Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A58187
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The pattern of pure and undefiled religion exhibited in the preaching and life of the holy Jesus, shewing the true genius and spirit of Christianity, with an introduction concerning the restoring of true religion by Jesus Christ and his kingdom / by George Raymond.
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Raymond, George, A.M.
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1689
(1689)
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Wing R412; ESTC R33512
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50,348
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160
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and most effectually recommending us to his love And from him we learn that the Essence of true Religion consists in spiritual holiness that the most perfect Life is a life of Charity and well doing that to lay out our lives and to be ready to lay them down for the glory of God and the good of Men this is the top and consummation of Religion When the inspired Writers of the Life of Jesus propound him to our imitation they do not shew him in a Cloyster ranting at the World and disdaining the Society of those that live in it as unclean or less holy we hear nothing of ecsttasies and raptures and passive unions with God in the fund of the Soul of whippings and rolling himself upon thorns and nails and other severe Penances of Miracles done in a private Cell meerly for his own reputation and to shew how dear he was to God upon the account of his austere and retired Life After this sort the Saints of the Roman Church are propounded as patterns of the most Heroick Deeds and perfect living But if this be perfection and the height of that Religion which Christ design'd to incourage the holy Evangelists have quite mistaken the account of his Life which was as they report it an exact transcript of his Doctrine teaching us to seek perfection by being like God in wisdom and goodness In a word to practise all Virtue as we have opportunity and above all others to excel in Charity to have our intentions and affections pure and holy and to value our selves altogether upon the interests of another Life but very little upon any advantage of this herein consists the true spirit and height and perfection of Religion as it was taught and exemplified in the Life of Christ It doth not then consist in a blind submission of our judgments to unintelligible Mysteries in a zealous adhering to a party or in any particular Mode of worship much less in the pompous splendour of external rites in beautifying and enriching Altars Shrines and Images in distinguishing days and meats in vows of obedience in voluntary or imposed Penances in devout gestures or any thing of that sort in all which unprofitable exercises a man may be extreamly busy and zealous and yet not transcribe any part of the Life of Jesus And a Man may on the contrary walk as Christ walked and yet have little or nothing to do with the forementioned matters He accepted indeed the oblation and the penitential affectionate address of Mary Magdalen when she anointed his Feet Mat. 26.10 c. he vindicated the Woman and her deed and taught us not rashly to censure the devout persons striving sensibly to express their inward fervent Resentments but at the same time he grants that Charity to the Poor is the most acceptable and indespensible Offering and in ordinary the better Test of Religion As for himself he went about doing good and taught us by his Example that the Kingdom of God is not Meats and Drinks or any thing else but Righteousness Peace and Joy in the Holy-Ghost a pure a charitable humble and godly Mind and Life without which nothing else can avail us and with which in Sincerity and good Degree nothing else can be wanting to render us accepted of God and happy in his Favour In short if Religion were whatsome men make of it the life of Christ is very far from being an excellent Draught and Copy of it and on the other hand if the life of Christ be a true guide in Religion then it will be found at last to be quite another thing than too many foolishly and wretchedly take up withal Thirdly From the Life of Christ Sect. 3 we learn that his Disciples ought to excel and not to rest in the lowest attainments We do not else imitate his Life which was a Copy of the most worthy and excellent performances of virtue and goodness in its greatest height and brightest lustre He hath required that our Righteousness exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees even such of them who not only pretended but did indeed live according to the strictness of their Sect Matth. 5.20 And he will take an account of us what we have done more than others and what approaches we have made toward the Heavenly Pattern the perfection of God Matth. 5.47 48. If you love them that love you what do you more than others Do not even Publicans so Be ye therefore perfect even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect To abstain from scandalous Crimes is but the first Element of Christian Life if we had learn'd of Christ Ephes 4.17 c. Galat. 3.27 Galat. 4.19 Phil. 2.5 1 Joh. 2.6 we must not only put of the old conversation stinking with corrupt manners but we must become new Men and bear the Image of God in Righteousness and true Holiness To be Christians is to put on Christ to have him formed in us to have the same mind in us that was in Jesus to be led by his spirit and to walk as he walked And that certainly implies more than the forsaking of Idols and the grosser debaucheries of those that knew not God it signifies too that Christians should be as conspicuously and eminently good as those miserable Pagans were notoriously and infamously wicked That we be rich in good works fill'd with the fruits of righteousness which are to the praise of the grace of God in Christ Jesus Phil. 1.11 That we shine as lights before Men and become the Salt of the Earth such Examples of all that is good as may restrain direct provoke and influence others season their Manners and preserve them from stinking Christ who hath set us so admirable a Copy will expect of us a proportionable imitation and he that walks in the flats of Virtue upon the Borders of Vice that indulgeth himself in the utmost of what he judges may be innocent doth not walk as Christ walked who busied himself in the best things chose what was most severe towards himself but most for God's honour and towards others most kind and charitable He that barely studies to be free from those sins that are clamorous in his Conscience doth not answer the design of the Gospel which hath a farther aim to render its Votaries more perfect partakers of the divine nature and Heavenly minded CHAP. V. The Obligation and Assistance of the Example of Jesus HAving seen what instruction the Life of Christ contains how it demonstrates to us the absolute necessity of Holiness the true nature and greatest instances thereof Let us now consider what obligations to Holiness and what incouragement and assistance therein is derived to us from this great Exemplar and admirable Pattern of the Life of Jesus For Sect. 1 First What else could be the design of God in thus giving his Son not only to be a Sacrifice for sin but also an Example to us of holy living What but to oblige us
to be built upon it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 de Isid Osir 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Simpl. in Epictet c. 34. whether there were two first Principles the one of good the other of evil which was the most ancient and universal opinion as Plutarch tells us or whence else those lapses and errours of the humane Soul should proceed whence it was that the brutish part had enslaved the rational and the sensitive appetite broke loose from the governing power They knew not the head of this over-flowing Nile but found themselves involved in the Inundation whilst their understandings reasoned tolerably well of Vertue their inclinations engaged them powerfully in Vice So that either despairing of liberty they tamely yielded to the torrent of inclination and custom or else with great perplexity but little success strove against the mighty stream and in so great a streight as was natural look'd up to God Plutar. de superstit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who is the hope of Vertue but not the Patron of Sloth and Cowardize Although they sometimes magnified humane nature yet experience of their own infirmity at other times extorted this confession from them that a divine impulse was necessary to make a Man truly great and good Nunquam vir magnus sine divino afflatu Cicero 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pythag Aur. Carm. and that there is something divine in holy men that informs and guides them Which differs but little from that of St. John 1 Ep. c. 2.20 Ye have an unction from the holy one and know all things But the knowledge of their remedy was not equal to the sense and pressure of their Disease they could cry out with St. Paul Oh wretched Man that I am who shall deliver me but could not answer with him I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. It is the Redeemer of the World who by a divine strength hath relieved the weakness of Man and by the law of the spirit of life Rom. 8.2 made them free from the law of sin and death The Sun of Righteousness just before his rising upon the benighted World had emitted some twilight Rayes into the darkness of it by raising up some eminent Philosophers Preachers of Righteousness to check the superstition and madness of the Priests and to scatter some rayes of knowledge among the people thereby to prepare the way to the Eternal Word who was to bring with him the treasures of divine Knowledge and Wisdom But when this glorious Sun was risen he not only shed a divine light but quickening heat and influence upon the benummed and frozen World. He revived the dead restored the languishing redeem'd the Captive and enabled Slaves to break off their Fetters Joh. 8.36 and those whom the Eternal Truth set at liberty were free indeed He plentifully poured out that Spirit that rested on himself even the Spirit of wisdom and understanding Isa 11.2 of counsel and might of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. By the miraculous effusion of the Holy Ghost he awaken'd the stupid World and called them into his Church an unconquerable never-failing Principle of Eternal Righteousness By the abounding of this grace he hath provided Rom. 5.21 that as sin hath reigned unto death so righteousness may now reign unto Eternal Life The Gospel preached in the demonstration of the Spirit made a speedy and wonderful reformation in the understandings tempers and lives of Men and yielded a most powerful conviction that God was both able and willing to restore his lost Image in them And all the treasures of this divine Spirit are promised to those that humbly ask and are willing to receive them The Conscience therefore awakened by the light of Truth is no longer amazed or distracted but confiding in the divine aids and strengthened with his Heavenly Grace pursues its conflict with the Flesh to a compleat Victory Every good motion is from the same Spirit of Truth and Grace which hath made such admirable Conquests over Ignorance and Lust and he that hath the same Principle in himself can't but have a good hope of the same blessed Fruits The Soul that feels a divine strength cannot but expect from the same Fountain a constant supply and thus united to God in the same design of restoring his Image and animated with the holy Spirit can't fail to master all opposition for greater is he that is in us than he that is in the World. This therefore is the Foundation on which Christs Kingdom of Righteousness and Grace is built viz. Faith establishing the heart by a full and certain perswasion of these Fundamental Points viz. That God is Reconciled and Pardon and gracious acceptance sure to returning Sinners That a future Judgment and Eternal Life and consequently the difference of moral good and evil are indisputably certain and unquestionable realities That there is but one God the Creator of all things and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ the only object of worship and Fountain of Blessing whom we must glorify in and worship through as he blesseth us by the Eternal Word and Spirit That the true service of God consists in the imitation of him of which the Life of Jesus is our Pattern that such Holiness is indispensibly necessary certainly practicable and can never fail of the divine acceptance That the corruption of nature and the power of inclination and custom are infallibly conquerable by the grace of God and God most ready to prevent and follow us with his grace and that he will never fail to assist and prosper our endeavours till they are crowned with Everlasting Success This is the Gospel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 upon these fundamentals of religious Belief must the Superstructure of Holiness and Happiness be raised and built Now Christians even of the meanest Capacities believing Jesus to be the Son of God and receiving that account the Evangelists give of him have thereby most evident demonstration lively perswasion and certain knowledge of these fundamental truths such as the most learned Philosophers could not attain unto and the generality of the World were extreamly far from This Foundation being laid sure God having made Faith of these truths to all men in a most easy and certain way and most powerfully and solemnly attested them by the miraculous effusion and demonstration of the Spirit that which remains for restoring Religion and Man for perfecting the Kingdom of Christ is to build upon this holy Faith the true Image of God and Spirit of Holiness to pluck up those prejudices that debauched Mens minds the Sources and Tap-roots of false Religion and to inculcate those truths which contain the true Spirit and Genius of pure and undefil'd Religion With this design the Doctrine and Life of Jesus travail viz. to introduce amongst his Followers that excellency of Spirit that was in himself which is the true Image of God the glory and the perfection of Man. And as this spirit