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	holy_a	jesus_n	7,332	5	5.7358	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A50547	A sermon preached at the assises for the county of Surrey, held in the burrough of Southwark, March 23, 1681/2 by Richard Meggott ...	Meggott, Richard, d. 1692.	1682 (1682)	Wing M1626; ESTC R16983	11,501	40

A SERMON Preached at the ASSISES For the County of SURREY Held in the Burrough of SOVTHWARK March 23. 1681 2. BY RICHARD MEGGOTT D. D. Dean of Winchester and Chaplain in Ordinary to His Majesty LONDON Printed by A. Grover for Thomas Rowe Jun. in London-Yard near the West End of St. Pauls 1682. TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFUL And My Honoured Friend PETER DANIEL Esq High Sheriff of the County of SURREY SIR IT was not in my Thoughts that this Discourse should have gone farther than them for whom it was prepared but since it was their desire as well as yours that it should I have submitted Being preached at your Request Decency requireth it should not come abroad but with your Name Sir I have no reason to doubt but that you are perswaded of what is here delivered of the Law of God and your Actings in this trying Time have shown you have not so wild a Notion of Liberty as to trust those high Pretenders who would be making way to it by overturning the Laws of Men But there are too many who have weak and dangerous Conceptions of these things To rectifie such was the Design of this Sermon wherein I have endeavored to represent Christianity as Jotham did the Vine cheering God and Man directing and compleating our Behaviour for both Worlds If any thing in it may prove useful that they who outwardly profess the Faith may sincerely live according to the Rule of the Gospel I shall be glad that by my Compliance in publishing it I have shown my self SIR Your very Affectionate and Humble Servant R. Meggott JAMES 1.25 The perfect Law of Liberty THE Solemn business of this time is the same with what we read of Samuel's 1 Sam. 7.16 where we find that he went from year to year in Circuit to Bethel and Gilgal and Mizpeh and judged Israel in all those places This is a laudable imitation of that and no contemptible priviledge it is for a People to have it so to nave Justice condescend to come to their Doors and their Wrongs redressed not only uprightly but so conveniently And yet though this be so very well every one must grant it were a great deal better there were no occasion for it that all men would be so honest and orderly as to save the Magistrate such labour It is well there are Fetters and Gibbets for Robbers and Murtherers but Oh how much better would it be that such would labour with their hands the thing that is good and do violence to no man It is well there are Prisons and Remedies for Cheats and such as are unjust but Oh how much better would it be that they would be righteous in their dealings and none go beyond or defraud his brother in any matter It is well that there are Actions and Damages for Scandals and Defamations but Oh how much better would it be that all bitterness and clamour and evil speaking were put away from us and that there were no backbiting Fancifull and Eutopian as such imaginations now look to them that know the World so it would be in a Christian Kingdom were we reall in this Religion All such enormities this forbiddeth under severer penalties than human Laws are capable of inflicting for though every sin against God is not injury unto men yet every injury unto men is a sin against God And this is that my Discourse at this time shall tend to to evince that the Gospel is so far from dispensing with any of those obligations the light of nature and reason lay on us that it requireth them with more strictness it is a Law Not as Mens in any thing deficient and incomplete but wholly faultless it is a perfect Law And that this may not seem inconsistent with the Graciousness of the Dispensation I shall shew you that in all this it is so far from being any real Incroachment upon our Freedom that is that which best secureth it it is a perfect Law of Liberty These are the three particulars which the Text declareth of the Gospel of Christ First The Nature of it that it is a Law Secondly The Exactness of it that it is perfect Law Lastly the Advantage of it that it is a Law of Liberty These considered may tend something to the clearing our Apprehensions not only about the Authority the Excellency and the End of this Royal Law of Christ but also the Necessity Quality and Obligation of the sundry Laws of Men and in pursuance to that I shall speak to each of of them The first thing we have here to take notice of in this Description of the Gospel is the Nature of it that it is a Law A Law This soundeth a little unusual it it is commonly put in Opposition to it The Evangelist telleth us The Law was given by Moses John 1.17 it is Grace and Truth that came by Jesus Christ It is true there is much difference between this Law and that of Moses but yet this is a Law too as well as that was A Book of Statutes to explain and tell us what we should do and what we should forbear a Rule of Life to instruct and shew us the good that we should embrace and the evil that we should avoid So it is called the Law of Faith Rom 3.27 The Law of the Spirit of Life Rom. 8.2 The Law which we are under to Christ 1 Cor. 9.21 The Holy Jesus as he came into the World revelare credenda to reveal saving Truths for our Instructions tollere peccata to make satisfactory Attonement for our Transgressions confirmare promissa to establish pretious Promises for our Encouragement so likewise promulgare praecepta to publish strict Rules for our Conversation The rest of the Creatures are all easily ordered the Heavens and the Earth hear God's Voice the Winds and the Seas obey his Call Fire and Hail Snow and Vapors fulfill his Word the Turtle and the Crane and the Swallow know all the times of their coming but man man who in order to future Recompences is made a free Agent abuseth his Will most grosly hath been a cross and masterless a morose and disobedient Creature from his very first Creation Line upon Line Line upon Line Precept upon Precept Precept upon Precept hath been all too little to bind him Xenophon elegantly describing him observeth Cattle will be kept within their Hedges Horses made tractable by their Riders Wild Beasts tamed by them that look to them * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Xenophon Cyropoed l. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. All these saith he in time are brought willingly to obey those that look to them but Men head-strong Men ever set themselves against those that rule over them and will not be kept in Compass This is so true that God who knoweth us best did never think fit to trust us in our own Hands no nor only in our Fellow Creatures neither but himself hath given Laws to us from the day that he