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	reap_v	sow_v	14,782	5	11.5940	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A00426	A learned and godly sermon preached on the XIX. day of December, anno Dom. MDCXXXI. at the funerall of Mr. Robert Bolton Batchelour in Divinity and minister of Broughton in Northampton-Shire. By Mr. Nicolas Estvvick, Batchelour in Divinity, and sometimes fellow of Christs College in Cambridge, and now minister of Warkton in Northampton-Shire. Revised and somewhat enlarged by the author, and now at the importunity of some friends published	Estwick, Nicolas.	1639 (1639)	STC 10558; ESTC S122205	46,169	72

bread for CHRIST Martyrs went to their death with cheerefullnesse and songs and ran to the stake as to a garland and who would with Saul hide himselfe in the stuffe when he is called to be crowned a King If Abraham saw his day by faith when he was but promised and rejoyced what cause of joy must it needs be to see the Saviour of the world when he is exhibited If Saint Iohn Baptist did leape at his presence when he was in the wombe of his blessed mother What will his glorious presence effect in them who shall behold him in al his Royaltie if the Wife men of the East went a long journie and rejoyced to see the holy Babe CHRIST in the house what cause of joy will it be to see him sit in his glorie at the right hand of his Father far above all Principalities and powers If many Kings and Princes longed for that day to see their Saviour mortall what resemblance is fit to expresse the joy of those that behold him crowned with glory and immortalitie it is a passing glory to be admitted to the sight of CHRIST his face and to receive glory from the brightnesse of his Majestie and if we were to suffer torments every day yea the very torments of hell for a time therby to gaine the sight of CHRIST it were nothing in respect of the reward This Doctrine shewes us the extreame folly of all licentious livers and impenitent sinners when they looke upon their wicked courses what for sight can they have but of hell as their just reward they would be with CHRIST as they say hereafter and yet they will not have CHRIST to be wi●h them now and to rule over them they will sow unto the flesh and yet would reape unto the spirit they are stout and will have their sinne though they be damned for it we will say those rebels in Ieremy walke after our owne devices and we will every one doe the imaginations of his evill heart Experience sheweth us that you cannot crush oyle out of skins nor sweet wine out of sower grapes and if you be the seedesmen of darnell and cockle you shall have no harvest of wheat ●…or good graine you will not live conscionably and yet you would die peaceably and though you speake CHRIST faire yet you wil loose nothing for his sake the chaine will make your profession afraid and reproach will make it ashamed you love him well you say but you will be advised not to displease such and such friends for his love your fore-sight of Heaven hath no hands to do good works corporall and spirituall nor eyes to shed teares for your sins and the sins of others nor stomacke to abide a holy and a religious fast nor flesh to endure this mortification and zealous revenge nor tongue to speake the language of confession and zealous devout and faithfull prayer if then in your extremities and when your feares approach you send for us as Pharaoh did for Moses and never till then and cry unto us helpe us and comfort us as that starved woman did to the King of Israel Wee answer as hee did that distressed creature if the LORD doth not helpe you how should we And now by this time I suppose you are brought to that passe that GODS servants whom you have in your prosperity despised may say to you concerning all your daubers whom you then respected where are they now that will prophesie peace peace unto you your consciences which before were asleepe being now awakened to heare the crie of your sinnes and these glasses formerly covered with dust as it were being wiped cleare to represent unto you the disfigured and odious face of your sinnes when these evill daies shall come upon you as they will or that which is worse you must needs confesse to the terrour of your soules that we GODS Messengers have told you of these things and you would not heare us as Reuben said to his brethren Your sins which you tooke to be your friends as GOD himselfe hath threatned are suddenly turned to be your foes and now do appeare as a marshalled army comming in a terrible manner against you and when GOD speakes to your consciences as Iehu did to the Eunuchs who is on my side who even they will cast you downe and dash as it were your blood against the wals and make you to be trampled upon and then can you cast your eyes no-way without horrour if upwards unto heaven they will tell you that you are justly excluded out of that happy place if you think upon hell the mouth thereof as you feare is open every moment to receive you when these evill daies shall come c. Second Use of instruction is that we would study our selves and ransacke our soules and be of good grounds and to have certaine evidence that our change shall be for the better mans wisdome teacheth him in Summer to provide for Winter in youth for old age if GOD be better then the world and heaven better then earth and the soule better then the body shall we not labour while we live to get full assurance of being with CHRIST as S. Paul had when we are dead but here is the maine doubt how I should know and be assured thereof First if thou art assured hereof then hast thou faith the maine and fundamentall grace not fundamentum quod that is CHRIST but cui as a learned Schooleman doth distinguish immediatly laying us upon CHRIST and as a Captaine I say not making the graces as heavenly Souldiers but as bringing them forth to fight according to their severall operations thou hast I say a lively faith both in that direct act whereby it justifieth and also by a prudent observation of the worke of faith in thy soule thou dost by faith believe that thou art justified by faith thou hast also the attendant companion upon faith that Christian hope whereby thou waitest on GOD till he accomplish all his gratious promises if we come against the Divell as David did against the Philistine not with sword shield and speare but in the name of the LORD of Hosts we are sure to conquer If we have these graces and by the use of holy meanes do hold them fast how happy are we Blessed is he that beleeveth the Lords words to be all of them true and blessed is he that waiteth on him till he manifests the truth of his words that believeth by faith that GOD is his Father and expecteth by hope that he should shew a fatherly affection to him who believes that salvation belongs to him and waites by hope til he enters into possession of it if this then be the blessed frame of thy soule that thou resolvest and hopest to live and thou resolvest and hopest to die in the armes of thy sweet Saviour thou art in a happy case Secondly if thou hast this holy

in hell could have but another life in this world nay if those which have but seene them or rather as I believe in my instance the strong imagination of such a terrible sight I would not wonder if they proved the greatest Saints on earth Venerable Bede tels as he thinks a true story of one Drithelme by name the man lived in Northumberland who was raised from death to life and reported wondrous things which he had heard and seene both of joy and paine which wrought this great effect as there is chronicled that he utterly detested this present life and abandoned all worldly cares chastised his old impotent body with daily fasting plunging himselfe in Winter season into the cold water singing of Psalmes and devoutly praying and when the beholders said Brother Drithelme this is a marvellous thing that you can possibly suffer such bitter and sharp cold marvell not saith he for I have seene places colder then these Let this move thee to seeke the LORD while he may be found the benefit of this life you cannot long enjoy and when it is once past it is ever past you cannot recover it though you had in your power a thousand worlds to give to redeeme it And as for us fellow souldiers and deare Christians let us hold fast that goodnesse which we have let us play the men let us be couragious constant and never weary of well-doing let neither divell nor man take our crownes away from us never looke to enjoy a state which is best of all without much opposition Pharaoh will pursue you with all his power to bring you back into servitude but do you like stout Champions repell the temptations of the divell as Gregory Nyssen instructeth you Avant thou cursed and unhappy creature I am a dead man a dead man loves not bodily pleasures a dead man is not caught with riches a dead man slandereth not a dead man is no lier c now have I another kinde of life and another rule of life then formerly I had I have learned to contemne earthly things and to set my mind on heavenly things That which Saint Hierom spoke of judgement we may apply to the joyes of heaven let them be painted on the walls of our houses and in every corner thereof that they may be alwaies before our eyes as Captaines do encourage their Souldiers to fight for their country lives profession c. so doe I say to you brethren it is the LORD of Hosts whose battailes you fight it is your own salvation which is in hazard your enemies would rob you of grace and deprive you of happinesse if you give up your weapons you are undone and firebrands of hell be valiant therefore and keepe this treasure this pretious treasure which CHRIST saith S. Bernard did judge to be more pretious then his owne blood if I had kept the blood of CHRIST which dropped from him as he hanged on the Crosse in a glasse how carefull should I be to keep it and must I not be carefull of my soule which is a pretious treasure kept in an earthen vessell if thou art poore in thine outward estate and CHRIST be thy portion thou art rich enough care not for outward poverty be the LORDS servant now thou shalt be with CHRIST hereafter which is best of all If thou art afflicted in thy body with any grievous disease care not for that if afflictions work kindly to mortifie thy sinne now thou shalt be with CHRIST hereafter which is best of all if thou art basely esteemed and persecuted by wicked men care not for that if this be for righteousnesse and out of a desire to keep a good conscience thou shalt be with CHRIST hereafter which is best of all If thou hast but weake indeavours and a litle strength to goodnes if thou strivest to be better art a conquering thy sin be not daunted hereat thou shalt be with CHRIST hereafter which is best of all And to reflect upon our deceased brother now hast thou happy soule that which thou hast so much longed for thy death is the death of all thy defects the beginning of everlasting happinesse thy faithfullnesse thy integrity thy zeale have procured to thee a crowne of glory now hast thou thy fill of happinesse O blessed art thou that maist see the LORD face to face that thou maist enjoy the happy sight of thy sweet Saviour thou beholdest thousands of Angels the Assembly of our first Parents the seates of the Apostles the tribunals of the Prophets the scepters of the Patriarkes the crownes of the Martyrs and the praises of all just men made perfect as Saint Basil saith VER 24. Neverthelesse to abide in the flesh is more needfull for you Our Apostle hath made it knowne unto us why in respect of himself he desired to die and of this I have already spoken now doth he in this verse acquaint us with the reason why he should desire to live because his life made more for the profit and advantage of the Philippians then his death could doe For making the way to the maine point which I doe onely aime at five things are to be cleared 1. What is meant by Flesh the mortall body in which the soule dwelleth by a Synecdoche flesh being a conspicuous part thereof 2. What is it to live in the flesh it is to live a naturall life preserved by naturall meanes as eating drinking sleeping c. we walke in the flesh though we do not warre after the flesh yet take him not as if he meant to abide alwaies in the flesh and by a priviledge to be exempted from death which is appointed for all men but he meanes deliverance from those present bonds and the continuance of his life for a time to the furtherance of their faith and joy 3. Marke here and in the former verse that our Apostle speakes as if his soule was himselfe and as if his body was no essentiall part of man this is not true in propriety of speech and therefore is to be taken improperly by a Synecdoche Integri promembro the whole is put for a part here for a principall part of Paul the same trope in the like phrases touching our Saviour CHRIST is by a kind of Appropriation called by Divines the Communication of properties and these arousefull termes happily invented to cleare these and many obscure Texts of Scripture touching our Saviour But to returne to our Apostle Saint Paul consisteth of flesh and spirit or soule and body and yet Saint Paul saith for him to abide in the flesh is more profitable for them When hee died he was with CHRIST how not with his body but with his soule Saint Paul is dead and hath seene corruption How in body not in soule Saint Paul in propriety of speech abideth not in the flesh but his spirit a principall part of Paul that is it which during