Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	father_n	ghost_n	holy_a	47,258	5	6.0438	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A67031	Chous epitreohomenos, or, The dust returning to the earth being a sermon preached at the interrment of that excellently accomplisht gentleman Tho. Lloyd Esq. late of Wheaten-Hurst in the county of Gloucester upon Tuesday the 22nd of December, 1668 / by Tho. Woolnough.	Woolnough, Thomas, ca. 1630-1675.	1669 (1669)	Wing W3530; ESTC R27625	15,883	23

man do to appear before that God whom he hath so much offended and apprehends to be his enemy He saith within himself at such a time in the language of Ahab to the Prophet Hast thou found me O mine Enemy But the righteous will then hold up his Head with comfort and confidence The righteous is bold as a Lion Prov. 28. 1. And as Sin Commission of Evil so 2. Beware of Slothfulness Omission of Good Let us not be slothful in business but fervent in Spirit serving the Lord as Rom. 12. 11. The slothful Christian will be ashamed that God should see and call him to an accompt he is able to shew so little that he hath done so little use that he hath made of the time and talents lent him by God Hath he hid his Talent in a Napkin How must he needs blush when the improvement of it is inquired into and when he sees others give God his own with usury as Matth. 25. 20. This is a degenerate Soul which may well be asham'd to appear before God a Soul which seems to be Earth as well as the Body for so St. Chrysostom I remember speaks of him that hid his Talent in the Earth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The diligent person is the person who can with some good measure of Confidence approach the presence of his Maker at this return Seest thou a man diligent in his business saith Salomon he shall stand before Kings c. Prov. 23. 29. Again 2. If we would have our Souls comfortably return to God let us labour here so to trim and adorn them as that they may be in some measure fit for such an approach as being sutable to him God is a holy God and loves holiness let us endeavour to be like him Perfecting holiness in the fear of God Let us purifie our selves even as he is pure Strive to be perfect as our Father which is in Heaven is perfect Matth. 5. 48. Let us put on by Faith the White Robe of Christs spotless Righteousness that the shame of our nakedness may be hid We need not then be asham'd that God should see us if we come thus cloath'd Men are loath to be surpriz'd by Great Persons in their old Habit and Attire but if they have had time to shift and adorn themselves they come forth confidently The case will be the same here Let us not dare to carry our old Natures into Gods presence Let us put off the old man and put on the new which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness Eph. 4 22 23 24. Let us labour to have our Souls beautified with the Graces of the holy Spirit and let not those Graces sleep in the habit neither but be put forth into act Let us stir up the gift of God that is in us according to the Apostle's Counsel to Timothy 1 Ep. 1 cap. 6 ver Let it not be sufficient that we have Oil in our Lamps but let us trim those Lamps also as they did Matth. 25. 7. and be in readiness to meet the Bride-groom Many men are habitually prepared for this return to God but for want of that actual preparation which is requisite they go out of the World uncomfortably their Sun sets in a Cloud there is not that abundant entrance administred unto them into the heavenly Kingdom which otherwise there might have been They return like Weather-beaten tatter'd Ships into the Port with Masts broken and Sayles torn and although they find fulness of joy in Gods presence yet come they not with that fulness of joy into his presence which were to have been wisht Consider what hath been said and the Lord give us understanding in all things I Have done with my Text and it may now justly be expected from me that I should speak something touching this our honoured Brother depared with whom I have had the happiness of being for the space of twice 7 years well acquainted Such a Theam I can assure you as falls not in a Ministers way every day and where it is much more difficult to determine what to leave out than to find out what to say I shall not touch at any thing which concerns his Extraction that is the Heralds work not mine and the Escutcheons may speak enough though I be silent Let them be copious in displayes of this Nature who have little else to say Stemmata quid faciunt Who boasts his Descent extolls his Ancestors and not himself That surely is most praise-worthy which is most our own I had rather blazon the Vertues of any Man than his Arms. And here oh for the Pencil of an Apelles that I might be able to promise a Draught somewhat worthy of the Original The onely commendation of his Picture would be its likeness to him and whom to strive to flatter would be to court an impossibility for Coelum non patitur hyperbolen Forgive me then thou alwayes great and now glorious Soul that I attempt to pourtray thy lineaments with so unskilful a hand whose perfections whilst I least express I shall yet herein most praise that I acknowledge them to be in-expressible Logicians have exempted transcendent beings from the Praedicamental Series nor did Aristotle take the worst course of commending his Master the Divine Plato when he ingeniously confesseth him to exceed commendation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Yet is it expedient that something should be said though all cannot and though Phaethon falls he falls not without the testimony of being at least a daring Undertaker HE was then a Gentleman in every dimension and the real owner of all those Accomplishments which the most accompt it enough but to pretend to In whom was to be found whatever from Excellent Parts of Nature improv'd by excellent Education Studies at home and Travails abroad might be expected He brought from beyond Sea the rich Commodities leaving the Apes and Peacocks behind him A Person of a quick Apprehension solid Judgement tenaceous Memory His Learning not onely vast and comprehensive as extending to the most of what was worthy to be known but profound also He div'd to the bottom of whatsoever he set himself to inquire into He was no Smatterer or Superficial Sciolist but a well-grounded and thorow-pac'd Scholar One who had eaten and digested the whole Encyclopaedy of Arts and Sciences and whose mind had not barely received a light Tincture of Knowledge but was even died in grain Whilest others minded Pleasures of a baser alloy he was for the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the language of the Philosopher Pleasures intellectual and suted to the Gusto of a sublime raised a high-soaring Soul How assiduous he had been at his Studies witness the decay of his sight whilest yet but young he with a resolution worthy of himself choosing rather to endanger the darkening of his Body than to neglect the enlightning of his Mind The Company which he ordinarily kept was choice and select known to familiarly conversant with and highly esteemed by Men most eminent for Parts and Learning whether of our own Nation or Foreigners And when without such living company as was most acceptable to him he fail'd not to entertain himself and his time with the Discourse of dead but in their Works yet living Authors of which he had gotten together the most excellent of every sort nor was it possible for any Modern Piece worth reading to steal out into the World with which he was not wont quickly to become acquainted There was not a Controversie in Divinity which he had not trac'd not a nice School-Speculation to which he was a Stranger What the Orthodox say and what the Heterodox no man better knew and not many better able to distinguish between things that differ This for Intellectuals For his Morals He was a Person in whom gravity and affability were excellently mixt hugely serious and yet exemplarily civil and obliging No truer Friend no pleasanter Companion One he was in whom the Homilitical Vertues did all shine forth with equal splendor A man in all his Undertakings Prudent in all his Dealings Just Mature in his Deliberations Steady in his Resolutions Punctual in his Performances with whom to say and to do were onely not the same A Complemental Verbalist he was not his great Soul knew not so far to debase it selfe he was all Reality semper idem and if any was ever indeed so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And which much added to all the rest of his Perfections he was a Person of singular Modesty Learned and Wise in the Opinion of all men besides himself sparing of Discourse and apt rather to conceal than publish his own worth the onely Dissimulation wherewith he ever was acquainted Thus whilst the shallow waters make a noise the deep glide silently by and the Ship heaviest laden with rich Commodities hath least above water that is visible Such was his Life after which who can question that his Death was happy That Infirmities he might have I shall not dare to deny unless I could affirm him to have been an Angel and not a Man and indeed were it not for some few grains of allowance given in what Pieces would be weight Sufficeth it that Vertue where it is predominant God accepts and men ought to commend To conclude in a word He hath now made the two-fold Return in my Text his Dust is return'd to the Earth as it was and his Spirit to God that gave it To which God Father Son and Holy Ghost be rendred Honour Glory and Praise henceforth and for ever Amen FINIS

I know whom I have trusted and that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day 2 Tim. 1. 12. We shall all be desirous when we come to die to commit our Souls to God saying Lord into thy hands we commit our Spirits Why let us cheerfully bequeath our Souls to God now by the resignation of a holy Life that he may willingly receive them then at the resignation of a happy Death Let us devote our Souls to the service of that God from whom we had them Let us give them back to him that gave them us what more equal His giving of them was grace free mercy our returning of them to the Giver is Duty God calls for them My Son give me thy heart Prov. 23. 26. He requires to be lov'd with all the heart with all the soul and with all the strength Luke 10. 27. How c●n we in reason or conscience deny it God gave us these Souls not to use as we list he made all things for his own glory Our Souls are his let us therefore according to the Apostles counsel glorifie him in our Souls which are his They are not at our own dispose we are not Masters of them Have we promised them to Sin and Satan We may retract our promise A promise unlawfully made may lawfully be broken yea cannot lawfully be kept We gave what is none of our own such a gift is therefore void in Law Our Souls are Gods Do they think of this who are so free of their Damme●s Poor wretches How madly do they give away their Souls Should God say Amen to such Imprecations what would become of them Are Souls so cheap Did they cost so small and contemptible a price when Christ shed his Blood to redeem them that we should make so little accompt of them Let us remember whence we had our Souls and let that make us mind their welfare and take care what becomes of them Did they come from God from Heaven It were sad they should go to Satan to Hell This is not for them to return but to wander to be lost And what shall it profit a man if he gains the whole World and lose his Soul Matth. 16. 26. 4. Are our Souls from God Let us then mind more their Divine Original think of our Countrey our Home Heaven Our Father God The Father of Spirits Heb. 12. 9. Children from home are often thinking of it and wishing to be there Home is we say home though never so homely no place like that to them Why Heaven is our Home Let us have our Conversation there while our abode is on Earth What do we sojourning in Mesheck and dwelling in the Tents of Kedar How Shall we not desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ which is far better as Phil. 1. 23. Doth no place use to seem like home to Strangers though indeed better Much less let Earth be taken by us for our home when it is so much worse than that What comparison between Earth and Heaven Trouble and Rest Sorrow and Joy Misery and Happiness A Crown of Thorns and a Crown of Glory We must indeed stay Gods time for our going home Children at School must expect to be sent for e'r they stir but yet let us in the mean time be much in the thoughts of Heaven and of Glory Let the bent of our desires be and the byas of our Souls draw that way 'T is strange that men should generally have so much forgotten the descent of their Souls that Heaven should have so little place in their thoughts and discourses Do they think they had their Souls from God who have not God in all their thoughts Men brag of their Corporal Descent and yet mind not that which is their greatest Honour They make their Heaven-born Princely Souls embrace Dung-hils 5. And lastly If God gave us our Spirits our Souls then let us be hence inform'd of the absolute and undoubted right God hath to dispose of our lives May not he take away that gave See Job's argument cap. 1. 21. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away What then Why blessed be the Name of the Lord. He breath'd our Souls in and if he will have us breath them out he dothus no wrong All Souls are mine saith God they are indeed for he gave them When God calls us by death let us submit quietly What will we deny God his own our Souls That is Injustice we ought not so to do and 't is folly to boot we cannot with-hold them from him if we would And as in respect of our selves so our friends and relations Doth God take them away Who can say to him What doest thou Where the word of a King is there is power That they were at all was from him that we enjoy'd them long was his mercy let us part therefore cheerfully and contentedly and with holy Job in the fore-named place as well bless God when he takes away as when he gives I am now come to the last Branch of the latter Proposition touching the Souls return to God that gave it As it was from him so it must and shall return to him The Souls of good men are convey'd by the holy Angels as was the Soul of Lazarus Luke 16. 22. and the Souls of bad men by the evil Angels the Devils they shall require or fetch away thy soul from thee Luke 12. 20. This Night saith God to the rich man shall thy soul be required of thee So we read it but in the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They do or shall fetch it away viz. the Devils as before The Devils like Catch-poles shall seise upon the Souls of the wicked and carry them before Gods Tribunal before the Seat of Justice thence to be sent to that Prison out of which there is no redemption The improvement which I shall make of this Consideration shall be onely by way of Exhortation Let me stir you all up to an expectation of and preparation for this return So prepare for it as that you may return to God with comfort To that end 1. Beware of those things which may render unfit or make unwilling to come before God Take heed of Sin take heed of Slothfulness in Duty the one will make afraid the other will make asham'd to appear in Gods presence 1. Take heed of Sin guilt begets fear the guilty person doth not love to think of coming near God but rather endeavours to keep at a distance When Cain hath sinn'd he will go out from the presence of the Lord Gen. 4. 16. Here the guilty person is jolly because he thinks he is far enough from God out of his sight so foolish men are apt to perswade themselves procul a Jove procul a fulmine But when they come to return to him when there can be no creeping into Corners to hide themselves but they must appear how will they then tremble How shall a