Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	corruption_n	flesh_n	sow_v	5,273	5	10.3024	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A00669	A sermon preached at St. Mary Spittle on Easter Tuesday 1613. By Roger Fenton D. in Diuinitie	Fenton, Roger, 1565-1616.	1616 (1616)	STC 10804; ESTC S115028	43,251	226

her but because her heart followed her eye backe againe into Sodome therefore was this punishment vpon her as a dreadfull document to answer all turne-backs vnto sinne that they shall not haue Gods grace to step one foote forward to the seruice of God Nay the seruants of God who haue obtained pardon vpon their true repentance God doth notwithstanding proportion his temporal punishments vnto their sinnes to teach vs that none of vs shall euer be any gainers by sinning Was not Dauids adultery wel rewarded in Absolons folly with his Fathers Concubines And for his murder of Vriah the sword was not to depart from his house all the daies of his life And because his sonne Salomon diuided Gods kingdome and religion betweene God and Idols therfore God diuided his kingdome between Rehoboam and Ieroboam And because his sonne Rehoboam would neede be a yokemaker to oppresse Israel so as his little finger should be bigger than his fathers loynes therefore God brought it about that his loynes were no bigger than his fathers finger by cutting off of ten Tribes at one blow So I haue giuen you a taste and but a taste of this truth in the roote in the tree and in the branches in nations in persons that be reprobrate in the true seruāts of God but these are but temporall iudgmēts God tempers all his iudgments they be like our quarter Sessions here and there some are adiudged in this world for examples sake and as Dauid saith in the 58. Psalme the last verse that men may say doubtlesse there is a God that iudgeth in the earth For as S. Austin hath well obserued if all sinners should bee punished in this world wee should feare no farther iudgement and if none at all wee should doubt of Gods prouidence in the first booke de Ciuitate Dei the 8. Therefore there shall come a day when this my text shall be fulfilled in plenitudine in weight number and measure in a most exact proportion when the deniall of a crum of bread vnto poore Lazarus shall bee requited with a deniall of a drop of water in hell fire When the vialls of Gods vengance shall bee powred out in full measure vpon damned spirits When infinite torments shall bee inflicted vpon sinners for their sins which as the haires of their heads are innumerable and infinite so shall the punishment bee vpon obstinate sinners against that diuine maiestie which is infinite And vpon impenitent sinners for frustrating and making voide that price of their redemption which is infinite And vpon those vngratefull wretches who haue made so little reckoning of the graces and blessings of God towards mankinde which are infinite And as infinite torments shall be inflicted proportionable vnto their infinite sins committed against God so likewise the omission of our manifold duties shall there be punished with an vtter depriuation of all comfort there shall be vtter darknes and no mitigation of torments no not for a moment Where the tormentors are spirits and cannot be weary where the worme shall euer gnaw and neuer dye where the fire shall bee vnquenchable neuer going out where the breath of the Lord like a stream of brimston doth kindle it Esay 30. 33. there shall bee no hope of deliuerance and yet were it not for hope the heart would burst no there shall be no hope yet the heart must hold a roote of immortalitie continually feeding both soule and body vnto eternall death What remedy then but patience Nay no patience neither who can dwell with euerlasting burning where shall bee weeping and gnashing of teeth and not lose his patience seing that gnashing of teeth is an effect of an impatient furie But alas replies the vnfaithfull sinner what proportion is here Shall I be punished with eternall torments for my momentanie sins euerlasting burning for a few yeares sinning what proportion Verily a most exact proportion for hee that doth delight in sinne doth desire that those delights of his might continue if it were possible for euer now saith St Bernard the very desire of sinning is sinne it selfe before God therefore an infinite desire shall be eternally punished Besides that of S. Gregorie I take it is well grounded he that dyeth without repentance iustice doth presuppose that if that man could haue liued for euer hee would haue sinned for euer if thou then wilt offend thy God in aeternitudine that is so long as thou liuest then God will iustly punish thee in aeterno that is so long as God himselfe liueth for euer and euer For those that will sinne against God so long as they haue any being in this world without repentance they shal be punished by God so long as they shall haue any being in the world to come without mercy The contrary doth illustrate and proue both whosoeuer continueth to the end he shall be saued saith the text By what proportion Because God in mercy doth presuppose that that man if he had liued for euer would haue continued for euer in well doing Therefore as God in his iust mercy doth crowne our perseuerance with immortalitie so likewise in his most iust iudgment shall he punish finally all impenitencie with eternall vengeance iust as a man soweth so shall hee also reape in most exact proportion And let this serue for the truth of this proposition Now followeth the generall to bee examined whatsoeuer a man soweth that shall hee also reape Whatsoeuer be it good or bad be it sowen to the flesh or to the spirit which is the Apostles distribution in the verse following If to the flesh then is it generall without exception that whatsoeuer is sowen turneth to corruption and to our confusion as Hosea saith cap 8. 7. they sow the winde and shall reape the whirlewinde Their roote is rottennesse and their bud dust Esay 5. 24. But marke the phrase Quicquid seminaverit homo Whatsoeuer a man shall sow For there are some weeds which grow of themselues naturally without sowing others about which wee take paines and imploy our selues with all industrie and are of our owne sowing As S. Bernard amongst his sentences like wise expoundeth semine tuo i. e. operibus tuis calling the deeds which wee doe the seede which wee sow And Ioh. 8. 44. our Sauiour saith that when the Deuill speaketh a lye de suo loquitur hee speaketh that which is as it were of his owne sowing and growing 1. As for those weeds which grow vp in vs with out our sowing if so be that they displease vs as they did the Apostle in the 7. to the Romans verse 24 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 O wretched man that I am who shall deliuer me from the bodie of this death if we finde in our selues a loathing of our sinnes or of our selues for sinne If we be vexed at the soule for our owne sinnes as the Cananitish womans daughter was Matth. 15. 22. for her diuell if wee labour to suppresse them and learne of our Captaine

Christ in the 3. of Gen vers 15. to strike at sinne in vs so soone as euer it begins to put out the head If wee dash these Babylonish Brats against the stones whiles they bee young Psalm 137. 9. for sinne is a nettle it must not be dallied withall or tenderly handled for then will it stinge vs if wee doe labour I say to weede out these sinnes that grow in vs then God is mercifull to passe them ouer for if thou Lord shouldest marke what is done amisse who should be able to abide it we should reap then nothing but gall and bitternesse if we do that which we would not do then it is not we saith the Apostle but sinne that dwelleth in vs sinne that is present with vs sin that growes in vs naturally without any sowing But on the other side if wee plow and sow iniquity if we doe imagine mischiefe vpon our beds as Dauid saith if we do studie to bee naught and take great paines to doe wickedly as Ieremie speaketh cap. 9. 5. if we break vp the fallowes and furrowes of our hearts vnto sinne and make our eies Brokers vnto the heart of iniquity if we go and buy strange seedes at the Theater and I tremble to speake it fetch home new fashions from the house of God if we doe delight to bee merrie in impiety and to animate and stir vp one another as the Prophet Isaiah speaketh the 56. chap. the last vers Come I will bring wine and wee will fill our selues with strong drinke to morrow shall be as this day and much more aboundant then what is this but to plow and sow and water wickednesse and then shall wee be sure to reape a most ranke haruest If it bee good seede that wee sow we shall be sure to reape the same at the hand of God whatsoeuer it be whether it bee beneuolence vnto men or deuotion vnto God be it sowne neuer so secretly the closer the better thy father which seeth thee in secret shall reward thee openly Whatsoeuer a man soweth there is an other difference in respect of God For God doth sowe much good seede amongst vs and he reapes little or nothing at all When his son Christ did sow his seed himselfe with a most skilful hand some fell by the way side and wanting good mold to couer it it was quickly taken away that is the people would presse and throng one another in the gates and flocke vnto his Sermons but it was out of curiositie or for formalitie like these times a solemn hearing and a solemne forgetting Some fell in stonie ground and was well bladed but not well rooted therefore quickly faded that is so long as the loaues lasted so long as the Ministers of Christ did fill their bellies they heard the word with cheerefulnes and alacritie but when the Sunne of persecution arose they withered when the crosse came they fled Some fell amongst thornes which choaked his good seede yea and persecuted the Sonne of God the seed-man of the word with great sharpenesse bitternes Now if the sonne himselfe had no better successe no maruell though his seruants haue great cause to complain with the three great Prophets of God with Esay in the 49. the 4. verse I haue laboured in vaine and for nothing our iudgement is with the Lord and my workes with my God with Ezechiel the 33. and 32. verse whose Sermons were like the songs of one that could sing well and had a pleasant voice for they heard him but they did not vnderstand as if we were called vnto these places only to tickle and fill your eares with a tickling phrase or plausible eloquence With the Prophet Ieremie the 6. chap. the 29. verse who complaines that his bellowes are burned that the lead is consumed and the fire hath melted in vaine it seemes hee had gotten the consumption of the lungs amongst them he had burnt a hole in his bellowes had spent his Spirit and laboured in vaine Thus I say God doth plow and sow and call to his people by his sonne by the Prophets by his ministers he looked for fruit and behold hedge fruite such as the heathens bring foorth scarce so good he waited for grapes and behold labr●s●ae wild grapes But now whatsoeuer good thing a man shall sow vnto God he shall bee sure to reap the same at Gods hand whatsoeuer it bee be it sowne in pietie or sowne in charitie in pietie to the mainetenance of Gods seruants or in charity to our brethren whether it be giuen to a Prophet in the name of a Prophet or to the poore in the name of Christ it shall haue a Prophets reward to prepare his soule in this life and a kingdome for to crowne him in the life to come that 's for the qualitie So likewise for the quantitie whatsoeuer a man soweth be it little or much the 9. of the 2. Corinth the 6. verse He that soweth sparingly shall reape sparingly hee that soweth bountifully shall also reape bountifully both shal be Reapers according to the quantity be it little or much whatsoeuer is sowne if it be sowne with the right hand if it begiuen in the right name be it more or lesse hee shall reape the same at Gods hands from a cup of cold water vnto the erecting of Hospitalls from a crumme of bread giuen to poore Lazarus at your gates vnto the continuall feeding and cloathing of such as these littly-great friends well purchased by Mammon If ye will listen to the aduice of our Sauiour Christ who is wisedome it selfe he tells you that you cannot make better vse of your wealth nor make a better purchase then to purchase such friends as these Then by his aduice let vs bee strong in well doing and encouraged by the example of others for whom wee are to praise God blesse his name for sending downe his gracious Spirit and mouing the hearts of many in this kind as you heard the last day These and others present themselues at this time like Lazarus in Abrahams bosome a most heauenly ornament vnto this City and they shal rise likwise at the last day not to condemne but to commend and by their publike testimony before men and Angells to receiue their good Benefactors into those euerlasting Tabernacles This shall be the thankefulnes these friends shall return if you will make the purchase Let vs therefore bee moued by the wise counsell of our blessed Sauiour and so vse these temporall blessings that God hath bestowed vpon vs as wee may still liue in hope of that blessed sentence at the last day Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the kingdome prepared for you Why because yee haue clothed the naked and fed the hungrie doing it vnto them is as vnto my selfe And let vs be assured of the truth of this my text that whatsoeuer wee doe sowe little or much we shall be sure to reape the same Here right honourable right worshipfull and