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	word_n	9,264	5	4.2777	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A68105	The way to well-doing. Or A sermon of faith and good vvorkes Preached in the chappell of Buntingford, in the county of Hartford, at the beginning of their publike lecture. By Iohn Gore, rector of Wenden-lofts in Essex.	Gore, John, Rector of Wendenlofts, Essex.; Gore, John, Rector of Wendenlofts, Essex, Summer sermon. aut; Gore, John, Rector of Wendenlofts, Essex. Winter sermon. aut	1638 (1638)	STC 12087; ESTC S116024	20,619	38

A SVMMER SERMON VPON ELIAHS PRAYER Preached in the Cathedrall Church of St. Pauls in LONDON on the last Sonday of Trinity Terme in the afternoone being a time of extraordinary heat and drought By John Gore Rector of Wenden-lofts in Essex Printed at London by Thomas Cotes for Themas Alchorn and are to be sold at his shop in Pauls Church-yard at the Signe of the Greene-Dragon 1638. TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL Mr. VVILLIAM BIRD Doctor of the Civill Law my most Worthy Friend and Benefactor RIGHT WORSHIP WHen I consider the manifold favours and courtesies that I have found at your hands I am ready to say unto my selfe as Ruth said once to Boaz Ruth 2. 10. Quare inveni gratiam Why have I found grace in your eyes that you should take knowledge of me seeing I am a stranger For mine owne part I can impute it to nothing but unto Gods goodnesse and your owne worthinesse And my onely ambition is to make you this acknowledgement that the world may see though I am poore I am thankefull Now as Ioab wisht to David in another case 2 Sam. 24. 3. so wish I to you The Lord God adde unto your estate how much soever it be an hundred fold and that your eyes may see it and your heart may rejoyce in it all the dayes of your life Thus prayes Your poore unworthy Friend JOHN GORE A SVMMER SERMON IAMES 5. 17 18. Elias was a man subject to like passions as wee are and hee prayed earnestly that it might not raine and it rained not on the earth by the space of three yeares and sixe moneths And hee prayed againe and the heavens gave raine and the earth brought forth her fruit THe summe and drift of this Text is to set forth the efficacie or rather omnipotency of earnest and fervent Prayer There be two graces of God in man that may justly be termed Omnipotent or Almighty graces God himselfe being pleased to shew his Almighty power and goodnesse in them and they are Faith and Prayer 1. For the first Mat. 15. 28. O woman great is thy faith bee it unto thee even as thou wilt What a large unlimitted Grant and Patent was this for a poore sinner to aske what she would and have promise of acceptance Mark 9. 23. To him that beleeveth all things are possible Looke what a beleever cannot doe himselfe God himselfe will doe it for him and yet it shal be accounted as his act and deed Phil. 4. 13. I can doe all things through Christ that strengtheneth me Not meaning that hee could doe all things in generall and at large as to walke on the waters flye in the ayre c. but all things that belonged to his calling all things that concerned his Ministery and all things that pertained to the right way of pleasing God and of saving his owne soule He could pray well Preach well live well he could want and he could abound he could conforme and apply himselfe to all estates whatsoever All this hee could doe not by any power or ability of his owne but by the strengthning grace and faith and vertue of Iesus Christ I can doe all things through Christ that strengthneth me As on the contrary our Saviour saith of himselfe Mark 6. 5. that he could doe nothing worth speaking of in his owne Country 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 no mighty worke no worke of wonder in respect of what he could have done only because of their unbeleife and marke that it is not said He would do no such workes there but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He could not doe them not that Christ was unable for want of power but hee saw it was unavaileable through their lacke of faith For the power of God and the faith of men are like the spirits and the sinewes in the body the one mooves and stirres and workes within the other if there be no faith in us there can be no expectation of any power or any helpe from God 2. The other omnipotent grace is Prayer and that you may be assured it is so marke but that expression Exod. 32. 10. Let me alone saith God to Moses that I may consume them and I will make of thee a great Nation What a word was this to come from the mouth of Almighty God to bid a poore weake creature let him alone it shewes that Moses by his prayer did even as it were over-power the Lord that the Lord had not the power to revenge himselfe on that provoking people as long as Moses interceded for them Such a powerfull man with God was Eliah here in my text His mouth as a Father saith was Fraenum Coeli the very bridle of Heaven he could even rule the heavens with his prayers as a man rules a horse with a bridle Now least you should thinke he did thus prevaile with God rather by the priviledge of his person than by the vertue of his prayers The Apostle tells us for that he was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he was a man subject to the same passions that we are and yet his prayer tooke such good effect Eliah was a man subject c. In my text there are two generall points to bee considered 1. The condition and quality of Eliahs person He was a man subject to like passions as wee are 2. The condition and quality of his prayer that like a two-edged sword it cut both wayes and prevailed in both kindes both to bring a judgement and to bring a blessing upon the people His first prayer like a burning feaver entred into the bowels of the earth and scorcht and dryed up the Rivers and Lakes and Springs and left no moisture in them and so brought a judgement of drought and dearth upon the land His second prayer went up into the clouds above and fetcht an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a heaven-dropping dew a happy and a heavenly raine that moystned and fatned and refreshed the earth againe He prayed againe and the heavens gave raine and the earth brought forth her fruit 1. The condition and quality of Eliahs person what manner of man Eliah was My Text saith hee was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A man subject to the same passions to the same frailties and infirmities that we are Hence you may observe that no profession of holinesse no practise of piety no degree of grace and sanctification in this life can exempt or free or priviledge a man from common passions and infirmities Eliah was a man of God a mortified and a sanctified man and one of the greatest favourites in the Court of heaven and yet a man subject to passions What shall I neede to multiply examples to proove this point when wee know the Apostle affirmeth even of our Saviour himselfe That hee was in all things like unto us sinne onely excepted set but sinne aside where of his blessed person was uncapable for as no rust can take hold of burning and flaming iron no more could any sin or corruption take

in another kind nevercease but are wrought daily by the Preachers of the Gospell For you must know that the miracles under the Gospell are of a differing nature from the miracles under the Law those were ocularia miracula as I may fitly call them eye-miracles that were visible and outwardly apparent to be seene but these are Auricularia miracula Eare-miracles secret and invisible wrought in the heart by the Word and Spirit of God entring in at the eare and going downe into the soule Though wee cannot command or forbid the raine to water the earth as Eliah did if we can water and mollifie the earthen hearts of men with the supernaturall raine of heavenly Doctrine and make a dry and barren soule beare fruit to God is not this as great a wonder as the other Though we cannot cause nor command the thunder as Samuel did to terrifie the people for their sinnes yet God hath his Boanerges his sons of thunder still that by ratling from heaven the terrible judgements of God against sinne and sinners are able to make the stoutest and the proudest heart upon earth even tremble and quake and fall downe before the presence of God and is not this as great a miracle as that of Samuel to bring an unhumbled sinner upon his knees and make glad to cry God mercy for his sinnes In a word though we cannot cast out devils out of mens bodies as the disciples of Christ could doe if wee can cast the devill out of mens soules by the powerfull Gospell of Iesus Christ is it not as great a wonder Beleeve it brethren the conversion of a sinner to God and bringing of a soule to heaven is absolutely without comparison the greatest miracle the greatest wonder in the world And these be the miracles wherewith it pleaseth God to grace the Ministers of the Gospell therefore ye observe that the Collect for Ministers runs thus Almighty God which only workest great marvels c. When a soule is sicke to the death with a surfeit of sinne is recovered and revived againe by that same healthfull spirit of grace which God together with his Word doth breathe into the soule it is so great a marvell so rare a wonder that the Angels of heaven rejoyce to see it I have held you over-long in the former part of Eliahs prayer which brought the judgement heare now in a word or two the Reversing of the judgement and I have done And hee prayed againe and the heavens gave raine and the earth brought forth her fruit It well becomes the Prophets of God to be mercifull Good Eliah had not the heart to hold the people too long under a judgement when hee saw he had done enough to humble them he desires God to reverse the judgement As it is observed of the good Angels in the old and new Testament when they appeared to any either man or woman their method and manner was this Primo terrent deinde laetificant they first terrified them and put them into feare then presently comforted them and put them out of feare Thus did Eliah with this people thus did Moses with Pharaoh that good man had not the heart to hold wicked Pharaoh alway under a judgement but upon the least entreaty made suite to God to reverse it So dealt the Prophet with Ieroboam 1 Reg. 13. 6. when hee had smitten him with a judgement and had him at the advantage that his hand was witnered Ieroboam was glad to submit and say Intreate now the face of the Lord thy God and pray for me that my hand may be restored me The man of God had not the heart to deny him but immediately besought the Lord and the Kings hand was restored and became as it was before When a judgement comes then Prophet are in season Abraham is better than a King in this case Gen. 20. 7. Restore the man his owne for he is a Prophet and hee shall pray for thee and ver 17. Abraham prayed unto God and God healed Abimelech c. Goe to my servant Iob saith God to his friends Iob 42. 8. and my servant Iob shall pray for you for him will I accept So Act. 8. 24. When Peter had denounced a curse on Simon Magus he was glad to crouch and cry unto him Oh pray yee to the Lord for me that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon mee Thus yee see that judgements and plagues will bring Prophets into request men commonly deale with their Ministers as boyes doe by Walnut-trees and other fruit-trees in faire weather throw cudgels at us in foule runne to us for shelter In the dayes of peace and prosperity wee are past over as superfluous creatures of whom there is little use and lesse neede but when the wrath of God fals on the naked soule when the conscience is wounded within and body pained without then the Minister is thought on I say no more if you desire their prayers and that God should heare them praying for you in your extremity doe not slight them doe not wrong them in prosperity Remember how Ahab and all Israel were glad to be beholden to Eliah to reverse their judgement and you do not know how soone the case may be your owne therefore as you love your soules love those that have charge of them And he prayed againe c. When I looke into the Story 1 Reg. 18. I can finde no direct prayer that Eliah made for raine But I finde there a twofold prayer that he made 1. A vertuall 2. A formall prayer 1. A Vertuall prayer not for raine but for their conversion Oh Lord saith Eliah bring backe or bring home the heart of this people unto thee vers 73. and this includes all other prayers that can be made A prayer for conversion is a prayer for every thing Ier. 31. 18. When Ephraim prayes for conversion Turne thou me and I shall be turned saith God I will surely have mercy upon him c. Such is the goodnesse of God that he will with-hold no good thing be it raine be it plenty be it any thing that is good for them from them that are converted and brought home by true repentance to him Therefore if thou standest in need of any temporall mercy pray first for conversion and all other good things shall be super-added and throwne in unto thee or if thou prayest for any child or for any friend to doe him good indeed pray for his conversion and thou prayest for every thing that one prayer is instar omnium insteed of all the rest If he be in an ill way desire God to bring him backe and for future things take no care 2. A formall prayer when he saw that the people were truely humbled and that their hearts were indeed brought home to God insomuch that they cryed out with an ingemmination The Lord hee is God the Lord he is God then he buckles his head betweene his knees to shew the humble prostration of his soule and fals a praying to God for raine After humiliation any prayer comes in season Esay 1. Wash ye make ye cleane put away the evill of your doings c. And now come saith God and wee will reason together now let us parle now let us confesse now pray and I will heare you Iud. 10. 17. When the Israelites put away their strange gods and turned themselves to the true God by sincere repentance and reformation the Text saith His soule was grieved for the misery of Israel thus the onely way to case our owne soules of griefe or to be rid of any grievous judgement is to grieve the soule of God that is to humble our selves before him to pray and seeke his face and to turne from our wicked wayes and God will be even grieved with himselfe that ever he punished plagued and put us to griefe and he will returne as he saith and have mercy on us and will do us good after he hath done us hurt Here then in a word is the ready way to prevaile with God either for raine or for faire weather or for any temporall blessing whatsoever to doe as Eliah did buckle our very heads betweene our knees I meane prostrate our selves before the face of God in the humblest in the lowliest in the most dejected manner that we can device and if any meanes under heaven will fetch downe mercy from heaven that will doe it Eliah prayed againe and the heavens gave raine and the earth brought forth her fruit Now to God the Father God the Sonne and God the Holy Ghost be ascribed and given all honour and glory be done and performed all service and duty from this time forth for evermore Amen FINIS

hold of his pure and precious soule set but that aside and our Saviour Christ was as Eliah is said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a man subject to the very same infirmities and passions of anger and feare and sorrow and sadnesse that wee are and happy was it for us that so he was for by this meanes he became as the Apostle saith Heb. 2. 17. A mercifull High-Priest one that knew how to tender and succour our infirmities because himselfe had a feeling of them in his owne nature This made him so tenderly affected towards the hungry multitude Mat. 15. because himselfe knew by his owne experience what an unsufferable misery hunger was This made him so compassionate towards the sorrowes of Mary and Martha Iohn 11. because himselfe was Vir dolorum a man acquainted with griefe and sorrow And such was his compassion toward Peter in that state of desertion wherein he lay Luke 22. because himselfe knew and felt in his owne soule what a woefull thing it was to be forsaken of God And this is the assurance which the Apostle gives us that wee shall obtaine mercy and grace from Iesus Christ to helpe and comfort us in time of neede Heb. 4. 16. because himselfe had a feeling of the same infirmities and was a man subject to the same passions that wee our selves are sinne onely excepted In a word then as there is no Rose since the Creation but hath his prickles as well as his sweete leaves so there is no man living since the fall of Adam except our Saviour forementioned who was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God and man both but hath his passions as well as his perfections his infirmities as well as his graces As Cyril observes there is no Rocke of stone so hard but hath some crackes some clefts and seames in it whereat weedes spring out and grow so there is no mans heart so sanctified and filled with grace but hath some crackes some flawes in it whereat his sinnes and corruptions sprout and issue out to his no small regret and greife And as we see by experience that there is chaffe about every corne in the field and bitternesse in every branch of Wormewood and saltnesse in every drop of water in the Sea so is there infirmity and frailty corruption and passion in every man woman and child of what estate of what degree of what profession soever Eliah was a holy man a zealous man a man of God and yet a man subject to passions Let no man therefore be too forward or too severe in censuring and condemning the follies and frailties the weakenesses and passions of godly men or of the men of God such as Eliah was for alas they are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 subject to the same passions that other men are Solomon tels us Pro. 27 19 That as in water face answereth to face so doth the heart of man to man A man that lookes into the water or into a glasse shall see a face there in all points answering to his owne the same spots the same warts the same wrinkles and blemishes that he sees in the face in the water they are all the very same in his owne face there is face answering to face so doth the heart of man to man the same evils the same corruptions lusts and sins that thou seest in another mans heart breaking out into his life the very selfe-same are in thy owne heart his heart to thine is but as a face answering to a face in the water Observe the Apostles demand 1 Cor. 4. 7. and apply it to thy selfe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Who makes thee to differ from another man For by nature all are alike all equally devoid of spirituall grace and goodnesse and all equally prone to sinne and wickednesse how comes it to passe then that one man differs from another that one is holy blamelesse and undefiled in his way another licentious and loose and spotted with the world Answer It is not any thing in nature beleeve that for a truth but meerely that same Gratia discriminans as Divines call it that distinguishing Grace of God it is that which makes the difference betwixt one man and another Let no man therefore ascribe any thing to himselfe for his freedome from great offences but give God the glory of his grace which had made him to differ from the greatest sinner and if at any time thou seest another man breake out into passion or miscarry in his way by some ill temptation reprove him in Gods name and pray for him when thou hast done and withall reflect upon thy selfe and say as Plato did Num ego talis uspiam Am not I such a one Have not I beene or may not I be as vile and as vicious as hee Be not therefore too censorious nor too supercilious as the manner of some is but incline rather to thinke every man better than to thinke any man worse than thy selfe if thou seest thy brother overtaken in a fault doe then as the Apostle adviseth thee Gal. 6. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 restore him with the spirit of meckenesse or as the word signifieth bind him up gently and lovingly as a Chirurgian doth a bone that is out of joynt Considering thy selfe saith hee least thou also be tempted considering I say that thou art as he is and all men are as Eliah was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 too like one another in that which is naught all subject to the same passions All as the Apostle saith shut up under sinne And I pray God of his goodnesse have mercy on us all Amen Againe the consideration of this if it be rightly conceived may serve for a comfort and a stay unto such tender consciences as have sinned of infirmity and like Moses in their haste have spoken unadvisedly with their lips not being able for the time to over-rule and bridle their passions It is some comfort to consider that the greatest Saints of God have sometimes beene of the same temper yea there is not a soule in heaven the soule of Iesus Christ onely excepted but hath beene sometimes subject to the very same passions And I said This is my infirmity saith the Psalmist Psal 77. 10. but I remember the yeares of the right hand of the most High i. I consider and call to minde that God in former times and in the dayes of old hath had compassion upon the same infirmities in other men and why should I misdoubt he being still the same compassionate God but that hee will have pitty and compassion upon the same infirmities in me But some man may say How shall I know and be assured that my sinnes are sinnes of infirmity such as God will winke at and not rather sinnes of presumption and iniquity such as his soule abhorres Answer A sinne of infirmity may be knowne two wayes 1. By the antecedent which goes before it and that is an honest resolution of a mans heart against sinne and evill