Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	aaron_n	head_n	skirt_n	260	3	12.1871	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A60194	A learned commentary or exposition: upon the first chapter of the second Epistle of S. Paul to the Corinthians Being the substance of many sermons formerly preached at Grayes-Inne, London, by that reverend and judicious divine, Richard Sibbs, D.D. Sometimes Master of Catherine-Hall in Cambridge, and preacher to that honourable society. Published for the publick good and benefit of the Church of Christ. By Tho. Manton, B.D. and preacher of the Gospel at Stoake-Newington, near London.	Sibbes, Richard, 1577-1635.; Ashe, Simeon, d. 1662.; Manton, Thomas, 1620-1677.	1655 (1655)	Wing S3738; ESTC R215702	745,441	567

for are you members of the Church or no yes will every one say will you make me an Infidel will you make me a Pagan Well take your own word then what is it to be a member of the Church but to be a Saint Must thou be a Saint doth not thy profession as thou art a member bind thee to be a Saint In Baptisme was not thy promise to renounce the Divel the World the flesh In renewing thy covenant in the Communion dost not thou purpose to cleave to God in all things Thou that takest liberty therefore in the Church of God under the profession of Religion to live as a libertine thou art a grosse Hypocrite and this aggravates thy sin and makes it worse then a Pagans Thou which art in the bosome of the Church in the Kingdom of Saints as it is in Dan. 7. the people of the Saints of the most high the people of God in the Church wherein thou art a professed member and yet doest thou take liberty grosly to offend God What doth make a Saint In a word to the constitution of a true Saint there is A Separation Dedication Qualification Conversation There is a separation presently when a man is a Saint he is separate from the confused company of the world from the Kingdom of Satan Therefore those that have all companies alike that carry themselves indifferently in all companies as men that professe a kind of Civility that are taken up with the complement of the times men that learn the language of the times that are for all sorts they know not what belongs to the high profession of Christianity There is a due to all I confesse there is a benevolence and a beneficence to all but there is a kind of complacencie a sweet familiarity and amity which should be reserved to a few onely to those in whom we see the evidences and signs of Grace If there be not a separation in respect of Grace there is no holinesse at all a Saint must be separated Not locally but in regard of amitie in regard of intimate friendship As we see it is in outward things in some of our houses there is a Court where all come poor and rich and there is the house where those of nearer acquaintance come and then there is the innermost Roome the Closet where onely our selves and those which are nearest to us come So it is in the passages of the soul there are some remote courtesies that come from us as men to all be they what they will there are other respects to others that are nearer that we admit nearer that are of better quality and there are other that are nearest of all that we admit even into the closet of our hearts and those are they with whom we hope to have communion for ever in heaven the blessed people of God termed here Saints It is an evidence of our translation from a cursed estate to a better when we love such hereby we know saith St. John that we are translated from death to life because we love the bretheren There must be a separation And withal there must be a dedication of our selves to the service of God A Christian when he knowes himself by the word of truth and by the work of the Spirit to be Gods Child he dedicates himself to better services then before he thinks himself too good he thinks too highly of himself to be a base blasphemer or swearer to be a filthy Person he considers himself as the Temple of the Holy Ghost and he useth himself to better purposes to better studies to do good And then with Dedication there is an inward Qualification to inable him with light never to forget the Image of God Herein this Saint-ship stands especially in this inward Qualification whereby we resemble Christ the King of Saints All our sanctification comes from him as Aarons oyntment went down from his head to his beard and so to his skirts so all our sanctification is from Christ. Every Saint is qualified from the Spirit of Christ of his fulnesse we receive this inward qualification that we have another judgment of things then this world hath what is good and what is bad what is true and what is false what is comfortable and what tends to discomfort He hath another conceit of things he hath another light then he had before and then other carnal men have he hath a heavenly light He hath another Language he gives himself to prayer and to thanksgiving he is given to savoury discourse He hath other courses in his particular calling and in his general calling then other refuse company have or then himself had before his calling this is from his qualification And this Qualification and Conversation go together he hath a new conversation he carries himself even like to him that hath called him out of darknesse into marvellous light So a true Saint as every professor of Religion ought to be he is dedicate to God and he is qualified in some degree as Christ was by his holy Spirit he is a new creature he that is in Christ is a new creature and he shewes this by his conversation or else he is no Saint How shall we know a Saint from a meer civil man as there be many that live and d ie in that estate which is to be pittied and one main end of our calling is not only to reduce prophane men to a better fashion of life but to shew civil men their danger A meer civil man lookes to the second table he is smooth in his carriage and conversation with men but negligent in his service to God A civil man he lookes to his outward carriage but he makes no conscience of secret sins he is not holy in all manner of conversation as St. Peter saith 1. Pet. 1. Be ye holy in all manner of conversation In private in publick in your retired carriage he makes no conscience of his thoughts of his speeches of all You may know an hypocrite so that carries himself smoothly and acceptably in the eye of the World but he makes no conscience of his thoughts he makes no conscience of his affections of his desires of his lusts and such things He makes no conscience of lesser oathes nor perhaps of rotten discourses No they are all for this that they may passe in the World that they may carry themselves with acceptance as for what belongs to the New Creature to Saints they care not for they have vain conceits of these and judge them as hypocrites because such a one knowes himself should be an hypocrite if he should do otherwise then he doth therefore he thinks that others that are above his pitch are hypocrites and and they make a shew of that that is not in them because if he should make shew of that his heart would tell him that he were an hypocrite A true Saint differs from an

a Christian to be cowardly because he hath death and hell conquered and every thing is made serviceable to help him to heaven But for another man to set light by these things it is more madnesse No man but a Christian can be stout and couragious except it be from a false spirit especially in things that are above mans natural power as death it is eternal and what man can stand out against the eternal wrath of God And therefore those that put on a Roman stoutnesse and courage though they seem to have strong spirits it is but false either they are besotted with sensuality or else with a spirit of pride When they look before them and see eternity and see their sins and that they must all appear at the day of Judgment they cannot be strong Let us labour therefore to have our hearts stablished by the Spirit of God and try our selves often by propounding Queries how we do things with what minds and upon what grounds Again another Evidence whereby we may know that we have spiritual strength and stability in Christ wrought in us by the Spirit of God is this when it makes us desire the coming of Christ when it makes us think of death and of the time to come with joy and comfort and that for the present it gives us boldnesse to the Throne of Grace in extremities He that in extremity can go to God in Christ it is a sign his heart is established Hypocrites in extremity flye to desperate courses as Saul and Achitophel did but in extremity the soul that is stablished goes to God My God my God saith Christ so Job Though he kill me yet will I trust in him I say it is an evidence of a soul stablished upon Christ by the Spirit of God to have boldnesse to the Throne of Grace in extremity nay when God seems to hide himself which is the principal extremity of all as in Divine temptations when God seems to be an enemy then for a man to fight and wrastle with God and tug with the temptation and not to let God go though he kill him this is a true Israel a conquerour of God this is a heart fortified by the Spirit It is an argument of a heart established when besides for the present for the time to come he can chearfully and boldly think how it will be with him when death shall come that he shall go to Christ that the Match shall be fully made up that is begun by God between Christ and him for the contract is in this world but the nuptials are celebrated in heaven and in confidence hereof can say Come Lord Jesus come quickly A heart that is not stablished saith Oh come not Wherefore art thou come to torment us before our time say the Devils to Christ so an unstablished heart at the hour of death is afraid it shall be tormented before the time and therefore come not come not saith such a soul. But the soul that is stablished upon Christ and upon the promises in Christ of forgivenesse of sins and life everlasting by the Spirit of Christ that saith Come Lord Jesus come quickly I have been larger upon this Point then I intended these unsettled times moved me to speak a little more then ordinary that we might labour to have our hearts stablished that whatsoever comes we may have somewhat that is certain to stick to that our estate in Christ may be sure whatsoever becomes of our state in the world otherwise VERSE XXII Who hath anointed us and also sealed us and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts THe Apostle having formerly laid open the riches of a Christian In this Verse he cometh to shew his strength His riches consisteth in the promises of God in Christ His strength in being stablished upon those promises Now that which he had spoken of more generally in the word stablishing he unfolds in three borrowed Terms Anointing Sealing Earnest Implying therein the manner of the Spirits establishing a Christian. He who stablisheth us how is that wrought By the Spirit anointing by the Spirit sealing and by the earnest of the Spirit which three terms do all argue assurance For you know that in the old Law Kings Priests and Prophets were anointed that is they were authorized and confirmed in their places And for sealing Writings among our selves are sealed for security And an Earnest secures Contracts and Bargains So that whatsoever may serve to strengthen a Christians faith and assurance is here laid down God to help our soules by our senses fetcheth it from humane affaires applying words borrowed from earthly commerce by a heavenly anagogical sense to spiritual things First the sure estate of a Christian is set down in the general by stablishing and then in particular we are anointed and sealed and have the Earnest of the Spirit God in the Covenant of grace doth our part and his own too he gives faith and strengthens faith and seales us he gives us promises he doth stablish us upon those promises and works our hearts to an embracing of them he anoints us and seales us and gives us the Earnest of the Spirit All in the Covenant of Grace depends upon the faithfulnesse of God and not upon ours but upon ours dependantly as he is faithful in stablishing us Now because the holy Apostle would have us settled in the excellency of the state of a Christian in the Covenant of grace you see how large-hearted he is he useth four words implying one and the same thing Stablishing Anointing Sealing and giving Earnest all of them words used in ratification amongst men God is pleased to stoop to speak to us in our own language to speak of heavenly things after an earthly manner and therefore he sets down the certain estate of a Christian by borrowed speeches This is a gracious condescending of God stooping as it were lower then himself and indeed so he alwayes abaseth himself when he deales with man coming down far below himself To come to the words in particular And hath anointed us This word hath a double reference The holy Ghost carries our minds first to the relation and proportion that is between the graces of the Spirit of God and the oyntment with which in former times they were anointed in the Jewish Politie And it hath reference likewise and relation to the persons that were anointed The persons were Kings Priests and Prophets Now God hath anointed us in Christ. The order is this First Christ himself as Mediatour is anointed with the oyl of gladnesse above his fellowes but for his fellowes The oyntment is first poured on the head of spiritual Aaron and then it runs down to all the skirts of his garment that is to the meanest Christian. Even as the least finger and toe is actuated and enlivened and moved by the soul and spirits that the head and the chief vital parts are so every Christian though he be but as the toe or

the foot yet all have communicated by the Spirit from Christ the head So that the third person the Holy Ghost that sanctified the humane nature of Christ that filled and enriched it with all grace and anointed Christ the same Spirit enricheth all his mystical members As there is one Spirit in Christ and that sacred body he took on him so there is in the mysticall body but one Spirit quickening and enlivening and moving the head and the members He is a head of influence as well as a head of eminence Of his fulnesse we have all grace for grace He is first anointed and then we are anointed in him We will first speak of it as it hath reference to an oyntment and then as it hath reference to the persons anointed In the first place then why are graces here called anointing I answer they are called anointing from reference to that composed oyntment in Exod. 30. where you have the composition of the holy oyl laid down But in particular you may observe these five particulars in which the relation standeth First Oyntment is a liquor supereminent it will have the highest place it will have the eminency and be above all other liquors and in that respect it is a royal liquor so the graces of Gods Spirit they are of an eminent nature Spiritual gifts are above the gifts of nature and spiritual blessings are above earthly things the grace of God is a supereminent a royall thing it will be above all even above our parts of nature if a man have by nature a strong wit grace will subdue his wit so that he shall be onely witty to salvation he shall be onely strong to defend the truth and to do nothing against it he will subjugate and subordinate his parts and whatsoever excellency he hath by nature to grace cast all at Christs feet count all as dung in comparison of the excellent knowledge of Christ. And so again grace is above corrupt nature above all our corruptions it will bring them under it will subdue corruptions temptations afflictions any thing what you will that is either natural or diabolical for grace is spiritual and that which is spiritual is above all that is below Grace is of an invincible nature it will bear sway by little and little it is little in quantity but it is mighty in operation And it is above any outward excellency whatsoever if a man be a King if he have this anointing it makes him better then himself he is better in that he is a Christian that he hath this sacred anointing then for any other created excellency under heaven whatsoever yea though he were an Angel Grace hath its derivance and influence from Christ who is higher then all and will be above all and so will grace That is the first Other liquors the best of them will be beneath but oyl it will be above all It is compared to oyntment in the second place because that oyntment is sweet and delightful so was the oyntment that was poured upon our Saviour by the woman in the Gospel therefore the Spouse in Cant. 1. 3. speaking of Christ Because saith she of the savour of thy good oyntments thy Name is as an oyntment poured forth therefore do the Virgins love thee The graces that are in Christ are so sweet that they draw the Virgins they draw all believers after him So grace in a Christian it makes us sweet it sweetens our persons and our actions It sweetens our persons to God God delights in the smell of his own graces it makes us delectable for Christ and his holy Spirit to lodge in our soules as in a garden of Spices It makes us sweet to the Church to the communion of Saints A gracious man that hath his corruptions subdued is wondrous sweet his heart is as fine silver every thing is sweet that comes from him When the woman poured the box of oyntment upon Christ the whole house was filled with the smell thereof so the whole Church is filled with the savour of the graces of good men that either do live in the present times or have left their graces in writing to posterity A wicked man is an abomination to God and so are all his actions he that is in the flesh cannot please God a civil man that hath not this anointing all that he doth is abominable to God all things are unclean to the unclean even their best actions have a tincture of defilement from their corruption without this oyntment we are not sweet neither to God nor to others therefore the Scripture terms men in the state of nature Swine and Goats stinking creatures and so indeed they that have not this anointing they are stinking Goats and shall be set at Christs left hand except they have grace to sweeten their understandings and affections and to draw them higher then nature can Likewise grace is full of sweetnesse to a mans self it sweetneth our nature and our actions to our selves a good conscience being privy to it self of the work of grace is a continual feast the conscience of a Christian once renewed by grace inlargeth the soul and fills it with sweet peace and joy in believing Thirdly the graces of the Spirit are called anointing because anointing strengthens therefore usually Warriours and Combatants amoug the Heathen that were to encounter were first anointed so there is a Spirit of strength in all those that are true Christians which they have received from God whereby they are able to do that that worldlings cannot do they are able to deny themselves to overcome themselves in matters of revenge c. they are able to want and to abound to beare crosses to resist temptations and as the Apostle saith able to do all things nothing can stand in the way of a gracious man no not the gates of hell he that is in him Grace is stronger then he that is in the world the least measure of grace though it be but as a grain of mustard-seed is stronger then the greatest measure of opposition though strengthened with all the power of hell In the fourth place oyntment makes the joynts of the body nimble so this spiritual anointing it oyles the joynts of the soul as I may say and makes them nimble and ready to serve God in newnesse of Spirit and not in the oldnesse of the letter Gods people are called a willing people and a chearful people ready to every good work And there is good reason for it for they have an inward spiritual anointing that makes them active and nimble in every thing they do that Spirit that sanctifieth them that Spirit telleth them what Christ hath done for them that there is no damnation to them that God is reconciled to them that they are freed from the greatest dangers that all is theirs and so their joy and nimblenesse is from good reason and there is a spirit of love in them unto God and Christ which makes them nimble