Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A12350
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A fruitfull sermon vpon part of the 5. chapter of the first epistle of Saint Paule to the Thessalonians. By Henry Smith, which sermon being taken by characterie, is now published for the benefite of the faithfull
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Smith, Henry, 1550?-1591.
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1591
(1591)
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STC 22665; ESTC S113466
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14,732
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47
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¶ A FRVITFVLL SERMON Vpon part of the 5. Chapter of the first Epistle of Saint Paule to the Thessalonians By Henry Smith Which Sermon being taken by Characterie is now published for the benefite of the Faithfull AT LONDON Printed for the widdowe Broome 1591. 1 Thess 5 19 20. 21. 22. 19. Quench not the Spirite 20. Despise not Prophecying 21. Trie all things and keepe that which is good 22. Abstaine from all apparance of euill HAuing lately spoken of these wordes In all thinges giue thankes and quench not the Spirite Touching the first I shewed you that it is an easier thing to obtaine of God than to bee thankfull to him for moe haue gone away speeders than haue gone away thankers Then howe the wicked are beholding to God aswell as the iust and therefore it is saide that the sunne dooth shine vppon the iust and vniust Then howe Iaacob came not so bare to Laban when he brought nothing with him but his staffe in his hande as man commeth into this worlde without strenght or staffe to sustain him which made the Apostle to aske What haue you which you haue not receiued Therefore to teach man to bee thankefull vnto his Maker he was not made in Paradise the place of ioye and happinesse but being made out of Paradise hee was brought into Paradise to shew how all his ioy and happinesse came from God and not from Nature that hee might knowe where to bestowe hys thankes Therfore Dauid to perswad all men vnto thankfulnesse saith It is a good thing and pleasant to be thankfull If hee had saide no more but good all which loue goodnesse were bounde to be thankfull but when he saith not onely good but pleasant too all which loue pleasure are bounde to bee thankefull and therefore as Peters Mother in lawe so soone as Christ had healed her of a feuer rose vp immediatly to minister vnto him So we so soone as Christ hath doone any thing for vs shoulde rise vp immediatly to serue him As Annah when she had receiued a sonne from God did consecrate him to God againe so what soeuer we receiue of God we must giue it to God againe that is vse it to his glory and make it one of our meanes to serue him for all things which wee receiue in this life are giuen vnto vs least we should want any meanes to serue God Then because the Apostle requireth thankes for all thinges I shewed you that hee is not thankfull before God which thanks him only for his benefites but hee is thankefull in deede which thankes him for his chastisement It may bee while the Lord giueth many will say Blessed be the name of the Lord but when the Lord taketh away who will say blessed be the name of the Lorde There is one example thē of Paules doctrine which is in all things to giue thankes There is an other example of Paules doctrine which gaue thankes to GOD for his rodde for an obedient childe dooth not onely kisse the hand which giueth but the rod that beateth After speaking of these wordes Quench not the Spirite I shewed you that the Spirite doth signifie the gifts of the Spirite the Spirite in the third of Mathewe is likened to fire and therefore Paule saieth well Quench not the Spirite because fire may bee quenched Heere I tooke occasion to speake of zeale which is the fire of the Spirite shewing you that GOD is pleased with zeale as men are pleased with loue But as Christ did baptise with fire so Iohn did baptise with water And as the holie Ghost descended with fire so hee did descend with a winde that cooleth fire shewing that our zeale should bee a temperate zeale as our Masters was Esaiah was commaunded to crye but not to roare The Iewes might not gather too much Manna no more than they might gather too little as there is a measure in knowledge so there is a measure in zeale that is be zealous according to discretion as Paule saith Bee wise according to sobrietie The Disciples were commended for their zeale when they left all to followe Christ but Christ reprooued them for their zeale when they woulde pray for fire from heauen to consume the Samaritanes Therefore zeale and discreation vnited togeather are like the two Lyons which supported the throne of Salomon and hee which hath them both is like Moises for his mildnes and like Phineas for his feruencie therefore as wine is tempered with water so let discretion temper zeale But I neede not bring water to quenche that fire which is out already I would rather I could say of you you are too zealous as Paule tolde the Athenians they were too superstitious But our sicknesse is not a hot sicknesse but a colde sicknesse the hotte bodie is distempered but the colde bodie is dead Then I shewed you howe the Spirite is quenched as a man dooth quench his reason with ouer much wine and therefore wee saye when the wine is in the wit is out because before hee seemes to haue reason and nowe hee seemes to haue none So our zeale and our Faith and our loue are quenched with sinne Euerie vaine thought and euery idle worde and euerie wicked deede is like so many droppes to quench the Spirite of GOD. Some quench it with the businesse of this worlde some quench it with the lustes of the flesh Some quench it with the cares of the minde Some quench it with long delaies that is not plying the motion when it commeth but crossing the good thought with badde thoughtes and doing a thing when the Spirite saith doe it not as Acbab went to battaile after hee had consulted with the Prophet therefore Paule saith Grieue not the Spirite shewwing that the Spirite is often grieued before it be quenched and this is principaly to bee remembred that when a man beginnes to grieue and checke and persecute the Spirite lightly hee neuer ceaseth vntill hee hath quenched it that is vntill he seeme to haue no spirite at all but walketh like a lumpe of flesh After Quench not the Spirite followeth Despise not Prophecying In the ende of this Epistle Paule speaketh like a Father which is come to the ende of his life who because hee hath but a while to speake heapeth his lessons together which he would haue his sonnes remember when hee is gone so Paule as though he were set to giue good counsaile and had no leysure to speake that he woulde sendeth the Thessalonians a briefe of his minde which their meditation should after amplifie and expounde vnto them His first aduise is quench not the Spirite that is when a good motion commeth welcome it like a friende and crosse it not with thy lustes for lustes are enemies to the benefite of the Soule The second Admonition teacheth how the first should be kept Despise not prophecying and the Spirite will not quench because prophecying dooth
in the streetes while wee preach in the Temple The beastes came to the Arke to saue themselues and men will not come to the Church to saue themselues But we maye crye vnto them as the Children did vnto their fellowes in the Market Wee haue pyped vnto you and you woulde not daunce Wee haue lamented vnto you and you would not mourn Some come to heare vs but they come as Naaman came to Elisha when the Prophet had tolde him what hee shoulde doe hee mocked him for it and thought that hee knewe a better way than that himselfe So they come to heare vs but they thinke they can teach vs. But they must remember that Paule sayth GOD hath chosen the foolish to confound the wise Therefore if they thinke themselues wise let them thinke vs those fooles whome God hath chosen to confounde them For although at all other times we are as plaine and simple as Iacob yet at this time we haue a promise and it is giuen vs for your sake to speake sometime that which we conceiue not ourselues because the houre is come when GOD hath appointed to call some of you as he hath done some of you before therefore as the Princely spirite came vppon Saule when hee should reigne to teach him howe he should rule so the Propheticall spirite commeth vpon Teachers when they should teach to teach theÌ„ how they should speake therfore Christ was content to be baptised of Iohn so be you contented to bee instructed of vs that if wee bee more simple than you the glorie of God may appeare more in conuerting you by vs. Hath not this despising of the preachers made the Preachers almost despise preaching The peoples neglecting of the Prophets hath made the prophets neglect prophecying The diuell stirres vp this carelesnes in mens hearts to the intent our ingratitude may moue the Lord to take from vs as from the Iewes both our Prophets and our prophecying so leaue vs to a sencelesse securitie that most commonly fore-runneth destruction VVhat mooueth so manie that wold put their hands to the plough and studie diuinitie looke backe to lawe or Phisicke or trades or anie other thing rather then they will enter into this contemptible calling but onelie the consideration of our contempt and beggarie And is not the Arke then readie to depart from Israell Nowe if you will knowe what makes Prophets and Prophecying despised more fully you may see first in Ieroboams priests it is said that Jeroboam made Israell to sinne that is Jeroboam made Israell to contemne Religion because hee made Priestes of the basest of the people therefore they which make Priestes like Ieroboams Priestes make the people contemne the Priests and Religion too Why might none carrie the Arke of the couenant but the Leuits was it not least the Arke which is a signe of God should bee despised therefore none shoulde meddle with the Word which is the Lawe of God but they which are fit least they make it despised The second thing which makes Prophets and Prophecying despised is the rudenes and negligence of them which are able to doe well in theyr Ministrie and yet doe contrarie It is saide of Hophni and Phineas that by theyr corrupt sacryficing they made the people abhorre the sacrifices so many by their slubbering of the Word for want of studie meditation doe make men thinke that there is no more wisedome in the Worde of GOD than they shewe out of it There is a kinde of Preachers risen vp but of late which shroud and couer euerie rusticall and vnsauerie and childish and absurde Sermon vnder the name of the simple kinde of teaching like thee Papists Priestes which make Ignoraunce the Mother of Deuotion but in deede to preach simply is not to preach rudely nor vnlearnedly nor confusedly but to preach plainely and perspicuously that the simplyest that dooth hear may vnderstand what is taught as if hee did heare his name But if you will knowe what makes many Preachers preach so barely and loosly and simply It is your owne simplicitie which makes them thinke that if they go on and say something all is one and no fault will be founde because you are not to iudge in nor out and so because wee giue no attendaunce to doctrine as Paule teacheth vs. Yea it is almost come to passe that in a whole Sermon the hearer cannot picke out one note more than he could gather himselfe In the 48. of Ieremie there is a curse vpon them which doe the busines of the Lorde negligently truely I cannot tel whom the Prophet meaneth These would not haue Prophets and prophecying despised and yet they are meanes to make both despised themselues The last thing which makes Prophets prophecying despised is the diuersitie of minds while one holds one way and an other an other way some leaue all and will bee of no Religion vntill both parties agree as if a patient should pine himselfe eat no meate at all because one Phisitian saith that this meate will hurt him and an other sayth that that meate wil hurt him these are theÌ„ the three enemies which makes vs and our labours so vulgarly despised Nowe what shall wee aunswere to our Despisers Reioyce not against mee O my enemie sayth the Church for I shall be praised so Despise not the Prophets O ye Ismalites for they shall be honoured Peter saith to Ananiah and Saphira You haue not lyed vnto man but vnto GOD for you haue not despised man but GOD. For our Sauiour Christ saith Hee which despiseth you despiseth mee and hee which despiseth me despiseth him that sent mee When sathan slew Iobs seruants his malice was against Iob so when you despise GODS seruants your presumption is against God for that which you doe vnto them saith Christ you doe vnto mee VVhy then if they despise Christ they shall bee despised of Christ for he tolde Saul that hee spurned against the pricke that is he spurned against that which woulde spurne against him Therefore if you giue vnto Christ when you giue vnto the poore And if you honour Christ when you honour his Prophets us you giue vnto the poore for Christes sake so despise not the Prophets for Christes sake if for all this we must bee despised still then this is our remedie Paule sayth Whatsoeuer wee are to you yet we are a sweet sauour to God both in them which are saued and in them which perrish That is though wee bring him word that you will come to the banquet yet wee shall bee welcome without you and so much of that After Despise not Prophecying followeth Tâ—rie all things as if he should say Despise not Prophecying least you beleeue error for truth for as among Rulers there be bad rulers so among Prophets there be false Prophets This made Christ warne his Disciples to beware of the leauen of the Pharisies that is of their false