Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	evil_a	good_a	holy_a	5,780	5	4.4071	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A18351	A sermon preached at Snarford in Lincolnshire at the funerals of Sir George Sanct-Paule, knight and baronet, December the 9. 1613 by Iohn Chadvvich ... ; together with a briefe and true relation of his vertuous life and holy death.	Chadwich, John.	1614 (1614)	STC 4930; ESTC S1548	20,059	34

in the author of all things yet the true members of Christ haue receiued the first fruits of perfection and are said to bee perfect both in regard of their integrall parts of sanctitie and in respect of the truth of holinesse and lastly for that they enioy a measure of perfection in the kingdome of grace which shall be made compleat and absolute wanting nothing in the kingdome of glory For then our knowledge which was mixed with ignorance shall be so excellent that wee shall know as wee are knowne then we shall see him not in a glasse but cleerely and without all defect then our faith shall be turned into fruition hope into hauing loue shall abide without dissimulation and in a word wee shall be like him saith p Iohn 1.3.3 S. Iohn and see him as he is Now as this excellent knowledge is afforded vnto vs out of these wordes so the Pelagians haue gathered deadly poyson from the same to wit That man may come to such a height of perfection as to bee deuoid of all sinne in this world Against whom S. Hierome writeth The Valentinians as Irene reporteth haue taught the like and that they haue seede of election in them The Manichees thought that renati such as were regenerated came to that perfection in this life that they could not sinne any more si maxime velint howbeit they did much desire it Against all these doe but apply the distinction of perfection before handled and set downe and wee shall see how vaine and idle yea how blasphemous these opinions are But to leaue this to the wise discretion of the hearers let vs see what may be said against them First the Scripture telleth vs that we are all the seede of vncleanenesse Iob. 15.15 and in reason no cleane thing can come from that which is polluted Againe the holiest men that haue liued did complaine of their wants and haue beene subiect to * Rom. 6.21 death which is the wage of sinne as S. Paul speaketh And hath not our Sauiour taught all his Church continually to pray forgiue vs our debts 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which petition were needlesse in case we had alreadie attained perfection Adde to this that perfection consisteth in a certaine excesse from which the best is so farre in this life that as S. Bern. saith Nemo perfectus est qui perfectior esse non appetit And if he hunger and thirst after righteousnesse it is manifest he hath no superfluitie either to lay by or to afford others Now if it be obiected that our Sauiour saith whosoeuer drinketh of the water that he shall giue them shall neuer be more a q Which words are vnderstood of the estate of a true beleeuer in this world thirst the answere is readie that thirst is not opposed to further desire of the encrease of grace and of the blessed Image of God which is not fully restored till we possesse heauen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but to a totall and finall falling from grace which the childe of God shall bee free from howbeit he finde many wants in himselfe and feele many oppositions against him whilest hee is clothed with the house of clay Not to proceed further in this point the saying of S. Augustine is good Si qua fidelium hic esse potest perfectio in eo consistit vt se imperfectos esse agnoscant If there be any perfection in this life it is to know our wants and to desire a supply out of the rich treasure of Gods goodnesse And where this is truly in any man it will be seene by the practise of righteousnesse which is the second propertie of a good man Behold the iust Where integritie and soundnesse of faith is in the heart it is like fire which yeeldeth either heat or flame or both Let Dauids heart be hot within him words of grace will issue from him For as the spirit of man is not idle so the spirit of grace in man is euer working the thing that is holy either by suppressing euill or acting good wherein is the life of true iustice and righteousnesse But to come more neerely to the point This iust man which Dauid would haue vs to behold must be considered in his foure dimensions The first whereof is his altitude and that is in his abilitie to know the rule of righteousnesse and to take the true height thereof For what likelihood is there for a man to doe iustice and to be ignorant of the boundaries that hee must vse in the practise thereof Whence is that saying of S. Ambrose Male se rectum putat qui regulam summae rectitudinis ignorat He that vnderstandeth not the rule of equitie is very like to bee defectiue in all duties of righteousnesse I grant that an ignorant man may doe right to another but it is as the blinde man hitteth the marke or at the least as he who saw men walking like trees and I am sure the former may as well misse as hit so the latter doth notoriously mistake the matter The second dimension is his latitude which extendeth to the profiting of others as well as himselfe Of this our Prophet speaketh in this Psalme when hee saith that a good man is mercifull and lendeth which act of charitie is for the good of borrowers more then of the lender who oftentimes loseth both his goods and the loue of his borrowing friend Iustus magis alijs quàm sibi prodest saith S. Ambrose A iust man is more helpfull and gainfull to others then himselfe and heerein hee resembleth the eie in the body which seeth all but it selfe and the Lion-like Sunne in the firmament which sendeth out beames of glorious light to all but it selfe The third point in the iust man is his longitude and that is to bee contented onely with that is a mans owne and to stretch out the length of his desire and endeuour to nothing that belongeth to another man no not so much as in a wish For as an ancient Father saith Iustus nil alienum vendicat sed cuilibet dat quod suum est The iust man claimeth nothing but that is proper to himselfe and giueth to euery man that belongeth vnto him to God his due to Caesar his owne and that with a willing and a ready minde And saluation is then come to Zaccheus house Luke 19.8 when he carrieth this minde The fourth thing to bee considered in this iust man is his profunditie in the practise of righteousnesse which will not suffer him to damnifie his neighbour nor to vse any nimble shifts whereby to increase his estate but to build all his fortunes as men vsually speake vpon honest and plaine dealing And hence is that saying A good and iust man wil neither damno afficere quenquam nec aliquid dolo annectere rei suae tricks and shifts are odious to a righteous man yea though he might gaine Kingdoms therby Such a one was iust Iob whose