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	person_n	son_n	33,804	5	6.4746	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A49492	Six sermons preached before His Majesty at White-Hall Published by command. Tending all to give satisfaction in certain points to such who have thereupon endeavoured to unsettle the state, and government of the church. By the Right Reverend Father in God, Benjamin Laney, Late Lord Bishop of Ely.	Laney, Benjamin, 1591-1675.	1675 (1675)	Wing L351A; ESTC R216387	93,670	230

care in the two parts of it and also make two Points of the Sermon VVhat we hear and How we hear 1. Take heed what But how can that be given in caution to the Hearer which is not in his power for it is wholly at the choice of the Speaker what we hear When the Ear is open it must hear what is spoken whether it be good or bad True if the Precept had been given to the Ear so it must be but it is given to the Hearer to him that hath an Imperium and ruling of that and all the other senses If the reason or will shall command the Ear will open or shut like or dislike It is not simple hearing the Sense it self is not capable of advice but mix'd Heb. 4.2 St. Paul gives the reason why the Gospel being preach'd to the Jews did not profit them because not mix'd with Faith in them that heard it It is not simple hearing but mix'd with a more noble part of the Soul that guides it And so to take heed what you hear is in effect to take heed what Faith and Credit you give to that you hear for so it follows in the Verse VVith what measure you mete it shall be measur'd to you the benefit will answer to the care measure for measure But what different measure can there be of that which differs not Gods Word is from everlasting unchangeable The grass may wither and the flower thereof may fade away saith St. Peter but the word of the Lord endureth for ever and this is the word which by the Gospel is preached unto you 1 Pet. 1. ult 1 Pet. 1. ult Though Gods word be one in it self yet that one hath been made known to the world in different ways and Degrees and so requires a hearing proportionable to them God who at sundry times Heb. 1.2 and in divers manners spake in times past to the Fathers by the Prophets hath in these last days spoken by his Son And likewise that which the Son spake in those last days the days of the Gospel was in divers manners For first he spake by himself self in person Luke 4.18 The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor That which he preached was certainly Gods word And when he left the world to go to his Father he sent the Holy Ghost from Heaven who in the mouth of the Apostles preached the same Gospel for those holy men spake not by the will of man but as they were mov'd by the Holy Ghost And therefore this also was truly the word of God 2 Pet. ● 24. And when the Church was thus founded by the preaching of the Holy Ghost for the propagation of it to all times after it pleased God to give it in VVriting in a Scripture and that by inspiration of the same Spirit which before preached it So as now we need not ascend to Heaven to fetch Christ down nor the Holy Ghost as some pretend to do to know Gods will but to receive it only from that Scripture Thus far we have the Word of God in Proper i. e. immediately out of the mouth of God and our hearing must be absolute for the matter we must say with Samuel Speak Lord for thy servant heareth But when it pleased God to commit the dispensing of that word to the Pastors of the Church for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ Ephes 4.12 Now the word of God was come into the hands of men subject to infirmities and error who may both deceive themselves and others And here our Saviours advice comes in season Take heed what you hear Before Gods word was in the Original but here only in the Transcript or Copy and some Copyings are more happy than others and come nearer the Original and therefore not all of the same value and esteem All Preachers are not to be heard alike nor all Sermons The word of God in them is so the water of Life that it often tastes of the mineral through which it runs and hath a tincture from the earthen Vessel that brings it and therefore not to be receiv'd with that measure of trust which belongs to the pure and proper word of God For take a Sermon at the best the most you can make of it is that it is Gods word only in a qualified sense because the Church intends it should be so and it is the Preachers judgment and opinion that it is so and possibly it may be so indeed But then because possibly it may not be so we had need take heed what we hear We learn from St. Paul that it was more than possible it was truly so then for he warns Timothy of Preachers that will strive about words to no purpose but to the subversion of the hearers 2 Tim. 2.14 And verse 16. By prophane and vain bablings do increase to more ungodliness And verse 17. Their word will eat as doth a Canker or a Gangrain for so the Greek word is and that 's a dangerous Disease and by all means possible to be avoided and especially to be taken heed of Thus it was in the early times of the Church we have reason then to look for worse after and so we of late times found it by sad experience Not only profane and vain bablings but Sedition Treason Rebellion were drest up and appear'd in the likeness of Sermons It is too plain we have but too much need of caution to take heed But alas what should private men do must they or can they call all Preachers and Doctrines to account The Scriptures indeed which are the undoubted Word of God would do it if well manag'd but how can that be hoped from every hand wherein wise that is learned men are mistaken and from whence every Sect seeks Patronage and perswades it self to have it What means is there then left by the help whereof we may take heed what we hear Truly none that I know but this still the Scriptures are the only infallible rule But how Not left loose to the prejudices and fancies of every man for then it will fall out as with those that look in a Glass in which every one sees his own face though not anothers the reason is because he brings his face to the Glass not because it was there before So every Sect sees the face of his own Religion in the Scripture not because it was there before but because his strong fancy and prejudice brought it thither he thinks he sees that in the Scripture which in truth is only in his own imagination But how then can we have any help from the Scriptures to take heed what we hear Not as Gods word lies diffus'd through the whole body of them but as prepar'd and fitted up in a summary and short form of wholsom words by such to whom the

in want and contempt but to improve our industry to the best advantage both to our selves and others and may by that attain to some luster and splendor of riches honour and command to which no oppression or extortion or any lucky sin hath advanced us and that is though we have brought no corruption into the flesh yet we shall reap corruption from it This is a Doctrine which our daily experience abundantly confirms by the frequent turnings changes and vicissitude of things But that our desires should be so unchangeably fixed upon things so mutable must be some great delusion or in the Apostles phrase in a like manifest case a bewitching not to trust our own eyes in what we see every day But because though the World be full of Deceivers we are still the greatest deceivers of our selves let us take it upon the credit of others and those the wisest Kings Solomon and his Father David who may be the better trusted in this for that neither of them were any great enemies to the flesh Solomon when he had run through all the glories pleasures and delights of the world never any King drank deeper in that cup yet he at last wearied sate down to write a Book to teach others that all was Vanity and that is but another word to signifie Corruption And David as well of observation as experience I my self have seen the ungodly in great power flourishing like a green Bay tree I went by and lo he was gone I sought him and his place could no where be found Psal 37.36 And least we should think this the portion onely of the ungodly Psal 49.9 Wise men also die and perish together as well as the ignorant and foolish and leave their riches for others and it may be not that neither For riches saith the Wise man Prov. 23. make themselves wings and fly away from the owner And at another time the Owner too makes himself wings and flies away from them All things in the World are upon the Wing And it is a strange deceit the Prophet observes vers 11. And yet they think that their houses shall continue for ever And to give themselves a kind of Immortality they call them after their own names But they are oft times deceived in that too so far doth Corruption eat into all our designs The lewd people will be the Gossips and name the Child in despite of the Father and that little to his liking or honour We are not sure to enjoy that poor vanity to leave a name behind us upon that which cost us so much care and expense Lastly How well soever he speeds here and that the Glory of his house be increased yet this will be certain vers 17. He shall carry nothing away with him when he dieth neither shall his pomp follow him I do not think by this or any thing that can be said more to make you our of love with the flesh it is neither possible nor needful I shall only for a conclusion of this first part beg in the Apostles name that ye would not be deceived as all are who give more for a thing then it is worth To spend all our time and cost upon that which will be worth nothing or as ill no better then rottenness and corruption I make the more haste through this Field of the Flesh that we may stay the longer in that of the Spirit where our labour and tillage will be to better purpose for ye see the best that can be hoped for from the other is but to flourish as a Flower of that Field and that Psal 103.19 as soon as the wind goeth over it is gone Nullus flos nisi novus Corruption bloweth upon the most florid condition in it But the growth and increase from the field of the Spirit is incorruptible that fadeth not away reserved in heaven for us 1 Pet. 1.4 for he that soweth c. When we see so great a Harvest and yet so few Labourers in the Field some strange delusion there must be wheresoever it lies we must confess the Apostles caution here was no more then needs Be not deceived God is not mocked For is it possible where so good wages are so few should set themselves at work unless they either mistrusted their pay Eternal Life and so mocked God that promised it or mistook the sowing and so deceived themselves Both these would deserve to be well considered but because they who have some diffidence of a life hereafter to come have not the confidence to say so I have not so much spare time as to spend in proving that which they will be ready to say they do not deny I shall therefore now endeavor only to undeceive them if it may be in the vain pretences they make to it in the sowing And here first it will be necessary that whatever else deceives them to see that a misunderstanding of the words give no occasion to it to know what this sowing to the Spirit is and how it comes to make a Title to Everlasting Life for there are no mean Competitors in the same Claim For 1. Christ is the Author of this life For as in Adam all die so in Christ shall all be made alive 1 Cor. 15.4 And 2 Tim. 1.10 Our Lord Jesus Christ hath abolished death and brought life and immortality to light 2. Another Competitor with the Spirit is the Gospel that is the immortal seed of this life Being born again by the Word of God which liveth and abideth for ever 1 Pet. 1.23 It is the Power of God to Salvation 3. Faith puts in to the same Claim The Just shall live by Faith Rom. 1.17 And 1 Tim. 1.16 St. Paul professeth that Jesus Christ had set forth him as a Pattern to all them who should hereafter believe on him to everlasting life Is there yet another way to Everlasting life by sowing to the Spirit It is happy for us that there is any way to it but yet we may be at a loss and confounded where there are so many To remove that fear we must know that all these are but several name of the same thing though in divers appearances and Phases as the Astronomers word is Christ the Gospel Faith and the Spirit do all relate to life everlasting Christ as the Author of it provided all things necessary to it The Gospel as the Register of all that is to be known or done to attain it Faith is our submission and obedience to the Gospel The Spirit is the publisher and preacher of it Ephes 3.5 The mysteries of Christ which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men as it is now revealed unto the Apostles and Prophets by the Spirit And for this reason the Apostle expresly calls the Gospel the Spirit Gal. 3.3 For whereas they having already embraced the Gospel fell back to Circumcision and other rites of the Law severely charges them with folly Are ye so foolish having