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
A15701	The castell of Christians and fortresse of the faithfull beseiged, and defended, now almost sixe thowsand yeares. VVritten by Iohn VVolton, on e of the Cathederal Church in Exetor.	Woolton, John, 1535?-1594.	1577 (1577)	STC 25975; ESTC S103316	80,248	214

and liketh or at such tyme as we desire or by those noble men who wee suppose to be wise strong ynough for such a matter This therefore commeth to passe that men may vnderstand euen by vse experience that the church is not defended by mans strength but by the liuing God according to that sentence Leaste you should say our handes haue donne it Secondarely we ought to knowe that vnto Gods promise of temporall blessings there is alwayes annixed a condition or an exception of temporall affliction which is a companion or waytinḡ seruant vnto the milytant Church For assuredly there are thrée thinges that are linked together in a true Christian one Faith Confession and Persecution He that will follow mée let him take vppe his crosse that is let him perseuer vnto the ende in fayth hope and patience The world and deuill do hate those most vehementlye that folowe Christ but in the myddle of theyr formentes their fayth is so kindled and their strength and patience confirmed by the holie ghost that the hotest flames of fire make them shrinke no more then if they were beaten with a f●ther Many of vs haue séene with our eyes and those that haue not séene maye reade in the booke of Martyrs of the constancie and patience of Christes seruantes in the flames of fyre so straunglye and aboue all humane strength that they wearied and appaled the cruell tormentors For when some of them vntyed stoode styll whyles their handes burned in the fyre and othersome lynked faste in the chaine and the fyre feeding and consuming theyr bodies casting vppe their handes and eyes towarde Heauen and neuer struglyng what doeth it shew but eyther a sencelesnesse of payne or an heauenlie gyfte of tollerancie and patience Peruse that notable storie of the mother and her seuen Sonnes suffering Martyrdome and you shall see that Antiochus was ouercome ashamed and wearyed with tormenting whiles the seruaunts of GOD ouercame reioysed and endured The Hystorie as it is memorable so is it confyrmed by experience in this our age whyles many weake Women with more then manlye stomackes endured wyllinglie and cheerefullie greate paynes and tormentes wherein that speach of our sauior Christ is verifyed My power is made perfecte through weaknes This mightie operation of the holye ghoste in the deathes and sufferings of his Saintes is one of the vndoubted testimonies which the auncient Fathers haue vsed as an euident demonstration to proue the certainty of Christian Religion in that the holy ghost is giuen into mennes hartes to breede and kyndle diuine flames of consola●ion which can not bee quenched with the myghtye flooddes of Persecution whereof the Apostle speaketh You haue receyued the spirite of adoption of sonnes vvhereby vve call Abba Father this spyrite giueth testimony vnto our spirite that vvee are the sonnes of God. These things we finde true indéede in dolours and paines when we heare the sounde of the gospell wherein the sonne of God sheweth vnto vs the will of his Father confirmeth our assent and perswasion and also powreth the holy spirit into our hartes whereby we féele and cast an heauenly ioye rest in peace flye not from God but lyke sonnes call vpon him in our distresse Surely this stoutnessē of minde in men wherby they triumphe euen in death is an euident testimonie that they are the children of God. Somtime also the Lorde sheweh his helping hande in the extréeme néede and distresse of his seruaunts For moste myraculously he deliuered the three children in the fiery fornace Daniell in the Lyons denne and Peter out of Prison Wee reade also of a Bisshoppe in the Cittie Nilopolis named was one Cheremon who being dryuen into eryle and banishment with a great company of the Christians was not able with his Wyfe to goe any farther by reason of their olde age and therefore in the sight of the multytude hee and his wife were taken vp into Heauen So that the honour and glorie of the Churche then especiallie appeareth and shyneth eyther when men with inuinsible courage doo without murmuring and dispayre tollerate most painful forments or are at the last myraculouslie delyuered In these matters therefore we must open not the eyes of Reason but of Fayth not the sence of the fleshe but of Gods spyrite is to bee considered I graunt that it is a ioyfull spectacle to the deuyll to beholde A bell murdered Iob afflycted Daniell caste vnto the Lyons and Stephen stoned But I saye the viewe thereof is more acceptable to God VVho vvitnesseth that the death of his Sainctes is precious in his syght But not in respect of the payne but of the euent Both God and deuyll beholde the tormentes of the godlie but with dyuerse affectes and counsayles For God permy●●eth his Saintes to be afflycted of his meere goodnesse but the deuyll desyreth it in malyce God to crowne them the deuyll to confounde them God as a Father the deuyll as a tyraunt and hangman God doeth it for the glorie of Saintes the deuyll for theyr ignominie Of these causes Saint Augustine wryteth thus Euery vvycked person hath vvyll to him of himselfe but power by Gods dispen 〈◊〉 on only he is permitted to preuayle against some 〈◊〉 punish them against others to proue them and against other some to crowne them Straūgers were permytted to punishe the Chyldren of Israell bicause they had offended against god The dyuell was permyfted to proue and trye Iob but him selfe was confounded Persecutours afflicted holy Martyrs but to their crowne and victorie The holie wytnesses and Martyrs of God therefore are more happie in their tormentes then myghtye Princes in their pleasures for as Saint Augustin beareth witnesse Men of this worlde are happie vnhappilye But Martyrs are vnhappy happelie they were vnhappie temporallie but happie eternally This euent of Martyrs is paynted out in a sweete symilytude by the Psalmist They that sowe in teares shall reape in ioye They went weeping and carryed precious feede but they shall returne with ioye and bring then sheaues For the holie Martyrs cast not their eyes onelie vpon the tyme of sowing and vpon the practise of sathan who seeketh to ouerflowe the Churche with streames and floodes of blood but vpon the ioyfull tyme of Haruest when as they shal be confourmed and made lyke the glorious bodie of our sauiour Iesus Christ God would haue vs therefore to bée constant in faith and hope and to haue all our confidence reposed in the omnipotencie of the eternall maiesty who is able in euery monument to remoueaway his crosse from vs whiche not with standing he doeth not commonly vntyll we be sufficiently chastised and turned vnto him by true repentaunce For as the tryer of mettayles taketh not his golde out of the furnace before it be perfectly purified and clensed euen so God doeth not deliuer vs from temptation before wee bee throughly tryed and confirmed Wherefore let vs depende vpon almightie God

the Sainctes Yet wee ought to know that both fatall ruins and mutations hange ouer their heades and also that the sonne of GOD who hath intituled hymselfe the Emperour and Captayne of hys armye wyll bridle their headdy and varbarous rage and giue a ioyfull rest and gloryous peace to his Church Yea hee wyll also defende and conserue honest polycies and Common weales so longe as they suffer Christes shippe to ryde quietlye in their strandes giue harbour vnto his guie harbour vnto his Churche mayrtayne Schooles and Uniuersities being the fountayne of humanytie and Christianitie Euen as the sonne of God in the vniuersall floud saued the Arke and in the same Noah and his family who were Gueed●ne and keepers of the diuine promyses concerning Mcssias Iesus Christe Whereof litle England hath had good proofe who amonge the raging furors of Sathan the mortall hatred of the worlde and daungerous conspiracies as well of domesticall as forren enimies retayninge with sure handfalt Christes Gospell and intertaynig his Church hath binne blessed by almightie God with the Halcyons daies in their polycie and common wealth that they might learne both to knowe and serue h●n in this lyfe and hereafter to prayse him throughout all eternyties Of this argumente I haue written somewhat largely in the Treatesse following and haue applyed the same to the estate of these perilous times tragical daies which I humbly present vnto you honor The reading wherof may happely renew in your minde the cruell practises and dealinges of wicked men which with greate dolour and perryl you were constran●ed to be holde in that Massacre where amongst an innumerable companye that penished as it were with the Machabies yet almighty GOD in his mercy saued many euen in the fyerie furnace and denne of Lyons and vsed your honour as mother Obadia to hide and preserue many of Christes seruantes from the ege of the sworde whereof some of them haue giuen open testimonye to the worlde in their writinges and haue made gratefull remembraunce of your wysdome honour vertue and great charges plentifully powred vpon Christes members in their myserye for the whiche you cannot bee vnrewarded at that great daye That time made you fytte for this your present estate and the often remembraunce of the same wyll not suffer you to bee vnprouided for lyke euents for those that feare God will not be rechlesse by meanes of prosperytie knowing that there is a chaunge of al things and nothing vnder the Sunne fyrme and stable Morcouer bicause mans wisdome and regyment is neither happy in time of warre nor peace without the direction of the worde of God this matter deriued out of the same cannot be impertinent to your calling Lastly if your honour whom God hath indued with excellent wisdom vertue and learninge will fauourably accept this lyttle woorke it shall the rather escape the checks of the malycious and procure credit of the honest and godly The father of al mercy giue you many good dayes and yeares and direct you with the spirite of wisdome and counsell that you may continew long a comfort and ornament vnto the Church of Christ and this common wealth increase you presentlye with temporall honours and in the ende crowne you with those that bee eternall From Exetor the last day of May. 1●77 Your honours humble Iohn VVolton ❧ Of the temptations and assaultes of Sathan against mankinde vniuersallie Chap 1. IT is truly written of that learned and wyse Hebrewe Sirach A great trauayle is created for all men and an heuie yoke vpon all the sonnes of Adam from the daye that they goe cut of theyr Mothers wombe tyll they be buried in the earth the mother of all things Which is an excellent sentence and worthy to bee obserued of all such as professe them selues the seruauntes of Christe For whereas man was created in the beginning to lyfe and immortalitie and indued with the Image of God whereby he diuerse and sundry waies resembled his creator but espetially in Righteousnesse and true holynesse carnall men haue with great care and pensiuenesse of minde marueyled at and inquired the cause of that horrible ruine and destruction of Man the chiefe and principall amongst all visible creatures Whose noble and excellent nature dailye fadeth awaye the Uyolette or Rose and in tracte of tyme dyeth and corrupteth much more lothsomelye and lamentablye then an Oxe or Asse for that as learned men haue obserued immediatlye after his death fylthye Todes wyll bréede of his guttes and venemous Serpents of his reynes and kydnes Othersome there are so astonied and as it were depriued of all sence and féeling that they neuer thinke howe they receyued lyfe nor how they shall at the laste taste of death And if peraduenture by meanes of greate callamities the face and feare of death nowe then oppresseth them yet they neuer thinke vppon any remedies whereby they myght bée somewhat eased vnder so heauie and weightie a burden The wyse man therefore in this his sentence satisfyeth the carefull cogitation of the one and healeth the senceles Apoplexie of the other in rendring the causes and occasions of mannes myserie and callamitie Which whyles wee beholde and consider let vs also fyxe our eyes vppon the Redeemer and delyuerer of mankinde Iesus Christe and in regard of the greate imbecillity and tyckle estate of mortall mens matters bow our mindes to humility modestie and feare of God. Wherevnto this graue wryter exhorteth all menne in making mention of olde Adam and of our mother from whome we haue our origen and ofspring And although none almost can bée ignoraunt of this propagation and discente yet the Wyse man calleth them to the consideration of that whiche conunonlye they forgette or lyttle recorde and admonisheth them of the malediction and curse pronounced againste Adam and Eue in Paradize for the transgression of Gods commaundemente This curse is the course of all our myserie For as Gregorie sayeth vvhat strength can hee haue that is borne in infirmitie vvhat thing can come of fleshe but flesh vvhat can descende of a miserable father and mother but a myserable creature Which he enlargeth in laying downe before our eyes our painefull and perillous byrth our combersome vnquiet lyfe our ineuitable and terrible death All which thinges wyll appeare and more euidently shine in our eyes if we open and vnfold these thinges somewhat more perticularly Fyrst if we consider the beginning of our byrth whereby man is prepared to this lyfe it is vncleane and almoste lothsome to nature her selfe for other Beastes doo openly engender euen nature as it were mouing them therevnto The conceauing of man onely beareth shamefastnesse desyring rather to be hydde then opened because of the staine of sinne which driueth man to bashfulnesse and causeth him to bee ashamed of him selfe Nature bringeth forth brute Beastes but sinne after a sort bringeth forth man the Prophete wytnessing the same Beholde I was conceyued in