Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	body_n	holy_a	life_n	6,877	5	4.4602	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A61731	A sermon preached at the assizes held at Dorchestor in the county of Dorset, upon the fourth day of March in the year of our Lord 1669 by John Straight ...	Straight, John, 1605?-1680.	1670 (1670)	Wing S5808A; ESTC R9809	21,640	33

and prudent inspection and revising I commit it desiring that they may rather see more than they expect than look for more than they find in it And if then after their perusal they acquire any emolument either of delight to please their fancy or of wholsome instruction to regulate their conversation let them bless God thank the High Sheriffe of the County of Dorset and send up a Supplication to Heaven for me who do unfeignedly desire the truth of Grace in them and the increase of it also on all the Israel of God and am Your most humble Servant in the work of the Ministry JOHN STRAIGHT A SERMON Preached at the Assizes held at Dorchester in the County of Dorset March the 4 th 1669. Luke 6. 48. He is like a man that built an house and digged deep and laid the foundation on a rock and when the waters arose the floods beat upon that house and could not shake it for it was founded on a Rock SAint Paul travelling from Malta to Rome sailed Act. 28. 11. in a Ship of Alexandria whose badge by which Ships are usually discerned one from another was Castor and Pollux Gods Children are travelling hence to Heaven and sailing through the turbulent waves of this troublesome World to the tranquil Haven of eternal happiness though not in a Ship of Alexandria yet in the bark of their bodies their badg to discry them from hypocritical time-servers and cognizance to discover them from such as call Christ Lord Lord but do not the things that he speaks is not Castor and Polux but he that heareth my word and doth the same he is like a man that built a house and digged deep and laid the foundation on a Rock and when the waters arose the floods beat upon that house and could not shake it for it was founded on a Rock The words you see are the cognizance of a sincere Christian the very badge of a true beleiver Metaphorically deciphered out unto your view by these six subsequent things First by his care and providence in building him a house Secondly by his pains and industry in digging deep Thirdly by his wisdome and discretion in laying his foundation on a Rock Fourthly by the ensuing perils and dangers in the rising of the waters and beating of the flood Fifthly by the invalidity and weakness of those perils and dangers in that they could not shake it Sixththly and lastly by the cause and reason of its firm validity for it was founded on a Rock He is like a man which c. A sound and sincere Christian is first described by his care and providence in building him a house He is like a man which built an house I find in Scripture four kindes of Builders First God himself Secondly Gods Ministers Thirdly one building up another And Fourthly every particular Christian building up himself The first kind of Builder is God himself So the Psalmist except the Lord build the house their labour is but lost Psal 127. 1. that built it Now God he builds four sorts of houses As First a house of his providence to wit the great and glorious fabrick of this Universe The Heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament sheweth his handy work Secondly a house of his Psal 19. 1. 1 Cor. 6. 19. spirit Know ye not that your bodies are the Temples of the Holy Ghost which is in you so the Apostle Thirdly a house of correction for those that are incorrigible Tophet is ordained Isa 30. 33. of old saith the Prophet Isaiah Fourthly and lastly a white-Hall a Star-Chamber a house of glory not made with hands but eternal in the Heavens so Saint Paul 2 Cor. 5. 1. Let the house of Gods providence banish distrust and teach us thankfulness Let the house of his Spirit bridle our carnal concupiscence and induce us to consecrate our bodies a living sacrifice holy acceptable unto God Rom. 12. 1. Let his house of correction make us tremble at sin and move us to newness of life And lastly let his house of glory instruct us to wean and withdraw our affections from the transitory things of this present World and Phil. 1. 23. perswade us to a longing with Saint Paul to be dissolved and to be with Christ which is best of all And this of the first knd of Builders 2. Gods Ministers are a second kind of Builders For behold this day have I set thee over the Nations and over the Kingdoms to pluck up and to root out to destroy and to throw down to build and to plant its God own commission Jer. 1. 10. to the Prophet Jeremiah Now these they build three manner of wayes Verbo Vita Precibus By Preaching by Practising and by Praying First By preaching Peter lovest thou me feed my Joh. 21. 17. Phil 3. 17. Lambs Secondly by practising Brethren be followers of me and look on them which walk so as you have us for an example Thirdly by praying For this cause we cease not to pray Cor. 1. 9. for you and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his wi●l in all wisdome and spiritual understanding so St Paul 3. A Third kind of Builder is one building up another Wherefore exhort one another and edifie one another even as ye do so the Apostle Jonathan must build up David 1 Thes 5. 11. and David Jonathan Brethren if a man be suddenly taken in any offence ye which are spiritual restore such a one with Gal. 6. 1. the spirit of meekness the word in the Original is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 build him up by putting him in joynt again 4. The Fourth and last kinde of Builder is every particular Christian building up himself So Saint Jude in his Jude vers 20. General Epistle But Beloved edifie your selves in your most holy faith And this is he that heareth the word of God and doth it This is he whose foundation is faith and whose house is good works Bonav Similis est hic aedificanti domum pe● profectum virtutum so Bonaventure this is he which is like a man that built an house Obs Gods Children they are not careless hearers but careful builders Their Religion rests not in the ear rowles not in the eye floates not on the tongue nor in a word doth it only consist in the bare shew of outward holiness No no its foundation remains in the heart and its rootes in the inner man They hear the word and keep it and bring forth fruit with patience so our Saviour tells us they seek not so much to seem as indeed to be religious they are therefore builders not of slight Luk. 8. 15. or superficial boothes but of solid and substanstial buildings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He is like a man that built an house Dyonis Carthus Qui verbis Christi obedit spiritualem demum secretumque mentis thalamum el virtutum

aedificationem bonorumque actuum nexum fundat so Dyonisius Carthusianus He that yields prompt obedience to Christs commands builds himself a spiritual house a secret Cabinet of his mind a building of vertues and a close compacted tenement of good deeds Good works beloved they are the structure of every Christian builder the inseparable companions of every true beleiver This is a true saying saith Saint Paul and these things I will that thou shouldest affirm Tit. 3. 8. that they which have beleived God might be careful to shew forth good works Faith must be shewed by good works For as the body without the spirit is dead even so Faith without works is dead also Saint James James 2 18. Faith therefore though it be the foundation of good works and evidence of things not seen yet it is nothing worth if works be wanting nor can it justifie any man before God unless by good works it self be justified before men Was not Abraham our Father justified through good James 2. 21. works saith Saint James when he offered Isaac his Son upon the Altar that is was he not by his works known and found to be justified Did not Jobs works thus manifest his faith Who was no less than eyes to the blind feet to the lame and a pittiful Father to the distressed poor as he testifies of himself Yea as possible it is to separate light from its fountain the Sun as good works from saving Job 29 15 16. Tit. 1. 16. faith the mother Use 1. What then shall we think of all those that have only a form of Godliness denying the power thereof Such as profess that they know God yet by works deny him and are abominable and disobedient and to every good work even reprobates as St Paul speaks of them to Titus Surely beloved these though perhaps they may acount themselves in the number of Gods faithful builders yet are they indeed no better than Babel builders building to themselves nothing else but aerial Castles of sad and sempiternal confusion clouds they are without water carried about of windes corrupt trees without fruit twice dead and pluckt up by the roots wandering Stars to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for Jude vers 12. evermore so Jude in his general Epistle verse 21. Serpit hodie putrida tabes hypocrisis per omne corpus Ecclesiae quo tolerantius eo desperatius eoque periculosius quo communius Bern. The corrupt consumption of counterfeiting hypocrisie creeps at this day through the whole body of the Church which is so much the more desperate so much the more dangerous by how much the more indured by how much the more common 't was the complaint of good Saint Bernard in his time and I would to God there were not as great need at this time for me to make it mine for do no not all or at least most of all slighting sincerity content themselves with the bare shew and formality of Religion Nay which is worse is not religion commonly made a cloak to palliate deformed vice which seldome or never dare shew her self in publick unless she steal the robes of vertue and actuate her mischeif with sly hypocrisie Is not Pharisaical avarice now vailed under a pretence of long prayers as sometimes we read it was in our Math. 23. 14. blessed Saviours time Is not Herodians cruelty now covered over with the vizard of holy devotion as heretofore it was with a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that I may come and Math. 2. 8. worship him Yes yes we are I fear most of us all like whited tombs appearing beautiful outward but are within full of rottenness We have fair leaves but foul fruit good words but no good works and yet we would be counted in the number of Gods faithful builders too but let us not O let us not dear Brethren I beseech you any longer deceive our selves with a vain conceit of couzening God who is not mockt like men with shadowes nor yet mislead like us with outward shews Let us not think to mask our impiety from his omniscient Majesty under religious pretences nor yet to muffle our hypocrisie under the garment of zealous devotion No no Bonav Ostensio enim reverentiae in ore fallax est nisi adsit pariter exhibitio obedientiae in opere as Bonaventure well observes in vain do they honour God with Isa 29. 13 14. their lips whose hearts are farre from him so the Prophet Isaiah Who shall ascend into the Mountain of the Lord Psal 24. 3 4. and who shall stand in his holy place 't was the question of worthy David and his answer immediately follows even he that hath innocent hands and a pure heart that hath not lift up his mind unto vanity nor sworn to deceive his neighbour Chrys Answer me now O dissembling hypocrite saith Saint Chrysostome if it be good to appear good why wilt thou not be that which thou wouldest fam appear to be And if it be ill to appear ill why wilt thou be that which thou wouldst not appear to be but if it be good to appear good 't is than farre better to be good and if it be ill to appear ill 't is farre worse to be ill be therefore that which thou appearest or else appear what thou art so farre Saint Chrysostome Check now thy self thou vermonger that with a madding thought thus chasest fleeting shadows for frivolous it is for thee externally to profess thy self the servant of Christ and yet to wear the devils Livery In vain it is for thee to acknowledge God to be thy only Lord in publick prayer and yet to obey in all things the world the flesh and the devil in thy private practise Yea impious it is to be thus the divils 1 Cor. 4. 20. Rom. 2 13. builders in substance and Gods only in shew Non enim in verbis situm est regnum Dei for the Kingdome of God is not in word saith the Apostle Non Auditores sed factores legis justificabuntur not the hearers but the doers of the Law shall be justified so the same Apostle Quid Iam. 1. 22. vocatis me domine domine c. Why call ye me Lord Lord and do not the things that I speak saith our Saviour Be ye therefore doers of the word and not hearers only deceiving Math. 7. 21. your own selves so Saint James For not every one that saith Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdome of Heaven but he that doth the will of my Father which is in Heaven so likewise our Saviour Christ Labour not therefore any longer dear Brethren I beseech you to cover your nakedness with the fig-leaves of vain-glorious hypocrisie but now at length indeavour to compass your loyns with the girdle of sincerity that so ye may be found of God not fictitious but faithful builders not supine but industrious doers which is the second thing by which a