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 son_n word_n 22,511 5 4.8766 4 true
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A89018 Spiritual vvisdom improved against temptation. In a sermon preached at Stepney Septemb. 16. 1660. And now made publick to obviate misrepresentation. By Matthew Meade. Mead, Matthew, 1630?-1699. 1660 (1660) Wing M1559; Thomason E1045_12; ESTC R202905 17,363 37

There are 2 snippets containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

wear a Surplice then to pinch our carkass Thus many it is to be feared destroy their consciences to keep their places and conform against their judgements to preserve their profits this is as if a man to save his hat should lose his head or as if a man should sink the ship to avoid the storm Alas poor souls how are they fallen in the hour of temptation Suppose a man were put to this either he must swear canonical obedience or he must be put to silence either he must prostitute the seals to all or he must preach to none Either he must take up the ceremonies or lay down his Ministry This would be a great temptation which part ought a man to chuse in this case Why you will say It is pitty but such a man should preach I but it is greater pitty that he should sin you will say He may do much good in his Ministry would he but conform I but he must not do evil that good may come on it Rom. 3.8 If I suffer for conscience sake God is honoured but if I sin for Gods sake he is dishonoured for my lye cannot advance his glory and 3.7 and therefore the resolution of the three children is a good pattern we will not worship the image thou hast set up So that if when temptation brings me under a dilemma I chuse that part of the dilemma which is for Gods glory though to my loss rather then that part which is for Gods dishonour and my gain then I walk wisely in temptation 9. Wisdom lies in a diligent endeavour to improve grace by temptation As the Israelites were multiplied by being oppressed Exod. 1.12 it is said The more they were afflicted the more they grew so a true Israelite the more he is tempted the more is his grace encreased as trees are the deeper rooted by the wind that most shakes them so beleevers are most strengthned by the temptations that most try them Temptation is the Devils bellows which he brings to blow out the spark of that heavenly fire that is in us but as the breath of the bellows makes the fire flame the more so the blasts of temptation make grace increase the more God hath an over-ruling hand over temptation and he turns them to good when Satan intends them for hurt and makes grace prosper by that very means whereby Satan hopes to make it wither Thus can God out-shoot Satan in his own bow So then if I labour to grow in grace in time of temptation if I turn a tempting season into a growing season then do I walk wisely in temptation 10. It is wisdom in temptation to use no indirect means for riddance but to rest upon the promise for deliverance There is no temptation that can befalus but God hath made a suitable promise to releive us that so we might not sinfully deliver our selves but patiently rest on him for deliverance He hath promised to tread Satan under our feet to bind the strong man Rom. 16.20 not to suffer us to be tempted above what we are able but to make a way for us to escape Cor. 10. that we may be able to bear it O that Christians would study the promise and converse much with the promise in time of temptation Heb. 13.5 God hath promised never to for sake us and therefore neyer let us forsake the promise There are three things very remarkable in every promise The faithfulness of the Father who gives it Owen The grace of the Son which is the matter of it The power of the Spirit which accomplisheth it The faithfulness of the Father makes the promise good to us The grace of the Son makes the promise sweet to us The efficacy of the Spirit make the promise good in us So that the promise is a sure resting place for a tempted soul Now then if in temptation I use no indirect means for riddance but rest upon the promise for deliverance then do I walk wisely in temptation 11. The wisdom of walking in temptation lieth in not yielding to temptation Temptation from Satan is our suffering but it is from our selves if it becomes our sin The Devil may flatter us but he cannot force us He may provoke but without our consent he cannot prevail He may tempt us unto sin but he cannot tempt us into sin He could never come into the house if we did not open the door Iam 1. ● Every man is tempted when when he is assaulted no but when he is drawn away of his own lust and onticed The true procreating cause of sin is in every mans soul Satan is the Father of temptation but the heart is the Mother of sin Suggestion without could do nothing were it not for corruption within it is not calliditas diaboli decipientis Aug. de ●ec orig l 2 ap 37. but voluntas hominis consentientis outward crast could do nothing without inward lust Satan woes our wills but we will our own woes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the fire is in our wood though it be the Devils flame we may do the Devil wrong as bad as he is to lay all our sins at his door as though we were innocent For though the Bastard be gotten by him it is conceived and brought forth by us This is an old trick as old as Adam when God asketh him Go● 3.11 12. Hast thou eaten of the tree I forbad thee mark how he shifteth it off The woman which thou gavest to be with me she gave me of the fruit of the tree and I did eat And when God comes to the woman and asketh What is this that thou hast done saith she the Serpent beguiled me and I did eat Adam shifteth the fault from himself to the woman and she from her self to the Serpent But had not they been willing what could the Serpent have done if we are tempted it is Satans fault but if we yeild it is our guilt Sceva at the siege of Dyrrachium so long alone resisted Pompeys Army that he had two hundred and twenty darts sticking in his shield and lost one of his eyes and yet gave not over till Caesar came in to his rescue Deut. 22.23 to 2● Under the Law if a man met a Damsel and lay with her if she consented she dyed but if she cryed out she was innocent and acquitted So if when Satan assaults us he obtaines consent from us we die for fin when it is finished brings forth death Iam. 1.15 But if we consent not but cry out to Christ for help against temptation we shall be delivered So that if I stand out and yeild not when temptation comes if I consent not to the sin the temptation leads to if though Satan perswades yet he prevailes not then I walk wisely in temptation 12. The wisdom of walking in temptation lyeth in praying much when we are tempted much this is the Lord Christs own counsell Watch
to the blood of Christ and it cannot stand before that Now then if I oppose not temptations by my own Reason but bring them to the blood of Christ to extinguish them then I walk wisely in temptation 5. It is wisdom to lay in provision in time of temptation To store the heart with somewhat that may keep temptation out There is Gospel provision which if laid up in the heart will keep our all temptation from entring to hurt Mat. 26 ●● and that is the sence of the love of God in Christ Though we be under temptation yet this will keep us from entring into temptation sense of the love of God in Christ doth constrain grace and restrain sin it strengthens the new man and weakens the old and there temptation never prospereth where grace flourisheth and sin withereth Now then If I lay in suitable provision in time of temptation that may be a help to preserve me when Satan doth assault me then I walk wisely in temptation 6. The wisdom of walking in temptation lieth in fighting Satan with Scripture weapons There is not a temptation of Satan which the word doth not arm you against It is storied that a certain Jew should have poysoned Luther but was prevented by his picture which was sent to Luther with a warning from a faithful friend that he should take heed of such a man when he saw him by which means Luther knew the murderer and prevented the design The Scripture doth not only warn us and shew us the face of those lusts which Satan worketh by to destroy us but it armeth us against them Satan is never so worsted as when Scripture weapons are used Those shafts strike Satan to the quick that are taken out of Gods quiver 1 Sam. 17.40 9. David with stones out of the Brook slays Goliah that enemy of Israel so with stones out of the Brook of Scripture may we conquer this enemy of God and souls When the Lord Christ was forty days together combating with Satan Luk. ●● he useth onely Scripture arguments When he tempts him to turn stones into bread Christ answers him with Scripture It is written Man liveth not by bread alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God Mat. 4.4 When he tempts him to cast himself down from the pinacle of the Temple Christ urgeth Scripture again It is written Thon shalt not tempt the Lord thy God vers 7. And so when he tempteth him to worship him still Christ opposeth Scripture to the Tempter It is written Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serve vers 10. Thus the Lord Christ fetcheth arguments out of Scripture and with these puts to flight the Tempter The word of God hath a power in it to quash all Satans temptations do but oppose his assaults with Scripture commands and he will never be able to stand And therefore the Apostle giveth good advice in this very case of opposing Satan Ephes 6.17 Take the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God So that if in temptation I oppose Satan with scripture weapons if I urge scripture injunctions against the serpents suggestions and so set Gods wisdom against Satans cunning then I walk wisely in temptation 7. It is wisdom to look upon temptation as broken and overcome in Christ and to consider Satan as a conquered enemy This will not make us the less careful but the less fearful All the temptations that befal the people of God are already overcome in Christ For this purpose the Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the Devil 1 Joh. 3.5 The Lord Christ was a common person and that not only in his death but in his life Christ was not born for himself but for us Isa 9.6 To us a child is born to us a son is given Rom. 5.19 Gal. 3.13 He did not obey for himself but for us By the obedience of one shall many be made righteous He did not dye and suffer for himself but for us He was made a curse for us Whatever evil Christ did undergo he underwent it for us he was tempted for us he broke Satans head for us As when Adam was tempted he being a common person we were all tempted in him and he falling in the temptation we fell in him Omnes er amus ille unus homo So when the Lord Christ lived in the world and was tempted by Satan we were tempted in him and when he conquered we conquered in him so that we are more then conquerors through him that loved us Rom. 8.37 Satan now through the victory of the cross is a conquered enemy He fights against the members of Christ with broken weapons for the Captain of our salvation hath spoiled Principalities and powers Col 2.15 So that if I look upon temptation as broken and Satans power as spoiled and overcome by the death and cross of Christ then I walk wisely in temptation 8. If the temptation travel with a dilemma or difficulty on each hand and the Christian chuseth that part of the dilemma that is for the glory of God though grievous to the flesh rather then that part that is profitable and gratifying to the flesh but tending to the dishonor of God then he walks wisely Sometimes the people of God are brought to such straights by temptation that either they must sin much to avoid suffering or suffer much to avoid sinning Their own carnal advantage and outward safety lieth through sin but the glory of God lieth through suffering Such a dilemma was that which the three children were brought into by their temptation Dan. 3.11 they must either turn or burn either they must bow to the image the King had set up or burn in the furnace he had caused to be heat If they worshipped the Image they should obey the Kings command but then they broke the command of God if they did not worship they should provoke the Kings displeasure but then they kept in Gods favour If they did worship they dishonoured the God of Sion if they did not worship they provoked the King of Babylon Here is the dilemma now see how wisely they chuse vers 17 18. If it be so our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the fiery furnace and he will deliver us out of thine hand O King But if not be it known unto thee O King we will not serve thy gods nor worship the Image which thou hast set up What a choyce spirit is this not found in every house where the profession of Religion is hanged out at the door How many in this hour of temptation are caught in this ensnaring trial what say some Come let us rather conform to the ceremonies then lose our liberties rather let us bow at the name of Jesus then lose all for the sake of Jesus it is better to baptize with the cross then to bear the cross and to