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	receive_v	7,604	5	5.6899	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A06524	A treatise, touching the libertie of a Christian. Written in Latin by Doctor Martine Luther. And translated into English by Iames Bell; Von der Freiheit eines Christenmenschen. English	Luther, Martin, 1483-1546.; Bell, James, fl. 1551-1596.; Leo X, Pope, 1475-1521.	1579 (1579)	STC 16996; ESTC S108948	46,058	126

come And for this cause the Apostle in the eight to the Romanes doth call this the first fruits of the Spirit which we doe enioy in this life the tenth and fulnesse of which spirit we shall receiue in the life to come To this belongeth that whereof we spak before namely that a Christian man is seruant of all and subiect to all for in this that hee is frée hee worketh nothing but in this that he is a seruant hee worketh all things Now let vs sée how these two will stand together Albeit man bee sufficiently iustified by faith in the inward Man Spiritually as I sayd before enioying all that hee ought to haue sauing that hee must by daily encreasings enlarge this same faith and riches of grace vntill he be vnclothed of his flesh yet remayneth still in this mortall life vpon the face of the earth wherein he must of very necessity nourish his owne body and be conuersant amongst men And euen here now works doe begin to take their entrance Héere we may not giue our selues to idlenesse Here now we must apply our selues earnestly to exercise this body with fastings watchings labours and other moderate disciplines to bring it in subiection to the spirit that it may become obedient to faith and conforme it selfe to the inward man that it rebell not nor hinder the spirit following therein his owne naturall inclination if it be not otherwise tamed for the inward man being alike fashioned vnto God and created after the image of God through faith is both ioyfull and comfortable for the loue he hath to Christ in whom he is endued with so many good things whereupon in this only doth it occupy it selfe namely to serue the Lord with a frée loue with ioy and thanks Now whiles it is exercised in this course behold in her owne flesh it findeth a contrary will which trauelleth altogether to serue the world and to séeke the things that are her owne which the spirit of Faith cannot away withall nor is able to endure it and therefore with valiant courage attempteth to subdue and tame this rebellious will as Paul witnesseth in the seuenth to the Romans I am delighted with the Law of God in mine inward man but I see another Law in my members rebelling against the Law of my minde leading me captiue into the law of sinne And in another place I do chastise my body bring it into subiection lest whiles I preach to others I my selfe may be found a castaway And in the fifth to the Galath They that are of Christ haue crucified the flesh and the concupiscences thereof But neither we may do these workes in any wise being of the opinion that man may bee iustified through them in the sight of god For this false opinion is not tolerable in the eye of Faith which Faith is the only righteousnesse before god But in these workes wee must bee of the minde so to bring the flesh into subiection and to cleanse the euill concupiscences thereof that it may not bend the view of the eye to any thing else than to the mortifying of euill concupiscence and lust For when the soule is washed cleane through faith and made the dearling of Christ it would also desire that all things else yea and her owne body chiefely might be purged together withall to the end all things in her might loue and glorifie God together whereby it commeth to passe that man through an enforcing necessity of the flesh may not giue himselfe to idlenesse for that cause is constrayned to doe many good things to the end hee may bring his body into subiection And yet these works are not of such power as to bee able to worke mans iustification before god But man of a very pure loue doth worke the same to the seruice and obedience of God beholding in them nothing else than Gods good will vnto the which he would most willingly and dutifully yéeld alhumbie obedience in all things By this meanes euery man may easily direct himselfe how he ought most orderly as the saying is and most commodiously attemper his owne body for hée shall fast so much watch and labour to much as shall seeme most expedient for the taming of the wantonnesse and licentiousnesse of his body But those that doe vaunt to be iustified by works doe regard not the mortificatiō of the flesh and the lusts thereof but the works thēselues being of opiniō that if they do very many great good déeds they are thereby in good case are become iust therewith somtime hurting the braines and destroying nature vtterly or at least making it vnprofitable And this is a wōderful folly grosse ignorance of Christian life and of Christian faith to haue a will to bee iustified and saued by works without faith But to the end that which we haue said may more easily be conceiued let vs make demonstration therof by similitudes The works of a Christian man being iustified and saued through his owne faith by the mere and frée mercy of God ought to bee of none other value and estimation than the workes of Adam and Eue and all their children should haue bin in Paradise if they had neuer sinned of whom God spake in the second of Genesis on this wise God did place man whom he created into Paradise that hee might worke and manure the same But God created Adam iust and perfect and without sinne so that he should not haue néed to bee iustified and made perfect by any his owne worke endeauour and safe kéeping But to the end he should not be idle God enioyned him this worke to manure Paradise and to kéepe it which works had bin truly most frée wrought in respect of nothing but of Gods good pleasure only and not to procure righteousnes thereby wherewith he was fully endued already and which also should haue bin ioyntly in the creation of vs all To the same effect bee the workes of the faithfull beléeuer who through his owne faith being restored againe into Paradise and created againe of new néedeth no workes to become or made iust thereby But because he should not bee idle but manure his owne body and kéepe it he must doe such works of fréedome in respect of Gods good will onely sauing that is not yet fully created againe anew with perfect faith and loue which behooueth to be encreased daily yet not by force of workes but of their owne strength Take yet another example An holy Bishop consecrating a Church Bishopping children or executing some other parcell of his function is not himselfe consecrated a Bishop by force of those exercises nay rather vnlesse he had bin a consecrated Bishop before none of al these works could haue béene to any purpose but accompted rather childish altogether foolish and apish Euen so a Christian man being first consecrated by his owne faith doth worke good works indéed yet is

therefore wée doe not reiect good workes but rather doe most hartely embrace and teach them Neither doe wée condemne them in respect of themselues but in respect of the wicked addition giuen vnto them and peruerse opinion conceiued of them in thattayning of righteousnesse whereby it commeth to passe that they appeare good onely in shew being not good in déede and in truth thereby being themselues deceiued and deceiuing others also as rauening wolues clothed in shéepes skinnes And this Leuiathan and peruerse opinion in workes cannot possibly be reclaymed where pure faith wanteth nor is remoueable from these holy workemen before that Faith the vanquisher thereof come in place and beare dominion in the heart Nature is not of it selfe forcible enough to expell it no not so much as to take notice therof but estéemeth it in place of a most holy will wheras if custome preuaile take déep rooting in this peruersenesse of nature as is already brought to passe through wicked teachers it is an incurable disease and leadeth astray innumerable people into destruction vnrecouerable And therfore albeit it be a commendable thing to preach write gloriously of repentance confession and satisfaction yet if they surcease here and procéede no further euen to the instructing of faith such doctrine doubtlesse is deceiueable and deuilish For euen so Christ with his beloued Iohn did not only say Repent yee of your sinnes But added also the word of faith For the kingdō of heauē is at hand For the one part of Gods word ought not to be preached alone but both together must be taught both new and old must be deliuered out of this treasury aswel the voyce of the Law as the word of Grace The voyce of the Law must be vttered that the people may be terrified and framed to know their sinnes and thereby be turned to repentance and amendment of their former life But here forthwith must not stay be made for this were only to wound and not minister playster to lance and not to heale to kill and not to quicken to lead vnto hell gates and not to deliuer from thence to throw downe altogether and not raise vp Wherefore the word of grace also the word of promised forgiuenes ought likewise to be preached to instruct raise vp the faith without the which in vaine is the doctrine of the law of contrition of repentance of all other things also practised and preached Indéed there remaine as yet certaine preachers of Repentance and Grace but they doe not disclose the law and the promises of God in that liuely spirit force as others capacities may attaine to the true fountaines and spring head of Repentance and Grace For Repentance procéedeth from out the law of God but faith or Grace doth issue frō Gods promise As the Apostle witnesseth in the tenth to the Romans Faith commeth by hearing but hearing commeth of the word of Christ Wherefore it commeth to passe that man receiueth consolation and is raised vp through Faith of Gods promises who otherwise through the threatnings and terrours of Gods Law is brought low and throwne downe into the knowledge of himselfe Whereof the Psalmist in the xxix Psalme Mourning shall dwell vntill the euening and ioyfulnesse vntill the morning Let this suffice to haue béene spoken of works in generall and of those works also which a Christian man doth exercise towards his owne body Lastly wee will speak of those workes which the Christian doth employ to the vse of his neighbour For man doth not liue vnto himselfe only in this mortall body to worke in the same but to all men generally vpon the earth Nay rather man liueth only to other men and not to himselfe For to this end doth hee keepe his body in subiection that he may thereby more sincerely and fréely serue to the necessities of others As witnesseth Paul in the 14. to the Romans No man liueth to himselfe and no man dyeth to himselfe For he that liueth liueth vnto God and hee that dyeth dyeth vnto God. It is not possible therefore that in this life man should be idle and vnfruitfull towards his neighbours For of very necessity he must talke worke and bee conuersant amongst man Euen as Christ made to our likenesse in properties was found to bee as man and conuersant amongst men as Baruch testifieth in his third Chapter And yet he néedeth none of all these to procure righteousnesse and saluation And therefore in all his works behooueth him to be so framed in minde and to direct his whole affection only to minister to the necessities of others to séeke the commodity of others in all his déeds hauing regard to nothing else than to the behoofe and profit of his neighbour For euen so the Apostle commandeth vs to worke with our hands that we may haue wherewith to reléeue the necessity of our brethren whereas otherwise he might haue said to haue wherwith to cherish our own bodies but let him giue saith he to him that is in néed For the property of true Christianity is to regard the state of his owne body to this end that through health well preseruing the same he may be able to labour to gaine riches and to employ them to the reléefe of the néedy That so the strōg member may helpe the weake member and that we may be the sonnes of God carefull and trauelling each for other bearing one anothers burthen and by this meanes fulfilling the law of Christ Behold here the true Christian life this is the natural liuely faith effectuall through loue that is to say when it breaketh forth into the worke of most frée seruice with ioy loue wherin he doth fréely and of his owne accord minister to others reknowledging it self fully satisfied with the abundance and riches of his own faith After the same maner when Paul had made euident to the Philippians how rich they were made through the faith of Christ in the which they had receiued plenteousnesse of all things he giueth vnto thē another lesson and saith If you haue receiued any consolation of Christ if any comfort of loue if any fellowship of the holy ghost fulfil then my ioy that ye may be al of one mind be endued all with the like loue being alike minded thinking all one thing esteeming nothing of your selues through cōtention or vaine glory but striuing to excel ech other in humility euery one regarding not the things of his own but the necessities of others Loe here by this rule of the Apostle wée sée plainely the life of true Christians to consist in this that all their workes be directed to the commoditie of others for as much as euery person doth so much abound through his owne Faith that all other workes and all his whole life doth ouerflowe vnto him wherewith he may be able to minister vnto and profit our neighbour of a frée and voluntary good

vs. But in these our dayes we are taught by mens doctrines to séeke after nought else but deseruings and merites and the things which are our own haue made of Christ nought else but a sharp Lawmaker much more austere than Moses was Semblably the blessed virgin Mary did exhibite her selfe a singular president of the Faith aboue al others whiles after the manner of all other women she was purified according to Moses Law as it is set down in the 2 of Luke whereas being notwithstanding not bound to any such law nor néeded to be purified in any such wise yet she yéelded her selfe to the law of her own accord and of a frée loue vnto the law being made like vnto other women lest shée might seeme to offe● 〈◊〉 or despise them She was not therefore made righteous for that worke but being righteous before shee did this déed surely and without coactiō In like maner ought our workes to be put in vre not to the ●●nd to be iustified by them for as much as being iustified first by Faith it behooueth vs to worke all things fréely and cheerefully for our neighbours sake So also Paul did circumcise his scholler Timothy not because Timothy néeded to be circumcised vnto righteousnesse but left hee might offend or despise the Iewes that were weake in Faith and which as yet were not capable of the fréedome of Faith. But contrariwise when as the Iewes did vrge a necessity to be circūcised to righteousnes setting at naught the fréedome of Faith hee did withstand them and would not permit Titus to bee circumcised Galath 3. for as he would not willingly offend or contemne the imbecillitie or weakenesse of others in the Faith applying himselfe to their capacity for a time so likewise would hee not giue place to the will of stiffenecked Insticiaries when the liberty of Faith was like to suffer reproch or be despised kéeping the midway bearing with the weake for a season and alwayes setting himselfe against the indurate to the end he might conuert all in generality to embrace the liberty of Faith. With like affection must our workes bee employed that we tolerate the weaklings in Faith as the Apostle teacheth in the 14. to the Romanes but that with courage wée resist the inflexible vrgers of workes of the which wee will treate more at large hereafter Likewise Christ in the 17. of Mathew when tribute was demanded of his Disciples asked the question of Saint Peter whether the children of the Kingdome were exempt from paying Tribute and Peter affirming that they were did command him notwithstanding to goe to the Sea speaking these words Lest we giue them cause of offence goe and the Fish that first commeth to thy hands take and opening his mouth thou shalt finde a groate take the same and giue it for thee and me This example is very much auayleable for our purpose In the which Christ doth call himselfe and his Disciples frée and Kings sonnes which stand in néede of nothing and yet of his owne accord submitteth himselfe and payeth Tribute Therefore by how much this worke of Christ was necessary to Christ and profitable vnto righteousnesse and saluation euen so much are all the workes of his elect and faithfull auaileable to righteousnesse whereas they be all following after righteousnesse and freely performed onely to the necessity and example of others Of the same condition are the workes prescribed by Paul in the thirtéenth Chapter to the Romanes and in the third to Timothy That men should bee subiect to the higher powers and prepared to all good workes not because they should bee iustified thereby where as they bee righteous already through Faith but that by these they might both bée subiect to others and to the higher powers add of a frée loue yéelde humbly obedience to their will in the fréedome of the spirit Of this same sort ought the workes of all Colledges Monasteries and Priestes haue béene employed that euery of them might haue performed the workes of their profession and estate to this end that by these euery of them might exercise not righteousnes but the taming of his owne body yéelding thereby example to others who haue themselues also néede to chastise their owne bodyes Then also that they might expresse humble obedience to others applying themselues to their commandement of a frée loue hauing neuerthelesse a speciall regard alwaies to this onely to witte that through vaine confidence none of them presume to be iustified to merite or to be saued by them which thing is the proper and peculiar office o● Faith onely as I haue often said before Therefore who so were furnished wit● this doctrine might easily without danger wade in these infinite impositions an● traditions of the Pope of Bishops o● Mon●keries of Churches of Princes an● Magistrates the which some foolish pastors doe so obtrude vpon vs as though they were of an vnauoydable necessitie to bee performed for the obtaining of righteousnesse and saluation calling them commonly the iniunctions of the Church being in déede nothing lesse For a Christian man may deba●e with himselfe on this wise I will fast I will pray I will apply my selfe to all whatsoeuer is commanded by men not because I need to doe any of these to procure righteousnesse or saluation by them but because I will expresse mine obedience herein to the Pope to the Bishops to the Potentate and to the Magistrate or to my neighbour for example sake for this cause I will doe and suffer all things euen as Christ did worke and suffer many greater things for my sake whereof he needed not to doe any one being made for my sake subiect vnto the law when as in deede he was not vnder the law And although these things be exacted of me through the tyrannous force and iniurious tyranny of the Magistrates yet shall they be no preiudice to me so lōg as they be not against the glory of God. The premisses considered it is an easie matter for any man to iudge certainly betwixt the difference of all works and al lawes know skilfully who be blind and witlesse Preachers who be true faithfull pastors For whatsoeuer worke bée not directed to this only marke namely to be employed to the chastismēt of the body or to the dutiful cōsideration of the neighbor so that it enforce not any thing directly against Gods glory surely the work is neither good nor Christianlike And this is the cause that I feare me much very few Colledges at all any Monasteries Altars or any Ecclesiastical exercises at this day be not truly Christian that also as well those proper peculiar fastings as the petty prayers to certain Saints be not Christiā I feare me much I say that in al these things regard is had of nought else but that which appertayneth to our selues whiles we be thus minded that by meanes of these exercises our sins are cleansed saluatiō obtained