Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	ability_n	accept_v	according_a	23	3	5.2656	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A54843	The law and equity of the gospel, or, The goodness of our Lord as a legislator delivered first from the pulpit in two plain sermons, and now repeated from the press with others tending to the same end ... by Thomas Pierce ...	Pierce, Thomas, 1622-1691.	1686 (1686)	Wing P2185; ESTC R38205	304,742	736

such an Analogy with the former as that the one may seem to have given occasion unto the other Africa for its Heat to the lust of the Flesh Europe for its Avarice to the lust of the Eye Asia for its Bravery to the pride of Life Now to conquer a world of Temporal Enemies is more than any one man could yet Attain to How much less can any conquer a world of Sin Such an Amorous man as Scipio might sooner conquer all Africa than the lust of the Flesh. Such a Ravenous man as Caesar might sooner conquer all Europe than the lust of the eye Such an Ambitious man as Alexander might sooner conquer all Asia than the pride of life All these Admirable Victors were Slaves to Sin which had subdued them from their Cradles and led them Captive into their Graves Admit that Alexander had conquered the World without him which yet we know he did not and Livy tells us he could not do sure we are he was enslaved to the world within him to the lust of the flesh by the Queen of the Amazons to the lust of the eye which nothing could fill but another's Empire and to the pride of life too because by That He affected an Apotheosis upon Earth But now the Soldiers and Servants of Iesus Christ are commanded to conquer this world of Sin And that our Master should command us to overcome that Triumvirate to which the universe of men hath so long been tributary may seem as unreasonable to flesh and blood as to flesh and blood it is impossible So that it cannot be deny'd but that if Christ were nothing more than a Master to us we should not only be in a dangerous but in a desperate condition And the setting his Servants so hard a Task would loudly speak him as hard a Master § 4. But again we must confess on the other side That if we look upon Christ as more and better than a Master to wit a Sacrifice and a Priest an Elder Brother and an Advocate not only a Lawgiver but a Propitiation not only a Prince but a Saviour too who gives Repentance as well as Praecepts and forgiveness of Sins who requires no more of us than he enables us to perform and expects not to reap but after the measure that he hath sown Our case is infinitely better than under the Paedagogie of Moses and we must needs be concluded to serve a very good Master For though he bids us have an Eye to the Perfection of his Commands yet is he pleas'd to have an Eye to the Imperfection of our Nature and looks not on the Imperfection but on the meer sincerity of our Obedience Though we must fasten an Eye of Fear on the exactness of his Injunctions yet he does cast an Eye of favour upon our weakness to undergo them This is a Rule which will never fail us And be it spoken to the comfort of whosoever has a wounded and broken Spirit Our Master Christ is so good as to put a great value upon the willingness of our minds Accepts the Tribute of our Obedience even according to the Power and Ability which we have not according to what we have not 2 Cor. 8. 12. He either enjoyneth no harder things than he gives us Ability to accomplish or else he satisfieth his Iustice with a great deal less than he injoyneth In each of which Cases he is a very good Master For what we cannot perform for want of strength He himself hath performed in our behalf and still doth take in good part our hearty Indeavours of Performance Be it so that he leads us upon very hot Service commands us to fight against all the world and fight it out until we conquer or at least until we are beaten into 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is to say into more-than-Conquerours by being manfully overcome and valiantly trodden under foot yet if we equally consider as well the proof of our Armour as the prowess of our Enemies comparing the Armory of Grace with the Artillery of Temptations and the strength of Him that fights for us with the strenth of Him that fights against us we cannot choose but confess if we have any Ingenuity abiding in us That as there are lusts of the flesh which war against the Soul so there are weapons of the Spirit which are abundantly sufficient to give them Battle And though our Enemies are so urgent that we cannot expect to injoy a Peace yet when Christ is our Captain we may rationally hope to obtain a Victory And sure a Victory over Sin must needs be very much better than to be at Peace with it If indeed we can do all things through Christ that strengthens us as the Apostle tells us we can How can we dare to be afraid whilst our Commander is our strength too who whilst he leads us by his Example does also follow us by his Grace 'T is true indeed Had he commanded us to fight where he knew we must be conquer'd and only promised an Eternity upon the performance of things Impossible It had not been to incourage but jear our weakness to reproach our Endeavours and not reward them But to speak in the phrase of the Royal Psalmist The Lord is Righteous in all his ways and perfectly holy in all his works The Fortifications of every Soul are so proportion'd to the Besiegers that excepting such as Pharaoh who was finally given over God permits not a Temptation to make a Battery where he provides not a Grace to prevent a Breach Nec enim bone Ductor Magnarum virtutum inopes nervisque carentes Christicolas vitiis populantibus exposuisti As by the Tenor of his Praecepts we must do any thing that we ought so by the Power of his Grace we can do any thing that we must For 't was very truly said by the Pythagoreans That Ability does dwell the next Door to Necessity We can if we will shut out Adultery from the Eye and keep out Murder from the Heart But then the utmost of their Assaults requires the utmost of our Resistance We cannot do it by sleeping or sitting still It is required that we stir up the Gift of God that is in us and exert our very utmost of skill and strength There is a Time when we must strive to such a Degree against Sin as to resist it even to Blood As God on his part is faithful and will not suffer us to be tempted beyond our strength so must we be faithful too and persevere in our Resistance although our Resistance may cost us dear § 5. I cannot make this plainer than by Example nor by a plainer Example than what our own Good Master was pleas'd to give us Matth. 5. 28 29 30. where first having forbidden us even to look upon a Woman with such an Eye as is the inlet of vanity or the outlet of Lust He immediately commands us if our Eye offend us to pluck