Selected quad for the lemma: saint_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
saint_n	angel_n	golden_a	incense_n	1,470	5	12.0788	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A88580	The combate between the flesh and spirit. As also the wofull with-drawing of the Spirit of God, with the causes thereof: and walking in, and after the Spirit, together with the blessednesse thereof. Being the summe and substance of XXVII. sermons: preached a little before his death, by that faithfull servant of Christ, Mr. Christopher Love, late minister of the Gospel at Lawrence Jury London. To which is added the Christians directory tending to direct him in the various conditions that God may cast him into. In XV. sermons.	Love, Christopher, 1618-1651.	1654 (1654)	Wing L3149; Wing L3145; Thomason E742_2; ESTC R202772	325,954	459

smoak perfumed with myrrhe and frankincense By him who came out of the wildernesse is not meant Christ but the spouse of Christ Now here observe two things she comes out of the wildernesse That the Church may be an afflicted Church though a Religious Church It alludes to the great trials by which God exercised his people with when he led them through the wildernesse of Canaan And then she is said to come out of the Wildernesse like a Pillar of smoak Now what is meant by that A Divine gives this sense of it Gods people they may have smoky duties blackt with many foul infirmities they may be Pillars of smoak thy duties may be much sooted but now what is thy comfort though it be said the Spouse came out like a Pillar of smoak yet she was perfumed with myrrh and frankincense that is she had the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ to perfume her duties he perfumes my duties with the myrrh of his own righteousnesse And when the prayers of the Saints which are compared to incense Psal 142.2 are offered by Christ they go up to heaven as a most sweet and acceptable sacrifice far more acceptable and welcome then the costly evaporations of the most pretious Arabian gummes Oh then let this bear up thy heart thou art black by reason of thy infirmities yet there is a perfume which can sweeten all thy duties Hence it is said That the Angel came and stood at the Altar having a golden censer and there was given unto him much incense that he should offer it with the prayers of all the Saints upon the golden Altar which was before the throne Rev. 8.3,4 This doth not make for the Popish opinion as if we should use the Mediation of Angels but by the Angel here is not meant a created Angel of the Lord but the Angel of the Covenant who is the Lord and what was his office he had much incense and this much incense he offered with the prayers of the Saints all the people of God they share in the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ to cover their imperfect duties And then it is said that the smoak of the inoense which came with the prayers of the Saints ascended up before God out of the Angels hand that is the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ is sented with the prayers of the Saints unto the Lord whereby they are accepted 4. And lastly this may be your comfort though thou canst not performe duty without infirmity yet thou doest performe duty without known hypocrisie though thou doest offend in the manner of performance yet thou wouldest not be false in the end or principle of thy doing the sincerity of thy heart herein may be thy comfort and from such though the Spirit may withdraw for a while yet 't will not be long before it return again who though to humble thee he may for a while withdraw in anger yet he will returne again In a little moment have I hid my face and forsaken thee but I will gather thee with everlasting mercy Isa 54 7. SERMON VII At Lawrence Jury London Novemb. 24. 1650. GEN. 6. verse 3. And the Lord said My Spirit shall not alwayes strive with man c. I Proceed Now to some farther use and Application of this point which I shall do by laying down some particular inferences directions or positions concerning the withdrawings of Gods Spirit Posit 1 Be convinced of the great need you stand in of having the motions of the Spirit vouchsafed and continued to you and that upon a fourfold ground 1. If you consider the weaknesse and disability of our natures to holy motions as well as to holy actions Phil. 2.13 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vt acti agentes ut moti moventes 2 Cor. 3.5 A man is not only weak to act good but is weak to any holy motion therefore sayes the Apostle It is the Lord which works in us both to Will and to do the very desire of the soul after good it is a thing above nature it comes from God and therefore the same Apostle sayes he We are not sufficient of our selves to think any thing as of our selves but our sufficiency is of God The inferior orbes move as they are acted and moved by the superior A Mole can as easily move the earth from its centre or a sparrow drink up the waters of the Ocean out of their channels as thou of thy self have any good motion or ability to act good all your assistance comes from the Spirit of God and therefore sayes Saint Paul If ye through the Spirit do mortifie the deeds of the flesh Rom. 8.13 Thou art weak in thy self therefore that should make thee see thy need of the Spirit 2. Consider not only the weaknesse but the backwardnesse that is in us unto that which is good And therefore the Scripture mentions not onely a grieving and quenching but also a resisting of the Spirit Acts 7.51 And therefore those phrases of Scripture John 6.44 Draw me and I will runne after thee And None can come unto me except the Father which hath sent me draw him they denote not only a weaknesse but an unwillingnesse in us to come and a backwardnesse also in our hearts to yield subjection to a law of holinesse Psal 110.3 Till God by his Spirit make us a willing people in the day of his power 3. Be convinced of the great need you stand in of the Spirit from those strong resistances that are in your natures to holy motions Though grace be of an active nature yet because there is an indisposition in the subject therefore grace must be put on by the Spirit Fire you know it is of an active nature apt to burne but let fire be put to green or wet wood the greenesse of the wood resists the prevalency of the flame thus it is with grace in our natures it is like fire in green wood there must be much blowing before it will burne therefore the Apostle uses these words to Timothy 2 Tim. 1.6 sayes he Stirre up the gift of God which is in thee Blow up the coales There is much resistance in our hearts against the Spirit of God 4. You have great need of the Spirits motions if you consider the abundance of evil motions which will break in upon thy heart if the Spirit in its motions be withdrawn What a receptacle for the devil and lusts will thy heart be if the Spirit absent himself As smoak comes out of a chimney so will corruption come out of thy heart As sparks out of a blown fire so will evil motions come into thy heart when corruption is blown with temptation Thou art unwilling and backward to good it must be the Spirit wich must stirre thee up To this purpose you have a passage in the Prophet Isaiah He wakeneth me morning by morning Isa 50.4 sayes he thou hast need to be awakened and excited by the Spirit of God day

argument that you should be more therein for time to come 3. You which plead you have been much in duty for time past and are negligent in that which at present you ought to do you would not reason thus in things of this life where is the man that will say thus I have gotten so much money this last year that I will get none this thus you see the unreasonablenesse of this plea. Men think they can never enough abound in temporals but any measure of spirituals will serve the turn and satisfy them 11. Another plea of corrupt nature is this The flesh will tell you you have not been so much in sin and therefore you need not be so much in duty we are not men who break out into notorious evils This is a cunning deceit of the corruption of mens hearts and therefore I shall speak the more to this plea and there are five particulars which I shall lay down by way of answer 1. This plea savours of pride sloth and ignorance of pride as if muchnesse of duty could expiate the sinfulnesse of sinne it savours of much idlenesse when the heart will take hold on such poor shifts and excuses to take you off from or make you neglective in the performance of religious duties and then it savours of much ignorance as if a man could be much in duty that is much in sin the more thou art in sin the lesse thou art in duty and if thy duties do not abate thy sins thy sinnes will abate thy duties 2. Consider that the Angels and Saints in heaven they are not at all guilty of sin yet they are much in duty alwayes in duty though never in sinne ever singing praises and hallelujahs to God but never sin and our duty is to do the will of God as it is done in heaven that is constantly and cheerfully 3. Consider though thou hadst lesse sin then thou hast yet thou hast more guilt which cleaves to little sins then all thy duties can expiate or take away that man will deceive himselfe who thinks to set his duty over against his sin by way of expiation because there guilt and sin cleaves to our duties 4. This which thou makest to be a plea why thou shouldest not be much in duty if it be well weighed will rather prove an argument why thou shouldest be much in duty As thus if thou art not much in sinne thou hast the more cause to be much in duty and to praise God that he hath kept thee from those sins which other men have fallen into thou hast cause to be much in prayer to God for preventing grace that thou mayest not fall into sinne for the time to come 5. Consider that those men who have been least in sin the Scripture tells us they have been most in duty Zacharias Luke 1. it is said of him that he walked in all the Commandments of God blameless and yet the Scripture commends him in this that he was often in the Temple And Cornelius Acts 10.2 the Scripture reports him to be a devout man and one that feared God with all his house who gave much almes to the poor and prayed to God alway though he was a devout and holy man yet he prayed to God alwayes he was much in duty though he was not much in sin So it is said of Anna Luke 2.37 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And of the Primitive Church that they continued in the doctrine of the Apostles c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. 12. The flesh will tell you that they who have formerly been much in duty they have now cast off duty and you will say Why may not I do so too I see those men that formerly were desirous to hear Sermons they now hear not those who prayed much and often formerly now never pray those that formerly were much in duty have now cast off duty this is a plea which mans naughty heart takes notice of and to it I have three things to say 1. It is true the more is the pity that many who have formerly much used duty have now cast off duty and yet though this be true do you take heed that you fall not into the same sin same condemnation The Scripture layes a great blame and blemish upon such there are two Texts to this purpose the one is in Hos 4.10 where the Lord complains Hos 4.10 that they had left off to take heed unto him they did once seek after God and did take heed unto his wayes but now they had left it off Another passage to this purpose also you have of the Psalmist They have left off to be wise sayes he and to do good Psal 26.3 they did formerly do much good but now they have left it off the Scripture brands such men as these for wicked Apostates 2. Consider that you would account this a vain plea in other things you that account this rational in spiritual things you judge irrational in worldly things If a man should tell you that other men had left off trading and turned bankrupts and therefore why should not you do so too you would account it very irrational and say Though other men have played the fooles and run themselves out of their estates yet that is no warrant for you to do so 3. Know that those who have been much in duty and have now cast it off if they belong unto God he will bring them home by weeping crosse God will make them see their folly to their shame An example hereof you have in the second of Hos ver 7. Hosea 2.7 The Church did there apostatize from God but sayes she I will return to my first husband for then was it better with me then now then when I served my God and walked in his wayes which now I have gone astray from therefore will I return This will be the language of all those who have cast off duty if they belong unto God 13. This is the plea of some that they abstain from the doing of duty because they would avoid more evill thereby and this is a cunning insinuation of the flesh and thus as on the one hand men are deceived by their corrupt hearts to commit sin that good may come thereon so on the other hand Sunt quidam homines qui cùm audierint quòd humiles esse debent nihil volunt discere putantes si aliquid didicerunt se superbos fore August in Psal 130. their hearts would perswade them to omit duty that evill might not come thereon both the deceits are the delusions of corrupt nature and this Papists are guilty of for they under a pretence that the common people should not run into error detain the reading of the Bible from them And to this purpose Austin mentions some that would not hear the Word nor get knowledge upon this pretence that some men have grown proud of their parts and knowledge to this