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	speak_v	6,346	5	5.2623	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A63977	Canticum morientis cygni, or, The last dying note of Stephen the first gospel-martyr opened and improved in a sermon preached at Alhallows Barking, London, 17 Septemb. 1658, at the funeral of Mr. Andrew Bassano, gentleman, and since in some particulars enlarged by William Tutty ...	Tutty, William.	1659 (1659)	Wing T3389; ESTC R32882	24,422	34

our narrow hearts are much quickned to duty by hopes of reward and so consequently frighted from sin by fears of punishment both which hopes and fears if of things at a great distance have slender impression upon the heart you shall not discourage your child from any untoward action by threatning to whip him for it a yeer hence or quicken him to obedience in doing any good by promising him a new Coat or a fayring seven years hence Hope deferr'd makes the heart sick and the hand lame no wonder if men be hold in sin if confident their sin shall not find them out till the day of Judgement God threatens sudden destruction to awaken us out of sin and tells us that he that comes shall come quickly and bring his reward along with him Rev. 22.12 to awaken us unto increase in holiness The first Martyr after Christ though he dyed not for yet he dyed in this truth That Spirits speedily are received by Christ in death if they dy well 2. Matter of consolation this prayer affords comfort to all holy ones in such an hour when they need it most even in an hour of death all that dy in Christ and for Christ have a free and speedy passage by death to Christ who is really to them pater spirituum custos animarum the Father of Spirits and the keeper of their Souls This comfort is double both as to themselves and to their Christian Relations when they dy 1. As to themselves they need not fear death but look upon it with an eye of comfort this prayer of Stephens was oratio fidei a prayer of Faith we read Chap. 6.8 that he was full of faith and power and at this time he had a strong exercise of it as we may see verse 55 56. he looked up stedfastly into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at his right hand this believing vision was when his tragedy was beginning and certainly as the rage of his enemies grew stronger his faith incresed and in this last prayer for himself he acted and spake undoubtedly with full assurance of faith fervently believing that the Lord Jesus would receive his Spirit as now he begd that he would from hence * Calvin one observes even from this faith of Stephens haec fiducia instituere nos debet ad placidam mortis tolerantiam this confidence should instruct and strengthen us which calmness and comfort to bear the stroke of death * Calvin Seneca An Heathen could say si quid incommodi morientis vitium est non mortis if death do us any hurt or prejudice the fault is in the person dying not in death it cannot then hurt a godly man Christ tels the Good Thief this day thou shalt be with me in Paradise though it were then about the ninth hour of it and Lazarus his Soul was carried by Angels into Heaven surely as for honour so for expedition 2. As to their Christian relations here is matter of great comfort in their death the Lord Jesus takes care of their Souls when an Husband or dear Relation dies in Christ the Jewel we loved is but taken away from us and lockt up in a surer Cabinet we are content to part with our Children and send them sometimes far from us when we marry them for their preferment sake Death marries our dear Christian Relations to Christ as faith in life contracts them and so carries them home to their Bridegroom Ambrose Cyprian the dead in Christ do but abire not obire are but praemissi non amissi they do but depart from us not dy they do but go before not go quite away they are not lost we shall meet them again the next style what we lose Christ receives and is this a loss we do but hide our Talent in Christs Napkin and should we too much bewail such a breach Luges Corpus à quo recessit anima Augustine luge animam à qua recessit Deus Dost thou bewail a Body from whence the Soul is departed rather bewail the Soul from which God is departed hinc illae lachrymae this is matter of sorrow indeed to see Abner dying as a fool to hear of a dear Absolom took off in the height of his sins and of his Rebellion against God and Man this is a Soul-rending heart-breaking spectacle but to see a Stephen dying the Church may make great lamentation for her own loss but the matter is not worth a tear as to such a Martyr though he should ascend to Heaven in a fiery Chariot Heaven is perfect happiness after the sharpest manner of dying In such cases then let us rather save our tears for our own sins than to weep as persons without hope for the dead in Christ 3. Matter of examination Whether we have given up our Souls to Christ in life that he may receive them in death Christ takes his Spouse by contract not by rape they willingly give up themselves to him in life or else he will not as old Elies Sons take away their Spirit by force when they come to dy As our bodies must be offered up to God as a reasonable Service while we live Rom. 12.1 so much more our Souls or else it will be an unreasonable petiton to beg that Christ would receive them in death when we can keep them no longer As our dying Saviour cryed out Father into thy hands I commend my Spirit and dying Stephen here prayed Lord Jesus receive my Spirit so living David in his health and strength cryes into thine hands I commit my Spirit for thou hast redeemed me O Lord God of truth Psal 31.5 take thine own Lord both by Creation and by Redemption And truly if we lock God out now out of our own heart which should be his possession continually while we live no marvel if he lock out Spirits out of Heaven which is our hope when we dye Calvin therefore from this place infers quotidie spiritum in Dei manus commendemus quia mille mertibus obsessi sumus let us continually be commending our spirits into the hands of God because we are dying daily as to weakness and distempers in our bodies There are two wayes whereby we should commend our Soules to God daily as the Apostle shewes us 1 Pet. 4.19 1. Mala patiendo by suffering the will of God this is passive obedience 2. Bona agendo we must commit the keeping of our Souls to God in well doing as unto a faithful creatour this is active obedience and without commending them thus to God dayly we shall commend them with little success to Christ when we walk in the dark valley of Death The old Poets feigned Pluto to be the God of wealth as well as the God of Hell to shew us that we may go to Hell when we dy for all Wealth Let us therefore faithfully examine whether we have given up our hearts and lives to God now Christ in the second birth

our great Lord and Master and we must not pay it to the servants except they can shew a warrant or letter of Atturney for it from their and our Master as Mr. Herbert hath an excellent poem to this purpose Much less in death should we pay this tribute due only unto God to them for as they are the great Lords menial servants and must not share in their Lords Rents so they are in many offices the Saints Servants too both in life so 1 Heb. last ministring spirits to the heirs of Salvation and in death the bearers of the Saints souls into Abrahams Bosome Luke 16.22 poor Lazarus being dead had these honourable bearers Note 1 2. Lord Jesus Stephen directs his dying prayer to the Lord Jesus rather than to the Lord Jehovah Christ is coaequal with his Father in glory not only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not only in glory the nearest to him but one with him Stephen asserts this clearly in his death not only dying in Christ and for Christ but praying to Christ in his death acknowledging hereby his divinity by giving him divine worship And to avoid this clear demonstration we read of on Franciscus David an Arrian heretique who reads this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Text in the genitive case insteed of the Vocative and so would fain give us this sense Lord of Jesus insteed of Lord Jesus but this blasphemous shift is sufficiently confuted by the Antients as * Lorinus a Learned man though a Jesuite upon this place discovers All power is given to Christ in Heaven and Earth Math 28.18 and holy Stephen dying virtually in this last prayer acknowleges it Note 2 In the Gospel we must chiefly run to Christ in prayer asking all in the Sons name and this is now the way to speed our selves and to glorifie the Father together John 14.13 These 2 glorious persons in the blessed Trinity have not 2 distinct interests but one and the same the glory of the one is the glory of the other yea now the glory of the Father is chiefly deposited in the hands of Christ at first God was only known by his name of Almighty afterwards by his name Jehovah Exod. 6.3 but now by his name Jesus * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in not at the name In whose name every knee under the Gospel must bow to the Glory of God the Father 2 Phil. 10.11 Augustine tells us how much he did delighted in the works of Tully for the elegancy of the Latine before his conversion but not a whit after because he could not read the name of Jesus there Paul desired to know nothing else but Christ crucified 2 Cor. 2.2 and he discovers God the Father to be only in him the Father of Mercies and God of all Consolations 1 Cor. 1.3 to the Judge of all flesh then by an Advocate we must now run at all times Note 3 We must chiefly run to Jesus Christ by prayer in an hour of death to him who dyed for us we must go when we come to dy for he alone hath the keys of Hell and of Death Revelation 1.18 he alone is the dore and the gate of Heaven John 10.9 He is via vita veritas the Way the Truth and the Life John 14.6 He is our journeys end the Life and he is the way to it and the truth to guide us in the way no man can come to the Father but by him he also is the great reconciler of God and Man Col. 20. he only can make us * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 more than conquerors over all the forerunners of death and over death it self Rom. 8.36 37 38 39. He only can pull out the sting of death and destroy this last Enemy as the Apostle fully shewes 1 Cor. 15. To whom should we go both in life and death but to him who hath the words of eternal life John 6.68 3. Lord Jesus Receive 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is a relative word Relations as the Logician tels us are double either relata secundum dici or secundum esse in name or in nature this is a relative word in name now omne relatum implicat suum correlatum every relative must have some word or thing to answer it receiving hath 2 usual correlates it implies either giving something or paying it implies both here in the Text. Observe Note 1 We ow our selves and Souls to Christ in life and death when we live to him dy for him he doth but receive his own de jure it should be so it is our sin and shame if de facto it be not so Rom. 14.7 9. For Christ dyed as the Apostle shewes there that he might be the Lord and master both of the dead and of the living When we come to dy then we do nothing else but pay debts we do but pay then 5 debts 1. A debt to nature the corruptible part must put on corruption and worms must feed upon us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as we feed upon other Creatures 2. A debt to sin for the wages of sin is death or the breakfast and food of it Rom 8.23 3. A debt to posterity for one generation must pass away that another may come in its stead Eccless 1.4 the generat on of one must be the corruption of another that the Earth may not be pestered and crowded too much with inhabitants 4. A debt to divine Justice for the same Soul that sins must dym point of equity 5. To Christ and our own Souls when we dy for Christ it is but lex talionis for he dyed for us when we dy naturally by the appointment of Christ we pay a debt to our own Souls which cannot be refined and calcined but by fire by melting down the whole mass of the Body Every righteous man will be willing to pay his debts so should we be to dy our lives are lent to us by God but for a time and must be restored to the lender or owner the Spirit shall return to God that gave it so Solomen Eccles 12.7 the anima animus the natural life and spiritual Soul of due right belong to God Note 2 God will certainly take and receive in death what is sincerely offered up in life Our hearts must be his living if we desire that our Spirits should be his dying so Augustine paraphrases on these words Tibi vixi tibi morior c. accipe spiritum meum è manu eorum qui oderunt tuum he represents Stephen in this prayer thus speaking to his dear Saviour Lord Jesus to thee I have lived and to thee I now dy receive my Spirit from the hands of cruel Enemies who have hated thy spirit Our acquaintance with Christ must not be to begin when we are just at our end To such as have been friends Christ will say Come in my friends I will receive you I will give you house and harbour but to