Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	flesh_n	ghost_n	holy_a	8,217	5	5.2639	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A44606	A discourse concerning Ananias and Saphira wherein is laid open thier sin & punishment. By William Houghton, minister of Ordsoll in Nottinghamshire.	Houghton, William, preacher at Bicknor in Kent.	1661 (1661)	Wing H2937A; ESTC R215974	18,223	23

and hateth iniquity Psal 5 6. he will destroy them that speak lies and how will he destroy them St. John faith it shall be with an everlasting destruction Rev. 21.8.22.15 he will shut them out of the heavenly Hierusalem Let every one of us therefore labour for truth in our speeches and for truth in our actions ever saying with David Lord Psal 119.29 remove from me the way of Lying Thirdly You have seen what was the second ingredient the sin of lying they counterfeited the Holy Ghost Tempting of the Holy Ghost and they lyed to the Holy Ghost In the ninth verse it is called a Tempting of God How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord This then is to be taken in as a third branch of their sin and a devillish sin it is Mat. 4 6. because when the devil tempted Christ in the Wilderness he tempted him to tempt God saying Cast thy self down headlong This sin left the remembrance of it in giving a name to a place where the people of Israel tempted God at Rephidim for it is not only called Me●ibah of their contending and striving against Moses but also Massah of their tempting of God therefore Moses doth admonish them that they should not tempt God as they tempted him at Massah saying Deut. 6.16 Is the Lord amongst us or not Exod. 17 7. The Psalmist also testifieth that they tempted him in the Wilderness and required meat for their lust saying Behold he smote the Rock that the waters gushed out Psal 78.20 and the streams overflowed can he give bread also Can he provide flesh for his people As if it were not as easie for God to give bread as well as water but they would needs tempt him and try what he could do So here Ananias and Saphira are said to tempt the Spirit of the Lord because they meant to try conclusions and prove whether or no the Holy Ghost could espy and find out their jugling and whether he could punish it being found out This then being so great a sin to tempt God let us take the more heed of it let us take heed of presuming upon the mercy of God let us not venture to commit any sin entertaining such a thought as this into our hearts Why What if we do God is not able or he is not willing to punish us Do we provoke the Lord to anger are we stronger than he 2 Cor. 20.22 Oh let us do nothing with an evill conscience nor against the knowledge of a good conscience praying still with David Lord keep thy servants from presumptuous sins Psal 19.13 and let them not have dominion over us Their sin then for the nature of it was like Cerberus a beast as the Poets feign having three heads or like a poyson mixt and made up of three ingredients Hypocrisie Lying and Tempting of God I have done with the fourth particular the matter of their sin and proceed to the fifth and last 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Keeping back part of the price of the Land which is the Quomodo or manner of it they made a lye to God they tempted God but how Saint Luke saith it was by turning aside part of the price of the Land here was to use the School term Formale the very formality of it The devil that old Serpent had compounded and infused a new poyson into their hearts consisting of three ingredients they were the matter of their sin now the manner of acting and working and what operation this poyson had appears by their actions too open and known the first and the third selling of their Land and bringing part of the price to the Apostles feet but the second was secret and unknown viz. keeping back part of the price They began no doubt by the motion of the Holy Ghost to sell their possession and in selling of it aimed at a good and holy end that it might be distributed to the several necessities of the Church therefore they bring it and lay it at the Apostles feet A good beginning and a good end intended but Satan creeps in between them sets his foot in the midst and mars all like the envious thief in the Gospel he sows tares amongst the good seed yea so far he bewitcheth them that they presume through their hypocrisie to beguile and deceive the Holy Ghost in concealing part of the price Their sin then was a secret and voluntary withholding and keeping back some part of that which they began to give openly and in conclusion a shew of performing the whole when indeed they did but perform only some part They gave all to God they stole some of it again and would have the rest to stand for the whole Their own being given to God was no longer their own but Gods therefore their secret keeping back part was Sacriledge that is stealing of a holy and consecrated thing Now this was a sly kind of Sacriledge and hard to be exemplified out of Gods Word and it seems but a small matter for them to take some of that which so lately was their own yet seeing they were led to it by the instigation of Satan he was the Parent and that in travelling to bring it forth they grew very big being full of Distrust Presumption Covetousness Vainglory and having brought it forth it appears in the light to be a monstrous birth a hell-hound with three heads Hypocrisie Lying and Tempting of God as you have already heard And lastly seeing as the Story shews it was punisht with a sudden and fearful death as it were the ireful breath of the Holy Ghost blasting and smiting them both to death by the mouth of the Apostle therefore it is apparent from hence that this their Sacriledge suppose the lowest degree of Sacriledge this their stealing of part of their own gifts from God was a most fearful and grievous sin And from hence I propound these Queries following I. If to take it away Secretly were such a sin what is it to do it Openly II. If to take away Part what is it to take away All III. If to take away a mans Own gift were so great a sin what is it then to take away Another mans gift But these things require a fuller debate therefore let us consider of them severally I say therefore First If to steal Secretly that which hath been given and Dedicated to God were such a sin what is it to do it Openly Doth not this argue greater contempt of God greater boldness in sinning and consequently greater disobedience Therefore as it is an aggravation of the drunkenness of our times that whereas this sin was heretofore committed in the night 1 Thes 5.7 it is now committed in the light and is become as it were Psal 91.6 a noon-day devil So it is not likewise an aggravation of the Sacriledge of our daies that whereas Ananias and Saphira hid their sin