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	receive_v	18,187	5	5.7163	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A02367	The sacrifice of thankefulnesse A sermon preached at Pauls Crosse, the third of December, being the first Aduentuall Sunday, anno 1615. By Tho. Adams. Whereunto are annexed fiue other of his sermons preached in London, and else-where; neuer before printed. ...	Adams, Thomas, fl. 1612-1653.	1616 (1616)	STC 125; ESTC S100425	109,673	188

performe not well the Corporation is better without it The Tongue is mans clapper and is giuen him that hee may sound out the praise of his maker Infinite causes draw deseruingly from mans lippes a deuout acknowledgement of Gods praise Quia Creator ad esse Conseruator in esse Recreator in bene esse Glorificator in optimo esse He gaue vs being that had none preserued vs in that being restored vs voluntarily fallen vnto a better being and will glorifie vs with the best at the day of the Lord Iesus Then let the Tongue know Si non reddet Deo faciendo quae debet reddet ei patiendo quae debet If it will not pay God the debt it owes him in an actiue thankefulnes it shall pay him in a passiue painefulnes Let the meditation heere of put our tongues into tune A word fitly spoken is like Apples of golde in pictures of siluer It is a member you heare we must take it with all the properties Excellent Necessary Little Singular 1. Excellent Abstractiuely and simply vnderstood it is an exceeding excellent member both Quoad Maiestatem Incunditatem For the Maiestie of it it carries an imperious speech wherein it hath the preeminence of all mortal creatures It was mans Tongue to which the Lord gaue licence to call all the liuing creatures and to giue them names And it is a strong motiue to induce and to beget in other terrene natures a reuerence and admiration of man Therefore it is obserued that God did punish the ingratitude of Balaam when hee gaue away some of the dignity proper to man which is vse of speech and imparted it to the Asse man alone speakes I know that spirites can frame an aeriall voyce as the Di●ell when he spake in the Serpent that fatall temptation as in a Truncke but man onely hath the habituall facultie of speaking For the Pleasantnesse of the tongue the generall consent of all giues it the truest Melos and restraines all musicall organs from the worth and praise of it Eccles 40. The pipe and the Psalterie make sweete melodie but a pleasant tongue is aboue them both No instruments are so rauishing or preuaile ouer mans heart with so powerfull complacencie as the Tongue and voyce of man If the Tongue be so excellent how then doth this Text censure it for so euill I take the Philosophers old and trite answere Linguanihil est vel bona melius vel mala peius Then a good Tongue there is nothing better then an euill nothing worse Nihil habet medium aut grande bonum est aut grande malum It hath no meane it is eyther exceedingly good or excessiuely euill It knowes nothing but extreames and is or good best of all or bad worst of all If it be good it is a walking garden that scatters in euery place a sweet flower an hearb of grace to the hearers If it be euill it is a wilde Bedlam full of gadding and madding mischiefes So the Tongue is euery mans best or worst moueable Heereupon that Philosophicall seruant when hee was commanded to prouide the best meate for his Masters table the worst for the family bought brought to either neates tongues His Morall was that this was both the best and worst seruice according to the goodnesse or badnesse of the Tongue A good Tongue is a speciall dish for Gods publike seruice Parsoptima hominis digna quae sit hostia The best part of a man and most worthy the honour of sacrifice This onely when it is well seasoned Seasoned I say with salt as the Apostle admonisheth not with fire Let it not be so salt as fire as that Prouerbe which no man liuing hath tasted There is a Citie of salt mentioned Ioshua 15. Let no man be an Inhabitant of this salt-citie Yet better a salt-tongue then an oily Rather let the righteous reprooue mee then the precious balmes of flatterers breake my head whilst they most sensibly sooth and supple it We allow the Tongue salt not pepper let it be well seasoned but not too hote Thus a good Tongue is GODS dish and he will accept it at his owne table But an euill Tongue is meate for the Diuell according to the Italian Prouerbe The Diuell makes his Christmasse pie of lewd Tongues It is his daintiest dish and he makes much of it whether on earth to serue his turne as an instrument of mischiefe or in hell to answere his fury in torments Thus saith Salomon of the good Tongue The tongue of the iust is as choice siluer and the lippes of the righteous feede many But Saint Iames of the bad one It is an vnruly euill full of deadly poison 2. It is Necessary so necessary that without a tongue I could not declare the necessitie of it It conuerseth with man conueying to others by this organ that experimentall knowledge which must else liue and die in himselfe It imparts secrets communicates ioyes which would be lesse happy suppressed then they are expressed mirth without a partner is hilaris cum pondere foelicitas But to disburden griefes and powre foorth sorrowes in the bosome of a friend O necessary tongue How many hearts would haue burst if thou hadst not giuen them vent How many soules fallen groueling vnder their loade if thou hadst not called for some supportance How many a panting spirit hath sayd I will speake yet ere I die and by speaking receiued comfort Lastly it speakes our deuotions to heauen and hath the honour to conferre with God It is that Instrument which the holy Ghost vseth in vs to cry Abba Father It is our spokesman and hee that can heare the heart without a tongue regardeth the deuotions of the heart better when they are sent vp by a diligent messenger a faithfull tongue 3. It is Little As man is a little world in the great so is his tongue a great world in the little It is a little member saith the Apostle verse 5. yet it is a world verse 6. yea prauitatis vniuersitas a world of iniquitie It is parnum but prauum little in quantitie but great in iniquity What it hath lost in the thickenesse it hath got in the quickenesse and the defect of magnitude is recompenced in the fortitude an arme may bee longer but the Tongue is stronger and a legge hath more flesh then it hath besides bones which it hath not yet the tongue still runnes quicker and faster and if the wager lie for holding out without doubt the Tongue shall winne it If it be a talking tongue it is mundus garrulitatis a world of prating If it be a wrangling tongue it is mundus litigationis a world of brabbling If it be a learned tongue it is as Erasmus sayd of Bishop Tonstall mundus eruditionis a world of learning If it be a petulant tong it is mundus scurrilitatis a world of wantonnesse If it be a poysonous tongue it is mundus infectionis sayth our

graces in an holy emulation if I may so speake striuing for the chiefedome and our Apostle giues it to Loue. The greatest of these is Charity Not that other Daughters are blacke but that Charity excels in beauty Wee may say of this Sister as it was sayd of the good Woman Prou. 31. Many daughters haue done vertuously but thou surpassest them all Paul doth not disparage any when he sayth Charity is the greatest All starres are bright though one starre may differ from another in glory Wee may say of graces as of the Captaines of the sonnes of Gad the least can resist a hundred the greatest a thousand Or as the song was of Saul and Dauid Saul hath slaine his thousand Dauid his ten thousand Faith is excellent so is Hope but the greatest of these is Charitie Mee thinkes these three Theologall Vertues may not vnfitly bee compared to three great Feastes which wee celebrate in the yeare Easter Whitsuntide and Christmas Faith like Easter beleeues Christ dead for our sinnes and risen againe for our Iustification Hope like Pentecost waites for the comming of the holy Ghost Gods free Spirit of grace to come into vs and to bring vs to Heauen And Charitie lookes like Christmas full of loue to our neighbours full of hospitality and mercy to the poore These are three strings often touched Faith whereby wee beleeue all Gods promises to bee true and ours Hope whereby we waite for them with patience Charitie whereby vee testifie what wee beleeue and hope Hee that hath faith cannot distrust hee that hath hope cannot bee put from anchor he that hath charity will not lead a licentious life for Loue keepes the commandements For Methods sake wee might first conferre them all then preferre one But I will speake of them according to the three degrees of comparison 1. Positiuely 2. Comparatiuely 3. Superlatiuely The greatest of these is Charitie Faith IS that grace which makes Christ ours and all his benefites God giues it 1. Cor. 12. Faith is giuen by the spirit By the Word preached Rom. 10. Faith comes by hearing For Christ his sake To you it is giuen for Christ his sake to beleeue in his name This vertue is no sooner giuen of God but it giues God So soone as thou beleeuest Christ is thine and all his For he that giues vs Christ will also with him giue vs all things Without this it is impossible to please God Let vs not otherwise dare to come into his presence There is nothing but wrath in him for sinne in vs. Ioseph charged his brethren that they should come no more in his sight vnlesse they brought Beniami● with them Wee come at our perill into Gods presence if wee leaue his beloued Beniamin our deare Iesus behind vs. When the Philosopher heard of the inraged Emperours menace that the next time hee saw him hee would kill him he tooke vp the Emperours little sonne in his armes and saluted him with a potes ne Thou canst not now strike mee God is angry with euery man for his sinnes happie is hee that can catch vp his sonne Iesus for in whose armes soeuer the Lord sees his sonne he will spare him The men of Tyre are faine to intercede to Herod by Blastus Act. 12. Our intercession to God is made by a higher and surer way not by his seruant but by his sonne Now this Mediator is not had without a medium Faith Fides medium à quo remedium Faith is that meanes whereby wee lay hold on this Christ. Diffidence shall neuer haue Iesus for the Aduocate Though euerie man may say I beleeue Lord helpe my vnbeleefe Saint Paul vseth one word that very significantly expresseth Faith calling it the Euidence of things not seene Fides est credere quod non vides cuius merces est videre quod credis Faith is to beleeue what thou seest whose reward is to see what thou beleeuest Now the Metaphore may be extended thus 1. Christ dying made a Will or a Testament scaling it with his owne bloud wherein hee bequeathed a certain Legacie of Inheritance to his brethren with himselfe Ioh. 17. Father I will that they whom thou hast giuen mee bee with mee where I am that they may behold my glory which thou hast giuen me This is the substance of his Will and Testament 2 The Conueyance of this Will is the Gospell Whosoeuer beleeues and is baptized shall bee saued A large Patent a free and full grant There is no exception of persons eyther in regard of state quality or Country There is neyther Iew nor Greeke bond nor free male nor female for yee are all one in Christ Iesus The conueyance is of an ample latitude 3. The Executor or Administrator of this Will if I may so speake is the holy Ghost that Comforter which Christ promised to send that should lead vs into all truth This Spirit begets faith sanctification in our hearts puts Abba into our mouthes applyes the merites of our Sauiour to our soules and indeed seales vs vp to the day of redemption Without his assistance wee could appropriate no comfort by his Will nor challenge any Legacie therein bequeathed 4. Lastly the Euidence whereby euery particular man apportions to himselfe this title and interest is his Faith Thou vnregenerate soule pleadest a Legacie in this Will Goe to let vs ioyne issue come to tryal Where is thy Euidence Here it is my Faith This Euidence as all other must haue some witnesses produce thine and before the Barre of the great Chiefe Iustice the Kings Bench of Heauen let them not lie The first is thy Conscience Alas giue this leaue to speake without interruption and one day it shal not flatter thee This sayth thy Euidence is false counterfeit forged by a wretched Seriuener flesh and bloud for thy heart trusts in vncertainely good riches or in certainely bad vanities more then in the liuing God The next is thy life Alas this is so speckled with sinnes so raw and sore with lusts that as a body broken out into blaines and biles argues a corrupted liuer or stomacke within so the spottes and vlcers of thy life demonstrate a putrified heart Loe now thy witnesses Thou art gone at the common Law of Iustice It is onely the Chancerie of mercy that must cleare thee What wilt thou now doe What but humble thy selfe in repentance for thy false faith take prayer in thy company for pardon of former errors goe by the word preached for the Minister is as it were the Register to ingrosse the deed and desire God on the humbled knees of thy soule to giue thee a new and a true Euidence Let this instruct vs to some vses 1. Be sure that thy Euidence is good Satan is a subtill Lawyer and thou doest not doubt of his malice and will soone picke holes in it find out tricks and cauils against it He will winnow and sift thee