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
A42143	A sermon preached at Alderly in the country of Gloucester, January IV, 1676/7 at the funeral of Sir Matthew Hale, kt, late Chief Justice of His Majestie's court of the King's bench / by E.G. ...	Griffith, Evan, A.M., Minister of Alderly.	1677 (1677)	Wing G1995; ESTC R2788	11,865	34

IMPRIMATUR GUIL SILL R. P. D. HEN. Episc Lond. à Sac. Dom. Feb. 23. 1676 7. A SERMON PREACHED At Alderly in the County of Gloucester January IV. 1676 7 AT THE FUNERAL OF Sir MATTHEW HALE K t. Late Chief Justice of His MAJESTIE's Court of the KING'S BENCH By E. G. A. M. Minister of Alderly LONDON Printed by W. G. for William Shrowsbury at the Sign of the Bible in Duke-lane 1677. A SERMON Preached at the Funeral of Sir MATTHEW HALE K t. At Alderly Jan. 4. 1676 7. Isa 57.1 The Righteous perisheth and no man layeth it to heart and merciful men are taken away none considering that the Righteous is taken away from the evil to come IN the ninth Verse of the former Chapter the Holy Prophet threatneth a fearful Judgment that was like to fall on the Jews he calls for the wild Beasts of the Field and the Forest to come and devour meaning the Gentiles which should be Executioners of the Lord's Judgments and because the Lord is Righteous in all his Ways and Holy in all his Works he shews what Causes would provoke the Lord to inflict such a heavy Judgment upon his People as to give them up to be devoured by the Beasts of the Field and the Forest such savage Enemies The First Cause is set down at large in the rest of the Verse to the end of the Chapter Even the Blindness Idleness Covetousness and Security of their Watchmen who should have taught the Fear of the Lord the neglect of their Duty being a special Occasion of the Peoples Sin is alledged as the First Cause of God's Judgments threatned The Second Cause was in the Common People set down in the first Verse of this Chapter Even their careless neglect in not regarding nor considering the Death of the Righteous when many of them were taken away to warn them of some strange Judgement to come yet they laid it not to Heart nor considered but continued and proceeded in their Sins drinking and filling themselves with Wine and strong Drink and Merriment promising themselves happy Days as it is the manner of the Wicked to be most secure when Judgment is nearest unto them as we have Example in Belshazzar Dan. 5. he was among his Concubines and his Cups when the Hand wrote his Doom over against the Candlestick Mene mene tekel upharsin The Righteous perisheth These are the Words of the Holy and Evangelical Prophet lamenting the Spiritual Security of the Jews chiding and reproving them for their great Stupidity and Spiritual Lethargy Wherein we have First The Persons that dyed who are described by two excellent Properties 1. Righteous before God 2. Merciful towards Men. Secondly The Manner of their Death set forth by two Terms perisheth are taken away The Sin of careless People by two Phrases not laying to heart nor considering the death of the Righteous Fourthly the final Cause or special End for which they dye and are taken away and that is to prevent future Evils Concerning the Persons here are two great Problems to be resolved hard Questions Quest I. How can any Man be Righteous The Scripture saith There is none Righteous no not one II. How do the Righteous perish The Lord knoweth the way of the Righteous the way of the Ungodly shall perish Answ I. There is a Legal Righteousness so Adam was righteous in the state of Innocency being created after God's Image This Righteousness is forfeited and lost so by nature all are corrupt and unrighteous There is none Righteous II. There is an Evangelical Righteousness and this is twofold 1. The Righteousness of Imputation when the Righteousness of Christ is imputed to the Believer and received of him by Faith Christ is made of God to be unto us Righteousness 1 Cor. 1. Jehova tsidkenu Jer. 23.6 He was made Sin for us that we might be made the Righteousness of God in him 2 Cor. 5. ult As Christ was made Sin for us not by the infusion of Sin into his Person but by imputation of our Sins unto him So we are made righteous before God not by any Righteousness inherent in us but by the Righteousness of Christ imputed unto us 2. Believers are righteous by Sanctification when by the Spirit of Christ the Mind is enlightned the Heart is mollified the Will is rectified the Affections sanctified and the whole course of their Life is reformed the habits of Grace planted in them they are partakers of the Divine Nature so that as before they liked loved and lived in Sin now they abhor and avoid Sin and all the occasions of it He that doth righteousness is righteous 1 Joh. 3.7 This doth not make us perfectly Righteous but imperfectly not before God but before Men. Jam. 2.24 3. They that are Righteous thus by Justification and Sanctification are also merciful passively and actively Passively that is first in nature and order such as Gad received into Mercy and Favour hence they are called Vessels of Mercy prepared unto Glory Rom. 9.23 they are truly Righteous before God whom he hath received into Mercy in forgiving their Sins Rom. 4.6 7. Actively for such as shew mercy unto others these two are always found together in the same Persons as our Saviour Matth. 5.7 Blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy They have obtained pardoning Mercy and shall obtain crowning mercy He which receiveth mercy of the Lord will shew mercy unto Men. Quest II. How doth the Righteous perish Answ Not in Soul for that is immortal and cannot perish by any means but doth live out of the Body as well or more truly than in the Body This Solomon taught Ecclesiast 12.7 The spirit returns to God that gave it this St. Paul desireth To be dissolved and to be with Christ Phil. 1.23 and Lazarus enjoyed at his Death being carried by the Angels into Abraham's Bosom Luke 16. and this John saw in a Vision Revelat. 6.9 performed to the Saints he saw the Souls under the Altar Neither doth he perish in Body for the Body of a Righteous Man hath still a Being in the sight of God and remains a Member of Christ's Mystical Body This Union betwixt Christ and the Faithful is not of Souls only but also of Bodies the Bodies of Saints do not finally and totally perish their Dust in the Grave is precious in God's sight they only sleep in Jesus and by the power of Jesus shall be raised again glorious Bodies Phil. 3. ult Nothing perisheth of a Righteous Man in Death finally and totally but Sin They perish in appearance according to the Opinion of the World and the Judgment of Flesh and Blood The proper meaning of this Expression is They dye depart hence and are no more seen their place knoweth them no more or as the other Word is added exegetically they are taken away or gathered to God and his Christ to Angels and Saints Observation The Righteous and Godly Man must dye as well as others but the Death of