Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	divine_a	life_n	soul_n	5,625	5	5.0009	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A45741	A sermon preached before the right honourable the lord mayor and court of alderman, at St. Bride's church, on Wednesday in Easter-week, April 11th. 1694 by John Hartcliffe ...	Hartcliffe, John, 1651-1712.	1694 (1694)	Wing H969; ESTC R10311	15,681	35

much Good is done in the World this way and how much Credit is brought to Religion by this course of Life To which if we add their Example it must be of mighty force to amend a degenerate Age for it is a greater Encouragement to go before a Man and shew him they way than only to give him direction 'T is true Religion is more refined and lovely in the Notion than it is in him who professes it In the Definition it is pure and hath nothing of Allay but in the Person it is attended with Mixture and Imperfection yet Vertue is more lively in the Person hath more taking Charms and Allurements when we behold its Shape in the Actions of Bounty and Goodness and altho Religion may be represented with more beautiful Colours in a Discourse yet Example satisfies us that there is nothing in it but what is practicable for Holiness would seem an impossible thing and not to be obtained were it not made familiar to us and easie for our imitation in the Behaviour of Charitable Men did it not shine forth with the brightest Lustre in all their Doings who by Counsel and Instruction point out the right Path of Salvation but in their Example they take us by the hand and lead us into that way It is incredible of what moment a few good Examples may be to reform an evil Age especially if their Stations make them any ways subject to the Notice of others for a Man of severe Innocency and Justice of an inflexible and strict Integrity is like so much Salt cast into the World to preserve the Manners of Men from that Filth and Putrefaction which is contracted by vicious Habits One of a sweet and humble Temper doth make the Conversation of his Neighbours to be so too a Man of a moderate and peaceable Spirit is like so much Balm to heal Differences and to asswage the Violence of irregular Passions one of sincere Piety and lively Devotion may be compared to so much Fire sent down from Heaven to kindle in others warm Affections for the Service of God and the Love of their Brethren a Man of eminent Sanctity doth discountenance the Wickedness of other Men one of a prudent and grave Behaviour doth restrain their Vanity and Folly In this manner both the Continuance and Reformation of the World must be ascribed to charitable and vertuous Persons for they make all others as happy as they can by advising them to be better and by keeping them from growing worse besides God doth so love Holiness Justice and Mercy that he will not only reward those who practise them in their own Persons but all that have any relation to them shall be the better Thus the Faith of Abraham and the Sincerity of David had an Influence upon Israel for many Generations Thus Nations and Cities have owed their Safety and Success to the Prayers of such Holy and Pious Men as can prevail with God because they are offered to him in conjunction with their Alms. Now the best Arguments for our giving of Alms are That it is the only Course we can take First To be like our Blessed Saviour Secondly To do Services acceptable to God Thirdly To save our Souls for ever First We are hereby made Like our Blessed Saviour who went about doing Good by which Method he spread the Fame of his Gospel and made it appear lovely in the Eyes of all Beholders for whenever he intended to convert any to his Faith he did it by some visible good Works in the sight of the Multitude but he never gained any Disciple by the Conflicts he was pleased to undergo in his own Mind for he performed his Fast and his Agony alone in the Wilderness and in the Garden Hence it is that our Lord commands his Disciples not to believe him but the Works that he did because he thought in the most honourable Labour to study the Benefit of Mankind to help their Infirmities to supply their Wants to ease their Burdens And thus the whole Doctrine of Future Happiness was introduced by feeding the Hungry by curing the Lame and by opening the Eyes of the Blind Let this Mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus We must then be intent as he was upon the constant Exercise of vertuous and good Actions for we have an exact Rule of Life set before our Eyes that doth enjoin us such Duties of Piety as will procure the Love and Favour of God such Practices of Bounty and Good-will as will govern well our Behaviour to our Brethren and such excellent Precepts as will produce if we obey them our utmost Content and Happiness Thus in the Life of Christ God hath shewed thee O Man what is good and what doth the Lord thy God require of thee but to do justly to love Mercy and to walk humbly with thy God So that were we to contrive a way to make our selves happy we should fix upon just such Laws as these are they are so agreeable to the Composition of our Natures they require us to perform Duties so plainly necessary and beneficial to Mankind so delightful also to our selves because therein we follow our Natures and do gratifie the most importunate Dictates of our own Reason Therefore the Principles upon which our Saviour obliges us to act are Love Reverence and Gratitude to God hearty Good-will towards Men and a sober regard to our own true Welfare the Ends of our Doings which he prescribes are God's Honour Publick Edification and the Salvation of our own Souls so that his Conversation upon Earth which we are bound to follow had not one Spot nor Blemish in it there was not one false or uneven Stroak in all this fair Copy that we might be secure from doing amiss in transcribing any part of it for it was intended to guide us through all the manifold Instances of our Duty chiefly those that are most spiritual and consequently difficult to our frail Constitutions general Charity self denying Humility and invincible Patience which when received into the Temper of our Minds will render us truly wise holy and good For Christ Jesus as he is a Mediator with God on our behalf so he is a Principle of Divine Life in us and his Religion doth not that which is permanent and lasting if it do not obtain this effect upon us of reconciling our Minds to his nay it is but an imaginary thing if we have not implanted in us by his Spirit a pure Heart a right Mind clean Affections an obedient Will and a Sound Understanding Which is effected if we order the Actions of Reason and Liberty by the set Rules of a Righteous and Holy Life For then we shall walk as Intelligent Agents should do who are baptized into a noble free and divine Spirit which Spirit will give us that Wisdom which is from above and is said to be first pure then peaceable full of Mercy and good Fruits without Partiality without Hypocrisie

the Planting whereof in our Souls is that which the Scripture calls the new Creature and the being made after the Image of God to which we may subjoin That our Saviour pronounces Charity out of a pure Heart to be the Root of all Moral Duties and to be the fulfilling of the Law which he prefers above the highest and most mysterious Schemes of Opinion when he asserts it to be the perpetual Quality of good Men in the other World and the distinguishing Mark of his Disciples in this For Secondly It recommends Men to the Love of God by Doing such Services as are most acceptable to him who hath said that he is better pleased with Mercy than Sacrifice that is all Ritual Duties such as Sacrifices were must give place to Moral as being most valued by God Now Moral Duties may be reduced to two Heads the Love of God and of our Neighbour these are commanded for their intrinsick Excellency and Worth but the Ritual are good only in respect to these for to things that are substantially good we have the first and highest Obligation and among these the chiefest is to do good to Men to assist them in their Miseries and as much as we can to reclaim them from the Error of their Ways These Duties lie at the bottom of all Religion are woven into the Essence of it and do naturally bind us without any particular Revelation from God for all Revelation from him supposes us to be Men and considers the Relation we bear to each other therefore when Christ was asked what was the first and great Commandment of the Law he answers Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy might and thy Neighbour as thy self which he calls the second and like unto it Without doubt the Jews expected he should have pitch'd upon Sacrifices or Circumcision or the Sabbath but he overlooks them all and urges these only as the great Duties of the Law upon which that and the Prophets did depend Whereas the Ceremonial Law of the Jews was to pass away and did so not long after but the Laws of Righteousness was to be unchangeable and consisted in the Observation of such things which the Scribes and Pharisees did most of all neglect they were lavish and profuse in their Offerings that they might be excused or wink'd at for the Duties of Charity and Beneficence they would bribe the Almighty with the richest of their Goods and the fattest of their Cattel to purchase a dispensation for their Vices and an Indulgence for their Lusts they would honour and praise him spare for no Charges in his Worship if he would not be angry for their Injustice Cruelty and Unmercifulness they were punctual People in tithing Mint and Cummin but they were unnatural to their Parents and would pretend that their Estates were dedicated to a Religious use when they should have relieved them But our Righteousness must exceed theirs or we shall never enter into the Kingdom of Heaven that is we must rely upon the weightier things of the Law Mercy and Judgment for when these are omitted all other positive parts of Religion are so far from being well received that they are cast off with Disdain To what purpose is the Multitude of your Sacrifices saith the Lord in the first of Isaiah I am full of the burnt-offerings of Rams and the fat of fed beasts the reason of which cost was to atone for their defects in the fundamental Duties of Religion and so it follows Your hands are full of blood wash ye make ye clean put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes cease to do evil learn to do well There was no other Incense that could be of a Sweet-smelling Savour unto God but their seeking Judgment and helping the Oppressed their judging the Fatherless and pleading for the Widow For this Cause it is the great design of Christianity to reinforce these natural Duties and to bring Men to a conscientious use of them so that our Saviour begins his first Sermons with Promises of Blessedness to the Lovers of Mercy and Peace and tells us that he was not come to destroy but to perfect them and for this purpose was the glorious appearance of the Great God in our Flesh that He might purifie to himself a peculiar People zealous of good works for pure Religion is this to visit the Fatherless and Widow in their affiction and to keep our selves unspotted from the World By which course Thirdly We shall save our Souls for ever because of all the Works that Christians do these alone of Charity and Mercy have the peculair Priviledge of being brought into remembrance before God at the Day of Judgment to the Doers of them he says Matt. 25. Come ye Blessed of my Father inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the Foundation of the World for I was an hungry and ye gave me meat I was thirsty and ye gave me drink I was a stranger and ye took me in naked and ye cloathed me I was sick and ye visited me I was in prison and ye came unto me c. forasmuch as you have done thus to the least of these my Brethren ye have done it unto me For this reason Cornelius his Prayers were remembred and received by God as Pledges of his Faithfulness and Love to him because his Devotion and Fear of God were accompanied with giving much Alms his Religion was not a pretence to delude the People but it was Truth and Righteousness For our Judge at the last Trial of our Actions will look into the Almsdeeds that we have done and if he can hear any Prayers of the Poor on our behalf he will bestow his Reward according to the Fervency of those Desires not that there is or can be any Merit in these Works as the Factors of Rome would insinuate but God hath promised to make an exchange of everlasting Joys for them out of his mere Goodness and Mercy upon this account St. Paul exhorts Timothy that he advise the Faithful to be rich in good Works ready to distribute willing to communicate laying up in store for themselves a good foundation for the time to come that they may lay bold on Eternal Life For God hath been very bountiful to us all he hath given Plenty to some a comfortable and convenient Maintenance to the lowest Orders of Men but all are Tenants at will therefore it is very reasonable that we should pay back a Rent of what we possess by his free and voluntary Donation Now the Receivers of this Rent are the Poor and Needy for our Judge will declare at the day of our Account that what was done unto them was done unto him and he tells us likewise That in the last hour many will say unto him Lord have we not prophesied in thy name and in thy name cast out devils But then will he profess unto them I never knew you depart from me ye