Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	people_n	zeal_n	zealous_a	140	3	9.2977	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A02182	Propositions containing answers to certaine demaunds in divers spirituall matters specially concerning the conscience oppressed with the griefe of sinne. With an epistle against hardnes of heat, made by that woorthie preacher of the Gospell of Christ, M. R. Greenham pastor of Drayton	Greenham, Richard.	1597 (1597)	STC 12323; ESTC S120335	28,959	82

PROPOSITIONS CONTAINING ANSWERS TO CERTAINE demaunds in divers spirituall matters specially concerning the Conscience oppressed with the griefe of sinne WITH AN EPISTLE AGAINST hardnes of heart made by that woorthie Preacher of the Gospell of Christ M. R. GREENHAM Pastor of Drayton MATTH 11. 28. Come vnto mee all ye that labour and are loaded and I will ease you c. EDINBVRGH PRINTED BY ROBERT Waldegraue Printer to the Kings Majestie ANNO 1597. Cum Privilegio Regio CERTAINE DEMAVNDS answered by M. GREENHAM a learned man 1 IT is harder to beleeue in the abundance of worldly meanes than it is in the wante of them for they as it were are vailes set betwixt God and vs they stay our sight in them that it cannot pearce to God 2 Heathen men were humbled by their dreames wee are not humbled by the worde they that will not profite by Gods judgments in other shal feel themselues we haue no claime to Gods mercie offered in the Gospell vntill wee be humbled by his threatning in the Lawe 3 If wee go on still in sinne God will go on still in judgment but if our hearts relent from sinne God will release his sentence of punishment 4 As the Gospell first began by simple Fisher-men to bee preached but afterward being received in loue grewe to the other more learned sorte so for not receiving the worde in loue but hauing our eares tickling to newe doctrine heresies and sects beginning now amongst vs but in the simpler sort and ignorant men of the cuntrie are like to invade the best learned And God purposing to punish the coldnes of our age can aswell now send an hereticall spirite not onelie into the common people but into 400. learned Preachers as he did in times past send a lying spirit into 400. Prophets 5 If we think wee may speak wee will speak toe soone if we may keep silence wee will hold our peace toe long when we much loue the persons to whome we speake wee flack our zeale in rebuking of sinne if we be zealous against sinne we flack our loue to the person 6 As in marriage though the parties met in the flesh without any sanctified means to assure themselues to be joyned of the Lord yet if God afterwarde giue them grace to liue holilie in their meetings he sheweth not only that their corrupt meeting is pardoned but that nowe their meeting is blessed So if entring into a calling for want of guifts and affections we haue no assurance at the first of a warrantable calling yet if GOD afterwards furnish vs with able gifts and sanctifie vs with pure mindes hee doth not onely shewe vs that our former sinne is pardoned but also that he is well pleased with this calling wherevnto he hath blessed vs. 7 Sathan vnder the colour of repentance bringeth many into an extreame sadnes and stricktnes in vsing the creatures of God againe vnder pretence of Christian libertie and delivering of men from extreme griefes hee allureth them to an vnmoderate and an vnsanctified mirth and intemperate vse of the creatures of God so blinding judgment hee after corrupteth affection 8 The best art of memorie is to bee humbled at Gods threatning and comforted at his promises for sure it is that exceeding griefes or exceeding joyes leaue great impressions in vs. 9 The best art of Logick is to reason E converso out of that saying of PAVL There is no Temptation hath overtaken you but it hath overtaken others And to say thus There hath no temptation overtaken others but the same may overtake vs This will teach vs to speak charitablie and profitably of other mens infirmities 10 We may not go to see vngodlines to breed a greater detestation of it in vs for first in respect of our selues for presuming o● a thing not warranted it is the just judgment of God that wee should learne to fall into that sinne whereof before we were ignorant Secondly in respect of our brethren it is vnlawfull for if they be strong we offend them if they be weake we mis-lead them Thirdly in regard of Gods glorie it is vnlawfull for such should be our zeale therevnto if not having hereticall spirits by the motions of Gods spirit to speak against it yet that we should not once see such a thing 11 As natural men vse Gods creatures to stirre vp a naturall comfort so spiritual men should vse them to stir vp some spiritual comfort and to stir vp godly joyes in themselues for as Sathan seeing men of a sanguine complexion and sanctified laboureth to mix with their spirituall joy a carnall joy so seeing some of a malancholick complexion sanctified to haue spirituall sorrowes hee striveth to bring vpon them carnall sorrowes 12 If you desire to heare the worde with profit obserue these things before you go to the Church humble your selfe in praier to God that hee may prepare your vnderstanding affection and memorie to receiue and that the Preacher may speake to your conscience 13 After in hearing with some short praier apply the severall thretnings promises and instructions to your owne estate when you are come home from hearing change all that you remember into a praier and desire God that you may remember it most when you shuld practise it and vse to teach others and to conferre of all things remembred It is a good thing to remember a thing diligently and the reason of it 14 Let vs not complaine of the want of Discipline but be thankful for the discipline we haue it is the Lords wil even in this want of Discipline to advance his owne glory in taking that to himselfe which otherwise we would attribute to Discipline for besides that he doth that by his word and praier which may bee done by Discipline it may be discipline wold hide many hypocrites which now are discovered and cover many christian true hearts which now are knowne for they that are godly nowe are godly of a conscience being a discipline to themselues but many may seeme godly in discipline which doe it of feare and not of loue 15 No trouble shoulde hinder vs in our calling vnlesse it be in cace of meare vngodlines for if for every troble or for many troubles a man may forsake his calling he should be out of any calling forasmuch as every calling hath his lettes and troubles 16 Though all exercises of pure Religion purelie vsed doe strengthen judgment and whet vp affection yet reading hearing and conferring do most strengthen judgment and in part whet on affection But praying singing and meditation do most chiefly whet vp affection but in part strengthen judgment and vnderstanding 17 As a loving husband will not take away his loue from his wife for some particular wants so long as shee keepeth her loue wholly and truly vnto him So the Lord will not cast off his loving kindnes to vs for speciall wants or frailtie in particular commandements so long as we generally labour to please him 18 One being

for a time so that they feele in themselues the graces of the holie spirit to be as it were perished and dead Further to releeue the infirmitie of your iudgment in this part and point because I knowe it may much distresse you you must vnderstand there be two kinds of hardnes of hart the one which is not perceiued felt the other which is perceiued felt and of the former that there be two sortes the first which is most fearefull when any do purposely resist the motions of God his spirit willingly refuse the means of their salvation of the which Zacharie speaketh 7. 11. They refused to harken and pulled away the shoulder and stopped their ears that they shuld not heare yea they made their heart as an Adamant stone lest they should heare the Lawe and the wordes which the Lord of Hosts sent in his spirit by the ministery of his former Prophets The outragious sinne of these men the Prophet Esay expresseth in these their owne fearefull tearmes 28. 15. Wee haue made a covenant with death and we are at agrement with hell though a scourge run over and passe through yet it shall not come at vs for we haue made falshood our refuge vnder vanitie are we hid This was a fearfull estate indeede yet for all that no man can say but some of them hauing hardened their hearts might be and were afterwards converted the other kind of hardnes of heart which is not felt nor perceiued or if perceiued yet not felt which albeit is lesse fearefull yet is dangerous enough is in such who although they wilfully resist not Gods spirit in good meanes yet securely carlesly willingly they ly in sin and that without any remorse of it or any tast of good things Such was Davids state by the space of a yeare before Nathan the Prophet came to reprooue him and rouse him from his lulled sleepe both these kindes I am perswaded you are free from other wayes than in temptation Sathan may sometimes mooue you thereunto The other kind of hardnes of hart which is perceived and felt is of two sortes the one in them who are desirous of meanes whereby to be releeved although they doe finde small or no grace in themselues for a time In this kind the Prophet Esay in the want of some of Gods people complaineth Esay 63. 15. And such was Davids state after Nathan had reprooved him and Gods spirit began to work with him yet cryeth he out as ye heard before of the losse of Gods graces and when hee saith that God will accept of no sacrifices be they neuer so many or pretious without a contrite heart broken spirit he shewed that for a time even after the Prophet had reproued him he wanted both This is your cace and therefore in the state of salvation for David was in this cace even after he had confessed his sin as my trust is you doe and after he had receiued absolution and pardon from God by the ministerie of Nathan although he never felt any ioy thereof nor true griefe for the other yet because in truth of heart he confessed his sinne as I hope you do and was certainly perswaded of the pardonablenes of it by Gods mercy as you must be if you will haue mercie although he was farre of from feeling it or applying it to his woefull conscience his state was good and very well to be hoped of and you must know and be perswaded of Gods Saintes namely of David and Peter such others that they are ensamples for vs if wee will stay our selues vpon the word of God in the ministery of his servants and wait vpon the Lords good time vntil he come neerer vnto vs by his spirite neerer I say for he was come already vnto you or it may be he never went from you because to be grieued humbled with blindnes of minde and hardnes of heart to beleeue certainly the servāts of God which bring vnto vs glad tydings of salvation and the truth of Gods promises in generall and to long after comfort vsing the meanes of the word and praier the Sacrament of the supper the company of Gods children contrary to hope vnder hope yea without any present feeling all this is a certaine argument that Gods spirite is with such and therefore vvith you This estate though it be very grievous yet it is never dangerous much lesse is it fearfull vnlesse any be so wilful that they do perseuere and continue in desperate refusing of all good meanes Vnlesse they persevere I say for that through the subtill sleights of the spirituall adversarie his forcible power whereby God suffereth him sometime for a season to winnow them as wheat they are so bewitched and intoxecated that they are carried with violent force of temptation to waxe weary of it or to refuse all kinde of comfort by fittes yea almost to haue no desire at all vnto them yea sometimes even to speak evill of them but all this is but in temptation therfore God will be mercifull vnto them for Christes sake Thus Iob cursed the daye of his birth and wished to bee strangled Ieremiah almost repented that euer he preached in the name of the Lord both scarsely abslaind from blasphemy David moued with the spirite of ambition though dutifully admonished yet wilfully went on in numbring the people Peter also vaine-gloriouslie presuming of his owne strength beeing most wisely effectually praemonished of his weaknesse even by our Lord Iesus yet vvittinglie rusheth as an horse into the battell and then very cowardly yeeldeth and doublie denieth yea strengthneth his sinne with a threefolde corde and fastneth it with banning and cursing and yet all these obtained mercy bountifullie for why as Sathan had desired to winnowe them so our Saviour Christ prayed for them that their faith although it was battered yet it should not be destroyed although it were sore oppressed yet it should not bee extinguished And heere be you fullie perswaded that though Luke 22. the wordes seeme to runne as belonging to Peter I haue prayed for thee that thy faith should not faile yet that hee prayed as well for the rest of the Apostles yea for all the faithfull for first hee saith not Simon Sathan hath desired to winnowe thee but you why then saith hee I haue prayed for thee Verely because he shuld more grievouslie offend than the rest althogh their offence was very great therefore his and our most blessed Saviour applied to him the promise but did not appropriate it to him onelye and restraine it from the rest and compare with this place Iohn 17. 20. and you shall see that the heauenly veritie affirmeth that hee prayed not onely for the Apostles but for all those that should beleeue through their worde Yea further our Lorde Iesus Christ was yester day and to day and shall be for ever And as the Fore-fathers were baptised into him and did eat his fleshe and drink his