Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A57158
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A sermon preached before the king at White-Hall on March 22, 1667, being Easter-day / by Edward Lord Bishop of Norwich.
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Reynolds, Edward, 1599-1676.
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1668
(1668)
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Wing R1283; ESTC R32286
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13,905
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38
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A SERMON Preached before the KING AT WHITE-HALL On March 22. 1667. Being EASTER-DAY By Edward Lord Bishop of Norwich Published by his Majesties Command LONDON Printed by Thomas Ratcliffe and are to be sold by Edward Thomas at the Adam and Eve in Little-Brittain 1668. A SERMON Preached before the KING AT WHITE-HALL On March 22. 1667. being Easter-day Hebrews 13. v. 20 21. Now the God of Peace that brought again from the Dead our Lord Jesus that great Shepheard of the Sheep through the blood of the Everlasting Covenant Make you perfect in every Good Worke to do his will working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ. THE efficacy of the Gospell dependeth not on the wisedome industry or ability of Man but on the Blessing and power of God who onely can open the Heart to attend unto the Word spoken And therefore the Apostle doth often begin and end his Epistles with Prayer as the best Key to open and the best Seal to close the Doctrine taught Now because the summe of our Happiness here standeth in two things That God is at peace with us and that we live in obedience to him and both these founded in the Covenant of Grace Sealed by the Blood of Christ the great Apostle High Priest and Shepheard of the Church and ratified by the power of his Resurrection therefore the Apostle hath so couched these things in this Prayer that it may be a Summary both of his Doctrine touching the person and offices of Christ in this Epistle and of the Exhortations unto stedfastness in Faith and Obedience frequently inferred therefrom The Words contain in them Two general parts A Prayer and Arguments to enforce it In the Prayer we observe 1. The Matter of it perfection in every good work 2. The Rule of our perfection in working God's will 3. The end of Doing his will to please him 4. The Principles of this Perfection 1. God's peaceable Affection towards us in Christ. 2. God's Gracious working in us Working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight The Arguments are drawn 1. from the Free Grace of God in an Everlasting Covenant 2. From the Love of Christ the great Shepheard of his Church in purchasing all the mercies of that Covenant with the price of his own Blood 3. From the power of God bearing witness to the Efficacy and prevalency of that Blood in Raising Christ from the Dead 4. From the Pastoral Office wherein Christ applyeth and dispenseth the Mercies of this Covenant as the great Shepheard of the Sheep I begin with the Prayer wherein we have a compleat Character of Christian perfection in these few particulars 1. An Internal work of God's grace in us working in you Good works begin not at the Hand but at the Heart we must be renewed in the spirit of our minde and strengthened by God's Spirit in the Inner-man as the Apostle speaks He in the Philosopher who could not make a Dead Body stand gave it over with this Conclusion Oportet ut sit aliquid Intus We may not judge of our selves by mere External conformities the Lip or Knee may be near when the Heart is farr off We must try how our Consciences is freed from the allowance and our Will from the love of Sin What life of Grace is in our Heart How our Soul stands in awe of God's Commandments The outward Act may be dissembled but no Man can love God in Hypocrisie Again the outward Act may be disabled but nothing can hinder the Heart from delighting in God's Law Every Man is that in God's Eye which he is in his Spiritual Capacity A Bodily service like a Body is Dead without a Soul to animate and enliven it 2. Life of Grace within will produce work without In vain do we please our selves in the opinion of a good Heart if there be an Evil Conversation Grace in the Heart like Leaven in the Lump or Sap in the Root wil work its way into the whole Man Where God gives one heart he gives one way Jer. 32. 39. The Wicked must forsake his way as well as his thoughts and so finde mercy Isaiah 55. 7. 3. Christian perfection disposeth unto Every Good Work causeth a Man to keep a good Conscience in All things Sinceritie makes Obedience universall He who out of the awe of God's Authority keeps one Commandment must needs on the same Reason keep all as Saint James argues Cap. 2. 10. they being All alike Holy and alike His. There is in Every good Christian a Concatenation of all Vertues and Grace As the Childe receives from the Parent Member for Member So when Christ is formed in a Believer he receiveth of his fullness Grace for Grace John 1. 16. And therefore as one dangerous Wound may kill a Man or one dangerous Leake sink a Vessell So one presumptuous Sinne may destroy a Soul We must not therefore content our selves with Herod's progress of whom it is said that he did many things Marc. 6. 20. But we must with David have respect unto all God's Commandments and hate every False way Psal. 119. 6. 128. This is our Commission to teach Men to observe All things whatsoever Christ hath commanded Matth. 28. 20. And this should be your Resolution to say with good Cornelius We are here present before God to hear All things that are commanded Thee of God Act. 10. 3. 4. Christian perfection is Constant holds out to a consummation and full growth to a perfect Man Eph. 4. 13. Keeps God's Statutes Alwayes to the end Psal. 119. 112. proceeds from an Heart throughly fitted and composed for good works as the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 importeth So the Apostle sayeth of himself that he followed after reached forth and pressed forward in the Race of Christianity Phil. 3. 12 13 14. as all true denominations are founded in habituall and permanent Qualities We call not him a Red man who is so onely with Blushing nor him a Pale man who is so onely with Passion So sincere Piety is not in fitts pangs or sudden flashes but is sober regular uniform constantly disposing the Soul unto Every good work 5. Christian Perfection hath for its Standard and Measure the good and perfect will of God inquireth what God the Lord will speak Psal. 85. 8. teacheth us to deny our own Reason and not dispute to deny our own will and not to rebell against the will of God to say as Christ to his Father Not as I will but as thou wilt or as Saint Paul in his Conversion Lord what wilt thou have me to do Great reason it is that the wisest Will should order and that the Soveraign Will should Rule Every other Will which is subordinate unto it And since we know that God requireth nothing of us but for our own benefit for our goodness extendeth not unto him we should Even out of Self-love obey his will 6. Christian Perfection
proposeth as its ultimate end to please God and to bring glory to his Name is not guided by Carnal hopes or fears to please men but chiefly regards God's eye and his approbation So Abraham walked before God so David set the Lord alwayes before his face so our Blessed Saviour did always those things that pleased his Father And great Reason it is that the first of Beings should be the last of Ends that we should study to please and bring glory to him who in so doing hath promised to assist and reward us and by not so doing is provoked both to disappoint and to destroy us Lastly Our good works cannot please God but in and through Jesus Christ. For 1. his Spirit and Grace are necessary to enable all our performances 2. His Merits and mercy are necessary to pardon all our failings Thus farr the Matter of the Prayer Perfection in Every good work to do God's will We are next to Consider the Principles of these good works which are 1. God's peaceable affection towards us The God of Peace Enmity began at us but Reconciliation begins at God our destruction is of our selves But from him is our help Hos. 13. 9. He came not onely to save but to seek and to finde that which was lost Luke 19. 10. When we were Sinners obnoxious to Justice Enemies Exposed to wrath without Strength Unable to decline God's Justice to withstand his Power to prevent or escape his Displeasure for him in this Case to send after his Creatures his Enemies that fled from him that Rebelled against him to be seech them to be reconciled unto God to be content to be saved to accept of pardon and peace of glory and Blessedness this is a love which passeth knowledge which exceedeth the expression or Comprehension of Men or Angells And we must thus apprehend God as a God of Peace before we can be fitted for any good work It is the Nature of Man as the Historian tells us odisse quem Laeserit We having by Sin wronged God do after hate and fly from him till he proclaim Pardon and Peace Peter repented not of his Denial till Christ looked back upon him the Tears which fell from his Eyes were put into them by the Eyes of Christ. While Heaven in Winter is cold and tempestuous the Earth is Barren till the Sun return with warmoh and healing So the Soul is fruitless till the Light and favour of God shine forth upon it We love him because he loved us first 1 Joh. 4. 19. We Remember our wayes when he is pacified towards us Ezek. 16. 63. His pardon and goodness is the ground of our fear There is forgiveness with Thee saieth the Psalmist that thou mayest be feared Psal. 130. 4. They shall fear the Lord and his Goodness Hos. 3. 5. Godly men sayeth Macarius have Joy and Fear mingled together the Joy which they have in God Makes them Fear to offend him They dare not grieve him that comforts them nor use his Favours to his own dishonour The best way therefore to Abound in good works to be kept in an Uniform and constant Love of God's holy wayes is to get our Hearts possessed with a Sense and assurance of Divine Love that God is unto us in Christ a God of Peace for where God speaks Peace he brings Healing Isai. 57. 19. The Peace of God wherever it is will Rule as the Apostle teacheth us Col. 3. 15. Assurance of Faith is an excellent means to have the Heart sprinkled from an Evil Conscience Heb. 10. 22. And here since our God is a God of Peace Our Saviour a Prince of Peace His Gospel a Covenant of Peace His Church a City of Peace compacted within it self wherein in the purest Age thereof the Members were all of one Heart and one Soul since we have all but one Spirit one Faith one Hope one Baptisme one Common Salvation as Saint Jude calls it How should we all bewaile the never enough-lamented Divisions which still Continue and wofully increase in the midst of the most considerable Protestant Nation in the Christian World How should all of us besiege Heaven with United Prayers with Uncessant Importunities for the peace of Jerusalem How should All whom the God of Peace hath entrusted with the care of his House looking strait forward with a single Eye and Unbiassed aime to the Glory of God the Interest of Religion and Salvation of Souls put forth their utmost and most Zealous Endeavours to close up these dolefull Breaches which are amongst us Rulers by the Prophet are called Healers Isa. 3. 7. and it is recorded for the honour of Jehoash King of Judah that he took care for the repairing of the breaches of the House of God 2 Reg. 12. 5. The Church of Christ in Heaven shall have no Divisions in it and he hath taught us to Pray that his will may be done on Earth as it is in Heaven Why should we not with all Seriousness and Sincerity endeavour as farr as possibly may be to Effect that which we hope for in Heaven which we Pray for on Earth We read of Wise-hearted Men that they made several Curtaines with Loops and Taches and so Coupled them to one another that they became one Tabernacle Exod. 36. The Lord thereby teaching us that it is a work of special wisedom from Above so to procure Order and Unity in his Church that the Interest and Beauty thereof may be strengthened and preserved that it may become Beautifull as Tirrah comely as Jerusalem Terrible as an Army with Banners For certainly next to Truth of Doctrine Purity of Worship and Holiness of Life there is nothing more necessary for promoting God's Honour and Mens Salvation for preventing all Atheistical prejudices against Religion and departures to a common Adversarie for strengthening the Interests of all both Governors and Governed in the Church than the Peace and Unity thereof is And so long as Ephraim is against Manasseh and Manasseh against Ephraim and both against Judah we may Justly fear that God's Anger is not yet turned away but that his Hand is stretched out still as the Prophet speaks Isai. 9. 21. The next Principle of Perfection is God's Gracious Working in us fitting preventing assisting us unto the Good Works here prayed for This Aide of Divine Grace is Necessary 1. to our Habitual Aptness 2. to our Actual working 3. to our Progress and Perseverance in any good All our good Works are begun continued and ended onely by God's Grace Creatures which seek no higher Perfections than are to befound within the Sphere of their own Nature may by the Guidance and force of Nature attain thereunto But Man seeking a Supernatural Happiness must be thereunto carried by the force of Supernatural Grace 1. Then our Habitual Fitness is onely from Grace Our Sufficiency is of God 2 Cor. 3. 5. of our Selves we are utterly Indisposed unto Good This Indisposition