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	life_n	quicken_v	5,163	5	10.2542	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A14239	A sermon preached before the Commos-House [sic] of Parliament, in Saint Margarets Church at Westminster, the 18. of February. 1620. By Iames Vssher. Professor of Diuinitie in the Vniuersitie of Dublin, in Ireland; Substance of that which was delivered in a sermon before the Commons House of Parliament, in St. Margarets Church at Westminster, the 18. of February, 1620	Ussher, James, 1581-1656.	1624 (1624)	STC 24554; ESTC S119955	33,194	56

vs his flesh to eate He must beware that he come not pre-occupied with such dull conceits as they were possessed withall who moued that question there hee must not thinke that we cannot truly feed on Christ vnlesse we receiue him within our iawes for that is as grosse an imagination as that of Nicodemus who could not conceiue how a man could bee borne againe vnlesse he should enter the second time into his mothers wombe but must consider that the eating and drinking which our Sauiour speaketh of must be answerable to the hungring and thirsting for the quenching whereof this heauenly Banquet is prouided Marke well the words which he vseth toward the beginning of his discourse concerning this argument I am the bread of life hee that commeth to me shall neuer hunger and hee that beleeueth on me shall neuer thirst But I said vnto you that ye also haue seene me and beleeue not And compare them with those in the end It is the Spirit that quickeneth the flesh profiteth nothing the words that I speake vnto you they are spirit and they are life But there are some of you that beleeue not Now obserue that such as our hungring is such is our eating But euery one will confesse that the hunger heere spoken of is not corporall but spirituall Why then should any man dreame heere of a corporall eating Againe the corporall eating if a man might haue it would not auaile any thing to the slaking of this hunger nay we are expressely told that the flesh thus taken for so we must vnderstand it profiteth nothing a man should neuer be the better nor one iot the holier nor any whit further from the second death if he had filled his belly with it But that manner of feeding on this flesh which Christ himselfe commendeth vnto vs is of such profit that it preserueth the eater from death and maketh him to liue for euer It is not therefore such an eating that euery man who bringeth a bodily mouth with him may attaine vnto but it is of a farre higher nature namely a spirituall vniting of vs vnto Christ whereby he dwelleth in vs and we liue by him If any doe further inquire how it is possible that any such vnion should be seeing the body of Christ is in heauen and wee are vpon earth I answere that if the manner of this coniunction were carnall and corporall it would bee indeed necessary that the things conioyned should bee admitted to bee in the same place but it being altogether spirituall and supernaturall no locall presence no physicall nor mathematicall continuity or contiguity is any way requisite thereunto It is sufficient for the making of a reall vnion in this kinde that Christ and we though neuer so farre distant in place each from other bee knit together by those spirituall ligatures which are intimated vnto vs in the words alledged out of the sixth of Iohn to wit the quickening Spirit descending downeward from the Head to be in vs a fountaine of supernaturall life and a liuely faith wrought by the same Spirit ascending from vs vpward to lay fast hold vpon him who hauing by himselfe purged our sinnes sitteth on the right hand of the Maiesty on high First therefore for the communion of the Spirit which is the ground and foundation of this spirituall vnion let vs call to minde what we haue read in Gods Booke that Christ the second Adam was made a quickening spirit and that he quickeneth whom he will that vnto him God hath giuen the Spirit without measure and of his fulnesse haue all we receiued that he that is ioyned vnto the Lord is one Spirit and that heereby wee know that we dwell in him and he in vs because hee hath giuen vs his Spirit By all which it doth appeare that the mystery of our vnion with Christ consisteth mainly in this that the selfe-same Spirit which is in him as in the Head is so deriued from him into euery one of his true members that thereby they are animated and quickened to a spirituall life We reade in the first of Ezekiel of foure liuing creatures and of foure wheeles standing by them When those went saith the Text these went and when those stood these stood and when those were lifted vp from the earth the wheeles were lifted vp ouer against them Hee that should behold such a vision as this would easily conclude by that which he saw that some inuisible bands there were by which these wheeles and liuing creatures were ioyned together howsoeuer none did outwardly appeare vnto the eye and the holy Ghost to giue vs satisfaction heerein discouereth the secret by yeelding this for the reason of this strange connexion that the spirit of the liuing creature was in the wheeles Ezek. 1.21 From whence wee may inferre that things may truly be conioyned together though the manner of the coniunction bee not corporall and that things distant in place may be vnited together by hauing the spirit of the one communicated vnto the other Nay if we marke it well we shall finde it to be thus in euery of our owne bodies that the formall reason of the vnion of the members consisteth not in the continuity of the parts though that also be requisite to the vnity of a naturall body but in the animation thereof by one and the same spirit If we should suppose a body to be as high as the heauens that the head thereof should be where Christ our Head is and the feet where we his members are no sooner could that head thinke of mouing one of the toes but instantly the thing would be done without any impediment giuen by that huge distance of the one from the other And why because the same soule that is in the head as in the fountaine of sence and motion is present likewise in the lowest member of the body But if it should so fall out that this or any other member proued to be mortified it presently would cease to bee a member of that body the corporall coniunction and continuity with the other parts notwithstanding And euen thus is it in Christ although in regard of his corporall presence the heauen must receiue him vntill the times of the restitution of all things yet is he here with vs alway euen vnto the end of the world in respect of the presence of his Spirit by the vitall influence whereof from him as from the Head the whole body is fitly ioyned together and compacted by that which euery ioynt supplieth according to the effectuall working in the measure of euery part Which quickening Spirit if it be wanting in any no externall communion with Christ or his Church can make him a true member of this mysticall body this being a most sure principle that He which hath not the Spirit of Christ is none of his Rom. 8.9 Now among all the graces that are wrought in vs by

the Spirit of Christ the soule as it were of all the rest and that whereby the iust doth liue is Faith For we through the Spirit waite for the hope of righteousnesse by faith saith S. Paul to the Galatians And againe I liue yet not I but Christ liueth in me and the life which I now liue in the flesh I liue by the faith of the Sonne of God who loued me and gaue himselfe for me By faith it is that wee doe receiue Christ and so likewise Christ dwelleth in our hearts by faith Faith therefore is that spirituall mouth in vs whereby wee eate the flesh of the Sonne of man and drinke his blood that is as the Apostle expresseth it without the trope are made partakers of Christ he being by this meanes as truly and euery wayes as effectually made ours as the meate and drinke which we receiue into our naturall bodies But you will say If this be all the matter what doe we get by comming to the Sacrament seeing we haue faith and the quickening Spirit of Christ before wee come thither To this I answere that the Spirit is receiued in diuers measures and faith bestowed vpon vs in different degrees by reason whereof our coniunction with Christ may euery day bee made straiter and the hold which we take of him firmer To receiue the Spirit not by measure is the priuiledge of our Head we that receiue out of his fulnesse haue not our portion of grace deliuered vnto vs all at once but must daily looke for supply of the Spirit of Iesus Christ. So also while we are in this world the righteousnesse of God is reuealed vnto vs from faith to faith that is from one degree and measure of it to another and consequently we must still labour to perfect that which is lacking in our faith and euermore pray with the Apostles Lord increase our faith As wee haue therefore receiued Christ Iesus the Lord so must wee walke in him rooted and built vp in him and stablished in the faith that wee may grow vp into him in all things which is the Head And to this end God hath ordained publike officers in his Church for the perfecting of the Saints for the worke of the ministery for the edifying of the body of Christ till we all come in the vnity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Sonne of God vnto a perfect man vnto the measure of the stature of the fulnesse of Christ and hath accordingly made them able Ministers of the Spirit that quickeneth and Ministers by whom we should beleeue euen as the Lord shall giue to euery man When wee haue therefore receiued the Spirit and Faith and so spirituall life by their ministery we are not there to rest but as new borne babes we must desire the sincere milke of the Word that we may grow thereby and as growne men too wee must desire to be fed at the Lords Table that by the strength of that spirituall repast we may be inabled to doe the Lords worke and may continually be nourished vp thereby in the life of grace vnto the life of glory Neither must we heere with a fleshly eye looke vpon the meanenesse of the outward elements and haue this faithlesse thought in our hearts that there is no likelihood a bit of bread and a draught of wine should be able to produce such heauenly effects as these For so we should prooue our selues to be no wiser than Naaman the Syrian was who hauing receiued direction from the man of God that he should wash in Iordan seuen times to be cleansed of his Leprosie replied with indignation Are not Abana and Pharpar riuers of Damascus better then all the waters of Israel May I not wash in them and be cleane But as his seruāts did soberly aduise him then If the Prophet had bid thee doe some great thing wouldest thou not haue done it How much rather then when hee saith to thee Wash and be cleane So giue mee leaue to say vnto you now If the Lord had commanded vs to doe some great thing for the attaining of so high a good should not we willingly haue done it How much rather then when hee biddeth vs to eate the bread and drinke the wine that he hath prouided for vs at his owne Table that by his blessing thereupon wee may grow in grace and be preserued both in body and soule vnto euerlasting life True it is indeed these outward creatures haue no naturall power in them to effect so great a worke as this is no more then the water of Iordan had to recouer the Leper but the worke wrought by these meanes is supernaturall and God hath been pleased in the dispensation both of the Word and of the Sacraments so to ordaine it that these heauenly treasures should bee presented vnto vs in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power might be of God As therefore in the preaching of the Gospell the Minister doth not dare verba and beate the aire with a fruitlesse found but the words that hee speaketh vnto vs are Spirit and life God being pleased by the foolishnesse of preaching to saue them that beleeue so likewise in the administration of the Lords Supper he doth not feed vs with bare bread and wine but if we haue the life of faith in vs for still we must remember that this Table is prouided not for the dead but for the liuing and come worthily the Cup of blessing which he blesseth will be vnto vs the communion of the blood of Christ and the bread which hee breaketh the communion of the body of Christ of which precious body and blood wee being really made partakers that is in truth and indeed and not in imagination onely although in a spirituall and not a corporall manner the Lord doth grant vs according to the riches of his glory to bee strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man that we may bee filled with all the fulnesse of God For the Sacraments as well as the Word be a part of that ministration of the Spirit which is committed to the Ministers of the New Testament for as much as by one Spirit as before we haue heard from the Apostle wee haue been all baptized into one body and haue been all made to drinke into one Spirit And thus haue I finished the first part of my taske my Congregatio homogeneorum as I call it the knitting together of those that appertaine to the same body both with their fellovv-members and vvith their Head vvhich is the thing laid dovvne in the expresse vvords of my Text. It remaineth novv that I proceed to the Apostles application hereof vnto the argument hee hath in hand vvhich is Segregatio heterogeneorum a disseuering of those that bee not of the same communion that the faithfull may not partake

A SERMON PREACHED BEFORE THE COMMOS-HOVSE Of Parliament in Saint Margarets Church at Westminster the 18. of February 1620. By IAMES VSSHER Professor of Diuinitie in the Vniuersitie of Dublin in Ireland LONDON Printed by I. D. for Iohn Bartlett and are to be sould at the golden Cup in the Goldsmiths Rowe in Cheapside 1624. TO THE HONOVRABLE ASSEMBLY of the Commons House of Parliament IT pleased this Honourable Assembly to require my seruice in preaching at that late religious meeting of yours for the receiuing of the holy Sacrament of the Lords Supper I was afterward also sent vnto by the like authority to publish that which according to my poore ability I then deliuered And although in respect of my selfe and of my want of time to prosecute such a subiect I could wish I had beene spared from such a taske yet rather then the expectation and expresse signification of the desire of the representatiue body of the whole Comminalty of the Kingdome should rest vnsatisfied I haue yeelded to commit this vnto the disposing and direction of them for whose sakes it was at first vndertaken Opprimi enim me onere officij malui quàm id quod mihi cum fide semel impositum fuit propter infirmitatem animi deponere The very words which then I vttered I am not able to present vnto you the substance of the matter I haue truly laid downe though in some places as it fell out somewhat contracted in others a little more inlarged Whatsoeuer it is I wholly submit it vnto your graue censures and so beseeching the Lord to giue you prosperous successe in all your worthy indeuours for the seruice of God his Maiesty and your Countrey I rest Yours in all Christian duty to be commanded IAMES VSSHER 1. Cor. 10. Vers. 17. Wee being many are one bread and one body for we are all partakers of that one bread OTher entrance I need not make vnto my speech at this time then that which the Apostle himselfe presenteth vnto mee in the verse next but one going before my Text I speake to wise men The more vnwise might I deeme my selfe to be who being so conscious vnto my selfe of my great weakenesse durst aduenture to discouer the same before so graue and iudicious an Auditory but that this consideration doth somewhat support me that no great blame can light herein vpon mee but some aspersion thereof must reflect vpon your selues who happened to make so euill a choyce the more facile I expect you to bee in a cause wherein you your selues are some wayes interested The speciall cause of your assembling at this time is first that you who professe the same truth may ioyne in one body and partake together of the same blessed Communion and then that such as adhere vnto false worship may bee discouered and auoyded You in your wisedome discerning this holy Sacrament to bee as it were ignis probationis which would both congregare homogenea and segregare heterogenea as in Philosophie wee vse to speake both conioyne those that be of the same and dis-ioyne such as bee of a differing kinde and disposition And to this purpose haue I made choyce of this present Text wherein the Apostle maketh our partaking of the Lords Table to bee a testimony not onely of the vnion and communion which wee haue betwixt our selues and with our Head which he doth in the expresse words which I haue read but also of our dis-vnion and separation from all idolatrous worship as appeareth by the application hereof vnto his maine drift and intendment laid downe in the 14. and 21. verses The effect therfore of that which Saint Paul in expresse termes heere deliuereth is the Communion of Saints which consisteth of two parts the fellowship which they haue with the Body laid downe in the beginning and the fellowship which they haue with the Head laid downe in the end of the verse both which are thus explained by Saint Iohn That which wee haue seene and heard declare we vnto you that ye also may haue fellowship with vs and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Sonne Iesus Christ 1. Ioh. 1.3 Let them therefore that walke in darknesse brag as much as they list of their good-fellowship this blessed Apostle assureth vs that such onely as doe walke in the light haue fellowship one with another euen as they haue fellowship with God and Iesus Christ his Sonne whose blood shall cleanse them from all sinne And to what better company can a man come than to the generall Assembly and Church of the first-borne which are inrolled in heauen and to God the Iudge of all and to the spirits of iust men made perfect and to Iesus the Mediator of the new Couenant and to the blood of sprinkling which speaketh better things then that of Abel No fellowship doubtlesse is comparable to this Communion of Saints To begin therefore with the first part thereof as the Apostle in the third to the Galatians maketh our being baptized into Christ to bee a testimony that wee are all one in Christ so doth hee heere make our partaking of that one bread to be an euidence that we also are all one bread and one body in him And to the same purpose in the twelfth Chapter following he propoundeth both our Baptisme and our drinking of the Lords Cup as seales of the spirituall coniunction of vs all into one mysticall body For as the body is one saith he and hath many members and all the members of that one body being many are one body so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body whether wee bee Iewes or Gentiles whether we be bond or free and haue been all made to drinke into one Spirit Afterwards hee addeth that wee are the body of Christ and members in particular and in another place also that We being many are one body in Christ and euery one members one of another Now the vse which hee teacheth vs to make of this wonderfull coniunction whereby wee are made members of Christ and members one of another is two-fold 1. That there should be no schisme in the body 2. That the members should haue the same care one for another 1. Cor. 12.25 For preuenting of Schisme hee exhorteth vs in the fourth to the Ephesians to keepe the vnity of the Spirit in the bond of peace and to make this bond the firmer hee putteth vs in minde of one Body one Spirit one Hope one Lord one Faith one Baptisme one God and Father of all who is aboue all and through all and in vs all by this multiplication of vnities declaring vnto vs that the knots whereby wee are tyed together are both in number more and of farre greater moment then that matters of smaller consequence should disseuer vs and therefore that wee should stand fast in one spirit with one minde striuing together for the faith of the Gospell and

in nothing terrified by our aduersaries Philip. chap. 1. vers 27 28. But howsoeuer God hath thus marshalled his Church in a goodly order terrible as an army with banners yet such is the disorder of our nature that many for all this breake ranke and the enemy laboureth to breed diuision in Gods House that so his Kingdome might not stand Nay oftentimes it commeth to passe that the Watchmen themselues who were appoynted for the safegarding of the Church proue in this kinde to bee the smiters and wounders of her and from among them who were purposely ordained in the Church for the bringing of men into the vnity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God euen from among those some doe arise that speake peruerse things to draw away disciples after them Thus wee finde in the Ecclesiasticall History that after the death of Iulian the Apostata questions and disputes concerning matters of doctrine were freshly set afoot by those who were set ouer the Churches Wherupon Sozomen maketh this graue obseruation that the disposition of men is such that when they are wronged by others they are at agreement among themselues but when they are freed of euils from abroad then they make insurrections one against another Which as we finde to be too true by the late experience of our neighbour Churches in the Low Countries so are we to consider with the Wise man that What hath been is now and that which is to bee hath already been and bee not so inquisitiue why the former dayes were better then these for wee doe not enquire wisely concerning this When like troubles were in the Church heretofore Isidorus Pelusiota an ancient Father moueth the question What a man should doe in this case and maketh answere that If it be possible wee should mend it but if that may not bee wee should hold our peace The Apostles resolution I thinke may giue sufficient satisfaction in this poynt to all that haue moderate and peaceable mindes If in any thing yee bee otherwise minded God shall reueale euen this vnto you neuerthelesse whereto wee haue already attained let vs walke by the same rule let vs minde the same thing It is not to bee looked for that all good men should agree in all things neither is it fit that we should as our Aduersaries doe put the truth vnto compromise and to the saying of an Achitophel whose counsell must bee accepted as if a man had inquired at the Oracle of God We all agree that the Scriptures of God are the perfect rule of our faith wee all consent in the maine grounds of Religion drawne from thence wee all subscribe to the articles of doctrine agreed vpon in the Synode of the yeere 1562. for the auoyding of diuersities of opinions and the establishing of consent touching true Religion Hitherto by Gods mercy haue wee already attained thus farre therefore let vs minde the same thing let not euery wanton wit be permitted to bring what fancies he list into the Pulpit and to disturbe things that haue been well ordered I beseech you brethren saith the Apostle marke them which cause diuisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which yee haue learned and auoid them If in some other things wee bee otherwise minded than others of our brethren are let vs beare one with another vntill God shall reueale the same thing vnto vs and howsoeuer we may see cause why we should dissent from others in matter of opinion yet let vs remember that that is no cause why wee should breake the Kings peace and make a rent in the Church of God A thing deepely to be thought of by the Ismaels of our time whose hand is against euery man and euery mans hand against them who bite and deuoure one another vntill they bee consumed one of another who forsake the fellowship of the Saints and by a sacrilegious separation breake this bond of peace Little doe these men consider how precious the peace of the Church ought to bee in our eyes to bee redeemed with a thousand of our liues and of what dangerous consequence the matter of schisme is vnto their owne soules For howsoeuer the schismaticke secundùm affectum as the Schoolemen speake in his intention and wicked purpose taketh away vnity from the Church euen as he that hateth God doth take away goodnesse from him as much as in him lyeth yet secundùm effectum in truth and in very deed hee taketh away the vnity of the Church onely from himselfe that is hee cutteth himselfe off from being vnited with the rest of the body and being disseuered from the body how is it possible that he should retaine communion with the Head To conclude therefore this first vse which wee are to make of our communion with the Body let vs call to minde the exhortation of the Apostle Aboue all things put on loue which is the bond of perfectnesse and let the peace of God rule in your hearts to the which also ye are called in one Body Behold how good and pleasant a thing it is for brethren to dwell together in vnity what a goodly thing it is to behold such an honourable Assembly as this is to bee as a house that is compact together in it selfe holding fit correspondence with the other part of this great body and due subordination vnto their and our Head Such as wish not well to the publike good and would reioyce at the ruine of our State long for nothing more then that dissensions should arise here betwixt the members mutually and betwixt them and the Head Hoc Ithacus velit magno mercentur Atridae They know full well that euery Kingdome diuided against it selfe is brought to desolation and euery house diuided against it selfe shall not stand nor doe they forget the Politicians old rule Diuide impera Make a diuision and get the dominion The more neede haue wee to looke herein vnto our selues who cannot bee ignorant how dolorous Solutio continui and how dangerous Ruptures proue to bee vnto our bodies If therefore there be any comfort of loue if any fellowship of the spirit fulfill our ioy that yee be like-minded hauing the same loue being of one accord of one minde and doing nothing through strife or vaine-glory Remember that as oft as we come vnto the Lords Table so oft doe we enter into new bonds of peace and tye our selues with firmer knots of loue together this blessed Communion being a sacred seale not onely of the vnion which wee haue with our Head by faith but also of our coniunction with the other members of the body by loue Whereby as we are admonished to maintaine vnity among ourselues that there be no schisme or diuision in the body so are we also further put in minde that the members should haue the same care one for another For that is the second vse which