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	love_n	son_n	14,334	5	5.9818	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09757	The pathway to perfection A sermon preached at Saint Maryes Spittle in London on VVednesday in Easter weeke. 1593. By Thomas Playfere, Doctor of Diuinitie.	Playfere, Thomas, 1561?-1609.	1597 (1597)	STC 20021; ESTC S103577	59,781	129

as Iacob vvrastleth with manie great imperfections and spiritual aduersaries in this life he must as a faithful subiect or seruant of God keep the lawe of wrastling appointed vnto him to wit that he minde but one thing forget that which is behind and endeuour himselfe to that which is before followe hard toward the marke but when Israel hath once ouercome all his worldly ghostly enemies is become a perfect man in Christ seeth the Lord in the life to come then he shall as a beloued friend or child of God possesse that inheritance vvhich the father hath by his euerlasting testament written vvith the bloud of Christ Iesus appointed vnto him to wit euerlasting life eternal glory ioy in the holy Ghost the kingdome of heauen The prize of the high calling of God in Christ Iesus O happy happy man art thou and thrice happy man art thou whosoeuer thou art which vvith Iacob dost wrastle keep the law as a faithfull seruaunt for no other ende but only this that with Israel thou maist see God enioy the euerlasting testamēt as a beloued son For when wee shall see God we shal see and what shal we see That which no mortall eye hath seene that we shall see VVe shall see our own selues sitting shining at the right hand of the throne of Maiestie VVe shal see all our deere friends which we haue not seene this many a day embracing vs welcomming vs into Christs kingdom VVee shall see all the noble armie of Martyrs of Apostles of Prophets of Patriarkes shouting day and night and singing out the praises of the lord VVe shall see all the inuincible hoast of Angels of Archangels of Principalities of Dominations reuerently attending vpon the king of glory VVee shall see the king himselfe Christ Iesus disparkling displaying those beames of beautie which are the heauens vvonder and all the Angels blisse If there were no we amongst vs one as faire as euer Absolon was who would not be glad to beholde him But suppose some one were tenne times as fayre as Absolon howe then would men looke gaze vpon him I but if another vvere a hundred times as faire as Absolon what a matter of admiration wold that make Put the case then some one should now step forth sh●we himselfe a thousande times fayrer then euer Absolon was vvhat wondering what maruailing would there be amongst vs howe would our eyes bee dazeled how would our very mindes be amazed at this sight VVel al this is but a counterfeit but a shadow in respect of the bright-blazing beautie of our spirituall spouse For Christ Iesus is ten times fairer yea a hundred times fayrer yea a thousand times fayrer yea ten hundred thousand times fayrer then all the children of men So that if the whole beautie not onely of all men but euen of all this inferiour Globe were put together in one yet it would not be any way cōparable not onely to Christs glorie but not so much as to the least glorified bodie in heauen And yet all this is but the outside of heauen all thys wee shall see with our bodily eye The inside and the insight is much more glorious For the least glorified body seeing innumerable Saints and Angels more highly exalted then he is hath his ioy doubled trebled beyond all measure multiplied when he cōsidereth that he is loued vnspeakably more by all of them yea by euery one of them then hee can be by himselfe And therefore againe seeing himselfe so deere vnto them hee for his parte likewise as a hote burning coale is set on fire and inflamed with loue and the more he seeth any other excell him in glory the more doth he reioyce and is gladder of his glory then his owne But now when hee lifteth vp his eyes to the glorious Trinitie and seeth how the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost doe eternally and perfectly loue and like and enioye one another in surpassing sweetnes and content then all his affections are swallowed vp in loue all his spirits are rauisht in delight all his desires are imparadized in pleasure In so much as if on the one side were layd the loue of Christ as he is man and of all the Saints and Angels among themselues and on the other side the loue which the least glorified body in heauen beholding the blessed Trinitie breatheth out to GOD this loue would without all comparison excell exceed that as far as light doth darknes or as heauen doth the earth VVherefore for man to see God for Iacob to be called Israel for him that hath bin a seruant to becom a sonne for him that hath kept the lawe to enioy the testament is the highest degree to perfection yea it is the very perfection of perfection it selfe The onely perfect life the onely hye honor the onely godly pleasure the only christian treasure The prize of the high calling of God in Christ Iesus Seeing then blessed brethren seeing wee fight not as they that beate the ayre but our rewarde is so great so exceeding great in heauen therefore as Iacob wrastled all the night long and neuer gaue ouer til about the breaking of the day he was called Israel so let vs wrastle all the night long of this life neuer giue ouer til the day breake the shadowes flye away and we come to the maruailous light sight of God And like as the same Iacob sayde to the Angell I will not let thee goe except thou blesse me euen so let euerie true Israelite say to Christ I tooke hold of him and left him not O Lord Iesus who would leaue thee or who would let thee goe or rather who would not hold thee fast which strengthenest him that holdeth thee fast and makest him perseuere that is strengthened and crownest him that perseuereth and makest him perfect that is crowned Therefore I will hold thee fast and will not let thee goe except thou blesse me that is indeede I will neuer let thee goe because thou doest neuer blesse but onely those that alwayes hold thee fast Holde fast then and Stand fast good beloued once againe I say Hold fast that which you haue that no man take your crowne from you Stand fast in that liberty whereby Christ hath made you free and be not any more entangled with the yoke of bondage But so runne so runne as yee may attayne As yee may attayne Howe is that Mary faithfully patiently constantly vnto the ende A shame it would be and a vile shame for vs if it should be sayd of vs not you doe runne well but you did runne well ●ye vpon it Hauing been hetherto brought vp in skarlet shall wee now embrace the dung Shall we be like those antickes or monsters which are halfe men and halfe beasts Shall wee be like Nabuchadnezzars image which had a head of gold and

learne true humility which is true magnanimity of S. Paul Paul had a most noble and most stately hart higher than the very poles of heauen it selfe All that euer he had done hetherto or could doo he thinkes too little nay he counts it nothing He was not a whit inferiour to the very chiefest Apostles yet he Forgets it Hee laboured more than they all yet he Forgets it He spake with tongues more than they all yet he Forgets it Hee had care of the churches yet he Forgets it He fought with beasts at Ephesus yet he Forgets it He troad fathan that vile beast vnder his feete yet he Forgets it Hee spake wisedome among them that are perfect yet he Forgets it Hee was rapt vp to paradise into the third heauen where he first learned that among the Angels which afterwards hee taught amongst men yet he Forgets it All this is nothing with him All this he Forgets saith I Forget that which is behind This is the second degree to perfection TOuching the third hee sayes I stand not still but I Endeuour my selfe to that which is before Saint Bernard writing to one Haimericus Chancelor of Rome in his very first salutation wisheth him to forget those things which are behind and to follow the Apostle to those thinges which are before Which no man can doo that either stands still or is idle Wherefore Hermes saith generally Nothing in the whole world is altogether idle The wise man hath allowed a time for euery thing else but for idlenes he hath allowed no time Moses Arke had rings and barres within the rings to signifie that it was not made to stand still but to be remoued from place to place Iacobs ladder had slaues vpon which hee saw none standing still but all either ascending or else descending by it Ascend you likewise to the top of the ladder to heauen and there you shal heare one say My Father doth now worke and I work also Whereupon Basil noteth that king Dauid hauing first said Lord who shall dwell in thy tabernacle addes then Not he that hath wrought righteousnes heeretofore but hee that doth now worke righteousnes euen as Christ sais My father doth now worke and I worke also Descend you likewise to the foote of the ladder to the earth and there you shall heare that figge tree accursed which did beare leaues and no fruite VVhereupon Theophylact noteth that Iohn Baptist hauing first sayde The axe is layde to the roote of the tree adds then Not euery tree that hath not brought forth good fruite heretofore but euery tree that doth not now bring forth good fruite shall be cut downe euen as that fruitlesse fig tree was cut downe and cast into the fire Therefore we must so walke as God seeing our continuall fruitfulnes may say of vs I see men walking like trees Men walke like trees when as men are neuer idle but alwaies abounding in the worke of the Lord As the tree of lyfe euerie moneth bringeth forth twelue maner of fruits For so Christ said to him whom he healed Take vp thy bed and walk He sais not Take vp thy bed and stand still like a stone but take vp thy bed and walke like a tree Otherwise to them whom he found standing still he said in his wrath and in his sore displeasure why stand yee still all the day idle why are ye like Moab setled vpon your lees and not poured from vessell to vessell we must make account to giue account for euery idle word wee speake And much more then for euery idle houre wee spende Hee hath called the time against me sayes Ierusalem So that for the very time which we haue contemned we shall be condemned and for euery day which wee haue spent idlely wee shall be shent seuerelie The Istaelites were commaunded not once in a weeke or once in a moneth but euery day to gather Manna except onely the Sabaoth day To teach them and all vs that till wee come to the saboth of our euerlasting rest in heauen wee must neuer stand still but euery day bee doing somewhat Wherfore Apelles posey was this Let no day passe without a line Be sure euery day thou do some good then draw one line at the least According to that Line vpon line line vpon line And Pithagoras posey was this Sit not still vpon the measure of corne Do not looke to eate except thou sweat for it According to that Hee which will not worke let him not eate In my Fathers house sayes Christ are many mansions So that no man may sing his soule a sweete Requiem saying with that cor●orant in the Gospell Soule take thy rest For in heanen onely which is in our father● house there are many mansions to rest in In this world which is out of our fathers house there are not many mansions no not any mansions to rest in but onely 〈◊〉 to worke in We are come sayes the author to the Hebrews to the spirits of iust perfect then in heauen So that no man may ●ue out for hymselfe a Quietus est saying with the church of Laodicea I am rich and haue inough For in heauen onely are the spirits of iust and perfect men which are rich and haue inough In this world wee must neuer think we are rich but we must alwaies be poore in spirit wee must neuer thinke we haue inough but we must alwayes hunger thirst after righteousnes Wherfore if thou haue a talent put it not into a napkin but into the banke if thou light a candle set it not vnder a bushell but vpon a candlestick if thou build a Citty place it not vnder a dale but vpon a hil if thou seek Christ seeke him not in thy bed but in the garden Lie not stil Sit not stil stand not stil but Endeuour thy selfe to that which is before Walke before mee and be perfect sayth God to Abraham As if hee should say if thou wilt bee perfect then walke before me and Endeuour thy selfe to that which is before thee For the Apostle in the other part speaking of those thinges which are behind saith that he doth not onely not beare them in body But not so much as beare them in mind Heere contrariwise speaking of those things which are before hee sayth that hee doth not onely intende hys minde to them but also extend his very body towards them So that as they which runne in a race bend forward they● breasts and stretch out their armes to shew that they haue a desire to run faster then possibly theyr feete can follow them after the same sort wee which runne in this course of Christianity must cast away euery thing that presseth down sin which cleaueth so fast that wee may Endeuour our selues or as the Greeke word here