Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A50490
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The pastors valediction, or, A farewell sermon preached at Sepulchres, London / by Mr. Matthew Meade.
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Mead, Matthew, 1630?-1699.
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1662
(1662)
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Wing M1556; ESTC R9094
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15,072
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30
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's a peace of Christ's bestowing Now Christ would have us here not to mistake the world's peace for his for the difference is very great for first the worlds peace is a false peace it is a counterfeit coyn it han't the currant stamp of Heaven on it but the peace that Christ gives to a Believer is true peace and perfect peace Thou wilt keep in perfect peace whose minde is stayed on thee Secondly the Worlds peace is an outward peace It is but skin deep it wets the mouth it cannot wash the heart Prov. 14.13 In laughter the heart is sorrowfull and the end of the mirth is heavinesse The worlds peace in but the shell of peace their Conscience lowers when their Conscience laughs But the peace that Christ gives is an inward and spiritual peace Psal 4.7 Thou hast put gladnesse in my heart more then in the time that their corn and their wine increased Thou hast put gladnesse in my heart Peace is that gladnesse other peace smothes the brow but this fills the breast as the Sinner has trouble within in the midst of all his Peace without so a Believer has Peace within in the midst of all his troubles without In the world you shall have trouble but in me you shall have Peace Thirdly the Worlds peace has only a neather Spring arising out of the Creature out of worldly comforts therefore it must needs be unclean for an unclean Fountain cannot bring forth clean water But the peace of Christians has an upper Spring it flows from the manifestation of the love of God in Christ it s from the sprinkling of Christs Blood on the Conscience it flows upon the workings of Christs Spirit upon the Soul which is first a Councellor then a Comforter Oh how pure must this peace be in a Believes Soul that flows from so pure a Spring Fourthly the Worlds peace is a peace given to Sinners it is a peace in sin and its a peace with sin as the Prophet Isaiah tells us It s a Covenant with Hell and an Agreement with Death God deliver us from that peace Again Christs peace is given to none but Believers it s their priviledge only a Stranger dont intermeddle with this Joy Prov. 14.10 The heart knoweth his own bitternesse but a Stranger doth not intermeddle with this Joy Fifthly the Worlds peace is a fading dying transitory thing it withers in the Sand The triumphing of the Wicked is but short and the Joy of the Hypocrite is but for a moment Job 20.5 Solomon does elegantly liken it to the crackling of Thornes under a Pot which is but a blaze and is gone Ecces 7.6 So is the Sinners peace it is for a Spurt and is soon gone but the peace that Christ gives to Believers is a durable and abiding peace Your Joy no man shall take from you it appears in Life in Death and after Death First it s our peace in Life grace brings forth present peace It s said of the Primitive Christians They walked in the Fear of the Lord and in the Comforts of the Holy Ghost Acts 9.31 It s a remarkable expression Psalm 19.11 In keeping thy commands there 's great reward He dont say for keeping them which respects the end of the Work but in keeping of them which look at the Work it self My Brethren Every duty done in sincerity reflects a peace in conscience as every flower carries its own sweetnesse It s possible I grant a Believer may not allwayes find and feel this peace few do some seldome find it few find it so alwayes the remains of corruption breaking forth to interrupt or temptations to hinder And Gods disertion may darken and hide it and a Believer may seem to be totally lost yet in this condition which is the worst a Child of God can be in he hath a double peace First a peace in the promises in this very Condition and what you have in Bonds and Bills you account as good as money in your Pockets Secondly he has it in the seed Light is sown for the righteous and gladnesse for the upright in heart Psal 97.11 Grace is the seed of Peace which Christ has soon in the furrows of the Soul and therefore peace shall Spring out of the furrows of the Soul indeed this seed springs up sooner in some then in others yet every Saint shall have a reaping time sooner or later Psal 126.6 He that goeth forth and weepeth bearing precious seed shall doubtlesse come again with rejoycing bringing his sheaves with him If he stayes long for the fruit he shall have a greater crop at last if he reaps not now he shall be sure to reap hereafter Psal 37.37 Mark the perfect man and behold the upright for the end of that man is peace Secondly by this peace which is the peace of a Child of God it s a peace at Death Grace will minister to us then and that ministration shall be in peace The Sinners peace leaves him when he comes to the Grave though in Life it fills him yet in Death it leaves him A Believer has a two fold spring of Peace the first is from above him the other is from within him That spring that runs with peace above him is from the bloud of Christ sprinkled on his Conscience The other that is from within him is from the sincerity of his heart in the wayes of obedience My Brethren when we lye on our Death beds and can reflect on our sincerity in all Gods wayes this will be peace at last so it was in Hezekiah Isaiah 38.3 Remember now O Lord I beseech thee how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart and have done that which was good in thy fight There 's nothing makes a Death bed so hard and so uneasie as a life spent in the service of sin and lust and nothing makes a Death bed so pleasant as a life spent in the service of Christ Grace will bring forth Peace if not in this life yet Thirdly it will to be sure after Death if Time brings not this fruit to ripenesse yet Eternity shall Grace in Time will be Glory in Eternity Holinesse now will be Happiness then whatever it is a man sows in this world that he reaps in the next world Be not deceived God is not mocked for whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reape He that soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh reape corruption but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reape life everlasting Gal. 6.7 8. When Sin shall end in sorrow and misery Grace shall end in peace in joy in glory well done thou good and faithfull Servant enter into the joy of thy Master Mat. 15.21 Whoever shares in the grace of Christ in this world shall be sure to share with the joy of Christ in the next world and that joy is joy unspeakable and full of glory I will wynde up all in a threefold Application by way of
sum of all Mercy so our love to God is the sum of all Duty Grace is the new birth of the Soul whereby it takes up another Nature a new Nature a spiritual God-like Nature as Christ was born and thereby took on him the Nature of man and was made flesh so man is born by Grace and thereby takes upon him the Nature of God and is made Spirit and here you have at once the great mystery of Grace in the lowest debacement of a Saviour and the highest advancement of a Sinner for the Lord Christ could not be more debaced then to be born it was nothing so great an abatement for Christ to dye as for him to be born for being once made man it is no wonder for to dye but being the great God it s a wonder that ever he should be made man Lo here is the debacement of Christ Yet if he had been born to a Crown to Honour it had been something but he was born to shame to sorrow and death but man by Grace is born to a Crown to a Kingdom he has a title to all the glory and blessednesse of Heaven from the first moment of his new birth So 't is in the Text Grace be unto you and Peace Peace in Scripture is a very comprehensive terms it carries in it all happinesse It was the common greeting of the Jews Peace be unto you Thus David by his Proxy salutes Nabal Peace be to thee and thy house and the Apostle here alludes to this form of salutation that he might mix new Testament mercy to old Testament manners he first stiles grace before peace as Jacob did with his Venison he made it a savoury meat such as Isaack loved Peace is the glory of Heaven in the Bosome of God and brought into the world in the Arms of Angells The first peace you read of in the Gospel was peace by the administration of Angels Luke 2.13 14. And suddainly there was with the Angells a multitude of Heavenly host praising and saying Glory to God in the highest and on Earth peace good will towards men And when our Lord Christ first sent out his Disciples this was the Doctrine that he bid them preach Math. 10.12 13. When you come into a house salute it and if it be worthy let grace peace come upon it Mark here by the way our Lord Jesus Christ is no enemy to good manners He would not have Christians to be Clowns which is the use of some among us who would have their Religion quarrell with good manners No but in whatsoever City or Town you enter salute it and let grace peace come upon it that is wish peace to them saying the peace of God be upon this place upon the heads and hearts of all in it So that Peace is both a Gospel-salutation when Ministers and people meet and it 's also a Gospel-valediction when the Minister and the people parts So did the Apostle and so do I now Grace be with you and peace I observe in Matth. 10.13 14. our Lord bids his Disciples when they enter into a house if the house be worthy to let their peace come upon it but if they be not worthy let grace peace return to you In stead of leaving peace with them to shake off the dust of their feet against them that is to shew that God will shake them off as dust and tread them under feet as fuell My Brethren your diligent attendance on the Word at this place hath comfortably prevented the part of my charge to shake off the dust of my feet for how beautifull have the feet of a poor worm been to you being shod with the preparation of the Gospel of Christ And therefore seeing our Lord Christ saith if they be worthy of their peace abide with them on this accompt I wish to you Grace and peace from God our Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ. But what is this peace It 's the beauty of Union the harmony of the Creation the pleasure of Life the feast of a good Conscience it s that which makes Life sweet and Death easie Peace sweetens all our possessions and all our afflictions without this the fullnesse of the World is a burden with this poverty and emptinesse is a pleasant companion without this our bread is gravelled with sowrenesse and our water mingled with bitternesse with this green herbs become a Feast and our Water is turned into Wine Peace it s the most beautifull Creature in the world and therefore it s beloved of all courted of all many seek her but few there be that enjoy her they do not go the right way to find her for in the wayes of righteousnesse is peace Peace is the seminary of all blessings Temporal as Grace is of all blessings Spiritual in Grace you have imployed all holinesse in Peace all happinesse in grace all inward in peace all outward blessings grace and peace are the Alpha and Omega of all Blessings as God is of all Beings no blessing comes before Grace and no blessing lasts longer Then see in this phrase of speech the Apostle wishes upon them as I do upon you all the blessings both of Time and Eternity and yet he wished no more to them then God promised to give them 1 Tim. 4.8 For godlinesse hath the promise of this life and that which is to come Grace be unto you and peace c. not one without the other though a man may have grace without peace as in a time of disertion or temptation and a man may have peace without grace as in a secure and unregenerate condition grace without peace is often found in a troubled conscience and peace without grace is often found in a seared conscience as grace without peace is very uncomfortable so peace without grace is very unprofitable like Rachel beautifull but barren therefore the Apostle desires ye should have both grace and peace and we say the Sun and Salt are the most usefull Creatures in the world the one for shining the other for seasoning My Brethren Grace and Peace are the Christians Sun and Salt Grace is the light of their souls and Peace is the savour of their comforts Grace shines through all their faculties and Peace seasons all their mercies The blessings of God are become as twins as Christ said of the Spouse Cant. 4.2 She is like a flock of sheep that are even shorn which came up from the washing whereof every one bear twins and none is barren among them Grace and peace here are knit together by the Spirit of God in a sacred knot not to be untied As Castor and Pollux when seen together portend happinesse to the Mariner so when grace and peace are found in a Soul together they portend the highest security and blessing to the Believer they are said in Scripture to be bound together where God gives the one he never denyes the other If he gives you the Upper Spring of grace he