Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	contrary_a	course_n	great_a	47	3	2.0780	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A68733	A fountain sealed: or, The duty of the sealed to the Spirit, and the worke of the Spirit in sealing Wherein many things are handled about the Holy Spirit, and grieving of it: as also of assurance and sealing what it is, the priviledges and degrees of it, with the signes to discerne, and meanes to preserve it. Being the substance of divers sermons preached at Grayes Inne. By that reverend divine, Richard Sibbes, D.D. and sometimes preacher to that honourable society.	Sibbes, Richard, 1577-1635.; Goodwin, Thomas, 1600-1680.; Nye, Philip, 1596?-1672.; Marshall, William, fl. 1617-1650, engraver.	1637 (1637)	STC 22495; ESTC S117375	62,609	291

griefe to open shame then God opens Conscience to tell them not onely that they are too blame for their grosse sinnes but for the root of them Atheisme prophanenesse loosenesse which are sinnes against the first Table This is an aggravation of sinnes against knowledge when our knowledge hath beene holpen and strengthened by education by example of others running into our eyes which is a more familiar ●eaching than that of Rule ●nd strengthened also by observation and experience ●f our selves and the for●er strength we have had ● against the sinne we now commit and sweetnesse we have found in the resisting of it None are worse than ●hose that have been good and are naught and might be good and will be naught When there is more deliberation and fore-knowledge of the dangerous issue and this also joyned with the warning of others As Reuben said unto the rest of his brethren Spake I not vnto you c So may Gods Spirit and conscience say to men Did not I acquaint you with the danger of sin You are now in misery and terrours of conscience but did you not sleight former admonitions and helps and meanes Conscience is an inferior light of the Spirit to do things against conscience is to do them against the Spirit God spake to me and I heeded him not how doth God speake When conscience speakes and saith this is good this is bad then God speakes conscience hath somewhat divine in it it is a petty god it speakes from God especially when the Spirit joynes with conscience then God speakes indeed then there is light upon light Vpon divers respects some sin may grieve more or lesse than another As the ●oly Ghost is a Spirit so ●pirituall sinnes grieve most ●s pride envy imprinting ●pon the soule as it were a ●haracter of the contrary ill ●●irit Carnell sinnes whereby the soule is drowned in ●elight of the body may ●●ore grieve the spirit in a●other respect as defiling ●●is Temple and as taking away so much of the soule ●ove and delight carry the soule with them and the more deeply such sinnes enter into the creature besides the defilement the lesse strength it hath to spirituall duties grace is sca●ed in the powers of nature now carnall sinnes disable nature● and so sets us in a greate● distance from grace as taking away the heart Hos 4. Hereupon the Apostle sets being filled with wine contrary to being filled with the Spirit And hence it is the Apostle forbids in the former words uncleane communication the holy Spirit is a Spirit of truth hates hypocrites being painted sepulchers but as a spirit● of purity hates foule ●ivers and foule-mouth'd speakers as open sepulchers They cannot therefore but much grieve the spirit that feed corrupt lusts and studie to give contentment and pay tribute to the flesh to which they owe no ●ervice and are no debters ●nd by sowing to the flesh from which we can reape nothing but corruption When our thoughts are exercised to content the out●ard man to contrive for ●●e things of the world one●● this is to pay tribute of ●●e strength and vigor of our affections to the utter enemy of Gods Spirit and our owne soules when our thoughts runne deeply into ●arthly things we become ●ne with them Who will thinke himselfe well entertained into an house when there shall be entertainement given to his greatest enemy with him ●nd shall see more regard had and better countenance shewed to his enemy than to him when the motions of corrupt nature are mor● regarded then the motions of the Spirit The wisedome of the Spirit which is from above is first pure and maketh us so and rayseth the soule upward to things above Christians indeed have their failings but if a true Christian examine himselfe his heart will say that every day he intends the glory of God and the good of the state he lives in he hath a larger heart than a base worldling that keeps within the sphere of himselfe spending all his thoughts there and consults onely with flesh and bloud with profit and pleasure to heare what they say Such basenesse cannot but grieve the Spirit as cōtrary to our hopes and heavenly calling which are glorious It is a dangerous grieving of the Spirit when instead of drawing our selves to the spirit we will labour to ●raw the spirit to us and ●●udy the Scriptures to countenance us in some corrupt course and labour to make God of our mind that wee may go on with the greater libertie When men get to themselves teachers after their owne lusts as many do especially if they be in place Ahab shall not want his 400 false Prophets When men cut the rule and standard to fit themselves and not fit themselves to it You have some that are resolved what to do and yet will bee asking counsell and if they have an answer to their minds then they rest if not then their answer is This is your judgment but others are of a contrary opinion and thus they labour to make the Spirit of God in his Ministers to serve their turne so did the Iewes in Ieremies time Some will father those sinfull affections that arise from the flesh and are strengthened by Sathan upon the holy Spirit counting wrath that is kindled from hell to be fire of holy zeale comming from heaven Thus the enemies of Religion thinke they doe God service in their massacres such are those that wickedly oppose the wayes of God and yet are ready to say Glory be to the Lord such men study holinesse in the shew that they may overthrow it in the power and will countenance an ill course by Religion Such also are faulty who lay the blame of an uncomfortable life upon Religion when men are therefore uncomfortable because they are not religious enough The wayes of wisedome are the wayes of pleasure In these times being the second spring of the Gospell we must take heed of sinnes against the Gospell Benefits the greater they are being neglected or abused bring the greater judgement The office of the holy Spirit is by the Ministery to lay open the riches of Christ and the glory of Gods grace in him by neglecting so great salvation and by thinking this favour of God to be a common favour we sinne against both Father Sonne and holy Ghost and in that they desire most to be glorified Such therefore as say to the clouds Drop not and to the winds blow not and to the Prophets prophesie not that study to keepe out the light and sin against it as discovering them and awakening them and hindering them from taking that solace in carnall courses of the world as pe●ing the eyes of others to know them further than they would be known and so to lose that respect they would have in the hearts of men This cannot but grieve ●he Spirit of God and move ●im to take away that truth ●hat we are so far from ●hinking a

another the noise is such as takes away all entercourse It diminisheth of our respect to the holy Spirit when wee give way to a multitude of businesse for multitude of businesse begets multitudes of pasfions and distractions that when Gods Spirit dictates the best things that tend to our comfort and peace we have no time to heed what the Spirit adviseth Therefore we should so moderate our occasions and affaires that we may be alwaies ready for good suggestions If a man will be lost let him lose himselfe in Christ and in the things of heaven for if we be drowned in the world it will breed discomfort Lastly omission or slight performance of duties grieve the Spirit the Spirit as he comes from the Father and the Sonne from God so he is great in himselfe being God Offer this to thy King saith Malachy when hee saw them come negligently and carelesly to the worship of God when people heare drowsily and receive the Sacrament unpreparedly this grieves the Spirit because it comes from irreverence and disrespect And the reason why so many are dead hearted is because they make no conscience of omissions of drowsinesse of negligent cold performances Such Christians what doe they differ from carnall men in duties for they will heare pray receive Sacraments He is the best Christian that is the most reverend Christian the most carefull Christian most jealous over his owne heart Vsually those are the richest in grace Even amongst good men those that are most carefull and watchfull over themselves they goe away inriched with the greatest blessing Therefore let us heare and so heare let us receive and receive Thus So let us eate of this bread c. The Scripture fixeth a reverend respect before duty sutable to the Majestie of the great God whose businesse we are about Besides grieving Gods Spirit in our selves there is an heavy guilt lyes upon us for grieving the Spirit in others which is done many wayes First by neglecting the grace of God in them or despising them for some infirmities which love should cover Contempt is a thing which the nature of man is more impatient of then of any injury those that are given this way to wrong others are punished with the common hatred of all We likewise grieve the spirit of others by sharpe censures and the greater our authority is the deeper is the griefe a censure inflicteth many weake spirits cannot enjoy quiet while they are exercised with such sharpenesse They thinke themselves excommunicated out of the hearts of those in whose good liking they desire to dwell Againe those that are above others grieve the spirits of those under them by unjust commands as when Masters presse their Servants to that which their conscience cannot digest and so make them sinne and offer violence to that tender part Againe we grieve the Spirit of others when those that are inferiour shew themselves untractable to those above them in magistracie or ministerie When they make them spend their strength in vaine thus the Spirit of God in Noah strove with the old world our duty is therefore to walke wisely in regard of others and if it bee a dutie to please men in all things lawfull in the way of humanity much more ought we to please Christians in those things wherein wee doe not displease God as being joyned in communion with them in the same spirit Yet here we must remember that it is one thing to crosse the humour and offend the pride of another and another to grieve the Spirit in him no cures can bee wrought without griefe in that kinde and if we grieve not their spirits when such humours prevaile in them we shall grieve our owne for neglect of duty And in the last place this causeth another griefe when those that are good watch not over their waies the Spirit is grieved for the reproches of religion that come from the wicked for what say they doth religion and the Spirit teach you this thus Christians make the name of God to be ill spoken of and this grieves the Spirit and will grieve them if they belong to God Oh wretch that I am that I should open the mouthes of others and grieve the spirit of God not only in my selfe but in others because he is grieved by mee Scandalous courses either by unreasonable use of our liberty without respect to the weakenesse of others or by actions that are in themselves evill or of ill report by such actions wee grieve the spirits of others An ill example alwaies either grieveth or infecteth The spirit of Lot was grieved for the uncleane conversation of the Sodomites which no question hastened their ruine How shall we know when we grieve the Spirit wee may know that by the sins before mentioned as the cause of griefe Againe the Spirit will bring report of its owne griefe wee may know we have offended a friend when he leaves our company so we may know we have discontented the Spirit by spirituall desertions both in respect of assistance in the performance of duties resisting temptations and bearing afflictions as also in respect of comfort as when we finde a strangenesse and dulnesse of disposition unlesse it be from some naturall distemper of body we may feare all is not well When we finde a pronenesse to divert to other comforts and to hold correspondency with carnall persons and delight not as formerly in the communion of Saints but finde an indifferency for any acquaintance When we drive hardly and our wheeles fall off when conscience will not let us omit good duties and yet we want the oyle of the Spirit to make us strong and nimble in the performance of them whereupon they come not off with that acceptance to God or our owne spirits These indispositions shew we have not used the Spirit well whom otherwise we should finde a Spirit of strength a Spirit of comfort a quickening Spirit The issues of grieving the Spirit will prove very dangerous for the Spirit may justly leave us to our owne spirits and deceitfull hearts which as they are arch-Flatterers so will prove arch-Traitors to us and so let in a worse guest into our soules The ill Spirit is alwayes ready presently to take possession who by joyning with the streame of our corruptions may please us for a time but will destroy us for ever When we grieve the good Spirit of God and cause him to leave us our soule is left as a hell for what is hell but the absence of God in his favour and mercy Againe we cannot grieve the Spirit of God in doing any thing against it but it will grieve vs againe and being a spirit may sill our spirits with that griefe that may make our conditions a kinde of hell upon earth Few reprobates feele those terrours here that the godly oft doe by their bold adventures for besides the terrours of the naturall

no vertue in them neither is it intended they being only put on to serve a turne Two men may doe the same things and yet there bee a grand difference the one doing them from the seale of the Spirit from a deeper dye and stamp of the Spirit the other if from the Spirit yet it is but from a common work at the best Some dyes cannot beare the weather but alter colour presently but there are others that having something that give a deeper tincture will hold The graces of a true Christian hold out in all kinde of weathers in winter and summer prosperity and adversity when superficiall counterfeit holinesse will give out thus we see the seale of the Spirit serves for distinction The use of a seale is likewise for appropriation Merchants use to seale their wares they would not have others have any right unto A Christian is Gods in a more peculiar manner than others there is not onely a witnesse of the Spirit that God is his but the Spirit workes in him an assent to take God againe there is a mutuall appropriation I am my beloveds and my beloved is mine when the soule can say thou art my God it is not frustrate because God saith before I am thy salvation where the Spirit seales God appropriates GOD chooseth the righteous man to himselfe And wee may know this appropriation by appropriating God againe Whom have I in heaven but thee and what have I in earth in comparison of thee There is no action that God works upon the soule but there is a reflect action by the Spirit to God againe If God chuse and love us we chuse and love him againe God appropriates us first we are his and wee are Christs we are Gods because hee hath given Christ for us we are Christs because hee hath given himselfe for us we are as the Apostle saith a people of acquisition A people purchased purchased at a deare rate by the bloud of CHRIST those that are Christs the Spirit appropriates them this appropriation is by sealing Againe we use to set our seale onely upon that wee have some estimation of set mee as a seale saith the Church in the Canticles upon thy right hand have mee in thy eye and minde as a speciall thing thou valuest The witnesse and worke of the Spirit shews Gods estimation of us the Scripture is abundant in setting forth the great price that God sets on his children they are his Children his Spouse his Friends his Portion his Treasure his Coyne he sets his marke his likenesse on them they are things hallowed and consecrated they are first-fruits Israel is a holy thing their titles shew the esteeme that God hath of them he values them more than all the world besides which are as chaffe and drosse The righteous man is more excellent than his neighbour As there is a difference of excellency betweene pretious stones and other common stores betweene fruitfull and barren trees so there is amongst men and in this regard God sets a high●● esteeme upon some and thence it is that they have those honourable and glorious titles in Scripture of Sonnes Heires Kings and co-heyres with Christ when others are termed drosse and dung and thornes and have all the base termes that may be Now this estimation by sealing is knowne to us by the grace God workes in us common gifts and priviledges and favours of the world are no seale of Gods estimation If God should give a man kingdomes and great Monarchies it seales not Gods love to him at all but when God makes a man a spirituall King to rule over his base lusts this is a seal● of Gods valuing him above other men Therefore we should learne how to value others and our selves not by common things that cast-awayes may have but by the stampe of God set on us by the Spirit which is an argument that God intends to lay us up as coyne for another treasury for heaven It is the common grand errour of the times to be led with false evidences Many thinke God loves them because hee spares them and followes them with long patience and makes them thrive in the world Alas are these fruits of Gods speciall love What grace hath hee wrought in thy heart by his Spirit he gives his Spirit to them that pray insinuating that next the gift of his Sonne the greatest gift is the Spirit to fashion and fit us to bee members of his Sonne this is an argument of Gods love and esteeme Seales likewise are used for secresie as in Letters c. so this seale of the Spirit is a secret worke GOD knoweth who are his they are onely knowne to him and to their owne hearts The white stone is onely known to him that hath it and the hidden Mannah none so infallibly can know the state in grace as those that have the gracious worke themselves Holy men in some degree are knowne one to another to make the communion of Saints the sweeter there is a great deale of spirituall likenesse in Christians face answereth to face that one hath strong confidence of the salvation of another but the undoubted certainty of a mans estate is knowne onely to God and his owne soule nay sometimes it is hidden from a mans selfe there are so many infirmities and abasements and troubles in the world that this life is called a hidden life in Scripture our life is hidde with Christ in God it is unknowne to the Saints themselves sometimes and the world alway they neither know him that begets nor them that are begotten Hence likewise the use of a seale is to shew that things should be kept inviolable hereupon the Church is as a sealed fountain sealing shewes a care of preservation from common annoyance hereupon likewise it is that sealing is the securing of persons or things sealed from hurt No man will violate a Letter because it is sealed the Tombe where Christ was buried was sealed and the Prison doores upon Daniel that none might meddle with them so the Spirit of God by this worke of sealing secures Gods children as the bloud sprinckled upon the posts of the doores of the Israelites secured them from the destroying Angell In Ezek. 9. there was a marke set upon those that were to be preserved that secured them and in Revel 7. the sealed ones must not be hurt So where this seale of the Spirit is it is an argument that God meanes to preserve such a one from eternall destruction and from prevailing dangers in this world They are Gods sealed ones no man can hurt them without wrong to God himselfe Touch not mine anointed and doe my Prophets no harme And likewise from devouring sinnes and dangerous apostasie a man that is truely sealed by the Spirit of GOD hee never becomes a member of Antichrist a stigmatized Papist for Antichrist hath his seale too hee is kept from soule-murthering errors he hath this