Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A11458
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Two sermons preached at Paules-Crosse London The one November 21. the other Aprill 15. 1627. By Robert Saunderson, Bachelour in Divinitie, and sometimes Fellow of Lincolne Colledge in Oxford.
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Sanderson, Robert, 1587-1663.
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1628
(1628)
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STC 21709; ESTC S112209
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107,028
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135
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whereby it commeth to passe that by how much wee ouer-valued it in the pursuite by so much we vnder-value it in the possession And so in stead of giuing Thankes to God for the good wee haue receiued wee complaine of the inconueniences that adhere thereunto and so much vnderprise it as it falleth short of our expectation and looke how farre wee doe vnderprise it so farre are we vnthankfull for it To remoue this Impediment who euer would bee thankfull let him moderate his desires after these outward things fore-cast as well the inconueniencies that follow them as the commodities they bring with them lay the one against the other and prepare as well to disgest the one as to enjoy the other The last Impediment of Thankfulnesse is Carnall securitie joyned euer with Delayes and Procrastinations §. 64.5 Delay When we receiue any thing from God wee know we should giue him thankes for it and it may be we thinke of doing such a thing but wee thinke withall another day will serue the turne and so we put it of for the present and so forwards from time to time till in the end we haue quite forgotten both his Benefite and our owne Duty and neuer performe any thing at all My Text doth after a sort meete with this corruption for heere the Apostle saith the Creature should be receiued with Thankeâ—giuing as if the thankes should goe with the receipt the * Qui gratus futurus est statum dum accepit de reddendo cogitat Senec. 2. de benef 25. receipt and the thankes both together To remoue this Impediment consider how in euery thing delayes are hurtfull and dangerous how our affections are best and hottest at the first and doe in processe of time insensibly deaden and at last dye if we doe not take the opportunity and strike as wee say whilest the jron is hot how that if pretensions of other businesses or occasions may serue the turne to put off the tendering of our deuotions and rendering of our thankes to God the Diuell will bee sure to suggest â—now of these pretensions into our heads and to prompt vs continually with such allegations that wee shall neuer be at leasure to serue God and to giue him thankes §. 65. The fourth Inference and the Conclusion of all Let vs remember these fiue Impediments and beware of them Pride Enuy Epicurisme Worldly Carefulnesse and Delay All which are best remedyed by their contraries Good helpes therefore vnto thankfulnesse are 1. Humilitie and Self-deniall 2. Contentednesse and Selfe-suffiâ—ency 3. Painfulnesse and Sobrietie 4. The Moderation of our desires after earthly things 5. Speed and Maturitie And so much for this third Inference of Direction I should also haue desired if the time would haue permitted although my Text speaketh of our Thankesgiuing vnto God precisely as it respecteth the Creature yet to haue improued it a little farther by a fourth Inference that if wee be thus bound to giue God thankes for these outward blessings how much more ought wee then to abound in all thankfulnesse vnto him for his manifold a Ephes. 1.3 Spirituall blessings in heauenly things in Christ for Grace and Election for Mercy and Redemption for Faith and Iustification for Obedience and Sanctification for Hope and Glorification If wee ought to pray for and to giue thankes for our b Math. 6.11 daily bread which nourisheth but our bodyes and then is c Math. 15.17 cast into the draught and both it and our bodyes perish how much more for that d Ioh. 6.51 Bread of life which came downe from Heauen and feedeth our Soules vnto eternall life and neither they nor it can perish If wee must say for that Giue vs this day our daily bread shall we not much more say for this e Ioh. 6.34 Lord euermore giue vs this bread But I haue done Beseech we now Almighty God to guide vs all with such holy discretion and wisedome in the free vse of his good Creatures that keeping our selues within the due bounds of Sobriety Charity and ciuill Duty wee may in all things glorifie God and aboue all things and f Ephes. 5.20 for all things giue thankes alwayes vnto God and the Father in the name of our Lord IESVS CHRIST To which our Lord Iesus Christ the blessed Sonne of God together with the Father the Holy Spirit three Persons and one only wise gracious and euerliuing God bee ascribed as is most due by vs and his whole Church all the Kingdome the Power and the glory both now and for euermore Amen Amen Here endeth the first Sermon A SERMON PREACHED AT St. PAVLES Crosse Aprill 15. GEN. 20.6 And God said vnto him in a dreame Yea I know that thou diddest this in the integritie of thine heart For I also with-held thee from sinning against mee therefore suffered I thee not to touch her FOr our more profitable vnderstanding of which words §. 1. The Occasion it is needfull we should haue in remembrance the whole storie of this present Chapter of which storie these words are a part And thus it was Abraham commeth with Sarah his wife and their family as a Stranger to sojourne among the Philistims in Gerar couenanteth with her before-hand thinking thereby to prouide for his owne safetie because she was beautifull that they should not bee to know that they were any more then Brother and Sister Abimilech King of the place heareth of their comming and of her beauty sendeth for them both enquireth whence and who they were heareth no more from them but that shee was his Sister dismisseth him taketh her into his house Hereupon God plagueth him and his house with a strange Visitation threatneth him also with Death giueth him to vnderstand that all this was for taking another mans wife Hee answereth for himselfe God replyeth The Answere is in the two next former Verses the Reply in this and the next following verse §. 2. Scope His answere is by way of Apologie hee pleadeth first his Ignorance and then and thence his Innocence a Vers. 4 5. And hee said Lord wilt thou slay also a righteous Nation Said not hee vnto me shee is my Sister and shee euen shee her selfe said He is my Brother in the integrity of my â—eart and innocency of my hands haue I done this That is his Plea Now God replyeth of which reply letting pafse the remainder in the next verse which concerneth the time to come so much of it as is contained in this verse hath reference to what was already done and past and it meeteth right with Abimelechs answere Something he had done and something he had not done he had indeed b Vers. 2. taken Sarah into his house but he had c Vers. 4. not yet come neere her For that which he had done in taking her he thought he had a just excuse and he pleadeth it hee did not know her to bee another mans wife and
neuer so great that he shal be able to auoyd any sin though it be neuer so foule When a heathen man prayed vnto Iupiter to saue him from his Enemies one that ouerheard him would needes mend it with a more needfull prayer that Iupiter would saue him from his Friends he thought they might doe him more hurt because he trusted them but as for his Enemies he could looke to himselfe well enough for receiuing harme from them We that are Christians had need pray vnto the God of heauen that he would not giue vs vp into the haÌ„ds of our professed Enemies to pray vnto God that he would not deliuer vs ouer into the hands of our false-hearted Friends but there is another prayer yet more needfull and to be pressed with greater importunity then eyther of both that God would saue vs from our selues and not giue vs vp into our owne hands for then we are vtterly cast away There is a wayward old-man that lurketh in euery of our bosomes and we make but too much of him then whom we haue not a more spightfull Enemy nor a more false friend Alas we do not thinke what a man is giuen ouer to that is giuen ouer to himselfe he is giuen ouer to b Rom. 1.26 vile affections he is giuen ouer to a c Ibid. vers 28. reprobate sense he is giuen ouer to d Eph. 4.19 commit all manner of wickednes with greedinesse It is the last and fearfullest of all other judgements and is not vsually brought vpon men but where they haue obstinately refused to heare the voice of God in whatsoeuer other tone he had spoken vnto them then to leaue them to themselues and to their owne counsells e Psal. 81.11.12 My people would not heare my voice and Israel would none of me so I gaue them vp vnto their owne hearts lust and let them follow their owne imaginations As we conceiue the state of the Patient to bee desperate when the Phisician giueth him ouer and letteth him eate and drinke and haue and doe what and when and as much as he will without prescribing him any dyet or keeping backe any thing from him he hath a mind vnto Let vs therefore pray faithfully and feruently vnto God as Christ himselfe hath taught vs that he would not by leauing vs vnto our selues f Math. 6.13 lead vs into temptation but by his gracious and powerfull support deliuer vs from all those euils from which we haue no power at all to deliuer our selues §. 44.4 To labour for the grace of Sanctification Lastly since this Restraint wherof we haue spoken may be but a common Grace and can giue vs no found nor solid comfort if it be but a bare restraint and no more though we ought to be thankefull for it though we haue not deserued it yet we should not rest nor thinke our selues safe enough till we haue a well grounded assurance that we are possessed of an higher and a better grace euen the Grace of sanctification For that will hold out against temptations where this may faile Wee may deceiue our selues then and thousands in the world doe so deceiue themselues if vpon our abstaining from sinnes from which God withholdeth vs we presently conclude our selues to be in the state of Grace and to haue the power of godlines and the spirit of Sanctification For betweene this restraining Grace whereof we haue now spoken and that renewing Grace wherof we now speak there are sundry wide differences They differ first in their fountaine Renewing grace springeth from the special loue of God towards those that are his in Christ restraining grace is a fruite of that generall mercy of God whereof it is said in the Psalme that a Psal. 145.2 his mercy is ouer all his workes They differ secondly in their extent both of Person Subiect Obiect and Time For the Person Restraining Grace is common to good and bad Renewing Grace proper and peculiar to the Elect. For the Subiect Restraining Grace may bind one part or facultie of a man as the hand or tongue and leaue another fâ—ee as the heart or eare Reâ—ewing Grace worketh vpon all in some measure sanctifieth the whole man b 1. Thes. 6.23 Body and soule and spirit with the parts and faculties of each For the Obiect Restraining Grace may withhold a man from one sinne and giue him scope to another Renewing Grace carryeth an equall and iust respect to all Gods commandements For the Time Restraining Grace may tye vs now and by and by vnloose vs Renewing Grace holdeth out vnto the end more or lesse and neuer leaueth vs wholy destitute Thirdly they did differ in their ends Restraining Grace is so intended chiefly for the good of humane society especially of the Church of God and of the members thereof as that indifferently it may or may not doe good to the Receiuer but Renewing Grace is especially intended for the Saluation of the Receiuer though Ex consequenti it doe good also vnto others They differ fourthly and lastly in their effects Renewing Grace mortifieth the corruption and subdueth it and diminisheth it as water quencheth fire by abating the heate but Restraining Grace only inhibiteth the exercise of the corruption for the time without any reall admonition of it either in substance or quality as the c Dan. 3.25 fire wherin the three Children walked had as much heate in it at that very instant as it had before and after although by the greater power of God the naturall power of it was then suspended from working vpon them The Lions that spared Daniel were Lyons still and had their rauenous disposition still albeit God d Dan. 6.22 stopped their mouthes for that time that they should not hurt him but that there was no change made in their naturall disposition appeareth by their entertainement of their next guests whom they deuoured with all greedinesse e Ibid. vers 24. breaking their bones before they came to the ground By these two instances and examples we may in some measure conceiue of the nature and power of the restraining Grace of God in wicked men It bridleth the corruption that is in them for the time that it cannot breake out and manacleth them in such sort that they doe not shew forth the vngodly disposition of their heart but there is no reall change wrought in them all the while their heart still remaining vnsanctified and their naturall corruption vndiminished Whereas the renewing and sanctifying Grace of God by a real change of a Lyon maketh a Lambe altereth the naturall disposition of the soule by draining out some of the corruption begetteth a new heart a new spirit new habits new qualities new dispositions new thoughts new desires maketh a f Eph 4 â—4 new man in euery part and faculty compleatly New Content not thy selfe then with a bare forbearance of sinne so long as thy heart is not changed nor thy will changed nor thy affections changed but striue to become a new man to bee g Rom. 12.2 transformed by the renewing of thy mind to hate sinne to loue God to wrestle against thy secret corruptions to take delight in holy duties to subdue thine vnderstanding and will and affections to the obedience of Faith and Godlinesse So shalt thou not onely be restrained from sinning against God as Abimelech here was but also be enabled as faithfull Abraham was to please God and consequently assured with all the faithfull children of Abraham to bee h 1. Pet. 1.5 preserued by the almighty power of God through faith vnto saluation Which Grace and Faith and saluation the same Almighty God the God of power and of Peace bestow vpon vs all heere assembled i 1. Cor. 1.2 With all that in euery place call vpon the name of IESVS CHRIST our Lord both theirs and ours euen for the same our Lord Iesus Christs sake his most deare Sonne and our most blessed Sauiour and Redeemer to which blessed Father and blessed Sonne with the blessed Spirit most holy blessed and glorious Trinitie be ascribed by vs and the whole Church all the kingdome the power and the glory from this time forth and for euer Amen FINIS