Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	faith_n	grace_n	heart_n	10,388	5	4.9061	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26059	The danger of hypocrisie a sermon preached at Guild-Hall Chappel, August 3d, 1673 / by William Asheton ...	Assheton, William, 1641-1711.	1673 (1673)	Wing A4027; ESTC R1873	12,256	37

to take good care that their hearts be right in the sight of God in this matter The Devil so he may but deceive them will easily transform himself into an Angel of Light That they are a Praying people that they are frequenters of Sermons we are so far from disliking that we tell them 't is but their Duty and commend them for it But we must withall remind them That there is something else to be done besides Preaching and Praying even the great things of the Law the Duties not only of the First but also of the Second Table which if they must neither be preached up by us nor practis'd by them lest thereby we should too much exalt a Moral state I must tell them and I do it with some dread upon my Spirits we may come to roar in Hell for not being Moral men Not every one c. For the Explication of the words I must shew First What it is to say Lord Lord. Secondly What to do the Will of his Father that is in Heaven To say Lord Lord it is to make an outward Profession by performing external acts of Worship that we are Christians that we believe in Jesus Christ that we acknowledge him for our Lord and look for Salvation by him That this may appear more plain and intelligible I must remind you that there is a twofold Worship or to speak more properly the name of Worship is consider'd two several ways 1. There is Internal Worship which denotes the exercise of those inward Graces whereby the Soul doth shew its dependence upon and Relation unto God as Faith Hope Love Patience c. 2. There is External Worship which comprehends such outward actions whereby the inward Piety and Devotion of the Soul in the exercise of the foremention'd Graces is express'd and cherish'd as Prayer hearing of Sermons Receiving the Sacraments and such outward Duties which are the Marks and Characters of a visible Church and whereby she is distinguish'd from all civil Societies So that the full meaning of this first Clause is this Not every one that saith c. Not every one that is a Member of the visible Church Not every one that is a Professor of Religion Not every one that can Preach or Pray or hear Sermons shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven No there is something more to be done and what that is the latter part of my Text informs you But he that doth the Will of my Father which is in Heaven By the Doing of his Fathers Will is meant the Doing of those Duties of Obedience which his Father hath commanded in his Law particularly the Decalogue Which our Blessed Saviour is so far from destroying that he tells us expresly he came to fulfil it Not by the Addition of any new Precept the Socinian conceit Nor by taking off its Obligation as to the Person of a Believer the Antinomian fancy But First By fulfilling it in his own Person thus it behoveth us to fulfil all Righteousness 2. By a particular explication and wiping off the false Glosses of the Pharisees and other Jewish Doctors 3. By adding new and more spiritual Motives of Obedience to its former Obligations The words thus explain'd do afford us this Observation which I intend the subject of my present Discourse Observ An outward Profession of Religion without Obedience and amendment of Life is not sufficient to bring us to Heaven I shall give you these two Reasons for it First An outward Profession may be found R 1. in Hypocrites and Cast-aways such men as shall never come to Heaven Secondly An outward Profession of Religion R. 2. without Obedience and amendment of life is displeasing and abominable in the sight of God and therefore I argue à fortiori 't is not sufficient to bring us to Heaven The former Reason when put into Logick runs thus That which may be found in Hypocrites and Cast-aways such men as shall never come to Heaven is not sufficient to bring us to Heaven But an outward Profession of Religion without Obedience and amendment of life may be found in Hypocrites and Cast-aways such men as shall never come to Heaven Therefore 't is not sufficient to bring us to Heaven The Major Proposition stands upon this foundation That which gives us a Right and Title to Heaven must be something proper to the called and chosen of God something peculiar to his peculiar People Hence 't is that in Scripture we read of the faith of Gods Elect and amongst our Divines that we hear so often of these Distinctions Common and special Grace Gratia gratis data and gratia gratum faciens The Graces of Illumination and Sanctification The which latter being wrought by the blessed and powerful operation of the Holy Spirit of God after a most effectual but unconceivable manner regenerating and renewing seasoning and sanctifying the hearts of his Chosen though Hypocrisie may make such a semblance as that we who are oblig'd to the judgment of Charity may have probable inducements to perswade us that they are in such a man who hath nothing but their counterfeits yet the inward power and reality of them can never be found in any Hypocrite or Cast-away For such Persons being not united to Christ the Head of his Church cannot possibly have the truth of those spiritual Graces which do necessarily require such an union as the root and fountain from whence they must flow The right understanding of this is of great use in Divinity particularly for a true apprehension of our spiritual Estate and Condition and therefore before we proceed any farther I shall endeavour to make it as plain as I can Now since Spiritual Beings which are of a more abstracted nature are best known by reflecting upon things corporeal we cannot find a more easie way to understand this Spiritual union than by comparing it with the Union of the Body natural with which indeed it hath no small resemblance Every good Christian hath a twofold Life Natural and Spiritual And as his natural Life is twofold 1. Substantialis the Soul it self 2. Accidentalis the real Effects and Operations of it and in this sence it is that when we see a man stretched out in a swouning fainting fit without sense or motion we usually say The man is dead though his immediate recovery doth convince us that his Soul was still united to his Body So likewise his Spiritual life is 1. Substantialis and so the Spirit of Christ or Christ himself who is our Life Col. 3. 4. working in us by his Spirit is our vita Substantialis our essential Life the first Principle of all our Graces and Operations 2. Accidentalis and so Faith and all other Spiritual Graces are call'd our Life As therefore in Naturals unless the Soul be united to it the Body neither stirs nor moves neither sees nor hears nor walks nor performs any other Operation either of sense or motion so it is in Spirituals

think it either so absolutely necessary or so free from fears and doubtings as some perhaps have imagin'd For even supposing it to be true which yet some are pleas'd to dispute that he who is ingrafted into Christ by a lively Faith and so is made a living branch of the true Vine shall bring forth fruit and his fruit shall remain shall be acted by his Grace here and reign with him in Glory hereafter yet since this Union betwixt Christ and the Soul however indissoluble is yet mystical and invisible and can no otherwise be prov'd than à posteriori from those Graces of his Spirit that flow from it and since these Graces even supposing them to be true and sincere and there are many counterfeits are yet but imperfect in this life and consequently the truth and sincerity of them is not always so manifest but that a man may be sometimes deceiv'd in his judgment concerning the same It hence unavoidably follows what betwixt the one and the other the imperfection of the thing and the difficulty of judging that the Assurance which is wholly grounded thereupon and can therefore have no more strength than they can give it must needs be subject to fears jealousies and doubtings It is not therefore to be wonder'd that a Doctrine thus difficult and obscure should through the Devils subtilty and the deceitfulness of our own hearts be deprav'd and abus'd The which abuse is twofold in Thesi and in Hypothesi In Thesi by collecting false Signs and Characters of a state of Grace In Hypothesi by a false application of those that are true The former is usually the fault of our Preachers the latter of the People The complaint would certainly be just if the Digression were not too large should I here occasionally discover what unsound Casuists Physicians of no value some of our late Reforming Divines have shew'd themselves to be Much of whose Temporizing Divinity as may easily appear to him that shall take the pains to examine it was evidently calculated for the Meridian of their own Party One eminent instance whereof is the subject now before us In opposition to which and to prevent mistakes I will give you this Conclusion That cannot be an infallible Mark of true Grace which may be found in an unregenerate and graceless Person It being you know inconsistent with a Propriety to be attributed to any but its own subject Hence I infer which is full and close to our purpose that to be a constant hearer of Sermons or to be able by the help of good natural parts to pray extempore are no such infallible Signs as some Persons have fanci'd since according to their own Writers if they dare believe themselves they are both of them consistent with an unregenerate state Dost thou therefore hear the Word of God with joy Dost thou pray frequently and that with fervor and earnestness Dost thou avoid grosser Sins with care Dost thou oppose against common Corruption with zeal These are indeed thy Duty and thou art to be commended for them these are comfortable Signs but yet no certain and infallible evidences of Grace For what is there in all this that an Hypocrite either hath not or might not do as the instances of Saul Ahab Jehu Herod with several others do evidently prove But here it may be demanded and it is a very profitable enquiry That since the Hypocrite may go thus far in the performance of Religious Duties how shall I be able to discern whether my Duties be sincere or hypocritical such as do proceed from a Principle of true Grace which God will accept or else from a Principle of mere nature which shall certainly be rejected I dare not now engage to give you a clear and satisfactory Resolution to this difficult Question a distinct methodical explication of so high a Point is very unsuitable for the Close of a Sermon But since it falls so naturally in my way that I cannot fairly avoid it I shall endeavour to prescribe some short yet I hope sound Direction what to do in this matter When we discourse about holy Duties there is one thing can never be found in the Hypocrite and therefore by the Rule of contraries 't is a good mark of sincerity 'T is the Universality of our Duties and Graces when we have an equal respect to all Gods Commandments Art thou therefore solicitous about thy eternal Estate as every good Christian ought to be Art thou desirous to be instructed whether thy Duties are perform'd in sincerity yea or no then consider the Universality of them 'T is a Rule amongst Physicians Universalia salutaria partialia ex morbo If Heat and Cold be moderate and constant equally diffus'd over all the Body 't is a good Sign of health but if a man be hot in one part and cold in another if the palms of his Hands burn and the soles of his Feet be cold 't is a shrew'd sign that all is not right but that some Disease is either bred or in breeding And thus it is in Spirituals Art thou brisk and forward in some Duties but as cool and careless in others Dost thou keep a noise and clamor about Preaching and Praying and in the interim canst allow thy self to live in a constant neglect of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper Art thou earnest nay even boysterous in Prayer whilest in publick and with the society of others and yet canst be as dead as cool and as formal when in private none being present but God and thine own Soul none to admire thy zeal none to take notice of thy eminent improvements Art thou a mighty stickler for Preaching a great promoter and encourager of Sermons Dost thou even breath after a soul-searching a sin-reproving Ministery Art thou wondrous forward to hear other men told of their faults and yet art angry and impatient to be reminded of thine own Art thou enrag'd when the right string is touch'd when thy sweet beloved Sin is smartly reprov'd Canst thou then say or think that the Preacher might have chose a fitter Text or have handled it more prudently or the like One instance more Doth thy blood even rise when thou hearest another man swear an Oath and yet canst thou be contented at the same time to lie equivocate and cheat to impose upon thy poor innocent Brother who hath more Charity for thee than to think that a man who makes such a glorious Profession as thou dost can so conscientiously cozen him If it be thus and thus and thus with thee look to thy self thou art an arrant Hypocrite and without a serious Repentance art in a wretched Condition To Conclude If thou repentest of one Sin and yet persistest in another If thou obeyest one Commandment and yet breakest another If thou art zealous in one point and cool in another If thou hatest one vice but lovest another flatter not thy self too much thou hast reason to suspect all is not well within But on the contrary if thy Repentance thy Obedience thy performance of Duties thy Zeal thy hatred of Sin and other Graces be universal equally bent upon all Good equally set against all Evil it is a good Sign of the truth of Grace and that thou art no Hypocrite but a Child of God FINIS