Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	church_n	particular_a	pillar_n	1,653	5	10.8048	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01889	Spiritual marriage: or, The vnion betweene Christ and his Church As it was delivered in a sermon at Westminster, the first of Ianuarie. Anno Dom. 1626. By Iames Baillie, Master of Arts.	Baillie, James, Master of Arts.	1627 (1627)	STC 1203; ESTC S120307	33,214	58

Church which no power in hell nor earth is able to sunder and infringe neyther is there any way in nature by which two things can bee made one but from it the Spirit of GOD borroweth similitudes to expresse our conjunction with CHRIST wee are one with him as EVAH was with ADAM flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone wee are one with him as the house and the foundation whereupon it is built But this vnion is most liuely set forth in these three similitudes First as is the strait conjunction betweene the graft and the stock so is the vnion between CHRIST and his Church Secondly as is the neerenesse of the garment to the body so is ours with CHRIST Thirdly as the straitnesse of the bond is betweene the wife and the husband such is the straitnesse of our vnion with CHRIST But before I explaine the similitudes it is necessary to vnderstand what is signified by this word * Church in my text The Church hath diuers significations to the end that you may know to which Church this promise is made seeing it is diuersly taken and hath sundry significations in the old and new Testament for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Church is a Greeke word and properly signifieth an Assembly which belongeth as well to the Heathen and to Infidels as to Christians and the children of GOD verified by DAVID Psal 26.6 Psal 26.6 Odini Ecclesiam malignantium I haue hated the assembly or the Church of the wicked and by the Apostle Act. 19. Act. 19. That calleth that multitude which cryed Great is the DIANA of the Ephesians Ecclesiam the assembly or the Church But hereafter vse obtayned that Christians called their assembly Ecclesiam the Church to Why Christians called there Assemblies the Church distinguish it from the Synagogue of the Iewes albeit that both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth one thing an Assembly or a Congregation a meeting or a gathering together This word then Ecclesia the Church being vsurped by Christians is taken by them in the new Testament The Church hath fiue significations among Christians fiue manner of wayes First for the Pastors of the Church the people being excluded and so it is taken St Math. 18.17 where our Sauiour commands That if a debate betweene neighbours cannot bee quietly pacified to tell the Church that is the Byshops Prelates and other Pastors of inferiour titles that haue superioritie and jurisdiction in the Church Now it sometime belongs to this Church arguere increpare 2. Tim. 4. to improue and rebuke sometimes amputare to cut off sometimes lapsos relevare to raise vp againe such as haue slipped or fallen sometimes to confirme and corroberate those that stand In a word In this Church as in the Arke there must bee both manna and virga bread for refection and a rod for correction osculum and fraenum a kisse for friends and a bridle for refractarie and stubborne persons And as in a Vineyard there must be both planting and pruning so in this Church must there be both Doctrine Discipline Doctrine to inctruct in the points of Faith to conserue nourish and augment charitie flowing from the sinceritie of the minde integritie of the conscience and from a faith voyde of dissimulation and hypocrisie Discipline to correct and reforme vices and abuses Secondly this word Church is taken for the People the Pastors being excluded and so it is taken Act. 20.28 Where Pastors are exhorted to feed the Church which CHRIST hath purchased with his owne blood Thirdly it is taken for a particular Church in which both people and pastors are comprehended such of old was the Church at Ephesus at Corinth at Rome and such were those seauen Churches whereof wee reade in the 2. and 3. Chapters of the Revelation But now many of these Churches haue much fallen from that puritie wherein the Apostles and their Disciples did institute them and some of them altogether made so great a defection and apostasie from the faith as therein a man explicitly resting on their whole Doctrine cannot bee saued such to day is the Church at Rome and such a one hath she beene these many ages past for in her Idolatry is maintayned and the whole Doctrine of the benefit of CHRIST altogether corrupted if then a man would bee saued hee must vse our Sauiours counsell Revel 18.4 Reuel 18.4 Goe out of Babylon my people that yee bee not partakers of her sinnes and that yee receiue not of her plagues Fourthly this word Church is taken for the whole assembly of those that here below vpon the earth are called Christians and this is the vniuersall visible Church composed of diuers particular Churches called by the Apostle in the 1. of Tim. 3.15 1. Tim. 3.15 The pillar and ground of truth because it is the dutie thereof to vnderprop and defend the truth against all those that seeke by schismes heresies and erronious Doctrines to suppresse and ouerthrow the same Now this vniuersall Church subsisteth by a perpetuall generation one succeeding to another and consisteth of all the conuerted Iewes Gentiles that are vpon the face of this earth It is truth that this Church was once and before CHRIST came in the flesh onely among the Iewes glorious and the Gentiles then were but dogs or whelpes In the 15. of Math. 26. Math. 15.26 It is not good to take the childrens bread and to cast it to whelpes But now God perswaded IAPHETH to dwell in SHEMS tent Now God is the God of the Gentiles also Rom. 3.29 Yea which is more obstinacie is come to Israel vntill the fulnesse of the Gentiles bee come in Rom. 11.25 And amongst vs God hath a more The Church is more glorious among the Christians then it was among the Iewes glorious Church then euer hee had amongst the Iewes for this cause ABRAHAM desired to see our dayes for this cause St PAVL called Gods old ordinances beggerly rudiments Gal. 4.9 and reputed of Genealogies as of fables for this cause the Patriarkes without vs are not said to be perfect Heb. 11.2 Heb. 11.40 And this made SIMEON for a time to desire that he might not see death The Iewish Church had but shadowes and circumstances but we haue the body and the substance Ioh. 1.2 The word was made flesh he walked among his brethren they saw him handled him heard him beheld his wounders and miracles Math. 27.24.35 Math. 26.6 saw him condemned crucified raised and carried into heauen in a cloud It was this that made EZECHIELL the Prophet say our Temple should bee bigger then in the dayes of MOSES Math. 11.11 that made IOHN the Baptist bee called the greatest of all the Prophets and yet the least in our Church greater then he that made St. PAVL 2. Cor. 3. 2. Cor. 3. Call the Law the ministerie of condemnation but the Gospell the ministration of righteousnes

of many good Christians massacred vpon St. Baltholmewes day at Paris whose wounds are yet fresh bleeding in the memories of men that liue and saw them at Tollouse Orleans Boitiers and many more places in France with the blood of many a hundred thousand butchered most beastly in west Flanders by the Duke of Alphe because they would not receiue the marke of the Beast in their foreheads what shall I say of our Martyrs vnder Q MARIES raigne or of that Beasts crueltie and insatiable desire of blood that lately heere most furiously in King IAMES his time intended to haue blowne vp our Parliament house I can say nothing but beleeue that that which St IOHN many yeares agone foretold is fulfilled that is Revel 18.4 that Babylon even that great Citie vpon the seaven Mountaines is become the habitation of Devils the hold of all foule spirits a cage of every vncleane and hatefull bird Thirdly this Church of the elect this Chosen generation is distinguished from the Church of all other Heretikes and Schismatikes which is generatio reproborium a reprobated generation of this order are Manicheans Arrians Brownists Familists and such like which esteeme none to bee members of the mysticall Body of CHRIST except those that bee of their most wicked and execrable opinions Puritans I will not deale so rigorously with you howsoever you are but tares among the wheate and albeit you hold none to bee professors of the Gospell but your seditious and Schismatike societie and therefore cals and termes your selues Professors per 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 notwithstanding that your profession is nothing but lip-labour renting in the meane season the coate of CHRIST whereupon the barbarous Souldiers did cast lottes and spared the same breaking downe the walles of Ierusalem which * TITVS Ioseph a heathen Emperour would haue suffered to stand drowning that Arke which the generall Deluge would not drowne when it drowned all the world burning that bushe wherevpon the cruell raging fire had pittie and compassion and In a word you endeuour by your ignorant and malicious Schismes to demolish that house which is built vpon a rocke against which the gates of hell shall not preuaile for when any of the faithfull seruants of God takes paines for the home bringing of a lost Papist to the true sheepefold and Church of CHRIST It is the first thing which he obiecteth against vs yee are devided amongst your selues I cannot tell whether I shall imbrace the opinion of your Church or of your Puritane and for is the conuersion of sinners stayed by your wofull generation the kingdome of Sathan propagated the kingdome of CHRIST diminished and Christian religion exposed both to ludibrie and opprobrie both to mockerie and to shame and yet you haue eyes and eares but will neither see it nor heare it I thinke the curse of the Gospell is vpon you and cursed be those that preferre not Ierusalem to their chiefe joy never may they prosper that loue not that wish not peace within her sacred walls Fourthly and lastly this chosen generation is distinguished from the whole visible vniuersall Church here below which is generatio miscellaneorum a mixed generation and may bee compared to a net which gathereth both fish and scorpions to a field in which groweth both wheat and tares to a garden in which are both weeds and flowers because in the vniuersall visible Church et sanctis Ecclesiae locis are both Christ and Antichrist Pastors and Wolues truth and lies Sheepe and goates good Christians and dissembling hypocrites vessells of election and Children of wrath and often greater store of the worst then of the best Secondly againe this Church of the elect Heb. 12.32 Heb. 12.32 is called the Congregation of the first borne whose names are written in heauen because the names of the elect are written in the booke of life Thirdly Ephes the first and last Ephes 1. it is called the bodie of Christ and by consequence false hypocriticall and prophane Christians are not members thereof because such are but dead members which can be no part of the liuely body of IESVS CHRIST Fourthly Reuel 21.9 Revel 21.9 It is called the Bride and the Lambes wife because Christ hath married her vnto himselfe in iudgement in righteousnesse in wisdome in mercy and in compassion Hos 2. Hos 2. And it is to this Church of the elect this chosen generation this assemblie this congregation of the first borne this body of Christ and to this Bride the Lambes wife to which this promise of comfort is made Cant. 4. I will marrie thee vnto me for euer This Church is hortus conclusus an inclosed peece of ground as the garden of Eden and lieth within a hedge or fence This Church and none other is the spouse of IESVS CHRIST to which he hath joyned himselfe in marriage and which he will make vnto himselfe a glorious Church without spot or wrinkle holy and vnreproueable and out of this Church their can be no saluation in which regard saith St. AVSTEN Qui Ecclesiam non habuit pro matre nunquam Deum habebit pro patre who had not the Church to his mother shall neuer haue God to be his father to which I will adde nec Christum pro capite marito not Christ to be his head and husband and this made the good Emperour THEODOSIVS to conclude Malo esse membrum Ecclesiae quam caput Imperque I had rather be a member of the Church then head of the whole Empire And thus much for this word Church in my text the significations and names thereof and to which Church this promise is made I will marry thee vnto me for euer to the Church of the 〈◊〉 and so I come to the explanation of the three similitudes by which our vnion with Christ is most richly expressed the first whereof is the similitude of the roote and the grafts Can there be a more straight vnion apprehended can there bee a more neere coniunction imagined then this betweene the stock and the branches betweene the roote and the grafts The similitude betweene the graft and the roote it is not possible and yet such a one is our vnion with Christ In the 15. of St. Ioh. the fifth verse Iohn 15.5 I am the vine yee are the branches This is a metaphor a borrowed speech from planting Three things obseruable in which yee shall take notice of these three First of the roote or stock Secondly of the grafts or branches and Thirdly of the manner of ingrafting As to the first the roote or stock wherein this ingrafting is made is CHRIST called by himselfe the true vine by the Apostles the true oliue tree Rom. 11.17 and by the Prophets the roote of Iesse Isa 11.10 This true vine this true oliue and this roote of Iesse IESVS CHRIST hath that great husbandman the eternall God dressed and prepared in which he hath ingrafted so many