Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	holy_a	person_n	trinity_n	2,662	5	9.6888	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A14157	A fruitfull sermon preached in Christs-Church the 13. of Iulie. Anno 1589. By Anthony Tyrell sometime a seminarie priest. But by the great mercie of God made a true professor of the Gospel, and preacher of his holy word: conteining an admonition vnto vertue, and a dehortation from vice. Taken by characterye	Tyrrell, Anthony, 1552-1610?	1589 (1589)	STC 24474; ESTC S118810	26,816	78

oportunitie and aduantage returneth backe vnto them againe repossesseth them taking seauen spirites with him worse then himselfe in so much as the end is become much worse thē the beginning they being now in farder bondage and captiuitie then euer they were vnder Pharao hauing no proper countrie or place to remaine or abide in but are made vagabonds throughout the world as it appeareth plainlie of them at this day and well may it be said that their end is worse then their beginning for better it had bin that Christ had neuer bin incarnat then being incarnat they wil not now receiue him Other some applye these our Sauiour his wordes as spoken of heretikes who being of Infidels and Pagans by the mercie of Christ made Christians and the Deuil expelled from them by faith in Iesus Christ and falling againe by Apostacie into heresie or infidelitie the Deuill returneth to make his reentrie again bringing with him seauen worse then himselfe and repossesseth them then it commeth to passe that their ende is worse then the beginning for of an infidell there remaineth some hope that he may be conuerted and beleeue but of an apostate or an obstinate heretike there is scarse anie hope at all Although this application be not amisse yet here it agreeth not with the litterall sence Other some therfore and they in my iudgement come neerer to the letter thinke that these wordes of our Sauiour wer directly spokē vnto the Scribes and Pharises who seeing beholding the wonderfull miracles that our Lord and Sauiour had wrought and namely that notable miracle the is mentioned in this present Chapiter Math. ●● 22. of the man that was both blind and dumb out of whom our Sauiour did cast out a Deuill and by the power of his Godhead made him both to see and to speake whereupon the common multitude seeing beholding it forthwith glorified and magnified God but the Scribes and Pharises who ought to haue had more knowledge and vnderstanding became thereby more malitious and obstinate and these miracles that could not come but by the power of the Deuinitie most blasphemously they did attribute them to proceede from the power of Sathan saying that through the power of Beelzebub the prince of deuils he did cast out other deuils Math. 1.24 Whereuppon after Christ had defended him selfe and proued inuincibly the power of his Godhead by an argument of of a kingdome deuided against it selfe that it cannot long stand Math. 12.5 therof concluding that if Sathan were deuided against Sathan then his kingdome could not stād but should in short time be consumed and ouer throwen In the ende he addeth these wordes that I haue recited for my text whereby hee proueth that those miracles that he had wrought amongst them should serue for their farder condemnation and proueth by that example of an vncleane spirite going forth how he returneth with more strength backe againe and repossessing them from whom bee departed maketh their ende to be worse then the beginning and therefore the conclusion was that the state of those Scribes Pharises was now much worse than if no miracles had bin wrought amongst them or grace offered vnto them Finally it is thought not vnprobable that these our Sauioure his wordes were particularlye directed vnto that man Mat. 12. v. 22. out of whom he had cast the deuil and to whom hee had restored both his speech and his sight that hauing receiued these benefites and graces at the Lords handes he should not become either vngratefull or vnthankefull or by thinking himselfe secure liue any thing the more loosely but to walk before the Lord with al humilitie feare and circumspection least by ouermuch negligence or misdemeanour the deuil should returne backe againe and so alleaging that exāple should shew that if it chaunced so to fall out his end would become much worse then his beginning The like caueat or warning our Sauiour gaue vnto the diseased man whom hee cured at the poole of Betheisda Io. 5. v. 2. whom hee finding in the temple said vnto him verse 14 behold thou art made whole sinne no more least a worse thing come vnto thee This caueat might also serue for the standers by and may serue also for vs at this time and make vs so much the more happie if by other mens harms we can learne to beware Hauing as I think said so much as may be for the vnderstanding of the meaning of the letter and of the end and scope whereunto our Sauiour vttered the forementioned wordes It resteth now that for our particular vtilitie and profite that shall either heare or reade them wee may vnderstand what benefite we are to take by them and the benefite will be this if we make it an example vnto our selues for that it may serue verie wel for so much as there is none of vs all but haue receiued innumerable benefites and graces at the Lordes hands more then mind can cōceaue or tongue can vtter for all which if we should shew our selues vngrateful as that man did the Deuil hauing bin once alreadie by Gods grace cast out of vs might returne againe and returning againe bring other seauē worse then himselfe and then woe vnto each of vs for our end should be much worse then our beginning Wherefore for memorie and methods sake I shal deuide the whole matter into 4. partes In the first I wil shew how Sathan departeth from the soule of man or woman and how hee demeaneth himselfe when he is departed In the second I will shew the presumption of Sathan in returning againe to see if he can make any reentrance into that man or womā from whom he went out of and therewithal I shal shew the causes that moue the Deuil to make re-entrance In the third I will shew how strongly he reentreth and maketh the place whereinto he is so entered his habitation or dwelling place Fourthly and lastlie I will shew how the ende of that man so repossed is worse thē the beginning with the reasons and causes As touching the first which is the deuils departure and his demeanour after he is departed Part 1 it is conteined in these wordes When an vnclean spirite is gon out of a man he walketh drie desert places seeking rest and findeth none In these wordes is conteined both his departure demeanour Now to come vnto euerie thing in order you must first consider what is ment by an vncleane spirite This word spirite is in holy Scripture indifferently taken sometime it signifieth the holie spirite which is the third person in Trinitie sometime it signifieth the soule of man sometime the aire or the life of any creature When so euer you shall reade or finde in holie scripture this word spirit set downe simplie without any other word to expresse the meaning therof it is commonly taken in the better part as when S. Paul in the 5. to the Gal. reckoneth vp the fruites of

the spirite naming them Gal. 5.22 Charitie Ioy Peace and the like it is ment there of the holie spirit Rom. 8.26 And in the 8. to the Rom. where he saith the spirite helpeth our infirmitie and the like he meaneth also of the holy spirit But being set down with his adiectiue the nature qualitie of the adiectiue wil shew what thing the substātiue is as when it is said holie spirit good spirit or the like Likewise the Deuil who is the wicked spirite is alwayes certainly set down by his adiectiue as in the first of Sam. the 15. chap. it is said that euil spirit vexed or tormented Saul 1 Sam. 15. v. 15. ●●t 12. wherby is ment the Deuil And likewise here in this place our Sauiour naming an vncleane spirit he meaneth the deuill Now that wee vnderstand what spirit is spoken of or ment in this place it followeth that we vnderstand why hee is called vncleane The Deuill being a spirit as he is the creature of God hee was created in great excellencie for there was nothing that the Lord had made which he approued not to be verie good as may appeare in the first of Genesis Gen. 1. v. 31. And especiallie the Angels who were of all other creatures the most noble But Lucifer the chiefe of the Angels not being content with those excellent giftes of nature which the Lord had bestowed on him but aspiring vnto the maiestye of God vsurping as it were the glorie of his deuinitie was therfore worthilie deiected and so manie as consented vnto him became of all creatures the most vile and abominable not vile in nature but in condition and qualitie for being cast downe into eternal miserie himself irreparable without all redemption he endeuoureth all that hee may to make man in as bad estate as him selfe and that he can not do but in tempting him to sinne the which being a vile and an abhominable thing in the sight of the Lord and a thing most impure and vnclean vnbeseeming the nature and condition of Angell or man and for that he laboureth continually tempting vs to bring vs into this impurity the deuil is said to be an vnclean spirite vnclean I say by operation not by creation This vnclean spirite being departed from a man It followeth to know how and in what maner he departeth Sure and certaine it is that the vncleane spirit Sathan neuer departeth from man or woman by his good will for such is the enuie and malice that hee beareth vnto man that he neuer ceaseth labouring to bring him vnto eternall destructiō as witnesseth S. Pet. in his first epist 5. Chap. verse 8. saying 1 Fet. 5.8 Be yee sober vigilant for your aduer sarie the Deuil goeth about like a roaring Lion seeking whom he may deuour whom you must resist being strong in faith surely he goeth about continuallie watching prying where hee may get a pray and such is the malice and hatred that hee beareth towards man First in respect that he is created vnto the image and similitude of God to possesse that place from whence hee is deiected and in respect of the curse that was giuen him in Paradise Gen. 3. and that it was told him that the seede of the woman should bruse his hed that he prosecuteth mankind with an implacable hatred and seeketh to destroy vs all that he can By his good will therefore he neuer departeth from vs and hee tarieth or abideth with no man for any goodnes but to bring him to mischiefe or destruction Euerie man therefore that is in sin he is accompted to possesse for so manie as are wilfull obstinate sinners they are vnder the deuils subiection If any man be called from his sinne by the grace and mercy of God and true repentance then the deuil is said to depart which departure as I said it is not of the deuils accord but by the force of Gods Spirite that expelleth him by true repentance out of a sinners hart for other wise he would neuer depart And therefore Sathan of our Lord and Sauiour in holy scripture is called Inimicus homo that is Mat. 13. v. 28 the enemie by a kinde of singularitie for that there is no enemie comparable vnto him in hatred that seeketh the destruction and losse of our bodie and soule for euermore Yet as enuious as he is and as malitious he dwelleth no longer or abideth in vs more then wee remaine in sin so soone as it pleaseth the Lord to cal vs by his grace vnto repentāce wil he nil he he must depart away from vs for sure and certaine it is according to the rules in Logick two contraries can not agree at one time together in one subiect but as vertue commeth in vice must goe out and as grace appeareth sin fleeth and where the holy spirite taketh possession the vncleane spirite must packe out I followeth When an vnclean spirite is gon out of a man he walketh c. Hetherto hath bin discussed so much as I thought necessarie for the time place what the vncleane spirite is how he departeth from a man it commeth now in order to shew his demeanour is to walke throughout drie places The walking of Sathan through drie places is but a metaphor taken from a drye ground wherein is no moisture of water whereby it can yeeld or bring forth any fruite for as almightie God hath his orchard and vineyard that bringeth foorth good fruit so the deuil hath his orchard and vineyard to bring forth fruite agreeable vnto his appetite The fruite that the deuil gapeth after is noother but the spoile and destruction of man which he proueth by his temptations and the corruptions of our flesh first hee seeketh to destroy the soule of man being sure that if once he can come to the possession of the soule that the bodie wil come after if by Gods mercie he be prohibited that he can not hurt vs in souls then he laboureth all that he can to plague and aflict vs in bodie If he can not in bodie then in our temporall goods if not in our goods then in any thing that belongeth to the helth comfort of man as birdes of the ayre fyshes in the sea plantes hearbes and trees beasts or any other cattel And if by the permission of God he be not suffered to hurt vs in any of these thē he is sayd to to walke drie and desert places then is in places where he can make no fruite for all those labours of his hée acounteth fruitles wherin he may do no maner of mischiefe either to man him selfe or to the thinges that belong to man And thus you know now what it is to walk in drie and desert places It followeth Seeking rest and findeth none What rest thinke you is that that the Deuill seeketh Is it possible that Sathan the enemy of God and mortal enemy of man should haue any rest doth he