Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	able_a	abound_v	apostle_n	30	3	5.5735	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77851	A treatise of self-judging, in order to the worthy receiving of the Lords Supper. Together with a sermon of the generall day of judgement. / By Anthony Burgesse pastor of Sutton-Coldfield in Warwickshire.	Burgess, Anthony, d. 1664.; Burgess, Anthony, d. 1664. Demonstration of the day of judgement against atheists & hereticks.; England and Wales. Parliament.	1658 (1658)	Wing B5661; Thomason E1904_1; ESTC R209997	46,977	246

upon your bed and be still How can that man who is alwaies in a throng of businesse in a croud of distracting thoughts ever be able to passe sentence upon himself Therefore remove all disquietness all disturbances of soul be as if there were nothing in the world but God and thy own soul together as Abraham left his beast and other things at the bottom of the hill and went up to God alone It 's Aristotles rule Anima sedendo and quiescendo fit sapiens A quiet sedate frame of soul is like wiping the dust off the glasse to see our faces more clearly In the Canon Law the very sitting is made requisite to the validity of t●e sentence that if the Judge do not sedendo pronounce judgement it is void because it implyeth he is in some passion and commotion when he riseth up or stirreth himself many waies 4. There must not only be a quiet seda●e frame of soul but there must be an a●tentive fixed and setled meditation of the heart in this work so that self-judging can never be performed without meditation This duty of meditation as it is commended in the Scripture so it is very seldom practised by believers there is not the least sinne lurking in the soul but meditation would finde and search it out Alas thy light inconstant desulphurous thoughts which are like a fl●sh of lightning these will never go to the bottom of thy soul Hence this self-judging is in equivalent expressions called searching and trying as the Artificer doth coūterfeit from gold mettall or as the woman took a candle and swept the house to finde her lost groat Meditation is the soul in paraphrase whereas short ejaculations are but the soul in an epitome or in characters It is a shame for us Protestants to see how much Jesuitical devotion both commends and practiseth this work of meditation insomuch that Suarez said he prized that part of the day which was for the examination and scrutiny of his conscience above all the time of his study wherein he prepared so many voluminous books and we are seldom or never in this duty Lastly The work of God even his efficacious grace is above all required antecedently to inable us to this self-judging if we cannot do the least good or think the least good thought without his grace how much lesse this which is one of the greatest and weightiest Rom. 8. We know not what to pray or how to pray without Gods Spirit so neither what to judge or how to judge unlesse God assist us in it This made Paul say contrary to my text 1 Cor. 4.3 I judge not my self What did not Paul examine himself watch over himself yes he did lest he should become a castaway but he dared not to judge himself with a sententiall absolution of himself as from and of himself Why because it is God that judgeth So then unlesse God who knoweth our hearts better then we do who seeth more pride vanity rottennesse in thy soul then thou canst unless he inable thee thou maist be an Hazaell when thou thinkest thy self a Saint Would Peter have spoken so presumptuously if God had made his own heart known to him at that time In the next place let us consider what is formally constituent of this self-judging What is formally constituent of this self-judging and that lie●h in these things 1. Examination exploration and diligent diving into our hearts The Greek word is used sometimes for disputation and doubting which is a kind of further searching into a thing then at first appeareth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and truly this is necessary for our hearts because they are so deceitfull above all things Thy principles thy aims thy ends thy motives and all the secret workings of thy soul who can find out but by diligent searching The heart is like the sea though the waters are calm above sometimes yet there are many rocks and several monsters under the waters Therefore thou must search and again search it may be thou art not yet come to the bottom of thy heart for all thy duties 2. There is required not only examination but discerning and separation of the vile from the pretious of making a difference between what is of God in thee and what of the devil in thee what is of the flesh and what is of the Spirit for the meaning is not as if a Christian should be alwaies searching and examining and prying upon his soul wearying himself in labyrinths of doubts and perplexities but he must be able to make a separation Thus the Apostle Phil. 1.9 10. prayeth they might abound in all judgement which was seen by approving the things that are excellent and Heb. 5.14 some are said to have their senses exercised between good and evil we see the hypocrite the reprobate may go farre we see there are many that do doctrinally dispute that the work of grace is of the same species in a temporary believer and one regenerated yea many dispute it 's impossible to know whether we be in the state of grace or no therefore there is required this eagle-eye for from that bird do some derive the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Oh then be thus wisely qualified as to be able upon thy inquiry to take the drosse from the gold to winnow the chaff from the wheat and so to separate thy waies from the most refined paths of any hypocrite 3. It 's required that upon sinne discovered we should passe sentence of condemnation upon our selves that as God will have at the day of judgement a judgement of discussion and then of condemnation to the wicked so should we And this is the greatest thing in this duty if we would condemn our selves saying Lord we are worthy of all thy curses of all thy wrath of all thy anger this would prevent Gods judging of us David thus judged himself often but our self-love our self-flattery is such that we are unwilling to sentence our selves as lost damned wretches As Paul had the sentence of death so we should have of condemnation upon our selves and this is the way to have it repealed to come to God as they did to the King of Israel with a rope about their necks Lastly This judging is in a voluntary taking of all shame upon our selves we judge our selves to mourn to weep we judge our selves to shame and to an holy revenge upon our selves 2 Cor. 7.11 What indignation what revenge This was that penance the Church of God did exercise it self with in antiquity for in grosse scandalous sinnes such as did offend the Congregation he that did truly judg himself for his sins could have no rest till he did publiquely confesse his sin and shame himself with tears in the face of the Church Indeed afterwards this way was abused and Officers of the Church took upon them to injoyn penance and to make new Sacraments about it but at first there was only this way of their

repentance and self-judging a voluntary giving of God glory and shaming themselves and this is the duty still of all such publique grosse sinners that do offend the Church Thus they came to John Baptist publiquely confessing their sins Matth. 3.6 And those who used unlawfull arts came and burnt their books though of a great value before Paul Act. 19.19 It is not shame or peoples talk or any such carnal consideration could hold them in when their hearts were truly broken and if such Church-discipline were in use would there be so much bold and impudent prophannesse as is every where If they were called upon as Joshua to Achan to give glory to God Josh 7.19 they would not then presse to Sacraments without a wedding garment yea with goar blood of their sins upon them but would rather with the leper stand aloof off crying out I am unclean unclean and with another Calcate me insipidum salem trample on me as unsavoury salt They would not then rage at the Minister and say the Sacraments are their dues but would acknowledge publike shame and sorrow was due to them They would not presse to make us guilty of unworthy giving while they are of unworthy receiving Et dum se solvere cupiunt ligare Sacerdotem as Ambrose speaketh excellently while they seek to lose themselves to binde the Minister But it is not all the books all the arguments in the world that will do this it must be an humble heart truly contrite before God To hear men cavilling whether Godly order be Jure Divino when the world knoweth their prophannesse their impiety is not Jure Divino may make us conclude that it is not arguments or books but an humble self judging heart that must decide this controversie The concomitants of this self-judging The next thing is the Concomitants And fi●st self-judging is accompanied with exalting and setting up of God as David Psal 5.4 Thou maiest overcome when thou art judged So much as the soul judgeth it self so much it cleareth God O God my perdition is of my self if temporal if spiritual judgements fall upon me I must clear thee I cannot charge the holy God foolishly Thus man is low and God is set up 2. This is accompanied with sincerity and ingenuity Examine me and try me said David Psal 26.2 The sincere heart is willing every secret corner of his soul should be searched into but the hypocrite of all duties cannot abide this self-judging he will never say Even my son Jonathan shall die 3. It is accompanied with much shame and relenting of soul He is judged even as a poor malefactor is judged that bitterly laments his misery and therefore the whole work of conversion is in this self-judging The last thing are the Consequents of self-judging The consequences of this self-judging which are 1. A readinesse to every duty to every holy performance He that hath judged himself faithfully he cryeth out with Paul What wilt thou Lord have me to do Thou hast never throughly deeply judged thy self if thou canst not pull out thy right eye 2. He doth renounce all his own righteousness flying alone to Christ and seeking for justification by him alone The Pharisee did not judge himself and so he saw not the need of Christ We thus judge saith Paul 2 Cor. 5.14 if Christ died for all then all were dead descendēdo ad coelum ascenditur by descending we ascend to heaven 3. They are patient and humble under all those chastisements God layeth upon them for their sins they judge themselves worthy of them and hell it self Why should a man complain of the punishment of his sins Lam. 3.39 Thus they accept of their punishment 4. They have a deaf ear against all the censures and calumnies wicked men cast upon them They judge themselves more then all the world doth and for that heart corruption which the world cannot know 5. This will make him a savoury experimentall Christian he can tell how to speak to the temptations to the doubts of other mens hearts and to the cases of conscience in godly men by this duty constantly performed he cometh to have wonderfull skill in heart-work he knoweth more then books can teach him he closeth with a heart searching Ministry he speaks from the heart to the heart of another Lastly He doth not sinfully censure others he hath enough to do to judg himself neither can he give way to uselesse disputes and opinions in Religion Oh this self judging will make a man avoid all these endlesse questions that beget nothing but strifes therefore it s excellent counsell to those who spend their whole life in disputes and opinions to be more acquainted with self judging and thou wilt finde thy own heart will help thee to work enough thou wilt finde errours lusts such combats and rebellions in the practicall way of powerfull godlinesse that thou wilt be amazed to see how men can take up so much time abroad and keep so little at home Some practical Corallaries or Conclusions from the truth premised Let us adde some Corallaries or Conclusions from the truth premised 1. That a natural unregenerate man cannot judge himself he wants all the forementioned Antecedents so that in this sense it is true The spiritual man judgeth all things 1 Cor. 2.15 Can a beast judge what the reason of a man is 2. This self-judging is not opposite to an Evangelical Gospel frame nor to the Spirit of Adoption you may think this is too legal this will incourage doubtings banish fears certainly the Apostle did not intend to prejudice grace or to take the Corinthians off from Christ while he presseth this duty 3. This self-judging though a duty yet is wisely to be managed we must not judge in our temptations in our sad thoughts or when the Devil distempers thy eye-sight 4. This self-judging is not to keep us in uncertainties but as we are to prove all things in doctrine yet not be Scepticks we must hold fast that which is good so about our hearts we must judge yet so as to make our Calling and Election sure This self-judging must not oppose assurance 5. No man can so judge himself as to finde out all the naughtiness of his heart he cannot empty this Sea if our hearts condemn us God is greater then our hearts 1 Joh. 3.20 God seeth more vileness and corruption in us then we are able to finde out 6. Under Gods judgements or upon special approaches to him we are to receive this duty Therefore we are more solemnly to perform it at this time in approaching to the Sacrament for hereby we shall prevent Gods Judging of us 1. Every Sacrament we have received God took notice of God hath not forgot all thy former unworthy receivings Thy old sins thy old formality may be matter of trembling to thee as Melancthon said Totus cohorresco c. I am all in a trembling to think how once in Popery I went boldly