Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	dead_a	life_n	live_v	7,322	5	6.0283	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A14450	A learned and excellent treatise containing all the principall grounds of Christian religion Set downe by way of conference in a most plaine and familiar manner. Written first in French by maister Mathew Virell, after translated into Latine: and now turned into English for the vse of our country-men.; Religion chrestienne declarée par dialogue. English	Virel, Matthieu.; Egerton, Stephen, 1555?-1621?	1594 (1594)	STC 24768; ESTC S119631	209,162	292

Christ which is the foundation of our saluation Christ himself saith No mā knoweth Mat. 11. 17 the Sonne but the Father neither doth any man know the Father but the Sonne and he to whom the Sonne will reueale him Iohn 6. 44. No man can come to me except the Father that sent me draw him But concerning the wil and that power whereby we do obey God Paul saith It is God which worketh in vs to will and to performe Phil. 2. 13. it Which also is confirmed of Christ himselfe by a most fit similitude in these wordes As the branch Iohn 15. 4. can beare no fruit of it selfe except it abide in the vine euen so neither can you except you abide in me He that abideth in me in whom I abide the same bringeth much good fruit for without me you can do nothing Which things being so what can man of himself beleeue in the matter of Religion but errour and lyes what is he able to do when the question is of worshipping God but all manner vice and wikednesse I will ad a place out of Paule wherein all this doctrine in one word is plainly set down You were dead in sinnes and Ephes 2. 1. trespasses He saith not you were sicke so as some little life was left in you but you were altogether dead The self same thing also he confirmeth afterward when he saith Ephes 2. 6. that we are raised vp from the dead when God doth regenerate vs. If therfore the vnregenerate man be spiritually dead in sinnes it followeth that he hath no more vnderstanding in things pertaining to eternall saluation then hath a dead man in the things of this life Moreouer if a man vnregenerate be spiritually dead in sinnes he hath no more power to do a good deede then a dead man hath to do the actions of the body Therefore euen as our soule giueth life to the body so also the spirite of God is the life of our soule being otherwise dead and vnable to beleeue or do any thing that is good Theoph. Although I do wholly giue consent to this doctrine which I see hath expresse grounds in the holy Scriptures yet I will propound vnto thee a certain obiection sometimes put forth to my selfe about the answering whereof I found no small difficultie namely that God seemeth to mock vs which so often by the Prophets exhorteth vs to turne vnto him and to keepe his commandements if it were not in our power at least in some part to do this Furthermore that exhortations be made in vaine the vse of admonitions is but needlesse and that reproofes are but ridiculous if it were not in the power of the sinner not to sinne Matth. They that measure the strength of man by Gods commandements be altogether deceiued For Christ commandeth vs Thou shalt loue the Lord thy Mat. 22. 37 God with all thy heart with all thy soule and with all thy minde And againe Be you perfect as your father which is in heauen is perfect But what is he which confesseth not that he can neuer come to that diuine perfection nor loue him with that loue that is due In Enchiri ad Lauren. de gratia lib arbit Therefore as it is notably written by Austen God commandeth the things which we cannot do that we might know what we ought to aske of him Which indeede may appeare euen by this that euery where by the Prophets the Lord commandeth vs to turne vnto him and to repent vs of our sinnes But Ieremie answereth Ier. 31. 18. Eze. 18. 30. Ioel. 2. 12. correct me Lord and I shal be corrected when thou diddest correct me I did repent For this cause the same Austen Confess l. 10 which handled this doctrine of Free will most excellently writeth in another place O Lord giue me that which thou commandest and command what thou wilt Theoph. Indeede this is a solution or answer to that obiection not to be despised Mat. I do ad that it may be gathered out of Paule that exhortations to holinesse of life haue not their foundation vpon our naturall powers but vpon the promise of God wherein he promiseth to be with vs not to helpe our Free will in part but wholly and altogether himselfe alone to make it good in vs. Theoph. Bring some places out of Paule for the confirmation of this doctrine Mat. Writing to the Thessalonians 1. Thess 5. 23. 24. when he hath admonished them to liue blamelesly iustly and soberly in loue in patience he prayeth to God to sanctifie them to the end they might be able to performe those things at length saith Faithfull is he that hath called you which will also do it In another place also after he had exhorted the Philippians to worke out their owne saluation with feare and trembling presently he addeth Phil. 2. 12. 13. For it is God which worketh in you both the will and the deede euen of his good pleasure Theoph. What vse is there of exhortations admonitions and reprehensions to the vnbeleeuers Mat. They shall be a witnesse against them when they come to the iudgement seate of God For they shall the more be conuinced of rebelling against God and of the hardening of their owne hearts Theoph. I am now well furnished against those that shall hereafter set vpon me with that obiection To cōclude it seemeth to me that this doctrine may fitly be referred to that which sometimes I haue heard of thee namely that all the sinnes of men be of themselues not of God but that their good works if they do any be not of themselues but of God Mat. True Neither is there any cause why we should feare to receiue this for true doctrine forasmuch as it tendeth both to the glory of God and to the throwing downe of our selues which is a most certaine marke whereby we may discerne or know true doctrine from false according to the rule of Christ Iohn 7. 18. Theoph. Now we are to go forward to the rest We haue at large hādled the first effect of the holy Ghost let vs therefore come to the other How makest thou the holy Ghost the author of our vnion or being made one with Christ which in the beginning of this Chapter thou didst attribute vnto faith Matth. In what sēse the holy Ghost is sayd to be author of our vnion with Christ When I did attribute or giue it to faith I did it according to the vse of the scripture but this I meant that faith is the instrument and as it were a spirituall hand by the which we do receiue Christ with all his gifts In the meane time this is to be vnderstood that the holy Ghost is author of them all For that vniting of vs to Christ which is in heauē is not done but by his own diuine power Adde hereunto that the holy Ghost begetteth faith in vs and sanctifieth vs that so we may

excellent vse of afflictions Now declare the fift Mat. The fift vse of afflictions the triall of our faith By them the Lord bringeth our faith to light that we may be confirmed in it For Peter sayth 1. Pet. 1. 7. that it is tried no otherwise then gold is tried in a fornace of fire which similitude is most fit For as the fire either consumeth base things as it doth wood or straw or else hardneth as it doth the clay but precious things such as be gold and siluer it melteth and cleanseth so there be diuerse effects of afflictions according to the varietie of the persons to whom they be sent For they do either consume the wicked through impatiēce or else they harden them through despaire 1 On the contraie side they soften the hearts of the godly to call vpon God 2 They cleanse their hearts for as much as by afflictions our concupiscence is mortified 3 Finally they trie our faith For while the Lord doth temper the bitternesse of them with his loue and gentlenesse he causeth vs to take them patiently and to fashion our selues to his most holy will by the which meanes our faith is manifested Hereupon Iames calleth afflictions by the name of temptatiō Iam. 1 12. Blessed is the man which endureth temptation For when hee hath bene tried he shall receiue the crowne of life Whereunto also that is to be referred which is spokē of Paul Rom. 5. 3. that affliction bringeth forth patience patience experience experience hope For this the Apostle meaneth that God by the comfort which he giueth vs in afflictions by experi●nce proueth vnto vs the truth of his promises by the which we are for the time to come confirmed in the hope of eternall life Theoph. Indeed the former foure verses of afflictiōs are most excellent and this fift is nothing inferiour Hasten therefore vnto the last Mat. The sixt vse of affliction the renouncing of the world and desire of eternall life By afflictions God wil call our minds away frō these earthly things that we may earnestly desire the life to come For the Israelites if they had not bin ill intreated both in Egypt and in the wildernesse would neuer haue throughly thought vpon going to the land of Canaan which was a figure of the heauenly inheritance Therfore God doth as a carefull nurse who whē she would weane the child layeth some bitter thing vpon the teat to cause the child to hate and abhorre it Thou hast now how many wayes afflictions bee necessarie for vs. Thou seest therefore that wee are not without cause warned by the Apostle to beare thē patiently as sent from God our father when he saith Heb. 12. 5. 6. 7. 8. My sonne despise not the chastening of the Lord neither faint when thou art corrected of him For whom the Lord loueth he chastiseth and scourgeth euerie sonne whom he receiueth If you endure chastening God offereth himself vnto you as vnto sonns For what sonne is there whom the father chasteneth not But if you be without chastening whereof all be partakers verily you are bastards and not sonnes Moreouer we had the fathers of our bodies chastisers of vs and we did them reuerence should we not much more be in subiection to the father of spirits that we might liue For they indeed for a few dayes corrected vs after their own pleasure but he chastiseth vs for our profit that we might be partakers of his holinesse Theoph. There is no cause then why the faithfull in this world should looke for all prosperitie Mat. True vnlesse they wil deceiue them selues for otherwise it were necessarie that 1 The deuill should be without enuie 2 The world without malice 3 And we our selues without sinne But the Deuill will alwayes burne in enuie against the faithfull The world with malice and mad hatred and our sinnes will minister sufficient matter vnto God who in the meane time hath care of our saluation to giue the raines vnto those our enemies to molest and trouble vs. Wherefore according to the saying of the Apostle 2. Tim. 3. 12 let all such as desire to liue godly in Christ Iesus make their accompts that they shall suffer persecutions Of prosperitie Adde hereunto that prosperitie is not alwayes profitable for vs nay oftentimes it hurteth vs. Theoph. Why so Mat. Because often it hindereth our saluation for it bringeth foorth fruits altogether contrarie to those which we reckened vp euen now 2 For it maketh vs proud and insolent and keepeth vs from the acknowledging of our sinnes 3 It stirreth vs vp to serue our owne wicked lusts and it is vnto them as a baite wherwith they are more and more set on fire 4 It maketh vs negligent in prayer and as it were putteth out in vs the desire to pray 5 It prouoketh vs to impatience and wrath and maketh vs voyd of the affection of mercie 6 Finally it maketh vs drunken with the loue of our selues and of the world draweth vs away from the meditation of the heauenly life Act. 14. 22. Therefore not without cause the Scripture testifieth that wee must through many afflictions enter into the kingdome of God Now these in the holy writings are not seldome called strikings to the end we might know them to be as it were certaine spirituall medecines which be diuersly administred by God him selfe the best spirituall Phisition to sundrie purposes according to the quality of our sicknesses and necessitie Notwithstanding he dealeth alwayes so gently with vs that he suffereth vs not to be tempted aboue that wee are able to beare For while he chastiseth vs with the one hand he doth lift vs vp with the other and causeth that the issue of the affliction is alwayes happie And so he declareth his goodnesse to vs in aduersitie as well as in prosperitie For often hee tempereth them both together or sendeth them by course least wee should bee too much puffed vp with prosperitie or throwne downe with aduersitie Hereupon the Prophet saith Psal 30. 5. weeping may abide in the euening but ioy commeth in the morning And that more is he vseth this course of things that we may the more acknowledge what the sweetnesse of prosperitie is so be more earnestly bent to yeeld him thanks For as it is in the prouerbe Sweet things deserued hath not be VVhich before did bitter neuer see Theoph. Hitherto thou hast declared certaine verie excellent points concerning afflictions which if they be earnestly fixed in our minds they wil bring no small comfort nor a litle stirre vs vp to patience Now these vnlesse I be deceiued are 1 First that afflictions come not to vs but by the will of God 2 That they be sent vnto vs frō God to our good 3 That God will assist vs to the patient bearing of them 4 That God promiseth vs a blessed issue yea at length a full deliuerance 5 Finally that by meanes of them prosperitie