Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	life_n	live_v	spirit_n	8,899	5	5.3156	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A66970	The Roman-church's devotions vindicated from Doctour Stillingfleet's mis-representation by O.N. a Catholick.	N. O.; R. H., 1609-1678.; Cressy, Serenus, 1605-1674.	1672 (1672)	Wing W3454; ESTC R31841	59,356	118

as the old should grow by degrees and not be made compleat in vs all at once Mention I say of some Babes and litle ones and to be fed as yet only with Milk Of strong Meat and Wisdome and higher Misteries only to be delivered to and Spoken amongst the Perfect See Heb. 5.12.13 1. Pet. 2.2 1. Cor. 3.1.2 2.6 Of Growing in grace and receiving increase from God Of the new Man being renewed day by day Of arriving to a perfect Man vnto the measure of the stature or age of the fulness of Christ Of the Apostles labouring to present every one perfect in Christ Iesus and that they might stand perfect and full in all the wil of God and of this Perfection still containing in it higher and higher degrees Not as if I had already attained saith the Apostle Phil. 3.12 Though therfore by this Principle of a New life and the infusion of the habitual Grace of Charity We are already translated from the former being of corrupt Nature to a Divine being of Supernaturall Grace freed at the first from the former state of Mortall Sin and from the Slavery and Captivity we suffered vnder it's dominion yet hath not this Spirit as yet attained such a soveraigne Empire and Mastery over the importunate solicitations of Concupiscence and the naturall inclinations of our Will and Affections as that we do not still fall frequently into many lesser and those called Venial Sins Or at least as to actions that are not sinful but in their nature indifferent or lawful that we do not for the most part still prosecute those that are more grateful or advantageous to our present carnal desires and our sensual or secular designes Though such actions are no way expedient for vs nor acceptable to the Holy Spirit in which now we live nor do conduce to our growth in Grace but are great hindrances thereof and though these acts contained indeed within the compass of lawful yet often expose vs to occasions of Sin Now so long as we stay here advance no further we appear but as infants and Babes in Grace It having not as yet obtained it's perfect Reigne in vs either over our Concupiscence which carries vs still into frequent venial Sins or over our nature and will which carryes vs in other matters lawful to those satisfying our natural condition But when we are come to have potestatem voluntatis nostrae as S. Paul expresseth it 1. Cor. 7.37 come once to act seldom according to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Concupiscence to fall seldome into Venial sin especially with advertency and vnsurprised and the Holy Spirit to have a more absolute power over Sense Reason our own wil Propriety and Self-love as to these things lawful but not expedient when come to S. Paul's omnia mihi licent sed ego sub nullius redigar potestate and to his corpus in servitem redigo and to act more constantly according to the Spirit moving now more perceptibly in vs and giving the laW to vs when Grace is as to these non expedients also predominant and sole Mistress ordering all things without our reluctance or also with our zeale to the greater love praise honour of God and the doing of all things in order to his wil so far as it is made known to vs by this his Spirit then are We arrived to a full growth to a compleat Man in Christ to a state of Perfection such as this life attains but few Regenerate there are that do not by their own disorders dye in their Spiritual youth before they come to such a mature age As therfore in our Regeneration a Man is removed from the state of Sin into the state of Grace so the Church desires in that Which is called from some high misteries it speaks of as to the supreme effects of this Grace Mysticall Theology to advance those already in the state of Grace to that of Perfection and from the Spirit dwelling to it more absolutely Reigning in vs. which finds so many great rewards not only in the next but this present life 2. We must know therfore That to such end this Holy Spirit received in our Regeneration assisteth and worketh in vs not only as to affording generally to all good Christians that seriously endeavour to save their Souls such internall illuminations and motions as are sufficient to direct them for the resisting of any sinful temptation or to perform any necessary act of vertue in circumstances wherin they are obliged to it but also in affording vs light and ability in all indifferent actions and occurrences With which may be also joined all the Acts of Christian vertues When no necessity obligeth vs to do any of them and so When it is lawful for vs Without Sin to do or omitt them whereby we are guided to make such a choice as is more conformable to Gods Will and particular circumstances considered may much more advance vs in the love of God and Christian Perfection and whereby we may avoid such other of them as may be suggested either by corrupt Nature or the evil Spirit vnder pretence also of some good end but to defeat a better For the Holy Spirit excites vs and assists vs not only in doing dutyes of necessary obligation or in the avoiding what is prohibited and performing What is comanded by God vnder penalty of sin but in all these acts also that may any way tend more to Gods glory or to our greater perfection Though these be such as we may without sinning chuse or refuse For in this I may say that the Holy Spirit in vs is like to Concupiscence in vs the one continually exciting vs vnto that which is better as the other to that which is worse See the Apostles description of these two inmates Rom. 8.1 c. and Gal. 5.16.17.18 where he saith v. 17. that Spiritus concupiscit adversus carnem caro adversus Spiritum and that Sibi invicem adversantur And Ibid. v. 18. as also Rom. 8.14 That those who are Gods children or Regenerate aguntur Spiritu are acted by the Spirit It guides vs into truth Brings things forgotten to our remembrance Gives knowledge and arguments to one vtterance and Eloquence and the power to perswade to another To another Wisdome or a good Iudgement Prudence in Gouerning in executing anothers comands To another courage and boldnes It opens mens vnderstandings and hearts and renders them docile and apt to believe What is there that is not done in vs by this Holy Spirit when we are employed about any thing that tends to the glorifying of God the Father or the Son So is our regenerate life wholy managed by this Spirit as the natural is by the Soul and if not obstructed works in vs a continual growth in Grace till we come to a perfect man in Christ Therfore the Apostle exhorts his converts that as they live their new life in or by the Spirit so they would

walk in it according to its directions And that they would mind or affect the things of the Spirit or the things it minds them of Because 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 within them is death in the end but the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 within them is life and peace to them Exhorts them also Eph. 4.30 with no corrupt and fruitles communication to contristate or grieve this Spirit Tim. 4.14 not to neglect it 1. Cor. 15.10 That it should not be void or idle in them 1. Thess. 5.19 not to quench it Eph. 5.18 To replenish themselves with it And 2. Tim. 1.6 continually to revive it Rom. 12.11 to be fervent in it Without which the Apostle saith we cannot think a good thought and our Lord that We can do nothing 3. These actions of the latter kind we are now speaking of that may be lawfully done or omitted the one or the other performed without any guilt of sin are either such as by the Evangelical Councels and the dictate of rectified Reason are clearly discerned by vs the one to be better and more to lead to Christian Perfection then the other or such Where we have some doubt of these two actions good or lawful which is the better or more expedient In the former of these we may safely conclude that that which is manifest to vs to be the better as to our perfection is the motion in vs of the Holy Spirit and that the doing it is the doing the wil of God in this matter and that so often as we reject or neglect this so often we contristate the Spirit that would thus conduct vs to perfection and refuse to do Gods will when this is known to vs Whose wil it ought always to be presumed to be that we should do that which is cleare to vs all things considered to be best for his glory and our good to be done though such omission or neglect amounts not to a sin but to a failing so much in Perfection And indeed the not vigilantly observing these Motions of the Spirit within vs and the not hearkning to and obeying them when evident to be such or also the not preconsulting by prayer what it adviseth but rather precipitating our action to prevent it is the Reason of so many their no greater improvement in the Spirit and that they are such strangers to it and It to them is a check to the further and stronger operations of it in the Soul for who would offer Counsel seldome or never accepted or asked abates the fervour and solace that there would be in prosecuting it's suggestions and leave vs guilty of much vnkindnes and ingratitude For as S. Bernard Cum hae Sancti Spiritus circa nos dispensatoriae quidem vicissitudines vigilantissime non observantur fi● vt nec absentem desideres nec presentem glorifices But in the latter Actions wherein we have some cause of doubt which is best and yet wherein the making a good choice may be exceedingly beneficial to vs according to the variety of our temper and condition to the better ordering of our life and service of God such illumination and Direction of the Holy Spirit or also a cleare discerning thereof is obtained especially by much Purity of conversation and Abstraction from worldly things by frequent Recollection and introversion and attendance on God in the perfectest practice of Prayer we can attain to For God hath graciously declared to vs in the Scriptures That the effectual prayer of a righteous man as that of Elias auaileth much that he heareth not sinners but if any one be a worshiper of him and doth his wil him he heareth That all things whatsoever we shall ask in prayer that is Such persons not doubting but believing we shall receive them that if we abide in Christ and he in vs ask what we will and it shall be done vnto vs because indeed such ask by the Spirit of Christ who liveth in them and so ask according to Gods will That if we keep his comandements and do what is pleasing in Gods sight whatever we ask we receive of him That if we ask any thing according to his will he heareth vs and grants our requests that though we know not what we should desire or pray for as we ought that is as to temporal prosperity or afflictions or such like things of which S. Paul there speaks what therin is best for Gods glory or our own proficiency yet the Holy Spirit within vs with vnutterable groans and great ardour intercedeth for vs according to Gods will and that God knoweth its mind though not expressed in Words and granteth it's requests that the same Spirit searcheth the profound things of God and what is his will and revealeth them to vs that natural Reason is not able to vnderstand them but they many times seem foolishness to it But that the things of the Spirit are discerned only by the Spirit most of Which Texts seem to be spoken not only of our petitioning God concerning the necessary means of our or others Saluation but more vniversally of all sorts of requests concerning the things of this life and any things that are in their nature indifferent and lawfull and of his Spirit directing vs to ask and do in them what is his wil and of his granting those to vs Which may be best for vs wherein God heareth and granteth the petitions of his Saints much sooner then of others I say then since God in the Scriptures hath declared these things and made these promises that he will not deny what we ask according to his will we may rationally presume and be piously confident that he will grant our request when this is only to know his will that we may do that which is according to it and we may safely take that for his will to Which after such addresses and other due preparations made we shall find our selves more strongly inclined and also take such inclination to proceed from the operation of Gods Spirit either illuminating somtimes our vnderstanding in discouering to it some Reasons not so well discerned or else disesteemed and thought considerable before Or somtimes more confirming to vs the judgment our own Reason made of the thing before Or some times effecting a strong and suddenly iniected inclination in the will so swayed without any preceding Reasons or discourse of the Intellect presented it Or somtimes causing an extraordinary tranquility consolation and satisfaction to accompany such our Election According to the Rule of Abbot Isaac in Cassian Cum orantes nos nulla interpellaverit hesitatio si obtinuisse nos in ipsa orationis effusione quod poscimus senserimus non ambigamus preces nostras ad Deum efficaci●er penetrasse where note that the Devill or any Creature cannot work so immediatly and intimatly on our vnderstanding and will as Gods Spirit doth but by the vse of phantasms