Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	believe_v	faith_n	grace_n	8,077	5	5.8830	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A60543	A patern of free grace, or, The exceeding riches of the free grace and mercy of God in Christ to believing and repenting sinners by the example of that admirable convert, or rather miraculous mirror of Gods wonderful love and mercy in saving the repenting thief on the cross : wherein is excellently handled the doctrine of true repentance, the exceeding sinfulness of sin, with the desperate danger of final impenitency, with the certainty of Salvation to repenting sinners by Christ / by Samuel Smith.	Smith, Samuel, 1588-1665.	1658 (1658)	Wing S4190; ESTC R25767	152,510	534

doe they else but rob God of his glory and depriue a Christian soule of his chiefest ioy Now I would not be mistaken as though I meant that the comfort and assurance of a Christians saluation were so firme and certaine as that the same were neuer intermixed and ouer-clouded There is no such assurance in this life to bee looked for nay rather Gods people haue felt much feare and doubtings in themselues Hezechias complaines Esa 39. that the Lord had bruised his bones like a Lyon And Dauid is full of complainings Psal 31.22 Psal 77.7 I am cast out of thy sight will the Lord shew no more fauour and hath hee shut vp his louing kindenesse in displeasure And againe Psal 69.3 My eyes faint for wayting so long vpon my God Nay I dare adde this further that hee which neuer doubted of his saluation had neuer true faith to beleeue aright the pardon of his sins and the assurance of his saluation for hadst thou faith thou mightest assure thy selfe that Sathan would winnow thee But what manner of assurance then is this you speake of Quest Not an assurance that is free from doubtings and feares Answ but such an assurance that labours after assurance Assurance that wrestles and combats with doubtings and feares It is the wisedome of God by this meanes to settle and stablish the hearts of his seruants A man that hath newly planted a tree will bee euer and anone shaking of it not purposing to ouerthrow it but to settle it the more and thus the Lord by suffering the faith of his chosen sometimes to be shaken will haue their hearts rooted and grounded in him whilest they learne to deny themselues and to rest in him their strength Secondly seeing it is the pleasure of our good God thus to cheere vp the hearts of his chosen in their Pilgrimage here to fill their hearts with such ioyes and to giue them such secret and sweet raptures in the sence of his fauour in his Sonne whereby with the Spouse they role themselues vpon the beds of roses Can. as she confesseth and that to cause them so much the more cheerefully to serue him This may serue for our instruction to try our hearts and to see whether the worke of grace and of faith be wrought in vs. It is the aduice of the Apostle 2 Cor. 13.5 Proue your selues whether ye be in the faith how shall we doe this but by making particular application vnto our selues of those things wee beleeue In the matters of this life it is cucry mans care to doale vpon certainties for tenures of lands for Conueyances Leases c. Councell is entertained and euery word therein is scanned men will not deale but vpon good grounds But alas for the matter of our chiefe inheritance how simply doe men deale therein they are content to rest vpon a bare hope and thinke that a Lord haue mercy vpon mee will serue the turne What meaneth the Apostle to say Giue all diligence to make your calling and election sure but to shew that a Christians chiefest care must be for this But how may a man come to Quest this assurance of his saluation Wee must get good euidence and assurance of our faith in Christ Answ for so saith the Apostle As many as beleeued in him Ioh. 1.12 to them gaue he this power to be made the sonnes of God euen to them that beleeue on his name And againe We are saued by faith No man can haue the spirit of adoption that wants faith to beleeue Now for the obtayning of this grace of sauing faith the ordinary meanes is the preaching of the Word Rom. 10.17 faith commeth by hearing and the Gospell is called the word of faith vpon that then wee are to attend with all care and diligence as we looke to get faith and so consequently the saluation of our owne soules Secondly the Apostle giues this note how to know our adoption and so consequently whether wee be in the state of saluation or not Rom. 8.16 His spirit beareth witnesse to our spirit that we are the sonnes of God Now concerning this testimony of Gods spirit I will not make my selfe so skilfull to define what it is it is better felt then exprest The Prophet cals it The hearing of a voyce behinde vs Esa 38.21 whereby the heart comes to be perswaded of it reconciliation with God But how shall I know that my perswasion is not presumption Quest There be two speciall markes whereby we may distinguish betwixt them Ans First that vndoubtedly is the voyce of Gods spirit when comfort and assurance is felt in the heart after such time as the heart hath first beene humbled and cast downe in the sight and sence of sinne Psal My heart saith Dauid is as waxe it is molten in the middest of my body for in the time of a mans securitie when hee hath little or no apprehension of sinne then for a man to hope well and to conclude of his owne saluation is no strange thing nothing is more vsuall in the world amongst meer naturall men that neuer felt the smart of sinne then to bragge and boast of this assurance of saluation but alas they raise vp this building but vpon a sandy foundation which will neuer stand in the time of try all for it is Gods manner of dealing vsually in this work of mans saluation to lay full low whom hee intendeth to aduance full high by sorrow to bring them vnto ioy by death to bring them vnto life and by their humiliation for sinne to bring them to glory so that when a man hath once truely felt the smart of sinne when a man hath once combated with Gods wrath and the terrors of hell haue possessed his soule here is a good foundation to build the hope of heauen vpon for humiliation is the ground of exaltation and after this to stay a mans selfe vpon the promise of God in Christ is vndoubtedly the voyce of Gods spirit a token of true comfort and a note of true ioy Secondly when comfort ariseth from the comfortable vse of the meanes God himselfe hath appointed such as are the preaching of the Word the reuerent vse of the Sacrament prayer reading of the Scripture meditation c. for the Lord is euer a maintainer of that course which hee himselfe hath sanctified and set apart to the same end so then try thy assurance thus hath it beene layd in godly sorrow for sinne hast thou attended the poasts of the Lords Sanctuary c. This is vndoubtedly the voyce of Gods spirit and not of presumption But if on the contrary part thou neuer yet feltest such griefe of heart for sinne thy conscience did neuer yet torment thee in the sight and sence of sinne neither hast thou euer had any delight in the Lords Sabbaoths nor the duties of holinesse c. O deceiue not thy own soule thy hope of heauen of eternall life and

this miserable estate and condition doth the Lord finde vs when he is pleased to call vs as we may see in Saul Zacheus Acts 9. Luke 19. Ioh. 7. Mary Magdalene this penitent Thiefe and of all the faithfull it is God Who worketh both the will and the deed Phil. 2 13. and that of his owne good pleasure 1. Cor. 47. Who separateth thee saith the Apostle or who causeth thee to differ It is the Lord that makes this difference betwixt vs and wicked men Yea wee shall finde the whole worke of grace of Conuersion and saluation to be wholly attributed vnto him he is the Alpha and Omega the first and the last the beginning and the end that is all in all in the worke of our saluation First Election which is the ground foundation of al grace Election this comes from him Epees 1.5 Hee hath predestinated vs to bee adopted through Iesus Christ in himselfe according to the good pleasure of his will Secondly vocation and a Christian mans effectuall calling Vocation outwardly by the word and inwardly by the Spirit this proceeds likewise from him and his free and vndeserued grace and fauour alone 2. Tim. 1.9 He hath saued vs and called vs with an holy calling Gal. 1.6 Not according to our workes but according to his owne purpose and grace Thirdly Faith is the instrument or the hand Faith by the which we come to lay hold vpon and apply Christ and his righteousnesse vnto our ownesoules in particular Heb. 11.6 and without which we cannot please God Now from whence haue we this grace truly to beleeue Ephes 2.8 for By grace ye are saued through faith and that not of your selues it is the gift of God Fourthly from him alone proceedeth what will what power Obedience or abilitie soeuer we haue for any holy duty Ezek. 36.27 28. A new heart saith the Lord will I giue you and a new spirit will I put into you I will take away the stony heart out of your body and I will giue you a heart of flesh I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walke in my statutes Fifthly to haue the Word and Sacrament effectuall vnto vs this comes from him otherwise Paul may plant 1. Cor. 3.6 and Apollo water but all in vaine I haue planted and Apollo watered but God gaue the increase Finally the gift and grace of perseuerance to hold out in our Christian race vnto the end Perseuerance this is likewise from him I will giue them one heart and one way Ie. 32.4.41 that they may feare me for euer I will put my feare in their hearts and they shal not depart from me And That God who hath begun that good worke Phil. 1.6.29 will performe it vntill the day of Iesus Christ So that it is he that is the Alpha and Omega the first and the last that is all in all in the matter of grace and saluation So as we must say with the Church Isa 26.12 O Lord thou hast wrought all our works for vs. And it must needs be thus For First Reas 1 God will haue the whole glory of this worke of our conuersion and saluation and none other That all matter of glorying in our selues might bee taken away and that we might say with the Psalmist Not vnto vs Lord not vnto vs but vnto thy Name giue the praise He will haue the glory of his owne worke and the praise of his owne mercy and will teach vs to go out of our selues and to say with Paul By the grace of God I am that I am Secondly we haue nothing of our owne or within vs that should moue the Lord to elect vs vnto life or to adopt vs as sonnes wee are miserable orphans and haue naught else to plead vnto God to commiserate our misery we are beggers and destitute of all good things Our penury is such as that we are faine to begge at his hands Our daily bread he oweth vs naught and they are but his owne gifts and graces giuen vnto vs that he crowneth with glory This serues first of all to humble vs in the sense of our owne spirituall pouerty and misery Vse 1 that we are by nature so poore and blinde and naked No one thing can bee more effectuall to abate our pride and to pricke that windie bladder of our selfe-love and selfe-conceitednesse wherewith too many in the world are growne bigge withall puffed vp with a vaine conceit of their own worth and merits then the which what higher degree of sacriledge can there be then to ascribe the least particular in this worke of conuersion to our deserts No no let vs come vnto God and say O Lord righteousnesse belongeth vnto thee but vnto vs shame Let Popery stand aloft and presume to diuide with God in regard of their owne Free will works Merits and disposition that is in their owne hearts to receiue grace Far be it from vs so to doe who are not able of our selues to thinke a good thought Secondly this consideration that God is all in all in the matter of grace and saluation and that there is no difference by nature in any vntill God make a difference by grace This teacheth vs what to thinke and how to carry our selues towards those that are yet vncalled and are yet in their sins Surely we ought to waite with patience 2. Tim. 2.25 Prouing if at any time God will giue such repentance vnto life For seeing that our calling and conuersion yea euery good gift is from God what are wee that haue receiued grace our selues truly to repent and to beleeue that we should iudge out Brethren As they are such are we God hath shewed vs mercy why may not he that is rich in mercy shew the like mercy vnto them Let vs not then despaire of any but pitie them in their spirituall miseries And if they bee fallen downe let vs put vnder our hands and helpe to raise them vp againe The Lord would haue this mercy shewed vnto the very Oxe and Asse in the time of the Law being fallen vnder it burthen how much more to our Brother And we must pray for the conuersion of such a one Prouing if at any time God will giue them repentance vnto life Thirdly seeing that God is all in all in the matter of grace and saluation It shall be our wisedome to attend vpon the meanes whereby grace comes to bee wrought such as is the preaching of the Word especially by the which ordinarily the Lord worketh repentance for sinne faith in Gods promises and all other graces And last of all that wee giue vnto God the praise of his owne grace since that whatsoeuer good thing wee haue it comes from him But the other rebuked him We haue here in this Penitent a patterne of a man that maketh the right vse of his afflictions and troubles they bring

Wherein are obscruable 1. Christs asseueration Verily 2. Person to whom Thou 3. Promise it selfe Shalt bee with me 4. Place Paradise 5. Time This day And Iesus said vnto him Verily I say vnto thee c. The word Englished here Verily in the originall is Amen and is seldome or neuer translated either in the Greeke Latine English or any other language It is vsed often both in the old and new Testament And the vse thereof is twofold First it is vsed for an earnest wish and desire of the heart and thus when Dauid had appointed Solomon to be Ruler ouer Israel 1. King 1.36 Benaiah the sonne of Iehoida answered Dauid saying Amen therein testifying his vnfained desire that it should bee so And thus in those solemne cursings which the Leuites must pronounce with a loud voice in the hearing of the people The people to signifie that their assent thereunto to euery particular thereof must say Amen And thus it is vsed in our Church at the shuting vp of our prayers wherein wee testifie our desire to be heard and answered in those things we pray for Secondly the same is vsed againe for an earnest affirmation and asseueration as in that speech of our Sauiour vnto Nichodemus wherein the word is twice together repeated Amen Amen Dico tibi Iob. 3.11 c. Verily verily I say vnto thee And is there in that place as also in this in the nature of an oath wherein our Sauiour will assure Nichodemus and also this Penitent here of the vndoubted certaintie of that hee spake and promised binding his promise here for the further confirmation of his faith with a kinde of oath Verily I say vnto thee Doct. 1 The Doctrine that from hence may be concluded for our Instruction It is a won derful hard thing truly to beleeue is How difficult a matter it is truly to beleeue in Christ Christ promising this Penitent forgiuenesse of sinnes the saluation of his soule and that that very day he should be with him in Paradise Hee is faine for the further confirmation of his faith to vse this asseueration Verily and all to perswade him of the truth of his promise To beleeue aright in Christ is not a worke of Nature nor a thing that a naturall man in himselfe is disposed to but it is a supernaturall worke of Gods Spirit Phil. 1. To you it is giuen to beleeue saith Paul yea it is a work of Gods Almighty power Ephe. 1.19 That ye may know the greatnesse of his power to vs ward who beleeue according to the working of his mightie power This made the Prophet Isaiah to complaine and to say Esay 53.1 Lord who hath beleeued our report and to whom hath the arme of the Lord beene reuealed The old world would not beleeue Noahs preaching Gen. 6. Neither was Lot regarded of his sonnes and Sodomites Gen. 18. but hee seemed vnto them as if he had mocked Wee may see this in Gideon he was a man sent of God to be a deliuerer of the people of Israel the Lord had assured him by his Angell that he would deliuer Israel out of the hands of the Midianites by his hand Yet he is so hardly brought to beleeue this as that he asketh a signe Iudg. 6.14.36 If thou wilt saue Israel by my hands as thou hast said behold I will put a fleece of wooll in the threshing place c. The like we haue in Sarah albeit shee had heard the promise that God had made to Abraham her husband Gen. 17.16 that God would giue her a sonne Gen. 18.12 I will blesse thee saith God and giue thee a sonne She laughed at it Which was as much as if she should haue said This is a iest indeed Wee may see this most cleare in the people of Israel though the Lord from time to time had giuen good demonstration of his loue power goodnesse and mercie towards them which might haue caused that people for euer to haue trusted in his helpe and neuer to haue despaired of the same in time of their greatest need Yet still when the outward meanes of their deliuerance failed they beleeued not Gods promises insomuch that the Lord againe and againe complaineth of them Num. 14.11 How long will this people prouoke me How long will it bee ere they beleeue mee for all the signes which I haue shewed among them And How oft did they prouoke him in the wildernesse and grieued him in the desert The like example of mans imbecilitie and weaknesse in beleeuing the promises of God Wee may see this in Zachary the father of the Baptist who bewrayeth his infidelitie in this that could not be induced to beleeue the Angell touching a Sonne which Elizabeth his wife should beare vnto him Luk. 1.13 Which promise the Angell amplified for the further confirmation of his faith First by his Office hee should goe before Christ Secondly from the graces of God which should be bestowed vpon him and the effects of his Ministerie Notwithstanding all this Zachary remaines still incredulous and distrustfull saying vnto the Angell Ver. 18 Whereby shall I know this The Angel had assured Zachary before that the Lord had heard his prayer Ver. 13 Feare not Zachary for thy prayer is heard And yet hee is hardly brought to beleeue the promise The like wee may see in Peter a man full of faith and the holy Ghost in so much that when Christ bade him come vpon the Sea Ma. 1.8 hee left the ship but a waue arising his faith failed him And thus was it with the Virgine Mary when as the Angell came vnto her and told her that she had found fauour in the sight of God Luk. 1.39 How shall this bee saith she seeing I know not a man It seemed to her a strange thing that she should haue a child when shee had not companied with a man So that let the Lord promise immediately by himselfe by his Angels or by men yet are we hardly brought to beleeue So hard and difficult a thing in the heart of a man faith is Neither is this a thing to bee wondered at For first Reas 1 Faith is none of those plants that grow in the garden of our hearts naturally Ephes 2.8 No it is not of our selues saith the Apostle it is the gift of God Nature hath furnished vs with no principle at all concerning Christ concerning eternall life or the saluation of our soules And hence it comes to passe that because the meanes whereby God vsually worketh faith in our hearts and so consequently saluation seeme vnto our carnall reason to be vnlikely wee presently reiect them like Naaman when hee was commanded to wash in Iordane seuen times Are not saith hee Admah and Pharphar 2. King 5. riuers in Damascus better then all the waters in Iordane Euen so that by Christs death we should come to life by his shame that we should come to

saith Dauid and reproue me And well fare that heart that can so willingly suffer a reproofe The sweetest meats are not alwayes the wholesomest neither are the sharpest reproofes worst for the soule Hee is a miserable man that if his neighbour shall tell him of his enemies purpose to kill him should hate him for his paines much more wretched and miserable is the case of that man that being put in minde of the danger of sinne how his soule is like to be made a prey vnto Sathan will requite this warning with displeasure Let vs not bee such spirituall fooles Pro. 13.24 Hee hateth his sonne that spareth the rod saith Salomon The best kindenesse is to smite while there is hope and to reproue betimes ere it bee too late But the other rebuked him Text. Here wee haue a true patterne of a true penitent and looke what affection and disposition is here wrought in the heart of this Penitent towards his fellow the same affection disposition is wrought in some measure in all those to whom the Lord hath vouchsafed the like grace Now his care is manifested towards his fellow in this to bring him if it were possible to the sight of his sins and to repentance for the same And herein will teach vs That true repentance and conuersion vnto God Doct. 2 A true Conuert desires that others may partake of the same grace begets in the heart of a godly man a desire of the like grace towards others There is no one truth more apparent throughout the whole Scriptures then this How Gods people being themselues conuerted and hauing this grace giuen them to repent and beleeue haue endeuored to bring others to the knowledge of the truth likewise Thus the faithfull in the Primitiue time of the Church hauing tasted themselues and seene how gratious the Lord is they prouoke others to imbrace the same grace together with themselues Come say they let vs goe vp to the mountaines of the Lord. Esay 2.3 A true conuert cannot but proclaim the goodnesse of God vnto others Come saith Dauid and I will shew you what God hath done for my soule Psal 66.16 Gods grace is like fire in the bones as saith the Prophet His Word was in my heart as a burning fire shut vp in my bones Ier. 20.9 and I was weary of forbearing and I could not stay Christ forbade the two blinde men in the Gospell that were cured of their blindenesse straightly that they should tell no man but what saith the Text When they were departed Mat. 9.30.31 they spred abroad his fame in all that country They could not for their liues conceale it so Andrew when hee had found Christ hee had no rest till he had acquainted Peter The like wee may see in Philip towards Nathaniel Ioh. 1.41 Verse 45. wee may see this in Dauid who hauing petitioned the Lord in this wise Psal 51.12.13 Make mee to heare the voyce of ioy and gladnesse c. what followeth Then will I teach thy waies vnto the wicked and sinners shall be conuerted vnto thee The woman of Samaria leaues her pot behinde her Io. 4.28 and runs into the town that as shee had receiued Christ she might bring the tidings of ioy to her neighbours to prouoke them also to see and to heare Christ And what might be the reason wherefore Matthew the Publican inuited so many to his house when Christ was to come thither Luk. 5.29 no question he had this good intent therein that they also that came thither might reape some good by Christ These are those riuers of waters our Sauiour prophecyed of Io● 7.37 that should flow from the bellies of true beleeuers euen to the refreshing of the dry and barren hearts of others to cause them to bring forth also the fruits of righteousnesse This will grace doe Wee may see this likewise in Onesimus whom Paul sent backe vnto his Master Philemon with this testimony that howsoeuer in times past that is before his conuersion he was vnprofitable yet now saith Paul is profitable to thee and me No Vsurer is more forward to put out his money as it commeth into his hand for an increase as is the childe of God to improue the grace receiued for the good of others And it must needs be so First in regard of the nature and propertie of grace it selfe which is of a generatiue nature producing grace this Talent cannot bee hid or kept close in the heart without profit or increase Indeed the common gifts of the spirit such as are giuen many times to the wicked themselues these are not so profitable because they are but common gifts but where the sanctified graces of Gods spirit are They are saith the Apostle giuen to edifie withall and these are neuer idle nor vnprofitable in the heart of a true beleeuer As none are more desirous of wealth then the rich so they that haue grace are euer seeking for a further increase thereof Secondly the godly know right well that the gifts and graces of the spirit are giuen to the same end viz. that the body of Christ might be edified hence is it that the Lord Iesus doth so straightly inioyne Peter When thou art conuerted Luk. 21.32 1 Pet 4.10 strengthen thy brethren and againe Let euery one as he hath receiued a gift minister the same one vnto another as good disposers of the graces of God And indeed God doth neuer giue to any of his seruants any spirituall grace for his owne priuate benefit alone but that hee might be a good Steward and Disposer of the grace of God for the good of others And hence is it that the Apostle concludeth of the grace bestowed vpon him 2 Cor. 1.4 that God had comforted him that hee might comfort others with the same comfort Thirdly there is no seruice that a Christian can doe in the Church that hath the like promise of recompence or reward as that which extendeth to the soules of men Let him know that he that hath conuerted his brother Iam. 5.20 hath saued a soule from death and shall hide a multitude of sins and againe Dan 12.3 They that turne many to righteousnesse shall shine as the starres for euer and euer The mercies that men shall shew here vnto the bodies of the Saints shall bring with them a sure reward He that shall giue but a cup of cold water vnto a Disciple Luke 10. in the name of a Disciple shal not lose his reward How much more shall the feeding and refreshing of hunger-starued soules with the bread of life that are ready to perish be plentifully rewarded with him Seeing then that where there is the worke of grace and true conuersion Vse 1 such labour by all meanes possible to bring others into that happy condition with themselues This may serue for matter of tryall and examination of the work of grace in our selues Would we haue the