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	call_v	know_v	33	3	3.7136	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29529	Stand still: Or, A bridle for the times A discourse tending to still the murmuring, to settle the wavering, to stay the wandring, to strengthen the fainting. As it was delivered to the Church of God at Great Yarmouth, Anno 1643. By John Brinsley, Minister of the Word there, and now published as a proper antidote against the present epidemicall distempers of the times.	Brinsley, John, 1600-1665.	1647 (1647)	Wing B4729; ESTC R217245	80,497	119

Ruler of thy People Pray for them I though they should be persecutors That is the Rule Pray for them that persecute you This doe we and doe we it in the first place So the Apostle there presseth it {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} First of all Oh that murmurers would but take out of this lesson to pray for Superiours first of all pray for them before they let flye at them or murmur against them certainly this would take off the Edge of their murmuring The more they prayed for them the lesse they would murmur against them Sure I am They which murmur most are such as pray least To prevent the one practise the other Pray for ●●r Superiours And that as the Apostle there directs First for the King whom we acknowledge by a divine and speciall Providence set over us as a Supreme Governour in these his Dominions Be we earnest with God for him that he may be made a Moses to us having Moses his spirit put upon him and if it might be doubled upon him as Elias his spirit was upon Elisha a wise and a large spirit proportionable to the charge committed unto him that he may be wise as an Angell of God as the woman of Tekoah said to King David able to discerne betwixt good and evill And with Moses his head beg we for him also Moses heart a heart faithfull to his God that like Moses he may be as a faithfull servant faithfull in all the house of his God A heart tender and affectionate towards his people Carrying them in his bosome lovingly tenderly carefully As a Nurse beareth her sucking child as the Lord requireth Moses to doe to his Israel So making him in truth what he is by office Patrem Patriae a Father a Nursing Father to his People Gods People Every wayes a Moses a Saviour a deliverer to the Israel of God Praying for him Pray we also for those which are in Authoritie over us under him And here in speciall for the Representative Body the great Synedrion our English Sanhedrim the supreme Court and Councell of this Kingdome now assembled together in the name of God to be unto their Prince as those seventie Elders were unto Moses a Councell of Assistance to beare the Burden of the People together with him For them beg we also that God would do for them what he there promiseth Moses to doe to his Counsellours and Assistants viz. take off the spirit which was upon Moses and put it upon them even a spirit suitable and proportionable to the Burden layed upon them Making them a Wise and faithfull Councell to their Prince and Wise and faithfull guides unto his people leading them on in such wayes as God himselfe hath layed out for them so as in due time they may conduct them through this Red-Sea this Sea of blood and this wildernesse of Confusion whereinto at the present we are cast unto a Canaan a Land of rest and peace where Righteousnesse and Peace may dwell together And remembring them forget we not the Sons of Aaron who are now called together to consult about the businesse of the Tabernacle For them also beg wee a spirit proportionable to the worke which they have in hand Even the same spirit that the Lord put upon Bezaleel and Aholiab when he called them to the worke of the Tabernacle The Spirit of wisedome and understanding and knowledge to know how to worke all manner of worke for the service of the Sanctuary according to all that the Lord hath commanded Such a Spirit beg we for them that so all things in this Tabernacle-Temple-worke may be done and performed according to the Patterne in the Mount according to the mind and will of God himselfe Begging direction and assistance for them withall beg we a blessing upon their endeavours that the Rod of Aaron may Bud and Blossome and bring forth fruit No such way to quiet the murmurings of the people as this It was the Lords owne way which he bad Moses take and make use of for this very purpose Numb. 17. The people being subject to murmuring upon all occasions and in particular about the Priesthood as you have heard for a Cure of that Disease the Lord directs Moses to take twelve Rods according to the number of the Tribes for every Tribe one laying them up in the Tabernacle before the Testimony And it shall come to passe saith the Lord That the mans Rod whom I shall choose shall blossome and I will make to cease the murmurings of the children of Israel c. This was the meanes propounded What the successe was the sequell of the Chapter will shew It came to passe that Moses went into the Tabernacle and behold Arons Rod which was for the house of Levi was budded and brought forth blossomes and yleeded Almonds whereupon the Lord ordereth Moses to take that Rod and lay it up in the Tabernacle before the Testimony there to be kept for a Token against the Rebells and saith the Lord Thou shall quite take away their murmurings I shall not need to tell you that the chiefe ground of our murmuring at this day is if not the same yet not unlike to theirs about the Priesthood O that the wonder-working God would be pleased to worke the like wonder in our dayes that we might see the Rod of Aaron which at the present through the Calamitie of the times seemes to lye secure and dead to Bud and Blossome and Bring forth Almonds yeelding us not onely Hopes but Fruits Hopes of a quiet and comfortable condition to the Church with the sweet and blessed fruits of a Glorious administration in it No doubt but this would have a strong influence upon the present and future distempers of unquiet spirits either to cure and stay their murmurings or else to be a witnesse against them to all succeeding ages This we know our God is able to doe and this we hope he will yet doe In the meanetime let us and all the Lords people Stand still waiting and quietly waiting upon our God for his salvation It is good for us so to do so faith the Church Lam. 3 It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord I have done with the first Branch of this Direction which I confesse hath taken more of my thoughts and your patience then at the first in my intentions I allotted it Stand still not Wavering Passe we now to the second Stand still not Wavering This men naturally are very apt to doe being all by nature ever since the first man left his standing become very unstable but some more then others It is that which the Patriarch Iacob saith to and of his sonne Ruben Gen. 49. Vnstable as water Water it is an unstable Element seldome standing still specially if there be any wind stirring then we

get them enlarged It is that which Paul begs from his Corinthians in the place fore-named O yee Corinthians our mouth is open unto you our heart is inlarged Now for a Recompence in the same I speak as unto children Be yee also enlarged And give me leave without either ostentation or flattery to take up his words and say unto you of this place To you our mouth is open a mercy which I dare say some of you many of you have heretofore begg'd at the hands of God God hath heard your prayers Our mouth is open to you and let me speake it as in the presence of that God who is the searcher of hearts Our heart is in measure inlarged towards you in the unfeigned desire of your good your peace your welfare spirituall and temporall your happinesse your salvavation Now for a recompence in the same I speake as unto children hoping that there are somehere present that wil owne that spirituall relation Be yee also enlarged inlarged in your affections towards that ministery which heretofore through the blessing of God upon weake indeavours you have found effectuall for the begetting of some and for the nursing up of others And now O that all our hearts were but thus layed in and thus layed out layed in with a due proportion of all requisite graces layed out with a large proportion of this Grace of Love Certainly they would then be more steady then generally in these unsteady times they are I so steady as that though the whole world should turne round yet we like the Polar stars in the Heavens should Stand still Secondly A second Direction followeth That a ship may be made to ride steady she must be downe-ballasted so bound downe to the water by some sad and pondrous lading as that she may not be tossed with every blast or billow In like manner the soule that would Stand still and be steady it must be ballasted downe-Ballasted Ballasted with what Why with sound Iudgement and true Christian Direction A Grace whatever any hot and violent spirits in these times may speake or thinke of it both usefull and necessary as Salt to our meat for so indeed it is the Salt of all Graces seasoning persons actions words without which they are all unsavory And will you know what it is It is a power or facultie to discernethings which differ This I pray faith Paul to his Philippians That your love may abound more and more in all knowledge and judgement that yee may discerne things which differ so the old Translation reads it according to the Originall A power or facultie to judge of things as they are not according to apparance but according to truth and that not onely of the lawfulnesse or unlawfulnesse of them but also of the expediency or inexpediency conveniency or inconveniency of them that so a man may order himselfe in his speeches and actions accordingly which David maketh the property of a good man he is one that steereth his course with this Rudder A good man will guide his affairs with discretion Ps. 112. This is judgement this is Discretion A grace needfull for all specially for the Ministers of the Gospell who being to goe before the Lords people stand in need of a double portion of it specially in such times as these into which we are fallen that their whole carriage all their actions all their speeches maybe seasoned with it specially those in publik that so the word in their mouths may not through want of this be made unsav●ry to any nor any of the ordinances of God made to stink in the nosthrils of meere carnall men Not onely they but all others even all private Christians should looke out for their share and portion of it It being a Grace so necessary to them that without it they will never be stayed never setled What is it that maketh multitudes so heady so unstable so unsetled at this day as they are So ready to cast off received truths So ready to imbrace any noveltie that is obtruded upon them specially if it have but a glosse of pietie set upon it Alas they are unballasted they want judgement to discerne of things to judge of them according to truth And as for discretion possibly some of them may take it for a Dull Grace not fit for these active and busie times Foolish Pilots who would not account them so That throw over their Ballaste in a stresse What wonder now if they heave and set and are carried this way and that way with every billow with every blast S. Inde speaking of such he fitly resembles them to empty clouds {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} clouds they are without water Jud. vers. 12. carried about withwinde It is so you know with light and emptie clouds How are they hurried hither and thither according as the winds drives them And all for want of water which should be as Ballaste unto them to ballance them as Elihu phraseth it Iob 37. Do'st thou know the ballancings of the clouds Would we come to Stand still in these unsetled and tempestuary times take we in every of us some of this Ballaste get we our hearts ballasted with some proportionable measure of sound judgement and doe not dare to venter our selves upon the differences and controversies of the times without it we would account him an unwise Pilot that should dare to put to Sea without his Ballaste Vnballasted bottomes may lye safe in the harbour but to put to Sea specially in a stresse they cannot without emminent hazard Certainly it would be a great deale better and safer for private Christians to containe themselves within the bounds of knowne truths a safe harbour to them then to venter rashly and heedily upon the controversies of the times which they cannot doe without emminent danger both to themselves and others Before you launch forth into this deepe into this growne Sea I meane engage your selves in Church differences which are now risen to a height get your hearts thus Ballasted downe-ballasted with sound judgement and true Christian discretion This will be a meanes to keepe you steady so as you shall not be tossed too and fro nor carried about with every wind of doctrine as Paul speakes to his Ephesians much lesse make shipwrack of that faith which you have imbraced professed which otherwise you are subject to and in danger of Lamentable instances of this kind the present times afford many Should we coast along the shoare of the English Church in this Kingdome at this day alas How many such wracks shall wee see How many Vessells which might otherwise have beene serviceable and profitable have by this meanes of late miscarried Some bilged upon this rocke others upon that some runne a ground upon this shelfe others upon that some fallen into quick-sand others into that some fallen upon Separatisme others upon Anabaptisme a third upon Familisme

to serve the divine Providence in drawing forth the thread of their life and carrying it on to that period which God himselfe in his secret counsell hath appointed and determined Thirdly It is their dutie herein to have a regard not onely to themselves their owne bodies but also to their Enemies to their soules not permitting them so farre as they can prevent it to draw the guilt of innocent blood upon their owne heads Fourthly And lastly to name no more Christians in all their actions they must ever have an eye to the glory of God which sometimes as I shall show you anon they may promote more by their flying then by their standing still In some cases then let it be yeelded which cannot be denyed that Christians are not bound to stand still they may flye As for those Arguments which are brought against it I will not spend time in answering of them rather referring those who desire further satisfaction in this point to our judicious Perkins in his Cases of Conscience as also to our learned Florentine P. Martyr in his Common Places who returnes particular answers to all those objections alleged by Tertullian in that booke of his upon which Saint Ierome hath passed this censure that it was written as some other bookes of his were Adversum Ecclesiam rather against then for the Church Q Christians sometimes may Fly But when may they flye And when must they stand still Two usefull questions the latter of which will bring us close home to the words of the Text To both of them I may returne this generall answer A. When God biddeth them flye they must flye when he biddeth them stand they must stand In both observing the Direction of God their Commander as the Souldiers and Servants of the Centurion are said to doe his I say unto this man goe and he goeth and to another come and he commeth and to my servant doe this and he doth it Thus are Souldiers ordered for their standing or marching their advancing or retreating their comming on or falling off all by the word which they receive from the mouth of their Commanders And thus must Christians be ordered for their flying and standing by the command and direction of God himselfe When God biddeth them flye they may they must flye when he biddeth them stand they may they must stand Q. But here the question will runne on when doth God bid them flye And when doth he bid them stand Or how is the will of God made knowne to them in this case A. For a more particular answer know wee that God maketh knowne his will herein two wayes either in an Extraordinary or in an Ordinary way First In an Extraordinary way by Dreames Visious Revelations immediate Inspirations Thus the Angell of the Lord appeared to Ioseph in a dreame saying Arise take the young Child and his Mother and flye into Egypt Mat. 2. Thus also an Angel appeared unto Peter in the prison awakning him bidding him shift for himself Act. 12. Even as the Angells did to Lot when they had brought him out of Sodom they did him shift for himselfe Flee for thy life looke not behind thee stand not still Gen. 19. And so on the other hand by a like meanes God maketh his will known unto Paul touching his abode at Corinth promising him a protection there which was done in a Vision as the Story tells us Act. 18. Afterwards when he was to goe up to Hierusalem he went bound in the Spirit as himselfe telleth us put on by a secret Inspiration Thus God hath made his will knowne to some of his people heretofore and I will not deny but hee may doe the like at this day But this wee have no warrant to expect or looke for Secondly That which we are to have an eye unto for the regulating of our Flight or Stay is the will of God made knowne to us in a more ordinary way viz. by his Word or Worke These two wayes God doth ordinarily make knowne his will unto the sonnes of men touching whatever he would have them doe or not to doe By his Word giving them at least some generall Rules and directions By his Worke his worke of Providence seconding the word giving them at least the hints of more particular directions And thus doth he make his will knowne unto his people in this particular case the case of flying or staying viz. by his Word and Worke These two as some Expositors carry it are the two wings which are said to be given to the woman in the Revelation in the place fore-named viz. Gods Oracle directing and his Providence protecting And both these must Christians have an eye upon in this case First Upon the Word which holdeth forth unto them this generall Rule and Direction Christians in their flying or standing must do that which may conduce most to the glory of God and good of others These are two of the maine ends which every Christians should live too his owne salvation being the third And these two he must have an eye unto as in all other his actions so in this First In the first place he must have an eye to the glory of God which should be to the Christian as the Pole-starre to the Marriner Now here sometimes it may so fall out that a Christian may glorifie God more by his flying then by his standing In this case God bids him flee Sometimes on the other hand he may glorifie God more by his standing then by his flying In this case God bids him stand And accordingly a Christian is to order himselfe Q. But who shall be the Iudge of this A. Why that must every mans owne Conscience Non externus judex sed domesticus as P. Martyr resolves it not any forreigne Iudge at least not primarily and principally True it is wee may and ought to consult with others about it because we are prone to be partiall in our owne cause but the Judge that must give Sentence in this case must be the Iudge in a mans owne bosome every mans owne Conscience This is that which every Christian in the case of flying ought first to consult with Aske Conscience what it is that induceth him to flee and presse it to give a true answer viz. whether it be the glory of God or his owne safetie his owne peace and tranquillitie whether God or himselfe that he looketh at Perhaps here Conscience will answer both I accept the answer yeelding it that where both may stand together a Christian both may and ought to have an eye to both Gods glory and his owne good even his outward peace and Tranquilitie But here to presse Conscience a little further let it be enquired First Which of these is the maine spring the first Principle that which first setteth a man a going Is it God or himselfe Gods glory