Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A13120
|
The gaines of seeking God In two sermons, preached in the parish church of VVestminster: by Christopher Styles.
|
Styles, Christopher.
|
1620
(1620)
|
STC 23412; ESTC S122483
|
26,139
|
54
|
mouth from corrupt communication 2. Oris As in the tongue of a Swine wee doe iudge of the soundnesse of the bodie so by the words of the mouth the cleanenesse of the soule is conceiued for when a good man openeth his mouth behold as it were in a temple the glorious similitude of a holy Soule A good man out of the good treasure of his soule bringeth forth good things therefore let no corrupt communication proceede out of your mouthes but that which is good to the vse of edifying that yee may minister grace vnto the Hearers and grieue not the holy Spirit of God Ià m 3.6 By his euill words wee know that an euill mans tongue is set on fire of Hell And by a good mans words Act. 2.4 we conceiue his tongue to be set on fire by the holy Ghost therefore the holy Prophet exhorteth O sing yee praise with vnderstanding no member without the bodie no part or facultie within the bodie is capeable of vnderstanding but by the soule and only by the powers thereof is vnderstanding infused into other parts as you haue beene taught already if therefore yee will grace your selues and edifie your Brethren and glorifie your God O let your soules speake first vnto your tongues and be a watch vnto your mouthes and set the seale of wisedome vpon your lips that ye may speake with vnderstanding it is the phrase of the wise Iew therefore I pray beare with me The hearts of Fooles is in their mouth but the mouth of the wise is in their heart If therefore you desire to bee counted wise and would not speake like fooles often let your soules take heede vnto your mouthes that you offend not in your tongue according to your words will all men iudge of your liues if your words be prophane your conuersation cannot be holy if your words bee good men will iudge your liues to bee honest by good words the soule is delighted by euill words the soule is grieued But take heede if one of vs will scarce abide where wee haue rude and base entertainment how much rather shall the holy Ghost the soules ghest being daily disquieted with blasphemies and disgrac't with filthy talking seeke to change her habitation and leaue vs destitute of all grace Againe the soule must bee our guide and leade vs in our actions that we may doe all things to the glorie of God Grace is the life of the soule by which only man is taught the knowledge of his sinnes the loue of God 3. Operis and how to cleaue fast vnto him now it is impossible for vs to iudge whether grace be in the soule of man or no but by his outward actions for the habite of the soule is knowne by the workes of the bodie the worke shewes what the soule is euery mans life is as his soule therefore saith our Sauiour let your light so shine before men that they may see your good workes and glorifie your Father which is in Heauen and we say a wicked man hath an vnfaithfull soule a good man is knowne by his workes as a Tree by his fruits do well then and men shall speak well of thee The soule moouing the members of the bodie to doe good makes the whole man delightfull to be in the assembly of the faithfull as the Prophet saith I was glad when they said vnto me we will goe into the House of the Lord and all my delight shall bee in the Saints that dwell vpon Earth and vpon such as excell in Vertue Also she teacheth them innocencie in their priuate life knowing that they are alwayes in the sight of God and therefore they abstayne from all iniquitie and shee teacheth them to deale iustly and charitably with all men Magistrates to deal cōscionably in their Offices Subiects to yeeld reuerent obedience to the Magistrates briefly so to liue one with another that the fruits of our faith may be made manifest vnto all and shee teacheth them of what calling or condition soeuer they be so to exercise themselues in their seuerall vocations that they may bee profitable and helpfull to themselues and priuate Families to the Church and members of God and to the whole Common Wealth wherein they liue Thus you see the qualitie of the soule to keepe vs innocent in our heart our mouthes and our workes which God grant vnto vs for euermore Thirdly Constantiam nutrit it nourisheth Constancie which is these three wayes humiliter accipiendo humbly taking vp our Crosse patienter tolerando patiently bearing our afflictions fideliter diligendo faithfully louing our Fathers correction First humiliter accipiendo while troubles doe assault vs our soules are humbled within vs there is giuen vs a pricke in the flesh to buffet vs lest we should be exalted aboue measure the weake flesh is readie to shunne all incumbrances like the Sluggard that saith There is a Lion in the way and a Beare in the streets or the Spies that spake of the great Gyants of Anacke but the valiant Spirit and soule makes vs willing to meete with any crosse and to embrace euery temptation cheerfully As Iob when hee had lost all his estate and had no friends left him rebuked his Wife for that she would not willingly receiue euil at the hands of God aswell as good likewise holy Dauid said of Shimei hee curseth because God hath bid him curse Dauid and as Paul flyeth not being perswaded not to goe vp to Ierusalem but answered I am readie not to be bound only but also to dye at Hierusalem for the Name of the Lord Iesus He hath done halfe his worke that beginnes well the willingnesse of the soule doth minister strength to the Labourer that he may not faint in the Worke of the Lord nor be wearie of well-doing It makes things that be most hard and difficult to seeme easie to be done therefore begin willingly for by continuall labour strength is attayned this willingnesse is only in the soule Secondly patienter tolerando the state of mans bodie is vtterly vncapeable of griefe but the soule must beare the burthen of affliction Lo Iob 13.15 though hee kill me yet yet will I trust in him Patience is the closet of the soule wherein it is preserued from all iniuries of temptation therefore when Christ our blessed Sauiour told his Disciples of the ruines of the World and terrours of the last times hee wisheth them to possesse their soules with patience This makes the Prouerbe true Vincit qui patitur He that suffereth ouercommeth not with fighting but with patient bearing as Eleasar being readie to giue vp the ghost 2. Mac. 11.30 said The Lord knoweth manifestly that whereas I might haue beene deliuered from death I am scourged and suffer these sore paines of my bodie but in my minde I suffer them gladly for his Religion The stalke of a rotten Apple will not endure the least winde without falling so the patience of an vnfaithfull soule will
of the whole Word is not to be valued to the worth of the soule for what shall it profit a man to winne the whole World and lose his owne soule Wee reade that the holy Saints haue crucified their owne bodies and chastized themselues with hard penance and all that they might saue their soules Gal. 5.4 For they that are Christs haue crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts of it O you holy Saints and dearest friends of God tell vs O tell vs why with so many Watchings so many Prayers and so much Discipline you haue so cruelly mortified your flesh O most glorious Martyrs why haue you exposed your selues to such cruell torments that you haue not refused to die yea euen a violent death with cheerfulnesse embracing such a sentence O blessed Iesus why diddest thou suffer three and thirtie yeeres together hunger thirst labour sweat deepe wounds and finally death it selfe they answere all aloude it was for the soule therefore it is manifest the soule is more precious then all the other things of the world Seeing then all things are but vile in comparison of the soule why doe wee so vainly care for the preseruation of euery thing but the soule our bodies our riches our cattell our garments are curiously deckt and prouided for but alas few men haue any respect at all vnto their soules O vnhappie wretched men why are you so carefull about many things nay euery thing sauing this one thing for which all your care should be bestowed Remember Christs counsell to Maries complayning Sister Martha Martha thou carest and art troubled for many things but one thing only is necessarie O then beloued in the Lord let vs louingly care for this one thing our soule in the faithfull preseruation whereof consisteth all things else that pertaine to mans eternall happinesse which God giue vs grace truly to performe for euer more Amen The third circumstance to be considered whereby to know the dignitie of the soule is by the habitation being capeable of such a glorious Tenant as the Holy Ghost for God hath created the soule to no other end but for himselfe which is to be his habitation so that the soule is called the Temple of God As the Apostle saith 1. Cor. 3.16 Know yee not that yee are the Temple of the Holy Ghost and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you if you bee the holy seate of God thither our Sauiour comming to keepe perpetuall Holidayes hath ordayned all things necessarie for the honour of his entertaynment So long as God dwels in the soule of a iust man Psal 91.1 Hee hath commanded an Host of Angels to guard him Hee shall giue his Angels charge ouer thee to keepe thee in all thy wayes Psal 34.7 And the Angell of the Lord tarryeth round about them that feare him to deliuer them Behold the dignitie of the soule how God hath appointed the Angels that are so noble Creatures to bee their keepers Man made lower then the Angels yet lo attended by them Surely its great dignitie to the soule that euery man at his birth hath an Angell chosen to bee his keeper And this Angell is so employed about our businesse as a Messenger alwaies running betwixt the Beloued and her Loue offering our Desires and Prayers as an acceptable Sacrifice vnto God and bringing downe the Royall Present of Gods holy Gifts into the soule still stirring vp the soule to all good workes and labouring to appease Gods wrath that it should neuer bee kindled against vs this Royal prerogatiue of the soule to entertayne God as a Ghest truely describes the dignitie of the same which all this while is attended with an Armie of heauenly Souldiers 2. Kin. 6.17 Againe whilest God inhabiteth the righteous soule he makes it a continuall feast in the large open Chamber of a quiet conscience and giues them the Bread of Life to feed vpon euen by breaking his owne precious Bodie vnto them the effect of bread is to preserue life and to strenghten mans heart So Christ that is the true Bread come downe from Heauen giueth them spirituall Bread his Bodie thereby to preserue the life of the soule Labour not then for the meate that perisheth but for the meate that endureth to euerlasting life which the Sonne of man shall giue vnto you for him hath the Father sealed Againe yet whilest God in habiteth the righteous soule hee bringeth her a greater blessing then Caleb could bestow vpon his Danghter although hee gaue her the Springs aboue the Springs beneath a rich Dowrie Iosh 15.19 For whereas Man by nature and sinne is made barren of all Grace yet being bathed and washed in the euer-streaming Fountaine of Christs Bloud by Repentance and renewed by the Grace that is brought vnto her through our Lord Iesus Christ She is made fruitfull in euery good worke and to walke acceptably before God The Apostle shewing the Corinthians That the vnrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdome of GOD saith such were some of you but ye are washed but yee are sanctified behold the dignitie of the soule in the estimation of her price For saith the Apostle yee are bought with a price 1. Cor. 6.20 Great is the price of the soule whome nothing could redeeme but the bloud of Iesus Christ God make vs carefull of this dignitie for euermore through Iesus Christ our Lord Amen In the second place we are to consider the qualitie of the soule which may bee vnderstood in the three powers of the soule which I told you of before and is mentioned in this word your First Sapientiam docet It teacheth vs Wisedome Secondly Munditiam seruat It preserueth vs in Innocencie Thirdly Constantiam nutrit it nourisheth our Constancie who were else vtterly vnable to fight that great and tedious battaile betweene vs our spirituall enemies It teacheth vs wisedome three wayes intelligende praeterita by vnderstanding the things long since past Iudicanda praesentia in being able to discerne and iudge of those things that bee now present Expectando futura in expecting good things to bee receiued hereafter at the hands of God First Intelligendo praeterita bona Animae Sapientiae Wisedome is the treasure of the soule a good man knoweth all things which God hath made to be knowne aswell those things of the World which are past as the things that are to come euen the inuisible things of God that is his eternall Power and Godhead are seene by the Creation of the World being considered in the Creatures his Workes This made Dauid sing The Heauens declare the glorie of God and the Fi mament sheweth his handy-worke the soule is only capeable of Reason and therefore considering the worthinesse of her selfe the vilenesse of the bodie and the shortnesse of this life therefore she chuseth rather to prouide for the Life to come which is immortall then to regard at all this life which is so transitorie this makes vs to worship