Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	bear_v	son_n	witness_n	5,359	5	7.9501	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A12604	The eunuche's conuersion A sermon preached at Paules Crosse, the second of February. 1617. By Charles Sonnibank, Doctor of Diuinitie, & Canon of Windsor.	Sonibancke, Charles, 1564-1638.	1617 (1617)	STC 22927; ESTC S114127	43,380	142

vnto vs silly creatures on the earth and how powerfully dost thou schoole vs and teach vs by thy example to goe vp to Ierusalem to worship God to reade not Esay the Prophet onely but euen the whole booke of God! that so vsing those and all such other gratious means which God offereth vnto vs for the illumination of our darke hearts by faith as thou here diddest we might also with thee in time be enriched with that precious and inestimable treasure of a true faith That so as the Spirit of God witnesseth of thee that thou diddest beleeue that Iesus Christ was the Son of God so the same Spirit might beare witnesse to our spirits that wee also beleeue But herein especially doth he school vs and in schooling vs reproue vs and in reproouing vs shame vs. For first if hee that had so fewe meanes to leade him to the knowledge and worshippe of God doe yet notwithstanding out-goe vs in his seruice and worship who doe abound with all gratious and needfull helpes that may leade vs thereunto how can it but be a shame vnto vs Secondly if he that dwelt so farre off as Aethiopia was from Ierusalem refused not to vndertake so long so tedious a iourney to trauell thither there to worship God How can it choose but be a shame to vs who will many of vs scarce goe out of doores or wet our foote in trauelling to the house of the Lord to heare his word and to worship him in his holy Temple Thirdly if he at one only Sermon of Philip were brought to knowe and to beleeue in Christ what a shame is it for vs that after so many yeares enioying the word of God pulickely taught and expounded vnto vs and after so many and almost infinite Sermons that haue bin preached amongst vs there should yet be so many of vs that are not wonne to the seruice of God and faith in Christ The Lord our God as much desireth our good as hee did the good of this Eunuch The word of God is as mighty in operation now as in former times the Spirit of God worketh with the word preached effectually now as in former times The industrie and desire of Gods Ministers though they be not equall to the Apostles and first Fathers of the Faith who because the Church was then newly to bee planted had Primitias spiritus sancti the first fruits and the more eminent and powerfull graces of Gods Spirit yet are they such as might in some degree of proportion serue to beget faith now as in former times and yet for all this they are but few in comparison of the multitude that profite in faith godlinesse by our labours The cause why we cannot write vpon the water is not the want of skill nor the fault of the pen but the vnfitnesse and indisposition of the water So the reason why Gods Spirit preuaileth not in vs is neither any default in God or defect in his Spirit or weakenesse in his word or disability in his Ministers but onely in men and women themselues who are not disposed fitted to receiue such stamps and impressions as they all would otherwise imprint and leaue in them For surely were men so willing so prepared as this noble Eunuch was to entertaine the Lord Iesus in their hearts and to receiue him into their soules by faith when we preach him vnto them then would our preaching bring forth in them the like precious effect and many more of them than now doe would by our preaching of Iesus vnto them be brought with this Eunuch to beleeue in him and to bee his seruants But alas the more is the pitie many of vs may truly say with Peter We haue launched out into the deep and haue let fal our nets to make a draught we haue trauelled all the night and laboured hard and yet haue taken nothing Many of vs like candles doe waste and consume our selues by studying and preaching to giue you light and yet many of you for all that doe still continue and remaine in darknes Many of vs like busie silke wormes weaue out our owne bowels as they doe in making of silke that you may be cloathed in silke and apparelled with the precious roabes of Christs righteousnesse and yet for all that many of you choose rather to be cloathed with your owne rags with the garments which are spotted with sin and stayned and defiled with iniquitie What can the husband-man doe more than till his land and sowe his seed what can the gardiner do more to his figge-tree than ditch round about it and dung it what can the dresser or planter of a vineyard doe more for it than place it in a fruitfull hill and hedge it and gather out the stones and plant it with the best plants what can we doe more than preach Iesus vnto you Nullus doctor est dator boni quod docuerit saith Bar. Wee can teach you good things we cannot giue you good things we may be doctores gratiae but not datores we may be teachers but we are not giuers of grace The Angel in the 5. of Iohn did but stirre the waters of the poole Bethesda and troubled the waters thereof hee thrust no man into the poole that was a worke to be performed by thēselues that would be healed Wee that are the Ministers of God wee open and expound the Scriptures vnto you by our diuiding the word of God and expounding the same vnto you wee moue and we stirre the water of life that floweth in them you must be carefull to step into them your selues c. And surely the very true reason why after so much stirring and troubling of these waters after so much preaching and teaching there are yet so many both men and women that lie diseased full of soares sinnes by this poole and by these waters not onely for the space of 38 yeeres but some for more yeeres and all their whole life long neuer once offering to step in much lesse to thrust themselues thereinto when the waters therof are stirred I say the very true reason hereof is either their infidelitie that they cannot or their lazinesse idlenesse that they will not or their pride vvhich suffereth them not to humble their hearts and to subiect their wills to the will and word of God They consult their owne sense and vnderstanding and suffer themselues to be caried away with the streame of their own naturall reason and corrupt affections whereas if they would submit themselues captiuate their vnderstanding and their willes to the will and word of God and be wholly led and directed thereby they might as here this noble Eunuch did attaine to some good proportion and comfortable measure of true faith But that which the Comicall Poet spake of hands in his time I may say of our hearts in these dayes Corda nostra sunt oculata non credunt nisi quod vident Our hearts are full of

Eunuch The maine scope principall drift of the Spirit of God in this Scripture and history which I haue read vnto you is to shew and shaddow out vnto vs the large extent of the doctrine of the Gospel the kingdom of Christ and how the same is by the counsell and mercifull purpose of God to be propagated extended to the vtmost borders of the earth And therefore in this present history which I haue chosen at this time to treat of you may bee pleased to beholde how God vouchsafed to poure vpon the head of this Honorable Eunuch the precious ointment of the sauing knowledge of Christ that like as the sweete and precious oyntment that was powred on the head of Aaron ran downe from his head and beard to the skirts of his garments so also this fragrant and sweete oyntment might stream downe and flowe to the skirts as it were of his cloathing to the vtmost borders of his Countrie and first to open to him the fountaine of life and to let him drinke thereof and then by him as it were by a conduit pipe to deriue and conuey the sweete streames and waters therof to his countrie-men that dwelt a farre off euen to the people and inhabitants of Aethiopia Which thing came accordingly to passe for he being conuerted conuerted many brethren and as wee receiue it by tradition brought many of his owne nation to the knowledge of Christ The chiefe and principall points which I obserue in this Scripture and whereof I purpose by Gods assistance to speake at this time are these 1. An Angel disposeth of Philip assigneth him a place for his employment ver 26. 2. Who what he was to whom by the direction of the Angell Philip was sent First hee was of Aethiopia Secondly hee was an honourable Personage chiefe Gouernor to the Queen of that coūtrie and had the rule of all her treasure Thirdly he came or he trauelled to Ierusalem to worship ver 27. 3. In the third place wee will consider how this noble Eunuch was busied emploied in his returne homeward as hee returned sitting in his chariot he read Esaias the Prophet ver 28. 4. The fourth thing that I intend to speake of is Philips performance of that duty and seruice to which he was appointed ver 30. 5. Fiftly and lastly the effectes which his owne reading and Philips preaching of Christ wrought in this Eunuch they are three first he beleeued secondly hee was baptised and thirdly after he beleeued and was baptised he went homeward reioycing In the first place in that an Angel is appointed by God to warne Philip to hasten and meete the Eunuch for his conuersion it may teach vs how gratious and mercifull God is to the sons of men who for their sakes for their good will haue his Angels to bee seruiceable and helpfull vnto them By the help of Angels Lot was deliuered and preserued in the destruction of Sodome ver 19. An Angel of God went before the hoast of Israel and behinde the hoast and did deliuer them defend them from the Egyptians Exod. 14.19 An Angell of the Lord opened the prison doores by night and brought forth the Apostles and set them at libertie Acts 5.19 An Angel directed Cornelius to send for Peter and here an Angel is sent to warne Philip to ioyne himselfe to the Chariot of this Eunuch and to expound the Scripture vnto him So true is that of the Apostle Saint Paul Angels are ministring spirits sent forth to minister for their sakes vvhich shall be heires of saluation Heb. 1. last Happy are they who by the blessing of God doe make a wise and gracious vse of the ministration of Angels who by the cleannesse of their life and holy conuersation make glad those holy and blessed spirits which are beholders and eye-eye-witnesses of all their actions and by their vnfained repentance giue them cause of reioycing For there is ioy in the presence of the Angels of God for a sinner that cōuerteth Luke 15.10 Which thing if wee shall doe then shall those Angels which reioyce in our wel-dooing and are by Gods appointment content to loue vs and to minister vnto vs heere in sterquilinio mundi in this dūghill of the world much more honour and loue vs in aula coeli in the Palace and kingdome of heauen and beeing glad of our conuersion in this life will bee more glad of our assumption and saluation in heauen 1. In the second or next place we haue to consider the person to whom by the direction of the Angel Philip was sent and hee is here said first to be a man of Aethiopia If any man shall vvonder how any sparke of the knowledge true worship of God should giue light shine in Aethiopia by the light whereof this great and noble man might attaine to any glimse of the knowledge of God and thereby bee brought to desire to performe any seruice and worship to him and that in the place principallie appointed thereunto namely in his holy Temple at Ierusalem especially seeing that howsoeuer the Commission of preaching the Gospel to all Nations though it were giuen sealed to the Apostles and Disciples yet it was not yet sped or as yet executed If any man I say shall wonder hereat he must knowe that although the light of the Gospell did not as yet shine either in Aethiopia or in the remote and vtmost kingdoms of the earth yet besides that knowledge which men might haue by nature and by the beholding of the creatures and the frame of the world the light of the law and the knowledge of God did in some proportion either more or lesse shine or shimmer foorth to all Nations singulis generum though not generibus singulorum as the Schoole speaketh to some of all Nations though not to all particulars of euerie Nation God hath not left himselfe without witnesses in any place but hath left in all the Nations of the world some prints footsteps of his knowledge of his power and goodnes And although it might be said in regard of the eminencie thereof that in Iurie God was well known that his tabernacle was in Salem yet was he knowne in other Nations also and he made his Name glorious in all the quarters of the world The prayer or wish of Noah that Iaphet might dwell in the Tents of Shem was in some measure in all succeeding ages heard and granted Gedeons fleece was not onely and alone watered but the whole threshing floore the Land of Iury was not alone bedeawed moistned with the heauenly deaw of the knowledge of God but the whole earth with the Nations that were farre remooued euen to the vtmost bounds thereof Some part of this heauenly deaw might light vpon this Eunuch's head and with some part of this holy oyntment his heart might be anointed The bookes of Moses and of the Prophets came into the hands and Schooles of many of the