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	holy_a	power_n	9,916	5	5.0704	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A08833	The benefite of Christs death, or the glorious riches of Gods free grace which euery true beleeuer receiues by Iesus Christ, and him crucified. First compiled and printed in the Italian tongue: and afterwards translated and printed in the French tongue: and out of French into English, by A.G.; Beneficio di Christo. English	Benedetto, da Mantova, fl. 1534-1541.; Flaminio, Marco Antonio, 1498-1550.; Golding, Arthur, 1536-1606, attributed name.; Paleario, Aonio, 1503-1570, attributed name.	1633 (1633)	STC 19117; ESTC S107303	48,174	106

who cannot lye saith that his Spirit is vnknowne to the world and that they onely doe know him within whom hee dwelleth Then let them begin to become good Christians and put away their Iewish minds and imbrace the grace of the holy Gospell in good earnest and then shall they know that the good and true Christians both haue the holy Ghost and also acknowledge themselues to haue him But some may say to mee That the Christian cannot by any meanes know that he is in Gods fauour without some speciall reuelation and so consequently that he cannot know whether he be predestinated or no. And hee may specially alleadge these words of Salomon A man knoweth not whether he be worthy of hatred or of loue and also these words of the Apostle S. Paul to the Corinthians I feele not my selfe guilty of any thing and yet feele I not my selfe iustified for all that It seemeth to bee sufficiently declared by the texts of holy Scripture that the said opinion is false and now remaineth onely to be shewed briefely that these two texts whereupon the same opinion is chiefely grounded ought not to bee taken in that sense As touching Salomons sentence although it bee scarse well and faithfully translated in the common translation yet is there not any man so dull who in reading Salomons whole discourse may not plainely perceiue that by saying so hee meant that if any man will take vpon him to iudge by the casualties that happen in this life who is loued or hated of God hee laboureth in vaine considering that the selfe-same chances which light vpon the righteous light also vpon the vnrighteous vpon him that sacrificeth as well as vpon him that sacrificeth not and as soone vpon the good man as vpon the sinner Whereof it may bee gathered that God doth not alwayes shew his loue towards those whom hee indueth with outward prosperities and contrariwise that hee sheweth not his displeasure towards those whom hee punisheth Then my right deare brethren in Christ Iesus our Lord doe you thinke it reason to conclude that a man cannot be sure of Gods fauour because the same surenesse cannot bee perceiued by the sundry chances that happen euery day in these transitory and temporall things A little afore Salomon saith That a man cannot discerne any difference betweene the soule of man and the life of a beast for it is seene that both man and beast dye after one manner Shall we then conclude by this outward accident that the perswasion which wee haue conceiued of the immortalitie of the soule is grounded but onely vpon coniecture No surely and it were a great folly to stand vpon a thing so notably knowne And as for S. Pauls words I say that forasmuch as hee was speaking of the administration of the Gospell hee meant that his heart mis-giues him not of any mis-dealing therein and yet for all that that hee is not sure hee hath done his whole duty to the full and therein obtained the praise of righteousnesse to Godward as if hee had done all that pertained and was conuenient to be done by a faithfull Steward and therefore in speaking of his office like a iust and discreet person hee durst not iustifie himselfe nor auow that hee had discharged his duty to the vttermost and satisfied his Lords will but referred all things to the only iudgement of his Lord. And verily whosoeuer readeth these words of the Apostle Saint Paul and considereth the words going afore them with some iudgement and likewise the words that follow will not doubt but this is the true sense of them I know well that some men in expounding these words of the Apostle S. Paul say that although he knew himselfe to bee without sinne yet he knew not whether hee were righteous to Godward or no according as Dauid affirmeth that no man can perfectly know his owne sinnes But these men perceiue not that S. Paul groundeth not righteousnesse vpon workes but vpon faith and that he vtterly refuseth his owne righteousnesse to imbrace onely the righteousnesse which God hath giuen vs through our Lord Iesus Christ Also they consider not that he was most certaine to be accepted for righteous in maintaining the soundnesse and purenesse of the Christian faith and that he knew well how the Crowne of that righteousnesse was laid vp for him in Heauen and also that he was fully assured that no creature in heauen earth nor hell was able to separate him from the Loue of God and that he longed to dye because he knew for a truth that after his death he should be with Iesus Christ All which things should be false if he had not beene well assured that he was righteous I meane by faith and not by workes Therefore my deare beloued brethren let vs cease to speake that thing of the Apostle S. Paul which he neuer once thought of himselfe but fiercely fought against it continually in answering such as measured righteousnesse by workes and not by faith in our Lord Iesus Christ But besides these two authorities of Salomon and S. Paul a man might alledge some other places of holy Scripture which whereas they warne and encourage men to feare God seeme to be contrary to the assurance of this our predestination And if I would declare them all particularly I should be ouer-long But I say generally that the feare of punishment was proper to the Old Testament and childly loue to the New Testament according as S. Paul witnesseth when he saith to the Romanes Ye haue not receiued the spirit of bondage to feare but yee haue receiued the Spirit of adoption whereby we cry Father Father And likewise vnto Timothy he saith that God hath not giuen vs the spirit of fearefulnesse but rather of power and loue which spirit Iesus Christ hath giuen vs according to the promise made by the mouth of the holy Prophets and brought to passe that we being deliuered out of our enemies hands may serue him without feare before his holy presence in all holinesse and righteousnesse all the dayes of our life By these and many other places of the holy Scripture a man may plainely gather that the painefull and slauish fearefulnesse agreeth not with a Christian and this is already confirmed by this that such manner of fearefulnesse is vtterly contrary to the spirituall cheerefulnesse and ioy which is peculiar to the Christian as the Apostle S. Paul sheweth openly to the Romanes saying that the Kingdome of God is righteousnesse and peace and ioy in the holy Ghost that is to say that euery man which entereth into the Kingdome of the grace of the Gospell is become righteous through faith and afterward addeth peace of conscience which consequently breedeth such a spirituall and holy rest and gladnesse in respect whereof the same S. Paul doth oftentimes incourage the Christians to liue merrily And S. Peter saith that all they which beleeue in

me To answer to these doubts of thine I say my right deare brother that thou must assure thy selfe that all these are but temptations of the diuell who by all meanes seeketh to rob vs of that faith and confidence that springeth of faith and assureth vs of Gods good will towards vs. He laboureth to strip our soules out of this precious garment for he knoweth that none is a true Christian except he beleeue Gods Word which promiseth forgiuenesse of all sinnes and peace to all them which accept the grace of the Gospel Verily I say that he which vpon these promises of God perswadeth not himselfe assuredly that God is a mercifull and louing Father vnto him nor with stedfast confidence looketh to receiue the inheritance of the heauenly Kingdome at his hand is not faithfull in deed and maketh himselfe vtterly vnworthy of Gods Grace In respect whereof S. Paul saith that we be the Temple of God so far forth as we firmely maintaine the confidence and glory of our hope vnto the end And in another place he exhorteth that we should not giue ouer our trust which hath great reward of recompence And therefore my brethren let vs giue our whole endeauour to do the Will of God as it becommeth good children and beware that we sin not as neere as we can And although we fall oftentimes into sin through our owne frailty yet let vs not by and by surmize that we bee vessels of wrath or that we be vtterly forsaken of the holy Ghost for we haue our Aduocate Iesus Christ before Gud the Father and he is the atonement-maker for our sinnes Let vs bethinke vs of the opinion of S. Austin who saith that none of the Saints is righteous and without sinne and yet notwithstanding that he ceaseth not to be righteous and holy so farreforth as he retaines his holinesse with affection And therefore if we haue afflictions and tribulations let vs not thinke that God sends them because he is our enemy but because he is our most louing Father The Lord saith Salomon chastiseth him whom he loueth and scourgeth euery child of his whom he receiueth Wherefore if we haue receiued the Grace of the Gospell whereby man is receiued of God for his Child we must not doubt of Gods grace and good will towards vs. And when wee perceiue our selues to delight in Gods Word and to haue a desire to follow the life of Iesus Christ we must stedfastly beleeue that we be the children of God and the Temple of the holy Ghost for those things cannot be done by the power of mans wisedome but are the gifts of the holy Ghost who dwelleth in vs by faith and is as it were a seale of authority which sealeth vp Gods promises in our hearts the certainety whereof is printed aforehand in our minds and is giuen vs as a pledge to stablish and confirme the same As soone as you beleeue saith the Apostle S. Paul ye be sealed by the holy Spirit of promise who is the earnest peny of our inheritance Behold how he sheweth vs hereby that the hearts of the faithfull are marked with the holy Ghost as it were with a seale in respect whereof he calleth the holy Ghost The Spirit of promise forsomuch as he confirmeth the promise of the Gospell the which as I haue oftentimes told you is a happy tydings that promiseth forgiuenesse of sinnes and euerlasting life to all such as beleeue that all their misdoings are blotted out in Iesus Christ All we that beleeue in Iesus Christ saith Saint Paul are become the children of God and because we be his children he hath sent the Spirit of his Sonne into our heart which cryeth Father Father And to the Romanes Those saith hee that are guided by the Spirit of God are the children of God for yee haue not receiued againe the spirit of bondage in feare but the Spirit of adoption whereby we cry Father Father For certainely the same Spirit beareth our spirit record that we be the children of God Now then if we be children we be also heires And we must marke well that in these two places the Apostle S. Paul speaketh plainely not of any speciall reuelation but of a certaine record which the holy Ghost doth commonly yeeld to all such as receiue the grace of the Gospell Then if the holy Ghost assure vs that we be Gods children and heires why should we doubt of our predestination The same man saith in the same Epistle Whom he hath predestinated them hath he also called and whom he hath called them hath he also made righteous and whom he hath made righteous them also hath he glorified What shall we then say to all these things If God be on our side who can be against vs And therefore if I plainely perceiue that God hath called me by giuing me faith and the fruits of faith that is to wit Peace of conscience mortification of the flesh and quickning of the spirit whether it be in whole or in part why should I doubt that I am not predestinated And moreouer we say with S. Paul that all true Christians that is to wit all such as beleeue the Gospell receiue not the spirit of this world but the Spirit that commeth from God by the inspiration whereof they discerne the things that God hath giuen them What maruell then is it if wee know that God hath certainly giuen vs euerlasting life But there are some which say that no man ought to presume so farre as to boast himselfe to haue the Spirit of God They speake in such wise as if the Christian should glory of the hauing of it for his owne deserts and not by the onely and meere mercy of God and as though it were a presumptuousnesse to professe himselfe a Christian or as though a man could bee a Christian without the hauing of Christs Spirit or as though we could without flat hypocrisie say that Iesus Christ is our Lord or call God our Father if the holy Ghost mooued not our hearts and tongues to vtter so sweet words And yet notwithstanding euen they that count vs presumptuous for saying that God hath giuen vs his holy Spirit with faith forbid vs not to say euery day Our Father but rather command vs. But I would haue them to tell mee how it is possible to separate faith and the holy Ghost asunder seeing that faith is the peculiar worke of the holy Ghost If it be presumption to beleeue that the holy Ghost is in vs why doth Saint Paul bid the Corinthians try themselues whether they haue faith or no affirming them to bee reprobates if they know not that Iesus Christ is in them But in very deed it is a great blindnesse to accuse the Christians of presumptuousnesse for taking vpon them to glory of the presence of the holy Ghost without which glorying there cannot bee any Christianity at all But Iesus Christ