Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	apostle_n	holy_a	scripture_n	6,970	5	5.7262	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A16943	The house of God The sure foundation, the stones, the vvorkmen and order of the building. The incomparable strength of that house, and the vaine assaults and batteries of Satan and all his power. In a sermon preached at Pauls Crosse, December 24, 1626. / By Matthevv Brookes.	Brookes, Matthew, fl. 1626-1657.	1627 (1627)	STC 3836; ESTC S119308	25,408	48

foundation Isa 28.16 Eph. 2.20 the foundations are the Prophets and Apostles they are the second foundation and vpon these the members of the Church as stones are builded according to that of the Apostle to the Ephesians Vers 22. You are also builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit Of this spirituall building S. Peter was a liuely stone It is a name which no man knoweth but he that hath it hee doth eate of the Tree of life and of the hidden Manna he is a Citizen of Heauen a fellow-Citizen of the Saints and of the Familie of God and to be layed in any place of this Temple is an honour farre greater then to bee exalted in the Palaces of Kings The Queene of Sheba when she heard the wisdome of Solomon shee said thus ● King 10.8 Happy are thy men happy are these thy seruants which stand continually before thee and that heare thy wisdome Were these happy for hearing Solomons wisdome Were these happy for standing before him How much more happy are those that stand builded in this spirituall House in which the Lord doth dwell who heare his wisdome who are made wise vnto saluation who receiue the secrets of the Gospell who are made the sonnes of God hearers and vnderstanders of his wisdome and because builded vpon that strong and sure foundation which Christ is therefore neuer to bee throwne downe This happines is common to Peter with euery true beleeuer let vs therefore examine the matter further that we may see what prerogatiue he might haue in this building aboue other stones I said before that he was made a stone by his faith and by his function by his faith he was made an Elect and precious stone by his function hee was made a great stone and a necessary foundation stone by his faith hee was laid into the building by his function he was was laid into the foundation of the building By the first he had fellowship with the Saints by the second hee had equality with the Apostles vpon both these respects dicimus lapidem electum pretiosum necessarium fundamentalem Wee say that he was a stone a choice stone a stone of great worth meet for the building and a stone of the Foundation By his faith It is not euery kinde of faith that maketh a stone much lesse such a stone a liuing stone or if you will so haue it a spirituall stone for then were it possible that all men might bee stones of this building because it is not impossible that all men may haue one kind of Faith or other There is a common faith which both the Elect and Reprobate haue and there is a faith proper to the Elect of God and this doth properly deserue the name of faith for to speake Theologically fides est electorum fides faith is the faith of Gods Elect Tit● 1.2 so saith Saint Paul that he is an Apostle according to the faith of Gods Elect. The common faith is of three sorts Acts 8.13 Historicall whereby a man beleeueth the letter or History of the Bible to be true Temporary Iames 2 1● whereby a man doth not onely beleeue the Scripture and in particular the Gospell but for some short time doth make profession and perhaps doth bring forth some fruits but he is not faithfull vnto death and therefore hath nothing to doe with the Crowne of life Reu. 2.10 Mat. 17.20 1 Cor. 13.2 Lastly the faith of Miracles whereby the minde is carried with a vehement inspiration of the Spirit to doe signes and wonders in the Name of Christ Neither of these faiths doe make a man a stone in this spirituall and eternall building and therefore though Simon had them all they could not make him Peter they could not make him a stone The Diuels doe beleeue the Scriptures to be true Iam. 2.19 Demas the backslider and Iulian the reuolter did for a time make profession of them 2 Tim. 4.10 and false prophets prophecie and cast out Deuils yea and doe many wonderfull workes in the Name of Christ Mat. 7.22 It is therefore worthy to be enquired what kind of faith St. Peters was and because we said that properly faith is the faith of the Elect so we will call it it was the iustifying or sauing faith Rom. 3.28 which did lay hold on Christ the Sonne of the liuing God who came to breake the Serpents head Gen. 3.15 and to deliuer vs from the Iawes of death for Peter caught him in the armes of faith when he confessed saying Thou art Christ the Sonne of the liuing God Let a man haue neuer so much knowledge let him make neuer so great profession let him be able to remoue mountains if he haue not this faith he is as sounding brasse or as a tinckling Cymball This is the faith that maketh euery one that hath it a stone in the building I will not say a stone so precious so bright-shining-glorious as Peter was for euen among the foundation stones themselues there seemes to me to be some difference of gifts and graces in this life and of glory in the life to come The first foundation was Iasper Reu. 21.19 the second Saphyr the third Calcedony c. but a stone at least a true member of the Church of Christ the benefit whereof is Ephes 2.3 that first he is washed from his naturall filthinesse and of a child of wrath is made the child of grace Secondly he is reconciled Rom. 5.1 and is at peace with God through Christ Thirdly he is the child of God Rom. 8.17 and an inheritor of the kingdome of Heauen Lastly he attaineth all good gifts to bring him thereto as sauing knowledge religious zeale constant obedience perseuerance in grace and what else you can thinke or speake of nay more then can come within the imagination of a naturall mans heart for he dwelleth in God and God dwelleth in him yea God hath giuen him his Spirit whereby he knowes it Let the proud and ambitious men of this world seeke after wealth and honour let them Haman-like account the Kings fauour aboue all good things let them haue sumptuous Palaces heapes of gold and siluer and all pleasures as Salomon had let them enioy these things with health peace and libertie let them haue all the good things of the mind body fortune which any naturall man be he as acute as Aristotle or Plato is able to wish for this one gift of sauing faith possessed in the depth of pouerty and worldly contempt in the diseased body and vlcerous skin of Lazarus and at the best wandring vp and downe in Sheeps-shinnes and Goats-skinnes lodging in dennes and caues of the earth with the seruants of the Lord shall preserue the possessors of it in that great and terrible day of the Lords wrath when the wicked shall vanish as smoake and consume away as the fat of Lambes Let vs not therefore

haereticorū fraudes et furta conuincit Tertullian the blessed Scripture reproueth the sleights and thefts of Hereticks thence therefore they must ordinarily fetch their directions and be instructed how to build 2 Tim. 3.17 for they will make the man of God absolute Extraordinarily the builders are directed sometimes immediately by God himselfe and by his holy Angels as the ancient Fathers from Adam to Moses sometimes by visions and reuelations as the Prophets from Moses to Christ sometimes by the immediate inspiration of the Holy Ghost as the Apostles Which extraordinarie meanes beeing now most rare the direction on which the builders must looke is the written Word of God together with the inward assistance of the Holy Ghost Will you know then how to make experience whether any builder be inwardly guided by the Spirit of God Heare then how one of the learned Fathers concludes the point Chrysost de 〈◊〉 ado●and Spirit There bee many saith he who doe bragge that they haue the Holy Ghost for they that speake of their owne doe falsly giue out that they haue him For as Christ did deny that he spake of himselfe when hee spake out of the Law and the Prophets euen so now if any thing saue the Gospell be thrust vpon vs vnder the name of the Holy Ghost we must not beleeue it For as Christ is the fulfilling of the Law and of the Prophets euen so is the Holy Ghost the fulfilling of the Gospell Lastly by these good meanes this doth come to passe that the stones are well placed in the Walles of this spirituall house for the labourers in Gods Haruest Mat. 9.37 whom he directeth by his Word and Spirit doe strongly proue and make appeare by the authority of the Word of GOD that God so loued the world Ioh. 3.16 that he gaue his onely begotten Sonne that whosoeuer beleeueth in him should not perish but haue euerlasting life This labour of theirs with the assistance of the Holy Ghost bringeth this to passe that first their minds are enlightened to see their owne misery in and by themselues Secondly their willes are inflamed to seeke reconciliation with God in Christ Iesus And it is admirable to see how God hath blessed the labours of his seruants to lay those liuing stones into the walles of this spirituall House who are well placed there by faith and baptisme Saint Peter hauing fully opened the state of the question and proued mightily Christ to be the Redeemer Act. 2.41 at one Sermon conuerted about 3000. soules who were also baptized How graciously were these stones layed in and placed Augustine confesseth of himselfe Confes lib. 5. cap. 14. that he heard Ambrose but for his eloquence sake et dum cor aperirem ad decipiendum quam disertè diceret pariter intrabat quam verè diceret By this meanes the Lord caught him for while he conceiued how learnedly hee discoursed he perceiued also how truly hee spake both conceipts entred together as heate and light which cannot bee separated Admirably was this stone layed in and placed By Caecilius a Minister of Christ was Cyprian that blessed Martyr conuerted to the faith Nazian laudib Cyprian He was both rich and Noble as Nazienzene reporteth of him hee was of great note for his learning and eloquence Lactant. instit lib. 4. cap. 1. Ioh. Trithem de script Cypr. Pont. Diacon de vita Cypr. as Hierom and Lactantius say And therefore considering his superstition as a rich and noble man hee might haue scorned to haue heard and as a learned and eloquent man disdained to haue beene taught by so meane a Minister as Caecilius was but the LORD would haue him to be layed into the building by his Ministery and therefore he was not onely won to the faith but euen at the first to shew that hee would practise what he had learned he sold all his substance and bestowed it vpon the poore wherby as Pontius Diaconus well concludeth paene antè coepit perfectus esse quam disceret De vita Cypr. he began to bee a perfect man in his religion almost before hee had learned the rules of it Was not this a blessed stone worke-man-like layed in and placed Wonder heere at the vndeserued loue of GOD toward his redeemed ones Epiph. ad Physiol cap. 21. Diuina opera incomprehensibilia sunt in hominibus mirabilia in excelsis super mel fanum super creata omnia dulciora His workes are incomprehensible to men for who can giue a reason of the choise of these liuing stones His workes are admirable in heauen euen the Angels themselues haue cause to admire the goodnesse of God toward his people His workes are sweeter then the honey the honey Combe or any thing created Behold how good it is vnto his people not to bee choise stones onely but to haue their Election made sure vnto them and by faith and baptisme through the ministerie of faithfull workmen directed by his Word and Spirit to be layed into the building All this were yet nothing if the house stood but vpon sandy ground and therefore to take away all doubts our Sauiour telleth vs whereupon his Church is built 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vpon this Rocke Vpon this Rocke Secondly of the second proposition viz. the Church is built vpon Christ the Rocke Rainolds Conf. Hart. c. 2. diuis 1. Lex Graec. ad sacri appar instruct reg b●●lior Tom. 6. Thomas voce petra Illyr voce petra I will not much contend with our Aduersaries concerning words onely this I affirme that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth alwayes signifie a stone neuer a rocke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth most vsually signifie a rocke grandem aliquam rupem viuum lapidem though sometimes it be likewise taken for a stone In this place it cannot signifie a stone but a rocke for our Sauiour is speaking of the foundation of his great building the Church vpon which foundation he would lay many Peters many stones This you shall see further by the metaphoricall acceptions of the word for sometimes petra is a firme place by way of opposition to sandy or mudground Psal 40.2 Hee brought me vp also out of an horrible pit out of the mirie clay and set my feete vpon a rocke and stablished my goings Sometimes it signifieth a place fortified and inexpugnable like vnto a Castle builded vpon a high craggy Rocke against which the power of the Enemie cannot preuaile Leaue the Cities Hier. 48.28 Psal 18.2 Psal 31.2 and dwell in the Rocke Lastly God is said to be our Rocke The Lord is my Rocke Be thou my strong Rocke for an house of defence to saue me This is the metaphor vsed in this place for our Sauiour telleth Peter who is the Rock of his Church that firm place vpon which his Church standeth that inexpugnable high Rocke vpon which it is situated namely himselfe whom Peter had confessed