of God are seen in the Sanctuary Psal 63.3 Next to the beholding o● God face to face it this beholding of him in duties of communion with him O● what a communion with God doth the soul of a godly person oft-times enjoy in a Prayer in a Sacrament in the hearing of the Word and every sighted God is exceeding sweet Thus I have opened to you the second thing which is the cause of this singular spiritu● thirst 3. A third is The Saints experiences God in Or dinances There is no gracious soul but at one time or other in Prayer in hearing the Word in receiving the Sacrament hath tasted and seen how good the Lord is Now it is of our nature having tasted that which we have found good and excellent the more to long for it But I shall adde no more to the Doctrinal part of this discourse I shall now come to the Application In the first place we may learn what to judge of those 1. Vse In truct who either despise Gods institutions or at least are very indifferent to them 1. There are too too many that despise them they mock at Preaching at Sacraments at Prayer they like a Play better or see no need of them at all some out of a principle of profaneness fordid souls that savour nothing of heaven and heavenly things nothing of that noble end for which man is created or to which he is obliged to direct his actions whether they have souls or no they scarce understand or if they have whether they differ from the sensitive souls of Dogs or Swines they consider not What the natural and animal life means they understand but what the spiritual life meaneth they understand not The drunkard thirsts after his cups of wine or other liquor the voluptuous man after his pleasures the covetous man after wealth but for those holy institutions of God which are pabulum animae those precious things by which mens souls live they understand them not they trample them under foot and it may be rend them who bring them to them Others there are that are not altogether thus bad but yet are very indifferent as to these things they can hear a Sermon and they can let it alone whether ever they be at one or no whether ever they sit at the Lords Table or no whether ever they pray or no they are very mdifferent O how unlike is the spirit of these men to the spirit of holy David What would you say to a child that should be born and never cry for food would not you sit it had nothing in it of humane nature or that it would not live long● You may as certainly conclude conceming such souls as these that they have nothing in them of the Divine Nature and they do not live at all the life of grace nor ever will live the life of glory There is no sadder sign either of a dead soul dead while it lives dead in trespasses and sins or of a decaying perishing soul than the want of this spiritual appetite this hungring and thirsting after the institutions of God Hence secondly observe 2. Br. How necessarily precious the true able faithful Ministers of the Gospel must be to gracious souls They are the earthen vessels which bring this heavenly treasure It was said of old Blessed is he that comes unto us in the name of the Lord. And Rom. 10.15 Rom. 10.15 How beautiful are the feet of them that bring glad tidings of peace The Ordinance of the Ministry in this hath the preheminence of other

affords several Propositions of Doctrine some more implied others more expressed That Christ will appear 1. Prop. Though at present he be personally absent and disappeareth to his people yet he will come again he will appear That at the day of his appearance 2. Prop. some will have boldness and confidence others will blush and be ashamed That it is the great concernment of Christians to abide in Christ 3. Prop. and that especially in evil times 4. 4. Prop. That a peoples abiding in Christ will adde to a godly Ministers boldness and confidence when Jesus Christ shall appear in Judgment The third being the main Doctrine of the Text is that which I shall only insist upon 1. Prop. It is the great concernment of the children of God the Disciples of Christ especially in evil times to abide in Christ The foundation of this Proposition in the Text is evident But now little children abide in him Now that the times are thus evil by the corruption of men on the one hand by the rage of men on the other hand Jo. 1.2.18 19 26. Now that there are many Antichrists by which we know this is the last time verse 18. Now that many are gone out from us who were not of us Now that there are many that seduce you verse 19 26. Now abide in him But for a fuller discourse upon this subject it will be necessary that I should open to you 1. The meaning of this term Abide in him that you may know the full import of it 2. That I should shew you wherein this appeareth to be the great concernment of Christians 1. In all times 2. More especially in evil times 3. Then I shall bring it home to you in a more close and particular application 1. Quest What is the meaning of this Exhortation Abide in him What is this to abide in Christ 1. Abide is a term of continuance and signifies a continuing or persevering in some place or station in which a person is being here applied to Christ it must signifie a perseverance or continuance in union with Christ or in some station or relation referring to him There are three ways by which a man may be said to have a relation to Christ 1. Sacramentally We are said in Scripture to be baptized into Christ Rom. 6.3 Gal. 3 26. Rom. 6.3 Gal. 3.26 not that the person baptized is forthwith justified or regenerated none can maintain that without asserting an intercession of the state of justification and total and final apostasie but by Baptism we are made members of that mystical body whereof Christ is the head I mean the Church thus in the strictest sense those that are baptized are baptized into Christ mystical Christ as the Head of the Church though not as the Head of the Elect. From this relation to Christ there is no starting but by renouncing or denying our Baptism Besides We are baptized into Christ as the souldier by taking his pay or taking his oath is listed into an Army that is under an engagement to profess Christ and to be his servants 2. Putatively or Visibly It is a figurative but very usual expression in Scripture for men to be said to be what they judge themselves to be or what they outwardly own and profess to be thus the seemingly righteous man is called righteous And in this sense you read of some that deny the Lord that bought them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is and we are bid not with our meat to destroy our Brother for whom Christ dyed Thirdly More spiritually and really by an union of faith Thus that man is in Christ who actually believeth faith is that grace which makes the true and perfect union betwixt Christ and the soul I mean that faith which the Apostle calls the faith of Gods elect the faith that worketh by love purifieth the heart gives the soul victory over the world c. Which faith is not an idle and inactive quality but working and powerful justifying it self 1. By a profession owning of and adhering to the truths of the Gospel 2. By a suitably holy life and conversation With reference to this I take the Exhortation 2. But Secondly This Exhortation doth not suppose that it is possible that the union once thus made betwixt Christ and the soul can be dissolved He that is the Author is also the finisher of our faith The Seed of God saith our Apostle abideth in the believing soul It is a great mistake of some to conclude from such kind of Exhortations as these the possibility of a Christians falling from a state of Grace 3. But Lastly Though a Christian once truly implanted into Christ and by faith engrafted cannot but abide in him being kept by the power of God and upheld by an everlasting arm Yet 1. This union on our part must be preserved by the use of such means as he hath appointed 2. A man may fall away gradually from his profession and may abate of his practice in holiness Now with reference to one or both these is this Exhortation and many others of like nature in Scripture which signifie these two things 1. Live in a diligent use of all those Sacred Institutions and Means which God hath appointed you in order to your preservation in that state of grace into which the Lord hath brought you and will by his power but through faith on your part preserve you to salvation 2. And take heed that you abate not in degrees of faith and love This now is the meaning of this short Exhortation abide in him which we shall the better understand by considering other Scriptures in words or in sense paralell to this It is a phrase we rarely meet with in holy Writings but only in the Gospel and Epistles of this blessed Apostle It was Christs Exhortation John 15.4 Abide in me Joh. 15.4 7 10. expounded ver 7. If any man abide in me and my words abide in him ver 10. 1 Joh. 2.6.24.17.10 1 Joh. 3.6 Abide in my love 1 John 2.24 it is a little altered if you abide in that which you have heard 1 John 2.26 He that saith he abideth in him ought so to walk as he also walked ver 10. it is called an abiding in light 1 John 3.6 Who so abideth in him sinneth not So then when we are exhorted to abide in him we are called upon To take heed of sin to do the will of God to walk in the light of truth and holiness to continue in the owning and profession of the truths of God which we have heard to take care that the words of Christ may abide in us Two things we are called to for two things we are admonished to take heed of 1. We are called to for a stedfast owning of and adhering to such propositions as we before by faith have embraced and been perswaded of from the Evidence of the word of God and admonished to take heed of