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	heart_n	son_n	17,006	5	5.6134	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A07450	The Christian mans assuring house. And a sinners conuersion Two sermons; the former, preached, before the Prince his Highnesse at St. Iames: the other to his Maiesties houshold at White-hall, on Sunday the 6. of February by George Meriton Doctor of Diuinitie, and Deane of Peterborough.	Meriton, George, d. 1624.	1614 (1614)	STC 17837; ESTC S112663	30,464	58

other from the meanes wherby it is perswaded vnto vs. They find it in some cōfortable feelings which are oftimes deceiptfull We hold it by way of pledge as an ernest in a bargain which putteth all out of question 2 Cor 1.22 They tell this vs is arrogācy we with S. Austin S. Austin de verbis D●…m serm 28. say this is faith they pride We deuotion And albeit this assurance be in some more euident in some more obscure according to the measure of the receit of that which giueth testimony yet are the sonnes of God sealed with au Eternall and inuiolable Character in the beholding whereof they haue an assurance of life Wee know saith S. Iohn 1. Ioh. 3.2.14 that he abideth in vs wee know that we are of the truth We know that when hee shall appeare we shall be like vnto him We know that we are of God Heere is then no morall supposition no variable conceipt of Man which begets anxi●ty and perplexity of minde 1. Ioh. 5.19 But Scientia a knowledge which giueth an entrance vnto the Thrane of Grace with boldnesse How Now our last Question and greatest is how this our assurance may be obtained The generality of the meanes saith my Text is Diligence Giue rather diligence we must not stand all the day idle in the market An put as dormitanti tibi Confecturos Deos Doth any man thinke it shall be thrust into his pocket There belongs more vnto it then hold and haue it The Kingdome of heauen comes not by obseruation Diligence that industrious workemaister must build our assurance ●or iustum est saith Gregorie vt illi consequantur stipendium qui suum commodare reperiuntur obsequium The Labourer is worthy of his hire And as Diligence our carefull endeauour is the meanes in generall so in particular must we carry this Item with vs that in our first setting out we mount not too high Qui nescit viam ad Mare Amnem sibi queras Comitem saith the Poet. The surest way to finde out the Sea is to be guided by a Riuer The beginning of our search must be in our selues and so must we goe vp as by Iacobs ladder to the counsell of our God For in our selues hath God set signes and testimonies of our Calling Election which will not deceiue vs. Heere therefore is our Diligence our trauaile our labour to be bestowed The tokens or testimonies which God hath giuen vs are three two within vs One without vs. Within vs wee haue first a testimonie of Gods Spirit Then another of our owne The Spirit of God saith S. Paul Rom. 8.16 beareth witnesse together ther with our Spirits that we are the sonnes of God Without vs is our new obedience Make your Election sure 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by good workes so it is in the vulgar transtations And as this well agreeth with the scope of the Text so doth Master Beza confesse that hee sawe two Greeke mannscripts wherein these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 were expressed One witnesse sayth Baldus is no witnesse vni testi ne Catoni quidem credendum est sayth S. Hierome In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall euery truth stand God therefore hath prouided for vs a threefolde that is a perfect euidence For as the number of three is compleate which is contained in a beginning in a middle in an ending So is this euidence funiculus triplex a perfect testimonie Begunne by Gods Spiritte Seconded with our owne and ended with good workes Our first euidence in Gods spirit Et vbi Spiritus testatur ambiguitas non relinquitur saith Chrisostome in his fourteenth Homely vpon the Romans And this testimonie of the Spirit is without exception neither Deceiuing nor deceiued not deceiung for it is the Spirit of truth Not deceiued for it searcheth all things euen the deepe things of God If an Angel should come from heauen vnto vs as he did to Marie and tell vs in the name of God that we were called elected would we stand in doubt Rather would we not esteeme him a Messenger of most ioyfull tidings But so much the more certaine is the testimony of Gods Spirit by how much hee is more acquainted with the minde of God then an Angel is and can lesse deceiue Yet howsoeuer as Paul witnesseth 1. Tim. 4. the Spirit speaketh euidentlie such for all that is our naturall presumption as many dreame they are Rich when in truth they are but poore boast of the Spirit and are well perswaded of their Calling and ●…ection when they are nothing lesse Yea dye in a gr●…t conceipt of saluation and yet are damned A g●…e the sleights of the Diuell are strong illusions He foisteth in many times another testimony than euer God gaue vnto vs especially working vpon the weake heart of man which being full of selfe loue is easily perswaded of any good to it selfe Two things then for our better security must be obserued First how the testimony of the spirit is framed in vs Secondly how it may be discerned by vs. It is not framed by extraordinary infusion or by Enthusiasme that is ordinary reuelation without the word It is no suddaine act in the soule or hasty conclusion without discourse but made by application of the promise of the Gospell in the forme of a practique silogisme The proposition whereof is this whosoeuer beleeueth in Christ is called is chosen to euerlasting life This is the word of promise which is opened and applied to the heart by the Ministers of the Gospell set apart for that purpose Now whilest a hearer of this word giues himselfe to meditate and consider of the same comes the spirit of God and enlightens his eies and opens his heart and giues him a double power One is a will to beleeue and the other to beleeue indeed and that in such a sort as a man with freedom of spirit shall be able to make the assumption and say But I beleeue in Christ I trust not to my selfe all my ioy and comfort is in him And hence ariseth the blessed conclusion which is the testimony of the spirit Therfore am I the child of God called and elected vnto euerlasting life This is the frame of it Now as the operation of an Angell of God may be discerned from the Spirit of God by the working for as S. Bernard speaketh Angelus suggerit spiritus ingerit So the way to discerne the Spirit of God from naturall presumption or sathanicall illusion is by effects Ex fructibus cognoscetis saith our Sauiour ye shall know it by the fruits The fruits to discouer it are especially two Couched together by S. Paul in one peece of a verse Rom. 8. It makes vs crie Ahba that is Father The first fruit is to crie to pray earnestly out of a touched heart with asence and feeling of sinne We are not able to pray of our selues saith the Apostle It is the spirit

that helpeth our infirmities that maketh intercession for vs with sighes and grones which cannot be vttered Rom. 8.16 Hence it is called by Zacharie the spirit of praier Zacha. 12.10 And as a foole is knowne by much laughter so is the child of God by frequent praier Eccles 19.28 A wicked man may be partaker of the preaching of the word may come to the Sacraments may acknowledge the truth of the Gospell may professe it with Iudas may defend it with Iulian may haue some feeling of his sinnes some terrour of conscience for them may desire Gods children to pray for him as Pharaoh did Moses as Simon Magus did Simon Peter but pray himselfe he cannot vnlesse we will account the mumbling ouer of mattins for fashion sake to be a praying which a parrot may be taught to doe Wherefore to crie vnto God out of an humbled heart for sinne with a confidence to be heard is a principall note of the Spirit of adoption The second fruit is a childlike affection to his God Abba a most louing father which permits not a man vpon euery occasion to fall into sinne straightwaies without mislike or stay but it moues him to make a conscience of euerie euill way to stand in feare of the Maiesty of God wheresoeuer he is In feare I say not least he perish but least he displease not ingendred by the terror of hell and is a feare lest God should punish him but which commeth from the promises of heauen and is a feare least his father should forsake him A filiall feare cum dilectione cum delectatione saith S. Austin ioyned with a loue and delight And he that thus crieth that is thus affected to God as to his father This crying this affection is neither the conceipt of the flesh nor the deceipt of the diuell but the testimony of Gods spirit within him that giues assurance of saluation The second euidence is the testimony of our own hearts purified and sanctified in the bloud of Christ And as that of Gods spirit must goe before so this of our owne must follow after for what boldnesse saith S. Paul 1. Cor. 1.4 can we haue with God if our hearts condemne vs Now the heart testifieth by speciall graces imprinted in the soule or spirit of a man Which haue a double reference 1. To our sinnes 2. To the mercies of God in Christ To our sinnes either 1. Past 2. Present 3. To come The grace which concerneth sinnes past is a godly sorrow for them occasioned indeed by sinne but springing properly from the apprehension of the fauour of our God vnto vs. 2. Cor. 7.10 This begetteth a carefulnesse in vs to amend our liues teacheth vs by confession and supplication to cleere our offenees Compelleth vs to be angry with our selues for our sinnes committed to feare least we fal into the same againe to desire strength and assistance against them to be zealous of good duties and to subdue our bodies by reuenging our sinnes vpon our selues For your godly sorrow saith S. Paul see what care it hath wrought in you yea what clearing yea what indignation yea what feare yea what vehement desire yea what zeale yea what reuenge These are the fruits of a sauing sorrow And he who feeleth them for his sinnes past hath a testimony of his owne spirit of his calling and election And as a man must be a mourner for his sinnes which are past so must he play the souldier in respect of sinnes present The next grace then in the heart which regardeth present corruption is to combat with it Gal. 5.7 Plato was of the mind that in euery man there were two soules but Paul tells vs that in euery man there are two men so ioined together that the one cannot be without the other so seuered asunder that the death of the one is the life of the other These two one man is as ancient as the world it selfe the one deriuing his originall from the earth the other from heauen But as Pharaohs two dreames were but one famine so these two Men were but one Adam The Lord framed Man of the dust of the earth there was one man And he made Man in his owne image with the breath of life there is the other Man and called his name Adam there is both in one Euer since our fall hath there been a combat or deadly warfare betwixt this double Man The inward Man fighting with the outward the Spirit with the Flesh The two Twinnes Esau and Iacob wrastle together And though Esau be first borne prius carnale the Carnall the former yet in Gods Children Iacob gets the blessing the spirituall is the better Our estate is not now like the Cope of the world aboue the Moone free from storms we haue heere the perfection not of Resters but of Runners not of our Country but of the way wherin there are flawes and tempests If wee bee a while at a calme the Flesh is ready to molest vs. And we cannot so sing peace to our soules but the Diuell also will cast his Crotchets in yet if wee take vnto vs the Armour of God and fight manfully If we raise vp our selues vnder the burthen of sinne and do such things as are acceptable vnto God though wee cannot doe them as wee would if wee finde a striuing in our selues the Mind fighting with the minde the will with the will the affections with the affections albeit we cannot vtterlie ouercome though Iacob and Esau bee vp in armes yet if we cause the Elder to serue the Yonger though Canaanites and Iebusites dwell among the Israelires yet if wee make them our bond slaues and hewers of wood thogh Sarah be shrewish yet if Abraham that is the Spirit doth beget of Sara that is the Flesh a Sonne Isaacke that is Ioy and Laughter here is good cause of Comfort Another Euidence in our heartes from the resisting of Sinnes present that wee shall bee saued The third grace which respecteth sinne to come is a care to preuent it And as the first makes vs Mourners the second Souldiers so this thirde calles vpon vs to bee Watchmen not to lie a sleepe till a dead blow bee giuen but to suspect the first strokes of sinne not to tarry to bee stung but to feare the least buzzing This marke of Gods child we find in S. Iohn 1. Ioh. 8.18 He that is borne of God sinneth not but keepeth himselfe that the wicked one touch him not that is hee is circumspect hee is carefull to auoide sinne And his care is not onely in the ordering of outward actions but euen of the very thoughts of his heart O Lord saith Dauid keepe mee from the way of wickednes Where upon Saint Ambrese obserueth that hee would bee kept not from wickednes onely but from the way too For where the Gospell is of force it bringeth cuery thought into captiuity to the obedience of Christ as Saint Paul doth witnesse 2. Cor.