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	true_a	work_n	6,989	5	6.0140	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A33283	Two sermons preached at Cambridge the first at the Lent assizes, 1654, the other on the yearly commemoration of Dr. Andrew Pern, 1655 / by J. Clerk.	Clarke, Joshua.	1655 (1655)	Wing C4481; ESTC R29962	25,596	69

of never so dishonest or unable in their own persons you need not feare the losse of your adventure where the Lord himself is your securitie and will stand your friend in their stead to receive you into everlasting habitations This I conceive a true account of these expressions But what ever mistake these conjectures may be guilty of the main scope and purpose of our Saviour in them is cleare and out of question and that is this To declare this duty of making friends by a wise improvement of our earthly talents to be of an absolute necessity and certain tendencie to everlasting happinesse and that in actual performance where there is abilitie or however in willingnesse of mind which in want of abilitie is the same in Gods acceptance 2. Corinth 8.12 For though without Pharisaicall pride and arrogancie we cannot be said to merit salvation by our good works especially as the Papists abuse that phrase contrary to the harmlesse and well meaning use of it in some of the fathers Yet that salvation depends upon our good works taken in their due latitude and in conjunction with their true principles of faith and love and humilitie of spirit surely none that pretend to the knowledge and belief of the Scriptures can nossibly denie with any colour of reason For the Scriptures do with one voice proclaim that the exercises of these graces is first the way to salvation that good old way trodden by all that ever travelled heaven-ward And secondly that it is the measure of salvation according to which every man shall receive his reward And thirdly that it is the preparative for salvation fitting the faithfull servant to enter into his Master● joy For grace makes way for glory and happinesse is nothing else but the perfecting of that love which is begun here This I take it is true protestant doctrine And therefore it is not our religions fault but our own if the protestant name suffer under any deserved imputation of barrennesse and covetousnesse and if it be as some say it is almost as infamous for one kind of idolatry as the Romane is for another For our Religion most powerfully urges upon us all manner of religious pious and charitable works and teacheth their necessity and certain tendencie to everlasting happinesse as being the way to it the measure of it and preparation for it I have not time to shew how the Scriptures abound in the proof of all these or if I had they are so plain I need not I shall onely adde a few words of exhortation first to the Stewards of God and secondly to their friends made by their discharge of their office Neither are these alwayes distinct persons but sometimes divers respects of the same persons For one man under divers considerations and in severall respects may be both a Steward and a friend in the sense of the text 1. You that are the Stewards of God to whose charge the good things of this world are committed you see before you your way into your Masters joy That more excellent way the Apostle shews us 1. Cor. 12. Lastly more excellent then the best gifts then prophesie speaking with tongues understanding of mysteries faith of miracles yea more excellent then all other graces For now remain faith hope and love but the greatest of these is love If you are not yet arrived to that high and God-like degree of love to do good and communicate freely without any respect to the recompence of reward yet methinks that sincere though fainter degree of love to God and man that warms the breast of every true Christian being encouraged with a most infallible assurance of an infinite and eternall recompence of reward should be strong enough in you to provoke you to the exercise of all pious and charitable works according to your abilities and opportunities Neither let the Stewards of God flatter themselves that a negative faithfulnesse will serve the turn That they have made use of nothing but their own that they have not oppressed the poore nor defrauded the hireling nor devoured widows houses nor robbed the communitie nor injured any Such account as this though it be better then most men can make yet it will not passe at that great audit For it proceeds upon a false supposition that their possessions were their own and not their Masters that they were Lords and not Stewards The unfaithfull servant is condemned out of his own mouth not for imbezelling but for not improving his Lords money And there is a rich man in the next parable following the text that is tormented with intolerable flames not for oppression fraud and violence but for immoderate enjoying his good things and not commiserating the wants of a poore lame beggar for being clothed with purple and fine linen and faring deliciously every day and yet denying the crumbs-that fell from his table to distressed Lazarus And though he had dogges to eat up his crumbs dogges that licked the poore mans sores and had more compassion in them then their master yet this will not excuse his churlish deniall of a poore mans request The right of dogges ceaseth when a poore man becomes their competitour Let this example be a caution to all the Stewards of God that their backs and bellies their lusts and pleasures do not devoure all their good things when the necessities of the Church and the members of it call for a share with them That they be not like those sonnes of pleasure Amos 6.5.6 That lie upon beds of ivorie and stretch themselves upon their couches and eat the lambs out of the flock and the calves out of the midst of the stall that chant to the sound of the viol and invent to themselves instruments of musick that drink wine in bowls and anoint themselves with the chief ointment but they are not grieved for the afflictions of Joseph 2. You that by the bounty of others are engaged to be their friends though their reward depends not upon your personal love and friendship yet it becomes you to expresse your sense of your engagements and to shew your selves in heart and affection their true friends Neither doth the Lord in taking the debt upon himself disoblige you from your duty of respect and thankfulnesse to the instruments of his goodnesse But your friendship ought to shew forth it self at least in these foure particulars 1. In a carefull and conscionable observance of their precepts and and all the conditions of their pious and charitable works so farre as consistent with the laws of any higher power God establisheth the house of the Rechabites for observing the precepts of their father Jonadab Jer. 35. and yet those precepts were matters otherwise of an indifferent nature as abstaining from wine and the like 2. In a sober and moderate use of their gifts according to their pious intention Pride and wantonnesse as they are no where more odious so they are no where more conspicuous then in those that