Selected quad for the lemma: grace_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
grace_n	ask_v	call_v	sauce_n	36	3	16.6746	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A43607	Syntagma theologicum, or, A treatise wherein is concisely comprehended, the body of divinity, and the fundamentals of religion orderly discussed whereunto are added certain divine discourses, wherein are handled these following heads, viz. 1. The express character of Christ our redeemer, 2. Gloria in altissimis, or the angelical anthem, 3. The necessity of Christ's passion and resurrection, 4. The blessed ambassador, or, The best sent into the basest, 5. S. Paul's apology, 6. Holy fear, the fence of the soul, 7. Ordini quisque suo, or, The excellent order, 8. The royal remembrancer, or, Promises put in suit, 9. The watchman's watch-word, 10. Scala Jacobi, or, S. James his ladder, 11. Decus sanctorum, or, The saints dignity, 12. Warrantable separation, without breach of union / by Henry Hibbert ...	Hibbert, Henry, 1601 or 2-1678.; Hibbert, Henry, 1601 or 2-1678. Exercitationes theologiae.	1662 (1662)	Wing H1793; ESTC R2845	709,920	522

enemies God in Christ Jesus his Son hath adopted us to be his sons And because thus sons behold a further pledge of his never failing-favour to us he hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into our hearts Crying Abba Father So that upon the Spirit of God confer'd is confer'd the gift of prayer for in whose hearts he dwels he is not idle neither is he as that spirit that Christ did cast out of the man in the Gospel dumbe a dumbe spirit but a crying spirit not that the spirit properly cryes Abba Father for God the Father is not the Father of the spirit but of the Son and the beginning or fountain from whom as also from the Son the Spirit doth proceed but that it makes them in whom he ever is to be ever crying Abba Father Wherein is to be observed 1. An act Crying 2. The Object Abba Father This crying is praying and not every kind of praying but a vehement and ardent praying with all the affections and powers of the soul assembled together whereby the desires of our hearts are made known unto the God of heaven the soules voice is drawn up to the height Thus our Saviour in the dayes of his flesh is said to have offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears Conqueror tibi lachrymis Jesu Christi said one unto him that was able to save him from death Hebr. 5.7 We read how Jacob wrestlest with the Angel and would not let him go untill he had blest him Even so the spirit of prayer makes us to strive and wrestle with God and never cease crying until he hear us untill he grant us our requests It is so with us as it is with children that cannot relieve themselves without the aid of others they raise the strong cry and so continue without intermission untill their wants be contented and supplied so do we who are the children of God cry continually unto him who is the giver of every good and perfect gift until our desires be accomplished And forasmuch as we are compassed about with a world of infirmities so that sometimes we have not the heart to cry or at least cry not with all our hearts Quom do enim non exauditur spiritus à Patre qui exaudit cum Patre Aug. then the Spirit helpeth our infirmities And seeing our ignorance is so great as that wee know not what we should pray for as we ought the Spirit it self makes intercession for us informs us what we should ask for or ●od knowing the spirits intentions grant us what indistinctly and indirectly we beg by the Spirit Hence he is called the Spirit of Supplications Zech. 12.10 I will poure upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Hierusalem the spirit of grace and supplications Hence he is called again an Intercessor for he makes continual intercession for the Saints according to the will of God Rom. 8.27 and in the 15. vers of that chapter the Apostle certifies the Romanes that they have received the spirit of adoption whereby they cry Abba Father Wherefore when the sons of God perceive the fiery darts of Satan flying about their eares on every side and themselves subject to infinite perills they fall a praying alwayes with all prayer and supplication in the spirit Eph. 6.18 and watching thereunto with all perseverance When the children of Israel as is reported in the book of Judges were in the heat of Gods anger sold unto their enemies many a time opprest many a time in desperate cases many a time vanquished for their revolting from God and forgetting his loving kindness they are said then to cry for life unto God whose eares were ever open to receive their hearty prayers Psal 40.1 Thus saith David I waited patiently for the Lord and he inclined unto me and heard my cry This crying is either mental only conceived in the heart or mind alone and only or vocal published by the mouth alone The mental cry onely conceived in the heart by the spirit is that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that confidence and assurance which the Sons of God have that they are the Sons of God and that all things are theirs in Christ Jesus or more plainly it is the elevation of the heart to God in a secret manner preferring their petitions unto him with confidence that he will grant them what they humbly and earnestly sue for according to his will altogether this crying is internal Moses egit vacis silentium ut corde clamaret yet God to whom all hearts are open hears it as a cry when Moses spake not a word to God but onely desired in the secret cogitations of his heart his aid and protection at the red sea against the Egyptians the Lord sard unto him Wherefore cryest thou unto me Exod. 14.15 When Hannah prayed unto God for a manchild she spake with her heart onely her lips moved but her voice was not heard 1 Sam. 1.13 When Nehemiah made request unto King Artaxerxes concerning the City which was the place of his fathers sepulchres he had not at that instant any time to pray to God with his voice to prosper his suit yet saith the texts he prayed to the God of heaven Such indeed may be the sorrow and anguish of the heart as that the tongue shall not be able to utter the intentions of the soul and this doubtlesse was the case wherein Moses Nehem. 2.4 Curae leves loquuntur tngentes stupent Hannah and Nehemiah were David profest as much Psal 77.4 I am so troubled that I cannot speak bodily infirmities may cause this silence for we see that men at the last gasp when the soul is ready to flie out of the body and they in a manner by reason of the weaknesse of the Organ of speech not able to utter one syllable they lift up their eyes to heaven thereby signifying the hearts raising of this crying unto God Hence proceed those groanes in the children of God when their speech fails them which are the onely messengers of their thoughts and they are said to be the spirits groanings in their hearts whereby intercession is made for them They are called unspeakable groans unspeakable say some for their greatness and so indeed they are great in the ears of God unspeakable say others by reason of their weakness caused either by outward crosses or inward pressures of the soul expressions they are certainly of a good heart listed up to God and though weak proceeding from the special instinct and proper motion of the Spirit of prayer And albeit they be weak and confused in the hearts of Gods children so that they themselves can hardly discern or utter them in themselves Rom. 8.27 yet God who is the searcher of the hidden things of the heart knows the mind and meaning of the Spirit so that by the cryes sigh's or sobs to God never so small and in a manner insensible and seeble

In the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge saith David Psal 57.1 By this he doth understand Gods safeguard protection and Providence The metaphor is borrowed from the Hen whose wings in three things especially resemble Gods high and holy hand 1. The wings of the Hen nourish and brood her chickens Even so the Lord said unto Jerusalem How often Would I have gathered thy children together even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings Matth. 23.37 2. They serve to defend them from tempest and storm So God is a refuge against the tempest of affliction and a shadow against the heat of persecution Isa 25.4 3. They serve to protect the chickens from the Kite that hovereth over them and would fain devour them even so God delivereth his children from the share of Nimrod the great hunter that is from the subtil temptations of the Devil who walketh about seeking whom he may devour The Hen feareth not only the Eagle and the ravenous sowles but she runs away if she see so much as the shadow We must take care and shun even the very shadow of sin the least occasion of being catcht with those wicked fowles of the aire He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most high Psal 91.1 shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty Pleasure As in the immoderate use of all things Voluptates commendat ratior usus Horat. there is a satiety which breedeth a disliking and distast of them So it is in pleasures being not by any means more commended than by their novelties and seldom use otherwise they are glutting The pleasures of the body are continual sorrow one ever doth accompany the other When Jupiter as the Poets fain could not accord pleasure and sorrow in a difference that they brought before him he bound them together with an adamantine chain and indissolveable knot There is a species of this pleasure called affection which oftentimes starves the mind to feed the senses as being too impartial yea oftentimes starves some of the senses themselves to glut others The Antidote against this Generatio unius corruptio alterius is to curb by ver●ue this breeder of pleasures affection Pleasure and profit are the two bodies that man labours to adorn and what is pleasure but the adulterate brat of the senses so sading that she will not last while her picture is a drawing if memory did not preserve her What lasting is that which at longest is but an Ephimerides one dayes age And what excellency is that which the most excellent do abhor and discard The pleasures of this world are full of the stain of sin and sting of guilt It is wittily fabled by the Ancients Voluptas dolor ideo conjungantur quia sunt finguntur saltem Gemellos Hippocratis esse that Mars was then taken by Vulcans entrapping nets when he gave himself to pleasures with Venus Hannibal and his souldiers being entangled by the beauty of women were enfeebled by the pleasures of Capua Antonius with Gleopatra both most valiant Captains but by reason of their lust lost most admirable a●chievements Lust is the bane of Kingdoms Non tan●um ab hostibus armatis periculum est quantum a circumfusis voluptatibus Scipio ad Amicum The Heathens acknowledge the first place to be given to prety A wise Polititian amongst the things that are required to the felicity and integrity of a Republique gives the first place to the care of Religion and Piety For it is true that Mercurius Trismegistus affirms 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Godlinesse and Religion is the foundation of all publique things God did not cast man out of one Paradice that he might make himself another To live like the people of Tombutum in Affrica who are said to spend their whole time in singing and dancing Voluptas pecudibus summum bonum It is not good for men to take pleasure in pleasure The heart of man is not so much quieted in those things which it hath Sapi●nti vera voluptas est v●luptatis contemptus Non tantum gaudet in iis quae habet quantum tristatur ob ea quae desunt Greg. Nys in Ec. Hom. 5. as it is tormented for those things which it hath not For pleasure is not a thing belonging unto them who are quiet but to those who are tossed and tumbled and full of disquietnesse and as a flame is continually moved and never suffers the soul to rest but rather like a madnesse carries it uncessantly from one thing to another Tully enveig●ing against Verres saith Vix extra tectum vix extra lictum He was ever whoring or drinking Mention is made of a Gallant addicted to uncleannesse who having enjoyed his fleshly desires of a beautiful dame found her in the morning to be the dead body of one that he had formerly sinned with which had been acted by the Devil all night surely he had but a cold armsul of her at length and if God had given grace it might have brought him to better courses Pleasures are Syrens that deceive us all we are all too greedy of them yet there be two soure sauces that may make us loath them Heb. 11.27 1. For the most part they be sinful the Pitch and Tarre of sin cleaves to them Riches seeme pleasant things to us yet they be thorns to prick us and snares to entagle us Meat and Drink Corn and Wine are pleasant things yet they often breed surfeiting and drunkennesse Silver and Gold are pleasant things yet are they as thieves to steal away our hearts from God and as plummets of lead to drown us in perdition if we look not about us 2. We can enjoy them but for a season And who would live in all jollity here for an hour and fry in hell world without end Let us rather make Moses his choyce it s better to have Lazarus his pains and go to heaven than all Dives his pleasures and go to hell Damned Satan that with Orphean ayres and dextrous warbles Quicqnid feceris honestum cum labore labor abit honestam Manet Quicquid feceris turpe cum vo luptate voluptas abit turpitudo Manet Cato Jam. 5.5 leads poor souls to the flames of hell I and then with contempt derides them How infinitely are men abused with what Masques and triumphs are they led to destruction Foolishly besorted degenerate and mad that having often experimented his juglings will yet beleeve his fictions He in his baits hides all he knows will scare them and presents whatsoever may delight them But alas the punishment that follows this is far more grievous than the pleasure was delightful Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth and been wanton ye have nourished your hearts as in a day of slaughter Vanity Austin speaking of Homer saith of him that Dulcissimè vanus est Cocfes l. 1. c. 14. And delivering his judgment of what Virgil writes of in comparison of Scripture faith

should have been taken from him but left all other thoughts and did cleave to his masters side with an inseparable resolution As the Lord liveth and as thy soul liveth I will not leave thee So must we be to Christ in whom God hath manifested his good will to us and say as Peter did To whom should we go thou hast the words of eternal life Gods Mercy is like Daniels goodly tree Dan. 4. whose height reacheth unto the heavens and the sight thereof to all the earth whose pleasant fruit all mortal men do taste and eat and under the shadow of whose fair leaves they take rest and comfort To the defence and succour of this tree must we run in storms and extremity and not then only but at all times lest with ungrateful Popelings we go about in the fairest sunshine to lop the branches Of pions memory is that last speech uttered with the fierce zeal of a dying Martyr burnt in a Tun in Smithfield in the presence of Henry the Fourth King of England Mercy Lord Jesus Christ mercy And of him that with lifted-up hands and singers flaming with fire cried to the people None but Christ none but Christ for ever Cry then ye braving Merit-mongers and say not with the Laodicean Church We are rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing when as your consciences tell you as theirs did Ye are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked Learn with the Prophet Jeremy to say It is of the Lords mercies that we are not consumed because his compassions fail not Make it the height of your ambition with the Apostle to be found in Christ Lam. 3.22 not having your own righteousness which is of the Law but that which is through faith of Christ the righteousness which is of God by faith And since the bowels of Gods compassion and good will to us do yearn upon us and the merits of our blessed Saviour are so effectual as to justifie in his sight let all the world conclude with David Thy loving kindness is better than life Psal 63.3 And with the Angels here acknowledge our salvation to proceed from Gods good will Our Justification thus effected a main work of Gods goodness towards man there follows upon the very neck of it our Sanctification And here we find the Well of Gods Mercy to be like Jacob's deep to which whosoever cometh with a thirsting soul may freely drink of the water of life Since then O God thy Mercy and thy Goodness is of that depth that no Mortal is able to found it and it able to satiate all with thy good Spirit that as by thy Son we are justified in thy sight so by thy Spirit we may be sanctified for Holiness becometh that house wherein thou dwellest O Lord. Know then that by an eternal constitution of Gods predestinating will some were ordained to be vessels of dishonor some of honor Those of dishonor are Reprobates and c●st-aways who spend their days in prophaneness and end in never-ending pains But those of honor are the Elect who being made to be perpetually glorified among the blessed Angels that kept their first station have here their conversation tanquam in coelo as in heaven and following the conduct of that sanctisying Spirit that makes them holy and acceptable to the most Holy end in never-ending happiness The first are passed in silence our speech must be of the latter whom God by special grace vouchsafes to grace with such endowments as fit them for glory There are none begotten by a natural generation exempted from the contagion of sin neither can any in truth glory of a pious conformity of their wills Papists presume upon a natural ability to gain acceptation at the hands of God and Pelagians have given that goodness to remain in our wills which doth not both which whilst the wheel is turning and the sum of all their misfortunes is cast up sleep supinely in carelesness and boast vainly in security Divine truth hath discovered our nakedness and shame so that the naked truth without all contradiction is that what characters of goodness were imprinted in our nature by the hand of our Creator were by the hand of man that catcht hold of the forbidden fruit quite obliterated and blotted out insomuch that unless the same power take us in hand again and put upon us the stamp of a new creation we shall never alter those crooked and wry dispositions which by our offending disobedience we have contracted The life of a Christian doth challenge an higher parentage than from earth when the beauty thereof is marred and the emoluments departed And here the Lords good will hath not been deficient but superabundant above what we are able to ask or think for out of the plentiful treasures of his grace hath he supplied our defects First he sent his Son and behold now he sends his Spirit His Son to free us from condemnation from which otherwise we cannot be free his Spirit for our regeneration which is an act of Divine power whereby being born of God we are reduced to the obedience of his Name Isa 63.18 1 Pet. 2.9 and made like unto him Holy as he is holy hereby becoming the people of his holiness as saith the Prophet and as that Saint of God the Apostle Peter speaks A chosen generation a royal Priesthood an holy nation a peculiar people What was written upon the plate of the holy Crown of pure gold belonging to the Priest in the Levitical law is by the singer of God engraven in Capital letters in the hearts of his Saints HOLINESS TO THE LORD Exod. 99.30 Which inward holiness makes them zealous of good works that are like to Pearls as one saith found here below but carry a resemblance of Heaven in their brightness and orient colours To which end our Saviour gave this precept Let your light so shine before men that they seeing your good works may glorifie your Father which is in heaven Those sacred actions of obedience that have their original dependencie upon the Divine operation of Gods Spirit in the heart please God wonderfully He is glorified by them and in them his soul takes great pleasure Cui prius non beneplacitum erat in hominibus Theophil nunc pro beneficiis refocillationibus hominum habet opera in quibus quietem habet faith Theophilact on these words God who at first was highly offended with men for their apostacy accepts the good deeds of men though himself be the Author of their good for favours and refreshings wherein he is well pleased As I breathe Christians I cannot but admire the good will of God who dwelling in that light unto which there can be no access would vouchsafe to shine upon us who are darkness in the very abstract or would lift up the light of his countenance upon us whom sin had made so contemptible In good earnest I am transported much more