Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	adoption_n	cry_v	father_n	9,732	5	5.0154	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A02528	Contemplations vpon the principall passages of the holy story. The fourth volume. By Ios. Hall; Contemplations upon the principall passages of the Holy Storie. Vol. 4	Hall, Joseph, 1574-1656.	1618 (1618)	STC 12656; ESTC S103669	103,611	500

iustly doe we blesse her whom the Angell pronounceth blessed How worthily is shee honoured of men whom the Angell proclaimeth beloued of God O blessed MARY he cannot blesse thee he cannot honor thee too much that deifies thee not That which the Angell said of thee thou hast prophesied of thy selfe we beleeue the Angell and thee All generations shall call thee blessed by the fruit of whose womb all generations are blessed If Zachary were amased with the sight of this Angell much more the Virgin That very sexe hath more disaduantage of feare If it had bin but a man that had come to her in that secrecy and suddennes shee could not but haue bin troubled how much more when the shining glory of the person doubled the astonishment The troubles of holy mindes end euer in comfort Ioy was the errand of the Angell and not terror Feare as all passions disquiets the heart and makes it for the time vnfit to receiue the messages of God Soone hath the Angell cleared these troublesome mists of passions and sent out the beames of heauenly consolation into the remotest corner of her soule by the glad newes of her Sauiour How can ioy but enter into her heart out of whose womb shall come saluation what roome can feare finde in that brest that is assured of fauour Feare not Mary for thou hast found fauour with God Let those feare who know they are in displeasure or know not they are gracious Thine happy estate calls for confidence and that confidence for ioy What should what can they feare who are fauoured of him at whom the Diuels tremble Not the presence of the good Angels but the temptations of the euill strike many terrors into our weaknes wee could not bee dismaied with them if we did not forget our condition Wee haue not receiued the spirit of bondage to feare againe but the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Father If that spirit O God witnesse with our spirits that wee are thine how can we feare any of those spirituall wickednesses Giue vs assurance of thy fauor and let the powers of Hell doe their worst It was no ordinary fauour that the Virgin found in heauen No mortall creature was euer thus graced that he should take part of her nature that was the God of nature that hee which made all things should make his humane body of hers that her wombe should yeeld that flesh which was personally vnited to the Godhead that shee should beare him that vpholds the world Lo thou shalt conceiue and beare a Sonne and shalt call his name Iesus It is a question whether there bee more wonder in the conception or in the fruit the conception of the Virgin or Iesus conceiued Both are maruelous but the former doth not more exceed all other wonders then the latter exceedeth it For the childe of a Virgin is the reimprouement of that power which created the world but that God should be incarnate of a Virgin was an abasement of his maiestie and an exaltation of the creature beyond all example Well was that childe worthy to make the mother blessed Here was a double conception one in the wombe of her body the other of the soule If that were more miraculous this was more beneficiall That was her priuiledge this was her happinesse If that were singular to her this is common to all his chosen There is no renewed heart wherein thou O Sauiour art not formed againe Blessed be thou that hast herein made vs blessed For what wombe can conceiue thee and not partake of thee Who can partake of thee and not be happy Doubtlesse the Virgin vnderstood the Angell as he ment of a present conception which made her so much more inquisitiue into the manner meanes of this euent How shall this be since I know not a man That shee should conceiue a sonne by the knowledge of man after her mariage consummate could haue bin no wonder But how then should that sonne of hers be the sonne of God This demand was higher how her present virginitie should bee instantly fruitfull might be well worthy of admiration of inquiry Here was desire of information not doubts of infidelitie yea rather this question argues faith It takes for granted that which an vnbeleeuing heart would haue stucke at Shee saies not who and whence art thou what kingdom is this where when shall it be erected But smoothly supposing all those strange things would be done shee insists onely in that which did necessarily require a further intimation and doth not distrust but demand Neither doth shee say this cannot be nor how can this be but how shall this be so doth the Angell answer as one that knew he needed not to satisfie curiositie but to informe iudgment and vphold faith He doth not therefore tell her of the manner but of the author of this act The Holy Ghost shall come vpon thee and the power of the most High shall ouershadow thee It is enough to know who is the vndertaker and what he will doe O God what doe wee seeke a cleare light where thou wilt haue a shadow No mother knowes the manner of her naturall conception what presumption shall it bee for flesh and blood to search how the sonne of God tooke flesh and blood of his creature It is for none but the Almighty to know those works which he doth immediately concerning himselfe those that concerne vs he hath reuealed Secrets to God things reuealed to vs. This answer was not so full but that a thousand difficulties might arise out of the particularities of so strange a message yet after the Angels solution wee heare of no more obiections no more interrogations The faithfull heart when it once vnderstands the good pleasure of God argues no more but sweetly rests it selfe in a quiet expectation Behold the seruant of the Lord be it to me according to thy word There is not a more noble proofe of our faith then to captiuate all the powers of our vnderstanding and will to our Creator and without all sciscitations to goe blindfold whither hee will lead vs All disputations with God after his will knowne arise from infidelitie Great is the mysterie of godlines and if we will giue nature leaue to cauill wee cannot be Christians O God thou art faithfull thou art powerfull It is enough that thou hast said it In the humilitie of our obedience we resigne our selues ouer to thee Behold the seruants of the Lord bee it vnto vs according to thy word How fit was her wombe to conceiue the flesh of the sonne of God by the power of the spirit of God whose brest had so soone by the power of the same spirit conceiued an assent to the will of God and now of an handmaid of God she is aduanced to the mother of God No sooner hath shee said be it done then it is done the Holy Ghost ouer-shadowes her and formes her Sauiour in her owne body This very Angell

same God which call'd Dauid to the Court wellcoms him thither His comelinesse valour and skill haue soone wonne him fauour in the eyes of Saul The giuer of all graces hath so placed his fauours that the greatest enemies of goodnes shall see somewhat in the holiest men which they shall affect and for which they shall honor the persons of them whose vertues they dislike as contrarily the Saints on earth see somewhat to loue in the worst creatures No doubt Dauid sung to his Harpe His Harpe was not more sweet then his song was holy Those Psalmes alone had bin more powerfull to chase the euill spirit then the musicke was to calme passions both together gaue ease to Saul and God gaue this effect to both because hee would haue Saul traine vp his successor This sacred musicke did not more dispell Sathan then wanton musicke invites him and more cheeres him then vs He plaies and danceth at a filthy song he sings at an obscure dance Our sinne is his best pastime whereas Psalmes and hymnes and spirituall songs are torment vnto the tempter and musicke to the Angels in heauen whose trade is to sing Alleluiahs in the Chore of glory Dauid and Goliah AFTER the newes of the Philistims army I heare no more mention of Sauls frenzy Whether the noise of warr diuerted those thoughtfull passions or whether God for his peoples sake tooke off that euill spirit least Israel might miscarry vnder a frantick gouernor Now Dauid hath leisure to returne to Bethleem The glory of the Court cannot transport him to ambitious vanitie He had rather be his fathers shepheard then Sauls armour-bearer All the magnificence and state which he saw could not put his mouth out of the taste of a retired simplicitie yea rather he loues his hook the better since he saw the Court and now his brethren serue Saul in his steed A good heart hath learnt to frame it selfe vnto all conditions can change estates without change of disposition rising and falling according to occasion The worldly minde can rise easily but when it is once vp knowes not how to descend either with patience or safety FORTY dayes together had the Philistims Israelites faced each other they pitched on two hills one in the sight of the other nothing but a valley was betwixt them Both stand vpon defence and aduantage If they had not ment to fight they had neuer drawne so neere and if they had bin eager of fight a valley could not haue parted them Actions of hazard require deliberation not furie but discretion must bee the guide of warre So had Ioshua destroyed the giantly Anakims out of the land of Israel that yet some were left in Azzah Gath and Ashdod both to shew Israel what aduersaries their forefathers found in Canaan whom they mastred as also that God might winne glory to himselfe by these subsequent executions Of that race was Goliah whose heart was as high as his head his strength was answerable to his stature his weapons answerable to his strength his pride exceeded all Because he saw his head higher his armes stronger his sword and speare bigger his shield heauier then any Israelite he defies the whole host and walking between the two armies braues all Israel with a challenge Why are yee come out to set your battaile in aray Am not I a Philistim and you seruants to Saul Choose you a man for you and let him come downe to me giue me a man that we may fight together Carnall hearts are carried away with presumption of their owne abilities and not finding matches to themselues in outward appearance insult ouer the impotencie of inferiors and as those that can see no invisible opposition promise themselues certainty of successe Insolence and selfe-confidence argues the heart to be nothing but a lumpe of proud flesh THE first challenge of Duell that euer we finde came out of the mouth of an vncircumcised Philistim yet was that in open warre and tended to the sauing of many liues by aduenturing one or two and whosoeuer imitateth nay surpasseth him in challenge to priuate Duell in the attempt partaketh of his vncircumcision though he should ouercome and of his manner of punishment if in such priuat combats hee cast away his life For of all such desperate prodigalls wee may say that their heads are cut off by their owne sword if not by their owne hand Wee cannot challenge men and not challenge God who iustly challengeth to himselfe both to take vengeance and to giue successe The more Goliah challenges and is vnanswered the more is he puft vp in the pride of his owne power And is there none of all Israel that will answer this champion otherwise then with his heeles Where is the courage of him that was higher then all Israel from the shoulders vpward The time was when Nahash the Ammonite had made that tyrannous demand of the right eyes of the Gileadites that Saul could aske vnasked What aileth the people to weep and could hew his oxen in peeces to raise the spirits of Israel and now he stands still and sees the host turne their backe and neuer so much as asks what aileth the people to flee The time was when Saul slew forty thousand Philistims in one day and perhaps Goliah was in that discomfiture and now one Philistim is suffred by him to braue all Israel forty dayes whence is this difference The spirit of God the spirit of fortitude was now departed from him Saul was not more aboue himselfe when God was with him then he is below others now that he is left of God Valour is not meerely of nature Nature is euer like it selfe by this rule hee that is once valiant should neuer turne coward But now we see the greatest spirits inconstant and those which haue giuen good proofes of magnanimitie at other times haue bewrayed white liuers vnto their owne reproch Hee that is the God of hostes giues and takes away mens hearts at his pleasure Neither is it otherwise in our spirituall combats sometimes the same soule dare challenge all the powers of darknes which other-whiles giues ground to a temptation Wee haue no strength but what is giuen vs and if the author of all good gifts remit his hand for our humiliation either we fight not or are foyled DAVID hath now lien long enough close amongst his flock in the fields of Bethleem God sees a time to send him to the pitcht field of Israel Good old Ishai that was doubtles ioyfull to thinke that he had afforded three sonnes to the warres of his King is no lesse carefull of their wellfare and prouision and who amongst all the rest of his seuen sonnes shall be pickt out for this seruice but his yongest sonne Dauid whose former almost worne-out acquaintance in the Court and imployment vnder Saul seemed to fit him best for his errand Early in the morning is Dauid vpon his way yet not so early as to leaue his flock