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	life_n	live_v	7,716	5	5.9850	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A07291	The sermon preached before the King, at VVhitehall, on Tuesday the eight of Ianuarie, 1604. By Anthony Maxey Bachelar in Diuinity and chaplaine to his Maiestie	Maxey, Anthony, d. 1618.	1605 (1605)	STC 17684; ESTC S102303	20,385	57

hearing of an accident which fell out verie fitly to this purpose One Ludouicus a learned man of Italy yet wanting the direction of Gods good spirit and so neuer considering aduisedly of the meanes of our Saluation he grew at last to this resolution Si saluabor saluabor Jt bootes not what J doe nor how J liue For if I be saued I am saued Thus Ludouicus bewitched with this desperate opinion continued a long time till at length hee grew verie dangerously sicke whereupon he sent for a cunning and learned Phisition and earnestly requested his hespe The Phisition before-hand made acquainted with his former lewd assertion how in his health he would vsually say Jf I be saued I am saued he likewise directed his speach to the same purpose sayd Surely it shall be needlesse to vse any meanes for your recouerie neither do J purpose to minister vnto you for if the time of your death be not come you haue no cause to feare you shall liue and do well inough without Physicke and if the time of your death bee now come it is vnpossible to auoide it Ludouicus musing in his bed of the matter and considering aduisedly of the Phisitions speach finding by reason that as meanes were to be vsed for the health of the bodie so God also had ordained meanes for the Saluation of the Soule vpon further conference with shame and greife he recanted his former opinion tooke Phisicke so was happily cured both of Soule and bodie at one time By this Doctrine of Gods loue so manifestly Calling vs we directly learne that if a man doe thirst after his Saluation if a man would be throughly assured in his heart and conscience that God hath chosen him to eternall life he must not rush presently into Predestination into Gods secret Counsell but he must enter into himselfe to trie and examine whether he be rightly Called For as the surest way to come vnto the Sea is first to find out a riuer so concerning our Saluation the plainest and surest way to find out the depth of Gods counsell is first to come vnto Calling vnto Iustifying which are as sweete and liuely springs flowing from the same We know and see daily by experience we are not able to discerne wee cannot pearce with the eye to see what matter the sunne is of but we can plainely see and manifestly perceiue both beames and heate light proceeding from the same So here concerning this first point of Predestination alone wee cannot conceiue it we are not able to peirce it for it is the way which the Eagles eye hath not seene but Calling and Iustifying which are as heate light proceeding from the same those we may as comsortably perceiue as we do sensibly feele the heate and operation of the Sunne Here then is the duty of a true Christian here is the part of a religious and good man indeede not to venter his Saluatiō vpon a bare speech presumption of Predestination but to vse all means possible which God hath ordained That he may truely be Called to heare the word of God to ioy in hearing of it with loue and with a desire to profit that he may be Iustified when he hath heard to be feruent in prayer zealous of well doing and abundant in all good workes of charitie that he may be Glorified in the life to come to consecrate both soule and bodie and all the whole course of his life vnto God that so growing vp from faith to faith from vertue to vertue from hearing to belecuing frō Calling to Iustifying at length Gods spirit may certifie our spirits that we are his our bodies his our soules his and wee setled and sealed vp in a Christian ioy for euer Wherefore J beseech you all by the mercies of God and J entreate you as you hope to stande with comfort before God and his Angels at the last day euerie man lay hould vpon his soule betimes do not esteeme the loue of any thing in this World more then the loue of God purchased in his Sonne Christ Iesus Take heede and beware of this prophane speech If I be saued I am saued vtter it not in word thinke it not in heart away with it For GOD is not the cause of our condemnation it is our selues Wo vnto vs wretches wee our selues are the Wisd 1 13. workers of our own destruction Wisdom 1.13 O seeke not death in the error of the soule and destroy not your selues with the workes of your own hands Bis interimitur qui suis armis interimiter Euerie man catch hould vpon this Chaine worke and make sure his Saluation and striue to walke before the Lord in truth and with a perfect heart On the one side let no man passe on in a secure and carelesse course of life nor on the other side curiously prie into the hidden Counsell of the Lord but euerie good Christian with an humble spirit with an honest minde with a cheere-full and good heart seeke to apprehend those meanes which God hath appointed for his Saluation Iustification The third Lincke of this Cheine is Iustification Whom he hath Called those he hath Justified IT is a principle in reason Actio perfecta non recipitur nisi imperfectè primò An habit is not gotten at the verie first the worke of our regeneration is not wrought on a sodaine But as the Psalmist saith Psal 84.7 The godly growe from strength to strength and the wiseman sheweth how Prou. 56 418. The light of the righteous shineth more and more to the perfect day So here the Apostle foote by foote leadeth vs from one degree vnto another till at length we may come to make our election sure This Iustification it goeth a step farther thē Calling For Calling is an enlightning the mind with spirituall knowledge Iustifying an establishing the heart with a grounded perswasion Calling is the beginning of conuersion but Iustifying is a full clearing of the heart Calling is the first change of one that is regenerate but Iustifying is the full perswasion of the Soule whē the spirit of grace refleth in vs and we setled and truely sanctifyed in an holy and Christian course of life So then when we haue not only sorrowed for sinnes past which is the first step of our Calling but further when we are renewed in spirite and so changed in our life that for the most part our thoughts words works are guided by the good spirit of God for as many as are led by the spirit of God those are the sonnes of God then we may assure our selues that we are Iustified Rom. 8 14. Howsoeuer we be chosen from the beginning by Gods loue and after Called by his word yet there is neuer assurance vnto vs vntill the Holy Ghost hath sealed it vp in our harts which sealing is our Iustification Thus to assure vs of our Iustification it is not enough to be Called to the knowledge Pro 27 19.

World being considered in his works to the intent all men might be without excuse Thus we see by this Philosophie lecture all people whatsoeuer are instructed to know God But to his owne people God reads Diuinity lecture he Calleth and teacheth them by his word Jn the 146. Psalme and the two last verses God hath giuen his word vnto Jacob his statutes and his ordinances vnto Israell Psal 146 19.20 He hath not dealt so with euerie Nation neither haue the Heathen knowledge of his Lawes So then as in the 1. of King 6.28 verse there is mention made of three Courts of the Temple at Ierusalem wherin God was worshipped so here are three Courts First we behould God in the frame and composition of the Heauen and the Earth as the great and outtermost Court then we see God in our selues in the workemanship of the bodie in the powers of the mind and soule there is the inner Court Lastly with the high prest we enter into Sanctum Sanctorum that is we behould God and learne to know him in his sacred and Heauenly Word All the Prophets and Apostles all the Ministers of God they are Diuinitie Lecturers and all Nations people kindred to whom they haue and doe preach the Gospell of Christ Iesus all these haue their outward Calling and vnto all these grace mercie and saluation in Christ Iesus hath beene offered And hereof is that place vnderstood in the 20. of Math. 16. verse Many are Called but few are chosen i by the outward Calling both of the workes of God and of his word many are Called for this outward Calling is common both to good bad but by the inward Calling effectually working in them a liuely faith apprehending Christ so verie few are Called Here in this place of Saint Paule is ment a more speciall powerfull inward Calling which is wrought by Gods spirit and ioyned with faith so doth Saint August expound it in his booke de Predestinatione sanctorum Non quacunque sed qua vocatione fit credens Whomsoeuer God hath chosen to life him he hath also Called by that Calling whereby he is made and becomes faithfull Acts the 16. and 14. A certaine woman named Lidia heard vs. Acts. 16 14. Ephe. 1.13 There is the outward Calling and the Lord opened her heart shee attended to the thinges which Paule spake and she was baptized there is the inward Calling This then is the sound plaine meaning of these words Whom he hath Predestinated those he hath Called that is those whome hee hath chosen to eternall life hee hath also ordained to vse the meanes of saluation which is an effectual Calling by his Word and Spirit Hauing discussed this second point wherby it appeareth how all men liuing are Called both by the workes of God and by his word we may here see how the dissolute liuers and prophane Atheistes of these our times deceiue themselues It is a common conceite fostred in the bosome of many yea vile and sensuall men they will not sticke to say If I be saued I am saued If I be chosen to life I am sure of saluation If other wise I cānot auoyd it Assuredly such men they do speake as peruersly and as senslesly as if a man should say that hee would gladly be at Yorke and yet will vse neither horse foote nor Wagon but will flie thether For the determinate counsell of God it doth not take away the nature and property of secondarie causes it doth not take away the meanes of Saluation but rather Gods secret counsell it doth set those causes in order and doth dispose of those meanes to their appointed ende Gods purpose his eternall decree is not to be sought out in his bottomlesse counsell For then we must all cry out with Sa. Paule 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 11.33 O the deepenesse of the riches both of the wisedome and knowledge of God how vnsearchable are his iudgements his waies past finding out But Gods purpose his eternall decree is to be sought out in the meanes and in the manifestation appointed for the same The course and order of mans Saluation is like a Golden Cheine And this ver may fitly be called Iacobs Ladder whereupon the Angels and Saints of the Church do descend and ascend vnto God Iacob wrestled with the Angell at the foote of the Ladder we must not be so hardie as to wrestle with God at the top of the Ladder Wee see here God hath set downe not onely Predestination as though we should stay there but Iustification and Calling as middle-steps and degrees whereby we must ascend vnto God Wee must not pull downe the Ladder and thinke to iumpe into Heauen To say Mat. 4.6 If I be saued I am saued it is the Diuels Diuinitie When our Sauiour was vpon the Pinnacle hee bad him cast himselfe downe headlonge for saith he God hath giuen his Angels charge ouer thee least at any time thou dash thy foote against a stone He left out the cheife point in all his waies it was not the right way from the pinnacle to cast himselfe downe headlong No more is it here the way to stand vpon this high point and dangerous pinnacle of Predestination to cast a mans selfe down headlong desperately saying If I be saued I am saued Jn the 2. of Oze 11. ve The Lord there promising temporall blessings setteth downe an order and a course how they hang together Oze 2.11 I saith the Lord will heare the Heauens and the Heauens shal heare the earth the carth shall heare the Corne and Wine and oyle and the Corne and Wine and oyle shall heare Israell So likewise in the spirituall blessings of the Soule there are meanes and an order how we come vnto the same God by his sonne Christ Christ by his Word his Word worketh by his Spirite his Spirit doth certifie our hearts our hearts stand fast by faith Faith catcheth hould vpon Christ and so backe againe Christ presenteth vs vnto God Here likewise in this Scripture God hath chosen vs from euerlasting there is Predestination he doth not there leaue vs but then hee doth teach vs by his word there is Calling this word through his spirit engendreth faith there is Iustifying this iustifying faith lifts vs vp vnto God there is Glorifying Arist Rhet. li 1. cap 7. Common sence and reason doth teach vs. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In euerie action the ende and the meanes of the ende must goe together The ende which euery one of vs doth desire and aime at it is eternall glorie wee must be sure then to lay hould vpon Calling and Iustifying as the meanes ordained to come vnto this ende For this is a certaine and sure ground in Diuinitie and Religion Whom-soeuer God hath appointed to eternall life he hath also appointed that mā to vse the meanes whereby he may come vnto the same To make this more plaine let it please you to vouchsafe the