Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	ghost_n	holy_a	paul_n	7,516	5	6.4255	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65465	The pious communicant rightly prepar'd, or, A discourse concerning the Blessed Sacrament wherein the nature of it is described, our obligation to frequent communion enforced, and directions given for due preparation for it, behaviour at, and after it, and profiting by it : with prayers and hymns, suited to the several parts of that holy office : to which is added, a short discourse of baptism / by Samuel Wesley ...	Wesley, Samuel, 1662-1735.	1700 (1700)	Wing W1376; ESTC R38528	120,677	302

by Nature Children of Wrath. 'T is the Sacrament of Adoption as our Church affirms Thanksgiving after Baptism which seems to mean these two things by that Regeneration which in so many places it ascribes to Baptism namely The being grafted into the Body of Christ's Church and being made the Children of God by Adoption and Grace Thanksgiving after Baptism and Collect for Sunday after Christmas There is something more in this Baptismal Regeneration than barely being admitted into the Church or having the Guilt of original Sin washed away It relates to some actual positive Benefit conferred on the Believers and is the effect of our being engrafted into the Church and therefore not the thing it self only Except a Man be born again of Water and of the Spirit says our Saviour he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God St. Iohn 3. 5. By Water then as a means the Water of Baptism we are regenerated or born again whence it is also called the washing of Regeneration Our Church affirms no more of Baptism ascribes no greater Virtue to it than Christ himself has done Nor does she ascribe it to the outward washing only but to the inward Grace which is added to the outward to make it a Sacrament We say not that Regeneration is always compleated in this Sacrament but that it is begun in it a Principle of Grace is infused which we lost by the Fall which shall never be wholly withdrawn unless we quench God's Holy Spirit by obstinate habits of Wickedness There are Babes as well as strong Men in Christ. A Christian's Life is progressive as is our natural Life and tho' the Seeds of Grace should like the reasonable Soul the Principle of Life and of all Action be infused in a Moment yet there requires time to produce strong habits of Grace as well as of Reason as every one knows who is any thing acquainted with his own Mind or with the Word of God And the same our Church affirms in her devout Collect for the Nativity where she prays That we being namely already in Baptism regenerate and made God's Children by Adoption and Grace may daily be renewed by his Holy Spirit Which we learn from St. Austin to have been also in his time the Judgment of the Catholick Church who has these Expressions near the end of his Discourse de morihus Eccles. Cathol In that most holy Law says he the Renovation of the new Man is begun that by going on it may be perfected in some indeed this is done sooner in others later but in many it proceeds to a New Life if any Man diligently regard it For thus saith the Apostle Tho' the outward Man perisheth the inward Man is renewed day by day He says 'T is renewed that it may be perfected Thus far he and indeed 't is evident that this Renovation tho' to be daily perfected in the course of a Religious Life is yet begun in Baptism That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the spirit is spirit St. Iohn 3. 6. The Holy Spirit of God descended visibly on our Saviour at his Baptism St. Matt. 3. 16. It descended miraculously on the first Christians after they were baptised on Simon Magus himself there seems to be little doubt Act. 8. 13 17. as well as on others and doubtless 't was his own Fault that he lost it because he did not improve it but grieve and quench it by wilful obstinate Sin And from hence it is that the Apostle says that the Bodies even of very bad Christians were the Temples of the Holy Ghost 1 Cor. 6. 19. And we are not to doubt but this Holy Spirit descends as really still on those that are baptised tho' not so visibly so miraculously as he did formerly whence Christians are in Baptism sacramentally washed sanctified and justified in the name of our Lord Iesus and by the Spirit of God 1 Cor. 6. 11. Nor will this Holy Spirit ever leave us but strive with us to perfect what is now begun unless we finally leave him and forfeit his Protection by neglecting to perform our Engagements in Baptism Now in consequence of this Baptismal Regeneration and our being therein made the Children of God we are also Inheritors of the Kingdom of Heaven For by this we enter into it If Children then Heirs Heirs with God and joynt Heirs with Christ and Inheritors of that Kingdom which cannot be moved Rom. 8. 17. Baptism doth now save us if we live answerable thereunto repent believe and obey the Gospel 'T is that which admits us into the Church here and Glory hereafter And many have been of Opinion that by the Sea of Glass like unto Crystal which is mentioned in the Revelation Rev. 4. 6. before the Throne of God was figured out our Baptism through which we must pass if we ever come to Heaven § X. But all these Privileges imply Obligations Something to be done on our parts for the obtaining them a Contract or Covenant without Conditions being little better than a Contradiction and the Conditions of this Covenant are Repentance Faith and Obedience Baptism is but the way of our Entrance into Covenant with God into the Church of God but the Obligations thereof remain as long as our Lives as the Benefits reach yet further Faith only without Repentance will never save us The Doctrine of the Apostles was Repent and be Baptised Acts 2. 38. for the Remission of Sins and Repent and Believe the Gospel and Truth itself has assur'd us that except we Repent we shall all perish But yet we are indispensibly obliged by our Baptism First To believe all Divine Revelation especially the Holy Gospel to believe Christ the true Messiah the eternal Son of God the Saviour of the World and actually to trust in him for Remission of Sins and eternal Happiness And because all the Gospel cannot be repeated at Baptism the Church has all along made use of a Form of sound words comprehending the Substance thereof and for many ages that particular Form which is called the Apostles Creed containing that Doctrine which they preacht to all Nations And to this the Person to be Baptised is obliged to testify his assent either by himself or others But tho' this be a good Step yet this alone will not save him For he must not only believe Gods Word but likewise obediently keep his Commandments Those who are buried with Christ in Baptism must remember they are to be Dead to Sin to walk in newness of Life and to be careful that they maintain Good Works Rom. 6. 3 4. Tit. 3. 8. agreeable whereunto is the excellent Advice of our Church to the Baptised Office of Baptism Exhortation at the End That 't is their Parts and Dutys being made the Children of God and of the Light by Faith in Jesus Christ to walk answerably to their Christian Calling and as becomes the Children of the Light Remembring always that Baptism represents unto

VI. But our Obligation to receive will appear yet stronger if we consider the great Sin we are guilty of in neglecting it and the heavy punishment we may expect for the same Whatever our pretences are for it we do hereby in effect slight the Inviter and Invitation as well as that divine Feast that Heavenly Food which he has provided saying in our Hearts and by our Actions as Israel of the Manna Our Soul loaths this light Bread We separate from our Brethren and are guilty of a partial Schism We are disobedient to the just Laws of our Country both Civil and Ecclesiastical We discourage our Pastors by the thinness of the Appearance on these occasions We neglect the means which God has appointed to strengthen us in Virtue We are unthankful as well as disobedient and too like those in the Gospel who slighted the repeated Invitations of the King who sent out his Messengers to call 'em to the Marriage but they would not come St. Matt. 22. 2 3 c. for which he justly declared that those who were bidden were not worthy v. 8 there are unworthy Non-Communicants as well as unworthy Communicants and that none of them should taste of his Feast nor was this all for he sent forth his Armies and destroyed those Murderers and burnt up their City v. 7. Which Parable tho' it seems to relate more immediately to the Iews whose City and Nation were destroyed for rejecting the Gospel yet those must likewise be included in it by parity of Reason who refuse to obey that Gospel which they pretend to receive and will not come to this Marriage-Supper of the Lamb tho' so often and so kindly invited but neglect it either for the most part or even for all their Lives upon how frivolous Pretences we shall see hereafter and it is accordingly applied to such by our Church in the Exhortation which is appointed to be read when the Minister perceives the People backward to come to the Communion § VII Next as to the Extent of this Obligation It reaches all adult Persons who have been baptised This was carried so high by the antient Church that they thought the Communion was absolutely necessary to Salvation and therefore gave it to Infants as soon as baptised as do the Greeks to this day wherein tho' I think 'em mistaken it shews their Opinion of the universality of its Obligation and the necessity of receiving it The Apostle says of the Iews in the Wilderness 1 Cor. 10. 3 4. That they did all eat of the same spiritual Meat and did all drink of the same spiritual Drink and much more ought all Christians to do so who have a much more spiritual Religion The Passover was enjoyn'd to all the Congregation and even to every Man's Servant that was circumcised with this severe Sanction that the Man who neglected it without a lawful Excuse That Soul should be cut off from among his People * Numb 9. 14. Our Lord said to all his Disciples Take eat and particularly of the Cup Drink ye all of this his infallible Spirit foreseeing that some would deny it to the Laity in after-Ages and it 's said in St. Mark they all drank of it St. Paul stiles it the Communion because all Christians did partake of it as appears from that Expression * 1 Cor. 10. 17. we are all partakers of that one Bread and in the next Chapter he fairly implys that the main End of all regular Christians meeting together in publick was to eat the Lord's Body And all that believed at the first planting of the Gospel Chap. 11. v. 20. continued stedfastly in the Apostle's Doctrine and in the Communion * Acts 2. 42. as it ought to be translated † Vid. Mede of the Christian Sacrifice whose outward part consisted in the breaking of Bread and drinking of Wine as the inward in Prayer and Thanksgiving To this agrees Antiquity For the Primitive Christians allowed no such thing as coming to the publick Assemblies and going away without receiving which none did unless the Catechumens and Excommunicate there being a very antient Canon ‖ Can. IX among those which are called the Apostles that forbids any such disorderly practice on pain of Excommunication Our own Church reckons all Persons who are of years of Discretion as Communicants which has been also the Opinion of the wisest and most learned among our dissenting Brethren The Covenant we all enter'd into at Baptism must be renewed by us in the Lord's Supper unless there be any such as do repent the making it or as have never broke it And the same might be made appear from the Nature of the Sacrament insisted on at large in the first Chapter § VIII And its Duration is as perpetual as its Obligation is universal The Passover was to be kept by the Iews for a Memorial for ever Exod. 12. 14. throughout all their Generations This for ever lasted till the end of the Jewish Age or World and the Passover is to be observed till the end of the visible World the Consummation of all things The Institution it self being without any Term and Christ having commanded his Followers to do this in Remembrance of him they must still continue doing it unless he fixes a Term or gives them a dispensation for the doing it But the Nature of it proves that it still remains for a Remembrance implys absence and the Reason of the Remembrance lasts as long as the absence continues and since Christ will not be with us as to his corporeal presence till the Time of the Restitution of all things or the end of the World we must till then remember him in this Holy Sacrament § IX Which is as evident from Scripture as 't is from Reason As oft as ye eat of this Bread shew ye forth the Lord's Death till he come 1 Cor. 11. 26. namely till his second coming to judge the World in which sense that Expression is generally used in Scripture especially by this Apostle Thus he tells us That at the last day those which are alive and remain till the coming of the Lord shall not prevent those which are asleep * 1 Thess. 4. 15. which whole Description evidently relates to the last Iudgment And our Saviour uses that Expression in the same Sense in relation to St. Iohn who himself interprets that Phrase if I will that he carry till I come by that other that that Disciple should not die Now it 's evident that what St. Paul here declared was by express Command and Revelation and that he committed no more to Writing than he had before in the Name of Christ delivered to the Churches For thus he himself assures them I received of the Lord that which I also delivered unto you c. † 1 Cor. 11. 23. whence he goes on to give an exact Account of the Institution of this Sacrament § X. But further None will deny that we must