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	quicken_v	soul_n	5,570	5	5.7256	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A78180	The regenerate mans growth in grace. Shewing, that regeneration of necessitie requireth augmentation in grace. With the motives to move us to grow, signes to know whether we have grown; the lets that hinder our growth; and helps to further our growth. / Preached at a sermon at Lancaster, upon a day of humiliation, by N.B. minister thereof.	Barnett, Nehemiah, b. 1614 or 15.	1646 (1646)	Wing B875; Thomason E1165_1; ESTC R210099	23,846	95

better to be unborne then to die without grace and he that growes not in grace never obtaines a blessing of God in this life nor let him looke to dwell with him in the life of glory Then grow in grace IN this Chapter our Apostle Peter seemes to have met with some in his time Coherence that doubted of the day of Judgement saying Where is the promise of his comming To vers 4. Therefore he produceth arguments to assure us of the certainty of Christs comming to Judgement To vers 8. Proclaiming the perdition of ungodly men at that day and therefore warnes us to hasten our repentance and that because the day of the Lord will come as a thiefe in the night vers 10. In which day we must looke for the heavens to be dissolved the elements consumed and the earth burned seeing we are in expectation of these things he exhorts to be diligent that we may be found of him in peace without spot and blamelesse vers 14. Now to prevent us from falling away he warnes us that we be not led by the errours of the wicked and so fall from our owne stedfastnesse vers 17. And to this end prescribes us a preservative from falling into Apostacy in these words But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to him be glory both now and for ever Let us first enquire 1 What is meant by grace here 2 What it is to grow in grace 3 Who is a subject fit for growth Of these in their order 1 Grace is either taken for the love and favour of God Grace is twofold either active or pasive whereby we are accepted of him in Christ and so it 's Active 2 Or for the gifts wrought in us by Gods spirit so it 's Passive The former is gratia acta grace begun The later is gratia aucta grace increased which is the grace here commended The several acceptations of grace in Scripture for brevities sake I omit but if it be the grace that hath reference to God it should note the grace of Election which St. Paul saith was according to his purpose and grace 2 Tim. 1.9 If it hath reference to us it implies the gifts of the Holy Spirit bestowed upon us by God in this sense See John 1.16 of his fulnesse we receive grace for grace Or that which hath reference to the future estate of glory in which sense See 1 Pet. 1.13 Now our Apostle looks not at the first acceptation of grace which is of Election because it is without life and cannot grow nor at the last because we cannot get to glory unlesse we have grown for the life of glory is past growth but it hath reference to the middle which is the gifts of the Spirit as renovation by his Spirit redemption by his Sonne in sending him out of his bosome to disclose his secrets unto us which are of two sorts 1. Such as have respect to the esse and bene esse of a Christian as those cardinall graces faith and repentance love and obedience 2. Such as have respect ad ornatum to the decking of a Christian as good wit memory and good invention questionlesse the Apostle meanes we should grow in all grace but especiall in the best 2. What it is to grow in grace As the body may grow in stature till it be taller So the soule may grow in grace till it become holier For there is a quickning life of the soule whereby it grows in goodnesse as well as there is a naturall life of the body whereby it growes in talnesse You know what it is for a childe to grow when his foode is well disgested his members thereby nourished his spirits augmented his strength increased and his whole proportion of body enlarged you 'le say that childe growes So it is with the soule when Gods word which is the soules foode is well disgested so that the soule thereby is nourished his desires more enlarged his affections more quickned the life of grace more augmented you may call this a growing Christian When his faith is more and more strengthned his charitie more and more enflamed When his conscience is more obedient and his obedience more conscionable When he labours for more holinesse here that he might have more happinesse hereafter and strives to get more grace that he might have more glory This is to grow in grace 3. Who is a subject fit for growth He must be such a one as is neither in the state of unregeneracy nor yet in the state of glory 1. Not an unregenerate man because he hath no spirituall life in him whereby he may be said to grow 2. Not a glorified man for he is come to the perfection of his growth and cannot be said to grow 3. It must be one in a middle estate A regenerate man such a one that hath shaken off his corruption Such a one as is ascending higher to some perfection increasing both the multitude and measure of his grace Such a one as is travelling in the way of glory yet not got to glory So that when the Apostle bids us grow in grace I conceive the subject fit for growth must be a regenerate man such as to whom Saint Paul writes Eph. 3.18 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being rooted and grounded in love Now the Apostles injunction being cleared hence this proposition may be raised That Regeneration requires an augmentation of grace The Proposition Or more briefly A Regenerate man must needs be a growing man A Christian newly Regenerate is like a child newly borne that desires to sucke the breasts of his mother and receives that wholesome nourishment that thereby he may increase in strength and stature therefore Saint Peter wisheth us as new borne babes desire the sincere milke of the word that we may grow thereby 1 Pet. 2.2 And the Prophet David Psal 92.13 14. Tels us that the trees that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God They shall still bring forth fruit in old age and shall be fat and flourishing Where there is no fruit to be found there is no growth to be expected and there is no Symptome of a Christian growth without fruits The tree is for the fruit and but for the fruit there had beene no tree When there is no hope of fruit we cut it downe and make it serve for fewell Men doe delight to plant trees in their orchards for delight as for shade in hot summer seasons But God delights to see no such trees in his Orchard such that beare nothing but greene leaves or glorious blossomes I meane such as satisfie themselves with Hypocriticall shewes and fruitlesse formallities But if we be growing trees we be fruitfull let us shew our Faith by our fruits and let the grapes of piety clusters of equity and fruitfull branches of sobriety testifie eternally internally externally to God to our own conscience

that he hath spirituall life by his growth for nothing doe more argue life then a proportionable growth 1. Wee cannot glorifie God nor profit our selves nor credit our brethren more then by a continuall growth in grace 2. We cannot make better preparation to encounter with the King of feare and all uncomfortable crosses 3. We cannot make the assurance of our eternall happinesse more large firme and undeceiveable then making a continuall progresse in the vertues of Christ Jesus and the graces of his Spirit therefore let there be no declining in any case no revolting in any kinde for by declining we shall proclaime to the world that Gods service is an unprofitable service by revolting we doe but occasion a discouragement to our fellow brethren and Jeoperdize our soules safety and hazard the full fruition of eternall happinesse let us not slack our pace in this spirituall progresse but as the God of heaven reneweth his mercies to us and enricheth us daily with his bounties so let us renew our obedience and let our graces be thriving more and more but above all things take heed of back-sliding If any man draw back my soule shall have no pleasure in him c. Saint Peter saith It had been better they had not known the way of righteousnesse Heb. 10.38 then after they knew it to turne from those heavenly commands given unto them 2 Pet. 2.21 If you shall demand Quest whether the Regenerate may totally and finally fall from his former steadfastnesse and become a reprobate Ans I utterly deny that he truly being Regenerate may totally fall because God hath expresly promised that he will make to his Servants an everlasting covenant That he will not turne from them to doe them good but will put his feare into their hearts that they may not depart from him Jer. 32.40 And if ye do these things ye shall never fall saith Saint Peter 2.1.10 If you examine the verses before you shall find that the adding of grace to grace is a good meanes to prevent back-sliding for grace is of a preservative power that if a Christian be once ingrafted into Christ by Regeneration and adde grace to grace he can never totally and finally fall from grace I deny not but the Childe of God may fall from some degree of that grace which he hath had in former times he may fall with David in some grosse sinns he may fall from the sense and feeling of Gods grace and think himselfe utterly deprived of grace and this may be by reason of some strong and powerfull temptation as in David or bad company is many times the fall of Gods children as the impious high Priests wicked servants prompted Peter to deny his Master or the feare of some persecution and losse of great mens favour or some such naturall infirmity doth prove to be the fall of many there may be this lapsus or fall in the best of Gods servants that are truly Regenerate but there is in them againe a rising by Repentance which preserveth them from perishing for God hath put his feare into their hearts that they may not depart from him I confesse that an hypocrite that seemes to be regenerate and is not that seemes to have saving grace may with Judas and Demas fall from that which he seemeth to have because they that embrace the profession for by-ends as for profit or carnall respects as to please others such a profession as is emrbaced for such causes must needs cease when the cause is ceased for he that in Hypocrisie begins a profession commonly in Apostacie ends it but Lord put thou thy feare in our hearts that we might never depart from thee Jer. 32.40 That this exhortation might be more prevalent I shall endeavour first to remove those lets that may hinder our growth and then prescribe some helps to farther it that the lets being discovered might be avoided and helps being prescribed might be embraced The first let is not living under the meanes of grace 1. Let. that doctrine of the Gospel that Ipsissimum dei verbum the very Word of God living not under the sun-shine of the Gospel may hinder our growth I dare not say that all that live under the meanes of grace therefore necessarily doe attaine unto grace No we see Plants and Stones wet with the moisture of the same clouds warmed with the beames of the same Sunne the Plants grow yet you discerne no alteration of the Stones So there are many that live in the sun-shine of the Gospel and have the fructifying dewes of Gods grace plentifully shoured upon them yet their hearts are so cold and hard that it neither warmes nor mollifies them so that no growth at all can be discerned in them can there be any growth expected either in our Popish recusants that resuse the word of grace or in our wordly recusants that absent themselves from it How can Faith either be begot or increased in any that neglect the Word and live out of the climate or compaste of grace Saint Paul saith Rom. 16.17 Faith comes by hearing not by seeing not by feeling but by hearing the fire of Faith is not kindled in us without hearing Slighting the preaching of the Word 2. Let. and neglecting the hearing of the same when as preaching is the Pipe our eares the Channell to convey grace from Christ the Fountaine into the Cisterne of our soules so that the reason why many grow not because either this grace is tendred but not embraced or embraced but not improved when we come to a neighbours feast we strive to be there first but how slow are we in comming to feast at Gods house unto many soule-fatting dayes have we been invited to feast our leane starved soules but we come not our selves but send our excuses one hath bought a farme he must goe to see it he cannot come another hath married a wife and though hee be earnestly invited yet he cannot come can these excuses be taken Postponetur deus bovibus qui nos aequavit Angelis When God is set behind your oxen who hath made you equall with his Angels or shall a wife keepe you from comming it were better to live alone then to have such a helpe if lawfull businesse might not hinder our comming much lesse sporting and revelling sleeping or drinking What if some heavy sicknesse when thou art sporting or playing should visite thee such a play-fellow will presently turne a mar-mirth and it had been better that he had found thee praying then playing What if thou when thou art sleeping grimme Death should take thee napping and cast thee into thy last sleepe had it not beene better that he had found thee praying in the Church then sleeping at home what if when thou art drinking while thou should'st bee hearing the King of feare should make that draught thy last had it not been better that he had found thee praying reading or hearing then playing sleeping or drinking Many