Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	body_n	spirit_n	worship_v	2,550	5	9.5500	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A51830	Two sermons both preached at Northampton, one at the assizes March 1693, the other at a visitation October the 10th, 1694 by John Mansell ...	Mansell, John, 1644 or 5-1730.	1695 (1695)	Wing M513; ESTC R32049	23,984	62

as full of Plainess and Simplicity as the former was of Awful State and Gaudy Ceremony He ordained a new Order of Priests also who what they wanted in Outward Pomp were to make it up in the Inward Gifts of the Holy Spirit When the Church it self though it had no longer its Garments of wrought Gold yet became the more Glorious within And the Ministers of Jesus Christ instead of vieing with Earthly Princes in their Glory and Magnificence more nearly resembled their Blessed Jesus in his Exemplary Humility When Shadows shining and yet dark gave place to Substances more beautiful in their Naked Simplicity and Types and Figures though set off with all that was Gay and Glittering made room for the things themselves signified and the Ministers of the Gospel Covenant were more Divinely consecrated by that Vnction from the Holy one spoken of 1 John 2.20 than the High Priest of old upon whom and whom alone the anointing oil of the Lord was poured out Lev. 8.10 Thus they became a Kingdom of Priests as the most Antient Hebrew reads it Exod. 19 6. or Kings and Priests as St. John speaks Rev. 1.6 referring to the Targum on the forecited place or a Royal Priesthood as St. Peter conforms his words to the Septuagint Version of the same 1 Pet. 2.9 Though to do strict Justice to those Texts it must be confessed that they regard the whole Body of faithful Christians but yet they may in a more particular manner be applied to Christian Ministers without putting much force upon the words In fine God being now to be worshipped in Spirit and in Truth those who attended his Publick Worship were to be Men of Spiritual Vnderstandings Col. 1.9 and to pay to God no longer a Typical Ceremonial but a Reasonable that is a Rational Service And thus we have traced the Institution and the Establishment of the Priesthood It is almost as old as the World as Universal as Mankind It has been the Honour of Princes the most Antient of whom by uniting the Sacerdotal and the Regal Power in their own Persons became truely Patriarchs and in the most flourishing Empire upon Earth the Title of Pontifex Maximus was thought an Additional Honour to that of Emperour To conclude this head and to speak it greatly it was an Office not Unworthy of Jesus our Incarnate God who to those other Offices of King and Prophet was pleased to annex this of Priest too A Priest for ever after the honour of Melchisedec Heb. 7.21 And all this leads me directly to my 2. Consideration Namely The extraordinary Honour of that Order which God imploys in so great a work as this of Salvation when God from the beginning designed the Salvation of Souls he resolved to Imploy the Priesthood in that Gracious Design and thereby he highly honoured those whom he so imployed And this Honour doth particularly appear 1. In the Subject Matter about which they are imployed And 2. In the Glorious End to which all their Work was designed 1. The great Honour of the Priestly Order appears in the Subject Matter about which they are Imployed And that is Humane Souls which certainly next to God himself are the most Noble Subjects Men can be Imployed about Thus the Ministry is said to watch for Souls Heb. 12.17 Humane Souls the breath of God himself his own Immortal Images the Seat of the Rational Life the Scene of Thought and Reflection It being highly Unphilosophical to suppose that Life and Thought could arise from meer Matter though ever so justly modified or ever so evenly put in motion Prov. 20.27 This Candle of the Lord lighted up in Man is the Exalted Subject about which the Priesthood is imployed A Subject nobler than what exerciseth the Heads and hands of all the Busie Guilty Great Ones of the World Greater than any that amuses the Cabals of Politicians or the Cabinets of Princes greater than all that ingages the Ambition of Fighting Monarchs or of Rival Kings whose most weighty Concerns are meer guilded Nothings if compared to the worth of one single Soul which we find to be set above the acquisition of the whole World Matth. 16.26 and which does indeed infinitely excell all that the World looks upon with respect or wonder For to take one of the Highest Instances what are Victorious Generals or Conquering Armies though set out in all their Martial Bravery and all the Glorious Terrours of successful War If compared to a Holy Man of God to a Guide of Souls kneeling and praying in the midst of a Devout Congregation whom he seems to have inspired with part of his own Devotion whilst performing those Holy Offices that belong to his Sacred Function he wrestles mightily with God and offers a Holy Violence to Heaven it self which suffers it self to be taken by that Zealous force This doubtless is a Spectacle incomparably more pleasing and agreeable in the Eyes of God of Angels and of good Men than all the Criminal Triumphs of Humane Conquerors though raised upon the Ruine and Devastation of Flourishing Provinces the Ashes and Rubbish of smoaking Cities and the Carcases of Thousands of Men all Sacrificed to that Devouring Moloch the Wild Ambition of one Restless Disturber of the Worlds Peace and his own Whereas these Soldiers of Jesus Christ for so his Ministers are called 2 Tim. 2 3. these Leaders of Gods People Isa 9.16 these Watchmen over his House Ezek. 33.7 Carry on the Mighty Work of Souls at no other Expence but that of Sin at the Ruine of no other strong holds but those of Satan and in short with the hazard of no other Blood but their own in times of Persecution Neither is the Work of Souls only thus comparatively great with respect to all besides that is accounted great upon Earth But it will appear still more great if we consider the Almighty Master-Workman under whom the Ministry is ingaged in it For it is Gods own Work and therefore they are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Fellow-Labourers with God 1 Cor. 3.9 and in sum it was the Work of Jesus Christ himself when humbled into Man who therefore owns them to be his Fellow-Work-Men all ingaged to carry on that great Design that he himself first began and Able Builders in that Fabrick of which he himself laid as well as was the Chief corner stone Thus the Work of Souls being the Work of Heaven the Work of God the Work of Christ to be admitted into ever so Inferiour a Coadjutorship of so Divine a Work must needs be one of the highest Honours of which a meer Creature can be capable But 2. This Honour of those whom God imploys in so gracious a Design will appear more conspicuous when we consider that great End to which all that Work of theirs is directed and that is to save those Souls about whom they are imployed And this gloriously differences their Work from all others though about the same Subject For though the