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	lay_v	18	3	6.7178	4	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

Gospell To get our understandings inlightned and our judgements strongly convinced touching the Princi●les of Christian Religion which the Apostle calleth the laying of the foundation With all labour to get a love of the Truth You know who tells it you that love is strong as death Without this foundation the soule will never stand sure a Christian will never stand still Secondly The foundation being good now in the second place the second requisite in a house is it must be strongly built viz. of good materialls well wrought good stone or brick well couched and cemented with well tempered mortar or strong timbers sound and substantiall principalls good studs and joice and spars c. all well joynted and bound together And even thus must it be with the soule that would stand it cut all weathers and stand still in time of Persecution it must be thus built and thus layed in with all requisite varietie of sound and substantiall graces A truth which the Apostle illustrates by another metaphor very opposite and fit to our present purpose Ephesi 6. where calling upon Christians to stand and stand fast against their spirituall Enemies he shewes them what they should doe viz. Put on the whole Armour of God I shall not need to tell you from whence the metaphor is taken The Souldier that would stand the charge of the Enemy he must be compleatly armed And thus must the Christian be that would stand fast and stand still as against spirituall so against temporall Enemies against cruell and bloody Persecutors he must have Gods Panoply upon him Now what that Armour is the Apostle there shews us even the graces of the Spirit viz. Truth and Righteousnesse and Faith and Hope and Love c. All these must a Christian be furnished with that would stand in the evill day the day of Persecution By this meanes it was that the Apostles went so comfortably on as in their doing so in their suffering-worke In all things they approved themselves the Ministers of God in much patience in afflictions in necessites in distresses in stripes in impr●sonments in tumults c. as Paul telleth his Corinthians This they did and how did they it Why by purenesse by knowledge by long-suffering by the kindnesse by the Holy Ghost by love unfeigned by the word of Truth by the power of God by the Armour of the Righteousnesse Would we imitate them in their constancy labour to resemble them in their other graces I hasten to the third and last particular which is Thirdly The house which would stand firme must be low built High-towering Turrets are often Castles of Come-downe in every stresse shaking and tottering whereas low-built-cottages stand firme and sure faceing all weathers and feeling little of them The Application is obvious The soule that would stand firme and sure in time of Persecution must be layed low It must be brought to learne that great lesson of selfe-denyall It is the first lesson you know that our blessed Saviour sets his Schollars his Disciples to learne If any man will come after me let him deny himselfe and take up his Crosse and follow me Till a man hath learned this lesson hee will never take up his Crosse and follow Christ to Mount Calvary And therefore every of us begin here Would wee approve our selves Champions for Christ never rest untill we have brought our hearts in some measure to a selfe-denying frame that we can deny our selves in whatever it is that flesh blood cals or counts deare It is the first lesson that a true Souldier should learne when he takes upon him that profession hee should then learn to deny himself viz. his Ease his Pleasure his Profit I and his Life too none of these must be deare to him A Christian must goe further denying these and more even that which to a true Souldier is most deare his Honour and Reputation Even this and all must a Christian trample upon accounting nothing deare for Christ So saith Paul of his life I count not my life deare unto my selfe so that I may finish my course with joy c. Oh that all our hearts and spirits were but brought to such a selfe denying frame Which all layed low in the apprehension and acknowledgement of our owne weakenesse insufficiency inabilitie to stand as of our selves Such we are labour we to be sensible of it going out of our selves not standing upon our own bottomes which if we doe see the issue of it in Peter who then fell most foulely when he was most confident of his owne standing When he was strong then was he weake whereas on the other hand Paul telleth us that when he was weake then he was strong when weak in himselfe then strong in his God whose power useth to be perfected in weakenesse especially in weakenesse apprehended In this respect therefore let our hearts lye low Be we rather jealous then confident jealous of our weaknesse then confident of our strength The Story of Sanders and Pendleton recorded in the Booke of Martyrs is well knowne The one jealous and timerous carefull and fearefull very solicitous what he should doe if God should bring him to the tryall of Martyrdome The other bold confident fearelesse but in the end Confidence gives in and yeelds cowardly whilst Timerousnesse stood it out manfully and suffered Triumphantly These Directions with other very usefull in this case I have heretofore inlarged in other expressions and therefore shall not now dwell any longer upon them Stand still not Fighting Passe wee now to the fourth and last Branch of this Direction here given by Moses to the people Stan● still i.e. not Fighting Not Fighting you may say What then Would Moses have them to yeeld up their throats to the Sword of the Enemy Not so Moses had no such intent any wayes to debarre them of their Inculpata tutela their just and necessary defence or yet to tye their hands so as that they should lay downe their liberties and lives both which God had now given them as a prey to themselves at the foot of a lawlesse and mercilesse Tyrant Moses though educated in Pharoahs Court yet had he not learnt that Language But in as much as he saw that the people had neither hands not hearts neither power nor will to fight to encounter so Potent an Adversary therefore he bids them stand still thereby intimating unto them that for the present there should be no need of their fighting God would take the cause into his owne hand fighting for them against his and their Enemies In this sense the Prophet I●haziel speakes to Ichoshaphat and to the rest of the people in that 2 Chron. 20. When they were in a like condition their Country being invaded and in danger to be over-runne by a Potent Enemy whom they were not able to oppose for their encouragement the Prophet telleth them that