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
A49464	A sermon preached before His Majesty at Whitehall March 27th 1664 by ... B. Lord Bishop of Lincoln.; Sermons. Selections	Laney, Benjamin, 1591-1675.	1665 (1665)	Wing L348; ESTC R17615	15,955	41

the Son spake in those last days the days of the Gospel was in divers manners For first he spake by himself in person Luke 4.18 The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor That which he preached was certainly Gods word And when he left the world to go to his Father he sent the Holy Ghost from Heaven who in the mouth of the Apostles preached the same Gospel for those holy men spake not by the will of man but as they were mov'd by the Holy Ghost 2 Pet. 1.24 And therefore this also was truly the word of God And when the Church was thus founded by the preaching of the Holy Ghost for the propagation of it to all times after it pleased God to give it in Writing in a Scripture and that by inspiration of the same Spirit which before preached it So as now we need not ascend to Heaven to fetch Christ down nor the Holy Ghost as some pretend to do to know Gods will but to receive it onely from that Scripture Thus far we have the Word of God in Proper i. e. immediately out of the mouth of God and our hearing must be absolute for the matter we must say with Samuel Speak Lord for thy servant heareth But when it pleased God to commit the dispensing of that word to the Pastors of the Church for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ Ephes 4.12 Now the word of God was come into the hands of men subject to infirmities and error who may both deceive themselves and others And here our Saviours advice comes in season Take heed what you hear Before Gods word was in the Original but here onely in the Transcript or Copy and some Copyings are more happy then others and come nearer the Original and therefore not all of the same value and esteem All Preachers are not to be heard alike nor all Sermons The word of God in them is so the water of Life that it often tastes of the mineral through which it runs and hath a tincture from the earthen Vessel that brings it and therefore not to be receiv'd with that measure of trust which belongs to the pure and proper word of God For take a Sermon at the best the most you can make of it is that it is Gods word onely in a qualified sense because the Church intends it should be so and it is the preachers judgement and opinion that it is so and possibly it may be so indeed But then because possibly it may not be so we had need take heed what we hear We learn from St. Paul that it was more than possible it was truly so then for he warns Timothy of Preachers that will strive about words to no purpose but to the subversion of the hearers 2 Tim. 2.14 And ver 16. By prophane and vain bablings do increase to more ungodliness And v. 17. Their word will eat as doth a Canker or a Gangrain for so the Greek word is and that 's a dangerous Disease and by all means possible to be avoided and especially to be taken heed of Thus it was in the early times of the Church we have reason them to look for worse after and so we of late times found it by sad experience Not onely profane and vain bablings but Sedition Treason Rebellion were drest up and appear'd in the likeness of Sermons It is too plain we have but too much need of caution to take heed But alas what should private men do must they or can they call all Preachers and Doctrines to account The Scriptures indeed which are the undoubted Word of God would do it if well manag'd but how can that be hoped from every hand wherein wise that is learned men are mistaken and from whence every Sect seeks Patronage and perswades it self to have it What means is there then left by the help whereof we may take heed what we hear Truly none that I know but this still the Scriptures are the only infallible rule But how Not left loose to the prejudices and fancies of every man for then it will fall out as with those that look in a Glass in which every one sees his own face though not anothers the reason is because he brings his face to the Glass not because it was there before So every Sect sees the face of his own Religion in the Scripture not because it was there before but because his strong fancy and prejudice brought it thither he thinks he sees that in the Scripture which in truth is onely in his own imagination But how then can we have any help from the Scriptures to take heed what we hear Not as Gods word lies diffus'd through the whole body of them but as prepar'd and fitted up in a summary and short form of wholsom words by such to whom the care of the Church is committed If any shall think this a humane invention derogatory to the sufficiency of the Scriptures Let him implead St. Paul first who made the same use of it finding what mischief false Teachers had done charges Timothy with the care of it 2 Tim. 1.13 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hold fast the form of sound words which thou hast heard of me This form he calls in the last verse of the former Epistle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a depositum committed to his trust and for that very purpose that he might avoid profane and vain bablings and oppositions of Science falsly so called and that is plainly that they might take heed what they hear The same course was taken by the whole Church after considering how hard or rather impossible it was for every one out of the Scriptures to work out to himself an assurance of the knowledge of as much as was necessary to salvation and with that a consent with the rest of the faithful who are commanded to speak and think the same things which cannot be done but in a certain form of words 1 Cor. 1.10 Such a form if not the same with S. Paul 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was the Apostles Creed the use whereof hath ever since continued in the Church to be a help to take heed what we believe The same course was of later times held by divers particular National Churches who weary with the insolence and domineering of their Sister at Rome did suo jure uti and provide for themselves which fell out in a time when the world was filled with Controversies and Disputes of Religion That the people might not be carried about with every wind of doctrine that blew from all corners it was their care and wisdom to compose a form of whole some words in their several Confessions to be a rule what to hear Now following our Saviours advice you have reason to ask With what measure of Faith are these confessions to be received for Quis custodi

the first Gods Word is a light we can do nothing more contrary to light then to hide it to put it under a Bushel i. e. to do any thing that will intercept the light and benefit of it Now this may be done several wayes First By perverting the proper end and use of hearing Hearing Gods word is certainly a good point of Religion for it is a duty commanded ver 23. If any man have ears to hear let him hear yet if he hear as he should he must not mistake one kinde of duty for another Duties are of divers kindes some essential parts of Religion some instrumental and some both The two chief duties of this time fasting and hearing are instrumental onely That Fasting is so we learn from St. Paul The Kingdom of heaven is not meat and drink i. e. consists not in it yet if well used is a help to it Instrumenti vis in usu consistit If fasting attains not the end and use of it it is good for nothing not to be reckon'd in the order of Religious duties So hearing Gods Word if it work no amendment in us is but a Cypher alone that stands for nothing no better then a Candle under a Bushel When hearing is not it self doth not the own duty we are extreamly mistaken if we make it serve for any other Hearing doth edifie help to the building but as an Instrument not as Stone and Timber the essential parts of it The Ax and the Hammer the Square and the Level are instruments without which there can be no building but we would think him mad that should therefore lay them in the Walls or the Foundation They are as much guilty of folly who make their ordinary worship of God to be nothing but to go hear the Sermon yea and the extraordinary a solemn Fast and Humiliation to hear a Sermon A publick Thanksgiving to hear a Sermon and that is all If any business extraordinary fall out hereunto we think fit by our Devotion to ingage Gods blessing and protection all we do for his sake we sit and hear a Sermon If the Sermon doth the work of an instrument it is well to fit and enable us to perform those duties it self is neither stick nor stone in the Building We must not think all is done when the Sermon is done Instruments are of an indifferent nature may be well or ill used so are not essentials as Faith Repentance and Charity are constantly the same Fasting I said was an instrumental duty and so was as well us'd for strife and debate as for Humiliation and Repentance We may remember many of those fighting Fasts Psal 74. He that hew'd Timber before out of the thick Trees was known to bring it to an excellent work but now they break down all the carved works therof with Axes and Hammers that is with the same tools that built it As Sermons are instruments to build up at another time they pull down as fast It is therefore very necessary we take heed how we hear them As we must not mistake in the kinde of the duty an instrumental for an essential so nor in the kinde of the Instrument for some are natural as the eye is of seeing the ear of hearing these naturally do their work Others positive of Divine Institution which have no vertue or power but from that and such are the Sacraments I confess I never heard any say that hearing of Gods Word was a Sacrament of Faith yet I know there is more vertue ascrib'd to it then natural and by some more then Sacramental for no Sacrament they think effectual without a Sermon If there be a mistake in the manner and kinde of operation in the Instrument it will prove another putting the Candle under a Bushel I hope you will not think it a fruitless curiosity to enquire a little farther into it Hearing and Preaching both for they always go together are so proper to the Gospel that by them it is distinguished from the Law for St. Paul arguing for the Christian Faith against the Jewish calls it the Hearing of Faith Gal. 3.2 He that ministreth to the spirit and worketh miracles among you doth he it by the works of the Law or by the hearing of Faith The like propriety in the Gospel hath preaching for whatsoever way the wisdom of the world may take It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe 1 Cor. 1.21 And thus by way of distinction the Gospel is call'd the ministration of the Spirit because preached by inspiration of the Spirit and the Law the ministration of the Letter because given in writing 2 Cor. 3.6 Who hath made us Ministers of the New Testament 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not of the Letter but of the Spirit But was there then no hearing nor preaching under the Law That cannot be said neither They have Moses and the Prophets saith Abraham to Dives let them hear them And the Priest's lips could not preserve knowledge unless it were received from his mouth by hearing It was commonly practised in the Synagogues after the reading of the Law in the time of the Apostles to exhort the people When S. Paul and his company went into the Synagogue at Antioch in Pisidia they were desired to give the people a word of exhortation Acts 13.15 How then comes it to pass that by hearing and preaching the Christian Religion is distinguished from the Jews which are common to both And why is the Law call'd the ministration of the Letter by way of distinction seeing the Gospel is written as well as the Law 'T is plain that these things are spoken not simply and universally of either but in relation to their beginning and first publishing to the world Because the Law was then given by writing though afterwards preached it is called the ministration of the Letter So the Gospel though afterwards written yet because it was then only preached by revelation of the Holy Ghost it is call'd the ministration of the Spirit That likewise which S. Paul speaks of the hearing of Faith and of saving men by the foolishness of preaching hath a peculiar relation to Christianity in the manner of founding it at first For certain'y Preaching in it self was not in the eye of humane wisdom a foolish way to perswade but such as the wisest of them all used when they would perswade the people any thing they did it by orations and speeches which are of the same kinde with preaching But if we look at that preaching by which the Christian Religion was at first introduced it had in the eye of humane wisdom somthing of folly in it For to introduce a Law or Religion to any people these two things among others are necessary That they give it in Writing that they might more certainly know what they had to do and that it be by such as have authority and power And this way God himself took in giving the Jews a