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	work_n	6,717	5	5.8349	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17121	An historicall narration of the iudgement of some most learned and godly English bishops, holy martyrs, and others (whereof III; viz. Archbishop Cranmer, B. Latimer, and Bishop Hooper, suffred martyrdome, in the dayes of Q. Mary, for the truth and Gospell of Christ Iesus) concerning Gods election, and the merit of Christ his death, &c.	J. A., of Ailward.; Ailward, John, attributed name. aut; Andrewes, John, fl. 1615, attributed name. aut	1631 (1631)	STC 4; ESTC S100399	62,871	120

shall be damned Howbeit wee know by the Scripture that notwithstanding this imperfection of Faith many shall be saved And likewise notwithstanding that Gods promise be generall unto all people of the World yet many shall be damned These two Points therefore must be diligently discussed First how this faith being unperfect is accepted of GOD. Then how we be excluded from the promise of Grace that extendeth to all men I will not rehearse now the mindes of other but as briefly and as simply as I can declare the minde of the Scripture in this matter Saint Paul calleth this servitude of Sinne naturally remaining in our Nature corrupted some times Apeitheian then Amartian at another time Asthenian The first word signifieth an Impersuability diffidence incredulity contumacy or inobedience The second signifieth Errour sinne or deceit The third betokeneth Weaknesse imbecility or imperfection So writeth Paul Mans body to be first borne in imbecility Also that God concludeth all men under infidelity In another place That the Scripture doth conclude All men under Sinne. In those three places thou mayest see the three wordes that I rehearsed before By which PAVL describes the infirmities of Man which infirmities are translated into CHRIST Not so that wee should be delivered from them as though they were dead in our nature or our nature changed or should not provoke vs any more to ill but that they should not damne us because Christ satisfied for them in his Body And Paul sayth That Christ dyed for Sinners that were infirme and calleth those sinners the Enemies of God Howbeit he calleth not them Theostygas in the Scriptures to wit Contemners of GOD. Every man is called in the Scripture Wicked and the enemy of God for the privation and lacke of Faith and love that hee oweth to GOD. Et impij vocantur qui non omninò sunt pij That is they are called wicked that in all thinges honour not GOD beleeve not in God and observe not his Commandements as they should doe which wee cannot doe by reason of this naturall infirmity or hatred of the Flesh as Paul calleth it against God In this sence taketh Paul this word Wicked when he saith that Christ dyed for the wicked So must we interpret St. Paul and take his wordes or else no man should bee damned Now we know that Paul himselfe Saint Iohn and Christ damneth the Contemners of GOD or such as willingly continue in sinne and will not Repent Those the Scripture excludeth from the generall promise of Grace Thou seest by the places afore rehearsed that though we cannot beleeve in God as undoubtedly as is required by reason of this our naturall sicknesse and disease yet for Christs sake in the iudgement of God we are accounted as faithfull beleevers for whose sake this naturall disease and sicknesse is pardoned by what name soever St. Paul calleth the Naturall infirmity or originall sinne in Man And this imperfection or naturall sicknesse taken of Adam excludeth not the person from the promise of God in Christ except we transgresse the limits and bounds of this Originall sinne by our owne folly and malice and eyther of a contempt or hate of Gods word we fall into sinne transforme our selves into the Image of the Divel Then ●ee exclude by this meanes our selves from the promises and merites of Christ who onely received our infirmities and originall disease and not the contempt of him and his Law Further the Promises appertaine to such as Repent Therefore Esay sayd without exception That the infirmities of all Men were cast upon his blessed shoulders It is our office therefore to see wee exclude not our selves from the generall Grace promised to all men It is not a Christian mans part to attribute his salvation to his owne free-will with the Pelagian extenuate originall Sin Nor to make God the author of ill and our damnatiō w th the Manichee Nor yet to say God hath written fatall Lawes as the Stoicke and with necessity of Destiny violently pulleth one by the haire into Heaven and thrusteth the other headlong into Hell But assertaine thy selfe by the Scripture what be the causes of Reprobation and what of Election The cause of Reiection or damnation is Sinne in Man which will not heare neyther receive the Promise of the Gospell or else after he hath received it by accustomed doing of ill falleth eyther into a contempt of the Gospell and will not study to live thereafter or else hateth the Gospell because it condemneth his ungodly life and would there were neyther God nor Gospell to punish him for doing of ill This sentence is true howsoever Man judge of Predestination God is not the cause of Sinne nor would not have Man to sinne Thou art not the GOD that willeth sinne And it is sayd Thy perdition O Israel is of thy selfe and thy succour onely of me The cause of our Election is the Mercy of God in Christ. Howbeit he that will be partaker of this Election must receive the Promise in Christ by faith for therefore wee be elected because afterward we are made the members of Christ. Therefore as in the justification or remission of Sinne there is a cause though no dignity at all in the receiver of his justification and so we judge him by the Scripture to bee Iustified and hath remission of his sinne because he received the Grace promised in CHRIST So wee iudge of Election by the event or successe that hapneth in the life of Man those onely to be elected that by Faith apprehend the mercy promised in Christ otherwise wee should not judge of Election For Paul sayth plainly That they that beleeve by the spirit of God are the Children of God and that the spirit of God doth testifie with our spirits that wee are the children of God being admonished therefore by Scripture wee must leave sinne and doe the workes commanded of God or else it is a carnall opinion that we have blinded our selves withall of fatall Destinie and yet will not save us And in case there follow not in our knowledge of Christ amendment of life it is not lively Faith that wee have but rather a vaine knowledge and meere presumption Iohn sayth No man commeth to me except my Father draw him Many men understand these wordes in a wrong sence as though God required in a reasonable man no more than in a dead poast and marketh not the wordes that follow Every man that heareth and learneth of my Father commeth to me GOD draweth with his Word and the Holy Ghost but Mans duty is to heare learne That is to say Receive the grace offered consent to the Promise and not repugne the God that calleth GOD doth promise the Holy Ghost unto them that aske him and not to them that contemne him We have the Scripture daily in our hands reade it and heare

if wee be Damned For it is written thus Deus vult owmnes homines salvos fieri God would have all men to bee saved his salvation is sufficient to save all Mankind But wee are so wicked of our selves that wee refuse the same and we will not take it when it is offered unto us and therefore he sayth Pauci verò electi Few are chosen That is few have pleasure delight in it For the most part are weary of it cannot abide it and there are some that heare it but they will abide no danger for it they love more their riches possessions than the word of God therfore Pauci sunt electi there are but a few that sticke heartily unto it and can finde in their hearts to forgoe this world for Gods sake and his holy word There are some now adayes that will not be reprehended by the Gospell they thinke themselves better than it Some againe are so stubborne that they will rather forsweare themselves than confesse their sinnes and wickednesse Such men are cause of their owne Damnation for God would have them saved but they refuse it like as did Iudas the Traytor whom Christ would have had to be saved but hee refused his salvation Hee refused to follow the Doctrine of his Master Christ. And so whosoever heareth the Word of God and followeth it the same is Elect by him And againe whosoever refuseth to heare the word of God and to follow the same is Damned So that our Election is sure if we follow the word of God Here is now taught you how to try out your Election namely in Christ. For Christ is the accompting booke and Register of God Even in the same Booke that is Christ are written all the names of the Elect Therefore wee cannot find our Election in our selves neyther yet in the high Counsell of God for Inscrutabilia sunt iudi cia altissimi where then shall I find my Election In the counting booke of GOD which is Christ For thus it is written Sic Deus dilexit mundum that is God so intirely loved the World that hee gave his onely begotten Sonne to that end that all that beleeve in him should not perish but haue life Everlasting Whereby appeareth most plainely that Christ is the Booke of Life and that all that beleeve in him are in the same Booke so are chosen to Everlasting life for only those are ordained which beleeve Therefore when thou hast faith in Christ then thou art in the booke of Life and so art thou sure of thy Election And againe If thou bee without Christ and have no Faith in him neyther art sory for thy wickednesse nor have a minde and purpose to leave and forsake Sinne but rather exercise and use the same then thou art not in the booke of Life as long as thou art in such a case and therefore shalt thou goe into Everlasting fire namely if thou dye in thy wickednesse and finne without Repentance But there are none so wicked but hee may have a Remedy what is that Enter into thine owne heart and search the secrets of the same Consider thine owne life and how thou hast spent thy dayes And if thou find in thy selfe all manner of uncleannesse and abhominable sinnes and so seest thy Damnation before thine eyes what shalt thou then doe Confesse the same unto thy Lord GOD be sory that thou hast offended so loving a Father and aske mercy of him in the name of Christ and beleeve stedfastly that hee will bee mercifull unto thee in the respect of his onely Sonne which suffered Death for thee and then have a good purpose to leave all sinne and wickednesse and to with-stand and resist the affections of thine owne flesh which ever fight against the spirit and to live uprightly and godly after the will and Commandement of thy heavenly Father If thou goe thus to worke surely thou shalt be heard thy sinnes shall bee forgiven thee God will shew himselfe true in his Promise For to that end hee hath sent his onely Sonne into this world that hee might save Sinners Consider therefore I say Wherefore Christ came into this world Consider also the great Hatred and wrath that God beareth against Sinne and againe consider his great Love shewed unto thee in that hee sent his onely Sonne to suffer most cruell Death rather than that thou shouldst be damned Everlastingly Thus speaketh that Learned B. and Blessed Martyr in that place And in another place hee saith O What a pittifull thing is it That a man will not consider this and leave Sinne and Pleasure of this world and live godly but is so blind and so mad that he will rather have a momentary and a very short and smll pleasure han to hearken to the Will and pleasure of Alnighty God that might avoyd Everlasting paine and ●oe and give unto him Everlasting felicitie For that a ●reat many of us are Damned the fault is not in God for Deis vult omnes homines salvos fieri GOD would have all men to bee saved But the fault is in our selves and in o● owne madnesse that had rather have Damnation th●● Salvation And fu●her in another passage the same Holy Marty writeth in this manner viz. VVEe rode in the Actes of the Apostles That when Saint Paul had made a long Sermon at Antioch then beleeve sayth the Evangelist as many as were ordaind to life Everlasting With the which saying 〈◊〉 great nu●ber of people have beene offended and have sayd We perceive that onely those shall come to beleeve and so to everlasting life which are chosen of God vnto it therefore it is no matter whatsoever wee doe For if we be Chosen to Everlasting life we shall have it And so they have opened a doore unto themselues of all Wickednesse and carnall liberty against the true meaning of the Scripture For if the most part bee damned the fault is not in God but in themselves For it is written Deus vult omnes homines salvos fieri God would that all men should be saved But they themselves procure their owne damnation and despise the passion of Christ by their owne wicked and inordinate living Heere wee ma● learne to keepe us from all curious and dangerous questions When we heare that some bee chosen and some●ee ●ee damned let us have good hope that we shall be among he chosen and live after this hope that is uprightly and godly then thou shalt not be deceived Thinke that God hath chosen those that beleeve in Christ and Christi the booke of life If thou beleevest in him then thou ar●ritten in the booke of life and shalt be saved So wee need not to goe about to trouble our selves with curios questions of the Predestination of God But let us rater endeavour our selves that we may be in Christ for ●hen wee be in him then are