Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A00726
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A learned sermon preached before the King at VVhitehall, on Friday the 16 of March: by M. Doctor Field: Chaplaine to his Maiestie; Learned sermon preached before the King at Whitehall, on Friday the 16 of March.
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Field, Richard, 1561-1616.
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1604
(1604)
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STC 10855; ESTC S115098
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14,831
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44
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partakers of it For the Apostle Saint Paule protesteth against this frensie saying Knowe you not that the vnrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdome of God And againe bee not deceaued neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor wantons nor couetous persons nor extortioners shall inherit the Kingdome of God Touching this matter there were foure dangerous errors in the primitiue Church the first of Origen who thought that all euen the deuils themselues after certaine reuolutions of times shall 〈◊〉 saued the second of them who not daring â—ing to proceed so farre as Origen did â—et thought that all men shall in the end be saued as by fire The third that not â—ll men but all Christian men notwithâ—tanding whatsoeuer wickednes Schisâ—e or Heresie shall in the end bee saued The fourth that not all Christians but â—ll Catholique Orâ—hodoxe and right â—eleuing Christians shall in the end bee â—ued as by fire holding the foundatiâ—n of a right profession This last error â—any of the fathers fell into as appeareth â—y very pregnant places in Hierome and â—hers tending to that purpose and by â—ustines owne confession where hee â—riteth against it calling it a mercifull â—ror of some Catholique diuine Against this error Austine opposeth himselfe but very fearfully professing 〈◊〉 he will not peremptorilie denie but at a mitigation or suspension of the â—â—nishments of the wicked may be obâ—â—ned after they are departed out of this â—â—rld so that their punishments bee â—nfessed to be eternall And if this will â—â— satisfie them from whom he is vnâ—ling to dissent he sayth that though men professing the faith being wholy wicked and voyde of loue cannot bee saued as by fire but must perish eternally yet hee dareth not deny but that men that doe beleiue aright and haue loue though mingled with much imperfection may bee saued by a kinde â—â— purging fire after this life which whether it be so or not he cannot tell Thus wee see in what sort Austine was driuen vpon the opinion of purgatory and how doubtfully he speaketh â—â— it yet was he the first that euer spake â—â— this kinde of purgatorie in the Churcâ— of God So doubtfull a beginning haâ—â— this article of the Romanistes faith whâ—â— yet rest not in the iudgment of this fâ—ther that only some lighter sinnes aâ— wasted and consumed away in this puâ—ging fire but imagine that the iusticed God in it is satisfied and the punishmeâ—â— of mortall sinnes suffered the faulâ— anâ— not the punishment being remitted 〈◊〉 this life which things Austine neâ— dreamâ— of But to returne to the wordes of the Apostle Saluation is sayde to be commâ—â— â— absolute vnto all but vnto them that â—re called and sanctified of GOD and â—serued in Christ Iesus As in nature the best things things â—f necessitie are eyther absolutely and â—qually or at least in some mediocritie â—mmon vnto all but thinges of ornaâ—ent delight are proper to some fewâ—â— is it in the matter of fayth and saluatiâ—â— Among the things of nature vvhat better then ayre fire water earth â—owers of raine the fruites of the fielde â—uses to dwell in garments to put on â—alth and strength of bodie length of â—yes comely proportion and statuâ—e body quicknes of sence sharpnes of â—â— and faithfulnes of memory the vse â—â—d benefit of these is in some sort comâ—on vnto all and the poore man often â—oyeth them with more contentment â—n the rich neyther is there any man â—nd to be so great a Tyrant as to deâ— to enioy these common benefits aâ—â— but gold pearles precious stones â—t aray and thinges of that kinde are 〈◊〉 peculiar lot portion of some few likewise in the matter of fayth and grace the Law the Prophets the couenaunts of Grace the sufferings of Châ—ist regeneration the Gospell the giuing of the Spirit Faith Hope Loue and eternall Saluation are common vnto all that are called and sanctified of GOD noâ— as Manna in a certaine measure but euery one taketh as much of them as heâ— will the gyfts of tongues myracles prophecie the degrees of ministerie 〈◊〉 like are proper to some few VVhen the Law was giuen vppoâ— Mount Sina Moses the Elders onâ—ly went vp the people though prepâ—red and sanctified to meete the Lorde had boundes set vnto them and migâ—â— not so much as touch the Mountaine Moses only entred into the clowde coâ—muned with GOD and receiued froâ— him the tables of the Law but vvhâ— Moses came downe from God the Laâ— the Couenaunts the Sacrifices ceremâ—nies and all that Moses learned of Goâ— was imparted and communicated to 〈◊〉 the people Thus much of the Apostles diligenâ—â— in writing The matter whereof he wâ—â—teth followeth It was necessary for me to writ vnto you to exhort you to contend c. In the matter whereunto the Apostle exhorteth them three things are to be obserued For first they must contend secondly they must contend earnestly thirdly they must contend for the maintenance of the faith It may seeme a thing very needles to exhort men to contend For the world is and euer was to full of contentions The contentions of Christians haue scandalized many they haue beene the cause of the ouerthrow of many famous Churches and the remouing of those golden Candlestickes in the midst whereof the Sonne of God someâ—ime walked So that all good men disswade from contentions and seeke to extinguish the flames of that fire which hath alreadie wasted and burnt downe so many so worthy parts of the house of God Austine vnderstanding of the bitter invectiues that Hierome and Ruffinus had published one against another breaketh forth into these words expressing the sorrow of his hart Hei mihi qui vos â—licubi simul inuenire non possum fortè â— nunc moueor vt doleo vt timâ—â— prâ—cidâ—rem ad pedes vestros flerem quantum vâ—lâ—rem rogarem quantum amarem 〈◊〉 vnumquenque vestrum pro seipso nunc vtrumque pro alterutro et pro alijs et mâ—ximè infirmis pro quibus Christus mortâ—â—s est qui vos tanquam in theatro huius vâ—taâ— cum magno suo periculo spectant ne de vobis ea scribendo spargatis quae quandoque concordes delere non poteritis Woe is me saith he that I can no where meet with you two togeather for if I could as now I stand affected as I sorrowe for these beginnings and feare what will be the issues of things so ill begunne I would fall at â—our feete and weepe till I had dryed vp the Fountaine of teares I would entreate you so long as the affection of loue that raigneth in me could suggest vnto me one word of entreatie noâ— entreating and beseeching each of you for himselfe now either of you for other and for others most of all the weake for whom Christ dyed which not without great periâ—â— behold you in these your contentions brought vpon the stage of this world to be gazed on I would entreate you not to publish
shall find in the blessed Apostle Saint Paule more then in all the rest who though he vvere the last and esteemed himselfe the least and not woorthy to be named an Apostle yet laboured he more then all they who sometimes disputeth sometimes exhorteth sometimes commaundeth sometimes entreateth sometimes counselleth sometimes threatneth sometimes promiseth sometimes terrifyeth sometimes comforteth sometimes commeth in the Spirit of meeknes sometimes with a rodde in his hand calleth backe some as beeing out of the way encourageth others maketh himselfe one of their companie as beeing in a good way some he calleth his ioy his crowne glorie and to some he obiects folly madnes to some he giueth milk to some strong meat sometimes he proscribeth and banisheth from the Church sometimes he confirmeth his loue towards the same againe These are the diuers different things the Apostles and Apostolike men doe for the good of Gods people Now as theyr diligence appeareth in this varietie and multiplicitie of things they do so likewise in theyr sedulitie in doing them in that they doe them in season and out of season and in the different manner of doing them in that they perfome them by vvord being present and by Letters being absent The Apostle Saint Iude desiring to benefite the vvhole Christian Church vvith all the parts whereof it was not possible for him to be present sheweth his diligence in vvryting It was necessarie for me to vvrite vnto you VVhere we are occasioned to speake first of vrryting in generall and secondly of sacred vvryting and the obiect of it Great and inestimable is the benefit of writing for by it all the treasures of wisedome pietie vertue and learning that euer God poured forth vpon the sonnes of men are communicated to posterities By it we may commune withall the Patriarches Prophets Apostles Martyrs Confessors Fathers of the Church the lights and wonders of the world that euer were and whensoeuer any doubt ariseth and troubleth our mindes we may call a greater more generall Councell then either Constantine Theodosiâ—s or any of the Romane Emperours either did or could doe The benefit of writing will appeare to be the greater if we compare them who being renowâ—ed for wisdome and learning neuer wrote any thing as Pythagoras Socrates and others of whom very few things remaine with Plato Aristotle and the like that committed the treasures of their learning and wisedome to writing who being dead long since yet liue and are the great Maisters of the world euen vnto this day Hence it is that no treasure was anciently nor is presently esteemed greater then the holy library of the church in which respect the Romanistes deserue exceeding ill that did formerly doe presently adulterate the monuments of antiquitie and leaue nothing sincere and vncorrupt as their manifold forgeries in former times their Index expurgatorius and other like practises of these times make it too plaine This beeing noted in generall touching the benefit of writing let vs come to the more especiall consideration of sacred writing and the obiect of it In the Apostles times men admired their writings but despised their words and personall presence as not being accompanied with that greatnes they looked for His letters say they speaking of the blessed Apostle Saint Paule that trumpet of the Gospell and â—â—ood of Christian eloâ—uence are peremptory and full of auâ—horitie and power but his wordes and â—ersonall presence weake vile and conâ—emptible But now contrariwise the Romanistes â—egarde not their writings but magnifie â—heir words deliuered by tradition charâ—ing their writings with obscuritie insufâ—â—ciency and imperfection comparing â—hem to a shipmans hose a nose of wax Lesbian rule affirming that but fewe â—hings were written non vt praeessent sed vâ—â—bessent fidei nostrae not to commaund â—uer-rule our faith but to be ouer-ruled â—y it that the Apostles receaued a comâ—andement to preach but none to writ â—hat they meant not to compose a perfect worke containing the rule of our faith but wrote onely occasionally as they â—ere entreated or as the particular neâ—â—ssities of the Churches did require This their censure of the diuine Scripâ—â—res is iniurious in that they thinke them â—â— be so obscure and the sence and meaâ—ing of them so vncertaine and doubâ—â—ull that wicked men may wrest and abuse them according to their owne pleasures no man be able to reproâ—e and conuince them by the euidence and forâ—â— of the Scriptures themselues Impiousâ—â—â— that they thinke they proceeded from the priuate motions of the Apostles and Euangelists without the immediate and special instinct motion commaund oâ— the spirit of truth Inconsiderate in thaâ— they thinke the men of God entendeâ— not to compose a perfect work The absurditie of which conceipt wiâ—â— appeare if they will but take a view â—â— the bookes themselues they haue leâ— vnto vs. For the writings of the Euangelists containe a perfect history of the things Christ did and suffered from the time of his birth till the time he wâ—â— assumed into Heauen The Actes â—â— the Apostles the comming of the holy Ghost the planting of the Churcheâ— after Christes ascension The Epistles tâ—â— clearing of the questions and doubâ—â— which troubled the Churches of thosâ— times And the Reuelation a prophesâ—â— of the future state of things to the eâ—â— of the world The obiect of these sacred writings is Saluation Three things are deliuered vnto vs in the bookes of God the creation the fall the restauration saluation of man Saluation is the preseruation from those dangers deliuerance from those eternall euils we were subiect vnto by the fall This is the greatest benefit that euer God bestowed on men and the principall matter and obiect of the diuine Scriptures For we might with Iob curse the day of our birth wish the knees had neuer receaued vs the armes neuer embraced vs nor the pappes giuen vs suck that the wombe had bin ourgraue and that we had bin like the vntimely fruite â—hat neuer sawe the Sunne that the Mountaines would fall vppon vs the Rockes cleaue in sunder and the deâ—ouring Gulfes swallow vs vp that we might cease to be and bee as if we had â—euer beene if wee had no part in the saluation mentioned in this place Behold sayth Gregorie Nazianzen magnifying this benefit of saluation in â—he creation God gaue vs the best things â—e had when as yet we had nothing but in the restauration hee maketh an exchange with vs he taketh the worst we haue and giueth vs the best he hath he taketh our nature and giueth vs his grace he taketh our sinne and giueth vs his righteousnes he taketh our curse and giueth vs his blessing he taketh our misery and giueth vs his happines he taketh our death and giueth vs his life he humbleth himselfe and exalteth vs. This Saluation is sayd to bee common not as if all men of how vile condition and wicked conuersation soeuer should be