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	true_a	worship_v	8,171	5	9.5442	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A14708	Certaine godlie homelies or sermons vpon the prophets Abdias and Ionas conteyning a most fruitefull exposition of the same. Made by the excellent lerned man, Rodolph Gualter of Tigure. And translated into Englishe, by Robert Norton. Minister of the worde in Suffolke.	Gwalther, Rudolf, 1519-1586.; Norton, Robert, minister of the worde in Suffolke.	1573 (1573)	STC 25010; ESTC S103038	125,106	338

wold be worshipped and had promised that he woulde there heare the prayers of such as cried vnto him It is truth in déed yet had hée neuer forbiddē but the in other places also prayers might be offred vnto him But as we euery where haue néede of his helpe so hath he giuen vs frée libertie to crie vnto him euery where Examples are extant which testifie howe holie men that reuerenced God prayed in all places whensoeuer occasion was offred The Israelites cryed betwéene the bricke and the claye and were hearde of god Moyses made his supplication at the redde sea shoare and forthewith heareth God saying vnto him Moyses vvherefore cryest thou And it appeareth euidently inough out of the Psalmes and holie historie that Dauid made his petitions in woods in dennes and vpon his couche We reade also that Daniels companions which wer in the fornace and Daniel himself being enuironed with Lyons were perfectely heard What néedeth it to speake here of Christe who as in his owne person he often prayed in the mountaines so he also sayth vnto vs Thou vvhen thou prayest enter into thy chamber c. This is excéedingly to our consolation that we are sure of Gods eares alwayes open to them that crie vnto him and therwithal it reproueth them that wold bind bothe Praying and Gods grace to certaine places This hath ben an olde errour and Christe himselfe confuteth it when as to the woman of Samaria mouing a question as touching this matter he answereth VVoman beleeue me the houre commeth vvhen as neither in this mountayne nor yet at Ierusalem ye shall vvorship the father But the houre commeth and novv is vvhen the true vvorshippers shall vvorship the father in spirite and truth And Paule commaundeth men to pray in all places and lifte vp pure hands vnto God. 1. Tim. 2. I knowe in dede that God in times past adorned his temple with excéeding ample promises and that Gods Churche hath their oratories wherein prayers may be made but those olde promises had respecte vnto Christ whome al that seruice of the temple did shadowe and at this day for the continuing of holy assemblies and publike prayers it is requisite to haue some certaine place which it is conueniente to kepe holy and sundred from all prophane vses Yet in the meane season we must constantly retaine that libertie whiche God hath granted to euery one whereby to call vppon him priuately at home and abroade as ofte as necessite heautly oppressing vs or the holy spirite secretly inspiring vs doth stirre vs vp to pray Thirdly is expressed very diligently at what time Ionas prayd In my trouble saith he I cried vnto the Lorde And againe Out of the bellie of the graue or of hell for the Hebrew word whiche he vseth here signifieth both did I crie This setteth out the most grieuous streightes and afflictions wherewith the Prophete was assailed at that season whereof at this time we néede not to speake for that he himselfe wyll afterwarde with more words set out at large what thoughts he had in his minde This one thing let vs diligently note that the distresses whiche he felte both of body and minde were so much the heuter bycause that he knewe God had laide them vppon him as being offended with hys sinne But he cried vnto the Lorde and was heard We sée then that afflictions are no lette but that we may call vppon God yea that then also is it lawfull for vs euen when we suffer punishemente as oure heynous sinnes haue deserued For as GOD in laying hys rodde vppon vs goeth not aboute oure destruction but amendement and as it is not the least token of oure amendement if wée tourne vnto him when he striketh vs crauing helpe at his hande So doth God also neuer caste them off who in this maner behaue themselues And bicause prayer appertayneth to the confession of our faith which fayth shineth out so muche the cléerer as the troubles wherout we couet to be deliuered are the gréeuouser it followeth that God can not but verie well accept suche kynde of prayers Let this then be oure consolation and staye vs vp when so euer the weighing eyther of our punishmentes or of oure sinnes shall goe aboute to withstand our prayers and accuse vs as vnworthie to be heard of god For euen then is it laufull tyme to pray yea then most of all is it conuenient to lifte vp our minds wholly and instantely to wearie the eares of God neyther must we doubt at all of the fatherly goodnesse of God whiche then chiefly extendeth it selfe when hée perceyueth that his owne children are in dangerous estate of miscarying Fourthly let vs also mark the maner of Ionas prayer Héerevnto belongeth it that is mēcioned of Ionas how he prayed vnto God whome afterward also he nameth his god This is an excéeding argument of Faith sith that although hée knewe he had gréeuously offended yet euen in the middest of his punishmentes he acknowledgeth GOD for his owne whiche thing fleshely reason will neuer be hable to doe vnlesse it be lyghtened with the light of fayth Againe he sayth that he not onely prayed but also cryed yea that he brayed out or rather began a tumult in himselfe For he vseth suche a worde here as dothe not signifie simply to crye but to be troublesome to one with crying and yelling It expresseth therfore his feruente and vncessant prayers as wherwithall if any suche thing mighte truly be applyed vnto God he euen tired God himselfe Notable was this change and full of admiration which hapned in Ionas For he who not long before fled from the presence of God and slepte in carelesse securitie nowe béeing found out in his vngraciousnesse cryeth and yelleth out vnto him And by this example we are admonished that in praying before al other thinges faith is required without the which it is vnpossible for vs to drawe néere vnto god Hovv shall they call vpon him sayth Paule on vvhome they haue not beleeued Rom. 10. And Iames in his first chapter testifieth that they shall obtaine nothing which pray without faith It will therfore greatly be auaylable for vs diligently to be conuersant in the consideration of Gods promises and benefites done of olde tyme therby to confirme our selues in faithe But for that God sometime deferreth his ayde when as he séeth it néedfull eyther to haue vs longer corrected or our faith still exercised together with this confidence in praying there is also a constant inuincible perseuerance required Therof doth Christe put vs in remembrance whereas he willeth vs not only to pray but also to knock and séeke And hereto chiefly tendeth the parable of the widowe who by hir importune and continuall crie at length ouercame the eares euen of the wicked iudge Heinous therfore and verie hurtfull is their errour which will prescribe God certaine limites and if they be not fauourably heard incontinently dare call in doubt the goodnesse and power of

rather a perplexitie For Ataph is as muche to say as to couer and to hide or to wrappe in And by translation it is applyed to the Soule for that it when as dangers are imminent on euery side séemeth so to be wrapped soldē in with an huge heape of eares and intricate thoughtes that a man can appointe no certeintie how to deale euen in his owne matters Hereof doth Dauid complayne when as in the Psalmes he saith Hovv lōg shall I tosse thoughts in my soule and sorovve in my hert al the day long And againe VVhy arte thou troubled O my soule and vvhy arte thou so disquieted vvithin me Neyther is it to be doubted but that Ionas béeing in the whales bellie was tossed wyth hys thoughtes as it hadde bene with terrible byllowes and coulde not certaynely determine with hymselfe what were beste to bée done But when as saith he my soule was thus wrapped in and now being ouercome with sundrie cares was cothing away I thought vpon the Lorde This was not a vain or flitting remembrance suche as nowe and then springeth vp in the mindes euen of the vngodly but such a one as meditated both vpon the promises of God and also on the couenaunt it selfe together wyth his olde benefites the considering whereof dothe wonderfully encrease faith exciting them to ardent prayers and full of confidence who before tyme gaue ouer in temptations Therefore addeth hee And my prayer came in vnto thee euen into thy holye Temple Wheras although by the word Temple he meaneth the Heauen which is called the palace and throne of God for that therein his maiestie and puissaunce dothe chiefly appeare yet neuerthelesse doubt I not but therewithall he hath respecte to the promises made concernyng the Temple and the outward sacrifices whereby he confirmed his faith as lately hath bene sayde This then is his meaning Although in the depth of the sea I had my abiding within the bowels of the Whale yet had I in mynde bothe thée and thy couenant the seales wherof all that worship of the Temple ordeyned by thy appoyntment doth conteine And for this cause did I crye vnto thée neyther were my prayers in vayn but they pierced thorough the verie heauen and came vp euen into thy sight And here may we sée howe Ionas was occupied chiefly aboute two thinges For both he had in remembraunce God his promises and also beeing established in faith he poured out his prayers vnto the Lord wherby he craued for his aide Neither did he it onely at that presente but therwithall he learned that he muste also do the same afterwarde giueth out his owne example to be folowed of all men whiche oute of aduersitie couet to escape safe For this is the propertie of the godlie that although they be verie greuously tempted yet doe they neuer shake off all myndfulnesse of God but by the remembraunce of his promyses doe they staye vp their faithe and béeing instructed of Gods good will by his benefites doone of olde time they vse also for euer after to put their whole hope of saluation in him alone And this truly is the principal vse of all the benefites of God which he bestoweth either vpon other men or vpon our selues Neither shal they at any time be frustrate of their hope who soeuer wil imitate Ionas example For Blessed is the man sayth the Prophet vvhich trusteth in the Lord and vvhose hope is the Lorde Again Blessed is he that hath the God of Iacob for his helpe and vvhose hope is the Lord his god Psa. 17. Psa 146. Howebeit that Ionas mighte yet the more commende the doctrine which may be gathered by his example in the other part of this comparison he bringeth forth the mainteiners of superstitions compareth by a contrarietie their brickle and deceytfull estate with the felicitie of the godly They that holde sayth he of lying vanities vvill forsake his mercie Lying vanities that is to witte most fonde and deceiptfull vanities he termeth all that whiche men fansie vnto themselues of their owne brayne to putte any hope of saluation therein Vnder this title therefore may be accompted straunge gods idols superstitious worshippings mens ayde mens imaginations good workes or merites and whatsoeuer else of this kynde may be deuised For if wée will somwhat narowly view these things we shall finde them to be suche as that with Salomon we maye worthily exclame Vanitie of vanities and all is but plaine vanitie For as touching strange gods it is manifest that besides a vayne name they haue nothyng at all syth that in the nature of thinges they haue not so much as a being And bicause there be no gods at all it foloweth of necessitie that the images which are set vp for them be lykewise nothyng This verie thing the Apostle also noted 1. Cor. 8. As for the other that are reared vp to represent the true God what are they but mere lyes seeing it is a playn case that God can not by any image be represented VVhom vvil ye make me lyke crieth he himself by the Prophet and vvhome shall I be lyke Al caruers of images are vanitie and the things that they so couet profite nothing at al. They must beare record themselues that seing they can neither see nor vnder stand they shal be cōfounded VVho dare then make a god or fashiō an image that can do no good Many like places might here be brought in whiche for shortnesse sake we omit seing that such as reade the scriptures may be acquainted with thē euerywhere And as for superstitious worshippings it is euident that God cannot be so worshipped with outward thinges but sith he is a spirite he wil be worshipped in spirite truth Most fonde therfore is all that confidence whiche is placed in outwarde ceremonies And what need we to make any mention of mens helps and counsels when as Al flesh is grasse and all the glorie therof as the floure of the fielde Yea and Hieremie pronounceth all them accurssed which take fleshe for their arme And Dauids voyce is this Put not your trust in Princes being children of men for ther is no help in them Of lyke value also be all our works and merites For what may they merite who of themselues are not able so muche as to thinke a good thought and whose righteousnesse being like a filthy shroude patched of sundry ragges can not therefore stand in the presence of Gods iudgemēt For this reason doth the prophet rightly terme them lying vanities adding thys therwithall They that holde of them vvill forsake his mercie By this woorde Mercie he vnderstandeth euen God himselfe who how great soeuer he be is altogether mercie and in verie déede the mercie for men for that he offereth him selfe to vs neyther departeth from vs vnlesse wée fyrst forsake him as they do which holde of vanities that is whiche place not all hope of saluation in him