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	receive_v	7,630	5	5.5906	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A49515	Three sermons preached at Sherborne in Dorsetshire by William Lyford ... being his last sermons ...; Sermons. Selections	Lyford, William, 1598-1653.	1654 (1654)	Wing L3557; ESTC R3029	24,872	37

and refresh their soules The second reason is Because the breath of their doctrine doth blow upon dead soules and doth breath into them the spirit of life In Ezek. 37.9 the Propher was willed to prophesie unto the winde say come O winde and blowe upon these slaine that they may live so I prophecied and the breath came into them and they lived The savour of Christ's doctrine is like this breath Cant. 4.16 Awake ô North winde and blow upon my garden that the spice thereof may flow out By this blowing is signified the ministration of his word and spirit bestowed on his people for their spirituall reviving and refreshing As on the contrary The restraint of God's graces by wholsome doctrine is signified by foure Angells holding the foure windes of the earth that the winde should not blowe on the earth nor on the sea Rev. 7.1 The savour of the knowledge of Christ is a breath of life it is that by which corruption is purged away which when it enters into the soule it doth become a savour of life unto life God maketh our words savorie and fruitfull to the Elect Againe in this Metaphor of sweet savour is an allusion to the ointment and the sweet incense which the Priests offered with their sacrifices So by the Gospell we season the soules of men and bring them as a sweet sacrifice unto God See Rom. 15.15.16 He speaks of his ministration That I should be the Minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles c. and the effect of it was By it he had prepared a sacrifice for God the offering up of the Gentiles They were unto God an offering of a sweet savour acceptable to God being sanctified by the holy Ghost A Sacrifice of the Gospell must not be a dead thing it must not be an uncleane or corrupt thing But being breathed upon with this sweet savour of Christ We offer our selves to God a living sacrifice holy and acceptable by Jesus Christ Rom 12.1 By preaching of faith we receive the spirit Gal. 3.2 The third Reason It sends forth a sweet savour of Christ to them that are already planted in Christ's garden to comfort and refresh their spirits When our spirits be spent and weake sweet things burnt doe refresh them So Cant. 4.16 Blow upon my garden that the spices thereof may flow out The ministration of the Gospell causeth the sweet-smelling fruits of repentance faith love prayer thanksgiving to flow out that these fruits doe ripen all graces are strengthned and increased Thus under God we are a sweet savour of Christ that is we cause the sweet savour to be sent abroad because we open Christ's riches to the world because by it the dead soules are seasoned and they that live are comforted and refreshed First Use Are we a sweet savour of Christ Then see what a filthie thing sin is and what noysome offensive creatures men are that have not beene perfumed with this heavenly knowledge Second Use Therefore never thinke thou hast been a good hearer or hast profited by the Gospell till thy whole soule be filled and seasoned with the savour of Jesus Christ where the Gospell is purely preached received ibi reperitur vis odoris Christi there the efficacy of Christ's savour is found your rich perfumes of Leather or Cloath they are lasting the things perfumed will carry the sent for a long time yea it will never quite out so if you be perfumed with the knowledge of Christ It will make your affections your delights your comforts your praises your dispraises they will all savour of Christ so will your tongue so will your dealings so will your outward man They must all savour of Christ else doe not thinke 't is all well else 't is but like the perfuming of a dead carkasse I observe you cast your Rosemarie branches into the graves of your friends the smell refresheth you but not the dead because he is dead And it is a signe your soules are dead under a savorie ministrie when they still rellish and savour of the earth of rottennesse of folly vanity How few among us can say the ministrie hath been the savour of Christ to me Consider your own thoughts waies your wit and discourses what doe they savour of Of Christ Of heavenly things Nay rather of a Playbooke of an Alehouse of Atheisme of Epicurisme of Worldly delights Come to the Statesmen and Polititians of this world and what doe their counsells savour of Of Christ is the smell of Christ upon them Nay rather of Machiavell of Turcisme Come to the Gallants of our time if Christ should take them by their powdred hair by their naked backs by their painted and pictured faces What doe they smell off Of Christ Of Grace of Modesty Nay rather of Pride wantonnesse discontent at God's workmanship that has made them thus not faire enough not white enough Consider the waies of Christians their delights their labours their oppressions their covenant breaking How little rellish of Christ is to be found Men may justly think that such have not lived under a Ministerie that savours of Christ Surely all is not well with such Thou art not as yet one planted in the Garden of spices the ointment of Christ which is the graces of the holy Ghost have not yet descended upon thee Christ speakes thus to his Church Cant 4.10 How much better is thy love then wine and the smell of thy garments then all spices In Cant. 1.23 The Church admireth Christ's graces and preferreth Christ's love before wine here Christ doth the like of her love towards him here Christ shewes how much hee is taken with the graces of his Church Chap. 1. The Church extolleth the savour of Christ's oyntments here Christ doth hers Which did send forth a sweet savour like sweet-smelling spices A Christian is one anoynted with Christ's oyntment and we must cary the sent thereof upon all our actions See Za. 14.20.21 It tells you how holinesse should abound in times of the Gospell In that day there shall be upon the Bells of the horses Holinesse to the Lord and the pots in the Lord's house shall be like the bowles before the Altar uppon the plate of gold which the High Priest did weare on his forehead was engraven Holines to the Lord Now that title must bee upon all things belonging to a Christian for we are made Priests unto our God as upon the Bridles of of our Horses that is upon the instruments of war of our labour and of our Recreations Holinesse must bee upon our garments upon our pots that is upon the Instruments of our eating and drinking Upon the Attire of many may be written not Holinesse to the Lord but Pride Lightnesse Vanitie prodigalitie upon their horses furniture Rapine Plunder and violence upon the Brims of their dishes Extortion and oppression upon their Cups excesses c. Whereas every thing belonging to a Christian should savour of Christianitie All the things

worketh one way or other if not to life it will be unto death it is sharper then a two-edged sword which cuts on both sides for the hardning or converting of the sinner if a man believe and obey it it is life to him it brings about his good and safetie if not it falleth a working also to augment his naturall blindnesse hardnesse and to binde him guiltie unto judgement it alwaies helpeth or hurteth the hearer Therefore you shall do well to observe what sort of working it hath upon you that so you may be framed to the better by it Observe under which effect of it you lie is it a savour of life or of death to you For your Humiliation and to break the heart to repentance I will give foure Convictions whereby it may appeare to your owne conscience that it is a dead unsavorie unfruitfull thing unto you that you never yet did rellish any thing of life in it 1 The first is Because you take so little delight in it and so little paines about it for 't is the propertie of every blessed man to delight in the law of God to meditate in it to walk in it both day and night Ps 1.1 2. My delight and my counsellonrs Ps 119.24 How doth his soule break out in holy longings and love to the law of God And also to take paines for this bread of life the Queene of the South came from the uttermost parts of the earth to heare the wisdome of Solomon Mat 12.42 Wheresoever the carkasse is thither will the Eagles be gathered together As Eagles by a naturall instinct flie to their food so where Christ is preached believers by the motion of the spirit will resort to him Can yee tast honie and no sweetnesse in it Can yee want bread take no paines for it Take us and all we have for Bread said they to Joseph you labour for meat that perisheth because there 's life in it so would you after the meat that endureth to eternall life if yee did rellish it Joh. 6.27 Labour not for meat which perisheth but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life that is labour more for eternall life O what a deale of contriving sweating of unwearied diligence to raise an estate to raise posteritie to enlarge possessions to live And yet how it shall goe with you and how you shall live eternally did did never put you to the trouble of one houre 's serious consideration or paines God is our chiefe good and all our happinesse consists in his love therefore it should be valued and sought above all things The very businesse we have in this world is to glorifie God and to provide for a better life And yet how little doe you set by the meanes of life You will not be at the paines to acquaint your selves or familie with the doctrine of salvation● I cannot perswade you to read the Bible and other good books or to learne the grounds of Religion in some Catechisme or to sanctisie the Lord's day in holy exercises of prayer selfe-examination Hearing the word Nay with much coldnesse do you come to the congregation These things are burdensome irksome unsavorie to you you finde no life in this holy course and why Because you are dead soules Let me speake unto you Husbandmen Tradesmen and Labourers consider your waies and your daies spent in toyle and labour up to worke early there 's much to be done in the mornings no time in the evenings the head is heavie unfit for spirituall matters The Sabbath is your day God in mercy provided it for your rest for your soules refreshing also yet that day is too much from your worldly businesse In the morning goe see such a piece of ground or such a parcell of sheep or such a customer then to Church if time be left poore soules what doe you thinke Is this to delight in the word O how little doe you set by heaven If you did but take halfe so much paines and delight for heaven as for the world I should think you did finde some spirituall life in the word I speake to you Careles daughters perhaps once in the day you give us the hearing and stay at home the other part you trifle away the Sabbath-mornings about Children you spend idly as much time as your necessary affaires of house require therefore yee cannot come to Church perhaps in the afternoone yee have some Cloaths to mend or starch This providing for and trimming of the body is your Sabbath-daie's worke as if you were borne to be drudges and poore and so to the grave O what a fearefull spirit of slumber is upon our people Not more ignorant earthly-minded in any parish there is no signe that you rellish the Ministrie of the word as a word of life you taste no such thing in it all your carriage savours of death if you had tasted life in it you would have love to it and thinke nothing too much that you could possibly doe You would have zeale to rouze you and faith like the spring in a watch to set all the wheeles of your soules agoing The zeale of thy house hath even eaten me up Conclusion I conclude with that of Heb. 12.16 Looke diligently least there be any Fornicator or prophane person as Esau who for one morsell of meat sold his Brith-right He rellished good in the morsell of meat none in his Birth-right Esau must have food what with the losse of his Birth-right The Constant call of the Scripture is Strive to enter in at the straight gate Work out your salvation with feare and trembling Walk precisely not as fooles but as wise Conforme your selves not to this present world The judgement of the carnall world is otherwise These rules are too strict and precise if we live by them we were as good goe out of the world O are yee wiser then all the world Shall I make myselfe a laughing-stock to the world Nay but will you be wiser then God 2 Cor. 2 16. THe third Conviction followes whereby it may appeare to your consciences that hetherto the Gospell hath been but a dead and unsavorie thing upon your spirits and that is by the little account of any spirituall good received by all that you heare it hath left dead hearts dead unrenued affections under an outside profession you have not felt the experience of the things taught and heard you doe not understand it feelingly it affects not it alters not the judgement nor affections There is a twofold knowledge of matters in Religion the one is by rule the other is by proofe triall or experience the one is gotten out of the letter of the Scripture only so men have it but by rule the other is learout of●● the scripture too but it is felt to be the sword of the spirit for the bettering of us As in all trades and sciences there is a knowledge which one getteth by rule and instruction