Selected quad for the lemma: father_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
father_n	husband_n	mother_n	wife_n	20,403	5	8.3061	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09997	Remaines of that reverend and learned divine, Iohn Preston, Dr. in Divinity, chaplaine in ordinary to his Majesty, master of Emanuel Colledge in Cambridge, and sometimes preacher of Lincolnes-Inne Containing three excellent treatises, namely, Iudas's repentance. The saints spirituall strength. Pauls conversion.	Preston, John, 1587-1628.	1634 (1634)	STC 20249; ESTC S115107	168,230	405

without wavering I say howsoever a man may practise and promise and doe much for Christ yet except hee bee humbled hee will not hold out and therefore we see in many that there are bubbles of grace as if they would retaine Christ and continue with him they doe something but they doe not persevere to the end like those in Hebr. 6. 5. that have tasted that is professed but fall away and this was the fault of the three grounds they received the Gospell but they continued not Christ entred not into them deepe enough Now the difference of the foure grounds was humiliation every ground was plowed but none plowed to purpose but the fourth ground when there is but an outward show of holinesse in a man it will not keepe his colour alwayes it may glister and carry a shew of the right stampe but when it comes to tryall it is but counterfeit but when the sanctifying Spirit comes and toucheth the heart of a Christian and hee is thorowly humbled hee will never loose his beauty hee is Gold try him how you will Thirdly to receive the Gospell is to take Christ and to part with all things for Christ making him his chiefest joy prizing him so that hee will loose any thing for him like that wise Marchant in the Gospell which when he had found the Iewell went and sold all that hee had and bought it there must be a prizing of Christ above a mans selfe hee must part with all things in the world with husband and wife with father and mother with brother and sister with friends with honour and riches pleasure and all things else and account Christ more then all things now this a man will not doe till he be humbled But you will say What must I forsake father and mother and wife for Christ or else I cannot have him this is a hard thing the worke is too great there is not sure such need of Christ or grace or at the least Christ will not impose such a burthen upon mee I answer yea you must forsake all these things if you will not you shall never have him this was the fault of the second ground there was both a receiving and a rejoycing in Christ and this was a good propertie but yet there was not joy enough because there was not humiliation enough the plow had not gone deepe enough and therefore it was that they continued not some things he would doe but not all things for Christ but when the heart is humbled that is when the plow hath gone deepe enough in humbling a man then hee will and not till then make Christ his chiefest joy Fourthly to receive the Gospell is to trust in Christ wholly to depend upon him both for grace and salvation and every thing else that is good he will labour to know the length and the height the depth and the breadth of the riches of Christ he will looke still unto the preciousnesse of Christ because he will not have his minde exercised about vaine and foolish things and this no man will doe till he be humbled no man will see his need till he be humbled hee feares nothing he thinks he stands in need of nothing but when a man is brought to see hell hee will cry for Christ and grace then hee will prize things according to their worth then he will see such excellencies in Christ that he never saw in any thing else such an infinitenesse of puritie and holinesse such aboundance of sanctification and redemption such joy such glory and such pleasure such love such content as is not in any thing else now he will deny the world profit or pleasure or any thing else and seeke depend and trust wholly in Christ. Fifthly to receive the Gospell is to doe and suffer what is commanded him as Paul in this place Lord what wilt thou have mee to doe as if he should say I am ready both to doe and suffer whatsoever thou wilt have mee and Paul was as good as his word as appeared by those reproches and sufferings that hee bare for Christ alwayes making ready to lay downe his life for Christ now such a disposition no man will have such a thing no man will doe till he be first humbled Yet as I said a man may doe some things as the dead hand of the Dyall it may perhaps point right at one stroke without the help of the master-wheeles but to goe round and misse none it cannot so a carnall man may hit upon some good dutie that God commands and refraine some sinne that God forbids but to goe thorow he cannot to take up reproach and disgrace to lose his credit to forsake his friends to lose honour and riches and pleasure this he will not doe till he be humbled therefore labour to see the necessitie of this dutie of humiliation or else you will not doe all things for Christ and labour to get the degrees of it and withall get the degrees of grace and that will increase spirituall sorrow and degrees of sorrow makes degrees of joy a man or woman that never sorrowes or never had the degrees of sorrow never truly rejoyced in Christ for as the spirit workes grace and grace workes true humiliation so true humiliation works joy therefore you see it is necessary againe there will be no suffering for Christ till there bee rejoycing in Christ a man will not either doe any thing or suffer any thing for that thing that he cannot delight in therefore labour to be humbled Now to helpe you in this worke I will lay downe some meanes by which you may come unto this humiliation of spirit The first meanes to get this humiliation is to get the Iudgement rectified because men cannot see sinne nor know it till then and men will not be humble so long as they remaine ignorant but when the judgement is rectified then hee knowes sinne to be the greatest evill Againe a man will not sorrow till he have a fit object for sorrow as a blind man cannot see any object so a naturall man is a blind man and hee must have new eye sight before hee can see sinne to sorrow for it as sinne and this is the rectifying of the judgement but when the judgement is rectified then it will sorrow for sinne and that in these respects First because sinne is of its owne nature evill because it is contrary unto the nature of good and of its owne nature is an enemy unto God The Philosopher saith if God bee the chiefest good then sinne is the chiefest evill from whence wee may thus argue that which is most contrary to God is the greatest evill but sinne is most contrary unto God therefore it is the greatest evill and the reason is because sinne is that which makes the creature most odious unto God No creature or thing so contrary unto the nature of men as sinne is unto God nothing makes God to

ever was bought even Christ and grace and salvation which if you will but lay out your stocke of grace to buy him you shall have him that is if you have but a desire to receive Christ and lay him up in your hearts I tell you it will yeeld you a hundred for one Nay Christ the commoditie himselfe saith in Marke 10. He that for saketh father and mother and wife and children and life for my sake shall receive a thousand-fold in the life to come but men will not beleeve it but a time will come when you shall see it to bee true and befoole your selves that you lost so precious a bargaine as Christ and salvation is for the disbursing of a little profit and pleasure but as I said before the difference lyes here men want faith and hence it is that they neglect the strengthning of the inward man and are so over-burthened with losses and crosses because they want faith And so much for the third difference The fourth difference is this the naturall strength leades a man but unto a forme of godlinesse but the spirituall strength leads a man unto the power of godlinesse I call that the forme of godlinesse when a man doth performe or doe any thing with carnall affections not to a right end and this is knowne by this when they fall away from that stedfastnesse or forme and show of holinesse that they seemed to have this forme of godlinesse is the same with that in Heb. 6. A tasting of the Word of life and yet notwithstanding fall away they seemed to have tasted of saving grace and to have the power with the forme but it was not so because they continued not they lost that forme which made them seeme to bee that which now it appeares they were not Againe I call that the power of godlinesse which is performed by the divine power force and efficacy of the Spirit Rom. 2. 14. it is said that the Gentiles that were not under the law did by nature the things contained in the law that is they did it by the efficacy and power of nature Semblable unto this is that of the same Apostle 2 Tim. 2. 3. in the latter time men shall come in a forme of godlinesse that is with a forme in show without substance or power of the Spirit but the inward strength which is the inward man doth not onely teach you to doe but also it teacheth you how to doe them but men that have but a common strength have some bubles to good and they seeme to have this strength because they have the law of nature written in their hearts and they may promise much and yet he is not spiritually strong because he cannot doe spirituall actions in a spirituall manner for hee goes about that with a naturall strength which should be performed with a spirituall strength 1 Pet. 1. 5. Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation when a man is truely regenerated when he hath not power of his owne to doe the Will of God then hee hath the spirit to helpe him that is they are not onely kept by the power from evill but also they are inabled to doe good by it The fifth difference betwixt the naturall and spirituall strength is this that which proceeds from the spirit is alwayes ioyned with reluctancy of the will but in the naturall strength there as no reluctancy because there is no contraries but in the spirituall man there is two contraries the flesh and the spirit and you know these can never agree but they are still opposing one another as for example a man that is going up a hill he is in labour and paine but a man that is going downe a hill goes with much ease so there is much labour and paine which a spirituall man takes to subdue the flesh but the naturall man hath no reluctancy at all he hath no fighting and strugling with corruption but he goes without paine because hee is but one and one man cannot be divided against it selfe but in every spirituall man there are two men the old man and the new man the flesh and the spirit and hence growes that spirituall combate Gal. 5. 17. The flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh that they cannot doe the things that they would these two men in a regenerate man strive for masteries and so hinder one the other Yet know also that in the naturall man there may be reluctancy in the will against some particular sinne as covetousnesse may strive against pride and pride against nigardnesse yet not fight against it as it is a sinne but as it crosseth and thwarteth his pride Againe know that a naturall man may have reluctancy in some part of the soule as in the conscience which is sensible of sinne and hence it may convince the man and the rest of the faculties notwithstanding they are at peace but where this spirituall strength is it is in all parts not one faculty against another but all are fighting against sinne in the whole man now the reason that there is not this reluctancy against sinne in every faculty in the naturall man is because hee wants saving grace grace is not in the faculty opposite unto the corruption that is in it but in the holy man there is and therefore he is like Rebecka they have two in them Iacob and Esau the flesh and the spirit and Paul complaines of so much Rom. 7. I finde another law in my members rebelling against the law of my minde that is I finde something in me that is contrary unto me In my members that is in my body and soule notwithstanding first I hate the evill of sinne as being most contrary unto grace but yet I cannot avoyde it I cannot doe the things that I would but the naturall man doth not hate the evill of sinne otherwayes then as it brings punishment Secondly I delight in the Law of God in the inward man that is howsoever I am violently carried unto the committing of sinne yet it is against the desire of his soule he hath no pleasure he can take no delight in it for his delight is in the inward man but the naturall man takes Gods Lawes as burthens and therefore he will not submit himselfe unto them because he is not strong in the inward man hee promiseth but he performes not hee yeilds and yeilds not he yeilds to something but not to every thing And thus much for this last difference betwixt the naturall strength and the spirituall strength Is it so that the strength of the inward man is to be desired above all things then as it was in the first place for reproofe so in the second place it may serve for exhortation to all men that they would labour to grow strong in the inward man and that they would now at last gather the fragments of their thoughts and

Spirit comes and workes holy affections they widen the soule and make it large and firme therefore that you may have large hearts in praier in meditation labour to get the Spirit that you may have holy affections kindled in you The fourth benefit that a Christian hath by the Spirit is this it will make the heart good because it is the proper worke of the holy Ghost to sanctifle the heart to cleanse and change and so make it good it is the worke of the Spirit to worke repentance in us a thorow change in us I call repentance a thorow change because men for the most part mistake repentance taking that for repentance which is no repentance men thinke that if they be turned this way and that way from this sinne and that sinne though it be not from every sinne and evill way that they have true repentance but they are deceived for repentance is a thorough change of the whole man consisting both of soule and body whereby the parts and faculties of both are turned a quite contrary way the heart is turned out of the way of sinne into the way of holinesse now that a partiall turning is not repentance I will make cleare by this comparison take any naturall thing that is of an earthly substance whose nature is to goe downeward yet you may force it upwards by meanes that you may use as for example water you know is of an earthly substance and the nature of it is to descend yet you see by the force and strength of the Sunne it is drawne upward first into vapors and then congealed into ice and snow and raine and then it will not rest till it descend againe but there is another ascent of the fire and that is upward and not forced but naturally doth ascend up even so a carnall man may doe the same things that a spirituall man doth hee may keepe downe some lust and he may forsake some evill he may forsake his drunkennesse and uncleannesse and his old evill haunts yea he may doe some good but yet he doth not forsake the evill neither doth he doe the good by the power of the sanctifying Spirit but by a naturall strength if he doth a good action it is by constraint he is forced by something Spirit is a free agent it workes freely of himselfe therefore to whom it goes it goes as a free gift Now that the Spirit is a free agent it appeares by this that reason makes man to be a free agent but it is the Spirit that gives reason therefore the Spirit must needs be most free Thirdly the Spirit must be a free gift by his carriage to them hee will save hee might have chosen the elder and not the younger hee might have chosen Esau and not Iacob or if he would have chosen the younger then hee might have brought him first out of the wombe but he will not because he is most free in his choice he will save Iacob and cast off Esau and so he might have chosen honourable and noble men to have both preacht the Gospell and to be all saved by the Gospell he might have chosen them only for salvation but he will not but the poore they shall receive the Gospell he will make choice of them for salvation he might have chosen Simon Magus aswell as Simon Peter but hee will not therefore you see he is free Fourthly the Spirit is free which appeares by the paucitie of them he choses he is at libertie he might have saved more but this shows his freedome he is not tyed to one more then unto another the winde bloweth where it listeth Iohn 3. 8. hee calles when and whom he will Let them come in that my house may bee full none shall come no more no lesse then I have chosen Fifthly the Spirit is a free gift which appeares by the prosecution of his decree both of Election and Reprobation nothing more free then the Spirit is he might as I said have chosen Esau and not Iacob for there cannot a reason be given wherefore he should chuse the one and not the other he will choose the wife and not the husband hee will choose the husband and not the wife hee will choose the childe and not the father and hee will choose the father and not the childe againe he will choose this man and that woman and not another man or another woman and what is the reason of it surely there can be no reason given of it but because the Spirit is free to choose and choose not thus briefely I have shewed you that the Spirit is a free gift Is the spirit a free gift and doth it worke freely then let them consider this and tremble that are not sanctified by the Spirit and in whom the spirit hath not yet wrought his good worke least they may seeme to be deprived Againe if the wind bloweth where it listeth then it stands you upon to doe as Millars are wont to doe to watch the opportunity and grind if the Spirit doth blow upon you if at any time the Spirit doth kindle any sparke of grace in you take heed of neglecting the opportunity doe not say in this case unto the spirit as Festus said unto Paul that you will heare him another time but bee sure if the spirit commands doe you runne or if he cals be sure to answer him least he call you no more I have often told you that there is a time when he will call you no more therefore thinke with your selves what a time of darkenesse and sorrow it will bee to you then when with the five foolish Virgins you shall be shut out of heaven and happinesse I say there is a time when he will sweare that you shall not enter into his rest and doe not onely labour and watch for the opportunity to take the Spirit when it is offered but labour to get the opportunity Vse the meanes whereby you may get him and for your helpe herein I will lay downe some meanes whereby you may get the spirit The first meanes to get the Spirit is this you must labour to know the Spirit for what is the reason that men doe not receive the spirit but because they know him not they doe not know him in his purity in his free working in his incomprehensible greatnesse in his increate holinesse and therefore they put off the working of the Spirit Men thinke that now their sinne in this kind is not so great as Simon Magus was it is true say they Simon Magus sinne was a great sinne and worthy of punishment because hee thought to have bought the Spirit with money but if wee well consider mens dealings now with the Spirit wee shall finde that the same sinne is committed now I say men thinke they doe not commit this sinne of Simon Magus when indeed you doe you know how great the sinne was in him and what a judgement was inflicted