Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	die_v	flesh_n	live_v	7,051	5	6.1602	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17321	Conclusions of peace, betweene God and man containing comfortable meditations for the children of God. By W. Burton.	Burton, William, d. 1616.	1594 (1594)	STC 4169; ESTC S116868	49,833	152

no children and doing nothing but of seruile feare can doe nothing that is good for first they faile in the matter of their good workes putting in practise the traditions of men in stead of Gods preceptes Secondly they faile in the maner of doing for that which they doe is done to a wrong end and with a wrong affection for it is too iustifie themselues thereby before God as the Pharisie did and therefore this white flagge of truce My sonne is not put out to them because they haue broken the conditions of peace Our Popish merit-mongers are like the elders of the Iewes which went to Christ in the behalfe of the Centurion for his sicke seruaunt They besought him instantly as though they might not be denied and they tell him forsooth that the Centurion is worthie of so much fauour as that the Lord Iesus should come to him and heale his seruant for proofe whereof they alleage two strong reasons like our Papistes One is He loueth our nation Another is He hath built vs a synagogue so plead our Papistes we are worthy O Lord of thy fauour we haue deserued so much at thy handes or such a one that is nowe gone hath deserued so much as that thou shouldest receiue his soule for he loued vs well while he liued hee was an honest man hee made vs good cheere hee kept a good house hee filled our bellies and our purses too Besides that he hath built vs a stately synagogue goodly Churches and Chappels of ease he mended our hie-waies he erected such a Colledge such a friery and such a Nunrie Againe such a man is a good Catholique Lord for he helped the Priest to say Masse he gaue his consent to the poisoning of such a king and the murthering of such another hee did what hee could to dispatch all christian Princes because they are not of the Popes Religion so zealous a catholique was he But Lord he made a conscience of euery thing he would not eate a bit of flesh nor so much as an egge in Lent or vpon a friday he woulde neuer go out before hee had crossed himselfe before and behind his house was neuer without a Crucifix nor his windowes without a picture of the Trinitie a number of good workes more hee did which the tally will not holde and those are for his honest neighbors which will giue any thing for them Therefore Lord thou must of necessitie receiue his soule when hee is dead or els thou doest him great wrong And thus wee heare howe Papistes plead like the elders of the Iews for the Centurion and his seruantes But what saide the Centurion himselfe O Lord saith he trouble not thou thy selfe for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter vnder my roofe neyther did I thinke my selfe worthie to come vnto thee but onely speake the worde and my seruaunt shall bee whole And this message saith the Euangelist hee sent to Christ by his friendes as if they which pleaded his worthinesse and workes were his ennemies and not hys friendes But howe did the Lord Iesus like of this message Surely he maruelled at such humilitie commended the faith of the Centurion euen by the name of greatfaith to shew that merit-mongers haue no faith at all except the Deuils faith Now to end this pointe If any man be the child of God in Christ let him also become a new creature and liue as becommeth the sonnes of God let no man say If I bee the child of God I need not care what to doe or as the manner of many is GOD is mercifull and Christ died for our sinnes what need we feare for as there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ so they which are in Christ liue not after the flesh but after the spirite On the other side If thou feele thy self a new creatur in Christ and transfourmed into the likenesse of the sonnes of God then faint not vnder the crosse for thy heauenly father will beare thee vp in his arms plead not for thy selfe by any thing that is in thy selfe but appeale to the mercy of thy heauenly father and say Lord he whom thou louest is in want as the sisters of Lazarus said to christ for their brother Lord he whom thou louest is sicke And claime the promise of God thy heauenly father in his sonne Christ and then feare not thy sinnes My sonne saith God for I euen I will do them all away euen for my names sake and for my sonnes sake in whom thou art my sonne and in whom I am well pleased And thus we see al our feare turned into ioy because we are made the sonnes of God in Christ. When a lion roared vpon Sampson the spirite of strength came vpon Sampson and he rent him in pieces Not long after in the same Lion he found a swarme of Bees with their stings but therewithall he found a Hony-combe to feede vpon So our sinnes and the Deuill roared vpon vs and thought to haue deuoured vs. but our true Sampson Iesus Christ hath torne him in pieces which went about like a roaring Lion seeking to deuoure vs. Now if we looke into our owne heartes which are as a Lions den we shall find after this victory not a swarme of Bees as Sampson did in the Bellie of the Lion but a swarme of corruptions and sinnes with their stings like prickes in our flesh to humble vs but there withall we shall find Honny to comfort vs euen a rich Hony-combe of Gods mercies to feede vpon if the spirite of faith and courage be in vs as the spirite of strength and boldnesse was in Sampson and then we may say plainly as Sampson said in a riddle Out of the eater came meate and out of the strong came sweetnesse for what is stronger than a Lion and what is sweeter than Hony But we may say What is stronger than sinne and what is sweeter than mercy What sight more terrible than the blacke flagge of defiance with My Rebell the colours of vengeance vpon it What more comfortable than to see that pulled in and the white flagge of truce put forth with My sonne the words of mercy and peace vpon it My Rebell is gone My sonne is come in the steede The Lord take away the Rebellions of our heartes and graunt vs so to keepe his conditions of peace that we may be his sonnes indeed and find peace to our consciences for euermore Thus we see that as the Lord did once bring light out of darkenesse so our heauenly father hath wrought comfort out of sinne to all his children in Christ Iesus blessed be his name for euer And thus much for these wordes My sonne as proceeding from God to man My sonne as being the wordes of Salomon considered NOw if we consider them as they be the wordes of Salomon somthing more may be gathered from them for as God was the Authour so Salomon was

and so louingly embraced is this he whom he saluted with such sweete kisses and teares of ioy was it for him that the fat calfe was killed and is all this feasting and reioycing for his returne as though he had neuer offended surely so it should seeme But what shall man now giue vnto God for so greate loue and fauour or how shall we shew our selues thankfull for such kindnesse vndeserued Surely this is the Lordes doing and it is wonderfull in our eyes but that our profit may encrease to the further instruction of our iudgmente and comfort of our faith we will by the grace of God set downe certain pointes to consider of and by this text to be examined First we will consider how or by what meanes we are come into this fauour with God and how we are come by the knowledge thereof Secondly we will see the exellencie of the children of God aboue other men Thirdly we will enquire what duety the children-of God do owe vnto God their heauenly father wherby they may shew themselues thankful for such fauour restored Fourthly we will consider why the Lord both here and els where vseth these wordes My sonne Last of all we will see what may bee gathered frō them as they bee the words of Solomon How we are made the sonnes of God NOw touching the First point if we be the sonnes of God then God is our father the church of god is our mother the members of the church be our bretheren and the kingdome of heauen is our inheritance This purchase the father hath bestowed vpon vs the sonne hath bought it for vs and the holy ghost hath sealed vnto vs. Of this couenant God is the author the sonne of God is the purchaser and the spirite of God is the certifier It is freely graunted it is fully discharged it is certainely assured and shall be for euer possessed This prerogatiue as it is great so the first cause thereof was the infinite loue of God in his son Iesus Christ. It is the free gift of the father so saith the sonne Feare not litle flocke it is youre fathers pleasure to giue you a kingdome It is the free gift of the sonne so saith the Lord Iesus My sheepe heare my voice and follow me and I giue vnto them eternall life It is also the gift of the Holy Ghost so saith the prophet Dauid Lord let thy good spirite lead me into the land of righteousnesse and therefore it is no way merited or purchased by our selues while we liue nor gotten by any friendes for vs when we are deade as Papists teach for nothing can be more contrary than these To haue it of our selues and to be freely giuen of God The euidence or assurance which we haue to shew for this priuiledge is Gods promise which is surely ratified in heauen by the eternall decree of the holy Trinitie as it were by an euerlasting Act of Parlement neuer to be repealed wherunto the father the word and the spirite do beare sufficient witnesse If therefore we receiue the witnesse of men the witnesse of God is greater The recordes of this charter promise are left among vs here vpon earth in the written word of God contained in the bookes of the old and new testament whereupon all the faithfull must rely as vpon their fathers last will and testament and these we are al cōmaunded to search because they beare witnesse of the loue of God in Christ to our eternal saluation Therefore if any forsake this foundation to build vpon reuellations and dreames as Anabaptistes do or vpon mens traditions as the Papists do or vpon the persuasions of their owne hearts as Atheists do what do they els but builde vppon the sands The proclaimers and publishers of high prerogatiue are pastors and teachers which are appointed to be ministers of the Gospell truly sent of God and lawfully called of Gods church whose badges are knowledge and holines whose feete are beawtifull because they bring the glad tidings of peace The seales of this charter are either outward or inward The outward seales are the Saeraments of Baptisme and the Lordes Supper duely administred according vnto Christs holy institution The inward seales are two one is the spirite of adoption which beareth witnesse to our spirits that we are the sonnes of God and sealeth vp our heartes to the day of redemption The other is a good cōscience in all thinges desiring to liue honestly whereby we know that the spirit of God is in vs. The hand by which we receiue it is faith the closet wherin we keep it is the heart and till the soule may fully possesse it she must lye at the anchor of hope and so much for the first point The excellencie pleasures and beautie of Gods Children NOw let vs take a little viewe of the commodities and benefits which belong vnto this charter and priuiledge of beeing the sonnes of God and then shall we see the excellencie and dignitie of Gods children aboue all other which be not the children of God Their excellent estate and condition doth partly appeare in the very names and titles that be giuen them in the word of God where they be called the citizens of the heauenly Ierusalem a royall priesthood a kingly generatiō the beloued of God the spowse of the lambe Christ the signet of the Lords right hand the apple of his eye the annointed of God the friendes of God the brethrenand sisters of the Lord Iesus his loue his doue and his vndefiled the bodie of Christ the Lordes vineyard his holy ones the saintes of God the seruauntes of the most high and that which passeth all the rest the sons and daughters of God Now as Dauid said when he should haue married Saules daughter Seemeth it to you a light thing to be a kinges sonne seeing that I am a poore man and of small reputation So seemeth it to any a light thing to be sonnes and daughters of God the king of all kinges seeing wee are sinfull men and of no reputation but deserued rather eternall confusion It is a great matter as it seemeth by Dauids words to be a kings son but hee that is sonne and heire to a 1000. kingdomes or 1000. worlds if it were possible cannot compare with the sons of God if they were as naked as euer Iob was or as poore as euer was Lazarus The sonnes of Princes are in great accompt with men but the children of God are in accompt with God and man The children of princes are attended vpon by noble men and garded with strong men yet both but mē whose breth is in their nostrels and their handes cannot accomplish the deuise of their heart The children of God are attended vppon by God himselfe whose eye is alwaies ouer the righteous and they are garded by the angels of God who for their swiftnesse are said to haue wings for their readinesse they are said to