Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	power_n	soul_n	word_n	7,471	5	4.1227	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A56453	More than conquerour a sermon preach't on the martyrdom of King Charles the I, Jan, 30, at Christ-church, Dublin : before his Excellency Arthur Earl of Essex, lord lieutenant general and general governour of the Kingdom of Ireland / by B.P.	Parry, Benjamin, 1634-1678.	1673 (1673)	Wing P555; ESTC R31070	13,763	42

possibly be thought owners of such strength of body and mind as to endure the torments to which they were exposed without a secret arm an invisible power and a mighty irresistable grace subduing all before it And if it shall be further urged that even amongst Christians as Sectaries and others if they may be called Christians that are out of the Church there are some so stout that no penalties almost can force them to recant or renounce their errours and return to their wits and duty again we must say first That they are few for the number and much fewer for their worth Secondly That the obstinacy of bad men in a bad cause as it doth not justifie their crimes so neither doth it disparage the piety and virtue of good men in a good for a notorious Malefactour is not less a Criminal for being obstinate and unrelenting and therefore it does not at all disparage or evacuate the power of Gods grace that even wicked and carnal men may seem to have a share sometimes of the same fortitude and courage for hypocrisie is no stranger in the World The best things have their Counterfeits and it is the Devils constant work and choicest master-piece to imitate as much as he can the gifts and graces of Gods Spirit and Transform himself into an Angel of light to delude the World but as no man in his witts will say there is no such thing as Truth because some have writ Fables and Romances so neither can we deny the mighty operations of Gods Holy Spirit in his Church and Servants because there are so many lyars and pretenders to the same Spirit since we have a sure rule left us by which we are to walke our selves and judge of others In a word if it be true That it is the cause alone which makes a Martyr than they who have no other certificate from Heaven but that which is common to Brutes also are not Saints and Conquerours but Cheats and Deceivers and they are Children in grace as well as knowledge that will be thus baffled and trepann'd from their Holy faith by such Tricks and Impostures There is no man living without his Cross in this World one way or other but he that bears it piously and bravely and endures to the end he shall be saved and he that suffers for Righteousness sake is blessed for ever What man is he that would see good dayes in spight of all his Enemies and Oppressors keep thy Soul from evil and thou shall be happy in the midst of thy Troubles and what ever the World may rob thee of yet Heaven is thy portion and its refreshments thy comfort and reward no adversity can deprive thee of that since the more thou art afflicted the greater is thy Crown and therefore no good Christian will murmur or repine at the various methods of Gods providence in this World that thus exerciseth the faith and patience of his Servants that their joyes and his glory may be the greater For what ever the frailty of our natures and the weakness of flesh and blood may be he that sincerely makes God his hope shall not want a deliverance from or Consolation in his distress which they that carnally and Sceptically deride are not worthy to receive which brings me to the next particular The happy fruits the victorious consequences and effects of this spiritual warfare with the rewards and triumphs that attend it in making us more than Conquerours Crowning us with peace strength and joy in the Holy Ghost in this life and eternal glory in the next When God told St. Paul That his grace was sufficient for him he triumphantly declares He could do all things through Christ that strengthened him for having made it his constant exercize and study to have alwayes a conscience void of offence he feared not the face of man but thirsted to behold that of Gods and could with more zeal and pleasure lay down his life than other men could preserve theirs so vast so admirable a change can the Spirit of God make in the soul of man with such glory display his Omnipotence in our weakness His Majesty in our infirmities and make humane misery and distress a Theam and Theatre to display the strength and riches of his power and love Our Blessed Lord could have armed his Apostles with a word to have crush't the Earth to nothing given them legions of Angels to prepare their way and gather Captives or with storms and lightning have blasted the World into submission and Homage and made Kingdoms tremble and bow down before them But he took another course which though not so outwardly pompous or seemingly powerful and prevailing was yet more wonderfully and unexpectedly glorious and successful making weak things to confound the mighty and foolish things to confute the wise and Babes and Children to disarm Caesars and their legions baffle their strength and their Philosophy together and by humility and patience faith and perseverance gain more Triumphs then by Arms and Banners teaching us thereby neither to trust in nor make use of an arm of flesh in His service that His Gospel was not to be propagated by violence and blood force or murder Treason or Compulsion but the nobler Warfare of Obedience and Peace Vindicating also his Providence by bringing good out of evil defeating the malice of his Enemies and the arts of the Devil making good the Truth of his promises in the faith and courage of his Saints and Martyrs that his Holy Spirit was indeed the Comforter the Lord and giver of life both in the Tryal and the exaltation the exercise and establishment of their hopes and graces not onely in supporting and sustaining their infirmities but by inspiring them above all the horrours of Mortality rejoycing that they were counted worthy to suffer for his name sake An honour greater I may say then that of Angels who live but not by dying are Ministers of his will but not Martyrs for it They stand before the Throne but their voice is not heard from under the Altar they afford not their Maker cause or occasion to display such variety of wonders And therefore for man frail man dust and ashes not to fear death is more wonderful and glorious than to be above it and to expire for Gods Truth more noble than their immortality Wherefore our Holy Lord hath pronounc't a double blessedness to them that suffer for Righteousness sake the honour and the reward of persecution Their Memory shall be sacred and their name precious their sufferings eterniz'd and their very dust immortal and the Kingdom of Heaven being their assured portion they shall at the Resurrection of the just exchange their Purple for a Robe of light and their Crimson dye for a Crown of Glory and shine for ever as the Sun in the Kingdom of their Father And truly were it not for this what would the life of a Christian be but a miserable and empty nothing the