Selected quad for the lemma: sense_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
sense_n	soul_n	spirit_n	word_n	3,137	5	4.4090	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A12604	The eunuche's conuersion A sermon preached at Paules Crosse, the second of February. 1617. By Charles Sonnibank, Doctor of Diuinitie, & Canon of Windsor.	Sonibancke, Charles, 1564-1638.	1617 (1617)	STC 22927; ESTC S114127	43,380	142

parts of that prophecie and so his bare or onely reading therof was not in vaine or vnprofitable vnto him And farther I answer that there is great difference between such as haue neuer heard of Christ of faith or of the word of God such as are heathen people Infidels who indeed without an Interpreter cannot much profit by reading and between such who beeing borne of Christian Parents haue as it were suckt religion vvith the milke of their mothers and therefore by continual exhortation of their Parents and by their good example by beeing catechised in the principles of Christian religion and in some sort instructed euen of children as they are among vs Gods Name be therefore glorified I say betweene Infidell and heathen people and vs the case is diuerse for wee may euen by reading onely of the Scriptures or hearing them read in some measure profit in the knowledge of the truth To conclude this point against their exceptions that speake against reading without learned exposition it is most certaine that Scripture read and Scripture expounded chapters read and chapters expounded sentences read and sentences preached on expounded haue all of them one and the same passage to the soule outwardly by the sense of hearing and inwardly by the assent of the iudgement and vnderstanding the text is one and the same that is the word of God the Schoolemaster is the same the Spirit of instruction the meanes the same that is attention the helps the same which are godly motions the fruite the same that is peace of conscience and the end though not in degree yet in some proportion the same that is edification 4 In the fourth place I am now to speake of Philips performance of that duty and seruice to which he was appointed by the Angell ver 30. And Philip came thither and heard him read the Prophet Esaias And ver 35. Hee opened his mouth and began at the same Scripture and preached vnto him Iesus In which words wee may obserue three circumstances 1. First Gods ordinance vvho was pleased to vse the preaching of Philip and not the helpe of the Angel for this Eunuch's conuersion 2. Secondly I obserue Philips readinesse and godly discretion who tooke the present occasion beginning at that Scripture which the Eunuch then read of opening his mouth and preaching vnto him 3. Thirdly I consider what it was that he spake and vttered when he opened his mouth Hee preached vnto him Iesus For the first Philip opened his mouth and preached Iesus Not the Angel but Philip. In the building of the Church it pleaseth God to preferre the seruice of men before the seruice of Angels and to chuse that his holy and heauenlie truth contained in his word should rather be manifested made knowne by earthly and sinfull men than by celestiall and holy Angels And therefore although our Sauiour had the Angels at commaund so that he could haue commaunded and imployed whole legions of them if he had listed in that seruice yet in the busines of preaching his Gospel and the divulgation of his holy and sauing truth vnto the sonnes of men he chose rather to vse the help and ministery of men than of Angels of his Disciples and Apostles than of those holy and blessed spirits Paul was conuerted not by the instruction and ministery of an Angel but by the preaching of Ananias Cornelius was wonne to the faith not by an Angel but by the preaching of Peter The whole world afterwards was brought to beleeue in Christ not by Angels but by men And here this noble Eunuch is conuerted not by the Angel but by the preaching of Philip. Philip opened his mouth c. A reason whereof may be this As our Redemption was to be wrought and was performed onely in the nature of man and not of Angels no more was the preaching of the said Redemption to be declared by an Angel or any other creature saue onelie by man And this reason the Apostle seemeth to vse 2 Cor. 5.18 when hee saith All things are of God which hath reconciled vs vnto himselfe by Iesus Christ and hath giuen vnto vs the ministery of reconciliation From hence we may must learne this lesson Seeing it is the proper and peculiar dutie of the Minister to expound Scripture That although it be most true that God who is almightie and therefore can doe all things and that in such sort and after such manner as he listeth either by order or by miracle by means or without means Yet in the course of our conuersion the work of our regeneration we must not expect when God will send an angel from heauen to instruct vs or whē hee will immediatly and miraculously call vs and worke our conuersion vnto him but must content our selues make our best vse of those meanes which God in mercy offereth vs by the ministery and preaching of such as he hath by his owne dispensation holy designment appointed to waite vpon his Altar to attend his seruice and by preaching of his word to beget sonnes and daughters vnto him And therefore if wee desire either to knowe or to beleeue in God wee must attaine to that knowledge and to that faith by the onely effectuall meanes of the word of God and by the Ministerie and help of such men as God hath set aparte for the worke of the Ministerie and for the gathering together of the Saints which is the institution and holy ordinance of God himselfe For this is Gods own appointment and his owne holy ordinance That as children should expect receiue from their corporall Parents and Fathers of their bodies such corporall foode as is needful for the nourishment of their bodies So they should likewise expect and receiue from their Pastors and spirituall Fathers such as are appointed by God to beget them in Christ through the Gospell such spirituall food of knowledge instruction as is needfull for the spiritual nourishment of their soules and consciences And this was the manner and custome in former and ancient times they were wont to go to the Prophets and men of God for resolution of their doubts and for comfort in their heauinesse For resolution in their doubts The Priests lippes should preserue knowledge and they should seek the law at his mouth Mala. 2.7 So doth the Eunuch in this place desire Philip that he would tell him the meaning of these words of the Prophet which without an interpreter or a guide he acknowledgeth that he could not vnderstand For comfort in their heauiness One example for many The Shunamite trauelled to mount Carmell to Elisha the Prophet when her soule was full of heauinesse for the death of her onely sonne and shee was comforted 4. King 4. The reason why both in former and later times and indeed why in all times men and women should repaire to the Prophets Ministers of God both for the resolution of their doubts and for comfort in their heauinesse is

vnto vs silly creatures on the earth and how powerfully dost thou schoole vs and teach vs by thy example to goe vp to Ierusalem to worship God to reade not Esay the Prophet onely but euen the whole booke of God! that so vsing those and all such other gratious means which God offereth vnto vs for the illumination of our darke hearts by faith as thou here diddest we might also with thee in time be enriched with that precious and inestimable treasure of a true faith That so as the Spirit of God witnesseth of thee that thou diddest beleeue that Iesus Christ was the Son of God so the same Spirit might beare witnesse to our spirits that wee also beleeue But herein especially doth he school vs and in schooling vs reproue vs and in reproouing vs shame vs. For first if hee that had so fewe meanes to leade him to the knowledge and worshippe of God doe yet notwithstanding out-goe vs in his seruice and worship who doe abound with all gratious and needfull helpes that may leade vs thereunto how can it but be a shame vnto vs Secondly if he that dwelt so farre off as Aethiopia was from Ierusalem refused not to vndertake so long so tedious a iourney to trauell thither there to worship God How can it choose but be a shame to vs who will many of vs scarce goe out of doores or wet our foote in trauelling to the house of the Lord to heare his word and to worship him in his holy Temple Thirdly if he at one only Sermon of Philip were brought to knowe and to beleeue in Christ what a shame is it for vs that after so many yeares enioying the word of God pulickely taught and expounded vnto vs and after so many and almost infinite Sermons that haue bin preached amongst vs there should yet be so many of vs that are not wonne to the seruice of God and faith in Christ The Lord our God as much desireth our good as hee did the good of this Eunuch The word of God is as mighty in operation now as in former times the Spirit of God worketh with the word preached effectually now as in former times The industrie and desire of Gods Ministers though they be not equall to the Apostles and first Fathers of the Faith who because the Church was then newly to bee planted had Primitias spiritus sancti the first fruits and the more eminent and powerfull graces of Gods Spirit yet are they such as might in some degree of proportion serue to beget faith now as in former times and yet for all this they are but few in comparison of the multitude that profite in faith godlinesse by our labours The cause why we cannot write vpon the water is not the want of skill nor the fault of the pen but the vnfitnesse and indisposition of the water So the reason why Gods Spirit preuaileth not in vs is neither any default in God or defect in his Spirit or weakenesse in his word or disability in his Ministers but onely in men and women themselues who are not disposed fitted to receiue such stamps and impressions as they all would otherwise imprint and leaue in them For surely were men so willing so prepared as this noble Eunuch was to entertaine the Lord Iesus in their hearts and to receiue him into their soules by faith when we preach him vnto them then would our preaching bring forth in them the like precious effect and many more of them than now doe would by our preaching of Iesus vnto them be brought with this Eunuch to beleeue in him and to bee his seruants But alas the more is the pitie many of vs may truly say with Peter We haue launched out into the deep and haue let fal our nets to make a draught we haue trauelled all the night and laboured hard and yet haue taken nothing Many of vs like candles doe waste and consume our selues by studying and preaching to giue you light and yet many of you for all that doe still continue and remaine in darknes Many of vs like busie silke wormes weaue out our owne bowels as they doe in making of silke that you may be cloathed in silke and apparelled with the precious roabes of Christs righteousnesse and yet for all that many of you choose rather to be cloathed with your owne rags with the garments which are spotted with sin and stayned and defiled with iniquitie What can the husband-man doe more than till his land and sowe his seed what can the gardiner do more to his figge-tree than ditch round about it and dung it what can the dresser or planter of a vineyard doe more for it than place it in a fruitfull hill and hedge it and gather out the stones and plant it with the best plants what can we doe more than preach Iesus vnto you Nullus doctor est dator boni quod docuerit saith Bar. Wee can teach you good things we cannot giue you good things we may be doctores gratiae but not datores we may be teachers but we are not giuers of grace The Angel in the 5. of Iohn did but stirre the waters of the poole Bethesda and troubled the waters thereof hee thrust no man into the poole that was a worke to be performed by thēselues that would be healed Wee that are the Ministers of God wee open and expound the Scriptures vnto you by our diuiding the word of God and expounding the same vnto you wee moue and we stirre the water of life that floweth in them you must be carefull to step into them your selues c. And surely the very true reason why after so much stirring and troubling of these waters after so much preaching and teaching there are yet so many both men and women that lie diseased full of soares sinnes by this poole and by these waters not onely for the space of 38 yeeres but some for more yeeres and all their whole life long neuer once offering to step in much lesse to thrust themselues thereinto when the waters therof are stirred I say the very true reason hereof is either their infidelitie that they cannot or their lazinesse idlenesse that they will not or their pride vvhich suffereth them not to humble their hearts and to subiect their wills to the will and word of God They consult their owne sense and vnderstanding and suffer themselues to be caried away with the streame of their own naturall reason and corrupt affections whereas if they would submit themselues captiuate their vnderstanding and their willes to the will and word of God and be wholly led and directed thereby they might as here this noble Eunuch did attaine to some good proportion and comfortable measure of true faith But that which the Comicall Poet spake of hands in his time I may say of our hearts in these dayes Corda nostra sunt oculata non credunt nisi quod vident Our hearts are full of