Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	work_v	write_v	writer_n	23	3	7.6582	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A12705	A sermon preached at Cheanies the 14. of September, 1585, at the buriall of the right honorable the earle of Bedforde, By Thomas Sparke Doctor of Divinitie	Sparke, Thomas, 1548-1616.	1594 (1594)	STC 23023; ESTC S114843	60,544	120

that I alwaies seeke is to edifie thē that heare me with as good and necessary doctrine as I can As for gloriousnesse of words pleasant and delicate speech I think it becommeth the philosophers chaire but not the pulpit For I finde that Paul hath written that hee vvas not sent to Preache the Gospell vvith vvisedome of vvoordes least the Crosse of Christ should bee made of none effect 1. Corinth 1.17 And therefore vvhen hee came among them he saieth hee came not vvith excellencie of vvoordes or of vvisedome shevving vnto them the testimonie of God For hee esteemed not to knovve anie thing among them saue onelie Iesus Christ and him crucified 1. Corinth 2.1.2 Sometimes there are some sentences of the Doctors and ancient fathers interlaced but they are not by mee at any time alleadged as though their testimonie or iudgement vvere a sufficient argument to grounde a trueth vpon For all trueth must haue and hath his sufficient warrant from the canonicall Scriptures and hauing so it is a trueth though all the Doctors and Fathers shoulde gaine-saie it I onely therefore bring them in as vvitnesses of the trueth in their times receiued partly to shewe the Popish vaine bragge of antiquitie in these pointes and partely to beate them from their errours vvith their owne weapons Howbeit herein I haue beene very sparing though indeed I might haue beene in the citing of them verie plentifull they are so full of excellent sentences to the same endes and purposes for the vvhich these fewe out of them vvere alleadged Nowe my reasons that moue me to bee so bolde as to make this Sermon appeare againe after this sorte vnder your Lordshippes protection making my choise of you to dedicate it vnto are these First I am perswaded that you vvere a principall meanes that I vvas occasioned first to conceaue and preach it Secondly you are the man to whome among all other and aboue all other I am most bound for your manifolde kindenesses diuersly shewed vnto mee and therefore hee that maie most iustly chalenge all dutifulnesse and tokens of thankefulnesse vvhich lie in my poore povver to shewe amongest vvhich I beseech you accept this as one though it bee but a small one Thirdely I knowe suche is your sincere affection to the trueth of Doctrine therein contayned and such vvas your vnfayned loue and affection to-vvardes him whose memoriall it still reuiueth that as you took pleasure in hearing of it once so you wil delight your selfe in reading perusing of it often Which reasons considered I hope you will beare with my boldnes herein and others I trust whosoeuer they bee will approue of this my so doing And therefore beseeching the Lord of his mercy long to preserue you your vertuous and good wife my verie good Ladie with all your children in health all true honour and prosperity I cease from any farther troubling of your Honor at this time At Bletchley the 25. of December 1585. Your honours alwaies to commaund THOMAS SPARKE Text. Apocal. 14.13 I hearde a voice from heauen saying vnto me write Blessed are they that die in the Lord thencefoorth euen so saith the spirit that they rest from their labours and their workes accompany them The certainty of the truth in this scripture conteined noted to breede attention obediē●e thereto THis present occasion considered right honorable dearly beloued in our Lorde and Sauiour Iesus this portion of Scripture offereth most fit necessary matter both to me to speak of to you to he are For as you may well perceiue herein is set down what the state and condition of al those is that die in the Lorde yea immediatly vpō that their death Of which number I hope all you here present are fully perswaded this honorable person whose funerall day heere this is was one And the more reuerently both to mooue me to speake thereof and to prouoke you all the more attentiuely to listen to that which is therin auouched we are to wey that that which herein is set down is a proposition or assertion not first deuised vttered and recorded by the will wit of man but which came downe from heauen left in writing thus vnto vs by expresse and speciall commandement from thence confirmed also to be most true by the assent and approbation of the holy Ghost For Iohn the beloued disciple of Iesus Christ a faithfull witnesse testifieth vnto vs that he heard a voice from heauen commaunding him to write it also hee telleth vs that this heauenly voice had no sooner tolde him that the thing which he shoulde write was this Blessed are they that dye in the Lorde thenceforth but that the Spirit said yea vnto it adding further that such rest from their labors and that the woorkes of such accompany them Wherefore in the feare of God we are al of vs so to consider of the matter taught vs in this proposition as of matter most weighty most certain true For if Iohn himself had left it in writing but by the ordinarye direction of his Apostolike spirite wee ought not at all to haue doubted either of the necessarinesse or certainety thereof For euen thereby both hee and all the rest of his fellowes writers of the Canonical Scriptures were euer preserued in their writinges both from all erring in their writings and also from committing vnto writing any needelesse or vnprofit able thing Howe much lesse it being as you haue hearde most earnestlie affirmed and by most inuincible authoritie confirmed and strengthened may we doubt of any thing taught vs in this heauenly oracle Out of all doubt euen hereby we are to begin with al al of vs fast bound most readily to beleeue euery thing to be most certainelye true which herein is taught whatsoeuer wee haue taught heeretofore or fleshe and bloode can say to the contrarie hereafter otherwise most gracelessely wee shoulde call into question whether there be trueth or no in a most vehement asseueration of the almighty which once to doe were blasphemie The scope occasion and other circumstaunces thereof The scope and drift that our most wise and louing GOD had in causing these woordes to be registred and recorded in this booke after this sort to the eternall consolation of his considered wee shall euen thereby perceiue that it was not without very great cause why euen thus they were set downe For it appeareth in certaine chapters before this whereof these woordes are a part that it was reuealed vnto Iohn how Antichrist shoulde come grow and flourish in his kingdome to the ecclipsing of the trueth marueilouslie Wherefore in this Chapter as our verie aduersaries are compelled to confesse to his comfort and the farther consolation of the Church the Lord vouchsafeth to reueale vnto him the fall of Antichrist and the manner how in this sorte first in causing him to see an Angell flie in the middest of heauen hauing an euerlasting Gospell to preach vnto them that dwell

the woorkes of such accompanie them as dye in the Lorde For the true faith purifieth the hearte Actes 15.9 and it is of that nature that it worketh by loue Galat. 5.6 And therefore as though a man haue neuer so charitable and curteous woordes yet if hee haue no deedes aunswering thereunto his charitye is vaine Iam. 2.15 16 ●0● 〈◊〉 if it haue no woorkes is deade in it selfe and cannot not saue a man verse 17. c. Howbeit this I say and thus I teach with Iames not that I woulde haue you to thinke that faith saueth or iustifieth any for the worthines of these works that followe it and accompanye it For so far off am I and wee all ought to bee from that that we may not once imagine that fayth it selfe saueth or iustifieth any for the worthinesse of it selfe but onely for and through the worthines of Christ the obiect thereof whom it apprehendeth and applieth withall his merites to her owner and so thereby hee is iustified But this I say and constantly afferme that that fayth that iustifieth a man indeede is two wayes liuely and effectuall namely in heauen before GOD about her obiect Christ first in apprehending and applying lit to the iustification of the owner and then in earth amongst men in puryf●yng her subiect that is the person in whome it is to bring foorth fruites beseeming a iustified person So that alwayes hee that hath the iustifiyng faith hath therewith the sanctifying spirite whereby hee is able according to Saint Peters counsaile to ioyne vertue to his faith 2. Peter 1.5 and according to Saint Iames request to shewe his faith by his woorkes Chapter 2.18 for the ●ounde and right fayth in Iesus 〈…〉 into the hearte of the owner by the operation of the spirite such abundance of loue to wardes GOD for and in consideration of his infinite loue and goodnesse found out and apprehended thereby that it replenisheth the hearte wherein it is withall thankefulnesse and duetifulnesse towardes him in obeying his commaundementes with all his power chearefully and willingly in somuch that as it is impossible to seperate fire and heat sunne and light so is it to finde a iustiflyng fayth without good woorkes And therefore though wee take the office of iustifiyng from good woorkes generally without distinction and leaue it soly and wholy to faith as Paul doeth Romanes 3.28 where he sayeth Therefore wee conclude that a manne is iustified by faith without the woorkes of the lawe yet wee say and holde also with Sainte Iames that a man is iustified of woorkes and not of faith onelye Iames 2.24 For though by warrant from Paul wee holde that onlye faith iustifieth before GOD because the woorkes of the Iawe that is woorkes commaunded by the Lawe which if any other thing might bee ioyned with faith in this office are most woorthy are shut out quite from intermedling therein yet wee holde also that this fayth which is sola that is alone in doing this office yet is not solitaria that is alone in her owner when she doth performe it Faith therefore alone with Paul iustifieth before God and workes proceeding from faith iustifie that is declare who is iustified with Iames. For that appeareth to be his sense by his saying She we me thy faith out of thy woorkes Neither is his phrase straunge in saying that works doe iustifie which doe but declare who is iustified For we say cōmonly white haires make in olde man and yet our meaning onely is that they declare him to be an olde man And for further proofe yet of this point that it is not a faith in the sippes but in the heart not a woroy but a worthy faith that knitteth vs vnto Christ wee are to call to our remembraunce that Christ expresly Iohn 15.5 saith He that abideth in me and I in him the same bringeth foorth much fruit And that as Saint Paul saith there is no condemnation to those that bee in Christ to he addeth which walke not after the flesh but after the spirit Rom. 8.1 yea that he saith that they that are Christes haue crucified the flesh with the lustes thereof Galat. 5.24 and that with with olde thinges are past away and all thinges are become newe 2. Cor. 5.17 Either therefore neuer pretende that thou hast a sound are a right faith or else set thy life and conuersation be such as God may be glorified in iustifiing such an one Dauid coulde say seeing Christ but a far off in respect of that purgation and clen sing that hee hoped for by him Psa 51.7 Purge me with hysope and I shall bee cleane washe mee and I shall be whiter than snow And therfore said Iohn very flacly 1. epist 1.6.7 If we say wee haue fellowshippe with him and walke in darckenesse wee lie and doe not truely but if wee walke in the light as hee is in the light we haue fellowshippe one with another and the bloode of Iesus Christ cleanseth vs from al our sinnes Wherefore let vs assure our selues either that wee are not purged at all by Christes death or washed by his bloode or else chat we are cleane and white For no doubte of it where God for his sake pardoneth sinne there he purgeth it and where he couereth it there he cureth it and therefore to all that beleeue in him the spirite is promised Iohn 7.38 to bee in that measure that it shal be as riuers of water of life flowing ouer the bankes for the force it shall haue in all such effectually to wash them to soften them to make them fruitfull and to quench in them the flames and heate of sinne Vnlesse therefore wee finde the spirite in vs to haue this operation wee are without warrant in our selues to prooue that we haue a sound and right faith in Christ By this then you mate see dearely beloued in Iesus Christ seeing this is the generall doctrine of vs all that professe the Gospel with knowledge how much we are wrōged by our aduersaries the papists who this not withstāding charge our doctrine to be a doctrin of liberty and licentiousnesse For heereby euidently you may see wee shut out all those from the number of them that dye in the Lorde which be carnal and worldly minded men whatsoeuer they say and al carnal and prophane Gospellers which turne the grace of God into wantonnesse what faire shew soeuer they can make of faith in wordes And therefore here is no comfort at all for any that yet remaine in their sins hauing thē raigning in their mortall bodyes for Epicures Libertines or for any leude lycentious wretch whatsoeuer he be For such doe not liue in the Lord and therefore are not slkely to dye in the Lord. For commonly qualis vita finis ita such life such death in the iust iudgment of God it so falleth out For he that lyuing and in health wil not remember God it is but right that God shoulde forget him sicke and dying