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	approve_v	moses_n	21	3	6.8037	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A69130	The Christian mans walke with the most regardable and remarkable steppes thereof, the true rule according to which, and manner how we must walke: shewing the infallible properties of the children of light. Newly published by the author Nathanael Cole, Preacher at S. Leonards Bromley in Middlesex, on the backside of Stratford-Bow neere London.	Cole, Nathaniel, 1584 or 5-1626.	1624 (1624)	STC 5534; ESTC S115975	148,624	710

according to the Apostles counsell Let vs haue grace whereby wee may serue God acceptably with reuerence and godly feare For our God is a consuming fire Heb. 12. 28. 29. proouing if God at any time will giue vs repentance to the acknowledging of the truth c. 2 Tim. 2. 25. 26. and as the Text here hath it proouing what is pleasing to the Lord. And thus much be said of the obiect it selfe what we must prooue or approoue viz. what is pleasing or acceptable to the Lord. Now for the better performance of this three-fold dutie enjoyned in the Text obserue two things 1. The Lets to bee remoued 2. The Meanes and Helpes to be vsed The Lets which doe hinder vs from proouing what is pleasing to the Lord are these First a liuing and continuing in our naturall estate vnregenerate and vnconuerted for there is such an impotency in vs by nature that wee neither doe neither can prooue know or discerne what is pleasing or displeasing to the Lord nay tell a naturall man of this dutie and he accounts it but foolishnes and foppery too much nicenesse and precisenesse and so makes but a mocke of it The naturall man perceiueth not the things of the spirit of God for they are foolishnesse vnto him neither can hee know them for they are spiritually discerned 1 Cor. 2. 14. Secondly Ignorance is a maine Let to this dutie Thus through ignorance the Gentiles had their vnderstanding darkened and were strangers from the life of God and committed sinne with all greedinesse whereby they wholly displeased the Lord Ephes 4. 18. 19. Ignorance I meane both meere and simple carelesse wilfull and affected both of God his word and will reuealed Thirdly a maine Let to this dutie is Hardnesse of heart this is a cause of the former Thus the Gentiles had their vnderstanding darkened through their ignorance because of the blindenesse or hardnesse of their heart Ephes 4. 18. Thus the more meanes God vsed for the good of Pharaoh had he had the grace to haue made vse of them the more hee hardened his heart as we reade at large Exod God gaue Iesabell a space to repent but shee repented not Reuel 2. 21. it was her hardnesse of heart that hindred her so Rom. 2. 5. and ler. 19. 15. They hardened their neckes that they might not heare his words Fourthly Vnregenerate wills when as God in his word so often commandeth vs this three-sold dutie vseth all the meanes that may be especially the Preaching of his Word that God may iustly say What could I haue done more for my Vineyard and yet we will not This is another maine let It was the sinne of Ierusalem as our S●uiour Christ saith O Ierusalem Ierusalem which killest the Prephets and stonest them which are sent vnto thee how often would I haue gathered you together as a Henne gathereth her Chickens vnder her wings and ye would not Math. 23. 37. Thus saith the Lord Stand ye in the waies and see and aske for the olde pathes where is the good way and walke therein and yee shall finde rest for your soules but they said we will not walke therein Also I set watch men ouer you saying Hearken to the sound of the trumpet but they said wee will not hearken Ier. 6. 16. 17. Fiftly Carnall Wisedome or to be carnally minded for such doe minde onely the things of the flesh and to be carnally minded is death because the carnall minde is enmity against God for it is not subiect to the Law of God neither indeede can be so then they that are in the flesh cannot please God Rom 8. 5. 6. 7. 8. Sixtly Vnbeliefe either not to belieue the truth of Gods word at all or else though wee belieue it to bee true in generall yet wee cannot apply it to our selues in particular It is not possible for such a man to profit by the word or to please God For vnto vs was the Gospell Preached as well as vnto them but the Word preached did not profit them not being mixed with faith in them that heard it Heb. 4. 2. And without faith it is impossible to please God Heb. 11. 6. And whatsoeuer is not of faith is sinne Rom. 14. 23. Seauenthly Vnsanctified Affections as pride hatred malice and the like al which doe hinder the word and the worke of Gods spirit in the heart that they cannot possibly prooue or approoue what is pleasing to the Lord Thus through pride or hatred or both Korah and his comp●ny gathered themselues together against Moses and Aaron and said vnto them Yee take too much vpon you Numb 16. 1. 2. 3. And the like we haue in these daies who so saucily speake against Gods Ministers who goe about to teach them what is acceptable to the Lord they thinke presently we take too much vpon vs against such I may say as Christ said they are but dogs and swine and if we cast pearles before them or giue holy things vnto them they will trample them vnder their feete and turning againe all to rent vs Math. 7. 6. Thus when the good Prophet Micaiah prophecied concerning Ahab according to the word of the Lord Ahab because hee hated him 1 King 22. 8. commanded Micaiah to bee put into prison and to be fed with bread and water of affliction 1 King 22. 27 Thus pride in Korah and hatred in Ahab bred all this contention and hindred them from proouing what is well-pleasing to God according as Salomon saith Onely by pride commeth contention Prou. 13. 10. Therefore if wee would profit by the word to learne from thence what is acceptable to God wee must cast away and lay aside all malice and all guile and hypocrisies and enuies and euill speakings and so as new borne babes desire the sincere milke of the word that we may grow thereby 1 Pet. 2. 1. 2. and as S. Iames saith We must lay apart all filthinesse and superfluity of malitiousnesse and receiue with meekenesse the engrafted word Iam. 1. 21. For where such corrupt affections as these and the like as enuie and strife are there is confusion and euery euill worke This is not wisedome from aboue but earthly sen●uall and diuellish Iam. 3. 15. 16. Eightly Presumption when we too much presume of the mercy of God This hindreth a number from proouing what is pleasing to God for either it makes men carelesse in performing what God commandeth or secure in auoiding what hee forbiddeth it makes men negligent in good duties cold in religion and hereby they either take occasion to sinne more freely or to deferre and post off their repentance to the last or else to liue and die in their sinnes without faith and repentance without which there is no pleasing of God and lastly it makes men cast off all care of doing good and to contemne the meanes of their saluation and all because they presume too farre that God is mercifull In a word these are great Lets to the proouing what