Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A50490
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The pastors valediction, or, A farewell sermon preached at Sepulchres, London / by Mr. Matthew Meade.
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Mead, Matthew, 1630?-1699.
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1662
(1662)
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Wing M1556; ESTC R9094
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15,072
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30
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sum of all Mercy so our love to God is the sum of all Duty Grace is the new birth of the Soul whereby it takes up another Nature a new Nature a spiritual God-like Nature as Christ was born and thereby took on him the Nature of man and was made flesh so man is born by Grace and thereby takes upon him the Nature of God and is made Spirit and here you have at once the great mystery of Grace in the lowest debacement of a Saviour and the highest advancement of a Sinner for the Lord Christ could not be more debaced then to be born it was nothing so great an abatement for Christ to dye as for him to be born for being once made man it is no wonder for to dye but being the great God it s a wonder that ever he should be made man Lo here is the debacement of Christ Yet if he had been born to a Crown to Honour it had been something but he was born to shame to sorrow and death but man by Grace is born to a Crown to a Kingdom he has a title to all the glory and blessednesse of Heaven from the first moment of his new birth So 't is in the Text Grace be unto you and Peace Peace in Scripture is a very comprehensive terms it carries in it all happinesse It was the common greeting of the Jews Peace be unto you Thus David by his Proxy salutes Nabal Peace be to thee and thy house and the Apostle here alludes to this form of salutation that he might mix new Testament mercy to old Testament manners he first stiles grace before peace as Jacob did with his Venison he made it a savoury meat such as Isaack loved Peace is the glory of Heaven in the Bosome of God and brought into the world in the Arms of Angells The first peace you read of in the Gospel was peace by the administration of Angels Luke 2.13 14. And suddainly there was with the Angells a multitude of Heavenly host praising and saying Glory to God in the highest and on Earth peace good will towards men And when our Lord Christ first sent out his Disciples this was the Doctrine that he bid them preach Math. 10.12 13. When you come into a house salute it and if it be worthy let grace peace come upon it Mark here by the way our Lord Jesus Christ is no enemy to good manners He would not have Christians to be Clowns which is the use of some among us who would have their Religion quarrell with good manners No but in whatsoever City or Town you enter salute it and let grace peace come upon it that is wish peace to them saying the peace of God be upon this place upon the heads and hearts of all in it So that Peace is both a Gospel-salutation when Ministers and people meet and it 's also a Gospel-valediction when the Minister and the people parts So did the Apostle and so do I now Grace be with you and peace I observe in Matth. 10.13 14. our Lord bids his Disciples when they enter into a house if the house be worthy to let their peace come upon it but if they be not worthy let grace peace return to you In stead of leaving peace with them to shake off the dust of their feet against them that is to shew that God will shake them off as dust and tread them under feet as fuell My Brethren your diligent attendance on the Word at this place hath comfortably prevented the part of my charge to shake off the dust of my feet for how beautifull have the feet of a poor worm been to you being shod with the preparation of the Gospel of Christ And therefore seeing our Lord Christ saith if they be worthy of their peace abide with them on this accompt I wish to you Grace and peace from God our Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ. But what is this peace It 's the beauty of Union the harmony of the Creation the pleasure of Life the feast of a good Conscience it s that which makes Life sweet and Death easie Peace sweetens all our possessions and all our afflictions without this the fullnesse of the World is a burden with this poverty and emptinesse is a pleasant companion without this our bread is gravelled with sowrenesse and our water mingled with bitternesse with this green herbs become a Feast and our Water is turned into Wine Peace it s the most beautifull Creature in the world and therefore it s beloved of all courted of all many seek her but few there be that enjoy her they do not go the right way to find her for in the wayes of righteousnesse is peace Peace is the seminary of all blessings Temporal as Grace is of all blessings Spiritual in Grace you have imployed all holinesse in Peace all happinesse in grace all inward in peace all outward blessings grace and peace are the Alpha and Omega of all Blessings as God is of all Beings no blessing comes before Grace and no blessing lasts longer Then see in this phrase of speech the Apostle wishes upon them as I do upon you all the blessings both of Time and Eternity and yet he wished no more to them then God promised to give them 1 Tim. 4.8 For godlinesse hath the promise of this life and that which is to come Grace be unto you and peace c. not one without the other though a man may have grace without peace as in a time of disertion or temptation and a man may have peace without grace as in a secure and unregenerate condition grace without peace is often found in a troubled conscience and peace without grace is often found in a seared conscience as grace without peace is very uncomfortable so peace without grace is very unprofitable like Rachel beautifull but barren therefore the Apostle desires ye should have both grace and peace and we say the Sun and Salt are the most usefull Creatures in the world the one for shining the other for seasoning My Brethren Grace and Peace are the Christians Sun and Salt Grace is the light of their souls and Peace is the savour of their comforts Grace shines through all their faculties and Peace seasons all their mercies The blessings of God are become as twins as Christ said of the Spouse Cant. 4.2 She is like a flock of sheep that are even shorn which came up from the washing whereof every one bear twins and none is barren among them Grace and peace here are knit together by the Spirit of God in a sacred knot not to be untied As Castor and Pollux when seen together portend happinesse to the Mariner so when grace and peace are found in a Soul together they portend the highest security and blessing to the Believer they are said in Scripture to be bound together where God gives the one he never denyes the other If he gives you the Upper Spring of grace he