Selected quad for the lemma: power_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
power_n	key_n	open_v	shut_v	4,285	5	9.4567	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A06874	A sermon preached at Paules Crosse the 13. of Iune. 1602. By M. Francis Marburie; Sermon preached at Paules Crosse the 13. of June. 1602.	Marbury, Francis, d. 1611.	1602 (1602)	STC 17307; ESTC S105434	29,109	90

vnderstanding Poperie hath no new arguments but the olde colworts in a new dish but infatuate flesh wormes cannot iudge of false dice they haue drunke of the whores wine and haue lost their wits But alas how many are there which answer to the name of Iapheth as Abshalom answered to the name of Abshalom which signifieth the fathers peace which bring as much tractablenes to the Church as he brought peace and comfort to his father Dauid and Noah when they gaue those names spake as they would haue it but the wicked will do as they lust Yet the lord hath said enough to melt the obstinate though they were rocks because he knoweth that they are obstinate Isaiah 48.3.4 and their necke is an yron sinew and their brow brasse And therefore who can come after him to say any more All that we can do is to repeat his sayings If there be any consolation in Christ if any comfort of loue Phil. 2.12 if any fellowship of the spirit if any compassion mercie let vs be like minded hauing the same loue beeing of one accord and of one iudgement Let Iapheth come to Shem for Shem may not come to Iapheth no the Lord hath forbidden it by Ieremie Ier. 15.19 Isaiah 11.6.7 It is a prophecie of the fiercest if they be not reprobates that the Wolfe Leoparde Lion and Beare shall be made innocent and sociable to the most harmelesse and helplesse creatures The second conclusion out of this text is thus framed that because the conuersion of Iapheth is determined to be by the onely power of God it is therefore required of necessitie that the Lord himselfe by his spirit performe it The Lord who onely can shall entise Iapheth For although this text doth expresly containe neither the addition of necessitie that it must needes bee the Lord that must doe it nor the exclusiue that none other can do it yet vnder this zealous contemplation of Gods mercy and power in this affectionate speech The Lord it hath them both by implication by presupposing that seeing the Lord will needes haue it done hee must need doe it himselfe because none others can If anie doe still obiect that this point that it is Gods onely work to conuert cannot bee concluded out of this Text without adding the word onely vnto it let him againe vnderstand that it is not added presumptuously but only in sense supplied where otherwise it is vnderstood meant alreadie And this supply is after the exāple of Christs collection out of those words of Moses that we must serue God from whence he gathereth that we must serue god alone Deut. 6.13 Math. 4.10 teaching vs to conclude in like case that if the scriptures doe shew that there is not any other power of conuersion besides the spirit of God as we shall see they doe then where it is said that the Lord conuerteth it is there meant that he onely conuerteth and none other So then this text teacheth vs that true conuersion is not the worke of any inferior power but is one of the peculiar works of the holy omnipotent spirit of God And if the question should be to whom it did appertaine to preuaile by perswading would we not haue recourse and refuge to this scripture for solution The Lord shall perswade Iapheth This likewise appeareth vnto vs by the euidence of other scriptures First the exclusiue is plaine 1. C●● ● 7 that he that planteth is not anie thing at all that is to say in the worke of true conuersion And the necessity is as plaine where Christ saith no man cā come to me except the father which hath sent me draw him Iohn 6.44 he himselfe must of necessitie draw him For this is true of euerie perfect gift that it commeth downe from the father of lights I am 1.17 and he reserueth the donation to himselfe And therefore the Prophet saith Lord thou hast wrought all our works for vs. Isai 26.12 The scriptures before the Lord reuiueth vs call vs dead Ephes 2.1 yea dead in trespasses and sinnes And the sonne of God saith that our reuiuing from this death Iohn 5.25 must be by hearing the voice of the sonne of God And Saint Paul saith that our quickning meaning this first quickning must be by no lesse then by the spirit of him that raised vp Iesus Rom. 8.11 And he likewise otherwhere ascribeth faith to the working of Gods mightie power Ephes 1.19 So that if there follow eyther will or deed in vs God worketh that also of his good pleasure and will Phil. 2.13 As Fulgentius more largely expresseth it Fulgen. lib. 1 ad Monimū Dei est vt bonum facere velimus vt bonum facere valeamus Our will and our power of doing well are both to be ascribed to God And Augustine saith Quos spiritus sanctus intus non docet indoctirede unt August in Epost Ichan tract 3. whom the holy ghost teacheth not inwardly they depart vnlearned There are two principall causes why we should lay this to heart The first that we may not erre in the truth of religion in ascribing any thing to our selues as if we were able to stirre vp our selues For as Saint Paul saith We are not sufficient of our selues so much as to think any thing as of our selues 2 Cor. 3.5 but our suffciencie is of God And perpetuall experience reuealeth it that they which continue in this opinion of free will are egregious inueterate hypocrites dying eyther desperate or senselesse The other cause is least we should erre in the truth of affection that is to say in thinking that a lesser measure of affectiō wil serue in applying our selues to our conuersion then will For when we heare tell that what other power soeuer of the keyes is in the Church Christ himself carieth that key of Dauid Rauel 3.7 that shutteth and no man can open it will make vs to lift vp our hearts aboue all that is called the world And certainely the Spirit of God himselfe by this holy meditation lifteth vs vp to such a zealousnesse in prayer and such a contention of Spirit in making towards God in all kind of duties as they that are informed that none can conuert vs so as we shall be conuerted that is so as our conuersion shall stand good but only he We may be well assured that the Spirit of God worketh not effectually in vs if our affections be cold in turning vnto him And therefore we had need to arise make toward him Men pride themselues in a few remorsfull thoughts break the back of Gods mercie with wilful wickednes they offer sacrifice to their own hypocrisie think highly of themselues for a thing of nothing Wee had more neede to diuide our prayers and one while to supplicate seriously vnto him for stronger affections and another while to desire him to blesse those affections which hee hath