Selected quad for the lemma: woman_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
woman_n	conceive_v	seed_n	womb_n	1,446	5	10.0770	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A12478	An exposition of the Creed: or, An explanation of the articles of our Christian faith. Delivered in many afternoone sermons, by that reverend and worthy divine, Master Iohn Smith, late preacher of the Word at Clavering in Essex, and sometime fellow of Saint Iohns Colledge in Oxford. Now published for the benefit and behoofe of all good Christians, together with an exact table of all the chiefest doctrines and vses throughout the whole booke	Smith, John, 1563-1616.; Palmer, Anthony, fl. 1632.	1632 (1632)	STC 22801; ESTC S117414	837,448	694

sanctified from the impurity of our birth by the birth of Christ Secondly to fulfill the prophesies made of him as Esai 7. 14. Behold a Virgin shall conceive and beare a Sonne and shall call his name Emanuel c. So Gen. 3. 15. God promiseth that The seede of the Woman shall breake the head of the serpent therefore when there was such a seede of a Woman that came without the helpe of man it appeared this was the partie that God had assigned for the breaking of the serpents head and this is the note or marke that God hath given whereby the Messias the Saviour of the world might be knowne This was not onely the love of God to send Christ into the world to save us but to set visible markes and notes upon him that so we might know him wee read Gen. 4. 15. The Lord set a marke upon Caine and Exod. 12. the doore posts were sprinkled with the bloud of the Pascall Lambe that so the Augell of destruction might passe over them so also in Ezekiel those were marked which did mourne for the sinnes of the people that they might not be destroyed but preserved in like manner God hath set a visible marke upon Christ that he might be discerned therefore seeing God hath set visible markes and notes upon Him that we may know him we must so receive and so accept of Him Thirdly that the strangenesse of his birth might awaken and stirre up the world to looke for strange things by his life which was the reason why some of the holy people had such strange births as Isaac Iaakob Moses Samuel Sampson and Iohn Baptist that the strangenesse of their birth might awake he world and stirre them up to looke for extraordinary matters in their lives so Christ had a rare birth that hee might awaken and stirre up the world to looke for strange things by his life as at the Shepheards relation when they had published the things that they had seene by the Childe the people wondered so wee should wonder at the rarenesse of his birth for there bee strange things in the birth of Christ that hee must be sent to earth to bring us to Heaven that Hee who was uncorruptible must be made corruptible to make us uncorruptible that he must be made the Sonne of a Woman that we might be made the sonnes of God The Vses shall bee two First for instruction seeing Christ was borne of a Virgin without the helpe of man therefore that which is impossible by the course of nature is possible by the power of God it was impossible by the power of nature that ever Christ should bee borne of the Virgin without the helpe of man but it was possible to God Wee see in Sarah it was impossible in nature that she should beare a childe in her old age when her wombe was dead and yet it was possible by the power of God so Moses when hee strucke the rocke with his staffe that it gushed water one would have thought rather that it would have given out fire but that which was impossible to be effected by nature was possible by the power of God so likewise we read 2 King 7. when there was a dearth in Samaria Elisha prophesied of a great plenty which one Prince who did heare it was so farre from beleeving that he said it was impossible it should bee although the windowes of heaven should be opened indeede to nature it was but not to God Now this must be the rest and stay of a Christian in other hard cases in nature it is a thing impossible that euer one that is dead and rotten should rise againe but it is possible by the power of God so art thou weake though it bee impossible for a weake and fraile man to withstand the temptations of the devill yet know the power of God is able to make thee strong to overcome the devill remember therfore the power of God in all his promises hast thou a promise that if thou doe repent and beleeve thou shalt bee saved that he will lay no more upon thee than thou art able to beare that he will raise up thy body at the last day Consider that which is impossible to nature is possible to the power of God as the Apostle saith He is able to make all grace abound in us Secondly seeing Christ was borne of a Virgin so he must be spiritually borne in our hearts and consciences for I have shewed you before as Christ must be spiritually conceived in the heart of a Christian so also he must be borne for it is nothing to know that Christ was conceived in the wombe of the Virgin and to be borne of her unlesse thou know also Christ to be spiritually conceived and borne in thy heart therfore as Augustine saith What shall it profit mee to know that Christ is come in the flesh that hee was conceived in the wombe of the Virgin and borne of her unlesse I know Christ to bee conceived in my flesh and borne in my heart and soule so that it is not enough to have Christ conceived in our hearts unlesse hee bee borne and brought forth in us there bee a number that as it were conceive Christ that have good motions and good desires but they doe not bring them forth Christ is not borne in them and therefore they die But we must labour to bring him forth in our lives and in our actions We read of a wonder in Heaven Revel 12. 1. the Church is described to be travelling in paine to bring forth Christ so every Christian must travell bee in paine and bring Him forth in his life and in his actions wee must goe to Bethlem with the shepheards to finde Christ and when wee have found him wee must take him and make our hearts the cradle or cratch to lay Christ in and say as the Apostle Paul saith The life that I now live in the flesh I live by faith of the Sonne of God The next thing is that hee was borne of the Virgin Mary wherein two things are to be considered 1. Of what stocke shee came 2. What was her estate First for her stocke she came of the stocke and lineage of David as Matth. 1. 20. In Luk. 2. 4. it is said That Ioseph also went up from Galilee a city of Nazareth unto Iudea unto the city of David which is called Bethlem because he was of the house and Lineage of David Ioseph and Mary both sprang from hence Matthew hee sets downe how Ioseph came of the race and line of David Saint Luke shewes how Mary came of David and both to this end to shew that Christ is the Sonne of David according to the flesh and therefore the true Messiah and Saviour of the world for the true Messiah was to come of the house and line of David this we must beleeve and confesse him to bee the true Messias and Saviour as the blinde men in

there was no way to recover us but he must send His owne sonne to dye for us Secondly we may see the infinite justice of God that Hee would not let sinne be unpunished but would punish it though in his Sonne Thirdly the infinite wisedome of God to devise a way and a meanes to save man when all the heavenly powers stood at a stand Fourthly the infinite power of God in making that punishment temporall that was eternall and man which was as low as the earth to make higher than the heavens we be contented to looke into a glasse to see the goodly and gay things in it therefore wee should bee desirous to looke into this glasse wherein we may see the goodnesse the Iustice the wisedome and power of God in the Incarnation of Christ The fourth thing observed was the manner how to tooke flesh expressed two waies In His 1 Conception 2 Birth In his Conception we observe three things 1. Of what he was Conceived 2. By what power he was Conceived 3. What adoe there was about his Conception For the first hee was conceived of the flesh of the Virgin so it was not made of nothing nor of the earth raysed out of that as Adam was nor did hee bring his flesh from heaven but it was made of the flesh of the Virgin as Gal. 4. 4. But when the fulnesse of time was come God Sent his sonne made of a Woman and made under the Law c. so Luk. 1. 31. saith the Angell For loe thou shalt conceive in thy wombe and beare a Sonne and vers 35. That holy thing which shall be borne of thee that is of thy substance and of thy flesh so the Greeke word is shall bee called the Sonne of God The Anabaptists hold that Christ brought his flesh from heaven and that as water passeth through a conduite pipe so Christ passed through the Virgin Mary but we Christians beleeve that Christ was conceived and made of the flesh of the Virgin because if he had brought it from heaven or tooke other strange flesh then it had not beene fit to redeeme us for by order of divine justice the same nature that had sinned must suffer and bee punished but it was man that had sinned therefore it must bee man that must be punished which is the reason why he must take his flesh of the Virgin Mary The consideration hereof may cause us to think of a further point that is as Christ was conceived in the wombe of the Virgin so he must be conceived spiritually in the heart of a Christian as Paul Gal. 4. 19. My little children of whom I travell in birth againe till Christ be formed in you as if hee should say this I labour for that Christ may bee conceived in your hearts therefore Chrysostome saith well What am I the better to know that Christ is conceived of the flesh of the Virgin unlesse I know he is conceived in my heart and soule for wee can have no comfort in the day of death and judgement unlesse he be conceived in our hearts But how shall wee know that hee is conceived in our hearts even as a mother knowes that she is with childe by the stirring or moving of the childe so we may know when Christ is conceived in our hearts by the stirring or moving of Christ And therefore we must get these two things First wee must get the seede of Christ in us for there is a certaine seede that will breede Christ a man that will have good plants and trees in his garden must get seedes and plants to plant therein and water them from day to day so if we would have Christ conceived in our hearts we must get of that seede for there is a certaine seede that will breede Christ which is the Word of God therefore let us get this into our hearts and water it from day to day by the use of good meanes and it will breede Christ This is the first way The second is wee must have faith to retaine him or else he will slip away from us and as Mary conceived Christ by faith for assoone as the Angell told her she beleeved and straightway she conceived Christ so wee must conceive Christ by faith in beleeving the Word of God therfore hath God made promise to thee that he will not leave thee nor forsake thee that he will give an issue out of temptation that hee will save thee at the day of judgement or at the day of death that hee will blesse thee in the use of good meanes lay hold on these promises and this is the way to conceive Christ Ephe. 3. 17. it is said that Christ dwels in our hearts by faith let us get faith and this will make Christ to stirre and moove in us Secondly by what power hee was conceived by the power of the holy Ghost for it was not any power of nature that conceived Christ but the power of the holy Ghost so we see Luk. 1. 35. And the Angell answered and said unto her The holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the most high shall overshadow thee so Matth. 1. 20. For that which is conceived of her is of the holy Ghost so it was by the power of the holy Ghost that Christ was conceived not by any power of nature Many have a great deale of the power of nature in them and yet Christ can never be conceived in them unlesse the power of the holy Ghost come upon them therefore 1 Cor. 12. 3. it is said That no man can say that Iesus is the Lord but by the holy Ghost wherefore if men stand meerely in the strength of nature they can never have Christ conceived in them but it must be by the power of the holy Ghost But how was Christ conceived by the holy Ghost Three waies first the Godhead did sanctifie that part of the flesh of the Virgin that Christ was made of that is he did sever it and purifie it from corruption and from sinne As a cunning Artificer doth draw away all the drosse from the gold so the holy Ghost did purifie and sanctifie that part of the flesh of the Virgin that Christ was made of Secondly hee did fashion and frame that part of the flesh of the Virgin that he had fanctified and made it a fit house and Temple for his Godhead to dwell in Thirdly he did unite and knit the humane nature to his Divine Person and so made one person of both what may this teach us That as the holy Ghost did fanctifie that part of the Virgin which Christ was made of and did fashion and frame it to bee a fit Temple of God to dwell in so it must be the holy Ghost that must sanctifie our flesh and make us fit temples for God to dwell in or els we shall be no better than sties and stables for a habitation to the divell

the Gospell when hee heard that Christ passed by cryed out and said O Sonne of David have mercy upon us so we should cry out to him and say O Iesus the Sonne of David have mercy upon us Secondly for her estate She was but a poore maid matched to a Carpenter who would have thought but that Christ would have made choyce of some great Queene or noble personage but he wee see was borne of this poore and meane Virgin Now if any doubt of this whether they were a poore couple or no let them looke Luke 2. and there they shall see that they brought for their offering a paire of Turtle doves and two young pigeons for Levit. 12. 8. these were the offerings of the poore Now what was the reason that Christ was so poorely borne I answere there be foure reasons of it First that by the meanesse of his birth he might sanctifie the meanest of our births therefore no man ought to despise any Christian for the meanesse of his birth for if hee doe it is like he will despise Christ It is said Psalm 113. He raiseth the needy out of the dust and lifteth up the poore out of the dunghill that he may set him with Princes so Psalm 78. 70. He chose David his servant and tooke him from the sheepefold even from the Ewes great with young brought hee him that he might feede Iacob his people and Israel his Inheritance Secondly to pull downe the pride of this world for a number doe so swell with their greatnesse as if they were little gods Christ he was borne thus meanely to pull downe their pride in that as he was man the Sonne of a poore Carpenter shall bee their Iudge many an one thinkes that he can doe any thing with his mony but mony cannot redeeme a soule therefore Christ hath done more for us by his poverty than all the bagges of money and riches of this world could have done Thirdly to teach us contentment in the estate that God shall assigne us unto for there is no man so poore but Christ was as poore therefore we should bee contented with what wee have Art thou a Gentleman and dost thou want living a Scholler wanting imployment art thou an Artificer and a good workeman wanting worke remember that Christ by the meanesse of his low estate hath sanctified this estate to thee who being obedient heere to his father and content with his estate for a little time was after advanced to glory so if we be obedient to God and contented with the estate that God doth assigne us wee shall afterwards be advanced to glory with Him for ever Fourthly the more to esteeme the greatnesse of Gods love that hee did not onely give Christ for us but gave him in such a poore estate that the Angels did wonder and admire at it that Christ was laid in a cratch therefore as the Lord saith Esai 5. 5. What could I have done more for my Vineyard that I have not done c So what could God have done more for us Suppose God should come downe and take a man here by the hand and should carry him into the garden there shew him Christ lying groveling on the ground sweating droppes of blood for him thence carry him into the judgment hall of Pilate there shew him Christ crowned with a crowne of thornes his face buffeted his body whipped afterwards carry him to mount Calvary and shew him Christ hanging upon the crosse in paines and torments with his backe whipped his face buffeted his side pierced his hands nailed And there Christ should say to him all this have I undergone for thy sake and yet thou art but my servant and my bad servant too I was contented to be borne in a stable laid in a manger swadled in clouts arraigned condemned before Pilate to bee crucified on the crosse sweat drops of blood in the garden consider with thy selfe how I have done all this for thee and for thy sake and yet thou art not contented to doe any thing for me O thou most ungratefull man or woman but rather delightest to vex and grieve me with thy sinnes The Papists take occasion in their fancies exceedingly to extoll the Virgin Mary calling her the Queene of Heaven and setting her throne above the throne of Christ we doe not doubt but that shee was a vertuous woman in her time and is now at rest with God and was more blessed for bearing of Christ in her heart than in her wombe shee was not blessed because shee did beare Christ onely but rather for beleeving in him for so we read Luk. 11. 27. There was a certaine woman in the company lifted up her voyce and said to Christ Blessed is the wombe that bare thee and the paps that gave thee sucke but he said yea rather blessed are they which heare the word of God and keepe it Thus Augustine saith that she was more blessed for receiving the faith of Christ than for receiving the flesh of Christ in her wombe and Epiphanius upon the second of Iohn where Christ said to her Woman what have I to do with thee saith lest any should thinke too highly of her he saith Woman what have I to doe with thee He set her in the common rancke and order with other women for Christ by the spirit of prophesie did foresee what would come to passe afterwards And the Virgin Mary in her song saith My soule doth magnifie the Lord and my spirit doth rejoyce in God my Saviour Therefore it is cleere the Virgin Mary was more blessed for beleeving in Christ than for bearing of Him SERM. X. GALATH. 4. 4 5. But when the fulnesse of time was come God sent forth His Sonne made of a Woman made under the Law To Redeeme them that were under the Law that we might receive the Adoption of Sonnes IF it were possible for a man to have a glasse wherein hee might see the face of his absent friend though he did delight to looke therein yet when his friend should come would he not fling away the glasse to looke on his friend such a glasse is the Gospell which by my poore meanes is held out to you this day Therefore in the absence of our friend Christ set your selves I pray you to behold Him in this glasse untill his comming The second thing we are to handle in the birth of Christ is the time two wayes set forth in the Scripture 1. Generally 2. Particularly Generally in this place When the fulnesse of time was come that is the set time that God had appointed then Christ was borne Now three things are implyed touching this Time 1. That there is a fulnesse of time for the accomplishment of Gods promises 2. That this fulnesse of time is still a comming 3. When the fulnesse of time is come then God will performe his promises First there is a fulnesse of time for the accomplishment of Gods

therefore we must pray God that the holy Ghost may come upon us and make us fit temples for his Spirit to dwell in for as I shewed you in the morning one sparke of the Spirit of God is able to destroy a whole heape and lumpe of corruption Bring a man to a house full of powder there is matter enough to doe a great deale of mischiefe to blow up many cities and townes but bring but a little sparke of fire and put to it and it is all gone with a blast so there is power enough in the devill in our corruption and nature to doe a great deale of mischiefe I but bring to it a little sparke of the holy Ghost and it will bring all the power of nature to nothing therefore let us heartily pray to God we may have a little of the power of the Spirit given which is able to bring our corrupt nature to nothing and so much the rather let us pray for this because the judgements of God bee heavy upon the land and upon our neighbours in which case if the Lord doe not sanctifie our flesh it is like he will destroy us therefore let us pray to God that we may have a little of the Spirit of God to destroy our corruptions But why was Christ conceived by the holy Ghost That he might be pure and without sinne for all that are conceived by ordinary generation are sinfull as David Psal 51. 5. I was conceived in sinne and borne in iniquity so Iob Wee are all corrupted and who can bring a pure thing out of a corrupt fountaine why then was not Christ conceived ordinarily as the sons of Adam are but by the holy Ghost It was that hee might bee pure and holy Christ was the first that purified mans nature for sin and it were so joyned together that none could take mans nature but he must take his sinne now Christ hee hath parted mans nature and sinne and all that be in Christ shall feele this parting power of Christ to part mans nature and sinne these are so combined together as we dayly see that reprove a man of any sinne hee will presently answere it is my nature I pray you beare with wee I can doe no otherwise I cannot leave it Now if we be in Christ we shall feele this dividing power to part mans nature and sinne So saith Paul Roman 7. 19. The good thing that I would doe that doe I not and the evill thing that I would not doe that doe I so then it is no more I but sinne that dwelleth in me so sinne was one thing and mans nature was another thing Therefore wee must pray to God that wee may have this parting power of Christ that howsoever wee keepe the nature of man yet that sinne may be parted from us and this was the reason why Christ was conceived by the holy Ghost Now there is one thing that may be objected against this How could Christ be free from sinne seeing hee tooke mans nature upon him and was according to his humanity in the loynes of Adam for Rom. 5. it is said of Adam In whom all have sinned and Hebrew 7. that Levi also who received tithes paid tithes in Abraham For hee was yet in the loynes of his father when Melchizedech met him so that which Abraham did that Levi did being in his loynes thus Christ being in his humane nature in the loynes of Adam how could he be free from sinne To this I answere that if he had beene conceived and made by the power of nature he could not be without sin but he was conceived by the power of the holy Ghost and so made by it for the power of nature could not have brought forth Christ As we see in nature that the Substance of a chaire of State was in the tree and yet the Tree could not bring forth such a chaire of State fit for the king to sit in though it should grow a thousand yeeres but it must bee made and fashioned out by the skill and cunning of the Workeman for it could never grow to be one but is made one out of a tree by the workeman so though Christ were in the loynes of Adam yet nature could never bee able to bring forth Christ but it must be by the power of the holy Ghost Thirdly what adoe there was at Christs conception as wee know Ioseph could not sleepe Mary she must be called in question for her honestie and the Angell must come downe from heaven to quiet all so it is stil if Christ be conceived in the heart of a man all the country must heare and ring of it he must be table-talke and they say he is melancholy or mad there is such adoe about it yea there was never more adoe at the conception of Christ in the wombe of the Virgin than there is at the conception of Christ in the heart of a Christian Examples wee have Act. 2. when the Spirit of God came upon the Disciples who were but poore fishermen in firy tongues how did the people wonder and admire at it some said They were drunke some mad so it is still Christ cannot bee conceived in the heart of a Christian but the world runnes in a rout together and some say the party is mad some melancholy and some one thing and some another And thus much for the conception of Christ Now we come to speake of his birth wherein observe these five things 1. Of whom he was borne 2. The time when 3. The place where 4. The manner of his birth 5. The manifestation of it First of whom he was borne He was borne of the Virgin Mary as it is in the profession of our Christian faith and Matth. 1. 23. Hence two things are to be observed 1. That Christs was borne of a Virgin 2. That He was borne of the Virgin Mary First He was borne of a Virgin Of which there may bee given three reasons first that he might be freed of the guilt of sinne which comes by the course of nature for all that are borne according to the course of nature are sinfull therefore Christ was borne of a Virgin not by the course of nature all that were in the loynes of Adam as he sinned so did they as we may see in another case Heb. 7. Levi paid tithes to Melchisedech when he was in the loynes of Abraham so that which Abraham did Levi did being in his loynes in like manner Paul speaking of Adam saith In whom all have sinned Rom. 5. 12. therefore all that were in the loynes of Adam as he sinned so did they But Christ that hee might take mans nature upon him and be freed from sinne was borne of a Virgin as Augustine saith hee tooke mans nature without sinne that the purity of his birth might sanctifie the impurity of our birth for wee are conceived in sinne and borne in iniquity so David saith Psalm 51. now we are