Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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B06039
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A sermon preached at Great Yarmouth, June 6th. By R.S., M.A. and rector of [illegible] in the county of Norfolk.
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Scamler, Robert, b. 1653 or 4.
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1677
(1677)
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Wing S807B; ESTC R183256
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44,829
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80
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the Sun was placed in the Firmament of Heaven that the whole World might be cherished by the influence of its heat and light yet how many are there to whom it is not much beneficial for are there not some of so reserv'd and melancholy a disposition that they are more affected with darkness upon which account they creep into Grots and Holes to hide themselves from the glory of his Beams In like manner light came into the World and was offer'd up for the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Catholick good of all but some loving darkness rather then light keep themselves baricadoed from his benign influence resisting the light of faith for otherwise he should not perish but have everlasting life Heb. 5.9 which is best interpreted by that curt yet full expression of St. Paul he is the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him The Kingdom of Heaven is shut up against none though some are so unhappy as to exclude themselves for they are so far degenerated into Brutes that neither the dreadful apprehensions of an angry God a consuming fire or Worm that never dyes can frighten them into obedience or can the invitatory Charms of Holy things allure them thereunto or lastly can the modest shame of a base and ignoble action move them for like ill-distempered bodies they convert all wholsome food into their own corrupted humours saying unto God depart from us we desire not the knowledge of his ways who is the Almighty that we should serve him or what benefit accrues to us if we pray to him First they abhor the knowledge of his ways and commandments because they are contrary and speak against their works Secondly They refuse submission to his power perswading themselves he is not Almighty because sentence is not executed speedily but he is Merciful Long-suffering and Gracious And then lastly They will not pray unto him because they would ask that which is so repugnant to his supreme wisdom and goodness that they know he will not answer their petitions So that in short it is through themselves they perish and come not to bliss and glory because they decline the presence of God shutting up all the avenues of faith and charity through which he should come in unto them For God hath engaged his word not to be inexorable and the Creator hath protested and sworn that it is far from his thoughts to delight himself in the destruction of his Creature For can the charity of a grave and sober person upon earth pray for the conversion and salvation of all Nations and what shall the charity of Christ be limited or will they ravish him of his goodness No verily he would have none to perish but upon their submission he will embrace them with the arms of his mercy receive them for his own Children by Adoption give them the blessings of eternal life and make them partakers of his everlasting Kingdom Seeing then this was the end and drift of Christs Incarnation seeing God hath dealt thus graciously with us what manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation and godliness How ought we to esteem and love him who so esteemed and loved us that he thought not his life and bloud too dear for us How ought we toesteem our selves since God hath thought us worthy to be esteemed of him Let us remember this and know that we are men How ought we to take heed that we neither spot or soil that flesh wherein God hath manifested himself For what are we the better that God hath given us his Son if there be not a mystical Incarnation in our hearts and his Nativity our spiritual Birth-day that being born anew Christ may dwell in us and we in him Was it not his purpose to be like us that we might be like him was he not born of a poor Virgin to teach us to be meek and lowly did he not take upon him the form of a Servant to teach us we must not Lord it over them who are beneath us How little did he value the pomp and grandeur of the World to set our affections on things above how contented was he in a mean condition to teach us not to take care for to Morrow How courteous was he to the meanest Clients to teach us humanity and brotherly kindness how liberal was he of doing good to teach us to be diligent in relieving the necessity of the Indigent How patient was he in suffering the the mockeries and scoffs of the ruder multitude to teach us not to pay evil for evil how patient was he amidst the sad tortures and pangs of the Cross to teach us not to repine at the chastisements and corrections of Heaven How little did he fancy the applauses of men to teach us not to court popularity or be fond of the praises of men How absolutely did he resign up his Will to the Will of his Father to teach us in every state to say Thy Will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven In a word how did he lay down his Life in full hopes of a glorious Resurrection to teach us to say Though after my Skin worms destroy my Body yet in my Flesh shall I see God whom I my self shall behold and not another These are the Beauties of Jesus to be equally admir'd and practised by us This is a Transcript of the Deity which we must carry always in our hearts for by the copying of it Christ knows who are his Let us then endeavour to follow our Exemplar as close as we can in these steps of his Holy Life Let us not slight that Love which is gone to prepare us a place in his Fathers House Let us make all things conspire to proclaim his Glory Let us conceive Christ in our heart by our believing and hearing his word and let us bring him forth in our life by giving all diligence to practice and perform it Let us look on the Mercy of this day as an hopeful assurance that God will never end his Love and good Will towards Men till he hath brought us thither where Jesus is Let us earnestly beseech him to guide us in those steps whereby he did ascend from Earth to Heaven Let us desire him so earnestly to subdue our Wills to His that it may be our Meat and Drink to perform his Heavenly Pleasure Which that it may be more effectually wrought for the Eternal Interest of us all let us fall down and say in sincerity of heart ALmighty God who hast given us thy only Begotten Son to take our Nature upon him and as this day to be born of a pure Virgin Grant thas we being regenerate and made thy Children by Adoption and Grace may daily be renewed by thy Holy Spirit through the same Jesus Christ our Lord To whom with the Father and Holy Ghost be ascribed all Honour Glory Might Majesty and Dominion now and evermore Amen FINIS
tells us how the Hebrews with joy sustained the rapine of their goods Heb. 11.16 because they knew there was a more durable treasure and incomparably better inheritance prepared for them What is it therefore which troubles thy repose dost thou bewail the loss of a Parent Relation or Friend Oh consider with thy self he was not born to live always and perhaps like the Righteous was snatched away earlier from the evil to come Moreover If you truly love God as who cannot but love that which is nothing but essential purity it self How canst thou be afflicted at the dissolution of a man since if he perish not to God he perish not to thee and we must not be sorry as men without hope Why art thou then so sad oh my soul and why art thou so disquieted within me dost thou groan under the pressures of an infirm constitution remember with thy self we should not covet to enjoy life but according to the tenour of its grant we breath under constellations which by their variety of influences create variety of humors and distempers and if this be convenient for the good of the universe shall not private respects and particular interests give place thereunto shall I murmur against my God in grumbling at my sickness or rather ought I not thankfully accept it as a present from the most merciful and benign parent ordained either as a chastisement of my sins or tryal of my vertue and blessed is that sickness whose pains lead to salvation blessed is that war which ends in everlasting peace What is it then which makes thee thus disconsolate do the Walls of a Prison affright thee lift up thy eyes unto the Hills and view those immense spaces above the Heavens designed as a praemium of thy Restraint for the deprivation of a little fresh air and some other contentments depending on liberty what spiritual entertainments mayst thou hope to enjoy when Angels are recorded to have accompanied not only St. Peter but also Paul and Silas in the Prison there thou art free from envy and detraction opprobries and calumnies for where is that malice Oh! where is that cruelty will rage upon the prostrate however where is that wise Marchant who Trafficks for so rich a Pearl so great a purchase and will not venture something on the score of persecution Courage then O my soul and welcome the vexations of hunger cold bonds and imprisonments whips or scourges ship-wrecks or nakedness the perils of the Sea City or Wilderness as boni genii good Angels sent from God to minister for them Heb. 1. ult who are Heirs of Salvation For what saith the sincere Christian Nebe 6.11 with Nehemiah shall such a man as I lye shall such a man as I recant am I a child of God and shall not I fight his battels am I a Christian and shall not I fight under the Banner of the Captain of our Salvation how hath Solomon branded me for a Coward Pro. 24.10 and my strength small if I faint in the day of adversity How can I want comfort in the midst of adversity and trouble Pro. 15.15 when a good conscience is a continual Feast With what confidence therefore will I rely upon my God! Isa 28.16 how patiently will I wait the Lords leisure because faith maketh no hast I will pride my self in my Chains and will not be troubled at diseases for though this Sickness may be unto the first yet not unto the second death I will not flatter the Judge out of fear what man can do unto me for whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe Pro. 29.25 Shall I betray the cause when God hath appointed it to try me shall I offend my bretheren when St. Paul had rather die than be guilty of being a stumbling block unto any Rom. 14. shall I charge my Conscience when its wounds are more intollerable then the tortures of the body shall I apostatize from my profession and turn from the faith when at my enrolment a member of Christ I so solemnly covenanted with him to maintain it unto my lives end No I will valiantly resist the temptations of the three Cardinal enemies of my Salvation the World Flesh and the Devil let my Friends tempt me like Job's Wife let my Flesh flatter me like Eve let my Persecutors bribe me like Balak let them who suffer with me revolt and abandon me yet like Joshua I will still serve the Lord Josh 24.14 and though every one be offended because of Christ yet will I never be offended for he is instead of comfort health and liberty unto me How great were the troubles of Joseph yet the Lord did deliver him out of all how many were the afflictions of Abraham how many were the sorrows both of David and Job yet thou O my God didst deliver them and therefore thou canst and wilt deliver me for thou art my Castle and strong Tower of defence Oh! hast thee to deliver me that my enemies may not triumph over me yet if thou dost not I will follow the examples of Shadrach Meshach and Abednego and will not do evil to escape danger For shall I shrink at this when Christ hath done so much for me Oh! the blewness of the stripes and ghastliness of the wounds Oh the pricks of the thorns and piercings of the Nails all which and much more he patiently submitted to to excuse me from the misery I had justly deserved and what shall I deny my Saviour sopoor a kindness so small a request as to do something for him who hath done all things for me shall he give me his heart and his bowels and shall not I return him the same Is there a flame in him and no spark in me no reflecting of a Sun-beam or repairing of the Stream into the Ocean No with Hester if I perish I perish for I am purposed to observe his righteous judgments If my Purse suffer my mony doth but perish if my body be imprisoned my pleasures do but perish if sickness attend me Lord if thou wilt thou canst make me whole In whatsoever state or condition therefore I am as Holy David so will I comfort my self in the Lord my God 1 Sam. 30.6 this is the Staf on which I will lean for though earthly Crowns are made of Gold yet heavenly Diadems are made of the thorns of tribulation I will not therefore look for pleasures in my way till I have passed the narrow Gate and am arrived at the place where there shall be no more hunger thirst or cold but all tears shall be wiped from our eyes and the Robes of Scarlet washed white in the bloud of the Lamb who sitteth on the Throne for ever and ever To Whom with the Father and Holy Spirit be all Honour Glory Might Majesty and Dominion now and for evermore Amen GODS LOVE TO LAPS'D MAN John 3.16 For God so loved the World that he gave his