Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	life_n	see_v	word_n	6,113	5	4.0840	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09417	A faithfull and plaine exposition vpon the 2. chapter of Zephaniah by that reuerend and iudicious diuine, M.W. Perkins. Containing a powerful exhortation to repentance: as also the manner hovve men in repentance are to search themselues. Published by a preacher of the vvord. With a preface prefixed, touching the publishing of M. Perkins his vvorks. And a catalogue of all such particulars thereof, as are to be expected.; M. Perkins, his exhortation to repentance, out of Zephaniah. Selections	Perkins, William, 1558-1602.	1609 (1609)	STC 19708; ESTC S105944	42,578	198

they shal flie away with the winde of Gods iustice Of all these points in order For the first the holy Ghost saith Search your selues The wordes are commonly read thus Gather your selues which though it bee good for that in Repentance a man gathereth himselfe all his wits together which afore were dispersed wandred vp and downe in vanitie yet I rather allowe their translation who reade thus Search or fanne your selues but either of them may stand because the word in the originall doth comprehend both significations yet it seemeth that to search or sift fits this place better considering the same manner of speech is afterwardes continued in the word Chaffe so that the meaning of the holy Ghost seemeth to be this Search try and fanne your selues least you bee found light chaffe and so flie away and be consumed before the Iustice of God Concerning this dutie of searching let vs obserue first that the holy Ghost vrging the Iewes to repent vseth not the word Repentance but bids them search themselues yet meaning he wold haue them to repent giuing vs to vnderstand that no man can haue true sound repentance but he who hath first of all searched and examined him selfe and this stands with good reason for no man can repent who first of all doeth not knowe himselfe and his owne wretchednes But no man can see into himselfe nor know himselfe but hee that doeth diligentlie search himselfe so that the beginning of all grace is for a man to search trie and fan himselfe that therby he may knowe what is in himselfe that so vpon the searche seeing his fearefull and damnable estate hee may forsake himselfe and his owne wayes and turne to the Lord. Thus speaketh the holie Ghost in the heartes of holie men Let vs searche and trye our wayes and marke what followeth and turne againe to the Lord as though there were no turning againe vnto the Lord but after a searching of our selues With this testimony of the holy Ghost agreeth the testimonie of all holy mens consciences who all know that the first beginning of their turning vnto the Lorde was a searching of themselues Let any repentant sinner aske his conscience call to minde his first calling and conuersion and hee will remember that the first thing in his Repentance was this that he searched into himselfe and looked narrowly into his wayes and finding his wayes dangerous his case fearful did thervpō resoule to take a new course turn to the Lord for pardō mercy and for grace to enter into more holie and more comfortable courses The man that passeth vpon ridges of mountaines and sides of hills or that goeth ouer a narrow bridge or some dangerous and steepe rocks at midnight feareth not because he seeth no danger but bring the same man in the morning and let him see the narrowe bridge hee went ouer in the night vnder which runnes a violent streame and a bottomlesse gulfe and the daungerous Mountaines and Rockes hee passed ouer and hee will woonder at his owne boldenesse and shrincke for feare to thinke of it and will by no meanes venture the same way againe for now he seeth the height of the Mountaines the steepenesse of the hils the cragginesse of the Rocks the fearefull downfall and the furious violence of the streame vnderneath and thereby seeth the extreame danger which afore he saw not therefore he wondreth and reioyceth that hee hath escaped so great a daunger and will by no meanes bee drawne to goe that waye in the day which he went most carelesly in the darknesse of the night but seeketh another way though it should bee far about So a sinner in his first estate which is naturall and corrupt as wee are bred and borne hath a vaile before his face so that he seeth nothing the wrath of God and the curse due for sin hell damnation seeking to deuoure him hee seeth them not although liuing alwaies in sin he walketh in the very iawes of hell it selfe and because he seeth not this fearefull daunger therefore he refuseth no sin at all but rusheth securely into all manner of sinne the night of impenitencie and the myst of ignoraunce so blinding his eyes that hee seeth not the narrow bridge of this life from which if hee slyde hee falles immediately into the bottomlesse pitte of hell But when as Gods Spirit hath by the Light of Gods word opened his eyes and touched his heart to consider his estate then hee seeth the fraile bridge of this narrowe life and howe little a steppe there is betweene him and damnation then hee seeth hell open due for his sinnes and himselfe in the high-way to it sinne beeing the craggy rocke and hell the gaping gulfe vnder it this life beeing the narrowe bridge and damnation the streame that runneth vnder it Then he wondereth at his miserable estate admireth the mercie of GOD in keeping him from falling into the bottome of hell wondereth at the presumptuous boldnesse of his corruption which so securely plodded on towards destruction and being ashamed of himselfe and these his wayes he turnes his heart to the God that saued him from these dangers and sets himselfe into more holie wayes and more comfortable courses and confesseth that ignorāce made him bold and blindnes made him so presumptuous but nowe he seeth the danger will by no meanes goe the same way againe thus the searching and seeing into the foulenes of sinne and the danger therof is the first beginning of repentance and the first step into grace This doctrine teacheth vs what faith and repentance is generally in the world All men say they belieue and haue repented long ago but trie it well and wee shall finde in the bodie of our Nation but a lippe Faith and a lippe Repentance for euen when they say so they are blind and ignorant of their own estate and knowe not themselues that because they are baptized and liue in the Church therefore they are in Gods fauour in verie good estate when as they neuer yet were reconciled to God and are so farre from it that they neuer yet sawe anie sinnes in themselues whereof they should repent as a man trauelling in the night seeth no daunger but plods on without feare So the most part of our common people in the night of their ignorance thinke and presume they loue and feare God and loue their Neighbour and that they haue euer done so Nay it is the common opinion that a man may doe so by nature and that he is not worthy to liue who doth not loue God with all his heart and beleeue in Iesus Christ. But alas poore simple soules they neuer knewe what sinne was neuer searched nor sawe into their owne hearts with the light of Gods law for if they had they should haue seene such a Sea of corruption that then they woulde confesse it to be the hardest thing in the world to loue God to

some for women but repentance is for all without which it may bee saide of all and euery one of age not one excepted No Repentance no saluation These Sermons being in my hands and not deliuered to mee from hand to hand but takē with this hand of mine from his own mouth were thought worthy for the excellēcie and fit for the generalitie of the matter to bee offered to the publique view I haue also other works of his in my hands of which being many I confesse my selfe to be but the keeper for the time taking my selfe bound to keepe thē safely to the benefite of Gods church of whose treasure vpon earth I make no question but they are a part and I hartily desire you my good friendes and all other faithful Christians to solicite the Lord in praier for me that I may faithfully discharge my selfe of that great charge which in this respect lieth vpō me that his grace blessing may be on me and all others who are to bee imployed in this seruice wherein had the Lord so pleased wee coulde heartily haue wished neuer to haue bene imployed but that his life might haue eased vs of the labour and that as I begin with this so I or some other better able which I rather desire may goe forward vndertaking the weight of this great burthen and not faint till he haue made a faithfull account to the Church of God of all the Iewels deliuered to our trust And nowe these first fruites of my labours in another mans vine yard as also all that hereafter do or may follow I humbly consecrate to the blessed spouse of Christ Iesus the holy Church of God on earth and namely to the Church of England our beloued mother who may reioyce that shee was the mother of such a son who in fewe yeares did so much good to the publique cause of religion as the wickednesse of many yeares shall not bee able to weare out But first of all and especially I present the same vnto you my very worshipfull and Christian friendes who I must needes say are very worthy of it in many respects 1. For the matter it selfe which is repentance my selfe being able to testifie that you are not hearers but dooers rise in knowledge and rise in the practice of Repentance insomuch as I dare from the testimonie of my conscience and in the word of a Minister pronoūce of you that as you haue heard and knowne this doctrine of repentance so blessed are you for you doe it And 2. for him who was the author hereof whose mouth spake it from the feeling of his soule and whose soule is now bound vp in the bundle of life I know cannot in good conscience conceale the great delight you haue alwaies had in the reading of his books the reuerend opinion you had of him liuing how heauily and passionately you took his death departure therefore to cheare you vp in want of him I send you here this little booke his own child begotten in his life time but borne after his death obserue it well and you shall finde it not vnlike the father yea you shall discerne in it the fathers spirit and it doubts not but to finde entertainment with them of whom the father was so well respected And for my selfe I spare to rehearse what interest you haue in me and all my labours it is no more then you worthily deserue and shall haue in me for euer you are the fairest flowers in this garden which in this place I after others haue planted for the Lord or rather God by vs And two principall pearls in that Crowne which I hope for at the last day from the Lord my God whose word at my mouth you haue receiued with much reuerence and with such profit as if I had the like successe of my labours in others I should then neuer haue cause to say with the Prophet I haue laboured in vaine spent my strength in vaine but my iudgement is with the Lord and my worke with my God And if I knew you not to bee such as take more delight in doing well then in hearing of it I would prooue at large what I haue spoken of you yet giue me leaue to say that which without open wrong I may not conceale that beside your care knowledge and godly zeale to religion and other duties of the first table to God himselfe your charitie and pietie to the needie distressed Christians at home and abroad your mercifull dealing with them who are in your power your beneuolence to learning and namely to some in the Vniuersitie do all proclaime to the worlde those your due prayses which I well knowing your modesties doe spare once to name neither would I haue saide thus much were it not for this cold and barren age wherein we liue that so when our preaching cannot moue yet your godly examples might stirre vp Pardon me therfore I pray you thinke it no wrong to you which is a benefit to Gods Church But goe forward in the strength of the Lord your God hold on in that happie course you haue begun be faithfull vnto the ende the Lord will giue you the Crowne of life faithfull is hee which hath promised who will also doe it proceede good Sir to honour learning in your selfe and others and religion especially which is the principallearning and proceede both of you to practise religion in your owne persons and in your family hold on to shine before your familie and amongst the people where you dwel in zeale and holines holde on hereby still to shame poperie to stoppe your enemies mouthes and to honour that holy religion which you professe to gaine comfort of good conscience to your selues assurance of eternall reward and lastly to encourage mee in those painefull duties which lye vpon mee for I openly professe that your religious zeale and loue of the truth with many other good helpes are principall encouragementes in my ministerie and especiall motiues vnto mee to vndertake the charge of publication of so many of the workes of this holy man deceased as may not in better manner be done by others But I keepe you too long from this holy exhortation following I therefore send you it and it to you and from you to the Churche of God for I dare not make it priuately yours and mine wherein the whole church hath interest as well as we It was Preached in the field but it is worthy to be admitted into our hearts I found it in the opē field but vpon diligent viewe finding it to bee Gods corne and a parcell of his holy and immortall seede therefore I brought it home as good corne deserues And as it is Gods corne so in you I desire all holy Christians to lay it vp in Gods garners that is in their hearts and soules And thus committing this little volume to your reading the matter to your practise you and yours