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	love_n	6,945	5	5.0558	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A86138	A three-fold cord to unite soules for ever unto God. 1. The mysterie of godlinesse opened. 2. The imitation of Christ proposed. 3. The crowne of afflicted saints promised. / As it was compacted by M. Richard Head, M.A. and sometimes minister of the Gospel, in his labours at Great Torrington in Devon. Published now, after his death, for publike profit.	Head, Richard, Rev.	1647 (1647)	Wing H1277B; Thomason E410_13; ESTC R204453	37,489	56

A THREE-FOLD CORD To unite Soules for ever unto GOD 1. The Mysterie of Godlinesse opened 2. The Imitation of Christ proposed 3. The Crowne of afflicted Saints promised As it was compacted by M. Richard Head M. A. and sometimes Minister of the Gospel in his Labours at Great Torrington in Devon Published now after his Death for publike profit ECCLES. 4.12 A three-fold Cord is not quickly broken LONDON Printed by E. P. for Fr. Coles and are to be sold at his shop in the Old-Bayly at the Signe of the Halfe-Bowle 1647. To the Readers HOnest Readers for I dare bespeak no other This Posthumous Worke of the Reverend Author given to my perusall by his surviving Consort with desire to make it of publike benefit is fit for none so much as for you who are delighted in Honest Things Other Histrionicks Athenian and wanton Readers are taken up with Play-Bookes Newes-Bookes and Scandalous Pamphlets yet would they turne their eyes upon Spirituall and serious Discourses it might prove better worth their labour even to make them better To all therefore that desire to be good or to doe good I shall commend this little Worke as not unbeseeming their view The severall Tractates are not large as perhaps the subjects of them might desire they being of great extent yet a short and swee● representation of them will make none losers who may reade some of them in larger Volumes set out to the full If the Mysterie of Godlinesse the Imitation of Christ the Crowne of afflicted Saints be matters delightfull to you you may passe through this little Garden and crop sweet Flowers growing upon every Root The Subjects doe garnish enough the Labour of the Author and his Labour enlighten's them My prayer is that by this Light your Soules may be guided to obtaine this Mysterie this Christ this Crowne here blazoned Your labour then will not be lost in Reading nor mine in perswading you thereunto The God of Spirits write in your hearts what you reade here in him I am Yours bound to serve you for Jesus sake GEO HUGHES August the 7. 1647. I Have read these three pious and profitable Sermons the first intituled The Saints Inheritance the second The Mysterie of Godlinesse the third The reward of Imitation and doe license them to be printed and published JOHN DOWNAME THE SAINTS INHERITANCE A Sermon Preached in Torrington the second of February 1642. JAMES 1.12 Blessed is the man that endures tentation for when he is tryed he shall receive the Crowne of Life which the Lord hath promised to those that love him WEE have here an Argument unto patience and chearefull suffering verse 10. Let the rich man rejoyce when brought low to an ebbe like a River emptied Durus hic Sermo this is a hard saying who can beare it 't is hard for any especially for a great man to endure vexations per se harder yet to endure them with joy True 3 and therefore that the man brought low may not onely endure his pressures but endure them with joy the Apostle encourageth him thereunto propter aliud from or for something else and this no lesse then a Crowne of immortall Glory and so would have him to goe chearefully on assured that his labour shall not be in vaine in the Lord In the words we have first a proposition and then secondly the proofe thereof In the proposition first the subject or person spoken of and secondly the 〈◊〉 or thing a firmed of him First the subject 〈…〉 The 〈…〉 dinari● pitch {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} looke a little back and you shall see him vers. 9. Let the brother of low degree rejoyce when exalted and let the ●ch man rejoyce when brought low 'T is then some great man the Text here speakes of some great man in adversitie and yet not simply so but one who being in adversitie is there by tempted and yet which is worse {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} endu●eth the remptation neither shrinking from it nor sinking under 〈◊〉 and there lyes the point of Christian braverie and gallantrie By tentation in this place then we are to understand afflictions whether from within by a prick in the flesh and the bufferings of Satan or whether from without by the molestations of malicious and malignant enemies by the revisings and reproaches of the ungodly by unkindnesse of friends and the ●tinesse of such as have beene neere and deare unto 〈…〉 king from us the choyse of our affection 〈…〉 24.16 calls the pleasure of the heart and 〈…〉 fo the eyes or whether the Lord lay his hand upon our bodies in some painefull and pining Sicknesse in a word whatsoever affliction the Lord be pleased to lay upon us suppose it be that wee cannot make lesse by imparting it to others all is to ●rie us Afflictions are but Tryals Dear De●r 8.2 And thou shaft remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these fortie yeares in the Wildernesse to humble thee and to prove thee to know what was in thine heart whether thon wors● 〈…〉 of any thing within us for hee understands all our thought long before Hell and destruction are before the Lord how much more the hearts of the son●es of men But that what is in us may he made 〈…〉 both to our selves 〈…〉 whether it be Pride Impatience or any other whatsoever Rebellions 〈…〉 Faith Hope Love Patience and other the lovelyest Graces of Gods holy and sanctifying Spirit which like the ●tar●es in the darkest night are most illustrious in blackest times of trouble and adversitie Thus also would the Lord trie our uprightnesse and sinceritie ●imes of Peace Pl●n●ie and Prosperitie there is roo●e for Satans objection against us as against holy job● Doe those and there serve the● for nothing 〈◊〉 not thou thus and thus blessed them And it may be that many in those better dayes served God son the blessings of his left hand c. Like little Children who say their Prayers to have their Breakfast But when in times of great afflictions when God is turning his Children our of doores a begging exposing them to eminen● dang● now to serve the Lord now to adhere unto him chusing rather to have our bodies torne from our soules then our ●es from our Redeemer This demonstrates that we are not base and ●cenarie that though we cannot serve God without wages yo● did not serve him for wages but at least primarily for himselfe and the lovelynesse of his Nature Afflictions then are no arguments of Gods displeasure ●ay when blest and sar●ctified they are arguments of his love and favour and 〈◊〉 ●ey are when by them God separates what he hates from he person whom he loves I know saith David that out of very faithfulnesse thou hast caused me to be afflicted And againe Blssed is the man whom thou chastisest and ●chest in thy Law Not therefore blessed because afflicted but therefore blessed because by afflictions

Howsoever among men an argument from authority is not alwayes sound because all men are lyers farther then truth speaks for them yet some you know have borne such sway with their followers and disciples that their bare word have carried assent {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} such a one said it hath stopt all further oppositions And when God sayth this or that shall not wee beleeve him Psal. 9.10 They that know thy name will trust in thee for thou never failest them that seeke thee Secondly as God hath promised a crowne of life to the patient man so his farther assurance is 't is the Crowne God hath promised to those that love him And hence a two-fold observation First Eternall blessednesse belongs by promise onely to the holy to these onely is the promise made Mat. 5.8 Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God Revel. 22.14 Blessed are they that doe his Commandements that they may have right to the Tree of life and may enter in through the Gates into the City See here the gates of Heaven made fast against all the ungodly with Balanm they would dye the death of the Righteons but they will not live the life of the Righteous They would be happy but they will not be holy how unequall are these thoughs how unpossible are these hopes In good duties as one observes they seperate the meanes from the end they thinke to come to Heaven though they move not a foot turn not their faces that way though they live in the generall neglect of all good duties As if a man bound from hence to London should sit downe here and yet think to attaine his journeyes end Againe in evill things they separate the end from the meanes they promise themselves an escape from hell though every step they take tend thither Mal● esse volunt misers esse nolunt ●mo ●dco sunt mali ●t non sint miseri Aug. Let these reade Deut. 29.19 20. And it come to passe when he bear●th the words of this curse that he blesse himselfe in his heart saying I shall have peace though I walke in the imaginations of my heart to adde drunkennesse to thirst the Lord will not spare him but then the anger of the Lord and his jealousie shall smock against that man and all the curses that are written in this Book● shall lye upon him and the Lord shall blot out his name from under Heaven Farther See here a necessity of an holy life as wee would bee everlastingly blessed we must live holily for without holinesse none shall see the Lord Hee that would finish his colours in brightnesse must be sure to lay sutable grounds and hee that would finish his life in glory must necessarily begin and end in grace Away with the black colours of sin they are an ill foundation 1 Joh. 3.2 3. Beloved now wee are the sonnes of God and it doth not yet appeare what we shall be but wee know that when hee sha11 appeare me shall be like him for we shall see him as he is and every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himselfe even as hee is pure 'T is the Crowne God hath promised to those that love him hence by the by are two Questions First Why is it not rather said 't is the Crowne God hath promised to those that doe beleeve or obey c First because faith workes by love and good duties done out of love are acceptable because they are the gifts of friends Wicked men may abound in outward workes they may pray heare c. all which howsoever materially good and in common acceptation be commanded may yet bee made sinne and indeed too often are because the doing of them doth not necessarily and from within respect either the command or the commanders glory but are only reducible unto him and may in the mean time looke another way so that the goodnesse of those duties is not in the duties themselves but in the right manner of doing them wherein if wee faile the things are no longer good at least to us Secondly wicked men as they cannot beleeve so neither can they love because these things are essentially good in themselves And although wee neither doe them nor can doe them with that strength and perfection the Law requireth yet cannot the doing of them in faith be totally and altogether sinfull because they take Christ into their performance and doe intrinsecally and in the very substance of the work respect God in him Thirdly they who doe what God commands obedientially in saith respect both the commandement and his glory that gives it he that workes not onely out of common conviction but in and with this filiall affection out of love this is hee that through Christ pleaseth God both in his person and all his performances Secondly Why is it not rat her said 't is the Crowne God hath promised to those whom he doth love Because our love is better knowne unto us being within us then Gods love being without us especially in such dayes as these of great calamity wherein we are prone to doubt of and to question the love of God if God be with us why is all this evill fallen on us Now that we love God wee may be sure not conjecturally but certitudinali scientia certainely and infallibly O how I love the Lord saith David Psal. 116. And wee faith the Apostle have received the Spirit of God whereby wee know the things that are given us of God 1 Cor. 2.12 And being assured that we love God we may be sure that God loves us Ille prior in amore 1 Joh. 4.20 Howsoever our love to him in respect of his to us bee as the running of a little streame to the flowing of the great Ocean or as the thirst of one to the Fountaine where he drinkes yet for as much as his love to us begets our love to him therefore if we love him we may be sure he loves us Now as touching the second observation He that indureth tentation is blessed and why because he shalt receive a Crowne of life And why shall he receive this because 't is the Crown God hath promised to those that love him But why to the patient man because by his patient suffering hee shewes his love to God more then any Now saith God to Abraham on the point of offering up his onely sonne I know thou lovest mee As the patient shew their love to God by suffering so will the Lord shew his love to him by rewarding The Covenant betweene God and us stands in mutuall stipulations of love Wherefore we having shewed our love to God by patient suffering for his sake it remaines that hee experiment his love to us in rewardfull retributions 'T is just with God saith the Apostle to render to you that are troubled rest and peace c. It sufficeth not then that wee suffer unlesse wee