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	place_n	son_n	5,610	5	5.5818	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A57160	A sermon preached in St. Paul's before the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor by Dr. Edward Reynolds, late Lord Bishop of Norwich.	Reynolds, Edward, 1599-1676.	1678 (1678)	Wing R1285; ESTC R28475	20,299	33

what God the Lord will say Psal. 5. 8. That which goes unto God must first come from him as waters return to the sea 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as one well spake we must pay our tribute in the Princes own coyn we must not out our dead child into his bosom and think he will own it And here if I had time it would be worth the pains to insist a little on the plenitude of Holy Scripture which the Ancients so much adored and so it behoves all Gods Ministers both sacred and civil never to speak any thing by the authority of God except we have his Indicavit and requisivit to bear us out Having always an eye to that dreadfull intermination He that speaks any thing in my name which I have not commanded him even that Prophet shall dye Deut. 18. 20. It would infinitely conduce to the peace of the Church and State to the honour of Religion and justice and to the avoiding of envy or scandal if every person in his order would regulate all his demeanours and administrations with a Quid requisivit what is it that God would have me to do And lastly since we cannot do our duty without an Indicavit from him they shall all be taught of God therefore his indicavit should be seconded by our Meditation his requisivit with our requesting his precepts and promises with our prayers for he will be sought unto for what he promiseth Ezech. 36. 37. That he would make his way plain before our eyes that so we may not only do the things which he requireth but in doing them to walk with him For the very Philosopher could say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is not the matter but the manner makes up the work 1. Then it must be ambulation a constant tenor a good man must be always like himself Do what you can to gold it will keep its nature in the fire That is gold in justice and mercy indeed which in all cases when persons passions prejudices favour interests offer to immix themselves keeps its nature intire still 2. It must be Cum Deo with an eye to God his word the rule his fear the principle his glory the end that wha● we do may not be for the gratifying of men that we m●● walk honourably before them but for the pleasing of God that we may walk acceptably before him for else God will complain of them as he did of those in the Prophet Did you do it to me even to me saith the Lord Zach. 7. 5. 3. It must be done with seeking of God but yet it must be with denying of our selves when we have done justice and loved mercy and pleased God we may rejoyce in it we may not boast of it we must walk humbly still like the Moon the nearer we come to the Sun of righteousness the less glory we must assume unto our selves Our justice must stand in fear of Gods justice lest that consume it and our mercy must cry to Gods mercy that that may cover it If Moses the justest and meekest man in his generation will appear before God he must have a hiding place to cover him Exod. 34. 21. When we have done the uttermost we can we must go to God as Nehemiah did Remember me O God spare me according to the multitude of thy mercies Neh. 13. 22. Non gloriabor quia justus sum sed gloriabor quia redemptus sum as St. Ambrose speaks Our righteousness here stands not in the perfection of our virtues but in the remission of our sins Vae etiam laudabili vitae hominum si remotâ misericordiâ discutias eam But this is our great comfort and security that as stubble being covered with Amianthum as Athanasius speaks can endure the fire so we have Christ and his righteousness with which men cannot only stand before God but walk with him too as with Our God 4. In faith and confidence Take away the Sun and all the Stars of Heaven would never make day So if a man have as many moral virtues as there be Stars in the firmament and were destitute of faith in Christ the Sun of righteousness have not God for his God there would be night and calamity in his soul still Without faith there is no walking with God for two will not walk together unless they 〈◊〉 agreed Amos 3. 3. But O what madness is it for man to disagree with God for Adam to arm himself with fig-leaves against his maker 〈◊〉 briars to rise in rebellion against fire or smoke to withstands a whirlwind Remember thy nature that will teach thee thy duty For he hath shewed thee O man And what is man Abraham will tell us in two words Dust and Ashes Dust by his original which came from Earth Ashes by desert which carry him to the fire Revel 20. 10. The Law a Law of fire Deuter. 33. 2. The prison a lake of fire Revel 20. 10. the Judge a consuming fire Heb. 12. 18. with whom he may not contend Eccl. 6. 10. from whom he cannot escape Psal. 129. 7. Consider then what thou art O man submit to a severe judgment where there is a record kept an appeal entred a writ of Error inforced against every miscarriage of thine Therefore O man do justly and being of the same mould with thy Brother set thy self in his stead Iob 16. 4. We are all of us like leaves of trees as Homer elegantly That wind which blows away my neighbour to day may blow away me to morrow That mercy that I deny to him I may live to see denied to my self The rich man who withheld erums was denyed drops Luc. 16. 24. Consider then what thou art O man guilty of sins subject to misery thou art forced to beg mercy be perswaded to love it Again consider thou art Adam Earth and that is the lowest of all the elements Dust thou art said God to man Dust thou shalt eat said God to the Serpent So man is fitter to be a prey to Satan than a companion to his Maker Of this dust indeed God made a vessel and put a treasure of knowledg and righteousness in it But what reason hath the cup to be proud of the wine or the bag of the money which men put into it Thou hast received why shouldst thou boast 1 Cor. 4. 7. But we are become now broken vessels that retain nothing but dregs our drink is become Merum Resract arium sour and corrupt Hag. 4. 18. The pot is become a potsherd Consider then O man that thou art made of Earth though made for Heaven in the one respect walk with God but in the other respect humble thy self to do it Te ad sidera tollet No advancement to such an humility Thou hast his Majesty to awe thee no approaching his presence but by Humility with that man will I dwell that is of an humble Spirit Isaiah 57. 15. Zaccheus must come down if he will have Christ abide in his House Luke 19. 5. Thou hast his mercy to aid thee he will shew thee what is good The meek he will guide in judgment Psalm 25. 9. and therefore he hath chosen these two Humble graces as pipes to convey mercy to the soul by faith which teacheth us to deny our selves Phil. 3. 9. and repentance which teacheth us to abhorr our selves Ezekiel 6. 9. Thou hast his example to instruct thee Who is like to the Lord our God who dwelleth on high and humbleth himself Psal. 113. 5. Christ a King one who doth justly and loveth mercy yet he humbleth himself Phil. 2. 8. see all three virtues together Zach. 9. 9. Behold the King cometh to thee just having salvation and yet lowly too Thou hast his Glory to reward thee H● alloweth thee to look on his Law not only as holy 〈◊〉 just ●●●self but as good unto thee Rom. 2. 12. D●th not my word do good to those that walk uprightly Mic. 2. 7. He alloweth thee to look in and by the Requisivt his authority but to Quid bonum thy own felicity The duties performed are obedience only to him but they are benefits to thee not by way of debt or condignity in thy work but by way of promise and covenant from his grace Thy will chooseth thy prayer desireth thy hope expecteth All the comfort thou canst have 〈◊〉 communion with 〈◊〉 here all the glory thou must have by fruition of God hereafter must come by Justice Mercy and Hlumility And now having so great duties to do so great a teacher to instruct so great authority to obey so great a reward to 〈…〉 rage let each man in his place do justly love mercy and humble himself to walk with God here that God may exalt him to live with him hereafter Now to God the Father God the Son and God the Holy Spirit three persons and one immortal invisible only wise God be all glory majestie and thanksgiving for ever Amen FINIS

If one man sin against another the judge shall judge him but if a man sin against God who shall intreat for him 1 Sam. 2. 25. He is not a man as thou art that thou shouldst answer him or come together in judgment Iob 9. 32. Are calves or rams or children fit to be Umpires betwixt a sinner and his God All thy former resolutions though apparently full of zeal and devotion and voluntary humility neglecting thy estate thy body thy bowels adventuring all for mercy were but the poor dictates of flesh and blood all of them but the nudum hominem as the Apostle speaks 1 Cor. 3. 3. as if a beggar should offer a bag full of farthings or his Child at his back to a Prince for his Crown Not thy Sacrifices nor thy offerings nor thy rams nor thy rivers or thy Children or thy bowels will serve the turn But Ille indicavit He hath shewed thee O man what is good to thy self and to God in his eyes and account Not Sacrifice and offerings he desireth them not he delighteth not in them Psa. 51. 16. but to do judgment and love mercy And yet we may not think that God is careless of his outward worship or of any of that external order and decency which belongs unto it If they bring the lame the sick or any corrupt thing for a Sacrifice they shall hear of it with a curse Mal. 1. 8. 14. All things are to be done decently and in order Thus when Ezra read in the Book of the law the people stood up and when he prayed they bowed down their heads and lifted up their hands Nehe. 8. 5 6. When our Saviour prayed he lifted up his eyes to Heaven Ioh. 17. 1. When the solemn services were ended the people bowed the head and worshipped 2 Chron. 29. 29. As men use a dead hedge to preserve a quick even so the due observance of that outward order in the people of God which he hath appointed doth serve both to express and to bear up that awful and reverend affectation which the soul should have of him But there is the misery and the mistake that evil men being wholly carnal do rest and stop at that part of Gods service which stands in carnal ordinances not being either able or willing to perform spiritual services for want of spiritual and holy affections and then in this case the Holy Spirit is express 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 10. 5 6. Thou didst not require them to be performed and when they were obtruded upon thee thou didst take no delight in them And he told his people he would not reprove them for their Sacrifices they were continually before him but for their sins he would reprove them Psa. 50. 8. If Cain sacrifice to God and hate his Brother if Doeg be detained before the Lord and have a violent spirit against David if the Pharisees make long prayers and then devour Widows Houses If Israel hear the Prophet and admire the Sermon and run still after their covetousness if the people inquire of God and set up idols in their hearts if they cry The Temple the Temple and in the mean time swear and murther and commit adultery if Iudas kiss and then betray him if the Souldiers bow the knee and then crucify him if the eye look to Heaven and the Soul cleave to the Earth if the knee bow to the earth and the heart lift it self against Heaven if there be a tender body and a stubborn spirit if the tongue flatter God and the Conscience despise him if a man cherish a Schism within himself have the outside for God and the inside for lust I will not say as Achilles in the Poet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but I will say as Christ in the Gospel Go learn what that meaneth I will have mercy and not sacrifice Go learn and take heed of whom you learn If you have not an ille indicavit a direction from him you will still be to seek of your duty As we cannot see the Sun but by its own light so we cannot know God or his worship but by divine revelation Look how far he is pleased to stoop unto us so far we are also to mount unto him Moses was to do all things according to the pattern in the Mount Act. 7. 44. Heb. 8. 5. And the Apostles Commission in the Gospel is the same teaching them to observe all things what soever I commanded you Mat. 28. 20. It must first seem good to the Holy Ghost and then to them Act. 15. 29. They must declare nothing to the Church but what they have received They from us and we from them 1 Cor. 11. 20. 2 Tim. 2. 2. We must not serve ex arbitrio but ex imperio as Tertull. speaks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith St. Basil The Scripture doth not comply with us but we must submit to that The ruler is not to be leaded to the stone but the stone to be squared by the ruler our straining and wrying of Gods word to our own humours is a sin which hath damnation attending it 2 Pet. 3. 16. and we find God finding great fault with such service obtruded upon him as hath not entred into his heart Ier. 7. 32. For as at the omission of what he commands we despise his will so in obtruding what he commands not we controll his Wisdome in the one we shew our selves careless to obey him in the other we shew ourselves presumptuous to counsel him We are the servants of it and the servant as the Philosopher saith hath no motion but from the guidance of the principal cause Namque coquus domini debet habere gulam The cook must dress his meat to his Masters palate not to his own That Spartan which added one string more to his instrument in the war than was publickly allowed him though he mended his musick yet he marred his obedience and he was punished for it And therefore in all our conversation especially religious and toward God it is most wisdome and safest to keep toward our standard and publick rule I have now done with the implicit reprehension of defective and invented service and proceed now to the great things of the Law in the text required judgment and mercy that to be done this to be loved The same water with is sour in the juice of a fig-tree is sweet in the fruit And as we have found that devotion in the outside and bark of religion is but sour and unpleasing so if you taste it now in the power and fruit of it you will find it exceeding sweet for the best sacrifice which any man can offer is a purelife as the Father speaks Many duties in scripture are of a narrow and contracted nature some only spiritual belonging to the soul others only corporal belonging to the body as the Apostle distinguisheth of some filthiness of the flesh and spirit but these which are very often twins in scripture have a