Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A05221
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The spirituall spring A sermon preached at Pauls, vvherein is declared the necessity of growing in grace, and the goodly gaine that comes thereby, &c. By Richard Lee, preacher of the word of God at Woluerhampton in Staffordshire.
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Lee, Richard, d. 1650.
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1625
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STC 15354; ESTC S108400
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16,886
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24
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men doe of a dead Hawke a good one if she were aliue Let your faith out-looke your eyes and march on valiantly As for vs Ministers Ministers we should be knowne as Aarons rod was by blossomming and fruit and like Nabuchadnezzars Ouen seauen-times hotter then others God would haue his messengers as an Emperour would haue his wife without fault or suspicion of fault We should haue life in our doctrine and doctrine in our life but we haue many like a Rauen cryes on euery steeple East West North and South but hauing got her prey she lies downe vnder a sunny banke and yee heare no more of her so many Preachers spare no paines in season and out of season till they be warme in some fat Parsonage then like Demas they embrace this present world as the Eagle they flie high and haue no eye to their nest Psal 137.5.6 It is a iudgement when the tongue cleaues to the roofe of the mouth When like the Storke haue a sweet voyce being yong but a hoarse one in old age they either Preach not at all or as lightning onely flasheth but warmes not and truely how can it be that the cold can warme others and he that is dead can quicken others To end with priuate men Priuate Christians How many Professors of Religion with Lots wife haue lookt backe let these know that many set out of Egypt that neuer saw the land of Canaan some like Iohn march furiously yet sit downe and catch cold and fall into a consumption Some now and then smite sinne a little as a mother doth a childe that shames her but loue it well enough others wound sinne a little but will not kill it When Elisha bad Ioash take his arrowes smite on the ground and be smote thrice and staid The man of God was wrath 2 King 13.19 and said thou shouldest haue smitten fiue or sixe times then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it So if men would but giue their corruption more deadly wounds they need not be like a Hackney that tires in the heate of the day or a dull Asses trot that will not last long or like the children of Ephraim are armed and carry bowes yet turne backe in the day of battell yea deale vnfaithfully and turne aside like a deceitfull bow Psal 78.9 We must tell to these sinking-downe estates that little decayes will proue great breaches slidings leade to fallings indifferency to sencelesnesse The more a man is inlightened the worse hee is falling backe A candle neuer enlightened smels not but being enlightened and blowne out then it stinkes The back-sliders in the seauenth persecution Fox Act. Mon. were punished with strange diseases and euill spirits When Cranes flye backewards it is a signe of a tempest Aelian l. 3. c 13. There is nothing but soule weather towards for him that hath broken couenant with God When loue tokens are sent home we say a match is broken The Lord dwels not in that heart that hath the goodnesse remoued out of it When we come into the Kings Pallace and see all the sumptuous Hangings taken downe we conclude the King is remouing of his lodging When wee haue shouldred God out of our hearts our case is miserable It is a wondrous danger of a heate to take cold The Nouatian heresie a great sect and many learned men were of them held that a reuolter could not bee receiued againe howsoeuer I abhorre their bleare-eyed error because I here God say Returne O back sliding Israel Ier. 3.2 yet neuerthelesse there is such intricate turnings and Meandry windings that few returne none without much sorrow and smart Hierome Origens lamentation is wofull and may affright a faller-backe such mens consciences as a broken legge wil paine in ill weather Yet O Lord there is mercy with thee that thou maist be feared The chiefe Physitian of the soule hath scored vs out a way for deliuery Reu. 2.5 first Remember whence thou art fallen secondly Repent cry out against this sinne hate it loathe it lastly and doe thy first worke neuer rest till thou hast got thy former strength To these I may adde three more first Doe all this quickly A candle put out blow the match quickly and it may enlighten wee are like sluggards the longer we lye in bed are vnwillinger to rise Secondly ill company is as ill aire or ill dyet to a man in a consumption which will hinder his health not better him Lastly know God loues vs not the worse if we heartily mourne for our faylings and flye to him Christ calles his Spouse faire pleasant O loue for delights Cant. 7.6 although Chap. 5. she had caught a fall and mar'd her face Hauing now as a Hawke strucke my talents into the face Vse 3 of seuerall offenders let me ring my siluer bels in the cares of a growing good man It is pitty hee should goe without his due If it be betweene thy flesh and spirit as was betweene the house of Dauid and Saul 2 Sam. 3.1 Now there was long warre betweene the house of Saul and the house of Dauid but Dauid waxed stronger and the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker If thy flesh be tamer thy spirit stronger so that thou canst feele olde age as well by the strength of the soule as the weakenesse of the body Thy Conscience Faith Loue and all other graces are mightier and as it were vp in a swarme in thee Thou art more watchfull then before A childe the older it growes the lesse it sleepes Thou that before wast afraid to follow God in the darke but now art as a Sea-card needle standest in the greatest tempests we haue for thee a neast of young ioyes we open a mine of gold vnto thee and tell thee thou art a true Christian crosses cannot crush thee God bindes thee vp among his iewels and hath made more promises to doe thee good then euer hee made to hold vp the pillars of the world Some it may be accuseth himselfe alas I cannot grow Obiect 1 oh would to God I were better I answere that Grace growes but slowly Answ and loseth ground of time Againe the blade springs whilst the husbandman sleepes we may be better and not aware of it Also there are kindes of growing trees one while shoote vpward another while downe An Apple may grow one while in greatnesse after in goodnesse Obiect 2 But I am nothing like so forward as I was at my first conuersion my prayer is weake my hearing dull Answ What are thy cloathes too little for thee a good signe of growing But a man may abate in fiue respects of his former forwardnesse and be no back-slider First so farre as it was new to vs the lame man Acts 3. leapt at his first curing we must not suppose that he did alwaies afterwards in his goings leape The Israelites at their deliuery out of Babylons captiuity their mouthes were filled with
Errata sic corrige Pag. 10. lin penult lege Incurrat pag. 12. lin 4. defit p. 16. l. 12. Legeruntne p. 19. l. 3. quae p. 37. l. 4. jure p. 32. l. 8. nulla p. 37. vlt filij p. 39. l. 2. necquicquam The Spirituall Spring A SERMON PREACHED AT PAVLS Where 〈…〉 declared the necessity of growing in GRACE and the goodly gaine that comes thereby c. By RICHARD LEE Preacher of the word of God at Woluerhampton in STAFFORDSHIRE Cant. â— 16 Awake O North winde and come thou South blow vpon my Garden that the spices thereof may flow out Let my beloued come into his Garden and eate his pleasant fruits LONDON Printed by T. S. for SAMVEL MAN dwelling in Pauls Church-yard at the signe of the Swan 1625. To the VVorshipfull and his louing friende the Gentlemen of London Benefactors to the Preaching of the word of God at Woluerhampton WHen I was first importun'd to commit these my weake labours to a more generall view I stood in the ballance whether way to take On the one side I saw the world was full enough of Books what good would my spoonfull doo in the Sea and how vnfit it were that my selfe the least of littles should deliuer knowledge to posterity and that this wayward age was so ill-disposed that it could not abide vngues in vlcere we should scratch in the sore as also the clowdie stile and stumbling phrase I had writ it in not dreaming the world should looke on it Furthermore I perceiued on the other hand that my scarce discerned sparke gaue a true light and why may not some gaine a little I haue read of night-trauellers that haue beene refreshed by the shine of Glow-wormes Wee are borne in a time wherein people loue new varieties in apparell diet houses yea friends why may not some see this and be better for it It is an ill winde blowes no man profit If but one gaine and that a little I haue enough A sicke or weake stomacke that at a table leaues dainties and feedes of some course dish the Cooke will not repent he sent it in Being moued by these things I thought I could not doe better then to send it to your hands although most of you heard it Preached to expresse my thankfulnes for that loue and liberality I haue receiued from many of you and now I am glad God hath giuen me this opportunity to lay open to wide report that worthy worke you haue done amongst vs. There is a cursed crying Sin raignes in this age without controule I meane the taking away of Church-rites Hâ—â— 18. in Act. called by Chrysostome the dowrie of the Bride robbing of God the Father and the Church the Mother Hence it is that many braue wits turne to study Law or Physicke or follow some other callings letting passe sacred Diuinity the Mistresse of sciences and those that haue taken on them that worthy function yet want of meanes hath brought want of bookes and other necessaries so that many stuffe their heads with eares in stead of learning meane while the Gospell droopes Gods vine-tree spreads not Popery holds his ground duskie ignorance as a thicke mist remains vndispeld in many corners of this Kingdome for want of sun-beames But the more we beate on this poynt the harder mens hearts are like the Catadupes that are deafe by the fall of Nilus Now blessed be God who hath so mightily wrought in you to stirre you vp to bee instruments to spreade heauens sun-shine to those that sit in darkenesse and haue sent labourers into others vineyards and paid them with your owne penny Happie be the Angell that called on you to send helpe into our Macedonia I meane to establish the preaching of Gods word in that place where I now dwel I neuer knew any part of this kingdome where Romes shakie brood roosted rested themselues more warmer and safer and with greater countenance then in our country But I make no question it is begun already that as the day breakes and the shadowes flye away those owles will betake themseles to Iuie trees and no longer dominere ouer the childish in experience of many people Goe on worthy Gentlemen with such workes they shall be your 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and crown The Lord stir vp your hearts more and more grant that others may glasse themselues by you and through your example tread this holy maze And so I rest committing my faint endeauours into your hands desiring your fauorable acceptance wonted loue I shal remain Yours euer obliged Richard Lee. Woluerhampton Octob. 16. 1624. The Spirituall SPRING 2 PETER 3. Verse the last But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ to him be glory both now and for euer Amen THe words in hand are a soueraigne remedy against the deadly poyson of Apostacie The Apostle tels vs a little before that in these last and worst times many il-aduised men shall cast vnsauoury scornes in the face of Christian profession which shall cause many to faint in their iourney to heauen A helpe against cold is heate against pouerty is thriftinesse against going backward is pressing forward We haue here preâ—enting-Physicke against relapses and rather doe water and manure Grace then sow it We vrge not planting but prospering rather foode to nourish then seede to beget Here is a single act with a double obiect A charge giuen expressing the matter Grow the subiect in Grace and Knowledge and so shuts vp the Epistle with a Doxologie at the foote of it To Grow is taken either continuè to augment those graces we haue or Discretè to adde new to our store as the same Apostle hath it Chap. 5. adde to your faith vertue c. Grace is taken either for Gods fauour in himselfe Eph. 1.5.6 this is that which makes vs acceptable before him Or for the gift of grace Rom. 1.5 In God as in the Fountaine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jgâ—iâ— Jgnita enallagâ—â—â—â—â—ri in vs as in the Cisterne he is the light wee are as Iohn was a burning lampe enlightened from that light Grace one for more Grace for Graces Or rather it is vox artis where grace signifies more than graces causa then causa as in the Scripture Si Christum discis man is a larger word then men Knowledge of Iesus Christ by a Sâ—nâ—chdoche to know and beleeue in him This iâ— the fountaine and head of all Religion the end and perfection of the Law and Gospell Ioh. 17.3 Grace is set before knowledge because a gracelesse knowing is a fruitlesse knowing Growth here then must be an actiue motion or opperation of graces of Gods spirit in vs whereby they increase either by apposition or extension Doct. Haec nostro signabitur area curru You see now which way the words looke and what smell the flowers bound-vp will send forth The quintessentiall doctrine or maine path I must beate