Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	life_n	speak_v	word_n	14,864	5	4.7522	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A45539	The saints gain by death, and their assurance thereof a sermon preached at the funerall of that worthy patriot Richard More, esquire, late one of the burgesses in this present Convention of Parliament for the town of Bishops-Castle in the countie of Salop / by Humphrey Hardwick ...	Hardwick, Humphrey, b. 1601 or 2.	1644 (1644)	Wing H705; ESTC R279	16,113	31

assurance a careful soul may not or ought not to be sure that when his body shall be dissolved his soul shall have an happie dwelling with God in the heavens Vse 1 1 Away then for application with popish doctrine of uncertainty teaching men to doubt perpetually and even to the end to distrust our Election and salvation It peremptorily affirming that men can have but a meer conjecture which weighed doth scarce amount to a probable opinion This false uncomfortable doctrine of the Pontificians I might iustly and sharply inveigh against but supposing here are no favourers of Popery I passe it Vse 2 2 The next inference is matter of complaint of the supine carelesnesse and grosse neglect of mens not seeking assurance of this building not made with hands being a blessed estate in Heaven when these dayes of sin be done Past question a reasonable soul doth desire nothing more then to be sure of the thing it would have and as sure it is that every man pretends to desire Heaven to have his soul saved when hee departs hence Yet alas I grieve to see nothing is so little cared for or sought after as an assurance of Heaven We would be sure of health sure of meanes sure of friends sure of preferments sure of honour and credit in the world To be so wee spend our time and strength use all meanes applie our wits and are wanting in nothing which may probably secure us but to be sure of Heaven where is the man that acts to the uttermost or doth seriously endeavour at all Most men make this the least or no part of their businesse it comes not into their mindes seldome or never do they think upon it Others vainely presume that God will sure save their soules upon false or no grounds they build yet seem to be very confident Thus many have presumed of Heaven which are now in the depths of Hell Others deem men can have no assurance but must put it to the mercy of God and hope well so they do and thus rest content Alasse poore soules these are very Papists in this point and are like with the rest of men I speak of to go to the flames of hell unawares How can it bee that reasonable souls holding the Protestant Religion should so fool themselves Ah! Damned Satan it is thy doing thus to delude poore souls that out of slothfulnesse they might come to hell rather then take paines to be assured of Heaven Think seriosly my brethren what folly it is for a Christian to live he knowes not in what state and when he dies to go he knows not where had it not been good for such a man he had never been born mind this I pray you and suffer this word of reproof to work upon you that it may not be our case in the end What remaines but that we be all stirred up and provoked by the power of Gods Word to make sure of the building not made with hands Let not vain presumptions blind hopes and ignorant supposes beguile our soules But since we evidently see that men may and ought to be assured and know if our earthly house be dissolved we have a building of God in the Heavens let us labour after assurance and the better to satisfie and prevaile with your souls and consciences I will acquaint you that there are three kindes of assurance 1 Such as God doth require of all men generally as dutie 2 Such as God doth accept of some in mercy 3 Such as God doth vouchsafe to some in bounty The first is an assurance of evidence the Lord doth require that all those to whom the word of salvation comes should be so well acquainted with it as to know the promises understand aright the properties and characters of those to whom they belong and be able to evidence to themselves that those promses do belong to them by those properties and characters That the Spirit by working on thir hearts doth testifie to their spirits that they are the Elect of God To attain this kinde of assurance is the duty of every Christian The second is when a Christian not so well versed in Gods Book is not able so exactly to applie the promises in speciall manner to himself or evidence by any such particular properties and marks Yet knowing in generall the way of Salvation by Christ applied by Faith and repentance to sinners doth as it were throw himself as a beleeving and penitent sinner on God and trusts to be saved by the righteousnesse of Christ and out of this hope he loves God and Christ desires and endeavours to forsake all his sinnes This I may call a certainty of affiance which God doth accept of from many poore ignorant soules in mercy The last is an assurance of obsignation wherby God doth so firmly seal the faith of some that they do so stedfastly undoubtedly beleeve that Christ died for them as they had seen him die on the Crosse and he had told them that he did die in particular for them or as if God from heaven had revealed it by miracle And whereas it is sufficient if the two former assurances exceed doubtings this doth really exclude doubtings Now this high kind of certainty is usually given to men after long and fiery trialls when men have stood long and in an eminent way for Christ as did the Apostles and Martyrs or when men have been of great standing in piety and of great integrity in waies of godlines To such God may and doubtles doth vouchsafe of his glorious bounty this high kind of assurance but I conceive 't is not required of all men as a duty Thus briefly without obscurity I have shewed you the doctrine of Christian assurance let me earnestly entreat and prevail with you to desire and endeavour after this sweete grace the excellency the comfort the commodities of it are more then sufficient motives if I might illustrate them How good is it at all times in all conditions of our life and especially at our death I you will say we do desire assurance but how shall we gain it I answer we may obtain it 1. By a cheerfull and ready answering the call of God in his Word when he speakes we must hear submit our wills yeeld our spirits to the power of his ordinances Such hearing is better then the fat of Rammes and will by degrees work assurance in us 2. By a new and holy conversation the way to be sure that we have learned Christ is as touching our former conversation to put off the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitfull lust to be renewed in the spirit of our mindes If we walk as the prophane how can we hope for assurance 3. By expressing a true zeal and a religious care for the things of God S. Paul acquaints us that he which is of God careth for the things of God Wen a mans heart is listlesse and unsolicitous of holy things he may vainely presume but cannot warrantably assure himself to belong to the Election of grace 4. By continuall prayer and endeavour to improve in our spirituall condition Add to your faith vertue to vertue knowledge c. thus an entrance shall be ministred abundantly By a labour to increase in soul goodnesse there will come in such a perfection of love as will cast out slavish feares and settle the heart more and more in a sweet and comfortable assurance These are the directions which I give and the Lord blesse them to you all And now I have ended my Text I might stray long to speak of that late grave and worthy Senator whose Funerall we celebrate My neighbouring abode and some acquaintance with him for divers years might furnish me with plentifull Encomiums of deserved praise but it 's not my guise to speak much in this kind briefly then with good conscience I may testifie him to be a man exemplary in all manner of conversation in his family in his countrey in publike in private affaires Known he was to be a man of great learning well skilled in the languages of it Hebrew Greek and Latin and no stranger in its rationall systems His many vertues were crowned with his much zeal for Religion his great love to zealous able Ministers and good people in the worst of times witnesse amongst other things his Pen in their vindication against the gallie inke which sprang from a bitter spirit His Answer to the Glasse of Schismes and a lying tongue In a word he was a true Mecenas a reall Patriot much loving and wel-beloved of his Countrey seeking not theirs but them The cause of piety and Professors was in our parts sufficiently known to have a friend on the Bench where he sat And what was best of all his goodnesse and vertue did age and increase with him His righteousnesse was not like the morning dew or as those who glory to be Patriots for a while but then like the stellae volantes lose their blazing light cause sterility and go out in a stenchfull nastinesse Our learned and religious Brother did shine most bright in the evening of his dayes His faithfulnesse and constancie his zeal and affection his pains and diligence in the great cause of God and his holy truth this Church and Kingdome deserveth all commendations never ending but with his breath This will justly number him among the Worthies of our English Nation who have given up themselves wholly to seek the glory of God and the good of the Land His memory with theirs shal be precious in after ages maugre all malice Or if posterity should be so ungratefull as to forget yet doubtlesse their glory will increase in a better world Amongst whom I say this our brother was not wanting to act his part even to the end and so hath brought his gray haires with honour to the grave And now his earthly house of this Tabernacle is dissolved he hath a building of God not made with hands eternall in the Heavens FINIS