Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	act_v	friend_n	great_a	80	3	2.1564	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A12187	A miracle of miracles or Christ in our nature Wherein is contained the vvonderfull conception, birth, and life of Christ, who in the fulnesse of time became man to satisfie divine iustice, and to make reconciliation betweene God and man. Preached to the honourable society of Grayes Inne, by that godly and faithfull minister of Iesus Christ, Richard Sibbes. D.D.	Sibbes, Richard, 1577-1635.	1638 (1638)	STC 22499; ESTC S117264	26,445	58

maine thing I desire you to observe is matter of comfort from this Emanuell That now hee having taken our nature upon him that he might take our persons into unity of his mysticall body wee might have comfort in all conditions For hee tooke our nature upon him beside his other ends that hee might take our persons to make up mysticall Christ hee married our nature to marry our persons And therefore if hee did it for this end that wee might bee neere him as our nature is neere him shall not wee make it a ground of comfort that our persons shall bee neere Christ as well as our natures As CHRIST hath two natures in one person so many persons make up one mysticall CHRIST so that our persons are wonderfully neere to Christ. The wife is not neerer the husband the members are not neerer the head the building is not neerer the foundation then Christ and his Church are And therefore comfort our selues in this Christ is Emanuell God with us in our nature And will hee suffer his Church to want that hee hath taken so neere to himselfe can the members want influence when the head hath it can the wife be poore when the husband is rich whatsoever Christ did to his owne body to his humane nature taken into the unity of his person that hee will doe in some proportion to his mysticall body I will shew you some particulars Hee sanctified his naturall body by the Holy Ghost and hee will sanctifie us by the same spirit For there is the same spirit in head and members He loveth his naturall body and so as never to lay it aside to eternity And loveth his mysticall body now in some sort more for hee gave his naturall body to death for his mysticall body And therefore as hee will never lay aside his naturall body hee will never lay aside his Church nor any member of his Church for with the same love that hee loved his naturall body hee loveth now his mysticall members As hee rose to glory in his naturall body and ascended to Heaven so hee will raise his mysticall body that it shall ascend as hee ascended I beseech you therefore consider what a ground of comfort this is God tooke our nature on him besides the grand end of satisfaction that hee might make us like himselfe in glory that hee might draw us neere to himselfe And therefore now Christ being in Heaven having commission and authority over all things put into his hand hee having a Name above all names in Heaven and earth that at the Name of Iesus every knee should bow that is every subjection should bee given will he suffer any member of his body to suffer more then hee thinkes fit No seeing hee is in Heaven and glory for his Churches good For all that he hath done and suffered is for the Church and the Churches use To conclude all Let us consider what wee are let not a Christian bee base minded let him not bee dastardly in any cause that is good or Gods Let him be on Gods side Who is on his side a Christian is an impregnable person hee is a person that can never bee conquered Emanuell became man to make the Church and every Christian to be one with him Christs nature is out of danger of all that is hurtfull The Sun shall not shine the wind shall not blow to the Churches hurt For the Churches head ruleth over all things and hath all things in subjection Angells in heaven men on earth Devills in hell all bow to Christ and shall any thing befall them that he loveth unlesse for their greater good Therefore though they may kill a Christian and imprison him yet hurt him they can not If God bee on our side who can bee against us but God is on our side and on what grounds God-man hath procured him to be our friend hee hath satisfied God and therfore if we beleeve we be one with Christ and so one with God Wee have many against us the Devils are against us the world is against us to take away the favour of God to hinder accesse to him in prayer to stoppe the Churches communion with God and hinder the sweet issue of all things that befall us as farre as they can but their malice is greater then their power If God should let them loose and give the chaine into their owne hand though they seeme to hurt yet hurt they cannot in the issue And shall not we make use of these things in times of distresse wherefore serve they but to comfort us in all conflicts with Satan and in all doubtings that arise from our sinfull hearts Answer all with this If God be with us who can bee against us If any bee against us name them if not be satisfied And therefore come life come death Christ is our surety he layeth up our dust keepeth our ashes in the grave and will Christ loose any member Feare not Iacob to goe into Egypt For I will bring thee backe againe So feare not to goe into the grave The spirit of God will watch over our dust and bring us to heaven Therefore feare nothing God will be with us in life and death yea for ever and we shall be for ever with the Lord as the Apostle saith in the Thessalonians And that issue of all that Emanuell hath done Christ was one in our nature that hee might bring God and us into favour that wee may be for ever with him in heaven that we may be for ever with the Lord which is the accomplishment of all the promises FINIS Imprimatur Tho. Wykes Octob. 26. 1638. The scope of the Text. Wicked men admire their owne devices Those that brag out of danger are most cowardly in danger Infinite mercy in God and stubbornnesse in man conflicting Meaning of the Text. Reason He that will doe the greater he will doe the lesser Object How this can confirme their faith for present Answ. Make use of the Grand promises to comfort us in petty crosses Divers Articles of faith Nothing more strange then a virgin to be a mother and God a man Christ conceived not by ordinary Propagation The Masse wherof Christ was made was sanctified by the holy Ghost Christ conceived upon Maries assent to the message by the holy Ghost Observ. Quest. Answ. Christ is conceived in our hearts when we rest upon him onely 1 Tim. 3. Christs conception birth and life like ours In every thing in Christ something extraordinary Christ conceived borne lived and dyed eswe To shew sorth Christ in all our actions Vnion with Christ the cause of all grace Ier. 2.3 Emanuel a name of nature and office Christ Emanuell in regard of our nature Without the blood of Christ noe remission Meaner workes acted by the manhood greater by the Godhead Ephes 5. God our father Christ Emanuell to make God and us friends By satisfaction By the Spirit fitting us for communion with God Gods love and mercy to man to be wondred at Man above Angels by Christs incarnation What we cannot believe by vnderstanding let us labour to understand by believing Our nature in heaven * Church No counsell against God shall stand Christ with us in poverty and bond Christ God in us and for us How to know Emanuel to bee ours Christs cause to be maintained Christ with us in his Word and Sacraments Communion with Christ is sweet Doctrine Grace refused is turned into wrath What God saith man cannot disanull Men of God of ould had recourse to the promises of the Messiah How to reason with our selves in a sanctified manner All promises founded in Christ. Is. 9 6. Christs conception and incarnation marvellous and rare Christ is with us here by faith Man out of weaknes wonders at poore things Isaacks birth a type of Christs Why Christ must be without sin No blemish or defect of purity in the conception of Christ. Faith to be grounded on Christ God man Christ our surety Christ without sinne His humane nature had alwaies subsistence in the divine In manner of propagation Christ became man for our sakes Christ by divers signes shewed himselfe before exhibited in the flesh First things considerable 2 Consideration 3 Considerations to defile our natures that God hath dignified 4 Consideration 5 Consideration Obiection answered Question Answer What is done to by Christ is done by God Reason Quest. 1. Reason 2. Reason 3. Reason Job 9 3.2 Use. Use. Improved Vse of improving our priviledges by Emanuell Use. In the behalfe of the Church Isa. 8.8 Gods Church shal 〈◊〉 the end of the world At Christ comeing the Iews Church wasted 1 Evidence of comfort in Christ. Question Answer Revel 22.20 2 Evidence of comfort 〈◊〉 of comfort As the humane 〈…〉 Psal. 2 9 10 Conclus to consider what w●e are The Devill and the world our enemies

up these things in your hearts that so you may receive benefit by them FINIS Page 19. line 6. for wounded read warmed THE SECOND SERMON ISAIAH 7.14 Behold a Virgin shall conceive and beare a Sonne and shall call his name Emanuell THe occasion of these words we have heard The Church was in great distresse under two mighty Kings that threatned great matters but indeed were but two smoaking fire-brands that went out of themselves Ahaz being a wicked King and wickednes being alwayes full of feares fearfull in trouble though not before trouble for they that bee least fearfull of trouble be most fearefull in trouble and GOD intending comfort to the Church the Prophet bids him aske a signe Ahaz out of guiltinesse of conscience and stubbournes together would aske none GOD intended to strengthen his faith and he would not make advantage of the offer And therefore the Prophet promiseth a signe the grand signe The signe of all signes the miracle of all miracles the Incarnation of the Messias By the way I beseech you let me observe this It is Atheisticall profanesse to despice any helpe that God in his wisdome thinketh necessary to proppe and shoare our weake faith withall And therefore when many out of confidence of their owne graces and parts refuse the Sacrament God knowing better then our selves wee need it unlesse it bee at one time of the yeare and refuse the other ordinance of preaching which God hath sanctifyed they seeme to know themselves better then God who out of knowledge of our weaknes hath set apart these meanes for the strengthning of our graces And as Ahaz refusing Gods helpe provoked God by it so these must know they shall not escape without judgment for it is a tempting of God and proceedeth from a bad spirit of pride and stubbornes How this promise of the Messias could be a signe to them to comfort them we spake at large wee will now deliver some thing by way of addition and explication The house of David was affraid they should be extinct by these two great enemies of the Church but saith hee A Virgin of the house of David shall conceive a Sonne and how then can the house of David bee extinct Secondly Heaven hath said it earth can not disanull it God hath said it and all the Creatures in the World can not annihilate it It was the promise made to Adam when he was fallen it runne along to Abraham and afterward to the Patriarkes so that it must needs be so It was the custome of the men of God ledde by the Spirit of God in these times in any distresse to have recourse to the promise of the Messias as for other ends so for this to raise themselves up by an argument drawne from the greater to the lesse God will give the Messias GOD will become man A virgin shall conceive a Sonne And therefore he will give you lesse mercies I note this by the way for this end to teach us a sanctified manner of reasoning Was it a strong argument before Christs comming The Messias shall come and therefore wee may expect inferiour blessings And shall not we make use of the same reason now Christ is come in the flesh and is triumphant in Heaven God having given Christ will hee not give all things necessary whatsoever Shall the reasonings before Christs comming be of more force then these bee now Christ is come and is in glory appearing in Heaven for us Beloved it should be a shame to us that wee should not have the sanctified art of reasoning to argue from the gift of Christ to the giving of all things needfull for us The ground of this reason is this All other promises whatsoever they are are secundary to the grand Fundamentall promise of CHRIST All promises issue from a Covenant founded in God man Now covenants come from love and love is founded in the first person loved and the foundation of all love Therefore if God giveth Christ the foundation of love and out of love makes a covenant and as branches of the covenant giveth many promises Then having made good the maine promise of all Iesus Christ will hee not make good all the rest And therefore we should have often in our hearts and thoughts the accomplishment of all promises in Christ and from thence make use of the expectation of all inferiour promises For they issue from that love of God in Christ which is fully manifested already Wee have spoken of the Preface Behold which is a word usually prefixed before all the passages of Christ his Birth his Resurrection his comming againe And great reason For what doe wee usually behold with earnestnes rare things new things great things especially if they be great to admiration and that concerne us neerely usefull things especially if they bee present And is any thing rarer then that A Virgin shall conceive and beare a sonne then the Incarnation of Christ never was the like in nature never the like in Heaven or earth that God and man should bee in one person It is a rare thing a new thing it is great to wonderment and therefore in the 9. Chapter of this prophesie His name shall bee called wonderfull as in many other respects so wonderfull in his Conception and Birth And then all is for us To us a Child is borne to us a Sonne is given in the same Chapter For us and for us men hee came downe from Heaven And then to the eye of Faith all these things are present Faith knoweth no difference of time Christ is present to the eye of faith now We see him sacrificed in the Sacrament and in the word faith knoweth no distance of place as well as no distance of time we see him in heaven as St. Stephen sitting at the right hand of God for the good of his Church and therefore behold If ever any thing were or shall be great from the beginning of the world to eternity this is great this is wonderfull And if any thing in the world be fit for us if any thing dignifieth the soule and raiseth the soule above it selfe it is this wonderfull object We out of our weaknes wonder at poore pety things as the Disciples at the building of the Temple What stones are these we wonder at the greatnesse of birth and place but alas what is fit for the soule being a large and capable thing to stand in admiration of Here is that that transcendeth admiration it selfe Behold a Virgin shall conceive a Sonne And therefore attend to the great matter in hand this I thought good to adde to what I formerly delivered in that particular A Virgin shall conceive a Sonne c. You need not goe farther then the text for wonders For here are 2 great ones a Virgin a Mother and Godman So in the words you have the conception and the birth of Christ his humane nature his divine nature