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	trinity_n	7,211	5	10.1332	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09462	Satans sophistrie ansuuered by our Sauiour Christ and in diuers sermons further manifested / by that worthy man Maister William Perkins ; to which is added, a comfort for the feeble minded, wherein is set downe the temptations of a Christian.	Perkins, William, 1558-1602.	1604 (1604)	STC 19747.7; ESTC S4051	89,009	206

from heauen to be the sole Doctor and Prophet of the Church of God presently without delay as is Marke 1. 12. he was led aside to be tempted of the Diuell In that Christ is no sooner baptised but he is presently tempted it sheweth vs that all those which haue bene baptised and giuen vp their names to Christ must make account to be tempted and looke for temptations For if Satan durst be so bold to set vpon Iesus Christ the head who was not onely man but very God how much more will he be bold to set vpon vs who be but weake and sinfull men And therefore so soone as we haue truly giuen vp our names to God and become the faithfull souldiers of Christ and refuse to serue sinne and Satan then will the diuell incounter vs and set vpon vs and we must looke for to be tempted preparing our selues to this spirituall battell and put vpon vs the whole complete armour of God Ephes 6. 11. But most men will say this doctrine is not true for they neuer felt any such combat in themselues though they haue bin baptized many yeares I answer such men whatsoeuer they be they haue onely the outward baptisme of water and neuer receiued the inward baptisme of the Spirit and such men do indeed weare Christs liuerie but do seruice to the Diuell his enemie And therefore let such persons reforme them selues turne from their wicked and sinfull liues and seeke to serue the Lord and then they shall find this doctrine most true For the children of Israel so long as they liued vnder Pharaoh in Egypt they were not persecuted by Pharaoh but when they did set their faces towards the land of Canaan then presently he pursued them with all his malice and might So all the while men liue in Egypt that is in sin and wickednesse and serue the diuell he will let them be at quiet but if euer we once set our hearts on that heauenly Canaan and giue our selues to the seruice of God then he will with open mouth pursue vs follow vs with many armies and cast an hundred temptations in our way And as a poore bird which cometh to the shop and when she thinketh to get away then cometh all her paine and the net is spread ouer her so when men begin to leaue their euill courses and to set themselues to serue the Lord presently the Diuell doth spread his net to intangle them This must teach vs to watch and pray that we enter not into temptation Secondly in that our Sauiour is no sooner baptized ordained to be the great Doctor of the Church but he is presently tempted and encountred by Satan hence we learne that all those which be appointed of God to any speciall office in the Church or common-weale they must make account they shall be tempted and looke for Satans temptations one way or other it was that which befell the head and therefore let vs all that be his members reckon of it Example of this we haue in Moses who so soone as he was new called to be the guide and deliuerer of the children of Israel he was faine to flie when he had killed the Egyptian And Dauid was no sooner appointed by God to be King of Israell but Saule did persecute him As soone as our Sauiour Christ had called the Apostles to that office he brought them to the sea and there by his diuine power raised a storme so as they cried out Maister saue vs or else we perish And this the Lord doth in great wisdome for by this meanes he sheweth a man that he is not able of himselfe to execute the duties of his particular calling without the speciall grace of God and by these temptations and trials the Lord stirreth vp a greater loue of his Maiestie in the hearts of his children and with it many other graces as prayer patience c. and maketh these graces the better to shew themselues Seeing that our Sauiour Christ begins his propheticall office of teaching the Church of God with temptations this should admonish the Ministers of the word of God that they of all other men are subiect to Satans temptations because they be the Lords Standard-bearers and his Lieutenants against whom Satan and al his souldiers bend all their forces as souldiers often do against the standard-bearer When as Iehoshua the high Priest stood before the Lord Satan stood at his right hand to hinder him Zach. 3. 1. He was a lying spirit in the mouth of foure hundred false Prophets and this old red Dragon Reu. 12. with his taile draweth downe the third part of the stars of heauen he desired to winnow Peter and to trie him by temptations Luke 22. And as the king of Aram said of Acab Fight not against small or great but against the king of Israel so Satan fighteth not against any so much as the Prophets of Israel the Ministers of the Church So then we may see that temptations are necessary for the Ministers of the word that they may both know what they be and also learne how to comfort others in time o● temptation Also to teach vs the true vse of the word of God and the force of it in resisting temptation For certaine it is that temptations teach men many things which they could neuer learne by bare studie So that one sayd well Reading meditation prayer and temptations these foure make a Diuine The second point to be considered is what was the cause which moued our Sauior Christ to go into the wildernesse which was the leading of the Spirit Iesus was led aside of the spirit Luke 4. 1. or as the word signifieth he was caried apart Mark 1. 12. not by a forced but a voluntary motion This was not a locall transportation of the bodie of Christ as that of Eliah and of Philip from the Eunuch but by the inward instinct of the holy Ghost he was mooued and made willing to go as the word which Luk. 4. 1. vseth sheweth plainely And by the Spirit here is not meant the Diuell or an euill spirit but the holy Spirit of God euen the third person in the Trinitie And so we see that Christ may both guide the Spirit and be guided by the Spirit for Christ as he is man is led and guided by the Spirit but as he is God he doth guide and send his Spirit Obiection Christ sendeth the holy Ghost therefore cannot be led by it Ans. As Christ was man he was guided by Gods spirit as he was God he sent the Spirit Hence we may behold the exceeding holinesse of the manhood or humane nature of Christ who as he was man was guided by the Spirit of God euen in his mouing from one place to another And it is that which euery one should desire to be like vnto our Sauiour Christ in this viz. to suffer our selues to be guided directed by Gods holy spirit

in all our thoughts words and deeds for this is a true note of Gods children Rom. 8. 14. but as many as are not led by the Spirit of God the same are none of his Rom. 8. 9. And therefore let vs all become plyable to the motions and directions of Gods blessed spirit so as we can say as Dauid saith When thou saydst Seeke ye my face my heart answered vnto thee O Lord I will seeke thy face Againe from this that Christ was led vnto temptations by the spirit of God we learne that temptations come not by chance nor yet by the diuels will and appointment for he could not touch Iob or any thing he had till he had leaue giuen him by the Lord and he could not so much as enter into swine till Christ gaue him leaue but they come by his ●ust permission and the speciall prouidence ●nd appointment of God For as God de●reed that he which had ouercome all mankind should be ouercome by Christ so he ●ath appointed this combat by temptations ●o all men the place where it is tried is the world as a theater the persons as souldiers tried are Christians the person tempting is Satan our aduersarie the beholders are men and Angels the Iudge or vmpire is the Lord himselfe so that the issue shall be good And therefore when we be tempted we must not thinke it strange but rather as Iam. 1. 2. Accompt it exceeding ioy when we are tempted for the triall of our faith and obedience And also seeing they come by Gods appointment it should moue vs all to endure them patiently seeing they cannot be auoyded Seeing Christ was led to be tempted hence we learne that no man must wittingly of his own head cast himself into places of danger for Christ went not into the place of temptation til he was led by the spirit of God And so indeed if a man find himselfe moued by some extraordinary motion and instinct of the spirit he may offer himselfe vnto danger So Paul went bound in the spirit to Ierusalem that is he did willingly follow the motion 〈◊〉 Gods spirit which inforced him to go to Ie●rusalem And so many of the Martyrs thoug● they might haue fled yet being moued 〈◊〉 the inward motion of the holy Ghost di●●stand to the truth abide the danger and en●dured the fire But otherwise no man is wittingly to cast himselfe into danger yet if the Lord send any danger vnto a man in the performance of his calling and vocation walking according to Gods word he is patiently to endure it and may not seeke to auoide the same Here may be demaunded whether a ma● may with good conscience and safely abid● in such places where it is certainely known● that euill spirits do haunt and vse to be Although some be so venturous and bold that they feare nothing yet it is no wisdome neither is it lawfull for men to frequent and abide in those places but rather to shunn● them seeing the Lord hath deliuered them vp into the power of the Diuell And therefore such men as frequent such places know● to be possessed do wilfully tempt God and cast themselues into needlesse danger vnlesse they haue extraordinary warrant from God This may serue to reprooue those men who say they care not into what companie they come for they perswade themselues that no companie can hurt them but let such men beware for how can it be but they shall be infected with the sinnes of those whose companie they vsually do haunt and vse He that walketh with the wise shall be wise but a companion of fooles shall be like vnto them He that toucheth pitch shall be defiled and if sinners intice thee yeeld not vnto them Againe here we see that so long as Christ liued a priuate life at home with his father in his trade all this while the Diuell lets him alone neither hath he these gifts of the holy Ghost but after he was once installed to the office of a Mediator presently the Diuell sets vpon him and when he must now be another kind of man in teaching the people of God he is led now by the spirit of God and furnished for this high and excellent calling Hence then we must learne that when we are appointed of God to any speciall office either in Church or Common-weale we must then become new men fit for those places and carie our selues sutable to our callings Thus when Saul was annointed to b● King he became another man thus whe● Dauid became of a shepheard a King he be● haued himselfe as a King thus the Apostle at the first were poore ignorant fisher-men but being called to be Apostles they le●● their old trade and became new men eue● messengers of Christ to preach the Gospel to all nations This confuteth those which pleade extraordinary callings as those men who ca● themselues Elias Iohn Baptist c. for if thes● were such men and had such extraordinari● callings they should be endued with extraordinarie gifts fit for their calling but they are not nay we see they be but ordinary men Againe by nature we be all borne the children of wrath and enemies to God but by grace are called to be Christians now the● it behoueth vs all to become new men to leade new liues fitting and sutable to our holy calling giuing our selues wholy to the seruice and worship of God Now if any aske● how Christ was furnished with these gifts ● answer out of S. Luke that he was filled with the holy Ghost chap. 4. vers 1. If any furthe● obiect that if he were so filled after his baptisme then he was not filled before I answer● againe that as in his infancie he had a mea●ure of gifts fit for that age so from time to ●●me he increased in grace and after his bap●●sme had a greater appearance and measure ●f gifts then before his calling to preach It followeth Into the wildernesse Here is ●he third circumstance namely the place into ●he wildernesse or desert place which place Christ did of purpose choose to be tempted ●n There be diuers opinions concerning this place some thinke it to be a litle wildernesse betwixt Ierusalem and Iericho others iudge ●t to be the desert of Arabia where Elias fa●ted fortie dayes and fortie nights and where ●he children of Israel wandred fortie yeares But seeing the holy Ghost doth not shew what wildernes it was we are not curiously ●o inquire after it but onely know it was a desert and solitary place Let vs rather seeke the reasons wherefore he was tempted in the wildernesse first because Christ comming into the world to be ●ut Mediator tooke vpon him the base estate of a seruant and came in humiliation therefore when he was now baptized he would not go to Ierusalem to publish his honour but he went into the desert a solitary wildernesse Againe he went into the wildernesse tha●