Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A77017
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A sermon preached before the reverend Committee of divines, the 20th of May 1646 At their usuall place of meeting in Westminster. Vpon a text given the day before, by that godly and learned member of the Assembly Mr John Ley chair-man. By Sampson Bond minister of Gods word, at Mayden-head in Berks. Printed according to order.
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Bond, Samson.
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1646
(1646)
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Wing B3586A; Thomason E346_13; ESTC R201010
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38,967
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59
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many examples we can but examine the time failing but one or two First if a man be called to suffer hee is in the first place to consider for what hee suffereth for all are not Blessed as Martyrs that suffer only those that suffer according to our Saviours direction for righteousnesse Blessed indeed most blessed are they that are persecuted for righteousnesse-sake not those that are executed as Malefactors for Murder Felony Blasphemy Schisme Obstinacy or Fancy none dyeth a Martyr but hee who dyeth for the faith by which the just liveth If a Jew be scourged to death for the abrogated rites of the ceremoniall Law or a Jesuited Papist hanged drawne and quartered according to the penall statutes of this Kingdome for treason against the State in the Popes quarrell or if an Anabaptist be burnt to ashes for his fanaticall and fantasticall revelations hee is the Popes or his owne sacrifice hee dyeth the Popes or his owne Martyr not Christs because it was without salt being so it must be unsavoury i. lame and maimed such as God doth utterly reject and finally dispise 2. Exam. There is a sacrifice of the inward man of the heart this sacrifice is to be seasoned not onely with salt but with fire i. uncorruption Now this sacrifice of the heart is two-fold either contrite or divided the divided heart is a sacrifice most abominable cor divisum a heart parted and divided within it selfe God cannot abide I will give you an instance it is said of Saul in the 1. Sam. 28.6 that hee tryed ail wayes to seeke the Lord and the Lord would not be found of him nor answer him neither by dreames nor by urim nor by Prophets how comes this to passe the Answer is easie Saul presented a sacrifice without fire hee had a cloven heart and then non videtur fieri quod non legitimè fit that which is not done rightly and sincerely as it ought to be done is counted as not done in the sight of God Sauls seeking of God is counted as no seeking because it was not in sincerity but in hypocrisie his sacrifice was full of corruption like that of Agag and the Amalakites cattell pretending devotion when he did it for gaine wherefore the Lord dispised the sacrifice and hewed the sacrificer in peeces a most just reward for all those that serve the Lord for their owne ends to be carnally minded in spirituall affaires is {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} as the Apostle speakes an affection of dishonour and doth discover a kind of basenesse in Gods servants to seeke him onely for their owne ends We may see the like in another kind 2. Kin. 17. it is said of the Samaritan Assyrians that mongrell brood That they feared the Lord and served their owne Gods also and the next verse saith they feared not the Lord at all How can these things hold viz. feare and not feare Answ they presented a sacrifice without fire their hearts were parted within them and therefore their feare of God is counted as no feare of God because it is no sincere feare of the Lord had they truly feared God they should never have need to feare their owne Idols for hee that truly feareth God hath this Blessing that he shall need feare nothing else but God in this service of God as contrarily he that feares not God hath this Curse that God will give him such a trembling heart that he shall feare every thing but God as those people did wherefore God as with Saul hated their sacrifice and the sacrificers he made a subject of his wrath fuell of his fiery indignation till that they were consumed to ashes hence we find that God cannot abide cor divisum a cloven heart a heart parted and divided within it selfe But The other sacrifice viz. the contrite heart this is as amiable as the other was abominable God dearly loves cor contritum a broken heart a heart rent and torne with griefe and sorrow for sinne he who is displeased with himselfe because hee hath displeased his gracious God hee whose spirit grieveth because he hath grieved Gods holy spirit hee who because hee hath done that which God abhorreth abhorreth himselfe in dust and ashes hee who when God hath chastned him for his sinnes kisseth his heavenly Fathers rod and acknowledgeth that he deserveth farre smarter blowes then those which he yet feeles he who goeth mourning all the day long and will never be at peace with himselfe till he hath made his peace with his maker hee who alwayes feeling the weight of his sinnes sigheth and groaneth under them and never ceaseth to offer up prayers and supplications {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} with strong cryes and teares unto God till he be cased of them Are we such sacrifices seasoned with this fire of uncorruption and contrition are we such contrite sinners Alas Alas we often instead of denying ungodlinesse and worldly lusts have with Peter denyed our Master oh but doe wee weepe bitterly with him and as he whensoever he heard the Cock crow after the denyall of his Master fell on weeping afresh so doe the Wounds of our Consciences bleed afresh at the sight of every object and hearing of every sound which puts us in mind of our crimson sinnes Oh remember how that we have polluted our beds with David but doe we cleanse them as he did doe we make our couches to swim with tears of repentance wee halve entertained with Mary-Magdalen many foule sinnes like so many uncleane spirits but have we broken a box of pretious oyntment upon Christs head or kneeled downe and washed his feete with our teares if we have done so then we are sacrifices rightly seasoned then we are contrite sinners indeed when our hearts are rent and torne with griefe for sinne with remorse for iniquity God then beholds us with his pure eyes this is comfort great comfort because God never casteth his eye upon any but he setteth his affection upon him and he never fetteth affection upon any without an intention of blessing him so then the Christian man whose heart is broken whose heart is rent and torne for transgression is the onely happy the onely Blessed man true hee is so if his sacrifice of uncorruption and contrition be also seasoned with discretion for a broken spirit and contrite heart is a sacrifice necessarily wanting the salt of discretion for even godly sorrow must not exceed the Rivers of Paradise must be kept within their bankes A man may prick his heart for his sinne nay wound it but hee must not kill it hee may dive deepe into the waters of Mara but not stay so long under water till hee be drowned hee that hath grievously wronged Gods justice by presumption let him take heed that he doe not more wrong his mercy by desperation his finnes be but finite but Gods mercy and Christs merits are infinite which brings us to our last part the Properties of the
sacrifice Living A Sacrifice may be said to be living two-wayes First in regard of a naturall life and so our bodies may be called living sacrifices in opposition to the sacrifices of the Law where the Beasts were to be killed Secondly in regard of a spirituall life and the grace of regeneration in opposition to the sinfull estate of wicked men which is an estate of death Ephe. 2 1. in the last sense our Bodies must be a sacrifice Living So then the spirit of God by St. Paul doth require all beleevers to present their Bodies a Living sacrifice Object If it be demanded what is meant by a Living sacrifice or how shall wee know when the sacrifice is Living Answ. By the speciall effects and fruits hereof the motions and workings of the soule will be 1 inward 2. sincere 3. Vniversall 1. Effect Inward That Body that is a living sacrifice his soule will be carried most inwardly the inward motions and actions of the spirit will be toward God it is the inward working that testifieth the truth of this Propertie All outward actions of seeking towards God they are all such as may be counterfeited a Hypocrite may act them all there is no outward action in the world that belongeth to God or to Christianity but it is possible for a base Hypocrite to represent them all but he can doe no more an outward representation is all as there is no shape of any externall thing in the world but a skilfull Painter can draw the forme of it give a resemblance of the thing yet this Painter cannot draw it so as that it should have life and motion spirits and blood running into the veines so there is no outward action belonging to Religion but it is possible for a Painter a cunning Hypocrite a lame-sacrificer to imitate but the inward actions of life truth and grace he cannot but that which is intended in this place is that all our outward actions be animated actions not dead actions actions that have no further bottome then a word or two growing upon the tip of the tongue which is all the Religion too many have For the Religion which is I will not say professed but practised by most men is aptly set forth in the words of a godly and wise man quae aure concipit parturitore which conceiveth at the eare by frequent hearing a good exercise but bringeth forth only at the mouth by frequent discoursing a bad practise of religion some pious counsels some good words some liberall prayers such as these God helpe thee God relieve thee God comfort thee Alas poore soule alas poore comfort Words be they never so adorned clothe not the naked be they never so delicate feed not the hungry be they never so zealous warme not him that is almost starved with cold be they never so free set not free them that are bound visit not the sicke or imprisoned in a word performe not any of those duties which shall be vouchsaved the naming at the generall day of retribution unto all men which shall be according to their workes not according to their words The Epigramatist deservedly casteth a blur upon Candidus his faire name and debonaire carriage because all the fruits of his devotion towards God or friendship to men grew upon his tongue Candide {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} haec sunt tua candide {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} quae tu magniloquus nocte dicqâ—e sonas Ex opibus iantis veteri fidoque sodali das nihil dicis cand de {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Thou sayest my friend Candâ—dus that to be charitable and to doe good is a most glorious because Christian-like cognisance and that all things are common among friends but it seemes these words of thine are thy all things for thou givest nothing at all and yet art most prodigall in thy Language and wearest out that Proverbe thread-bare {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} all things are common amongst friends but Candidus and all such as are like him are but living sacrifices in name being dead having no inward principle to quicken them but to apply it the right way all our outward actions must be animated actions they must have their root in the very heart and soule that must inwardly move towards God otherwise they are not living no though they move and move a-pace in many nay in all outward things for we see it is so in experience that there be many things that move yet their motion is no Argument of life I will give you onely one instance A Windmill when the wind serveth moveth and moveth very nimbly too yet we doe not say presently that that is living creature No it is moved only by an externall cause by an artificiall contrivance and so having but an externall motor and no inward principle no soule within to move it it is an Argument it is no living creature so it is here If a man see another move and move very fast in those things which of themselves are the wayes of God as to move to a Sermon or to the Lords Table the question is what principle set him a worke if it be an inward principle of Life out of a pious affection and love to God and his Ordinances that carried him to these it is an Argument of spirituall Life and of a Living sacrifice but if it be some wind that bloweth him on the wind of danger of penalty of vaine-glory of fashion or custome to doe as other doe and doth not make it the ayme and drift of his soule then it is palpable that some sinister thing no true intent carryed him on towards God that though hee be a sacrifice living it is but in name onely in respect of the truth of grace he is indeed dead 2. Effect Sincere The Living sacrifice hath motions and workings carrying the soule not only inwardly but most sincerely toward God sincerity hath no by nor base respects hence is it that the sincere Christian is in all things in heart to God as hee seemes to be in Life to the world sincerity makes the Christian man to be like the Curtaines of the Tabernacle which as they say were so wrought that they were on both sides alike sincerity tels the Christian man nil fictum est diuturnum nothing counterfeit will last long counterfeit Diamonds may sparkle and glister and make a great show for a time but their Luster will not last Experience sheweth that an Apple if it be rotten at the coare though it have a faire and shining outside yet rottennesse will not stay long but it will possesse the outside also it is the nature of things unsound that the corruption stayes not where it begun but putrifieth and corrupts more and more till all be a like so that man that hath a rotten heart towards God his want of sincerity will in time be discovered and his outside