Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	baptism_n	holy_a	water_n	8,407	5	6.8246	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A02530	Contemplations, the fifth volume. By Ios. Hall D. of D.; Contemplations upon the principall passages of the Holy Storie. Vol. 5	Hall, Joseph, 1574-1656.	1620 (1620)	STC 12657; ESTC S119069	104,952	514

If his mother could say when her blessed cozen the Virgin Mary came to visit her Whence is this to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me how much more might hee say so when the diuine Son of that mother came to call for a fauor from him I haue neede to bee baptized of thee and commest thou to me O holy Baptist if there were not a greater borne of women then thou yet thou couldest not be borne of a woman and not neede to be baptized of thy Sauiour Hee baptized with fire thou with water Little would thy water haue auailed thee without his fire If he had not baptized thee how wert thou sanctified from the wombe There can be no flesh without filthinesse neither thy supernaturall conception nor thy austere life could exempt thee from the need of baptisme Euen those that haue not liued to sin after the similitude of Adam yet are they so tainted with Adam that vnlesse the second Adam clense them by his baptisme they are hopelesse There is no lesse vse of baptisme vnto all then there is certainty of the need of baptisme Iohn baptized without Christ within The more holy a man is the more sensible he is of his vnholinesse No carnall man could haue said I haue need to be baptized of thee neither can he finde what he is the better for a little Font-water The sence of our wretchednes and the valuation of our spirituall helps is the best tryall of our regeneration Our Sauiour doth not deny that either Iohn hath need to be baptized of him or that it is strange that he should come to be baptized of Iohn but he will needs thus far both honor Iohn and disparage himselfe to be baptized of his Messenger he that would take flesh of the Virgin education from his Parents sustenance from his creatures will take baptisme from Iohn It is the prayse of his mer cy that hee will stoope so low as to bee beholden to his creatures which from him receiue their being and power both to take and giue Yet not so much respect to Iohn as obedience to his Father drew him to this poynt of humiliation Thus it behooues vs to fulfill all righteousnesse The counsels and appoyntments of God are righteousnesse it selfe There needs no other motiue either to the seruant or the Son then the knowledge of those righteous purposes This was enough to lead a faithfull man thorow all difficulties and inconueniences neither will it admit of any reply or any demurre Iohn yeeldeth to this honour which his Sauiour puts vpon him in giuing baptisme to the Authour of it Hee baptized others to the remission of their sinnes now hee baptizes him by them they are remitted both to the Baptizer and to others No sooner is Christ baptized then hee comes forth of the water The element is of force but during the vse It turnes common when that is past neither is the water sooner powred on his head then the Heauens are opened and the Holy Ghost descendeth vpon that head which was baptized The Heauens are neuer shut whiles either of the Sacraments is duely administred and receiued neither doe the Heauens euer thus open without the descent of the Holy Ghost But now that the God of Heauen is baptized they open vnto him which are opened to all the faithfull by him and that Holy Ghost which proceeded from him together with the Father ioynes with the Father in a sensible testimony of him that now the world might see what interest hee had in the Heauens in the Father in the Holy Spirit and might expect nothing but diuine from the enttance of such a Mediator CHRIST tempted NO sooner is Christ comne out of the water of Baptisme then he enters into the fire of Tentation No sooner is the Holy Spirit descended vpon his head in the forme of a Doue then hee is led by the spirit to be tempted No sooner doth God say This is my Son then Satan sayes If thou bee the Son of God It is not in the power either of the gtft or seales of Grace to deliuer vs from the assaults of Satan they may haue the force to repell euill suggestions they haue none to preuent them yea the more we are ingaged vnto God by our publique vowes and his pledges of fauour so much more busie and violent is the rage of that euill one to encounter vs Wee are no sooner stept forth into the field of God then hee labours to wrest our weapons out of our hands or to turne them against vs. The voyce from Heauen acknowledged Christ to bee the Son of God this diuine Testimony did not allay the malice of Satan but exasperate it Now that venomous Serpent swels with inward poyson and hastes to assayle him whom God hath honored from Heauen O God how should I looke to escape the suggestious of that wicked one when the Son of thy loue cannot bee free when euen grace it selfe drawes on enmity That Enemy that spared not to strike at the head will he forbeare the weakest and remotest lim Arme thou mee therefore with an expectation of that euill I cannot auoyd Make thou me as strong as he is malicious Say to my soule also Thou art my Son and let Satan doe his worst All the time of our Sauiours obscurity I doe not finde him set vpon Now that hee looks forth to the publique execution of his diuine Office Satan bends his forces against him Our priuacy perhaps may sit down in peace but neuer man did endeauour a common good without opposition It is a signe that both the work is holy the Agent faithfull when wee meet with strong affronts We haue reason to bee comforted with nothing so much as with resistance If we were not in a way to do good we should finde no rubs Satan hath no cause to molest his owne and that whiles they goe about his owne seruice Hee desires nothing more then to make vs smooth paths to sin but when we would turne our feet to holinesse hee blocks vp the way with tentations Who can wonder enough at the sawcines of that bold Spirit that dares to set vpon the Son of the euerliuing God who can wonder enough at thy meeknes patience ô Sauiour that wouldst be tempted He wanted not malice and presumption to assault thee thou wantedst not humility to endure those assaults I should stand amazed at this voluntary dispensation of thine but that I see the susception of our humane nature layes thee open to this condition It is necessarily incident to manhood to be liable to tentations Thou wouldest not haue put no flesh if thou hadst meant vtterly to put off this consequence of our infirmity If the state of innocence could haue beene any defence against euill motions the first Adam had not been tempted much lesse the second It is not the presenting of tentation that can hurt vs but their entertainment Ill counsell is the fault of

neuer disappoynted any mans trust Dauid now findes that the eye which waited vpon God was not sent away weeping Dauid therfore and his men are now vpon their march after the Amalekite It is no lingring when God bids vs goe They which had promised rest to their weary limbs after their returne from Achish in their harbour of Ziglag are glad to forget their hopes and to put their stiffe joynts vnto a new taske of motion It is no maruell if two hundred of them were so ouertyred with their former toyle that they were not able to passe ouer the riuer Besor Dauid was a true type of Christ We follow him in these holy wars against the spirituall Amalekites All of vs are not of an equall strength Some are carried by the vigour of their faith through all difficulties Others after long pressure are ready to languish in the way Our Leader is not more strong then pittifull neither doth hee scornfully cashier those whose desires are hearty whiles their abilities are vnanswerable How much more should our charity pardon the infirmities of our brethen and allow them to sit by the stuffe who cannot endure the march The same Prouidence which appoynted Dauid to follow the Amalekites had also ordered an Aegyptian to be cast behinde them This cast seruant whom his cruell Master had left to faintnesse and famine shall bee vsed as the meanes of the recouery of the Israelites losse and of the reuenge of the Amalekites Had not his Master neglected him all these rouers of Amalek had gone away with their life and booty It is not safe to despise the meanest vassal vpon earth There is a mercy and care due to the most despicable peice of all humanity wherein wee cannot bee wanting without the offence without the punishment of God Charity distinguisheth an Israelite from an Amalekite Dauids followers are strangers to this Aegyptian an Amalekite was his Master His Master leaues him to dye in the field of sicknesse and hunger these strangers releeued him and ere they know whether they might by him receiue any light in their pursuit they refresh his dying spirits with bread and water with figs and raisins Neither can the haste of their way bee any hindrance to their compassion Hee hath no Israelitish blood in him that is vtterly mercilesse Perhaps yet Dauids Followers might also in the hope of some intelligence shew kindnesse to this forlorne Aegyptian Worldly wisdome teacheth vs to sow small courtesies where we may reape large haruests of recompence No sooner are his spirits recalled then hee requites his food with information I cannot blame the Aegyptian that hee was so easily induced to descry these vnkind Amalekites to merciful Israelites those that gaue him ouer vnto death to the restorers of his life much lesse that ere he would descry them hee requires an oath of security from so bad a Master Well doth hee match death with such a seruitude Wonderfull is the Prouidence of God euen ouer those which are not in the neerest bonds his owne Three dayes and three nights had this poore Aegyptian Slaue lyen sicke and hunger-starued in the fields and lookes for nothing but death when God sends him succour from the hands of those Israelites whom hee had helped to spoile though not so much for his sake as for Israels is this heathenish Stragler preserued It pleases God to extend his common fauors to all his creatures but in miraculous preferuations he hath still wont to haue respect to his owne By this means therfore are the Israelites brought to the sight of their late spoylers whom they finde scattered abroad vpon all the earth eating and drinking and dancing in triumph for the great prey they had taken It was three dayes at least since this gainefull forraging of Amalek and now seeing no feare of any Pursuer and promising themselues safety in so great and vntraced a distance they make themselues merry with so rich and easie a victory and now suddenly when they began to think of enioying the beauty and wealth they had gotten the sword of Dauid was vpon their throats Destruction is neuer neerer then when security hath chased away feare With how sad faces and hearts had the wiues of Dauid and the other Captiues of Israel looked vpon the triumphall reuels of Amalek and what a change do we thinke appeared in them when they saw their happy and ualiant Rescuers flying in vpon their insolent Victors and making the death of the Amalekites the ransome of their captiuity They mourned euen now at the dances of Amalek now in the shriekes and death of Amalek they shout and reioyce The mercy of our God forgets not to enterchange our sorrowes with ioy and the ioy os the wicked with sorrow The Amalekites haue paid a deare lone for the goods of Israel which they now restore with their owne liues and now their spoyle hath made Dauid richer then he expected that booty which they had swept from all other parts accrewed to him Those Isralites that could not goe on to fight for their share are comne to meete their brethren with gratulation How partiall are wee wont to be vnto our owne causes Euen very Israelites will bee ready to fall out for matter of profit where selfe-loue hath bred a quarrell euery man is subiect to flatter his owne case It seemed plausible and but iust to the actors in this rescue that those which had taken no part in the paine and hazard of the journey should receiue no part of the commodity It was fauour enough for them to recouer their wiues children though they shared not in the goods Wise and holy Dauid whose praise was no lesse to ouercome his owne in time of peace then his enimies in warre calls his contending followers from law to equity and so orders the matter that since the plaintifes were detained not by will but by necessity and since their forced stay was vse-full in garding the stuffe they should partake equally of the prey with their fellowes A sentence well-beseeming the justice of Gods anoynted Those that represent God vpon earth should resemble him in their proceeding It is the just mercy of our God to measure vs by our wills not by our abilities to recompence vs gratiously according to the truth of our desires and endeauors and to account that performed by vs which hee only letteth vs from performing It were wide with vs if somtimes purpose did not supply actions Whiles our heart faulteth not we that through spirituall sicknesse are faine to abide by the stuffe shall share both in grace and glory with the victors The death of Saul THe Witch of Endor had halfe slaine Saul before the battell It is iust that they who consult with deuils should goe away with discomfort He hath eaten his last bread at the hand of a Sorceresse and now necessitie drawes him into that field where he sees nothing but despaire Had not Saul beleeued the ill newes of the