Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	aaron_n	apostle_n	teach_v	18	3	5.3591	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65488	Eleaven choice sermons as they were delivered by that late reverend divine, Thomas Westfield ...	Westfield, Thomas, 1573-1644.	1655 (1655)	Wing W1414A; ESTC R38251	108,074	268

over till hee had done it Be it so yet this importunity of theirs though it may extenuate the fault cannot excuse it Or if you will say it may excuse it it may excuse it à tanto but not à toto it may qualifie it somewhat but it cannot justifie it But say they it is likely the people would have stoned him if hee had not done it It is like enough so they were ready enough to take up stones they did it to Moses but grant it Aaron should have chosen rather to have died a thousand deaths then to suffer God almightie to be so dishonoured Wee know what some said afterwards in the like case Know O King that our God is able to deliver us from the fiery fornace if not wee will not worship thine Image There is no question Aaron cannot be excused in this sinne You may truly say thus farre for Aaron that that hee did hee did it out of feare and out of weaknesse and out of Pusillanimity hee durst not displease the people he did it out of feare and frailtie But take the sinne in it selfe O it is a fearefull sinne in it's owne nature Look in Deut. 9. 20. and you shall finde what Moses saith concerning it that GOD was angry with Aaron for this sinne nay hee was very angry with him for this sinne yea so angry and very angry that hee would have destroyed him had not Moses made intercession for him he had destroyed him Now the anger of God is not wont to come like fire to flame out against his servants but upon mightie provocations Surely God was provoked mightily against Aaron that hee would have destroyed him had not Moses made intercession There is no excuse of it But then This is a point of some use let me not passe from it thus Why did not God so stablish this servant of his that hee might not fall into such a sinne as this The Apostle saith God is faithfull and hee is able to stablish you and to deliver you from all evill 2 Thess 3. 3. The Apostle assures himselfe God will deliver mee from every evill worke and will preserve mee to his heavenly kingdome and many such like places God was able to establish Aaron so that hee should not have condescended out of weaknesse to this request of theirs It is true but it pleased God to leave Aaron to himselfe hee would suffer him to fall and you may thinke that God hath some good ends in it God being a good God would not suffer evill to be in the world but that hee knowes how to order that evill to some superiour event that is good Surely there was some speciall end why God suffered Aaron to fall into such a fearefull sinne as this I will tell you what I conceive The first was this to shew that the Leviticall Priest-hood of the old Law was imperfect How could the Priest of the old Law perfectly reconcile a poore sinner to God since hee was a sinner himselfe Looke in Heb. 7. and you shall see there the Apostle shewes the difference between our Lord Jesus Christ the High-Priest of the New Testament and the Priests of the Old Testament Verse 27. The Priest of the Old Testament stood in need to offer for his owne sinnes first and then for the sinnes of the people The Priest of the old Law was not only to offer for the sinnes of the people but for his owne sinnes yea first for his owne sinnes and then for the sinnes of the people Now how shall one sinner reconcile another sinner to God It cannot be therefore saith our Apostle there verse 26. It became our High-Priest to be another manner of High-Priest to be holy and harmlesse separated from sinners and made higher then the heavens That is one reason to shew that the Priest-hood of the old Law could not perfectly reconcile men to God A second reason why God permitted him to fall was that in so great dignity as Aaron was now assigned to in so great a place as the high-Priest-hood Aaron might learne to walk humbly with his God There is nothing that will beat downe a child of God more in the sight of his owne eyes then the sight of his owne corruptions and the conscience of his owne unworthinesse Solomon tells us that All the afflictions that God sends a man under the sun are to humble him And all that is too little God is faine sometimes to let corruptions loose in his children to suffer his owne children many times to have many a fearefull conflict and combate and Messenger of Satan to buffet them a pricke in the flesh to molest them hee suffers them to have many fearefull tryalls in the flesh to the intent that there being such a Jebusite in the land such an enemy in our own bowels such a thorne in our eyes such prickes in our sides the proud heart may never finde time to sit and blesse it selfe in any gift or grace wherewith God hath honoured it Nay here is not all God doth not only suffer corruptions to grow and to rule in his children that he may humble them But God sometime permitts his children to fall into some great sinne that they may not fall into Pride saith Saint Austine I am bold to speake it I thinke it profitable for the children of God sometimes to sin to keep them from falling into Pride As a Physician when hee would cure a Convulsion hee doth what hee can to procure an Ague so God to cure Pride that dangerous sin in his children many times suffers them to fall into other sins though they be fearfull in themselves that they may not fall into Pride When men grow proud of any gift or grace that God hath honoured them with A man as Gregorie speakes makes a sore of a salve Therefore God suffers them to fall into other sinnes that so he may make a salve of a sore that when a man hath been wounded by his owne vertues hee may be healed by his owne vices That is the second reason Thirdly God suffered him to fall I conceive for this to teach Aaron to looke compassionately being a Priest upon poore sinners considering himselfe Remember the Apostles precept Galat. 6. Brethren if any of you be overtaken with a fault you that are spirituall yea they especially whose Function and Ministery is spirituall you that are spirituall restore such a man with the spirit of meeknesse restore him againe the Greek word is set him in joynt againe Doe you see him out of joynt handle him gently as you doe a bone that is out set him in joynt againe with the spirit of meeknesse Why Considering thy selfe lest thou also be tempted That good Father that heard tell of the fall of his brother hee cried out Alas hee fell to day and I may fall to morrow O Consider thy selfe either thou art tempted or hast been tempted or mayest be tempted as that man was The Lord would have Aaron