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	receive_v	son_n	6,859	5	5.8529	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A15701	The castell of Christians and fortresse of the faithfull beseiged, and defended, now almost sixe thowsand yeares. VVritten by Iohn VVolton, on e of the Cathederal Church in Exetor.	Woolton, John, 1535?-1594.	1577 (1577)	STC 25975; ESTC S103316	80,248	214

and liketh or at such tyme as we desire or by those noble men who wee suppose to be wise strong ynough for such a matter This therefore commeth to passe that men may vnderstand euen by vse experience that the church is not defended by mans strength but by the liuing God according to that sentence Leaste you should say our handes haue donne it Secondarely we ought to knowe that vnto Gods promise of temporall blessings there is alwayes annixed a condition or an exception of temporall affliction which is a companion or waytinḡ seruant vnto the milytant Church For assuredly there are thrée thinges that are linked together in a true Christian one Faith Confession and Persecution He that will follow mée let him take vppe his crosse that is let him perseuer vnto the ende in fayth hope and patience The world and deuill do hate those most vehementlye that folowe Christ but in the myddle of theyr formentes their fayth is so kindled and their strength and patience confirmed by the holie ghost that the hotest flames of fire make them shrinke no more then if they were beaten with a f●ther Many of vs haue séene with our eyes and those that haue not séene maye reade in the booke of Martyrs of the constancie and patience of Christes seruantes in the flames of fyre so straunglye and aboue all humane strength that they wearied and appaled the cruell tormentors For when some of them vntyed stoode styll whyles their handes burned in the fyre and othersome lynked faste in the chaine and the fyre feeding and consuming theyr bodies casting vppe their handes and eyes towarde Heauen and neuer struglyng what doeth it shew but eyther a sencelesnesse of payne or an heauenlie gyfte of tollerancie and patience Peruse that notable storie of the mother and her seuen Sonnes suffering Martyrdome and you shall see that Antiochus was ouercome ashamed and wearyed with tormenting whiles the seruaunts of GOD ouercame reioysed and endured The Hystorie as it is memorable so is it confyrmed by experience in this our age whyles many weake Women with more then manlye stomackes endured wyllinglie and cheerefullie greate paynes and tormentes wherein that speach of our sauior Christ is verifyed My power is made perfecte through weaknes This mightie operation of the holye ghoste in the deathes and sufferings of his Saintes is one of the vndoubted testimonies which the auncient Fathers haue vsed as an euident demonstration to proue the certainty of Christian Religion in that the holy ghost is giuen into mennes hartes to breede and kyndle diuine flames of consola●ion which can not bee quenched with the myghtye flooddes of Persecution whereof the Apostle speaketh You haue receyued the spirite of adoption of sonnes vvhereby vve call Abba Father this spyrite giueth testimony vnto our spirite that vvee are the sonnes of God. These things we finde true indéede in dolours and paines when we heare the sounde of the gospell wherein the sonne of God sheweth vnto vs the will of his Father confirmeth our assent and perswasion and also powreth the holy spirit into our hartes whereby we féele and cast an heauenly ioye rest in peace flye not from God but lyke sonnes call vpon him in our distresse Surely this stoutnessē of minde in men wherby they triumphe euen in death is an euident testimonie that they are the children of God. Somtime also the Lorde sheweh his helping hande in the extréeme néede and distresse of his seruaunts For moste myraculously he deliuered the three children in the fiery fornace Daniell in the Lyons denne and Peter out of Prison Wee reade also of a Bisshoppe in the Cittie Nilopolis named was one Cheremon who being dryuen into eryle and banishment with a great company of the Christians was not able with his Wyfe to goe any farther by reason of their olde age and therefore in the sight of the multytude hee and his wife were taken vp into Heauen So that the honour and glorie of the Churche then especiallie appeareth and shyneth eyther when men with inuinsible courage doo without murmuring and dispayre tollerate most painful forments or are at the last myraculouslie delyuered In these matters therefore we must open not the eyes of Reason but of Fayth not the sence of the fleshe but of Gods spyrite is to bee considered I graunt that it is a ioyfull spectacle to the deuyll to beholde A bell murdered Iob afflycted Daniell caste vnto the Lyons and Stephen stoned But I saye the viewe thereof is more acceptable to God VVho vvitnesseth that the death of his Sainctes is precious in his syght But not in respect of the payne but of the euent Both God and deuyll beholde the tormentes of the godlie but with dyuerse affectes and counsayles For God permy●●eth his Saintes to be afflycted of his meere goodnesse but the deuyll desyreth it in malyce God to crowne them the deuyll to confounde them God as a Father the deuyll as a tyraunt and hangman God doeth it for the glorie of Saintes the deuyll for theyr ignominie Of these causes Saint Augustine wryteth thus Euery vvycked person hath vvyll to him of himselfe but power by Gods dispen 〈◊〉 on only he is permitted to preuayle against some 〈◊〉 punish them against others to proue them and against other some to crowne them Straūgers were permytted to punishe the Chyldren of Israell bicause they had offended against god The dyuell was permyfted to proue and trye Iob but him selfe was confounded Persecutours afflicted holy Martyrs but to their crowne and victorie The holie wytnesses and Martyrs of God therefore are more happie in their tormentes then myghtye Princes in their pleasures for as Saint Augustin beareth witnesse Men of this worlde are happie vnhappilye But Martyrs are vnhappy happelie they were vnhappie temporallie but happie eternally This euent of Martyrs is paynted out in a sweete symilytude by the Psalmist They that sowe in teares shall reape in ioye They went weeping and carryed precious feede but they shall returne with ioye and bring then sheaues For the holie Martyrs cast not their eyes onelie vpon the tyme of sowing and vpon the practise of sathan who seeketh to ouerflowe the Churche with streames and floodes of blood but vpon the ioyfull tyme of Haruest when as they shal be confourmed and made lyke the glorious bodie of our sauiour Iesus Christ God would haue vs therefore to bée constant in faith and hope and to haue all our confidence reposed in the omnipotencie of the eternall maiesty who is able in euery monument to remoueaway his crosse from vs whiche not with standing he doeth not commonly vntyll we be sufficiently chastised and turned vnto him by true repentaunce For as the tryer of mettayles taketh not his golde out of the furnace before it be perfectly purified and clensed euen so God doeth not deliuer vs from temptation before wee bee throughly tryed and confirmed Wherefore let vs depende vpon almightie God