Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	see_v	sin_n	soul_n	6,896	5	5.1461	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A76380	Christ above all exalted, as in justification so in sanctification. Wherein severall passages in Dr. Crisps sermons are answered. / Delivered in a sermon at Rye, in the county of Sussex: by John Benbrigge minister of Gods Word at Ashburnham, in the same county:.	Benbrigge, John.	1645 (1645)	Wing B1865; Thomason E300_7; ESTC R200254	39,729	48

by the meanes of some common hear-say N●tions of Christ in thesa knowing times yea a soule may so strongly desire Christ as to be willing to part with very much for him and yet not truly desire Christ because he may all this while seek Christ not out of a love to Christ so much as to himselfe A Merchant that heares there is such a rich Commodity such a precious Jewell to be had whereby he may greatly get will part with much of his gold and silver for it yet cannot he be said to love that Commodity and Jewell so much as himselfe because he seeks it onely for his owne gaine and profit by it Mat. 13.45 46. So a man that heares of that precious Pearle of great price Christ Jesus and that there is much to be gotten by him no lesse then salvation which is a sure enjoyment of all good and a freedome from all evill may be willing to bid pretty faire for Christ and lay downe much for him and yet not truly love Christ for Christ's owne sake he desires but to serve himselfe of Christ and not that Christ should be served by him Self-love will perswade men to prize Christ highly for Justification to get happinesse by Christ but onely saving grace teaches a soule to stt up Christ also above all for Saictification to get holinesse whereby he may serve Christ that hath saved him The more cleerly to prove this truth and to help your memories to carry the proofe thereof away with you we will take it asund●r into two parts and shew you 1. Why saving grace teacheth a poor soule to prize the Lord Jesus above all things 2. Why saving grace makes the heart to esteem Christ above not onely in Justification but also in Sanctification For the first there are three Reasons Reas 1 The first ariseth from the Operations of the holy Spirit which worketh saving grace in the heart of any man the Operations of the Spirit in this way is two-fold whence the Spirit hath in Scripture a double Epithite and is called a Spirit of Bondage and a Spirit of Adoption these names of Bondage and Adoption imply not a double Spirit but a double and severall Act of the same holy Spirit which is wrought in every soule when it is savingly wrought upon Rom. 8.15 for then 1. The holy Spirit doth discover to the soule its forlorne condition in regard of sinne and the punishment therefore it makes him sensible of the spirituall bondage under sinue and satan it makes him see and feele how he lyes bound and fettered hand and foot with the Cart-ropes of his iniquities and withall the Spirit set before them the terrible countenance of an angry God and so fils the soule with stinging and deep piercing feares that the just Judge of Heaven and Earth will plague it according to its deserts both in the world and that to come thus were Peters Auditors pricked to the heart and as men afrighted with the strange and fearfull sight of their sinne and God's wrath they cried out Men and brethren what shall we doe Acts 2.37 which outcry of such soules is the greater because this Spirit shews them withall the helplesnesse that is in themselves and the creature to remedy their present misery it makes them know the vanity and insufficiency of all that is in them or can come from them to work their deliverance It blasteth all their hopes from their owne righteousnesse which before smelt as sweet as a Rose in their Nostrils but now savours worse to them then the noysome dunghill In briefe the Spirit certifies them that all they have done or whatever they can doe with the help of all the Creatures cannot give them one lift out of their sad condition but here the good Spirit of God leaves not his children for then they would fall into that Gulfe of despaire whereinto Came Judas and such like have fallen to their utter ruine 2. The holy Spirit therefore having wounded the soule so deep as he pleaseth for all are not broken in a like measure he begins the cure thereof by setting Christ before the soule and laying open to it that fulnesse of supplies which is in him that he can yea onely can help that there is no Saviour but he and withall lets him see that there is some hope of his having Christ yea that God hath given him the rich and full Christ that by beleeving in him he might have everlasting life and hereupon the soule begins to long after Christ all the affections of it runne after Christ prizing and seeking Christ above all now doth the soule cry Oh give me Christ and take all like as a man ready to be drowned would give all the world if he had it to save his life and to find some safe footing so a soule that is enlightned with the eye-salve of the holy Spirit to see its sinking condition with a glimpse of hope of getting Christ will gladly part with all it hath for this Pearl of great price any vertue Reas 2 A second Reason why that soule that hath saving grace doth prize Christ above all is drawne from the contrarieties that is between grace and sin these two are no better friends then fire and water light and darknesse hell and heaven yea then God and the Devill and their manner of working is as contrary and crosse to each other they walke opposite to one another undoing if they can the worke the other hath done Sinne works the heart when it beares the sway there to preferre all things yea every thing before Christ but grace when it takes place in the heart brings the heart to prize Christ above all things in generall much more above every thing in particular If we well weigh the matter the first step of our aversion from God is an undervaluing of him when Adam first fell off from God did not he preferre himselfe and his Wife before God doth not the Lord plainly point out the cause of his peoples forsaking him to be an overweening conceit they had in the creature above him though that were indeed but a broken Cistern and he a living Fountaine Jer. 2.11 13. Now the way of our arising must be contrary to that of our falling and therefore the first step of our conversion to our God is an overvaluing of him that is such a high esteem of him as all things with their fulnesse of beauty are not thought comparable with him in a degree that is even lesse then the least This is the work of that saving grace Faith 1 Pet. 2.7 As the former was of that vice infidelity as this carries the heart off from God so this new byasses it and turnes it round about to him againe like as a skilfull School-master when a child is brought to him that hath been ill taught is faine first to unteach him what he hath ill learned and afterwards to set him forth So saving grace when it comes to

teach the heart first doth dedocere then docere first makes him unlearned what sinne hath taught him false and hence it is that such a soule comes to prize the Lord Jesus above all things Reas 3 The third and last cause hereof proceeds from that inestimable worth of Christ which saving grace makes the heart sensible of by feeling those unspeakable benefits it is made partaker of by him which are many we will at this time but point out to you these six following One which is the first and root of all the rest is Reconciliation with God Col. 1.21 Reconciliation is that gift of God's Free-grace in Christ whereby such as are strangers and enemies become acquainted with God and so have peace joy and delight in him and boldnesse to him Rom. 5.1 2. and for the ground of emnity between God and them which was sinne that made the seperation and alienation Isa 59.2 Col. 1.21 is utterly taken away by Jesus Christ his death whereby he satisfied for sinne Eph. 2.16 So that now the poore soule instead of terrifying frownes and heart-breaking threats and menaces hath chearfull smiles and cordiall promises good and comfortable words Zach. 1.13 The Lord doth shine in love so clearly and abundantly on the soul that it warmes him to the very heart and makes him rejoyce with joy unspeakable this benefit by Christ may seem little in the eyes of some persons but as we that have felt the bitternesse of warre and dissention amongst our selves how welcome would a Peace and Pacification be to us what would we give for it if it might be bought we knew not the sweetnesse of Peace before but our fulnesse thereof had produced in us a very loathing of that Hony-combe so that soule which hath alwayes lived in peace by meanes of the strong man Luke 11.21 doth slight this benefit by Christ but when that devils peace is broken and a poor soule is at civill warre in and with it selfe and with sinne satan his instruments yea and with God also who seems to take part against it and to wrastle with it too O how sweet is this Peace and Reconciliation with God by Christ there 's no soule can conceive the sweetnesse of it much lesse any tongue expresse it but that soule which hath tasted thereof by saving grace and for love of this as I may so say the soule doth prize Christ the more Another benefit is Life for Christ is the very life of such a soul Col. 3.3 4. for by him the soule that was dead in sinnes and trespasses is quickned Eph. 2.1 he hath breathed his Spirit thereinto and made it a living soule Rom. 8.10 The man that lyes rotting in his sinnes is altogether ignorant of the excellency of this new life by Christ as a dead man in the grave is not sensible of the sweetnesse of bodily life the living man is he that prizeth life as the best Jewell on earth and will give skin for skin and all that he hath for life so only that soule which is raised up from the dead to newnesse of life feels and findes the excellency and sweetnesse thereof and therefore he alone prizeth Christ above all in a respect hereof A third benefit is that Al-healing vertue that this soule finds in Christ he is at no time sick of any malady but Christ applyed he finds gives him present ease be he never so much wearied by labouring under any spirituall or temporall burden any terror of spirit a broken spirit a sick body a sinking estate a prision any tempest of tribulation come he finds Christ a ready Haven of rest where rides at the Anchor of Hope with such comfort as he hath a pretty heaven on earth what would not a man give for such a Panacea a Sovereigne receipt if such one could be found as would cure all wounds sores sicknesses distempers and lamenesses in the body The man that should have such a Medicine would think himselfe well provided for he would not part with it at any rates and the soule that finds this al-curing vertue in Christ thinks no price sufficient for him you cannot offer enough to him for his Christ for indeed he will not leave his Christ on any tearmes A fourth benesit by Christ is the soule by having Christ hath himselfe and is come to his right wits againe Adam seeking by unlawfull meanes to get more knowledge then he had like men that over-study themselves crackt his braines and lost that knowledge which he had before and his Posterity to this day are yea will be to the last day a company of dictracted persons foolish and mad children till Christ take them in hand and by giving them himself bring them againe to themselves This is evident by that in Titus 3.3 where the Apostle speakes of himselfe and such like We our selves were sometimes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is out of our minds that is before we had Christ we were by-witted persons it is worth our observation in this particular to take notice of what is said concerning the Prodigall at his returne which signifies the conversion of any sinner in Luke 15.17 The words are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is comming or when he came into himselfe he said c. Which plainly implyes the man was before time quite out of himselfe Psal 75.4 and that he both said and did all as a mad man and so madly doe all men carry themselves before they have Christ And this aggravates their misery that they are not sensible of this their pittifull condition neither will be perswaded to believe it but like as mad men think others more mad then themselves so doe men out of Christ think them that are in Christ to be mad their wayes words and behaviours are so strange and uncouth to them 1 Pet. 4.4 But such as are in Christ know them that are out of Christ to be mad indeed and they know it by their owne experience for they themselves were such at that time but now they are come to themselves by Christ's comming to them and for this great blessing they prize Christ above all But fifthly the soule that hath saving grace finds by Christ it hath not onely received it selfe but it selfe with advantage for by Christ he finds an excellency put on himselfe and all his performances 1. As the touch of the Philosophers stone is said to turne the thing touched into pure gold so more truly one touch-of Christ to a poore soule doth metamorphose it making it of great worth which was before despised as vile and base now he becomes a man of some account indeed both with God and good men He is one of Gods Jewels Mal. 3.17 one of his chosen Generation one of his holy Nation and peculiar people 1 Pet. 2.9 one that is both precious and honourable in Gods sight Isa 43.4 and therefore one of his beloved ones briefly the soule that was the poorest amongst Beggars is