Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A19605
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The crib of ioy containing spirituall exercise, for Christmasse. S. Steuen. S. Iohn. Innocents. Circumcision. Epiphanie.; Crib of joy.
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1611
(1611)
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STC 6039.5; ESTC S120351
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14,693
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50
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to saue vs from the curse of the law Circumcised to take vpon him the similitude of sinfull flesh for that was a sacrament of originall corruption Called Iesus that he might saue his people from their sinnes as the Angell expounded his name vnto Ioseph This Circumcision he first suffered for vs in the flesh and after performed the true effect thereof within vs by his Spirit to wit a Circumcision made without hands as the Apostle speakes by putting off the sinfull bodie of the flesh through the circumcision of Christ who by his spirituall knife first cutteth off the foreskinne of our hearts and makes them bleede in sorrow for our sinnes past for Circumcision is a bloudie thing as Zipporah said to Moses and he that will be a true Israelite his heart must bleed 2. The foreskin being remoued which hardned our hearts before there followeth a tendernesse of conscience which giueth a quicker sense of future transgression Next he purgeth the vine branches that they may bring forth more fruite circumcising all superfluous and vaine cogitations in vs lopping all luxurious affections lest ouergrowing they might ouerthrow vs like Absolons haire for want of cutting So are we also of circumcised lips and eares when our mouth shall speake no vanitie and our eares relish the word of wisedome Thus renewed in heart and affection in soule and bodie when old things are passed 2. Cor. 5.17 and all things are become new we may offer and present vnto God the poore widowes offering of two mites our soule and bodie to be a liuing sacrifice and an acceptable New-yeares gift vnto him since it is all that we haue thereby assuring our selues that our names are knowne and called and written in heauen for the Spirit hath circumcised vs. EPIPHANIE WE may well conclude with the manifestation of Christ vnto the Gentiles For without this all that hath bene said is nothing vnto vs who be as the Apostle telleth vs sinners of the Gētiles But now God perswades Iapheth to dwell in the tents of Shem that is Gen. 9.27 the Gentiles which came of Iapheth to ioyne themselues vnto the Church which is the posteritie of Shem for which thing father Noah prayed long since Iob 38.13 Now the morning takes hold of the corners of the earth as God said to Iob that the wicked might be shaken out of it for the Sun of righteousnesse shineth to the men of the East Zachar. 2.4 Now Ierusalem begins to be inhabited without wals as Zachary prophesied when the Church shall not be hemmed within the precinct of that nation Now the great mystery of godlinesse is reuealed when God manifested in the flesh is preached to the Gentiles For these VVisemen were the first fruits of the Gentiles whereupon followed a mightie haruest The haruest indeede is great Go and teach all nations This word of life in Dauids time was but a light and a lanterne Ps 119. v. 105. Nun. now it is a morning Starre appearing in the East and after a Sunne of righteousnesse which enlighteneth euery one that cometh into the world Ioh. 1.9 whose beames directly behold these corners and ends of the world vpon which the firmamentall Sunne looketh but asquint Now is the Gospell preached as Christ gaue in commandement vnto euery creature not vnto men onely but euen to those barbarous nations which scarce caried the face of men these silly creatures in times past vnacquainted with the lawes of ciuill humanitie This is the meane crop the first fruits were the wise men of the East with whom Christ dealeth in their owne art that he might haue the faster hold of them for he leadeth them by a starre because they were Astronomers and therefore able to discerne a miracle in that kind So he dealt with his owne Disciples by sea stilling the tempest and causing Peter to walke vpon the waters because they were watermen by those miraculous draughts of fish because they were fishermen hereby shewing himselfe to be that wise maister-fisher of soules which fitteth his baite to euery kind VVe see the goodnesse of God vnto the Gentiles in that Christ was manifested to those men shall we learne the dutie of the Gentiles towards God by the deuotion of these men vnto Christ They came to worship him in heart in bodie and in goods they opened their treasuries and where the treasure is there is the heart The heart commands the bodie as the Centurion his seruant saying to the foot Go and it goeth c. Neither did they come to worship Christ emptie handed Deut. 16.16.17 but brought with them such gifts as their countrey did affoord gold incense and myrrhe Aurumregi Thus Deo Myrrhamorituro Gold not so much to relieue the wants of his poore parents who were able to compasse no better a birth-chamber then a stable as to shew themselues tributaries to his Maiesty vnto whom was giuen the heathen for his inheritance Psal 2.8 and the ends of the world for his possessions Frankencense was brought not so much to sweeten the place as by incense to acknowledge the Deitie of the Son of God Myrrhe was also offered with no lesse mysterie then Mary her ointment at the day of his buriall for it is to preserue his dead bodie from corruption who being dead and buried yet saw no corruption 1 If then wee receiue Christ for our heauenly King and Soueraigne of our soules in obedience vnto his Euangelicall law it is as much as if we brought gold and much fine gold 2 If we offer vp prayers and thanksgiuing that is saith Dauid as incense Psal 141.2 and the vplifting of our hands as an euening sacrifice 3 If in deuotion wee relieue the Church and preserue the members of his mysticall bodie militant from corruption distresse and miserie this is as Myrrhe vnto his naturall bodie These be our Christian oblations 1 Obedience to his law the fruite of faith 2 Prayers and supplications grounded vpon hope 3 Deuotion and almes proceeding from charitie towards our brethren Noster enim taleis reddit agellus opes These be all which our earthly mould by the influence of heauen can yeeld which that it may yeeld looke we stedfastly with Elias vpon this little clowde 1. King 18.44 rising at the first no bigger then a mans hand or the breadth of a Crib from which wee desire and expect those manifold drops of the graces of his Spirit to fall vpon our hearts that we may returne vnto him together with his Father and Spirit all praise honour and thankes this time and for euer Amen FINIS
freedome and eternall blisse 2 In good time vnder Augustus when the world was quiet from the sword and at leisure to listen after the great field fought for our soules was our grand Captaine borne Then might the Gospell haue a free passage and the sound thereof be heard from Bethlem to Arabia from Ierusalem and Samaria vnto the ends of the world 3 In good time Mat. 4.9 when Sathan layed claime to all the kingdomes of the world for his owne and was inuested with that large title of the prince Ioh. 12.31 yea the god of this world VVhen a vniuersall deluge of sinne couered the face of the earth so as the holy seed of Abraham was become a viperous broode when the regions were white alreadie vnto haruest Ioh. 4.35 and that good corne that was left readie to shed out of the huske and perish in this fulnesse of time did the King of glorie arme himselfe with the frailtie of humane flesh and bloud to cast Sathan out of his kingdome to purge the world from him and prepare the good corne for the euerlasting barnes 3. Circumstance THe birth of this great King is a matter of estate for he is not crowned but borne a King Math. 2.2 the fulnesse of time wherein hee came maketh expectation not so much but the tankerd-woman of Samaria lookes for him Iob. 4.25 expectation makes prouision VVhere is then the place of his receipt VVhat citie shall entertaine him whose seate is in heauen Esai 66.1 and the earth his footstoole It must be Ierusalem at the least Mat. 5.35 For that is the citie of the great King But would you thinke this King should remoue his court from Heauen to Bethlehem the least among the thousands of Iuda Mich. 5.2 can you imagine he would take vp a stable there for his nurserie or a cratch for his chaire of estate or a poore carpenter and his wife for his courtiers Yet so it was and not without cause For vaine man at his first entrance to the world thought himselfe so goodly a creature that Paradise was too little for him he must be as God Therefore the mightie God to make amends looketh as low as man did high contents himselfe with a little Bethlehem the least of a thousand Miserable men the sonnes of Adam affect pomp and state too much God to reforme that boweth the heauens and comes downe nay boweth himselfe and comes downe like a showre of raine into a fleece of wooll Psal 72.6 and makes no noise Paul was sometimes glad for to grace himselfe with the place of his birth Tarsus a famous citie of Cilicia Act. 21.39 but hee that bringeth all honour with him from heauen will grace others but himselfe be graced of none Little Bethlem shall be honored by his noble birth when famous Ierusalem by his death shall dishonour her selfe Thus the great God who by birth made himselfe little delighteth much to make litle things great so went his Mothers song of him Luk. 1.48 He regardeth the lowlinesse of his handmaide and he that is mightie hath magnified me If the Scripture names be not emptie but carrie in them matters of prouidence then doth this Child of Bethlem performe what the name of Bethlem did promise It signifieth a house of bread Ioh. 6.33 and this is the bread of life which came downe from heauen vpon this day into Bethlem like Manna in the wildernesse Moses tels vs Exod 16.14 that bread was a small round thing vpon the grasse The Angell tels vs this is a little Babe layd in a manger Luk. 2.12 and yet this manger containeth more foode then the wildernesse and all the barnes in Aegypt for it feedeth Ierusalem and Samaria and the ends of the world VVrite this then in the catalogue of this dayes ioy that Christ was borne in Bethlehem 1. If it grieue thee that euer thou wast proud or high minded reioyce that Christ in Bethlehem became as lowly as euer thou wast loftie amends is made 2. If thou be little and base in thine owne eyes reioyce he that chose the least of the thousands of Iuda will magnifie thee 3. If thy soule long for foode and desire to be satisfied come downe from Bethauen vnto Bethlehem Hose 4.15 from that house of iniquitie which neuer brings contentment but vanitie and vexation vnto this house of Angels foode that blesseth the soule with euerlasting felicitie 2 Bethlem was but a little towne yet a towne though therefore some varietie of houses though but small Amongst these hee makes resort to an Inne It seemes there was but one in the towne and yet he makes choise of that Me thinkes he comes into the world as though hee meant not long to stay If he that built heauen and earth will neither build nor so much as hire an house for himselfe on earth but take vp an Inne his purpose is in short time to returne home to his Fathers house And this also is glad tidings for vs. For he hath giuen his word if he go before we shall not tarrie long after he is but gone to prepare a place for vs. Ioh. 14.2 In his Fathers house there be many mansions not made with hands but eternall in heauen Here we are strangers and pilgrimes and wayfaring men euen our fathers house where we are borne is but an Inne here to night and gone to morrow but our surest home our kindest Father our truest ioy and felicitie is in heauen else are we of all others most miserable 3 VVhat entertainment Christ found in this Inne is worth the enquirie S. Luke telleth vs there was no roome for him Luk. â— 7 yet roome enough for bibbers and blasphemers I make no question then the Sonne of God finding no roome in the Inne amongst men betakes himselfe into the stable amongst the beasts and yet whether worse beasts were in the Inne or stable might beare a question This Inne was not the holiest house in the towne nor this stable the cleanest place in the Inne yet this holy one of Israel comes to an Inne for he came not to call the holy but sinners to repentance This Sunne of righteousnesse may shine through a dunghill and yet the beames thereof gather no pollution albeit I must needs blame the Inne-keeper who assigned our Sauiour his birth-chamber in a stable like some mightie men who build themselues stately pallaces and if they haue any roome bad enough it is good enough for a chappell yet herein doth consist some part of our Christmasse ioy that Christ tooke a stable and made it a temple Mat. 2.11 where the VVise men worshipped and offered oblations Shall we then doubt of his abode in our hearts by his Spirit whose personall presence disdained not a stable Be it that we are more vncleane then stables polluted with sinne and corruption inhabited with many beastly affections like horse and mule without any vnderstanding