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A16845 A treatise of melancholie Containing the causes thereof, & reasons of the strange effects it worketh in our minds and bodies: with the physicke cure, and spirituall consolation for such as haue thereto adioyned an afflicted conscience. ... By T. Bright doctor of physicke. Bright, Timothie, 1550-1615. 1586 (1586) STC 3747; ESTC S106464 155,522 312

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vrgeth and alwayes carieth a passiō therwith aboue the harts affection euen the entry of those torments which cānot be cōceaued at full as our nature now stādeth nor deliuered by report Here in this passion the cause is not feare nor passionate griefe but a torment procuring these affections and euen as the punishment of bodily racking is not the passion of the hart but causeth it only so the hart fareth vnder this sore of the mind which here properlie fretteth and straineth the sinnes of the soule wherefrom the heart taketh his grieuous discouragement and fainteth vnder Gods iustice Hitherto you haue described that which your soule feeleth not to instruct you but that other may more truly iudge of the case and the distinction betwixt melancholy it may be more apparant CHAP. XXXV The affliction of mind to what persons it befalleth and by what meanes ALthough no man is by nature freed frō this affliction in so much as all men are sinners and being culpable of the breach of God lawes incurre the punishment of condemnation yet is the melancholicke person more then any subiect therunto not that the humor hath such power which hath before bin declared to stand far a loofe of such effect but by reason the melācholicke person is most doubtfull iclous of his estate not only of this life but also of the life to come this maketh him fall into debate with him selfe to be more then curious who finding his actions not fitting the naturall or written line of righteousnesse wāting that archpiller of faith assurance in Christ Iesus our hope partly thorough feare findeth the horror and partly if it please God so far to touch feeleth the verie anguish due vnto the sinner in that most miserable condition falleth into flat dispaire This commeth to passe when the curious melancholy carieth the minde into the senses of such misteries as exceed humayne capacity and is desirous to know more thē is reuealed in the word of truth or being ignorant of that which is reuealed thorough importunate inquirie of a sudden falleth into that gulfe of Gods secret counselles which swalloweth vp all conceit of man or angell and measuring the trueth of such depth of misteries by the shallow modill of his owne wit is caught deuoured of that which his presumptuous curiositie moued him to attempt to apprehend Of melancholy persons especially such as are most contemplatiue except they be well grounded in the word of God remoue not one haire therfrom in their speculations are this wayes most ouertaken receaue the punishment of ouer-bold attēpt of those holy things which the Lord hath reserued to his owne counsell while they neglect the declared truth propounded for rule of life and practise in written wordes reuealed not remembring the exhortation of Moyses to the children of Israell the secrets are the Lords but the reuealed will appertaineth to vs our children And this in mine opinion is one cause wherefore melancholicke personnes are more prone to fall into this pitte then such as are in their organicall members otherwise affected Nowe contemplations are more familiar with melancholicke persons then with other by reason they be not so apt for action consisting also of a temper still and slowe according to the nature of the melancholie humour which if it be attenuated with heate deliuereth a drie subtile and pearcing spirite more constant and stable then anie other humour which is a great helpe to this contemplation As the melancholicke is most subiect to the calamitie before mentioned and especially the contemplatiue so of them most of all such whose vocation consisteth in studie of hard pointes of learning and that philosophicall especially of Nature haue cause in this case to carie a lowe saile and sometime to strike and lay at the anker of the Scriptures of God lest by tempest of their presumption they be caried into that whirle poole whereout they be in daunger without the especiall grace of Gods mercie neuer to deliuer them selues Such except they be well ballaced with knowledge of the Scriptures and assurance of Gods spirite are neuer able to abide the ouglinesse of their sinnes when they shall be once vnfolden and the narrowe point of reprobration and clection propounded vnto their melancholicke braines and hearts and most miserale polluted soules vnacquainted with Gods couenaunt of mercie and that earnest of his fauour the comfortable spirit of his grace Of such as haue some knowledge in the worde and practise of obedience the want of the true apprehending of gods reuealed wil touching election and reprobation and the right method of learning conceauing the doctrine causeth some to stumble and fall at this stone For as a sworde taken at the wrong end is readie to wound the hand of the taker held by the handle is a fit weapon of defence euen so the doctrine of predestination being preposterously conceiued may through fault of the conceiuer procure hurt whereas of it selfe it is the most strong rocke of assurance in all stormes of tēptations that can befall vnto bodie or soule The one part of predestination is Gods immutable will the cause and rule of all iustice and vttermost of all reason in his workes the other part is the execution of that will according to mercie or iustice sauing or condemning with all the meanes thereto belonging Christ Iesus in those of whom the Lorde will shewe mercie and the iust desert of a sinner on whome he is determined to shewe the iustice of his wrath If this most comfortable doctrine and the firme ancher of our profession be not in all partes equally apprehended we may not onely misse the benefite therof through our owne fault but receiue wounde and daungerous hurte thereby For if the consideration be bent vpon Gods will and counsel only without respect of the means it is impossible but the frailty of mans nature must needes be distracted into diuerse perilous and desperate feares finding nothing in it selfe that may answere his iustice and withstand the fearefull sentence of condemnation if it stay in the meanes of his iustice only and haue not eye vpon his mercy in his sonne Christ then likewise ariseth an assurance of eternall destruction to the consciēce defiled and the guilty soule deformed with iniquity if the meanes of his mercy be regarded without farther respect of his eternall decree and immouable iustice then is there also no assurance of his mercy vnto miserable man who melteth like snow and vanisheth like a vapour before his iustice and doubting of the continuance of his fauour alwayes hangeth in suspence All these considerations thus seuerally falling into the melancholick person moue doubt and care and either breed a resolute desperatnes or a continuall distrust tossing hither and thither the soule not established by knowledge and faith in Gods eternall counsell the most wise iust and mercifull meanes of his execution which being perfectly knowne according to the word
they be his plantes and ingraffed oliue braūches in his sonne who take not their ful perfection at once but according to the nature of a plāt require dayly watering dressing wherby by degrees they attaine in the ende a full stature in Christ So that you may not accompt your selfe voyde of grace because you are not perfect for in this life both faith and knowledge and loue are all imperfect and shall partly be furnished and partly receaue perfectiō elsewhere but you are godly wisely to consider the secret worke of Gods spirite and grace and take comfort of the smallest crumme and drop of this heauenly sustentation and attend your time of perfect growth according to the good pleasure of God You can not at all times feele and followe with your conceir and naturall capacitie the worker of this mysterie more then you are able to discerne where the wind riseth and where it lighteth You know we that are called are borne againe and as the growth and increase of our bodies is not perceaued of vs though we do increase the birth is not apprehended of the infant borne bred euen so is it with vs in the heauenly birth and spirituall regeneration the spirit worketh without our leaue and acquainteth vs not with his maruelous working more then is expedient at his pleasure when and in what measure for our comfort much lesse can a body ouercharged with melancholy drowned in that darke dungeon see the comfortable beames of his daystar brightnesse of the cheerfull Sunne of God aboundant mercie and a mind whose actions are hindered by meanes thereof whereby it neither conceiueth nor iudgeth sincerely and vprightly as the case requireth and neither so only affected but blinde folded by the humour and brought into this darknesse of feare is buffited also and beaten with Sathan on all sides whereby being distracted it obtayneth no respit and release of due and iust consideration howe can it discerne rightly of these thinges Wherefore your case being such yeelde not so much to the enemy as to iudge of your selfe according to his sentence who is a lyer from the beginning and the father of lyes but according to those olde testimonies which you haue felt in your owne conscience and haue giuen comfortable shewe of to others in the course of your life heretofore Oh but you feele not the testimonie of Gods spirit which might assure you Neither do any of Gods children at all times feele it Dauid cōplained of the want hereof Iob complained likewise so haue diuerse of Gods children in all times made mone hereof Sufficient it is if at any time that assurance be giuen and if it be the will of God for a time to withdraw it that you may feeling your owne frailty with more earnest desire call to him for his wonted grace Who are you to interrupt the wayes of God and to preuent his counselles and for your comfort be assured that the former grace you haue receaued is of that nature that it neuer decayeth but remaineth an euerlasting seed of immortalitie proceeding from the Father of eternitie and with whom there is no chaungeablenesse nor shadowe of turning who doth nothing to repent him of but is only wise stable sure and hath no neede to correct anie thing of his owne workmanship And if he with hold the comfort of his spirite from you for a season it is that you may with greater appetite seeke after it and hauing found it more ioy therein and praise his mercie with thankfulnesse of hart and readinesse of vtterance to found out the aboundance of his mercie If the Lord withhold it not but the frailtie wherein you stand diminish the sense thereof or the temptation presse so farre vpon you that you are not free to iudge aright or the perill which the temptation carieth with it moue you to distrust knowe that nothing befalleth you straunge herein more then to other of Gods children before you and that to wade through these violent streames patience and constancie is most needfull with a resolute mind to abide the Lords wil who in the end wil come and will not tarie This is the broken contrite heart which the Lord will not despise this is the poore spirit on whome the Lord pronounceth blessednesse and this is the affliction whereof the Spirit of God is called the comforter so that although before the Lord hath vouchsafed you many graces yet were you neuer meete to receaue diuerse other which he will nowe bestowe vpon you before this present and so shall you in the end receaue the cup of saluation in steed of the bottell of vineger and teares and in steed of the bread of affliction the heauenly Manna and the bread of life from the table of God Christ Wherefore suspect these thoughtes to be of the enemie and not of your selfe cast into your mind of him and not springing of incredulitie I am out of Gods fauour I am reprobate from his kingdome there remaineth no hope for me I haue no faith For such are his temptations of old daily they be the points he laboureth in against Gods childrē if not to wring frō thē their hope at the least to weary their dayes with heauinesse and discomfort Neither esteeme your selfe presently by that you feele but by that you haue felt when nothing hath ouershadowed that light of knowledge faith and zeale but the full brightnesse of these graces hath broken forth For why haue not these doubts risen vnto you before time and where is nowe the auncient assurance They before time rose not because the temptation was far of and that assurance although by tempest of temptation and by this spirituall storme it seeme to bend and to giue backe yet is it inuincible and recouereth thereby more strength then euer it had before Is the souldier worse appayed that sustaineth the combat and standeth in the face of his enemie though the terrible thunder of shot beat his eares and he in perill of hitting though he maintaine the heate of the battell against the force of his enemie with perill not a whit he becommeth hereby more valiant he learneth experience his skill increaseth and his courage doubleth vppon him So in this spirituall battaile you must not be discouraged like a milk soppe or a fresh souldier vntrained or vnacquainted with warfare but set the victorie before your eyes which is alreadie attained and purchased for you and so much the more are you to endure with Christian valiance in that here is no feare of ouerthrowe the battaile is broken and the enemies scattered and onely the captaine requireth to be followed of you for whome he hath obtained the crowne of victorie if the stragling tayle of the enemie annoye they may shewe their malice and hostilitie but their force is foyled and take heart onely and endure and you shall see them vanquished and submit vnto that power of Christ which inableth you You must