Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	break_a	contrite_a	heart_n	6,246	5	5.9059	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A12708	A short treatise, very comfortable for all those Christians that be troubled and disquieted in theyr consciences with the sight of their owne infirmities wherein is shevved hovv such may in their owne selues finde whereby to assure them of their free election, effectuall vocation, and iustification.	Sparke, Thomas, 1548-1616.	1580 (1580)	STC 23025; ESTC S102432	22,600	64

yet it getteth the but with grudging misliking of the spirit so hath neuer ful obedience yéelded it as before euery day it obtaineth lesse obedience lesse So the I may wel compare the obediēce that sin hath being in his kingdome to the obediēce y● a lawfull welbeloued King getteth of hys subiectes and the obedience that sin only dwelling in man obtaineth to the obedience the a tyrant vsurper getteth of his subiectes that loue him not Both of these get their things that they commaund done but in great dinersitie for the one is obeyed in all that willingly hartily faithfully the other in as little as they can in that repyningly with inwarde griefe misliking the they shoulde obey such a one at al euen the like difference betwixt obedience yéelded to him before regeneration and after is there Take we héed therfore that sin raigne not in vs wrestle wée and striue we by the spirite euery day more and more to withdrawe our bodies and soules from yéelding any obedience to sin dwelling in vs and in thus doing though with Paule we fynd some tyme this tyrant letting vs from doing the good we would and drawing vs on to do the euil that we mislike yet with the same Paule as wée do take occasion to crye oute of oure owne wretchednesse and of the tyranny of sinne in vs so let vs comfort our selues assuring our selues that this wrestling against sinne in the inner man is a sure argument of our most assured purposed saluation in the bloud of Iesus Christ But to the end that this doctrine now thus generally layde downe may be to the more comfort of thée Christian Reader particularly let vs sée now how it can be applyed to thy fore to salue it to thy sicknesse to cure it to thy afflicted conscience to solace and comfort it thou mournest and thy soule is troubled desquieted and sore vered within thée yea thou thinkest thy selfe euen compassed about with the paynes of hell and therfore in bitternesse of heart complaynest as one cast off forgotten and forsaken of God fearing greatly that thy ende and portion shall be with the wicked and why is all this bycause sayest thou I find in my selfe such doubting whether I shall be saued for Christes sake or no and many other sinnes and infirmities in my selfe beside for the which I deserue vtterly to be reiected But tell me also and dissemble not with me doest thou not greatly mislike this thy doubting art thou not gréeued with thy selfe for it findest thou not in thy selfe an earnest desire to be ridde of it that thou mightest fully beléeue that thou shalt be saued for Christes sake and further concerning the other infirmities doest thou not mislike them and condemne them in thy selfe and wrestle and striue to lessen them in thy selfe and yet to go one step further with theée doest thou not vnfeynedly finde in thy selfe loue towards Gods truth and the professors thereof euen for that they do professe it and embrace it and a loue after godlinesse euen for godlinesse sake And that in answering of me in these two last poyntes you be not deceyued consider whether you take any comfort pleasure and delight in reading of Gods booke in studying of his truth in hearing it preached and commoned on and whether it be a gréefe vnto you to heare it withstoode or misliked or the professors and preachers thereof abused if these things be in you it is certayne you haue loue towardes God and his truth and to the bréethren that professe it and as for loue after godlynesse vniuersally euen for godlynesse sake then it is in you if you be at this poynt that you could finde in your heart to absteyne frō sinne though it might aduantage you not hurt you in procuring you here any shame or punishment to embrace vertue though it purchase you mockes scoffes and tauntes and any other displeasure and gayne you nothing wyth menne euen bycause your God hathe condemned the one and cōmended the other And whether your abstaynyng from sinne and embracing of vertue be such as this you may be able to iudge if you consider whither you be as carefull to absteyne from those sinnes that man punisheth not or accounteth not of as from other and if you way whether you be not as well willing to embrace those poyntes of godlynesse whiche are most dispised amongst mē as those that he highliest estéemed you can not deny but that to these questions you must néedes answer that it is thus with your selfe notwithstanding your complayning of lacke of faith and doubting that sometime you haue good comforte in hearing Gods truth in Christ Iesus and great consolation in powring forth your Prayers vnto God in the bitte●nes of your soule this is it that discomforts you that this comfort of yours lasteth but for a short time your doubting being renued and yet you can not I am sure say to the contrarye but that you hope of the renuing of your comfort in Christ and of saluation through him in the ende Be it then that this is thy state Christian Reader let vs sée nowe what comfortes the worde of God ministreth vnto thée to binde vp thy broken heart and to heale thy woūded conscience This I dare say vnto you by g●●d and plentiful experience to begin withall in the wordes of Paule 1. Cor. 10. verse 23. there hath no tēptatiō takē you but such as aperteineth to mā and God is faithfull which will not suffer you to be tempted aboue that you be able but wil giue the issue with the temptation that you may be able to beare it thus hath he before now oftentimes brought downe to Hell and carryed backe agayne he hath throwne downe that hée might rayse vp wounded that he might heale thus doth he vse to breake vp the fallow landes of the hearts of his children to prepare them as méete ground for the immortal séede of his word thus doth he according to his promise Ezech. ●6 take from his their stony heartes and bestowes soft and fleshie hearts vppon them such a broken and contrite heart as this is is so acceptable a sacrifice to God that he will not despise it Psal 51. yea to the great consolation of such it is sayd by God Esay 66. verse 2. to him will I looke that is poore and of a contrite spirite and trembleth at my wordes and therefore so farre off is it that you should be perswaded that God hath forgotten you or left you off bycause of the trouble and vexation which you féele in your soule that euen therein you haue matter of comfort assuring you that you are one whome most tenderly he looketh vpon and regardeth In déede it can not be denyed but that where there is no faith in Christ Iesus there is yet the state of damnation for as it is written He that beléeueth in him shall not be condemned so it followeth writ

descending downe to vs and in bringing vs to full possession of hys blessings procéedeth by these steppes béeyng of nature good and louyng towardes mankinde thoughe in mutable manne there was found cause why hée should altogither bée shuffe from taking any benefite by thys loue of God towards him yée God being of nature immutable ●erseuered in his loue towards mā and ●ō fréely of his own good wil purposeth the saluation of vs men in his son Christ Iesus and electeth and predectinateth vs to be saued through and for hym béefore the foundations of the worlde and therefore in time by promisse reuealeth thys hys purpose and when the fulnesse of Tyme was come sente hym in whome by whome thoroughe whome and for whose sake hys purpose shoulde stande ratified and those whose saluation in Christe thus promised and performe from euerlastyng hée purposed those by his worde and spirite in hys good time he maketh effectuallye to vnderstand how able and willing he is only in hys sonne Christe Iesus to iustify and there stayeth not but by the same meanes he worketh faith in theyr heartes whereby they catch holde of Christ and so in hym of full iustification Thus when hée hath made them trées of righteousnes of his own planting in Christ then he so purgeth and trimmeth them that they may bring forthe muche fruite to his glorie in this life that in the world to come he may make thē partakers of his owne glorie so that God of his own good will purposeth to sane or electeth whome he liste and those he calleth whē he listeth and them iustifieth and sanctifieth here that hée maye in hys good time glorifie elsewhere Rom. 8. But nowe if wée would know Gods purpose of vs wée haue to beginne at the lowest or laste effecte of hys good purpose towardes vs and thereby by degrées to ascende to fynde oute what hys absolute decrée is to doe wyth vs that is lette vs consider whether we be sanctified or no if not it is in vaine eyther to bragge of Iustification Vocation or Election or to presume of Glorification vntil this be founde in vs wée can haue no assurance of anye of these but when this is once sounde in vs then forasmuch as none be sanctified whom hée hath not iustified and none iustified whome he hath not both effectually called in tyme and elected before al times and none euer was partaker of all these but in the ende also there was glorified we may thereby assure our selues that we are alreadye iustified and therefore called called and therefore elected and consequently suche as shall bée glorifyed Howbeit as all is not gold that glisters so all is not Sanctification or true holinesse that séemeth so to be For we reade in the 29. Chapiter of Esay of such as drewe nigh to God with their lippes and yet were farre from hym in their hearts and Esay 28. God in describing a people in whome he founde nothing but sin and transgression to bée cryed out of yet saith thus of them yet they séeke me dayly and woulde knowe my wayes euen as a nation that dydde righteously and hadde not forsaken the statutes of their God in these then ther séemed to be holines and yet was none So in the Scribes Pharisies in Christes tyme in the eyes and iudgementes of men there séemed to be notable sanctification or holinesse of life insomuch that in that respecte Christe compareth them to suche as made cleane the vtter syde of the Cuppe and of the Platter and to painted tombes whyche appeare beautiful outward And yet there he denounceth manye he any woes againste them pronounceth them Hypocrites Serpents and generation of Vipers Math. 23. And therefore Christe hathe tolde vs Math. 5. verse 20. Excepte our righteousnesse excéede the righteousnes of the Scribes Pharisies we shal not enter into the kingdome of Heauen hath also warned vs that we be not like thē neither in giuing of almes praying nor fasting Math. 6. The Aungell of the Church of Sardis had a name that he liued yet was dead Reuel 3. describing the wickednes of the last times he saith that thē they shal haue a shew of godlinesse out haue denyed the power therof These places thē euidently do teach vs to take héed that we do not flatter our selues think that therfore al is wel with vs bicause outwardly we appere to men sanctified righteous for we sée here that it is not that séeming but that being righteous that is proued of God as a marke true token of those that shal enter into Heuē O thē how voide are they of any true hope of saluatiō in whō there is neither foūd holines in déed neither yet so muche as an outward shew therof being men which liue so wickedly that al men that haue any acquaintance familiarity with them sée and beholde their prophane and wicked liues But nowe let these alone let vs take this profite by this lesson that it standeth vs vpon to be righteous in déede if we be desirous hereby to reape any assuraunce of our election and iustification And hereby let vs take occasion to consider least we be deceiued in accompting our selues truely righteous when wée are not what thynges be necessarye to true righteousnesse For the vnderstandyng whereof if we resorte vnto the Scriptures of God thereby shall wée learne that true righteousnesse and perfect is a ceasing from all the sinnes condemned in the lawe in heart worde déede and countenaunce and an embracing all the vertues commended in the same in hearte worde déede and countenaunce And further thereby shall wée plainely learne that he that woulde walke in holinesse and righteousnesse before the Lorde he hath to regard two principal things the matter namelye that hée exercise hym selfe in and the maner howe to doe it For if either bothe of these or one of these be neglected the labor is lost The matter of a good worke is that onely which is warranted lawfull to be done eyther expressely or by sound collection out of the Canonicall Scriptures for it is written yée shall put nothing vnto the word that I command you neyther shall you take aught therefrō Deu. 4.2 and good reason is there why we should obey this precept for the holy Scripture is giuen by inspiration of God and is profitable to teach to reproue to correct and to instruct in righteousnesse that the man of God may be absolute being made perfect vnto al good works 2. Tim. 3. verse 16.17 and therfore worthily Christ reiecteth all such workes or poyntes of his worship which haue no ground out of she word saying Mat. 15. in vayne they worship me teaching for doctrines mens preceptes thereby telling the Pharistes though they were neuer so paynefull and deuoute in obseruing their owne traditions yet hée would make no accompt of their so doing but as of vayne and lost laboure Vpon this ground Paule Coloss 2. condemneth al works that haue no