Selected quad for the lemma: world_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
world_n	church_n	congregation_n	visible_a	1,843	5	9.2353	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B12199	The sacred mysterie of the gouernment of the thoughts discouering their nature and differences, and together, resoluing such speciall doubts, which are incident hereunto. Very necessary for the tryall and safe keping of the heart. And also, for the well ordering and comfort of a Christian life.	Cooper, Thomas, fl. 1626.	1619 (1619)	STC 5706; ESTC S109835	100,475	547

of God so we shal by Gods mercy make good aduantage of them So that though wee may not expect ordinarilie any such extraordinary Reuelation by dreames yet if it please God as who can restraine his power and goodnesse herein to acquaint vs hereby with some occasions to come which may tend to our owne and the generall good wee may so farre stand vpon these as to vse ordinarie means by Prayer the Word and the like for the preparing of vs to the issue and so no doubt it may proue comfortable to vs howsoeuer Wherin as we may behold the mercy of God in teaching vs this by dreames in the night So may wee haue hence a liuely euidence of our sincerity euen by the holie temper and motion of our minds in the night and so are directed to walke honestly in the day that so our mindes may become pure and holy in the night making a Couenant with our eyes and other senses that so the mind may bee lesse troubled w●th the representation thereof in the night And labouring especially to make euen with our God dayly by repentance That so our sleepe may bee more comfortable and our thoughtes peaceable and holy Especially make wee vse of such dreames as arise from the execution of generall callings as when we dreame that we preach pray aduize grieue for sin as not beeing without the motion of Gods spirit to confirme vs therein or to humble vs in the neglect therof or to trie the sincerity of the same and so to enable vs the better therevnto It being apparant that euen in the night our affections haue and may be more powerful in holy duties thē sometimes in the day Conclusion of the whole WHEREIN Of the seuerall Vses of this Doctrine of Thoughts As first To conuince the Hypocrisie and the Atheisme and prophanesse of the times 2 To confirme the weake Christian in the truth of his calling And also To rayse him vp in all such outward faylings and inward faintings of the Spirit which doe arise from the same CHAP. XVI OF THE VSES of this Treatise 1 IT serues for reproofe And that 1. of the Atheist which sayth in his heart There is no God seeing his thoughts doe eyther accuse him or excuse him 2 It condemnes all conceit of Nature abilitie and Free-will to goodnesse For if there must be a rect●fying of the Thoughts then surely they are defectiue and degenerate from what they should be and so if the Thoughtes then much more the wordes and actions which issue from the same 3 It conuinceth all Popish Religion to be no better then Atheisme and a meere Idoll seeing it whole current consists in bodily seruice not so much as requiring knowledge in the heart much lesse Faith to subdue the Imaginations thereof to the obedience of Christ 4 It confoundeth all Hypocrisie and carnal worshippe whatsoeuer since it is not the outward man but the heart and Thoughts which God respects not what wee doe but what wee meane and how wee do it 5 It condemneth all Epicures and Sadduces that deny the Immortality of the Soule For as this infinite variety of Thoughts imaginations euen when the body is most bound and senselesse of any operation doth plainly euidēce it to be a differēt thing from the body so it also proues it to be immortall and diuine as being of a spirituall nature expressed by this sudden and swift motion of such various and infinite thoughts And so not ending with the bodie as being actiue without the vse of it as exercising such actions in the body which extend to the compasse of another life namely accusing and excusing for sinne which is a plain euidence of this day of iudgement and so of the immortalitie of the soule 6 The very consideration of the Nature of thoughts argues them not to be Free that is such as are not sinfull such as we may iustifie For seeing they proceede actually from vs therefore they are corrupted Seeing they are sodaine exorbitant without present cause and deliberation therefore they are sinfull because all good is frō fit means from deliberation from knowledge from direction allowing and commanding the same Seeing they are contrary to themselues therefore they are euill seeing it is the nature of goodnesse to build vp not to destroy it selfe Nay seeing when we are about to doe good euill is present that is our thoughts will rise vppe to hinder the same this is a plain euidence that they are euill Rom. 7.10.20 8 It confoundeth all those excuses and pretences for sinne which are ordinary among men naturally to lay the blame vpon Sathan he enticed them vpon the world as if it were so poyson some and contagious that wee could not deale with it but we must bee defiled yea sometimes vpon God himself as if he compelled vs to euill Seeing the trueth is our corrupt nature is the ground and fountaine of all euill our very thoughts the first motions thereof are onely euill continually yea these are occasions and enticers of Sathan and the world to further sinne yea these as a filthy breath poyson the ayre the world and all that is about them and so the creatures being subiect to vanitie by our sinne proue occasions by diuine iustice to further the consent and act thereof as ministring such matter vnto vs as may tickle the sense and allure the will to consent and giue oportunitie and meanes to act the same 9 This condemneth their conceit and delusion that teach abstinency from mariage and the different vse of meates as if some were euill some good as if that which entred into man did defile him Where as indeed it is that onely which proceedes out of man namely his euill thoughts and imaginations which as they are polluted themselues so as a filthie leprosie they defile all other things and so to the impure all things are impure in that their consciences are defiled 1. Thes 15. where as indeede all things by creation were good and by a sanctified vse may be made good vnto vs. 1. Tim. 4.5 onely they become euill by our corruption and abuse of them 10 This also reproueth the ricenesse and superstition who vpon a conceit of pollution by the euils of others doe either most presumptuously fancy such a state of a visible Church which may be with out all corruption and imperfection both in regard of it outward forme as also in respect of the particular mēbers and the●●fore separate from all Churches and so indeede must goe out of the world to find such a perfect modell and temper of communion 1. Cor. 5. as pretending them to be polluted so necessarily defiling and polluting all that communicate with them whereas indeed neither can such a congregation bee found in this life neither doth a visible militant church require such perfection because this belongs onely to the triumphant Church It is not the euill of others which can defile me so I consent not and approue