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
A20540	Three godlie and fruitful sermons; the two first preached by Maister Iohn Dod: the last by Maister Robert Cleauer. Whereunto are annexed, fiue propositions, or points of doctrine, comprehended in three other sermons, by the same author	Dod, John, 1549?-1645.; Cleaver, Robert, 1561 or 2-ca. 1625. aut	1610 (1610)	STC 6950; ESTC S117481	100,240	192

Rom. 8. 15. wherby we cry Abba father So that none can confidently call God father but by the helpe of his blessed Spirit If vnregenerate men will pray to their father Christ telleth them who he is when speaking to such kinde of persons he saith You are Ioh. 8. 44. of your father the Diuell And how proueth he that The lusts of your father yee will do As those that are willing to do the workes of God are assuredly the children of God euen so they that are ready to doe the workes of Satan are without doubt the children of Satan and if they wil pray vnto their father they must pray vnto the Diuell Againe in that very place it is sayd that the Spirit helpeth our infirmities for wee know not what to Rom. 8. 26 pray as we ought but the Spirit it selfe maketh requests for vs with sighes that cannot be expressed where it is euident that the best of Gods seruants without the helpe and assistance of the holy Ghost are ignorant both of the matter and manner of prayer but the Spirit doth informe their mindes what to aske and frame their affections how to aske in an holy and acceptable sort so that albeit sometimes they want words to expresse their meaning yet they are full of inward sighes and heauenly desires But what are they the better for them will some say if they cannot powre them forth before the Lord in an outward forme of prayer They are much the better because as it is in the 27. verse He that searcheth the hearts knoweth the meaning of the spirit and he so knoweth it that he approueth of it and delighteth in it If there be neuer so many good words and those vttered by the very Saints of God themselues yet if they proceede not from the Spirit but from the flesh as sometimes they may they are not pleasing vnto the Lord but abhorred of him And on the other side albeit there be no words at all as many times it fals out when the heart is oppressed through extremity of griefe yet if there bee a multitude of holy desires in the soule stirred vp through the powerfull working of the holy Spirit they are accepted of him and shall bee rewarded by him for as it is added in the place aboue named The Spirit euen at such times maketh requests for the Saints according to the will of God And therefore their suits according with his will he cannot but yeeld vnto the same Againe it is the proper worke of the Spirit to conuince the iudgement of sinne and to humble Iohn 16. 8. the heart therefore without which there can no faithfull prayer be made vnto the Lord. Bring neuer so strong reasons to adulterers or gamesters or Saboth-breakers or any that liue in the continuall practise of such dangerous and damnable sinnes and presse them neuer so forcibly to cause them to forsake their lewd and wretched courses and yet can they not see why they should leaue them but rather imagine that they may lawfully follow the same still And no maruell for till the God of heauen do set downe their carnall reason it can neuer be set downe and till he stop their mouthes they will neuer be silenced but still haue somewhat to say for their wretched and vile behauiour Reasons collected from the former places Seeing then it is euident that Gods Spirit alone can perswade vs of the loue and fauour of our heauenly Father towards vs that so we may be in case to pray vnto him and withall must furnish vs with the matter and helpe vs in the manner of our praiers and humble vs in the sight of our owne miserable wants that so we may bee more earnest and feruent in the requests that we make the point now in hand may hence be strongly concluded to wit that none can make a faithfull prayer without the speciall ayde and direction of the holy Ghost which serueth Vse 1 First for the confutation of those sencelesse people that will be talking and bragging how they pray day and night They that know what it is to lift vp a feruent prayer vnto the heauens doe easily discerne that they are but meere braggers and boasters and that indeede they neuer made one faithful prayer since they were borne because they are and still haue bene sensuall and carnall and vtterly void of any sanctifying grace of Gods spirit and therefore so farre are they from hauing any cause of reioycing in regard of their good prayers as they call them that they haue great cause to be humbled for them as being workes of the flesh and not of the Spirit such as doe rather prouoke the Lords displeasure against them then pacifie his anger or any way procure his fauour towards them Such are the prayers of all blind and ignorant Papists who pray in an vnknowne tong to whom it may be said as it was by our Sauiour vnto the sonnes of Zebedeus Ye know not what yee aske They may speake what they list of their often praying and how readily they can goe through with their stint and taske but they that vnderstand what it is to bring God and their owne soules together in earnest requests and feruent supplications cannot but iudge them to bee bragging Pharises who thinke that the Lord is beholding vnto them and indebted vnto them for such prayers whereas in truth he may iustly condemneth em vnto hell for the same and will do so if they be not humbled for them as well as for the rest of their iniquities And therefore they that haue indeed the Spirit of prayer are of another mind for when they haue vsed the best preparation that possibly they can they finde so many defects in their prayers that they are driuen to make a new prayer for the pardoning of those their wants and are stirred vp heartily to praise the Lord when they can in any poore measure powre out their soules before him as knowing that it is not from any strength that they haue in themselues but from the helpe and furtherance of his good Spirit Secondly let this be an instruction vnto vs that if we would pray aright and speede accordingly we labour as Iude exhorteth to pray in the Iude V. 20. holy Ghost For those be the petitions that pierce the heauens and bring peace comfort vnto the conscience But how shall we know whether our prayers proceed from Gods Spirit or not for our sinfull hearts are apt to deceiue vs on both sides viz. either to make vs thinke through Satans suggestion that we doe not pray in the holy Ghost because we haue so many frailties when in truth we doe or that we pray as we ought to doe because we haue matter and words at will when indeed there is no such thing but onely a naturall gift of vttering that which is in our mindes and memories in apt and fit tearms and in a fluent manner of speech Therefore if wee

mercy vnto his Church He will seeke to destroy all nations that come against Ierusalem that is all the enimies that doe oppose themselues vnto his people and endeauour to hinder his good worke in them and for them Now when it is said that he will seeke to destroy them the meaning is that as he hath a resolution to ouerthrow them so he will prouide meanes whereby it shall be effected Then further in the tenth verse he setteth downe the meanes how his people should bee brought to such excellencie I wil powre vpon the house of Dauid and vpon the inhabitants of Ierusalem the Spirit of grace c. Signifying that he would vouchsafe vnto his Church vnder the Gospell a more plentifull measure of his Spirit that as they should haue more excellent and cleere and powerfull meanes so they should finde a greater blessing vpon the vse of those meanes that whereas vnder the law they had but drops of grace distilling easily by little and little now they should haue whole buckets full as it were yea whole flouds of grace powred downe vpon all sorts of Gods seruantes By the Spirit of grace is meant the Spirit of adoption and of regeneration so called both because it is giuen out of Gods free grace and fauour as also because it worketh grace and goodnesse in all such as are endued therewith this Spirit is further described by a speciall effect viz. that it is a Spirit of prayers Till such time as men are made partakers hereof they may vse many words of prayer but they are altogether idle and vaine fruites of their flesh and not of their faith such as they haue great cause to be humbled for and no reason at all to be comforted in but when once they haue this Spirit put into their hearts they can call vppon the Lord in an acceptable and comfortable manner Then next is shewed whither this Spirit leadeth them to wit vnto Christ They shall looke on him whom they haue pierced When men begin to pray in a religious and conscionable manner they disclaime all fleshly helps and hopes and betake themselues vnto their Sauiour whom they haue pierced by their sinnes for it cannot properly bee saide that the Scribes and Pharises or Iudas or the high Priests or the Romanes did put Christ to death they being but instruments thereof but the iniquities of Gods elect did the fact and they were indeed the true and principall cause that brought vpon the Sonne of God all manner of affliction and persecution and execution it selfe In the next place it is said that when his children shall looke vpon him They shall lament for him or ouer him or concerning him all comes to one reckoning As soone as they see what euils and miseries they haue brought vpon Christ Iesus by their transgressions and how odious their offences are which could be healed by no other medicine but by the precious bloud of the immaculate lambe of God the due consideration hereof will cause them to bee troubled and grieued at the very heart Which griefe is set out by two speciall circumstances two wit by the greatnesse of it and by the truth of it The greatnesse thereof is declared by two comparisons which yet are inferiour and lesse then the thing it selfe For the first comparison it is said That they should lament for him as one that mourneth for his only sonne and be sorry as one is sorry for his first borne If parents haue many children yet it will much grieue them to part with any of them but if they haue but one onely sonne who is likely to be the heire of the family and they lose him and so are disappointed of their hope then they vsually mourne with an exceeding bitter lamentation as the woman of the cittie of Nain did for the death of her onely son Luke 7. 11. Such the holy Ghost saith shall be the sorrow of all true penitent persons when they apprehend the multitude and grieuousnesse of their sinnes whereby they haue slaine the Lord of life The second comparison here vsed to expresse the measure of their sorrow is taken from the example of the Iewes who when their godly and worthy king Iosiah was slaine in the valley of Megiddo neere Hadadrimmon in fighting against Pharoah Necho king of Aegipt they lamented for him very 2. Chron. 35. bitterly and not onely the common people who haue not so good a gouernement of their affections mourned for him but Ieremiah the Prophet also and others of the best sort of men and women tooke this losse exceedingly to heart as seeing in the death of Iosiah the death and ruine both of Church and common wealth In which regard it was set downe as an ordinance that they should haue set times of mourning for that affliction which befell them through his death and such saith the Prophet shall bee the lamentation of those that attaine to the sight and sence of their sinnes whereby they haue slaine the Lord Christ Iesus verse 11. Hauing thus set forth the greatnesse of their sorrow he commeth in the next place to expresse the soundnesse thereof The land shall bewaile euery family apart c. Not in the publicke assemblies alone where the teares of one may draw on the teares of another and so their mourning be either naturall for company or hypocriticall for vaine glory but he saith that euery family should weepe apart and in priuate yea not onely the seuerall families but particular persons yea those that were most neerely lincked together viz. the husband and the wife should bee separated in this worke of humiliation and not content themselues to pray and bewaile their sinnes one with another but take some time each of them to performe this dutie in secret and if they that are so inward one with another should lament apart much more others that are further off one from another By the house of Dauid is meant as was before shewed the excellenter sort of Christians and the like is signified by the house of Nathan who was the son of Dauid of whom Christ came for the family of Salomon was wholy extinguished By the house of Leui is meant the ordinary sort of the Leuites and as for the family of Shimei it was one of the principall families of Leui. Whence we may obserue that all families without exception are tyed to this worke and ought iointly and seuerally to performe the same None are so good but they must weepe for their sinnes in secret and pray for the continuance increase of their goodnesse and as it is not needlesse for the best so neither is it bootlesse for the meanest but whosoeuer doth so shall haue a fountaine of grace opened vnto him whereby all his iniquities shall be washed away The drift then of these words we see is to manifest and expresse the great goodnesse of God towards his seruants in the time of the Gospel and here is shewed 1 First what gift he

their owne miserable and wretched estate and doe euen thirst for a supply of Gods graces as the dry and parched ground doth for the raine to fall vpon it which doth euen gape for it before it comes as if it would deuoure the clouds before they fall Concerning such the Lord saith that he will powre water vpon them neither shall they haue grace by drops but whole flouds thereof shall be powred vpon them for God can as easily ouerflow their soules therewith as the ground with waters when it stands in need thereof But what shall they be the better for this what benefite shall they finde thereby The Prophet telleth vs in that very place Vers 4. They shall grow as among the grasse and as willowes by the riuers of waters No raine can make the grasse so fresh and greene no riuer can cause the trees that are planted thereby so to flourish and prosper as the Spirit of God will euery thirsty soule when it is plentifully powred thereupon A second meanes to obtaine the Spirit with a daily increase of the gifts and graces thereof is to pray for it as euery one will that doth heartily long for it and to beleeue that we shall haue it and that wee may doe so our Sauiour maketh a notable argument for vs. Aske saith he and it Luk. 11. 13. shall be giuen you seeke and ye shal find c. Obiect Oh but I am vnworthy might some say both to aske and to receiue any thing at Gods hand Ans Why saith Christ If ye which are euill can giue good gifts vnto your children how much more shall your heauenly father giue the holy Ghost to them that aske it As if he should haue said You haue no matter of desert in you and therefore you are discouraged from prayer but what merite is there in one of your little children which are full of frowardnesse of brawling and vnquietnesse yet if they aske any thing of you that you conceiue to bee good for them you will presently grant it vnto them Now if you that are sinfull can passe by the infirmities of your children and giue them such things as are needfull though you haue made them no promise and you cannot relieue them without cost and paines vnto your selues nay many times not without pinching your selues and sparing from your owne backs and bellies if you I say that are euill can deale thus louingly and kindly with your children how much more will your heauenly father who is the God of al goodnes yea goodnesse it selfe deale fauourably with his children hauing made a promise vnto them and it being no paines nor charges vnto him to bestow a plentifull measure of spirituall graces vpon them and especially seeing that the more liberall hee is that way vnto them the more glory shall thereby redound vnto his great name If then we desire the Spirit of grace in an aboundant measure let vs craue it at the hands of the Lord who giueth of the same liberally and casteth no man in the teeth and we may the more comfortably and confidently do thus because we liue in those happy times wherein the Lord hath promised to powre his Spirit vpon all flesh and to bestow Ioel 2. 28. as excellent gifts and graces vpon ordinary Christians as the most worthy men had in the time of the law A third meanes to get and increase the vertues of the holy Ghost is with reuerence and conscience to hearken vnto the word for as the Apostle saith the Spirit is not bestowed for any goodnesse Gal. 3. 2. in vs or through any workes wrought by vs but God of his free mercy giueth it and conueigheth it vnto his children by the preaching of the Gospell And againe the same Apostle perswading the Thessalonians not to quench the Spirit for that is the best fire in the house and without it men must needes freeze in woe and sorrow and misery he saith despise not prophacying that is the ordinary ministery of the word when it is truly expounded 1. Cor. 14. 3. and faithfully and wisely applied as may be most for the edification of the hearers This is as it were the fuell whereby the fire of God is continued and increased in our soules and as we are more carefull in this duty of laying vp the word in our hearts so shall we finde the warmth or rather heate of the Spirit to be more aboundant and in more constant vs. Lastly if we would haue the holy Ghost continually working in vs with great efficacie let vs labour euermore to keepe an humble and broken heart and beware of pride and all vaine conceipt of our selues as the very rocke against which the shippe wherein the Spirit is caried doth as it were make shipwracke for God resisteth the proud and 1 Pet. 5. 5. giueth grace to the humble If one haue a hauty heart though there be no body else that seekes his ouerthrow the Lord will bring him downe but if any haue a meeke and lowly heart there is a palace for the Lord himselfe who will dwell with him that is of Isa 57. 15. a contrite and humble spirit to reuiue the spirit of the humble and to giue life to them that are of a broken heart Vse 5 In the last place here is an vse of comfort for all such as are endued with the Spirit of grace sith that is the fountaine of all happinesse therefore are they blessed people and shall bee blessed what courses soeuer they meete withal And what oppositions soeuer they finde either from Sathan himselfe or from any of his limmes those that are once ingraffed into Christ and are become plants of the liuing God haue the streames of liuing waters running through their hearts and therefore must of necessity prosper and flourish though the heate of persecution or any manner of affliction beate neuer so violently vpon them Indeed if wicked enemies of the Church could withdraw and withhold Gods spirit from the hearts of his children then might they hinder their happinesse and make them truly miserable but seeing they can no more stay the operation thereof then they can stop the course of the winde from blowing whither it will therefore shall they neuer be able Iohn 3. to defeate Gods seruants of that blessed estate which in Christ Iesus he hath promised vnto them and through his precious bloud-shedding purchased for them The Spirit of grace and of praiers From these latter words ariseth this second poynt that Doct. 2 None can make any acceptable praier vnto the Faithfull prayers proceede frō Gods Spirit Lord vnlesse he be assisted and directed by the Spirit of grace Howsoeuer men imagine it to be an easie matter to call vpon God yet the truth is that it is as hard for any of himselfe to make a faithful prayer as it is to make a world Therefore is it said in the Epistle to the Romanes Ye haue receiued the Spirit of adoption