Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A30130
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Come & welcome to Jesus Christ, or, A plain and profitable discourse upon the sixth of John, 37 vers shewing the cause, truth and manner of the coming of a sinner to Jesus Christ, with his happy reception and blessed entertainment / written by J. Bunyan.
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Bunyan, John, 1628-1688.
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1678
(1678)
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Wing B5495; ESTC R30257
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120,042
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303
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himself thus to shew that the Father hath not only given him this portion in the Lump before the world was but that those that he hath so given he will give him again that is will bring them to him at the time of their conversion for the Father bringeth them to Christ Joh. 6. 44. As it is said She shall be brought unto the King in raiment of needle work That is in the righteousness of Christ for it is God that imputeth that to these that are saved Psal. 45. 14. 1 Cor. 1. A man giveth his daughter to such a man first in order to marriage and this respects the time past and he giveth her again at the day appointed in marriage And in this last sense perhaps the Text may have a meaning that is that all that the Father hath before the world was given to Jesus Christ he giveth them again to him in the day of their espousals Or Thirdly In that Christ saith giveth instead of hath given he may do it to shew that this gift of the Father to him is now as new as sweet as pleasant and desirable as if it had never bin given before Things that are given among men are oft-times best at first to wit when they are new and the reason is because all earthly things war old but with Christ it is not so this gift of the Father is not old and deformed and unpleasant in his eyes and therefore to him 't is always new When the Lord spake of giving the Land of Canaan to the Israelites he saith not that he had given or would give it to them but thus The Lord thy God giveth thee this good Land Deut. 9. 6. not but that he had given it to them while they were in their Fathers Hundreds of Years before Yet he saith now he giveth it to them as if they were now also in the very act of taking possession when as yet they were on the other side Jordane What then should be the meaning Why I take it to be this That the Land should be to them alway as new as new as if they were taking possession thereof but now And so is the gift of the Father mentioned in the Text to the Son it is always new as if it were alwayes giving All that the Father giveth Me. In those words you find mention made of two persons the Father and the Son the Father giving and the Son receiving or accepting of his Gift This then in the first place clearly demonstrateth that the Father and the Son though they with the Holy Ghost are one and the same Eternal God yet as to their personality are distinct The Father is one the Son is one the Holy Spirit is one But because there is in this Text mention made but of two of the three therefore a word about those two The Giver and Receiver cannot be the same person in a proper sence in the same act of giving and receiving He that giveth giveth not to himself but to an other the Father giveth not to the Father to wit to Himself but to the Son the Son receiveth not of the Son to wit of Himself but of the Father so when the Father giveth Commandment he giveth it not to himself but to another as Christ saith He hath given Me a Commandment Joh. 12. 49. So again I am one that beareth witness of my self and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me Jo. 10. 18. Further here is something implyed that is not expressed to wit that the Father hath not given all Men to Christ that is in that sence as is intended in this Text. For then all should be saved He hath therefore disposed of Satan another way He gives some up to Idolatry He gives some up to uncleanness to vile affections and to a reprobate mind Now these he disposeth of in his Anger for their destruction Acts. 7. 42 Rom. 1. 24 26 28. that they may reap the fruit of their doings and be filled with the reward of their own ways But neither hath He thus disposed of all men he hath even of Mercy reserved some from these Judgments and those are they that he will Pardon as he saith for I will pardon them whom I reserve Jer. 50. 20. Now these he hath given to Jesus Christ by Will as a Legaey Hence the Lord Jesus sayes This is the Fathers Will which hath sent me that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing but should raise it up again at the last day Joh. 36 29. The Father therefore giving them to Him to save them must needs by so doing declare unto us these following things 1. That he is Able to answer this designe of God to wit to save them to the uttermost Sin the uttermost temptation c. Heb. 7. 25. Hence he is said To lay help upon me that is Mighty Mighty to save And hence it is again that God did even of old promise to send his people a Saviour a great one Psal. 89. 19. Isa. 63. 1. To save is a great work and calls for Almightyness in the Undertaker hence he is called the Mighty God the Wonderful Counseller c. Sin is strong Satan is also strong Death and the Grave are strong and so is the Curse of the Law therefore it follows that this Jesus must needs be by God the Father accounted Almighty in that he have given his Elect to him to save them and to deliver them from these and that in despite of all their Force and Power Yea he gave us Testimony of this his Might when he was imployed in that part of our deliverance that called for a Declaration of it He abolished Death He destroyed him that had the power of Death he was the Destruction of the Grave he hath finished Sin and made an end of it as to its Damning effect upon the Persons that the Father hath given him He hath vanquished the curse of the Law Nailed it to his Cross Triumphed over them upon his Cross and made a shew of these things openly 2 Tim. 1. 10. Heb. 2. 14 15. Hos. 13. 14. Dan. 9. 24. Gal. 3. 13. Col. 2. 14 15. Yea and even now as a sign of his Triumph and Conquest he is alive from the Dead and hath the Keys of Hell and Death in his own keeping Revel 1. 18. 2ly The Fathers giving of them to him to save them declares unto us that he is and will be faithful in his Office and that therefore they shall be secured from the fruit or wages of their Sins which is Eternal Damnation And indeed it is said even by the Holy Ghost himself That he is faithful to him that appointed him that is to this work of saving those that the Father hath given him for that purpose as Moses was faithful in all his House Yea and more faithful too for Moses was faithful in Gods house but as a Servant But Christ as a Son over his own house
Hos. 11. 10 11. When God Roars as oft-times the Coming Soul hears him Roar what Man that is coming can do otherwise than Tremble Amos 3. 8. But Trembling he comes He sprang in and came Trembling and fell down before Paul and Silas Act. 16. Should you ask him that we mentioned but now How long is it since you began to fear you should miss of this Damosel you Love so The Answer would be Ever since I began to Love her But did you not fear it before No nor should I fear it now but that I vehemently Love her Come Sinner let us apply it How long is it since thou begannest to Fear that Jesus Christ will not Receive thee Thy Answer is Ever since I began to desire that he would save my Soul I began to Fear when I began to Come And the more my Heart burns in Desires after him the more I feel my Heart fear I shall not be Saved by him See now Did not I tell thee That thy Fears were but the Consequence of strong Desires Well fear not Coming-Sinner Thousands of Coming-Souls are in thy Condition and yet they will also get safe into Christ's Bosom Say sayes Christ to them that are of a fearful Heart Be strong fear not Your God will come and Save you Isa. 35. 4. Chap. 63 1. Thirdly Thy Fear that Christ will not Receive thee May arise from a Sense of thine own Unworthyness Thou seest what a poor sorry wretched worthless Creature thou art And seeing this thou fearest Christ will not Receive thee Alas say'st thou I am the Vilest of all Men a Town-Sinner a Ring-leading Sinner I am not only a Sinner my self but have made others two-fold worse the Children of Hell also Besides Now I am under some Awakenings and Stirrings of Mind after Salvation even now I find my heart Rebellious Carnal Hard Treacherous Desperate prone to Unbelief to Despair It forgetteth the Word it wandreth it runneth to the Ends of the Earth There is not I am perswaded one in all the World that hath such a desperate wicked Heart as mine is My Soul is careless to do Good but none more earnest to do that which is Evil Can such an one as I am Live in Glory Can an Holy a Just and Righteous God once think with Honour to his Name of Saving such a Vile Creature as I am I fear it Will he shew Wonders to such a dead Dog as I am I doubt it I am cast out to the loathing of my Person yea I loath my self I stink in mine own Nostrils How can I then be accepted by an Holy and Sin-abhorring God Psal. 38. 5 6 7. Ezek. 16. Chap. 20. 42 43 44. Saved I would be and Who is there that would not were they in my Condition Indeed I wonder at the Madness and Folly of others when I see them so Merry in their Chains while I see them Leap and Skip so carelesly about the Mouth of Hell Bold Sinner How darest thou tempt God by Laughing at the Breach of his Holy Law But Alas They are not so bad one way but I am worse another I wish my Self were any Body but my Self And yet here again I know not what to wish When I see such as I believe are coming to Jesus Christ O I bless them But am confounded in my self to see how unlike as I think I am to every good Man in the World They can Hear Read Pray Remember Repent be Humble and Do every thing better than so Vile a Wretch as I. I Vile Wretch am good for nothing but to burn in Hell-Fire and when I think of that I am confounded too Thus the Sense of Unworthyness creates and heightens Fears in the Hearts of them that are coming to Jesus Christ But indeed it should not For who needs the Physitian but the Sick Or who did Christ come into the World to Save but the Chief of Sinners Mar. 1. 17. 1 Tim. 1. 15. Wherefore the more thou feest thy Sins the faster fly thou to Jesus Christ. And let the Sense of thy own Unworthyness prevail with thee yet to go faster As it is with the Man that carrieth his broken Arm in a Sling to the Bone-setter still as he thinks of his broken Arm and as he feels the Pain and Anguish he hastens his Pace to the Man And if Satan meets thee and asketh Whether goest thou Tell him Thou art Maimed and art going to the Lord Jesus If he objects thine own Unworthiness Tell him That even as the Sick seeketh the Physitian and as he that hath broken Bones seeks him that can Set them So thou art going to Jesus Christ for Cure and Healing for thy Sin-sick-Soul But it oft times happeneth to the Coming-Soul as it happeneth to him that flies for his Life He despairs of Escaping and therefore delivers up himself into the Hand of the Purfuer But up up Sinner be of good chear Christ came to Save the Unworthy Ones Be not Faithless but Believe Come away Man the Lord Jesus calls thee saying And him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out Fourthly Thy Fear that Christ will not Receive thee may arise from a Sense of the exceeding Mercy of being Saved Sometime Salvation is in the Eyes of him that desires it so great so huge so wonderful a thing that the very Thoughts of the Excellency of it ingenders Unbelief about obtaining it in the Heart of those that unfeignedly desire it Seemeth it to you said David a Light thing to be a King's Son-in-Law 1 Sam. 18. 23. So the Thoughts of the Greatness and Glory of the Thing propounded as Heaven Eternal Life Eternal Glory to be with God and Christ and Angels These are great Things Things too Good saith the Soul that is little in his own Eyes Things too Rich saith the Soul that is truly poor in Spirit for me Besides the Holy Ghost hath a way to greaten Heavenly things to the understanding of the coming sinner yea and at the same time to greaten too the sin and unworthiness of that sinner Now the Soul staggeringly wonders saying What! to be made like Angels like Christ To live in Eternal bliss joy and felicity This is for Angels and for them that can walk like Angels If a Prince a Duke or Earl should send by the Hand of his Servant to some poor sorry beggarly scrub to take her for his Master to wife and the Servant should come and say My Lord and Master such an one hath sent me to thee to take thee to him to wife he is rich beautiful and of excellent qualities he is Loving Meek Humble Well-spoken c. What now would this poor sorry beggarly Creature think what would she say or how would she frame an answer When King David sent to Abigail upon this account and though she was a rich woman yet she said Behold Let thine hand maid be a Servant to wash the feet of the Servants of my Lord. 1 Sam.