Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A50490
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The pastors valediction, or, A farewell sermon preached at Sepulchres, London / by Mr. Matthew Meade.
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Mead, Matthew, 1630?-1699.
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1662
(1662)
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Wing M1556; ESTC R9094
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15,072
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30
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THE PASTORS VALEDICTION OR A Farewell Sermon PREACHED AT SEPULCHRES LONDON By Mr. MATTHEW MEADE LONDON Printed in the Year 1662. To the READER Christian Reader I Shall not need to use any Epistolary Commendations of the Author if ever any Preacher had both Urim and Thummim the one in his Word the other in his Example unreprovable in his Doctrine and unblamable in his Life then this Excellent Divine Mr. Matth. Meade is the man whose ensuing Notes being this Preachers last Valediction to his Congregation a little before his Civil though Voluntary Death are here presented to thy view But it may be God withdraws his excellent Servants from his People to admit them nearer to himself that they may have none in Heaven but himself and none in Earth beside him The ensuing Sermon was taken by the carefull hand of a ready Writer a very good Friend of the Reverend Authors to prevent Abuse by Imperfect Copies which we hear are comming forth and made Publick We shall not mention the vast Difference betwixt Hearing and Reading or the Power lost in Printing which words had in Delivering neither how neatly they might have been Clothed by the Author All that we shall say is thou hast them in such a dresse as they were clad with in their first delivery and be they Read with as good Affection as they were Preached Heard and through the Spirits Assistance will not prove a dead Letter Farewell N. D. The Pastors Valediction BEING The Farewell Sermon of Mr. Matthew Meade late of Sepulchers LONDON 1 COR. 1.3 Grace be unto you and Peace from God our Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ YOu will wonder possibly that I should pitch on the Apostles Salutation for my Valediction and make that the Conclusion of my Preaching which he made the Beginning of his Writing and therefore I have made a double Plea for it I find that this was a form of Blessing peculiar to this Apostle both in the beginning and end of this Epistle for as there is scarcely one Epistle but begins with it so many end with it like wise as in Eph. 6. ver ult The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit So in the 2d of the Thessalonians the last verse of the last Chapter The grace of our Lord Christ be with you all So that I finding the Apostle to use it frequently at the beginning and ending of his Writing I thought as I made it the matter of my prayer for you in the beginning so I might make it my farewell to you in the ending and therefore Grace be unto you and Peace from God our Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ Besides this as Jacob said to his Benjamin concerning his venison when his Father asked him How he found it so quickly he Answered because the Lord thy God brought it to me The same I may say of this Scripture for Considering of what subject I should speak in my last Labours here among you this Scipture came to my thoughts and opening the Booke came immediately to my sight and therefore I may say God brought it to me Which I no sooner looked upon but methinks I saw the Apostle on Mount Gerisim and his mouth filled with blessing for what greater blessing can a man wish then that which comprehends all blessings and that is Grace and Peace Being therefore now to part I thought to go to the top of the Mount and leave with you Grace and Peace from God our Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ In which words there are two generalls 1. A double Blessing desired 2. A double Spring discovered 1. A double Blessing desired and that is Grace and Peace Grace is of all Blessings the richest Peace is of all Comforts the sweetest both these the Apostle beggs for the Corinthians and so do I for You. Beloved Grace be unto you and Peace from God our Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ 2. Here is a double fountain discovered and that is the Father and the Son God and Christ The Father is called the God of Grace the Son is called the Prince of Peace not that Grace is from the Father without Peace nor Peace from the Son without Grace but both Grace and Peace are from God the Father through the Lord Christ The Order of the words is worth noting Grace be to you and Peace First Grace then Peace for there can be no Peace without Grace nor Grace but there will be Peace but there can be no true Peace but from God nor from God but as he is a Father not from God as a Father but as our Father and he cannot be said to be our Father but through our Lord Jesus Christ and therefore he saith Grace be unto you and Peace from God our Father through our Lord Jesus Christ both are manifest as a Golden Chain linked together not Grace without Peace nor Peace without Grace but both conjoyned together to cram the Believers Soul with Grace and Peace Now from the Order of the words we might raise severall Observations 1. That Peace is the fruit of Grace 2. That Grace and Peace are both from God 3. That Love which is the spring of Grace and Peace is from God as a Father 4. That we share not in this Love but only as he is our Father All is from propriety First Our Father then Grace and Peace from God our Father 5. That God is our Father only through Christ But before we draw any thing from the Text by way of Observation we will speak to the termes by way of Explication Grace be to you What is here meant by Grace This is a sweet word it perfumes the Breath it cherishes the Conscience it warms the Heart it ravishes the Soul as the Spouse was ravished with the rayes of Christs glory so Christ revives the Soul with one of his gracious rayes discovered to the Heart Grace is the life of the Soul thou art dead till Grace quickens thee thou art lost till Grace finds thee undone till Grace saves thee Grace is the Manna of Angels the spiritual Bread which those that are holy in being are nourished with and subsist by Angels live on Grace and stand by Grace Man that shares in the Grace of God is made fellow Communiors with Angels eats Angels food and share in Angels blessings Grace is the substance of the Scripture the end of the Law the fulnesse of the Gospel Gregory calls it the Heart and Soul of God I am sure Grace is the Heart and Soul of the Word it s a little word but if comprehends all good here is more then Homers Iliads in a Nut-shell it s the Epitome of all the good in Heaven and Earth name any word that signifies good to the Soul here or hereafter but if it is found in the Index in this little word Grace Grace comprehends Gods love to us and our love to God and as Gods love to us is the
sum of all Mercy so our love to God is the sum of all Duty Grace is the new birth of the Soul whereby it takes up another Nature a new Nature a spiritual God-like Nature as Christ was born and thereby took on him the Nature of man and was made flesh so man is born by Grace and thereby takes upon him the Nature of God and is made Spirit and here you have at once the great mystery of Grace in the lowest debacement of a Saviour and the highest advancement of a Sinner for the Lord Christ could not be more debaced then to be born it was nothing so great an abatement for Christ to dye as for him to be born for being once made man it is no wonder for to dye but being the great God it s a wonder that ever he should be made man Lo here is the debacement of Christ Yet if he had been born to a Crown to Honour it had been something but he was born to shame to sorrow and death but man by Grace is born to a Crown to a Kingdom he has a title to all the glory and blessednesse of Heaven from the first moment of his new birth So 't is in the Text Grace be unto you and Peace Peace in Scripture is a very comprehensive terms it carries in it all happinesse It was the common greeting of the Jews Peace be unto you Thus David by his Proxy salutes Nabal Peace be to thee and thy house and the Apostle here alludes to this form of salutation that he might mix new Testament mercy to old Testament manners he first stiles grace before peace as Jacob did with his Venison he made it a savoury meat such as Isaack loved Peace is the glory of Heaven in the Bosome of God and brought into the world in the Arms of Angells The first peace you read of in the Gospel was peace by the administration of Angels Luke 2.13 14. And suddainly there was with the Angells a multitude of Heavenly host praising and saying Glory to God in the highest and on Earth peace good will towards men And when our Lord Christ first sent out his Disciples this was the Doctrine that he bid them preach Math. 10.12 13. When you come into a house salute it and if it be worthy let grace peace come upon it Mark here by the way our Lord Jesus Christ is no enemy to good manners He would not have Christians to be Clowns which is the use of some among us who would have their Religion quarrell with good manners No but in whatsoever City or Town you enter salute it and let grace peace come upon it that is wish peace to them saying the peace of God be upon this place upon the heads and hearts of all in it So that Peace is both a Gospel-salutation when Ministers and people meet and it 's also a Gospel-valediction when the Minister and the people parts So did the Apostle and so do I now Grace be with you and peace I observe in Matth. 10.13 14. our Lord bids his Disciples when they enter into a house if the house be worthy to let their peace come upon it but if they be not worthy let grace peace return to you In stead of leaving peace with them to shake off the dust of their feet against them that is to shew that God will shake them off as dust and tread them under feet as fuell My Brethren your diligent attendance on the Word at this place hath comfortably prevented the part of my charge to shake off the dust of my feet for how beautifull have the feet of a poor worm been to you being shod with the preparation of the Gospel of Christ And therefore seeing our Lord Christ saith if they be worthy of their peace abide with them on this accompt I wish to you Grace and peace from God our Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ. But what is this peace It 's the beauty of Union the harmony of the Creation the pleasure of Life the feast of a good Conscience it s that which makes Life sweet and Death easie Peace sweetens all our possessions and all our afflictions without this the fullnesse of the World is a burden with this poverty and emptinesse is a pleasant companion without this our bread is gravelled with sowrenesse and our water mingled with bitternesse with this green herbs become a Feast and our Water is turned into Wine Peace it s the most beautifull Creature in the world and therefore it s beloved of all courted of all many seek her but few there be that enjoy her they do not go the right way to find her for in the wayes of righteousnesse is peace Peace is the seminary of all blessings Temporal as Grace is of all blessings Spiritual in Grace you have imployed all holinesse in Peace all happinesse in grace all inward in peace all outward blessings grace and peace are the Alpha and Omega of all Blessings as God is of all Beings no blessing comes before Grace and no blessing lasts longer Then see in this phrase of speech the Apostle wishes upon them as I do upon you all the blessings both of Time and Eternity and yet he wished no more to them then God promised to give them 1 Tim. 4.8 For godlinesse hath the promise of this life and that which is to come Grace be unto you and peace c. not one without the other though a man may have grace without peace as in a time of disertion or temptation and a man may have peace without grace as in a secure and unregenerate condition grace without peace is often found in a troubled conscience and peace without grace is often found in a seared conscience as grace without peace is very uncomfortable so peace without grace is very unprofitable like Rachel beautifull but barren therefore the Apostle desires ye should have both grace and peace and we say the Sun and Salt are the most usefull Creatures in the world the one for shining the other for seasoning My Brethren Grace and Peace are the Christians Sun and Salt Grace is the light of their souls and Peace is the savour of their comforts Grace shines through all their faculties and Peace seasons all their mercies The blessings of God are become as twins as Christ said of the Spouse Cant. 4.2 She is like a flock of sheep that are even shorn which came up from the washing whereof every one bear twins and none is barren among them Grace and peace here are knit together by the Spirit of God in a sacred knot not to be untied As Castor and Pollux when seen together portend happinesse to the Mariner so when grace and peace are found in a Soul together they portend the highest security and blessing to the Believer they are said in Scripture to be bound together where God gives the one he never denyes the other If he gives you the Upper Spring of grace he