Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	divide_v	obedience_n	suffer_a	18	3	16.6532	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A34165	A Compleat collection of farewel sermons preached by Mr. Calamy, Dr. Manton, Mr. Caryl ... [et al.] ; together with Mr. Ash his funeral sermon, Mr. Nalton's funeral sermon, Mr. Lye's rehearsal ... with their several prayers.	Calamy, Edmund, 1600-1666.; Manton, Thomas, 1620-1677.; Caryl, Joseph, 1602-1673.; Nalton, James, 1600-1662.; Lye, Thomas, 1621-1684.; Ashe, Simeon, d. 1662.	1663 (1663)	Wing C5638; ESTC R8646	623,694	660

he gave a free and full account of the Doctrine of his Father and of his glorious person before Pontius Pilate a bloudy Persecutor It was not by saying to his Disciples Fight nor by saying My Kingdom is not of this World but he gave a glorious confession before the face of Pilate of the righteousness of his Truth Doctrine Gospel and of his Person Fear to ensnare the freedom of the Truth with your own Liberty do not ensnare it to your own lusts nor to the will of any man Oh! that we could study and improve these Scriptures more it would make us fear God more and man less This is that that would make us to say as holy David did Psal 119.161 Princes have persecuted me without a cause but my heart standeth in awe of thy word for he that hath the most fear on you and upon you you will be more afraid to fall into his hands It is a childish thing for a Christian to tread down the belief of any Doctrine or practise any Worship for fear of man who hath no more power to hurt us than we give him our selves by our fear Fear not him that can kill the body c. It was the way of Gods people formerly that they came to divide between duty commanded by God and commanded by Man You may read in all the dayes of Antichrists persecution from the beginning they came to divide in matter of obedience to God and his truth and worship and obedience to Man Christians nothing but a suffering spirit will help you to this for there is no other way of Obedience in this case to Authority but to suffer under it meekly patiently as Lambs This made the three children to divide between the command of the King and the command of God What sayes Nebuchadnezzar Every knee that bowes not shall be cast into the Furnace Very well As for that matter say they O King we are not careful to answer thee for we will not bow down c. What will they not obey him Yes they will obey him by suffering as becomes Christians and is the example of Christ as if they should say Truely we are terrified with the burning Furnace but we are terrified with Hell too We are terrified by the threats of the great King but we are likewise terrified with the threats of the great God He is able to deliver us our of your torments you are not able to deliver us from his torments so in the case of Daniel Arm your selves with this Resolution of suffering and lying down patiently and meekly under those things that you cannot do so that God may be honoured by your holy resolution upon this account for truly you never do contend successfully for the faith of the Gospel till you contend by suffering for it is said They overcome by the blood of the Lamb You never make Religion your business till the world see you can let such great things go as Life Estate Liberty to keep it then wisdom is justified of her Children You never glorifie the truths of God so much by practice or writing as by suffering for them Those glorious truths against Popish justification mixing of works with faith Transubstantiation Purgatory Idol-worship against all those things that were superadded contrary to God's Institution there is such a glory upon the truths that is hard for the Popish power ever to darken them again because we see them written in the honourable and blessed scars of the witnesses and burnings of those glorious Martyrs If you would take one another by the hand when God takes away our faithful Guides and say Brethren Sisters Friends come let us hold together there 's no way in the world to hold on together like suffering for the Gospel really would get more advantage by the holy humble sufferings of one gracious Saint meerly for the Word of Righteousness than by ten thousand Ar●uments used against Hereticks and false Worship Compare Phil. 1 12 13 14. with the 27 28 and 29. verses How are Pauls bonds a furtherance of the Gospel Paul no doubt was called an evil doer that sowed Heresie and was hated every where saith he Many of the Brethren of the Lord waxed confident by my bounds and were much more bold to speak the Word without fear Here 's the great encouragement and that 's in the 27. verse and he speaks it as one that was leaving of them Only let your Conversation he as becometh the Gospel of Christ that you may stand fast in one spirit with one mind striving together for the faith of the Gospel and in nothing terrified by your Adversaries for unto you it is given not only to believe but also to suffer c. It is given to you as a duty given to you as a priviledge O that you would confirm one another and in slippery times hold up one another by the hand do it in going after Gods call and in this way suffering for those truths you cannot otherwise hold and maintain Truly Christians you had need be armed with Resolution for the world is always counting the things Gods people have suffered for very little and they count it prudence not to meddle therein Those men that have easie soft terms to comply that they have a latitude to do any thing I believe some Christians are of that opinion that they would even think the Saints of God were ill-advised to venture their All upon those truths they see others dyed and suffered for It is a sad thing many Christians study to draw out the lines of obedience as far as the honesty of the times will give them leave but no farther that they would go on with the Lord Jesus to the High Priest's Hall and there deny him or that would be willing to do any thing for Christ but are willing to suffer nothing for Christ you do very little honour Jesus Christ in this and you will very little honour your selves at the last It is upon this account that Christians if they see even against plain conviction of Conscience and the Word that there are super-instituted things broken in as in conscience they cannot submit to yet they cannot comply why they may be used lawfuly though not superstitiously But saith the Apostle Paul Do I yet strive to please men Gal. 1.10 Am I then the Servant of Christ You cannot be the Servants of Christ if you strive to please men Wo be to you that please men and displease God He that would be my Disciple let him deny himself and take up his Cross c. What 's that deny Wife Children Relations Comforts he must be willing to go out of all Those duties the Lord Jesus Christ is most glorified in they are either those our floathful hearts are most unwilling to do or that our fearful hearts are most unwilling to suffer for Therefore arm your selves with resolutions to suffer I intended to have taken up four Appearances and Coverings that Saints usually

profess themselves Sons of the same God Members of the same Christ Temples of the same Spirit should be at deadly jarrs one with another It is strange and unnatural that Lillies should prove Thorns to one another that those who are Saints in pretence should be Devils in practice to one another that Gods Diamonds should cut one another this is very strange yet thus it is But now especially it is most sad when Religion which should restrain and bridle our passions is made fuel and incentives of them How farre distant is it from the counsel of the Apostle Rom. 14.10 where he speaks concerning their lesser differences one values one day above another another esteems every day alike what 's His counsel he speaks as a person that was fill'd with bowels and compassion Oh saith he let not him that doth not esteem the day judge him that doth For we shall all stand before the judgement-seat of Christ there we shall appear all upon a level stand upon equal ground and receive our final doom from him This therefore should calm our Spirit Why may there not be some differences in judgement without division in affection for it is as impossible that all judgements should be of the same extent as all our faces to be of the same colour and figure Therefore consider what an injury it is to our Profession how doth it obscure the glory of God and lustre of our Religion 3. Doth not the publick enemy rejoyce over us I mean the Papists do they not warm themselves at the sparks of our Divisions For you know the old Maxim of Divide and Reign therefore it should compose our spirits and quicken us to labour after union Vnmortified lusts are thence whence all Wars and Enmities springs in the World The Apostle Paul when he would compose their differences he doth not lay down Rules to decide their controversies but to correct their secret passions pride self-seeking revenge c. This being the seed of all disturbances in the Church And although these Lusts may not be conspicuous and visible to the eyes of men yet they are certainly the fuel of our distempers The sum of all is this those that have the Spirit of God they cannot but mourn and be sensible of these divisions I know a great part among us are unconcerned some rejoyce those that are rather buried in the affairs of the World and incumbred with much business or those that are steeped in the pleasures of sense are altogether unaffected with these things stand as Newters disregarding all events But the Saints of God cannot but mourn over them when our divisions hinder the progress of the Gospel are serviceable to nothing but to the Kingdom of darkness Therefore I beseech you let what hath been spoken quicken you in your prayers to God to pray for the peace of Jecusalem that 's the least effect of our love and desires after peace and by all endeavours to labour to bring back peace to us that we may see that prophesie fulfilled in our time that the Lord should be one and his Name one amongst us Dr. Bates's Afternoon Sermon Heb. 13.20.21 Now the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus that great Shepherd of the Sheep through the bloud of the everlasting Covenant make you perfect in every good work to do his will working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ to whom be glory for ever and ever THe Apostle describes God by the effects of his power and love That brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus The Resurrection of Christ from the dead is one of the most transcendent testimonies of Gods love and power towards us 1. Of his Love because as the Anger of God was that which crucified our Saviour so on the contrary it must be his Love that should raise and restore him Christ when he died he looked upon God as an Enemy as a Judge and as those colours which we see conveyed to us are answerable to the Medium through which we see them as if we look through a coloured glass we see the object of that colour So the Lord Jesus when he was upon the Cross looked upon God through the black-cloud of our sins and through the red cloud of his Fathers wrath and so dyed as a Sacrifice to Divine Justice But when he was raised from the Grave that was the testimony of Gods love to him and of his love to us for he died as our Surety he was arrested for our Debt he was cast into the Grave as into a Prison But by his Resurrection he was redeemed from Prison and Judgement And therefore you shall find when Christ was risen he salutes his Disciples with this Peace be unto you Luk. 24.31 There was the dawning of peace at the Incarnation of Christ for then the Angels sung Peace upon earth but the compleat Sun-shine of peace was at his Resurrection when he had made full and compleat satisfaction to Gods Justice for this was a clearing of him before all the World when God raised him from the Grave And in this respect it was very agreeable for the Apostle to say The God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus 2. It was the eflect of Infinite power You know it is naturally impossible for a dead body to quicken himself to revive but for the Lord Jesus who had the load of the sins of all the Elect upon him who was as it were secured in the Grave by Gods Justice and Power for him to rise again This must be an effect of Insinite Power in the Great God Thus raising of Christ sometimes 't is attributed to the Son being God equal with the Father But here 't is attributed to God and therefore when the Scripture would speak with the greatest magnificence of the Power of God it expresses it thus That power which raised Jesus Christ from the dead When Christ wrought deliverance for the lost world all those who were commited to his charge This could be no less then the work of an infinite Power And upon this account also it is very proportionable to the design of the Apostle for that prayer he makes to God is for that which onely can be accomplished by Infinite Love and Infinite Power i.e. to make the Christian Hebrews perfect in every good work to do his will I come to a further description He that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus the Title of the Lord Jesus was onely given to our Saviour after his Resurrection he was called Lord before and Jesus before but these two Titles were ever united till after his Resurrection hey came to see the place where the body of the Lord Jesus lay the reason was this because the Resurrection of Christ was a solemn Proclamation to the World that Christ was the Son of God 'T is true this Title was given him immediately upon his

condition of the Apostles themselves they were Earthen Vessels they had such weaknesses men subject to the like passions as we Vse 2. Secondly As for the people this may improve in all the notions and considerations of an Earthen Vessel First In regard of the meanness you must not esteem the Gospel according to the Vessel according to the disparagement of the Vessel a Vessel of dishonour in respect of its matter may be a Vessel of honour in regard of the Gold that is in it those members of the body that are weak and in themselves less honorable we afford a great deal of honor upon them in deeking and cloathing them So the Ministers work and employment and the Doctrines they bring are excellent and of great use when all is done we have that we serve for according to the imployment we are put to we are honorable though outwardly mean Wicked and base men are called Filii Terrae they are Sons of the Earth Job 30.8 Children of Fools yea Children of base men they are viler than the Earth i.e. Men of no account as one saith the Earth groans under such ungracious persons but gracious persons are Vessels of honor as it was said of the Giants of old so it may be said of these They are men of Renown and so we shall esteem of them Worldly men look at the outside and so esteem of them so was Christ dealt with Is not this the Carpenters son So those Teachers in Corinth endeavoured to render Saint Paul his presence weak and his speech contemptible 2 Cor. 10.11 that so they might make his Ministry contemptible also But this glorious Treasure is in Earthen Vessels You know saith Paul Gal. 4.13 that through infirmity of the flesh I preached the Gospel unto you at first This was their commendation v. 14. But my temptation which was in my flesh you despised not nor rejected but received me as an Angel of God even as Jesus Christ All his weaknesses and whatever was matter of discouragement they did not despise but honorably entertained him even as Christ himself So it was the commendation of the Thessalonians 1 Thess 2.13 That they received not the word as the word of man but as it is in truth the Word of God looking to the mighty God to make it effectual so should all others do upon this consideration 2. Seeing Ministers are Earthen Vessels in regard of moral infirmities which adhere to them in respect of their corruptions and weaknesses judge of them as men but esteem of what is righteous in them though they have great advantages against sin yet notwithstanding they are not totally exempted and free from sin as they are Ministers so they are men 3. In regard that Ministers are Earthen Vessels in respect of their frailty Seeing then they are so frail and transitory therefore accordingly you should make use of them deal kindly and affectionately with them in that they are quickly broken What is sooner broken than a Glass or an Earthen Vessel Ministers are quickly taken away and therefore you should be tender of them while you have them Where are all the Fathers Do the Prophets live for ever The Word of the Lord indeed indureth for ever but the Preacher of it doth not the Gospel is eternal but the Dispenser is mortal the Calling is lasting but the Minister is transitory and therefore you should carry your selves with all tenderness and respect to them take heed of grieving their spirits seeing they are so soon broken Endeavour also to improve by them and to get as much good as you can by them It is a great argument to work while it is day because the night comes when no man can work whilst God affords means and opportunities make use of them we are but Passengers therefore this is a great ground for you to get all the good you can by Ministers seeing they are frail Lastly By way of Improvement Take notice of the wayes of God as different from mans God puts excellent Treasure into Earthen Vessels we keep treasure in Strong Holds in the strongest Repositories Gods wayes are not as our wayes he goes another way than we do he makes use of the poorest meanest and most frail Creatures sometimes he layes aside many times men of greater abilities parts and quality and makes use of weaker to do this great work Chrysostome makes an Expostulation If it be excellent Treasure why in Earthen Vessels therefore it is a Vessel of Earth because an excellent Treasure Thus Gods wayes are unsearchable this is the Improvement Now besides this interpretation given of it there is another that will not be impertinent Some understand by Earthen Vessels the Expressions Words and Phrases of the Ministry through which the Doctrines and Truths of the Gospel are conveyed this is agreeable to what went before Some false Teachers in Corinth pleased themselves with eloquent and enticing words of worldly Wisdom and so endeavoured to render Pauls preaching despicable in regard of the plainness of it Therefore saith the Apostle we have this Treasure in Earthen Vessels i. e. familiar conveyances that so we may easily understand it Thus I have explained this Earthen Vessel and so have done with the first considerable part viz. the Dispensation it self This Treasure we have in Earthen Vessels I come now to the second viz. II. The account of this Dispensation That the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us Which words may be considered two wayes First Either Absolutely as lying in themselves Or Secondly Connexively to the words before going 1. Take them absolutely as they lie in themselves and two things are exhibited 1. The excellency of the Gospel and Ministry it self called Power 2. The Author and Original of it laid down two ways positively of God and negatively not of us 1. The excellency of the Gospel and Ministry thereof called Power There is a great deal of power and efficacy in the Gospel 't is in its nature powerful and efficacious so the Ministry of it Rom. 1.16 I am not ash●med of the Gospel of Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one th●t believeth See 1 Cor. 2.4 Paul's preaching was in the dimonstration o● the Spirit and of ●ower c. 'T is called the Arm of Gods Power the Sword of the Spirit Ephes 6.17 'T is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged Sword piercing even to the dividing asunder of the Soul and Spirit c. Heb. 4.12 and many other places We may conceive it to be so according to the various effects and consequences of it viz. as to 1. Conviction 2. Conversion 3. Consolation 1. 'T is powerful in regard of Conviction 't is a word of Conviction and one part of the work of the Ministry is by the Spirits co-operation to convince the World of sin to open mens eyes to shew them the vileness of their ways to discover such courses to be sinful the