Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	grace_n	holy_a	lord_n	14,167	5	3.6878	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A78006	Christ the Sts advantage both in life and death. A sermon preached at the funerall of Ms Elisabeth Coke, wife to Colonell Tho. Coke of Pebmersh, Esquire. By Thomas Burrough, preacher of the Gospel at Pebmersh in Essex.	Burroughes, Thomas, b. 1611 or 12.	1646 (1646)	Wing B6130; Thomason E1200_3; ESTC R208763	15,668	69

if either I must forsake them or deny Christ were they a thousand times dearer I would willingly leave them Deerest friends chiefest delights coming in competition with Christ must be disregarded In this case wee must Patrem calcare c. as Jerome speaketh wee must trample upon father and cast away mother we must know no relation so as to hinder us from Christ Hee that doth not thus hate father and mother and wife and children in respect of Christ is not worthy of Christ Thus you see upon inquiry that there is no soule-satisfying comfort to be found on this side Christ As every thing moveth towards its owne proper center and is not at rest untill it come thither so the soule of a true beleever inclineth and moveth towards Christ and never resteth contented untill it come to Christ and hath the fruition of Christ As Noah's Dove found no rest untill shee returned to the Ark and as the Bee findeth no rest untill shee returne to the hive so the soule that truely desireth communion with Christ can meet with no true contentation but in Christ As David sweetly Returne unto thy rest O my soule for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee The reconciled face and favour of God in Christ is the onely true rest of the soule The soule is restlesse untill it finde this rest Now as you have seen that there is no true comfort to be found in any enjoyment on this side Christ So wee shall endeavour to give in some arguments to prove That it is Christ alone in whom this comfort is wrapped up That the Lord Jesus Christ is a beleevers greatest advantage and best comfort both in life and death REAS. 1. Because Christ onely can free the soule from the greatest evill from the greatest burthen here in this life What is it that maketh the life of many a poor soule to be as bitter as death it selfe that maketh them to walk mournfully and Rachel-like refuse to be comforted Is it not sense of sinne and the weight of remaining corruption Doth not this constraine the poor wearied soule to cry out O wretched man that I am c. Now it is Christ alone that can ease this burthen I thanke God through Christ saith the Apostle Hee hath borne our griefes and carried our sorrowes saith the Prophet Isai 53.4 Wee are naturally dead in sinnes and trespasses 't is he that hath quickened us Wee have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an hand-writing against us 't is hee alone that hath taken it away and nailed it on his crosse We are subject to the power of darknesse 't is hee that hath spoyled principalities and powers Coloss 2.15 Hee hath disarmed Sathan of all power finally to hurt his elect It is Christ alone that can free the soule not onely from the guilt and punishment of sinne but also from the power and dominion of sinne Hee was made sinne for us that is by imputation that wee might be made the righteousnesse of God in him 2 Cor. 5.21 God in his eternall councell appointed Christ to be surety for his elect and for his righteousnesse sake to accept of them as if they had been perfectly righteous in themselves Whom hee hath set forth saith the Apostle to be a propitiation for sinne Rom. 3.25 The originall word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sheweth the everlasting purpose of God to give his Sonne for the redemption of his elect So the same word is used Rom. 8.28 Christ was designed to this work of propitiation that is to bring his elect againe into grace and favour with God which hee performed By the merit of his death By the obedience of his life And also by the holinesse and purity of his birth and conception 1. By the merit of his death submitting himselfe to the whole curse of God deserved by their sinnes and standing in the gappe as it was said of Moses so bearing the brunt of Gods fiery wrath and indignation and thereby removing from them whatsoever Wrath or Justice could be offended at 2. By the obedience of his life in fulfilling Gods most righteous Law by yeelding perfect and entire obedience whereby they are accounted just and righteous And 3. By the holinesse and purity of his conception and birth imputed unto them whereby they are accounted personally as holy and pure in the sight of God as if they themselves had been conceived and born without spot of sinne And this holinesse and purity of Christs humane nature is no lesse reckoned to beleevers for healing their defiled nature then his obedience and suffering for remission of actuall sinnes and acquitting them from eternall destruction And to this purpose saith the Apostle Christ is made to us of God Wisedome Righteousnesse Sanctification and Redemption 1 Cor. 1.30 CHRIST is made to such as beleeve in him not onely Righteousnesse in respect of his perfect fulfilling the Law of GOD for them but Sanctification also in respect of his holinesse innocency and most perfect purity of his holy and sanctified nature Thus there is from CHRIST made over to the true beleever whatever is needfull to his full and perfect justification in the sight of GOD. First There is merit and passion upon the Crosse answering for that curse and torment which hee deserved Secondly Integrity and obedidience of life answering for his disobedience Thirdly Perfect purity of nature answering for the impurity of his corrupt nature Now what greater comfort can there be to a beleeving soule then to have all his sinnes discharged and blotted out and himselfe acquitted in the sight of God and accounted as holy and pure as if hee had been conceived and born without sinne And to finde all his sinnes in CHRIST not onely pardoned but also overpowred and himselfe daily by degrees changed from one steppe of glorious excellency to another in sinnes ruine and graces reviving by the Spirit of the LORD Like as that poore cripple wee reade of Acts 3. v. 8. when hee was cured hee walked into the Temple praising GOD and leaping for joy even so the soule that findeth it selfe once thus set free by CHRIST cannot but with much more abundant joy triumphantly rejoyce in the free grace and mercy of GOD in CHRIST which hath set it free yea with a joy unspeakable and full of glory 1 Pet. 1. vers 8. None knoweth the joy that such finde but the soule that hath laboured under the same burden and tasted of the like freedome A stranger intermedleth not with this joy REAS. 2. Because CHRIST onely can conferre upon the soule the greatest good What is the chiefest good that the soule is capable of here in this life What is it to have an heaven upon earth Is it not to enjoy GOD to have an intimate acquaintance with the LORD JESUS CHRIST to enjoy the sweet manifestations of his presence John 14. ver 21. Is not this the chiefest good and the great request of the soule To be kissed with the kisses of CHRIST'S

mouth Cant. 1. v. 1. The sweet intimations of CHRIST'S love to the soule are good more then wine better then what-ever else can comfort For CHRIST to take the soule into his banquetting-house Cant. 2. v. 4. to communicate unto it largely the rich graces and treasures of his blessed Spirit to leade it as it were by the hand into his privie chambers and let it take a view of those jewels and precious things laid up for his people to refresh the soule with those spirituall consolations which exceed all outward troubles and to spread his banner or flagge of defence over the foule a banner against sinne Sathan and the world and this banner to be Love all this the love which CHRIST beareth to the foule This this so ravisheth the foule that shee is sick of love faint and sick with desire of enjoying more communion with CHRIST As Daniel when hee had recei ed abundance of revelations was faint and sick with desire of more cleare knowledge of his visions and of the Churches deliverance Dan. 8. v. 27. so the soule that hath once throughly tasted of these sweet consolations is sick after more communion with CHRIST crying out with the Spouse Stay mee with flagons c. Cant. 2.5 with the flagons of the wine of grace and spirituall consolations which Christ reacheth out to the soules of his REAS. 3. Because CHRIST onely can fit a Christian for all estates and conditions for all changes and alterations CHRIST can teach the soule humility in prosperity patience in affliction yea not onely so but also to rejoyce and glory in tribulations To glory is to have a kinde of insulting over them to live above them to undervalue them to set light by them And not onely to triumph over some light trials but even 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in pressing afflictions in tribulations Roman 5. ver 3. The presence of CHRIST carrieth the soule above all the troubles of the world and sets it upon that rock that is higher then all outward discouragements 'T is CHRIST alone that can teach the soul how to rest content in every condition I have learned saith Paul and surely it is a blessed art in whatsoever estate I am therewith to be content Philipp 4.11 But this knowledge hee tels us hee obtained from CHRIST I can doe all things through CHRIST that enableth mee REAS. 4. Because CHRIST onely can sweeten death and enable the soule couragiously to encounter that enemy which Aristotle calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The most Terrible of Terribles and Bildad one of Jobs friends The King of terrours when Sathan as usually hee doth in his last and greatest assault sendeth in his accusations like the waves of the sea or like Jobs messengers one in the neck of the other seeking to swallow up the soule in the gulfe of utter despaire presenting unto the soule as it were in one view the sight of the sinnes of her whole life together with all the aggravating circumstances Now it is CHRIST alone that can and at this time usually doth step in and rescue the soule taking away the captive out of the power of the enemy CHRIST now smileth upon the soule letting her feel the sweetnesse that redoundeth to the beleever by his bitter sufferings Hee enableth the foule by faith to cast anchour in heaven to stay it selfe upon the alone and all sufficient merits of the LORD JESUS And now the soule dares challenge death hell and Divels Who can lay any thing to the charge of GOD's Elect 'T is CHRIST that died yea rather that is risen againe for their justification USE 1. The first Use wee desire to make of this point may be to discover the vanity of all other comforts All comforts without CHRIST are but seeming comforts they are at the best but bitter-sweets there is farre more gall then honey in the best of them All other comforts without CHRIST are but like a lamp without oyle or a bone without marrow Without CHRIST the soule meeteth with emptinesse in the greatest worldly fulnesse 'T is CHRIST that filleth all in all Ephes 1.23 He putteth fulnesse of content and satisfaction into all the things that his servants enjoy The righteous eateth to the satisfying of his soule Prov. 13.25 If hee have much hee blesseth GOD for it and laboureth to improve it to his glory if little hee is thankfull for it and content with it Godlinesse carrieth a selfe-sufficiencie along with it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Timoth. 6. ver 6. Other things without CHRIST may carry a shew of happinesse in them but indeed and in truth there is no true reall content and soule-satisfying comfort to be found in them The glory of the greatest that want CHRIST doth many times decay before them at the utmost it dyeth with them when they goe from their house to the grave their glory shall not descend after them It is not the quintessence of all things here below without the fruition of CHRIST with them and in them that can make a man happy Men doe but dreame of a contentednesse in them They are but a meer image and representation All worldly pomp is but a phantasie Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Acts 25.23 These things are not so excellent as men think them to be But truely happy and assuredly blessed is that soule that enjoyeth communion with the LORD JESUS CHRIST that can truly say with Paul CHRIST is to mee both in life and death advantage USE 2. Secondly This may be an Use of Instruction to teach Christians seriously to take notice of the happy estate and condition of every soul reconciled to GOD in CHRIST The LORD JESUS is all the sweetnesse that the soules of his can desire Hee is honey in the mouth musick in the eare and a Jubilee in the heart saith Bernard Look upon one of GOD's reconciled ones in his most afflicted estate when hee is most estranged from all worldly comforts yet in the midst of all his outward wants and sufferings hee is truely happy by enjoying communion with GOD in CHRIST Let a mans outward condition be what it can yet in enjoying GOD the soule enjoyeth what-ever is necessary and conducible to her comfort and happinesse All comforts are in GOD as in the fountaine and spring all are primarily in him That which the Apostle speaketh to this purpose a Corinth 6. ver 10. is a strange Paradox to a naturall man As having nothing and yet possessing all things In enjoying GOD the beleever enjoyeth all even in that GOD who can not onely command but also create comforts Although the Lord many times leadeth his people into the wildernesse yet even there will hee speake comfortably unto them Hos 2. vers 14. GOD usually giveth in most of himselfe to his when they are most destitute of outward comforts The LORD dealing in this regard with his people as Physicians with their Patients who keep their choycest cordialls for